PalmOne Zire 72 Handheld

Upgrade Features
The Zire 72 offers the following improvements to the Zire 71:

• 1-megapixel image resolution (1280 x 960 pixels); the Zire 71 had a maximum 640 x 480 resolution.
• 32 MB of memory (24.7 MB user available); the Zire 71 had only a 16 MB memory
• Video capture with sound; the Zire 71 only shot still images.
• Digital zoom for closer image capture and in-handheld editing.
• Voice recording capability.
• Wireless Bluetooth connectivity (the Zire 71 connected to your PC only via the HotSync cable)
• At 4.8 ounces, it's 10-percent less weighty than the 5.3-ounce Zire 71.
• Palm OS 5.2.8 (versus 5.2.1 for the Zire 71).

The Zire 72 can easily capture and manage your most important digital files.

Built-in Camera The back of the Zire 72 holds the built-in still and video camera, which does not require you to slide the back of the PDA to activate it (like the Zire 71 did). You can shoot video with sound turned on or off at 320 x 240 pixel resolution and 15 frames per second. Just use the handheld screen to frame the video, tap the "record" button on the display, then save your video to an optional expansion card after tapping the "stop" button. For still photography, it features a 1.2-megapixel CMOS sensor with a fixed focus range of about five feet and a 2x digital zoom. It captures up to 1280 x 960 pixel images, as well as 640 x 480, 320 x 240, and 160 x 120 resolution modes. The camera also offers such customized image setting controls as white balance, brightness, saturation, contrast, and sharpness. You can also add date stamp or effects like sepia, black and white, and blue.

Audio The included RealPlayer for Palm OS enables you to listen to MP3 music files stored on optional expansion cards via the built-in speaker on the Zire 72 or, for stereo sound, using optional stereo headphones or ear buds. With the built-in digital voice recorder, you can create voice memos, then synchronize them to your desktop PC and email them to friends and colleagues. Display The Palm Zire 72 features a 16-bit, 320 x 320 bright transflective TFT color display, which supports more than 65,000 colors.

Listen to MP3 music files stored on expansion cards via the built-in speaker on the Zire 72

Connectivity and Expansion
With the built-in wireless Bluetooth connectivity, you can synchronize the Zire 72 with Bluetooth-enabled computer from across the room (within a range of 10 meters, or approximately 30 feet). But that's just the start. Using a compatible Bluetooth-enabled phone, you can send and receive email and connect to the web, send multimedia (MMS) or text (SMS) messages, and even automatically dial any number in your handheld's Contact's application. You can also synchronize data the "old-fashioned" way via the mini-USB connection at the base of the handheld.

The Zire 72 uses Multimedia Card and Secure Digital expansion cards, which instantly add software applications, additional memory, large databases, and more without taking up built-in memory space.

Graffiti 2 allows you to enter data quickly into your Palm handheld but it's even more intuitive and easier to learn Along with the standard Palm software, you'll receive a Software Essentials CD-ROM containing PalmOne's VersaMail, Web Pro, Messages (SMS/MMS), Palm Reader, Documents To Go Standard Edition, Acrobat Reader, Solitaire, powerOne Personal Calculator, and Audible Player for palmOne handhelds (Windows only). Compatibility The Palm Zire 72 is compatible with PCs running Windows 98, NT 4.0, 2000, Me, and XP, and with Macs running Mac OS 9, version 9.1 or higher, or Mac OS X, version 10.2 or 10.3.

Messages software allows you to send and receive text and multimedia messages and include photos taken with the built-in camera.

Well, I got my Zire 72 and I love it. I now have a complete photo album, a voice recorder, a camera plus the usually Palm goodies. Instead of hauling around a bunch of very heavy dictionaries, I am now loading them onto the Palm. No, the camera isn't as good as my stand-a-long Kodak, but it is fine and handy to have. The quality of the voice recordings is excellent-far better than my two stand-a-lone digital recorders. The included documents-to-go program works well and I actually do find myself working of documents in places I would never haul my lap-top.

If you have an older Palm-my last one was an m105, I think you would be really surprised at how much more useful the newer high-res Palms are. For the price that Amazon is selling the Zire 72, it is rather an incredible package. I'm really happy I stuck with Palm.


Defending the Zire 72   February 4, 2006
Valerie Rhyner (Tx, Usa)
32 out of 34 found this review helpful

Defending the Zire 72 Palm handheld.


I have a Zire 72, and I am convinced that it is an excellent PDA. However this particular Palm gets relatively bad reviews and bad ratings. This document will record each negative thing that I could find about this PDA and my response to these comments. Is the Zire 72 the best PDA for everyone from every walk of life? No, and it doesn't intend to be. But as for what it DOES intend to be, this Palm is one of the best, in my opinion.


