Quickies: Palm Zire at Target, iSync, RhythmPro, Sena Cases & More

PIC Reader Aaron writes, "My local Target has the Palm Zire in a display case. The blister pack is the same as the picture that you showed. They are not yet officially for sale (no price was listed) but they're there."

Apple has released the iSync beta, a new application that permits the synchronization of multiple portable devices, like Palm OS Handhelds, the Apple iPod, selected cell phones, and PIM software on the Mac over Bluetooth and wires. -Moosecat, Rabs and others

RhythmPro is a new application which lets you create and play your own custom drum patterns with real digitized drum sounds on a Palm handheld. Or it can also be used as a versatile and extremely accurate metronome. You can create rhythm patterns in almost any imaginable time signature, save and organize your patterns into categories, and play them using your choice of four different display modes for optimal visual and audio feedback.

Sena Cases announced its new case models for Sony CLIE SL10 and SJ20/SJ30 handhelds. The new models are available at a special pre-order price ($29.99) at the company’s homepage.

Now JackFlash 2.7b1 adds support for the Treo 90, Treo 300, Kyocera 6035, and some Clie SL10, SJ20 and SJ30 devices. -Nathan Leveck

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1st post

popko @ 10/2/2002 1:47:22 AM #
1st post on a real news item ;)

Ok, now, back to the real issue ...
popko @ 10/2/2002 1:47:57 AM #
Any numbers on the thickness of the new Zire?

RE: Zire Specs
Admin @ 10/2/2002 2:01:50 AM #
The Palm Zire is 4.4 by 2.9 by .6 inches (112 by 74 by 16 mm) and it will be the lightest Palm PDA ever, at 3.8 ounces (109 g). Check out the link in the article for more details.
RE: 1st post
Take1 @ 10/2/2002 2:56:40 AM #
Wonder how this will do? I suspect this will be the grab-bag type gift this Christmas.

Good for the person who wants a trendy Rolodex repacement, but not for anyone that wants to use the Palm beyond simple PIM.

RE: 1st post
Fzara2000 @ 10/2/2002 3:43:10 AM #
I dont understand. My M500 is 4oz., and has twice the amount of features as the Zire.
Why is the Zire so heavy then, if it has a minimal feature set?

"Now thats just PRIME!"
weight
hotpaw4 @ 10/2/2002 4:19:27 AM #
> Why is the Zire so heavy then, if it has a minimal feature set?

Cost. Lightweight design with ruggedness in the same ballpark costs more. That's why thin laptops cost more than fat laptops at the same MHz and display size.

RE: 1st post
Vexel9 @ 10/2/2002 4:53:36 AM #
"Why is the Zire so heavy"

Dude, its 3.8 ounces. You gotta work out or something...

Just to put things into perspective

NR70V=7.0oz
T615=4.9oz
N760C=5.65oz

IIIc=6.8oz
m130=5.4oz
m515=4.8oz



RE: 1st post
adamrichman @ 10/2/2002 6:27:37 PM #
3.8 ounces (according to my ezConvDA :) ) is less than 1/4 a pound. I'll bet your wallet weighs more than that.

Zire
koffe @ 10/27/2002 12:34:06 AM #
Just a few comments on the new palm zire

I recently purchased a zire and I have to say I am very impressed with what all it can do , for being only 99$. At first I didnt expect much after looking at the specs , but it really is a great choice for a student/someone just getting into pda gear.

specs list::

16Mhz DragonBall Motorola RISC CPU

2MB Flash RAM

(is about 1.8/1.9 after you consider PALM OS 4.1 (addy book/calc/memo pad/graffiti/note pad/Expense/2 games/clock/Date book)

USB connector(supported under the usb-serial driver in linux) works in OS X/apple and windows fine
160x160 monochrose display
Full Range IR port

zire's capabilities::

full range of personal information management applications (calc/address book/expense/date book/memo pad/graffiti/note pad/)

palm's greatest strength , if this is what you are mainly looking for in a PDA , dont bother with the higher end models , the zire can do all the personal information management apps as well as add-on apps like wine guide/tv listings/graphing calculator but has limited memory and no color screen /expansion slot
(no modem , no 802.11b(wireless) , no expansion keyboard

universal remote/*( I use it for my dvd/tv/receiver/)
works great

graphing/scientific/financial calculator
it runs PowerOne perfectly
(really useful for college students , didnt have to buy a TI/hp graphing calculator for physics/math courses 150$)

drawbacks::

