Zire Handheld
Encyclopedia
The Zire Series was Palm, Inc's "consumer-grade" brand of Personal Digital Assistant
.
s and audio playback functions suitable for listening to MP3
s.
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-conscious handheld craze. It sported only 2MB On-Handheld RAM, a 16 MHz Motorola DragonBall EZ
processor, and Palm OS 4.1.x. The Zire was superseded by the Zire 21 at the release of the "First Breed of PIM Plus Handhelds" on fourth quarter 2003.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 the Tungsten T3 and Tungsten E, sported an improved PIM suite (known as the Palm PIM Plus), a 126 MHz TI OMAP311 ARM-Compliant Processor, 8MB On-Handheld RAM, and Palm OS 5.2.1.
Neither the Zire nor 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.
The zire 21 is capable of displaying pdf files using the free Adobe Reader for palm OS version 3. Like most palm handhelds, text from the pdf file can be copied and pasted into other applications such as memo pad, greatly enhancing the utility of this cheap device. It is capable of, in effect, acting as a portable word processor, albeit a very basic one.
The Palm Zire 31 is a budget multimedia-oriented device. While the display is still 160×160, it is now color; it has twice the RAM of the Zire 21 (16 MiB
/ 13.8 MiB
usable), a 200 MHz PXA255 processor, SD
/SDIO/MMC
expansion slot, Palm OS 5.2.8, 3.5mm stereo headphones jack and a 5-way navigator pad, though the Zire 31 still only had 2 quickbuttons, as opposed to the standard 4 on the mid-range Zire 71/72 models. The ROM
includes RealOne player giving the device some digital audio player capabilities and a photo album application. It doesn't have a direct successor - the newer Palm Z22 is more akin to the Zire 21, albeit having the same 160×160 pixel CSTN 4096-color display as the Zire 31. While Zire 31 has the ability to play video (video player not included), the experience is limited by the maximum SD
/MMC
card size limit (1GiB
), the poor screen resolution, color depth and passive matrix display
technology.
4096 color 160x160 display, but features 32MB NVRAM
(20MB available to user) using NVFS, a Samsung 200 MHz processor, and Palm OS Garnet 5.4 operation system. Its weight is 3.4 oz (96g). Included in the box are cables for syncing with a computer via USB, and for charging from a wall outlet, Palm Desktop software for Mac and Windows, and a screen protector to apply if desired.
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 brand, sporting a 144 MHz TI OMAP310 Processor, 16MB On-Handheld Memory (13MB usable), 320x320 TFT 16-Bit Color Screen, Palm OS 5.2.1, and a VGA-Quality Camera (300K Pixel with 640x480 support). 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."
The Zire 71 did not ship with any wireless capabilities other than the infrared port. Wi-fi
capability can be added to the Zire 71 via the SD slot. Only one Wi-Fi/SD card, SanDisk
model SDWSDB-000-A10M, is reported to work with Zire 71. Wireless capabilities can also be added through the use of a folding portfolio, such as the Enfora Wireless LAN Portfolio.
Reviewers were impressed by the excellent quality of its LCD and the comparatively good quality of its camera compared to similar generation VGA digital camera
s.
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:
Alternatively, one could simply lessen the frequency of this occurring by inserting the PDA into its case top first (so that the joystick is at the wider end of the pocket).
Additionally, after many cycles of opening and closing the camera, the small cable that connects the halves of the device may fracture, leading to a loss of hotsync ability, and eventually being unable to charge the device.
, 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 usable) instead of 16MB, a 312 MHz Intel PXA270 Processor instead of a TI OMAP Processor, and weighed 4.8oz as opposed to 5.3oz for the Zire 71. This models features the newer PIM apps, like the E, T3 and Z22 Models. 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 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.
and Palm OS 6 Cobalt (while they are currently only producing 5.4 Garnet), a faster processor, and a black or a lime paint coating, among many others.
Personal digital assistant
A personal digital assistant , also known as a palmtop computer, or personal data assistant, is a mobile device that functions as a personal information manager. Current PDAs often have the ability to connect to the Internet...
.
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 cameraCamera
A camera is a device that records and stores images. These images may be still photographs or moving images such as videos or movies. The term camera comes from the camera obscura , an early mechanism for projecting images...
s and audio playback functions suitable for listening to MP3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
s.
Palm Zire & Palm Zire 21
Palm, Inc.
Palm, Inc., was a smartphone manufacturer headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, that was responsible for products such as the Pre and Pixi as well as the Treo and Centro smartphones. Previous product lines include the PalmPilot, Palm III, Palm V, Palm VII, Zire and Tungsten. While their older...
