PalmOne Zire 71 Handheld by Palm
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Digital camera reviews of PalmOne Zire 71 Handheld
Digital camera Review: Buy from Overstock.com, it's cheaper and shipping only $1
Summary: 1 Stars
Buy from overstock.com, it's cheaper and shipping is only $1 for a limited time period. KM Electronics don't communicate well and they are very RUDE!Digital camera Review: Camera actually IS useful and a big selling point
Summary: 4 Stars
There are so many diffrent types of palms out today that you don't know what to get. I consider myself somewhat tech-savvy so i was torn between the Zire 71, Tungsten T, and Sony Clie. In doing my research, the Tungsten's most attractive feature was the keyboard, but let's face it: are you going to be typing long documents via the mini keyboard? For hard core typing, i prefer using my actual desktop computer where i don't have to strain and punch tiny keys with my thumb. And Bluetooth? None of my wireless tools are Bluetooth enabled, and very few on the market are right now unless you seek it out. Finally i chose the zire 71 b/c of the camera. Everyone says that the digital camera on the zire 71 is useless due to its low rez. True in one sense; after all, i have a REAL digital cam for great photography. But you know what? This mini cam actually is a fantastic addition b/c it allows you to take VISUAL MEMOS. This can practically eliminate graffiti (or mini keyboard) when you want to type in the latest cd on your wish list. WHy scribble when you can take a snapshot of it? you don't need major megapixels for that, and it proves to be a very useful tool. I work in a visual/creative environment, so it's indispensible. All around town (and i live in NYC)i take visual memos with my zire (I'll be in the record store and take pix of cds i want, i'll take pix of furniture at Ikea to later look at in the comfort of my home to rearrange furniture, I'll take pix of the latest restaurant review instead of dragging the entire magazine around or tearing out the article, i'll take pix of business cards or store hours or anything that i need to quickly refer to. It makes me increasingly paperless. And when i do need to type actual text (even tho i hate graffiti), I just download Tealscript (it's free) to create my own custom graffiti so I don't have to adhere to Palm's rigid strokes.Digital camera Review: Can't live without
Summary: 5 Stars
Well first off let me say that this is an amazing device. We have become spoiled and demanding with our technology, but lets just take a moment to look at what this tiny thing can do. The way some people are reviewing this product, you would think they expect it to make them breakfast and drive them to work! Sheesh! Yes, its [$$] USD, but come on!Personally this little guy has revolutionized my lifestyle. The uses I have found for it are infinite. With 13 MB actual of actual storage capacity it has plenty of room to store a ton of programs and with 144MHz processor, it is downright speedy when loading apps as well performing all the normal Palm tasks.
The practical: First and foremost I have organized every event and appointment as well as set alarms to go off before the scheduled events in the task organizer. (I am notoriously forgetful). It takes me about 10-15 minutes to schedule 2 weeks worth of info. I sync it with my wifes Palm to keep abreast of the budget and checkbook balance. I use it to jot down quick notes or reminders. I use it at church to both view my bible AND take notes on the sermon. I use it to play games like Tetris when I have long waits, etc, etc.
The fun: With the Palm Zire 71 I listen to MP3s when I ride to work. I take pictures of friends, family members, items Id like to buy and their prices at different stores, recipes out of books I dont want to buy! I even watch video clips and show them off to friends. Believe me this thing is an eye catcher.
The pictures are pretty darn good quality, at 640x480 they look great, Ive even blown them up to use as desktops on my 27 flat screen monitor. (check out the pictures I posted of a concert at thecomatorium.com > photos > summer tour 2003 > Denver: gothic theatre). Playback of MP3s sound killer with decent headphones. The display on the whole unit is nothing short of beautiful.
I dont care what anybody says, the Palm Zire 71 is amazing and will make you 75% cooler.
Cons: Could have come with better carrying case and maybe an extra SD card. More choices for media players (I hate Real player products!) MP3s are a pain if you have issues with a little patience. Video transfers are so-so quality, especially the audio. Would like if it were available in other colors besides blue.
Overview: All in all this is a great product all the way around. If you want a flawless camera, you can buy just a digital camera for the same price. If you want more memory, buy a PC! Try hauling those around your pocket.
Digital camera Review: Close, but could be better
Summary: 4 Stars
It's refreshing to see Palm come out with a competing product to the Sony Clie's. Lots of cool stuff for the price point. My review is more critical of the flaws of the device. It's still a good PDA, but there are some quirks. The Zire 71 is meant to compete against the Sony Clies. In the effort to get a product quickly to market, there are some rough edges.PRO: Lots of cool toys - MP3 player, web camera, SD slot, and a great color screen. There are plenty of positive reviews, so see them for more positives.
NEG: BATTERY LIFE: Color screen, digital camera, and MP3's eats up battery life like crazy. This becomes a problem if the battery dies before you can hotsyc. MP3 FUNCTIONALITY: You'll need 1) a separate SD card - from $60 to $100 AND 2) a SD card reader for transfering files to and from the SD card. I found that a 5 meg song took about 20 minutes using the serial interface. RealPlayer, which comes with the Palm, works ok, but it's a pretty lousy player/burner. Another irritation is that you can't "lock" the PDA when playing MP3 files. DESIGN: Seems that the engineers and the designers didn't talk with each other. It's too easy to accidently turn on the Palm. The Palm cases available can catch the "joystick" or allow the hot keys to be depressed. In addition, you can accidently turn on or off the PDA when you remove or replace the stylus.
Overall, if you can live with the shortcomings, then the Zire 71 is a buy.
Digital camera Review: Cool PDA for the money
Summary: 4 Stars
I have had the Zire 71 for 2 weeks now, and I am very satisfied with my purchase. It is definitely one of the best PDA's for the money.I know there are other PDA's with features like Bluetooth and WiFi. However, Bluetooth is only a convenience feature because USB already does everything as long as you have a cable. Also, you don't need WiFi to access e-mail if you have a GPRS phone, and most of us don't rely on our Palm pilots to surf the web. Notebook computers are much better for that.
The built-in camera is great (WOW! factor). It doesn't replace a digital camera, but it's always available.
Pros
-Bright, clear, vivid 320 x 320 resolution screen.
-Accepts SD memory cards. I also have SD cards for my camera and camcorder. In my opinion, SD rules!
-Universal connector for cradle, charger, and hotsync. All of those functions are working fine.
-Ability to run almost any software designed for Palm OS. I have yet to see a piece of software I want that requires a better Palm.
-Speed. I know there are faster Palms and Pocket PC's out there (for more money), but for the applications I run, I can't imagine why I would need anything faster.
-Joystick (great for games).
Cons
-Only 13 MB of memory for applications. You can solve this problem by purchasing a high capacity SD card.
-Kinoma player does not convert Windows Media or RealPlayer formats.
-Joystick (not so great for productivity applications).
Tips
-Get a high capacity SD card (at least 128 MB) ASAP. Use it to store all your pictures and movies.
-If your movies are in a compressed format (ie. Windows Media, RealPlayer, Quicktime) convert them to AVI or MPEG first. Then convert them to Kinoma format. I use Windows Movie Maker to convert my Windows Media files to AVI.
-Get a hard case specifically designed for this model. With a hard case, I can put my Zire 71 in my front pocket and not worry about damaging my Palm.
-If you want to use e-mail, get a GPRS phone.