As you can see, both the Tungsten E and the Dell Axim X3 offer quite a bit more for the additional $50. Unless you just can't handle that extra fifty bucks, we have to strongly recommend going with the Tungsten E (currently the top selling handheld, according to research by NPD Powerviews) or the Dell Axim over the new Zire 31.

Yes, it cuts $50 off the bottom-end price for color, but the trade-offs really don't justify the choice.

Zire 72: multimedia with all the fixin's
The Zire 72, shown in Figure C, takes the already successful Zire 71 and improves on it quite extensively.

FIGURE C


Here's the new Zire 72. If you look closely at the screen, you can see some new setup options. Roll over picture for a larger image.

The Zire 71, with its built-in camera and quality color screen, attracted nearly 40% new users to palmOne handhelds. Introduced last April, it was the number one selling PDA in the U.S. until the Tungsten E was introduced back in October.

The real distinguishing characteristic of the original Zire 71 was its built-in camera. Like camera phones, people who owned this device enjoyed having a camera (even of its comparatively low resolution and image quality) always at the ready for those unexpected snapshot opportunities.

On the Zire 72, the camera, lens, speaker, and microphone for integrated voice recording are all on the back of the device, as shown in Figure D.

FIGURE D


We're still not sure about the grid. When we get a chance to take a closer look, we'll see if dirt and "schmutz" can get into the holes. Roll over picture for a larger image.

Although the Zire 72 is only 0.67 inches deep, there's a lot going on at the very top of the unit. As Figure E shows, the SD expansion slot, infrared port, stereo headphone jack, power switch, and stylus have all been carefully fitted into a space 2.95" wide by 0.67" high. The picture below is actually larger than the actual unit.

FIGURE E


There's a lot going on here. Roll over picture for a larger image.

The Zire 72 adds $50 to the price of the Zire 71, bringing palmOne's suggested retail price up to $299. However, there is quite a bit that's been added, including a considerably better camera, with 1.2 megapixels, twice the RAM, and built-in Bluetooth, for those with a hankerin' to wirelessly connect with their headphones or upload pictures v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y to their computers. PalmOne claims you can now access the Internet via Bluetooth, as long as you have a compatibile Bluetooth phone and Internet account.

Table B shows a comparison between last year's model and the new Zire 72.