Zire Handheld
| Company type | Product line |
|---|---|
| Industry | Consumer electronics |
| Founded | 2002 |
| Founder | Palm, Inc. |
| Products | Personal digital assistants (PDAs) |
| Parent | Palm, Inc. |
The Zire Series represented Palm, Inc's line of consumer-focused Personal Digital Assistants.
Background/overview
The more affordable Zire models prioritized cost-effectiveness—Palm's initial Zire was notably the first major PDA priced below $100—whereas the premium variants concentrated on multimedia capabilities, including camera integration and support for MP3 audio playback.
Palm Zire and Palm Zire 21
The Palm Zire and Zire 21 served as entry-level PDAs, characterized by monochrome displays lacking backlighting, two application buttons instead of the usual four, and up/down scroll keys replacing a 5-way navigation controller. Both models were lightweight at 3.8oz (108g), featuring a white front panel paired with a matte gray rear casing.
Debuting in late 2002, the original Zire (m150) catalyzed the budget PDA segment with specifications including 2 MB RAM, a 16 MHz Motorola DragonBall EZ CPU, and Palm OS 4.1.x. It was succeeded by the Zire 21 in late 2003, which launched alongside the Tungsten T3 and E series.
The Zire 21 brought enhancements such as an upgraded PIM suite (Palm PIM Plus), an increased clock speed via a 126 MHz TI OMAP311 ARM processor, 8 MB of RAM, and Palm OS version 5.2.1. Nonetheless, both models lacked support for SD/SDIO/MMC memory expansion, limiting their attractiveness to power users. Production ceased by August 2005, with the Palm Zire 31 taking over as the entry-level color PDA option.
Notably, the Zire 21 featured PDF viewing through Adobe Reader for Palm OS and allowed users to copy text into other applications, improving its function as a basic portable word processor.
Palm Zire 31
The Palm Zire 31 was designed for budget-conscious multimedia consumers, offering a color display at 160×160 resolution, double the RAM of the Zire 21 (16 MB total with 13.8 MB available), a 200 MHz Intel XScale PXA255 processor, an SD/SDIO/MMC card slot, Palm OS version 5.2.8, a standard 3.5mm headphone jack, and a 5-way navigator control. It maintained two application buttons rather than four.
Its internal ROM contained RealOne Player for audio playback and a photo album application. Although capable of video playback (without bundled software), it faced constraints such as a maximum SD/MMC card capacity of 1 GB, limited screen resolution and color depth, and use of passive matrix display technology.
No direct successor followed the Zire 31; however, the later Palm Z22 shared similarities with the Zire 21 but incorporated the same color screen found on the Zire 31.
Palm Z22
Released on October 12, 2005, the Z22 succeeded the Zire 21 but dropped the "Zire" branding. As of July 2010, it retailed at approximately US$149.95. The device featured a CSTN display capable of showing 4,096 colors at a resolution of 160×160 pixels, equipped with 32 MB NVRAM (20 MB user-accessible) utilizing NVFS technology. Powered by a Samsung processor clocked at 200 MHz and running Palm OS Garnet version 5.4, it weighed just 3.4 ounces.
Included accessories comprised USB synchronization and wall charger cables along with Palm Desktop software compatible with both Mac and Windows platforms. A screen protector was also part of the package.
Palm Zire 71
Introduced on April 23, 2003, the Palm Zire 71 was Palm’s inaugural PDA to incorporate an integrated digital camera. Positioned at the high end within the Zire lineup, it featured a TI OMAP310 processor running at 144 MHz, came with 16 MB of RAM (13 MB usable), sported a vibrant TFT color screen at a resolution of 320×320 pixels supporting 16-bit color depth, operated on Palm OS version 5.2.1, and housed a VGA-quality (300K pixel) camera.
Instead of scroll buttons or a traditional five-way navigator, navigation was controlled via a small joystick. Audio playback capabilities were supported through an SD card slot paired with Palm RealPlayer; an MP3 playback kit including a memory card writer addressed slow transfer speeds for media files. Initially priced at $299 and later reduced to $249 before being replaced by the Zire 72 model.