's line by having monochrome
Monochrome
Monochrome describes paintings, drawings, design, or photographs in one color or shades of one color. A monochromatic object or image has colors in shades of limited colors or hues. Images using only shades of grey are called grayscale or black-and-white...
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-conscious handheld craze. It sported only 2MB On-Handheld RAM, a 16 MHz Motorola DragonBall EZ
Freescale DragonBall
Motorola/Freescale Semiconductor's DragonBall, or MC68328, is a microcontroller design based on the famous 68000 core, but implemented as an all-in-one low-power solution for handheld computer use...
processor, and Palm OS 4.1.x. The Zire was superseded 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 the Tungsten T3 and Tungsten E, sported an improved PIM suite (known as the Palm PIM Plus), a 126 MHz TI OMAP311 ARM-Compliant Processor, 8MB On-Handheld RAM, and Palm OS 5.2.1.
Neither the Zire nor the Zire 21 had SD
Secure Digital card
Secure Digital is a non-volatile memory card format developed by the SD Card Association for use in portable devices. The SD technology is used by more than 400 brands across dozens of product categories and more than 8,000 models, and is considered the de-facto industry standard.Secure Digital...
/SDIO/MMC
MultiMediaCard
The MultiMediaCard is a flash memory memory card standard. Unveiled in 1997 by Siemens AG and SanDisk, it is based on Toshiba's NAND-based flash memory, and is therefore much smaller than earlier systems based on Intel NOR-based memory such as CompactFlash. MMC is about the size of a postage...
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.
The zire 21 is capable of displaying pdf files using the free Adobe Reader for palm OS version 3. Like most palm handhelds, text from the pdf file can be copied and pasted into other applications such as memo pad, greatly enhancing the utility of this cheap device. It is capable of, in effect, acting as a portable word processor, albeit a very basic one.
Palm Zire 31
The Palm Zire 31 is a budget multimedia-oriented device. While the display is still 160×160, it is now color; it has twice the RAM of the Zire 21 (16 MiB
MIB
MIB may refer to any of several concepts:* Master of International Business, a postgraduate business degree* Melayu Islam Beraja, the adopted national philosophy of Brunei* Motion induced blindness, a visual illusion in peripheral vision...
/ 13.8 MiB
MIB
MIB may refer to any of several concepts:* Master of International Business, a postgraduate business degree* Melayu Islam Beraja, the adopted national philosophy of Brunei* Motion induced blindness, a visual illusion in peripheral vision...
usable), a 200 MHz PXA255 processor, SD
Secure Digital card
Secure Digital is a non-volatile memory card format developed by the SD Card Association for use in portable devices. The SD technology is used by more than 400 brands across dozens of product categories and more than 8,000 models, and is considered the de-facto industry standard.Secure Digital...
/SDIO/MMC
MultiMediaCard
The MultiMediaCard is a flash memory memory card standard. Unveiled in 1997 by Siemens AG and SanDisk, it is based on Toshiba's NAND-based flash memory, and is therefore much smaller than earlier systems based on Intel NOR-based memory such as CompactFlash. MMC is about the size of a postage...
expansion slot, Palm OS 5.2.8, 3.5mm stereo headphones jack and a 5-way navigator pad, though the Zire 31 still only had 2 quickbuttons, as opposed to the standard 4 on the mid-range Zire 71/72 models. The ROM
Read-only memory
Read-only memory is a class of storage medium used in computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be modified, or can be modified only slowly or with difficulty, so it is mainly used to distribute firmware .In its strictest sense, ROM refers only...
includes RealOne player giving the device some digital audio player capabilities and a photo album application. It doesn't have a direct successor - the newer Palm Z22 is more akin to the Zire 21, albeit having the same 160×160 pixel CSTN 4096-color display as the Zire 31. While Zire 31 has the ability to play video (video player not included), the experience is limited by the maximum SD
Secure Digital card
Secure Digital is a non-volatile memory card format developed by the SD Card Association for use in portable devices. The SD technology is used by more than 400 brands across dozens of product categories and more than 8,000 models, and is considered the de-facto industry standard.Secure Digital...
/MMC
MultiMediaCard
The MultiMediaCard is a flash memory memory card standard. Unveiled in 1997 by Siemens AG and SanDisk, it is based on Toshiba's NAND-based flash memory, and is therefore much smaller than earlier systems based on Intel NOR-based memory such as CompactFlash. MMC is about the size of a postage...
card size limit (1GiB
Gib
Gib may refer to:* A castrated male cat or ferret* Gibibit , measurement unit of digitally stored computer information* Gibraltar, British overseas territory* Drywall, construction material...