Negative Comments:


1.) The Palm continually crashes.

Response: This does not necessarily have anything to do with the Zire 72. The Palm OS is not the most stable of all operating systems. Having said that, I can say with all certainty that my Zire 72 does not continually crash. This is the second Zire 72 that I have owned. The first one I owned I sold to my brother. Yes, it does continually crash. However, it is noteworthy that this Palm is over 3 years old, has been dropped several times, the speaker has been broken, it has been stepped on by the dog, and the battery has been severely abused.

2.) The paint peels off too easy.

Response: Yes, the first Zire 72's that came out had a blue rubber finish that did come off quiet easily. However, my Zire 72, as well as any Zire 72 made within the last year or so, will not have this problem, the Palm now has a different kind of paint, and it still looks the same. Also, Palm has come out with a special edition of the Zire 72 that has no paint and is silver like other PDA's such as the Tungsten E, E2 etc.

3.) Palm has bad service.

Response: This is a common objection to the Zire 72 and many other Palm handhelds. However, even if this allegation were true about Palm, it would have nothing to do with the Zire 72 itself (as well as any other Palm handheld). The Zire 72 could be the greatest PDA ever, and if someone drops it and it breaks, and Palm gives them a hard time about it, that is between Palm and them. I am not here to defend Palm as a company, only this particular handheld. I only mentioned this objection because it is so widely held among people who review the Zire 72. People will have a bad experience and give this Palm a 1-star rating which causes its average to go down. The Zire 72 doesn't have bad service, Palmone does.

4.) It's not very compatible with Windows XP

Response: This is simply not true as far as I know. I have Windows Xp and it works great with this PDA and the Hotsync software. Xp is very compatible with USB devices. This particular user may have just not known how to configure his system properly.


5.) Poor battery life


Response: Not really. Granted the Zire 72 doesn't have the best battery life out of all the PDAs, I have not had any problems with it in this respect. I will say that the Zire 72 has an extremely bright screen. If you turn down the brightness on this screen it will greatly increase the battery life. (NOTE: Even after turning the brightness on the screen to its lowest setting, the Zire 72 still has a brighter output than virtually any Sony Clie and many other PDA's).


6.) It is too delicate and there is no case to protect this unit.

Response: This is simply not true, yet it is still used to give this Palm bad ratings. Palm has made a wonderful hard case for this unit that they will include for free if you buy the Zire 72 through them. There is also a hard plastic clear case, and Rhinoskin has also recently come out with a case for this unit.


7.) The price is too high.

Response: Not by a long shot. Considering that this Palm has a camera, and Mp3 player, a voice recorder, Bluetooth, a 312Mhz processor, and a thin lightweight design it is not expensive at all compared to other PDA's with far less features. Actually, since this Palm is not all too popular, you can find it for even less. You can get a brand new Zire 72 for less than $200.


8.) It constantly losses all its data


Response: I have never had a problem with this. The only Zire 72 I've ever heard of loosing its data is my brothers that has been dropped, stepped on, is not totally functional and has had serious battery abuse. Allot times people using these kinds of arguments may not be telling the whole story...


9.) The camera is horrible

Response: This problem occurs when people buy a PDA with the preconceived idea that the camera feature is a replacement for a 5.1Mp digital camera. If they had owned PDA's with a camera function before, they would not be as disappointed. Yes, I do agree that the Clie has a better light filter or whatever you want to call it, however the Zire 72's camera can produce the 3rd highest resolution out of all PDA's I know of. However, regardless of what PDA you're buying, don't get one with a camera as a means of replacing a real camera. The Zire 72 has a 1.2 Mega-Pixel camera. The best camera on any PDA I know of is a Sony Clie with a 2.0 mega-pixel camera. Still, this will not replace the 7 and 8 mega-pixel cameras that are made solely for producing high quality photos.


10.) No Wifi

Response: This is true, of course this can be added on later via SD wireless card. While the Zire 72 does have built in Wifi, not many PDA's really did back when it came out, especially not any with all the other features the Zire 72 has. It does have Bluetooth however, which can also be used for Internet use.


11.) Lacks camera lens cover.

Response: All I can say is, I have owned Zire 72's for 3 years and I have never once gotten one scratch on the lens. The lens in recessed back into the device so it is not going to get scratched simply by laying it down. Besides, if you get the hard case for this Palm it solves the problem. This is something you are going to want to do if you get a Zire 72 anyways, or any PDA for that matter.

12.) Battery not user replaceable

Response: Palm has never made a PDA that has this feature, I have a hard time believing that they ever had any intention to. You cant blame the Zire 72 for something that all other handhelds made by Palm have in common with, but rather, you can blame Palm as a whole.

