As the above table shows, the Zire 72 adds a built-in voice recorder and video capture. Plus, the Zire 72 will allow you to play back your MP3s, although it uses a mobile version of the RealOne Player. We here at Computing Unplugged consider the RealOne Player virtual spyware, although so far we haven't seen any of the system-level crimes RealOne has committed against Windows XP attempted against the Palm OS. Here's hoping they can keep it under control.

There are some additions to the Palm Photos application included with the Zire 72. These include a more integrated photo and video application, support of video and photo formats for capture and playback, the ability to create albums on expansion cards and internal memory, an album view for improved navigations, the ability to use a digital zoom on photos, the ability to sort photos and videos manually into albums, and a new ability to draw on photos and add text annotations.

Photos are further enhanced in the Zire 72 with the ability to use images captured by the camera as wallpaper on home and agenda views, as shown in Figure F, and the ability to capture and immediately upload images via Bluetooth using email, MMS, or post to a Web site.

FIGURE F


Choose your own wallpaper. Be careful you choose a wallpaper that's safe for work! Roll over picture for a larger image.

This year's spring fashions
Palm calls this the Spring Product Launch and what would a Spring Product Launch be without incredibly tacky fashions? Now, to be fair, I'm a guy and I like my computers beige, but I definitely have to say that the new Retro slip case, shown in Figure G, is definitely not my taste.

FIGURE G


I'm just thankful this isn't a laptop case -- or a couch slipcover. Roll over picture for a larger image.

In the coming months, we'll be looking more closely at these palmOne introductions, as well as comparing the new palmOne handhelds to those from Dell, Sony, HP and others.

It's been a year since the introduction of the Zire 71 and six months or so since the introduction of the Tungsten E and T3. This has been a year when memory prices have dropped tremendously, and processors have once again leapfrogged into the stratosphere of performance. In a world where you can get a $499 Dell PC (including monitor and printer), can we really justify a consumer-level handheld for $299?

PalmOne has shaved $50 here, and added $50 there, but to our admittedly jaded eyes, there's nothing innovative or exciting in this set of introductions. Yes, there's a cost reduction and what seems to be your regularly scheduled feature bump, but that's about all.

While PalmOne still seems to be holding the market share lead for PDAs, this is a year when the Pocket PC has become vastly more affordable and feature-for-feature is giving the venerated Palm OS a run for its money.

While each of these machines are fine little computers, none have the "juice." Maybe we'll see something more innovative in the fall product launch -- or maybe we'll see something from another vendor. After all, is it really that far an intellectual jump from the $249 iPod Mini to a full-fledged hard drive-based iPod PDA?

Stay tuned. You'll know as soon as we know.

Fiction novel author and Web editor, Jason Giacchino is proud to have become a part of the Computing Unplugged scene and can be reached via email at JGRider11@aol.com.