Pros: Sleek Design, Navigation stick, Camera Cons: Original packaging,included memory
I had relied on little yellow sticky notes, torn off pieces of paper, or my memory to keep my professional and personal life in balance for many years. Then a few years ago, I allowed the technology of the Palm M100 to aid me in my quest for perfection ...
Pros: digital camera, MP3 player, Palm OS 5, great screen, Graffiti 2 Cons: memory card needed to play MP3s
PDAs are really useful items, and each year they become better and better. A lot of my friends and I have become hooked on this marvelous technology, and I have had a chance to use many models. One particular Palm that I liked after using it was the Palm ...
Pros: $299 price, camera, MP3 playback, great color screen, nice design, SD slot, and more Cons: thick unit, might still be pricy for some, battery life so-so
Okay... I was not a fan of the original Palm Zire handheld but Palm had a hit on their hands. Palm has sold 1 million of those low end units and is expected to sell up to 2 million of them by the end of 2003. Palm has...
Pros: Digital camera, beautiful color screen, mp3 player Cons: cheap stylus
August 2003; my computer got the Welchia virus. In the process of fixing that, my beloved and oh so sacred Palm m505 took a nose-dive off of my desk chair. Aluminum casing? A short drop of 2 feet? Not a problem? NO! With my horrible luck of that ...
Pros: Built in camera for quick pics, fast processor for apps, sharp, colorful display. Cons: Slippery casing, no bluetooth, vibrate, voice recorder. Internal cable problem may occur.
(Added Nov 17, 2005) I have created a Palm blog focused originally for Palm newbies and those curious about what Palms can do for them. Originally, the posts will first discuss why a Palm is a better organizer than the usual paper organizer, ...
Pros: Built in camera, 320x320 High-res screen, OS5, Graffiti2, MP3 Player, Snappy performance, SD slot Cons: No 'charging' light, Reset hole set too far in
This is my third Palm powered device. I previously owned a Palm Vx and a Palm m515. Both were Palm's flagship products at the time.
Sony started introducing high-quality and well priced Clié handhelds which have certainly outdone Palm's...
The Palm Zire 71 is the highest-end Zire series device made by Palm. The Palm Zire 71 is technically more expensive than the Palm Tungsten E by about $50. Therefore the lower-end Zire series has a model that surpasses the low-end model of ...
Pros: Relatively Inexpensive, High-Resolution (320x320), Mp3 Playback, 144 Mhz, Camera, Os 5 Cons: Durability, Battery Life, Camera Quality, No Zoom, No way to turn off backlight, No Rom
Update 12/10/04 - My Zire 71, after less than a year of use, is falling apart. The IR is completely broken, my headphone jack broke after only moderate use and the joystick is completely broken too. The Joystick is so loose and irritated, that I had to ...
Pros: Vivid color screen, handy digital camera, fast processor speed Cons: 5-way navigator is uncomfortable to use, some features disable when battery level falls to 15%
Specs:
Name: Palm Zire 71
Platform: Palm OS 5.2.1
Processor Speed: 144 Mhz
Screen: 320 x 320 pixel transflective color
Standard Memory: 16 MB (13.8 usable)
Other Features: Integrated Digital Camera with slide-open...
Pros: Bright, easy to read screen, fast processor, expansion slot, plays mp3s Cons: No Bluetooth, mp3 volume a bit weak even with headphones, slippery case, mediocre camera.
It took quite a while before I finally gave up on my trusty old Palm Vx, the elegantly designed PDA ...
Pros: Gorgeous screen
Battery Life
Easy Camera Operation Cons: Poor Camera resolution
I recently bought a Palm for my wife. Stop sniggering, you in the back row... it wasn't a trade! When Palm bought out the Zire 72, I was able to pick up the outgoing Zire 71 for half-price ($150). This was my first major exposure to a Palm machine, ...
Pros: Powerful, stylish unit with MP3 and Digicam ability. Cons: Slippery ergonomics, case prevents use while stored.
Business Execs need not apply... This is NOT your PDA. This is for the average Joe who wants some fun AND serious power in his PDA. The Zire 71 is it, since the standard Zire is little more than those clamshell pocket organizers from yesteryear ...
Pros: Affordable, great for students, nice touch with the camera, small and light Cons: Don't have Bluetooth, camera resolution not really that good
After a long absence since the Tungsten-T and Tungsten-W, Palm just recently launched two new models, the entry level Zire71 and the higher end Tungsten-C to the ever competitive PDA market. Focused here in this short review would be the Zire71 which I ...
