I'm a long time Palm (and Pocket PC) user and have never really been 100% happy with any device I've gotten. Some came close...my wonderful Sony Clie 710C was awesome in its day. I've enjoyed the Sony Clie line for its superb color screens and cutting-edge features. But they are expensive and more recently, seemed to be falling behind. I was darn tired of having to upgrade the RAM in order to have something useable so when I heard about the Tapwave Zodiac 2 which offered an unbelievable 128 Meg of RAM I was immediately interested. After checking the specs I determined to be one of the first to get one of these devices. Gaming is secondary to it being a good Palm device, but definitely a HUGE plus for me.
My first reaction when I got it was how awesome the screen was! It definitely rivaled any other Palm device out there, and people always comment on it when I show them. The huge amount of RAM is just a joy to have. You can even load MP3s on it, although certainly using a good size SD card works even better. Don't miss the double card slots! Another feature you won't find on any other Palm device.
Video playback is great using MMPlayer (ditch the crappy Kinoma it comes with) and MP3 music is quite excellent. Battery life is excellent compared to other Palm color devices, and landscape and portrait options make things like reading ebooks and viewing photos even better. Bluetooth works great, I have no trouble downloading email over my cellphone.
So, how is it as a gaming device? Compared to other Palm devices, this device blows them out of the water! The number of available games specifically for the Zodiac is still fairly small (although there are some excellent games out there now) but having access to the full library of Palm games means I have more games loaded on it then I ever will have time to play. The included game, Stunt Car Extreme, is excellent and shows great potential for this device.
Overall, as a gaming device alone, I probably would not recommend the Zodiac, simply because there are better, cheaper options out there. But if you need or want a PDA that does multimedia and gaming, you won't find a better choice, and at a very reasonable price.
February 2005 Followup Well, I've had this Zodiac for sometime now and it's still going strong. I've never had any analog button issues like some of the first models (like I have) commonly had, and with a screen protector, it still looks pretty good. I have the new WiFi card which makes it great for quick email checks and browsing the web. I do also use the bluetooth with my cell phone for email when Wifi is not available, so pretty much can do email anywhere. Still haven't managed to fill up the memory. I do sometimes have problems with it getting locked up and draining power, seems to be some issues with Preferences, and changing the auto-off will usually clear the issue for a time. Also the shoulder buttons are getting a bit loose. A bit of a design flaw, IMO, due to the flimsy plastic they are made with. Overall though, I still love my Zodiac and have kept it longer than most PDAs I've had.
It seems all the worth while PDA's are going for about $400 these days. So, I decided to check out the Zodiac 2 from Tapwave (that and I do have a bit of a gaming streak in me). I was worried that the Zodiac gaming aspect would overshadow the PDA functionality of the device. I was wrong. This has got to be the perfect PDA, and definately the best on the market right now. All palm applications I have from my Sony Clie' ownership have transfered over with out any difficulty (other than some OS5 limits, that would affect any OS5 based unit) And more stuff I'm finding on the Internet is installing and running with zero problems. It's just amazing to find a new platform with "out of the box" community support like the Zodiac.
The screen is georgous. The sound is top rate (though, get a better set of head phones that the included ones to get the real impact of the Yamaha sound chip.) And with 128 Meg memory (Z2 only), it's the best packed Palm platform currently available. Not to mention blue tooth and 2 memory card slots. The Tapwave folks didn't miss a thing with the Zodiac.
Some things I hope to see in the future are more support from software of the well weighted analog thumbstick, and more support of the high res screen. Some support is already out there with the Sony units being in the high res areana already, and Palm getting there. But, missing out on this full 480x360 resolution makes some older palm based tasks on the Zodiac really miss out.
Finally, if you worried about games, don't. This baby plays all the great Palm/Sony platform games already available. 1000's of them. While the Tapwave specific games really shine, they are not all that's available. This handheld has the most games available for it than any other currently on the market or in the future. Plus, you can get emulators to play older handheld games. Like the Firestorm emulator that plays all GB and GB Color games, and soon GBA. That alone makes this the best handheld unit available. Sony's PSP won't ever do that. Though in it's defense, it will do some other things the Zodiac won't. (yep, looks like I'll have to get both :) ).
Bottom line. Need a PDA get a Zodiac.
Buy Tapwave T2907US Zodiac 2 Multimedia Handheld Now
The Zodiac is the solution for anyone who's sick carrying around both their PDA and gameboy at the same time. The Zodiac offers the best of both worlds, (much better than the gameboy actually) whether you what some real 3D gaming or, as Tapwave puts it, want to organize your life. Indeed both of those things will happen, the Zodiac is an uber cool device that works just as advertised, maybe even better.