13.) SD card is recessed too far and is hard to get in and out.

Response: Again this is something that is common to many Palm handhelds. As opposed to the Sony Clie models whose memory stick protrude about 2mm out from the unit, Palm has decided to make the card slot on their units hold the card in deeper. This is something that you will get used to and something you must face regardless of what Palm you buy. If you decide to buy a Sony instead based on this issue, your faced with another problem. The cards on the Sony stick out too much. While they are easier to take in and out, you are always running the risk and banging it on something causing the card to be ejected, lost, or damaged.




14.) No attachable flip cover.

Response: Again this is something that all Palms have in common. People with these complaints are obviously those who have previously owned Sony PDA's. I personally find flip covers annoying, and took mine off back when I owned a Sony Clie. At any rate, as I've said before, you are going to want to buy the hard metal case that is compatible with the Zire 72, it will offer much more protection than any flip cover!

15.) One guy said, "The output signal from the headphone jack is *far* too loud. I have to set system sounds to "low" to get a volume that is bearable to my ears. I'd prefer a softer volume, though."

Response: This is why Palm has engineered this unit with the ability to lower the volume. This particular users preference is that the volume would be softer, which is fine, but why would you give the Zire 72 a negative mark for it because you had to go into the system to turn the volume down? The next person might prefer the volume to be louder, in which case he could turn UP the volume. I personally can hardly hear the system sound coming from the external speaker. I suppose it would be loud if you used headphones to listen to the beeps and ticks as you browse through system applications, but this would seem like a strange to do. However, no matter what your volume preference is, the Zire 72 is compatible either way...


16.) The headphone jack output produces a clearly audible background "hiss".

Response: This "hiss" is not audible while listening to Mp3's. I listen to my Zire 72's MP3 player every night and have been for 2 years. It's great. Yes you can hear a noise when there is no music and the headphones are plugged in, just like in many devices that use headphones. This sound ensure you that the headphones are in the device and are properly connected. Also might I add in defense of the MP3 player, Realone player is great! With the five-way directional pad you with switch through songs very quickly!


I think its funny to note that Cnet's review on the Zire 72 yielded a typically low rating among other handhelds they have reviewed before. Here are some things that where said:

THE GOOD THINGS:
Integrated 1.2-megapixel camera with video-record function,
Bluetooth,
Fast processor,
Multimedia support,
Robust software bundle,
Expansion slot,

THE BAD THINGS:

No Wi-Fi
Lacks camera lens cover
Battery not user-replaceable.


It appears that there are twice as many good things then bad things about the Zire 72 according to this review. And two of the bad things, especially the replaceable-battery issue I've already shown not to be serious things at all.

If you read through the review that Cnet has, you will find that the overwhelming testimony of the this PDA is positive, hardly anything bad is said about it, yet it only obtains a mere 6.8 rating. Lets look at another PDA that Cnet reviewed.

The Sony Clie TJ37. Here's what was said by Cnet:

THE GOOD THINGS:

Built-in Wi-Fi, (The Zire 72 does not have this, but it does have Bluetooth whereas the TJ37 does not.)
Integrated 310,000-pixel camera, (The Zire 72's camera is 1,200,000 pixel)
Fast processor, (The Zire 72's is faster)
MP3 and video playback, (The Zire 72 has this as well)
Slim form factor (As does the Zire 72)

The bad:

Comes with outdated Date Book and Address Book apps, (The Zire 72 does not)
No Bluetooth, (The Zire 72 does)
Dim screen, (The Zire 72 has one of the brightest screen I've ever seen)
Poor battery life, (The Zire 72 has fine battery life)
Lacks user-replaceable battery (Hardly any PDAs don't! That's what I've been saying!)

As opposed the 3 negative things Cnet wrote about the Zire 72 (two of which aren't very substantial) there are five negative things said about the TJ37, 4 of which are substantial in my opinion. You may think, "well maybe even though the TJ37 has more negative things, all of its positive things make up for it." I've already shown that the only thing the TJ37 has over the Zire 72 is Wifi, and that gets cancelled out with the Bluetooth anyway. What rating did Cnet give the TJ37? A 7.3. No it isn't a great deal higher than the Zire 72's rating but there is no reason why this PDA should have gotten a higher rating. I do not agree with the rating that Cnet gave to the Zire 72, and even if I did I would still expect to see that other PDA's rated to be rated by the same standard. Meaning the TJ37 would have something like a 6.4.



The Zire 72 is a very underrated Palm. The paint peeling issue just scared allot of people in my opinion and kind of ruined the market for this particular unit. Well spread the word! The paint-peeling problem has been dealt with! This unit is so fast, and you can practically work it with one hand. The five-way navigation pad is something that Palm has and Sony doesn't that really hurts for them. I think the Zire 72 accomplishes everything that it intends to, and if it weren't for all the false claims that have been made about it, there would be allot more people walking around with one.


