Zire Handheld
(Redirected from Zire)
The Zire Series is Palm, Inc's band of Consumer-Grade Personal Digital Assistants
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Background/Overview
The lower-end models emphasize price — Palm's original Zire model was the first PDA under $100 from a major manufacturer — and the higher-end models emphasize multimedia capacity, including features like cameras and audio playback functions suitable for listening to MP3s.
Models
Palm Zire & Palm Zire 21
The Palm Zire and Palm Zire 21 are inexpensive and are differentiated from the rest of Palm's line by having monochrome screens without backlighting, having only two quickbuttons instead of four, and a traditional up/down navigation button instead of a 5-Way Navigator, though both of these entry-level models are lightweight (3.8oz or 108g), sporting a white front with a matté gray plastic back.
The Zire, released in the fourth quarter of 2002 (also known as the m150), is the handheld responsible for starting the value-concious handheld craze. It sported only 2MB On-Handheld RAM, a 33MHz Motorola Dragonball processor, and Palm OS 4.1.x. The Zire was superceded by the Zire 21 at the release of the "First Breed of PIM Plus Handhelds" on fourth quarter 2003.
The Zire 21, released at the same time as with the Tungsten T3 and Tungsten E, sported an improved PIM suite (known as the Palm PIM Plus), a 126MHz TI OMAP311 ARM-Compliant Processor, 8MB On-Handheld RAM, and Palm OS 5.2.1.
Neither the Zire or the Zire 21 had SD/SDIO/MMC expansion, which was vehemently shunned by venerable handheld aficionados. As of August 2005, both of these handhelds have been discontinued, making the Palm Zire 31 the entry-level Palm-branded PDA citing a strong demand for color.
Palm Z22
The Z22 is a successor of Zire 21, but released without the "Zire" moniker. Released October 12, 2005, it is priced at $99 USD. It has color 160x160 display, 32MB On-Handheld RAM (20MB avaliable to user) versus 8MB of Zire 21, Samsung 200MHz processor, and Palm OS Garnet 5.4 operation system. Its weight is 3.4 oz (96g). This will be the first color PDA priced under $100.
Palm Zire 31
The Palm Zire 31 is an upgraded version of Palm Zire 21. While the display is still 160x160, the display is now color, it has twice the RAM of the Zire 21 (16MB, 13.8MB useable), a 200MHz Intel PXA255 Processor with Intel XScale technology, SD/MMC/SDIO Expansion, Palm OS 5.2.8 "Garnet", Audio/MP3 Capability via Palm's Media Application and RealPlayer, 3.5mm Stereo Headjack, and a 5-Way navigator, though the Zire 31 still only had 2 shortcut buttons, which is still being shunned by Handheld Aficionados. No word on a successor to the Palm Zire 31 yet.
Palm Zire 71
The Palm Zire 71 was PalmOne's first attempt at a PDA with a built-in digital camera. It was introduced on April 23, 2003. At the time of its release, the Zire 71 was the highest-end model of the Zire band, sporting a 144MHz TI OMAP310 Processor, 16MB On-Handheld Memory (13MB Useable), 320x320 TFT 16-Bit Color Screen, Palm OS 5.2.1, and a VGA-Quality Camera (300K Pixel with 640x480 support). The small memory was a severe limitation on the number of pictures that could be stored. It also featured a small joystick for quick navigation. Audio playback capability was possible with the inclusion of a SD card slot, and a Palm version of RealPlayer was included. To counter the slow file transfer rate for uploading songs to the device, Palm offered an MP3 playback kit including a memory card writer. Its introduction price was $299, but later was reduced to $249 shortly before it was replaced by the Zire 72. The 71 still had advantages over the 72, as the camera was constantly protected by a shell on the 71, and it had a PalmOne "Universal Connector."
Reviewers were impressed by the excellent quality of its LCD and the comparatively good quality of its camera compared to similar generation VGA digital cameras.
Certain users found issues with the sensitivity of the device's joystick, which on certain devices was prone to powering up the PDA inside pockets, bags, and other containers, thus draining the batteries. The recommended utilities for the Palm Zire 71 (and all other Palm-branded PDA users as well) addressing the in-pocket power-up problem are as follows:
Palm Zire 72
The Palm Zire 72 is an upgraded version of Palm Zire 71. New features include Bluetooth, voice recording, and video capture with sound. The joystick was removed and replaced with a recessed pad similar to that of the Tungsten models, and the camera was upgraded from 0.3 to 1.2 megapixel. The Zire 72 has 32MB on-handheld RAM (25MB Useable) instead of 16MB, a 312MHz Intel PXA270 Processor instead of a TI OMAP Processor, and weighed 4.8oz as opposed to 5.3oz for the Zire 71. The Zire 72 was available in two models. The standard Zire 72 had a bright blue painted body with silver back. The Zire 72 Special Edition was an all-silver, and more professional looking, model.
The Zire 72, while it had more features than the Zire 71, was hit with a lot of criticism and friction over time. Some users report problems with the camera: the camera lens is not covered, the camera doesn't work in lowlight conditions, and broken pixels are common. (Third-party cases include a lens cover.) The screen quality, while good, may be not as brilliant as the Palm Zire 71. Many users complained of the blue paint chipping and peeling after moderate use.
See also
- Tungsten - Palm's band of Business-Grade Handhelds
- Treo Series - Palm's band of Smartphones
- LifeDrive - Palm's band of Professional-Class Mobile Managers
- Personal Digital Assistant