Pros: Screen colors and clarity, array of extra features, ease of use, fun factor! Cons: Misplaced ON-OFF button, high pitched tone when unit is on
I traded up to this model after a considerable amount of time spent using a Palm IIIx. If you’ve used a Palm PDA previously, it takes no time at all to learn to use the Z 71. If you are new to PDAs, I believe that learning the ins and outs of the Z 71 s ...
Pros: Brilliant screen, plays MP3's, digital camera is very handy. Cons: No included hard case; digitizer accuracy lessens over time; short-ish battery life.
I've had my Zire 71 for about 11 months now and have absolutely NO regrets. I'm a 'old school' Palm user--who started with a Pilot 5000, upgraded to a Palm III, IIIxe, IIIc, m130, and now a Zire 71. The Zire 71 is a solidly-built handheld. I mainly ...
The Palm Zire 71 doesn't have the largest file capacity out there, and it doesn't have a mini keyboard like the expensive handhelds, but with expansion cards and Graffiti 2 at this price, who cares? This thing is so far beyond a plain planner, it's ...
Pros: Well lit screen make reading easy. Camera is useful more often than expected. Cons: Toggle unnecessary and can get in the way. Problems with Macintosh and external keyboard.
This is a fantastic PDA that combines a low resolution camera with a very readable screen. Scree ...
Pros: Camera, Joystick, Screen Brightness, and Sound quality Cons: No screen cover, an awkwardly shaped Stylus, and the power button doesn't light up.
The Palm Zire71:
I love the built in, hidden camera; the new, very bright, color screen; and the new 5 point joystick that replaces the up and down button's found on earlier Palm Pilot's.
Pros: Great product, for the 15 or so days that it actually worked. Cons: The worthless Zire 71 is now a paperweight on my daughter's desk.
(1) I bought my 16-year-old daughter a Palm Zire 71 for Christmas. She loved it. (2) Less than a month later, it quit responding to stylus taps. (A common problem, apparently, according to critiques on other web sites.) (3) Called PalmOne ...
Pros: Camera (fun toy, but that's all it's good for), screen, speed Cons: PalmOne, power button pooorly placed, poor camera quality, size/ weight
You can read all about the features from other reviewers, as well as from the different retailers. One place you CAN'T read about it is from Palm: they've discontinued it. Interesting, I bought one, called to have it serviced under warranty, & was ...
Pros: Nice backlit Color Display, Convenient Digital Camera, MP3 and Video Player Cons: Secure Digital Memory Card Not Included Low MP3 Playback Volume
I finally replaced my 8 year-old original Palm Pilot Professional with the new Palm Zire 71. I was a ...
Pros: All the useful bells and whistles; a real generalist. Cons: Hardware issues, design needs to be refined.
Well, I was going to review the Zire, but after looking though all the reviews, I realize it's already been said - it's a good PDA, with some neat bells and whistles, but it has room for improvement. I think I'll summarize my impressions, rather than a ...
Pros: MP3 Player and camera are nifty, great new price Cons: Screen too bright, uses expensive SD cards
First of all, in the entire Palm lineup, you will not find a more "do everything" PDA than the Zire 71. It seems equally at home at work and at play. Great things: Excellent as an MP3 Player Built-in camera is a nifty feature Compact size Expense ...
Pros: Great overall machine with multiple functions and portability Cons: Possible loss of data of not careful
Great machine. I bought one in anticipation of opening my law practice. It has been a huge blessing. Among the great aspects of this product are the picture taking capability, the upload capability of Microsoft type programs and just having the ...
Pros: Camera. Ease of use. Holds all you are likely to forget. Cons: My wife has one and I don't.....YET!
My wife was pregnant with our second child on her birthday. As a result, I was somewhat limited on what to get her. I have trouble enough picking our clothes for her, much less maternity clothes. So, I ended up getting the Palm Zire 71 for her. ...
Pros: Camera, MP3, Colour and Contrast, Price Cons: The fact that it starts to go Wrong! Cant really Personalise it.
I have been using the Palm Zire 71 for around a year till i smashed the screen a few days ago, but up until then the Zire 71 has been VERY Useful and for a first time user, like I was, it was a very user friendly handheld. Screen The ...