), the poor screen resolution, color depth and passive matrix display
Super-twisted nematic display
A super-twisted nematic display is a type of monochrome passive matrix liquid crystal display . STN displays provide more contrast than twisted nematic displays by twisting the molecules from 180 to 270 degrees...
technology.
Palm Z22
The Z22 is a successor of Zire 21, but without the "Zire" moniker. Released October 12, 2005, it is available for $149.95 USD as of July, 2010. It has a CSTNSuper-twisted nematic display
A super-twisted nematic display is a type of monochrome passive matrix liquid crystal display . STN displays provide more contrast than twisted nematic displays by twisting the molecules from 180 to 270 degrees...
4096 color 160x160 display, but features 32MB NVRAM
NVRAM
Non-volatile random-access memory is random-access memory that retains its information when power is turned off, which is described technically as being non-volatile...
(20MB available to user) using NVFS, a Samsung 200 MHz processor, and Palm OS Garnet 5.4 operation system. Its weight is 3.4 oz (96g). Included in the box are cables for syncing with a computer via USB, and for charging from a wall outlet, Palm Desktop software for Mac and Windows, and a screen protector to apply if desired.
Palm Zire 71
The Palm Zire 71 was PalmOne's first attempt at a PDAPersonal digital assistant
A personal digital assistant , also known as a palmtop computer, or personal data assistant, is a mobile device that functions as a personal information manager. Current PDAs often have the ability to connect to the Internet...
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 brand, sporting a 144 MHz TI OMAP310 Processor, 16MB On-Handheld Memory (13MB usable), 320x320 TFT 16-Bit Color Screen, Palm OS 5.2.1, and a VGA-Quality Camera (300K Pixel with 640x480 support). 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
Zire 72
The Zire 72 is Palm, Inc.'s second Personal Digital Assistant with an integrated digital camera. Introduced in 2004, It is the replacement for the Zire 71, having a 1.2 megapixel camera, 32 MB of memory, built-in Bluetooth wireless communication, video recording and playback capability, a...
. 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."
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi or Wifi, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point has a range of about 20...
capability can be added to the Zire 71 via the SD slot. Only one Wi-Fi/SD card, SanDisk
SanDisk
SanDisk Corporation is an American multinational corporation that designs, develops and manufactures data storage solutions in a range of form factors using the flash memory, controller and firmware technologies. It was founded in 1988 by Dr. Eli Harari and Sanjay Mehrotra, non-volatile memory...
model SDWSDB-000-A10M, is reported to work with Zire 71. Wireless capabilities can also be added through the use of a folding portfolio, such as the Enfora Wireless LAN Portfolio.
Reviewers were impressed by the excellent quality of its LCD and the comparatively good quality of its camera compared to similar generation VGA digital camera
Digital camera
A digital camera is a camera that takes video or still photographs, or both, digitally by recording images via an electronic image sensor. It is the main device used in the field of digital photography...
s.
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:
- PocketProtector by Geakware
- Power by Whizoo
- OffAlready by Toysoft inc
- Disable Buttons (freeware) by Pasquale Foggia
Alternatively, one could simply lessen the frequency of this occurring by inserting the PDA into its case top first (so that the joystick is at the wider end of the pocket).
Additionally, after many cycles of opening and closing the camera, the small cable that connects the halves of the device may fracture, leading to a loss of hotsync ability, and eventually being unable to charge the device.
Palm Zire 72
The Palm Zire 72 is an upgraded version of Palm Zire 71. New features include BluetoothBluetooth
Bluetooth is a proprietary open wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks with high levels of security...
, 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 usable) instead of 16MB, a 312 MHz Intel PXA270 Processor instead of a TI OMAP Processor, and weighed 4.8oz as opposed to 5.3oz for the Zire 71. This models features the newer PIM apps, like the E, T3 and Z22 Models. 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 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.
Palm Zire 73
The supposed "Zire 73", rumored to exist, doesn't exist. The rumor had been started when a product on "Buy.com" had labeled a "form fitting" protective case for the Zire 72 & 73. Not only had the palm in the picture been a Tungsten, but there were links to Zire 73 accessories (which also, do not exist.) There was also talk of some of the specs that were "going to be in the 73." Some of which were a 320x480 pixel screen, a 1.7 Mega pixel camera, 64 MB of on board RAMRam
-Animals:*Ram, an uncastrated male sheep*Ram cichlid, a species of freshwater fish endemic to Colombia and Venezuela-Military:*Battering ram*Ramming, a military tactic in which one vehicle runs into another...
and Palm OS 6 Cobalt (while they are currently only producing 5.4 Garnet), a faster processor, and a black or a lime paint coating, among many others.