- 160x160 monochrome display
- Only 2MB memory , very nice for 99$ but it does limit expansion
- No backlight (very hard to use unless in a very well lit area , think gameboy) *you can add backlight just like on a gameboy for less than 20$)

-change of the palm button layout against traditional palm devices (this impacts all games/applications that dont take into consideration that the ZIRE is short 2 buttons on the bottom , but easily fixable with time and developer cooperation)

CONCLUSION::

For anyone who wants a low-end PDA , that does all of palm's classic personal information management should pick one up.

And for those who are looking for the additonal features , it has decent capabilities... very cool graphing calculator(saves 150$ , I mentioned this before but I really have to stress the zire' strengths and this is one of the best ) and games *most old games require the traditional palm button layout , but give them time , they'll fix it*

for open source/GPL apps , and more reviews , check out http://www.linux-fu.net/zire in coming weeks

fourm
free apps
reviews
0 ads/not commercial

I am sorry, but I still think it's a white elephant.

Strider_mt2k @ 10/2/2002 6:57:27 AM #
I still think it's a white elephant, but I am beginning to see the point about getting the Palm OS out there into peoples' hands.

Of course I didn't think Pac Man or Madonna would be very popular either...

strider_mt2k@yahoo.com

Not sure about packaging

Zuber @ 10/2/2002 8:17:07 AM #
Don't like that packaging. Think of the number of bumps the device is likely to have had before it arrives in your hands. Just because it works when you open it,doesn't mean it's not taken a few knocks with later difficulties.

Still gives it that impulse purchase stick it in the trolley look.

Zuber

RE: Not sure about packaging
PR @ 10/2/2002 1:30:00 PM #
i just think they should get a better looking woman on the packaging. i know that would influence my decision ;)
RE: Not sure about packaging
I.M Anonymous @ 10/2/2002 5:39:19 PM #
I agree -- she looks too much like Martha Stewart!

RE: Not sure about packaging
ralphshagnasty @ 10/5/2002 2:26:35 PM #
Look real carefully at her eyes, the right eye is considerably larger than the left, what gives?

RE: Not sure about packaging
ksmith120 @ 4/6/2003 6:48:08 PM #
So... !!That's!! where Sondra Locke wound up!!


Stuff at Amazon

Fammy @ 10/2/2002 10:52:40 AM #
Amazon has some Zire stuff, a blue case and a 3-pack of styli. Not in stock yet.

http://makeashorterlink.com/?A2AE52AF1

http://makeashorterlink.com/?A2AE52AF1

_____
Fammy

I don't work for Brayder!

N473 @ 10/2/2002 2:52:36 PM #
I am just a reader who submitted the FlashPro news. I got excited because I sent them my Treo 90 ROM. They had the update within 48 hours.

Cheers!
N473
RE: I don't work for Brayder!
Admin @ 10/2/2002 2:55:27 PM #
OK, sorry I didn't mean to tack that brayder.com on at the end. Fixed.

iSync

elo @ 10/2/2002 3:54:00 PM #
Interesting idea - If you haven't tried this yet, it relies on Palm's HotSync (though it has separate capability for phones, iPods, etc.). The cool thing, though is that it is automatically keeping iCal synced between my home and office. The calendar distribution is very cool, too, though I don't know if I personally will have a use for it.

On the negative side, I'm not going to switch all my stuff to iCal until the next major release - just need a few more features. Also, the syncing between home and office requires a .Mac subscription (which I bought anyway).

elo

P.S. Ryan, the new format seems to be working. The level of discussions seems noticably higher today.

RE: iSync
Kesh @ 10/2/2002 4:03:06 PM #
I switched to iCal as soon as it came out, and I had transferred my contacts to Address Book (the MacOS X contact program) as soon as I installed Jaguar. I just like the way they work much better than Palm Desktop.