Pros: The Camera! The music! Rugged enough for me! Cons: hmmmmmm...
Okay, so I am new to the PDA world and wasn't exactly sure what I was getting into with the whole thing. In fact, I bought the Palm blind (not using this site) relying only on what the salesman at Office Max had to tell me. I'm in the military and fly ...
Pros: camera, color screen, lots of software available. Cons: reformats itself every couple of months
Unit works great until it decides to reformat itself. I started out with the original Zire. After a couple of months it erased everything I had put into it and went back to the original software, even stuff I had thrown out. Palm fixed it. I sold it to ...
Pros: excellent display, Palm OS 4.1.4 Cons: faulty hardware out of box; poor customer service on returns
After spending the best part of a day setting up the Zire 71, I took it outdoors to try the camera. Total bummer. The camera is faulty, fresh out of the box. The image resolution, 96x96 pixels per square inch, should give a decent image of snapshot or ...
Pros: Clear pictures, bright screen, easy to understand audio software, good sound quality, good pricing Cons: Volume could be a bit louder (although sufficient as is)not crazy about case
Bought this PDA as a replacement for my old M100. Didn't think I needed all the extra features, but now I wouldn't want to be without them. I love the camera-it is hidden and pops out when you want to use it, which keeps the lense well protected. The ...
Pros: Color screen is awesome!! I love having a camera with me! Cons: Slippery unit...I really hate the Graffiti 2 handwriting system.
Palm did a great job with the Zire 71! I use my Palm--every day, all day long setting counseling appointments with clients, using assessments in Word, playing games and taking photos. The color screen is so easy to read! Battery life is really good--I ...
Pros: Built-in camera, high resolution color screen, MP3 Cons: Battery won't last the weekend
The new Palm Zire 71 PDA is a work of art. It's packed with features like MP3 Music and built in Digital Camera that makes it apart from very useful a lot of fun.
The Graffity 2 is a lot better and much easier to write and with the USB...
Pros: Fast processor, incredibly bright/sharp screen, built-in camera very convenient, excellent sound Cons: Smooth exterior can get slippery, low camera quality, buttons are too smooth for stylus
Display is very bright compared to a few other current Palm/Sony PDA models. Built in camera is very handy (and provided hours of amusement for my collegues), and easily syncs to your computer for emailing (e.g. "Look what I saw at the mall!!"). Photo qua ...
Pros: very useful, reliable, easy to use Cons: low battery life, price is expensive
The only thing that I didn't like was after the price dropped for the Palm about $100, I picked it up and the Zire 72 came out and was even better as it can record video. The Zire 71 cannot record any video but can take pictures. I can't remember how ...
Pros: Pretty, personalized, mp3, camera Cons: battery life
In general, Palm has very good products, and the zire series is especially nice. The Zire 71 let's you naviagate very easily, literally takes seconds to complete most of your tasks. You can change the color of your screen to your best liking, has a pretty good mp3 players; however, the sound quality is only good when you use head phones. A digital camera is a nice addition, it's not the reason to buy the zire 71, however it's a nice plus. The only real negative thing about the zire 71 is it's battery life, but if you just charge it every night there's no real problem, unless you go on many trips, and don't especially like to take bulkly chargers along with you.
The most unreliable Palm I've ever seen ... by sergey69 ,Feb 26 '04
Pros: great looking display Cons: unreliable, losts memory, bad touch screen sensitivity, bad photo's quality.
I have very bad experience with this device. Main problem - it regularly lost its memory content. :(
Previously, I've used Palm IIIx device and it was quite stable!
Palm IIIx worked without serious faults for 3 years!
Palm Zire71 looks more attractive, but have serious reliability
issues. Spontaneous (soft) resets - about 2 times per week,
and spontaneous hard resets - about 2 times per 3 month.
Touch-screen border has sensitivity problems.
Soft resets may have reason - it happens during work with Zire,
but hard resets is dire one. Just turn on my device and screen
stays blind. Putting in cradle for 2-3 minutes fixes problem,
device start running with ... clear memory. Looks like battery fault ... but I checked 2 times from 4 faults, battery, one night before
problem was almost fully charged....
Multi-tasking at a bargain price... by yoda258 ,Jan 19 '04
Pros: The screen is magnificent; the included new Palm OS is very easy to use. Cons: A little light on memory, And the included case isn't great.