The device retained certain features such as a protective shell for its camera and utilized Palm’s "Universal Connector," which was gradually being phased out across product lines.
Wireless options were limited to an infrared port; however, Wi-Fi functionality could be added through the SD card slot using products like SanDisk’s SDWSDB-000-A10M or via third-party accessories like Enfora’s Wireless LAN Portfolio.
Critics commended its LCD quality and camera performance relative to other devices available at that time. Some users experienced issues with joystick sensitivity leading to accidental activation while stored in pockets or bags, resulting in battery drain. Recommended solutions included utilities such as PocketProtector, Power, OffAlready, and Disable Buttons. Alternatively, inserting the PDA into its protective case with the top first helped reduce unintended power-ons. Additionally, frequent use of the camera risked damaging flex cables located on the rear half of the device that could impair charging, syncing functions, and shutter operation if broken.
Palm Zire 72
The Palm Zire 72 followed the Palm Zire 71, introducing Bluetooth connectivity, voice memo functionality, and video recording with audio. It replaced the previous joystick with a 5-way navigation button similar to the Tungsten series and enhanced the camera resolution from 0.3 to 1.2 megapixels. This model came equipped with 32 MB of RAM (25 MB accessible to the user), powered by a 312 MHz Intel PXA270 processor, an upgrade from the earlier TI OMAP chip, and weighed 4.8 ounces compared to the Zire 71's 5.3 ounces. It also incorporated the latest Personal Information Manager (PIM) applications found in devices like the E, T3, and Z22 models. Two versions were available: a standard edition featuring a bright blue front with a silver back, and a Special Edition finished entirely in silver.
Although it offered improved capabilities, the Zire 72 encountered criticism related to its camera design—specifically an unprotected lens, subpar performance in low-light conditions, and frequent occurrences of dead pixels (third-party protective cases were developed to address lens exposure). Additionally, its display quality was somewhat inferior to that of the Zire 71, and numerous users reported that the blue soft-touch rubberized coating was prone to chipping.
Comparison
| Name | Zire | Zire 21 | Z22 | Zire 31 | Zire 71 | Zire 72 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight | 3.8 oz (110 g) | 3.4 oz (96 g) | 4.1 oz (120 g) | 5.3 oz (150 g) | 4.8 oz (140 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, b/w, 16 gray levels | STN passive matrix, color, 12 bit | TFT active matrix, color, 16 bit | |||
| Resolution | 160*160 | 320*320 | ||||
| Processor | Motorola DragonBall EZ | TI OMAP311 | Samsung S3C2410 ARM920T | Intel Xscale PXA255 (ARM v5TE) | TI OMAP310 | Intel PXA270 |
| Processor frequency | 16 MHz | 126 MHz | 200 MHz | 144 MHz | 312 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 | Piezo Buzzer | Headset Jack + Speaker | ||||
| Multimedia capabilities | No | MP3 player | MP3 player, video player | |||
| Additional features and devices | No | Camera (640*480, 0.3-megapixel, covered), joystick | Camera (1280*960, 1.2-megapixel, uncovered), microphone, voice recording, Bluetooth | |||
| PC Connection | Mini-USB Port | Universal Connector (with Cradle Dock) | Mini-USB Port | |||
See also
- Tungsten, Palm's line of business-oriented handhelds
- Treo Series, Palm's smartphone lineup
- LifeDrive, Palm's high-end mobile management device
External links
- Palm Launches First $99* Handheld - Introducing the Zire Handheld, Palm Press Release, October 7, 2002
- Palm Unveils Successor to Best-Selling Zire Handheld, Palm Press Release (Zire 21), October 1, 2003
- In-Depth Review of the Palm Z22
- Mac OS X: Palm Desktop Version 4.2.1 - Rev D (Ensure "Media" sync is disabled prior to using Palm Zire 1)