Now I would be even happier if iSync could completely replace Palm Desktop, but that's not likely. :)

RE: iSync
tychay @ 10/2/2002 4:36:05 PM #
Actually, you can IP spoof your own computer to avoid using dotMac for iSync (the setup is rather involved). Another thing to note is that iCal does not require dotMac and there are already calendar sharing sites as well as a WebDAV hosting site http://www.myical.com/ that offer free hosting of your iCal. I realize you were talking about iSync, not iCal, but the two are often confused.

An interesting discovery regarding spoofing dotMac is that it uses WebDAV with digest authentication. This means while protecting the password, it does not encrypt the data. I hope Apple plans on fixing that. Of course, I imagine the ipspoofing exploit will be closed sometime (via digital certificates) since that represents a security hole.

iSync is pretty neat. I've had some issues with my contacts reappearing when I renamed categories, but it syncs my iPod, Palm m505, and a friends Sony T68i (just for fun) easily. There is also a small (but documented) issue with repeatable events. It is a pity that the Palm sync doesn't offer the same "select only these calendars, or this address book" like the other two, especially since iCal is designed to hold so many calendars. The iSync conduit doesn't need iSync started up. Like the old PocketQuicken, it will start up iSync when you do a Palm sync.

Another note is that you should turn off your Address Book, Date Book and To Do conduits if using iSync. I imagine that goes for turning off Entourage if you use that.

Take care,

terry

--
terry chay http://org.qixo.com/tychay/m505dis/

http://www.qixo.com- Righteous Travel Deals in Record Time

san jose, ca, usa

RE: iSync
eboychik @ 10/5/2002 9:56:14 AM #
I didn;t like iSync - a t least in this beta. For one, it didn't work. It took forever, syncing my iPod, Clie NR70V, and Palm Desktop calendars, and then it would quit with an error message. They still have bugs to work out.

But mainly my issue is that you don't get to decide what overwrites what. I want my Clie to overwrite everything else, and you can't set iSync to do that.



Zire picture real?

ganoe @ 10/2/2002 5:42:46 PM #
When I look at the higher resolution version picture of the Zire in its package, it doesn't look real. It looks heavily edited. Does putting "stylus included" in 6 different languages on the front even make sense? I can't imagine you would get that decent of a picture through a display case and packaging anyhow.

Also, I thought Zire was a product line, so I would expect this device to still have some kind of model number.

RE: Zire picture real?
adamrichman @ 10/2/2002 6:49:15 PM #
Some good points...

RE: Zire picture real?
Strider_mt2k @ 10/3/2002 6:23:33 AM #
Advertisers always monkey with images used to sell stuff. It's very common.

I think Palm is going with ZirePro, Zire III, and Zire V, as well as a z100 series, (which has many commercial radio stations up in arms.)

The name thing is actually an excellent point, I wonder where Palm is going with all of this?


strider_mt2k@yahoo.com

RE: Zire picture real?
ralphshagnasty @ 10/5/2002 2:28:44 PM #
I have played with the Zire and if you look at the back of the pda it has a model number of M150

RE: Zire picture real?
koffe @ 10/27/2002 1:01:23 AM #
it does have a model number on the unit itself
'm150' , hope this helps

http://www.linux-fu.net/zire
check in coming weeks for more info
completely non-commercial/Open source palm apps and fourm/mailing list

::java version of palm desktop

more detailed zire information



Interesting

OzziePalmDieHard @ 10/2/2002 9:17:55 PM #
Apple seems to be leaning in the direction of a handheld, but maybe thats just me ;)

I doubt it, but it is fascinating, and it does fit in their strategy of the "hub" or whatever Jobs calls it. They could sell it as an acessory to the Mac, who knows.

I'm preparing myself for a flame, zi deserve it though ;)

============================================

Several Months Ago at Palm Headquarters;

"Hah! Those sony bastards think that they can beat us in stupid names. The Tungsten T is infinitely more ridiculous than "clie"....."