I spent about 2 months doing research on PDA's trying to find one that would best suit my needs, at first I looked at the Zire 71 (before the 72 had come out), and it seemed pretty cool, so I then naturally decided to check out what Palm"s game selection was like knowing all too well that I'd be spending much of my time with games. After about 5 minutes I came to the conclusion that judging by the game selection (quality not quantity-wise mind you) that palm simply couldn't deliver what I yearned for in gaming.
Having remembered a small review of the zodiac (...for those of us too old for a gameboy...) I decided to check out what it really was like first hand. Shortly after my visit to Tapwave's snazzy site I realized that this was the PDA for me, it was a true miniture game console, somewhere around as good as the PS1(heck it's only about 100MHz shy of the PS2) but not quite as good as the N64 (though the graphics look sharper on a LCD than a TV).
Several weeks later, after I'd earned the money I recieved my zodiac 2 ($100 more for 4x the memory of the Zodiac 1, can't knock that) and almost started drooling over the gorgeous screen. This really is the PDA of choice for those who must have quality 3D gaming but can't wait for the PSP, want a fully functional PDA and concider gaming an added bonus, or just want to have the coolest gaget on the block, no matter what your reason you'll almost certainly love your zodiac.
Also note: Mac users, you have every right to the zodiac as someone running Windows, so it really does seem like an outrage that the zodiac is not directly Mac compatable, but don't fear any longer if you buy The Missing Sinc for Tapwave you can use your Zodiac just like you had a Windows machine for $40 (see MacCentral for a link).
Read Best Reviews of Tapwave T2907US Zodiac 2 Multimedia Handheld Here
I have owned 7 palm devices prior to purchasing this one. Palm V->Vx->m505->Kyocera 6035->Visor Prism->Visor Edge->Tungsten T. I have been in love with the Palm OS from day one. Also, before the release of the Vx, I have been on a quest for more memory, color screens, better screen resolution, bigger screens and yes, more memory.
First, I bought this for the 128 mb of memory. The Tungsten T5 has come out since with more memory and for the first time in the history of my palm use, I do not have palm envy. Second was the incredible screen. I wanted a Palm device on which I could display my digital photos. This gadget has become my photo wallet. In addition, I wanted more screen real estate for ebook reading. I have downloaded right around 100 books, 90% of them purchased. The trigger buttons on the top allow for more ergonomic reading in a great landscape mode. The background is clear and bright and the words very legible. My third reason for choosing this device was the battery life. I seriously considered a Tungsten 3. I already had the Palm Power to go which I had been using with my Tungsten T. Still the memory and the screen won out not to mention *2* sd card slots. I would never be at a loss for memory.
The mp3 player works very well, although I already owned an ipod. The only function that I have not used is the movie playing capability. Perhaps I will grow into that.
In the meantime, it is a singular device that I am extremely pleased with. I have installed all of the software that I currently want, plus my books, using just over half of the memory. There are idiosyncracies of the design that take some getting used too, e.g. using two buttons to display the 4 pim apps, or whatever you choose to put in their stead, and a funky launcher that I have come to enjoy. A car charger would be very nice.
Now that the Zodiac has wireless capability, it is ready for prime time. The bluetooth capability in the meantime has served well.
Want Tapwave T2907US Zodiac 2 Multimedia Handheld Discount?
As I said in my Zodiac 2 review at Tapland, the Zodiac reminds me of a luxurie SUV that, when you look under the hood, also contains a powerful motor. "While being marketed as a hand-held game console that runs off of Palm OS 5.2, the Zodiac reminds me of the Dodge Durango some people like it for its smooth ride and body design but the guys are focused on one thing: the HEMI power under the hood. That is what attracted me to the Zodiac. Not the enhanced graphics and game controls as much as the awesome PDA "under the hood.""
All that being said, there is nothing like being able to whip out your PDA (I consider it a PDA more thatn a gaming console due to the way I use it) and play Doom II or race around the track in Stunt Car Extreme.
I have had my Z2 for about 4 months now and still consider it to be the best PDA on the market, bar none.
When I bought this I thought for $3 bucks it was going to be cheesy. But I'm very impressed! Loved the smell of leather when I opened the box (nicely packaged!!). There are only a few minor things I'm not happy about and that's why it got a 4 star rating. First, there is not an opening for the charger. Second, there isn't a hole for the camera (my husband got the book version of this and it has one). I have to fold down the flap and it's creasing the holder. And lastly, the credit card slots are very tight making it almost impossible to get them out without a set of pliers on hand! But like I said, for the price, you just can't go wrong. I deal with the issues.