Comparison
| Name | Zire | Zire 21 | Z22 | Zire 31 | Zire 71 | Zire 72 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight | 3.8 oz (109 g) | 3.4 oz (96 g) | 4.1 oz (116 g) | 5.3 oz (150 g) | 4.8 oz (136 g) | |
| RAM size: total/available/Non-volatile | 2/1.8 Mb/No | 8/7 Mb/No | 32/24.6 Mb/Yes | 16/13.8 Mb/No | 16/13 Mb/No | 32/25 Mb/No |
| Storage expandable | No | Yes | ||||
| Display | LCD Liquid crystal display A liquid crystal display is a flat panel display, electronic visual display, or video display that uses the light modulating properties of liquid crystals . LCs do not emit light directly.... , b/w, 16 gray levels |
STN passive matrix Super-twisted nematic display A super-twisted nematic display is a type of monochrome passive matrix liquid crystal display . STN displays provide more contrast than twisted nematic displays by twisting the molecules from 180 to 270 degrees... , color, 12 bit |
TFT active matrix TFT LCD Thin film transistor liquid crystal display is a variant of liquid crystal display which uses thin-film transistor technology to improve image quality . TFT LCD is one type of Active matrix LCD, though all LCD-screens are based on TFT active matrix addressing... , color, 16 bit |
|||
| Resolution | 160*160 | 320*320 | ||||
| Processor | Motorola Motorola Motorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009... DragonBall EZ |
TI Texas Instruments Texas Instruments Inc. , widely known as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, United States, which develops and commercializes semiconductor and computer technology... OMAP311 |
Samsung | Intel Xscale PXA255 (ARM v.5TE) | TI Texas Instruments Texas Instruments Inc. , widely known as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, United States, which develops and commercializes semiconductor and computer technology... OMAP311 |
Intel PXA270 |
| Processor frequency | 16 MHz | 126 MHz | 200 MHz | 144 MHz | 320 MHz | |
| Palm OS version | 4.1 | 5.2.1 | Garnet 5.4 | 5.2.8 | 5.2.1 | 5.2.8 |
| PIM version | Standard | Newer | Standard | Newer | ||
| Audio output | None | Speaker | Headset Jack + Speaker | |||
| Multimedia capabilities | No | MP3 player | MP3 player, video player | |||
| Additional features and devices | No | Camera (640*480, 0.3 Megapixel, covered, photo), 5-way joystick | Camera (1280*960, 1.2 Megapixel, uncovered, photo and video), microphone and voice recording capability, Bluetooth Bluetooth Bluetooth is a proprietary open wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks with high levels of security... |
|||
| Cradle | No | Yes | No | |||
See also
- TungstenTungsten HandheldThe Tungsten series was Palm, Inc.'s line of business-class Palm OS-based PDAs. With the purchase of the Palm name from PalmSource, Palm has dropped the Tungsten name from its newer offerings. , only the Tungsten E2 continues to use the Tungsten name...
- Palm's band of Business-Grade Handhelds - Treo SeriesTreoThe Palm Treo is a line of smartphones originally developed by Handspring, which was bought by Palm, Inc. They are now manufactured and maintained by Palm, Inc. Treos have a number of integrated features such as the ability to check the calendar while talking on the phone, dial directly from a...
- Palm's band of SmartphoneSmartphoneA smartphone is a high-end mobile phone built on a mobile computing platform, with more advanced computing ability and connectivity than a contemporary feature phone. The first smartphones were devices that mainly combined the functions of a personal digital assistant and a mobile phone or camera...
s - LifeDriveLifeDriveThe LifeDrive was a Palm OS-based handheld personal digital assistant device that was produced by PalmOne, a former incarnation of Palm, Inc. The device was PalmOne's first and only foray into the "Mobile Manager" device category...
- Palm's band of Professional-Class Mobile Managers - Personal Digital AssistantPersonal digital assistantA personal digital assistant , also known as a palmtop computer, or personal data assistant, is a mobile device that functions as a personal information manager. Current PDAs often have the ability to connect to the Internet...
External links
- Palm Debuts First $99* Handheld - The Zire Handheld, Palm Press Release, Oct. 7, 2002
- Palm Introduces Sequel to Top-Selling Zire Handheld, Palm Press Release (Zire 21), Oct. 1, 2003
- Review for Palm Z22
- Complete specs by CNet for Zire 71
- PalmOne, inc. website
- Mac OS X: Palm Desktop 4.2.1 - Rev D (Disable "Media" sync before using Palm Zire 1, not implemented in the first Zire, or use Rev A instead)