Did I miss anything? Let me know!

(...)


A Top Rated Review from an Avid PDA Owner   January 3, 2005
Robin L. Taylor (Massachusetts)
11 out of 11 found this review helpful

I own quite a few handhelds. I'm always trying different models. So, when I saw the Zire 72 at a very affordable price, I thought I'd give it a try. I wanted to see if it would live up to the camera and video promises I'd read about in reviews. I also wanted to see how it played encoded .avi movies.

Well, despite the problem that I hear the paint rubs off with the blue Zire (and now Palm is making a silver issue), I got it, and I am very pleased with it. Since I didn't want to face seeing my paint fall off, I bought a designed case called Piel Frama, which protects the paint. Since the case has a belt clip, and I bought it in black, it makes the Zire look very professional.

Now, practical uses. I own, and use with true regularity - the Tapwave Zodiac 2 and the HP iPAQ 4355 PPC - but neither boasts a still picture and/or video camera. So, would I make good use of my time by dividing up my PDA use with yet another PDA - this one being the Zire 72?

- Videos - excellent - just adjust the lighting and do a couple short clips until you find the correct setting. The videos may not look like much on the small 320x320 screen, but hotsync them to your desktop or laptop, and you might find yourself quite pleased.
- Pictures - excellent - as the resolution is quite high. Again, lighting is a factor - but once the settings are correct, you get wonderful pictures that look fine on both the PDA and your computer.
- Media - for pictures you transfer - in any number of methods - via hotsync for one. Or take your SD card right out of your camera and put it into the Zire, and you can have your pictures right on your handheld. Skip the transfer from the camera to the computer and then to the handheld if you are pressed for time. You won't be disappointed. Also, with Media, you can make any number of albums - including separate albums for pictures and/or videos. With larger SD cards being extremely affordable these days, there's just no end...
- Use a third-party viewer to watch encoded movies if you like. Crisp and clean.
- Listen to music for hours on end and you'll just dent the battery power maybe by half.
- Read ebooks.
- Use many third party programs, including a Launcher manager, and run applications from the SD card, thus stretching the limited 32 mb capacity.
- Play games - if there's any time for those, lol.
- PIM synchronization - even with multiple PDAs, using the supplied software, or existing software on your computer.
- With a Bluetooth enabled phone or device - surf the web, send messages - either email or SMS.
- Use Voice Recorder to record brief notes, or even extended notes (send extended voice notes to your SD Card).
- Use your Zire as a Remote Control for your home electronic devices.

I will stop here, for lack of space. But for something you can get for roughly $200, you will be getting a heck of a device!

Robin Taylor


"Old school" dog learns new tricks   August 9, 2004
M. Castaneda (Knoxville, TN United States)
13 out of 14 found this review helpful

Yeah, I'm "old school" so I was happy working w paper calendars / planners till I hit my 7th Tri(mester) at Palmer (College of Chiropractic). Juggling 3 academic calendars was precarious enough; the prospect of throwing patient appts. into the mix convinced me I should check out PDAs, and peers recommended the Zire 72. My only gripe is that the case that comes with the zire 72 has no belt clip -- and I do NOT feel comfortable leaving my $200+ purchase "lying around." I think PALM should have put a belt clip on the case for the purchase price, and spare buyers the additional purchase of a belt-clip-case. Aside from this, I've been quite happy with it thus far, (had mine about a week now) am still working on my familiarity with some of the software, but this is NOT difficult, and the camera really IS kinda nifty. If you haven't used PDAs in the past (you "ol' dawg") this model should be a welcome intro to them.


Perfect   November 28, 2004
Derek
16 out of 18 found this review helpful

I bought the Zire 72 during the end of october. It is great, I absolutly love it. I have read about all the flaws it was supposed to have and I have found none. The camera is by far the best feature. I use it all the time, and the video option is great too. I really don't care that there is no lens cover, the lens is recessed in the unit so its hard to scratch it, and anyways I always have it in its case.

I have not used the Bluetooth feature but I will be soon. I am going to get a little bluetooth thingy for my computer so that way I can wirelessly hot sync. I am planning on buying the wifi card later.

I use it to listen to mp3's all the time, I have an mp3 player but sometimes I dont have it with me or its inconvienient to use.

The screen is beutiful. It is bright sharp and very high resolution. I have looked at some other palms and pocket PC's and most cant compare. I do have one complaint though, it isn't the full length of the screen like pocket pc's are.

Battery life is good, I charge it every night though so I never really worry. It really should have a removable battery though.

I really use this all the time. It keeps me really organized. I would definetly recomend this to everyone.