RE: Interesting
helf @ 10/2/2002 9:45:50 PM #
lol..Actualyl I think a mac pda would be great.. I like macs :)

RE: Interesting
Strider_mt2k @ 10/3/2002 6:28:19 AM #
However, isn't the Palm OS very Mac-like in it's elegant simplicity already?


strider_mt2k@yahoo.com

RE: Interesting
OzziePalmDieHard @ 10/4/2002 9:25:22 PM #
Yeah, i always thought that palm was a linux, mac sort of OS. Relatively open and unhindering in its use, not expensive, plenty of freeware, a grassroots movement, like linux.
And elegant, simple, stable, powerful, versatile like Mac.

And then again, PPC reminds me of windows, cluttered, shaky, expensive, bloated.

I dunno, maybe Mac will rebadge Palms like IBM did, and sell them Macs, they need a catchy name;

The MiniMac?
The Applet?


=====================================
Ever notice how reliable windows is?

No, me neither.


======================================

Several Months Ago at Palm Headquarters;

"Hah! Those sony bastards think that they can beat us in stupid names. The Tungsten T is infinitely more ridiculous than "clie"....."

Zire... I'll take five.

Ben S @ 10/3/2002 7:52:47 AM #
Anyone else remember that SNL spoof commercial for the Newton Post-it? Was I the only one who thought that was a great idea?

I can see it now: a Zire stuck to my fridge (for shopping lists), by the phone (for notes), in the car, in my gym locker, as a universal remote... the possibilities are endless. Of course, this all hinges on them being *really* cheap.

RE: Zire... I'll take five.
ganoe @ 10/3/2002 9:20:07 AM #
It'd also be nice if they all had Bluetooth so they could actually synchronize that info. Ah, maybe in another year.

RE: Zire... I'll take five.
Strider_mt2k @ 10/3/2002 5:27:35 PM #
How many beginners buying a Zire will give a crap about bluetooth?
My bet is zero.



strider_mt2k@yahoo.com

RE: Zire... I'll take five.
Ben S @ 10/4/2002 7:35:13 PM #
Remember, Zire is a product *line*, not a product. We may eventually see a high-end Zire product with internal Bluetooth. But I won't be sticking that one to my fridge. :)
RE: Zire... I'll take five.
koffe @ 10/27/2002 1:12:34 AM #
well , I am relatively new to PDA's , and I thought about 802.11 , but for 99$ you cant really expect too much , its wroth the money for saving me the cost of a graphing calculator/intelligent universial remote and in my opinion , it does more than my buddies TI can *shrug* and it does all of palms best stuff Personal Information Management/HotSync-USB (doesnt need a stupid cradle , just the slim cord(charges off the usb cable as well)

btw , for all you linux guys , its supported under the usb-serial visor driver in linux 2.4.19/2.5.x with some tweaking , I'll post a patch to the kernel mailing list (cant even find the name zire on the mailing list yet)

tentative palm zire canadian price

··metaCOREtex·· @ 10/4/2002 4:09:32 AM #
according to future shop's database, it looks like the palm zire will be $169.99 CDN ..

i will post the SKU/webID asa i can ..

RE: tentative palm zire canadian price
HandyMan @ 10/4/2002 11:48:55 AM #
At that price would anybody buy it instead of the m105, which costs exactly the same but has all the buttons and 8MB of RAM. Of course, the Zire is much smaller and lighter.

RE: tentative palm zire canadian price
Ben S @ 10/4/2002 7:36:23 PM #
Yeah, that is kind of disappointing. Personally, I don't buy anything over $100 that comes in a blister pack :)

I would have preferred to see a $99CDN price tag (about $60USD).


RE: tentative palm zire canadian price
··metaCOREtex·· @ 10/5/2002 6:47:35 AM #
as far as the comment on the m105 goes .. futureshop will likely discontinue carrying that device in favor of the zire ...

it doesnt make much sense to me either that they carry the zire and m105 @ the same price .. they are both non-upgradable devices.. except the m105 has the 8MB and 2 more hardware buttons, but lacks the rechargable battery in package ..

this $169.99 is just what they have listed for now .. it will likely change when they get the device and direction from palm canada and their own head offices ..

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