How many times have you told yourself "if I only had my camera with me". This PDA is the unit that will really help you stay organized. I work in new home construction and how convenient it is to be able to get a quick shot when your trying to troubleshoot a job, and when your as busy as we all seem to be today who has time to lug your camera with you everywhere you go. Setup was a breeze and the price was right! I can honestly say that I have no real beefs with this unit. I did add a 128mb expansion card however as the onboard 16mb was a little light.
Pros: price, ease of use/navigating, Cons: tech support, hardware problems
The Zire 71 is my third Palm product (fourth if you count the one I purchased in a panic when my Zire 71 went down once before.) I continued to purchase Palm products to ensure the transfer of data . . . but it's a trade off I'll make no longer.
My PDA's are always protected and generally carried in a coat pocket or computer case. I don't understand why they crash, fail to work, or seem to have a broken touch screen. As for service, I may as well contact my priest for all the good it does . . . at least he could pray that it comes back up. In fact, my nephew restored the Zire71 for me when Palm TA could offer nothing on how to restore it. They were certain it was a problem with IBM or Microsoft.
Palm Desktop within your HANDS by Teach_4 ,Dec 06 '04
Pros: Awesome memory capacity, photos have the quality of a lot of pure digital cameras.
Cons: One needs to constantly be worried about its power status
Fully loaded palm pilot, visually a charm, powerful, very useful piece of equipment. However, you need to watch out for the power button.........I picked it up one day and it was totally drained. A plus is making sure you HOT-Sync it with your home PC, if you have one. Another plus is the service, I broke the screen and the company replaced it for a mere $125.00, not bad considering it was my fault. Numerous games are available, at a nominal fee. The purchase of a case is a necessity
Palm Zire 71 High Pitched Whine by pmlsf_dt3000 ,Jun 24 '04
Pros: Good screen, so so camera. Fit and finish not up to standard. Cons: Plam sold the 71 knowing the high defect rate and that there is noremedy
We a number of these in our office. When brand new, three of them emitted a high pitched whine - but at relatively low intensity. Within six to eight weeks the noise emitted by those three made it impossible to use them for more then 30 seconds at a time. The other two (originally quiet) Palms had also developed the same defect.
Palm is aware of this defect. Their answer is to have you return the Palms and send you a refurbished one.
Unfortunately these "new" palms developed the same noises within a few weeks. Palm's response was the same as the first time -- send them to us and we will send you "new ones." When asked what they would do is the same problem happened again, they said they would have us ship the defective ones to them and then would send us "new ones."
I contacted the Palm Corporate offices in San Jose. They said they are aware of this issue but do not have a remedy.
Pros: Decent Digital Camera
Color Cons: Location of On/Off Switch
Volume too low with the MP3 player.
I purchased the Zire 71 to replace my old Palm M105. This was a big upgrade. Color screen, RealOne player for MP3s (although volume isn't very loud even with headphones), 0.3 mpixel VGA digital camera. I've used the camera on a few occassions when I wanted to take a "quick" picture but didn't have my digital camera with me. Its good enough for web posting and e-mails, but I wouldn't want to print out the photos. One downside to the Palm 71 is the placement of the on/off switch. Its pretty easy to switch the unit off accidentally when you reach for the stylus. Overall, I think the unit was well worth the $150 I paid for it.
Pros: Built in camera, handy, color screen, affordable price Cons: On button always seems to get hit accidentially
For as long as I can remember I've tried keeping a calendar and address book, but to no avail. The answer to organization for me was the purchase a PDA. Not just any PDA, but one that acts as a digital camera and MP3 player; what more could you ask for?
I absolutely love the Zire 71 I purchased from Staples for a mere $229. The unit came with a case, stylus, docking cradle and charger combination, and 2 CDs (software).
The color screen is crisp and clear. The user can choose to view all the programs on the screen's menu or look at one category at a time (all, games, main, system, utilities) and has the option of editing the category list and creating menus tailored to his or her own needs.
I must admit the the gimmick of having a built in digital camera is what caught my eye. The built in will never replace my Canon digital camera, but it is a fun feature to have when you find yourself wanting to take a quick snapshot and your camera isn't with you.
Palm Zire 71 a first-class product by texchanchan ,Oct 15 '03
Pros: Screen size, color, and brightness; updated Palm OS 5.x; built-in camera. Cons: No front cover.
The Palm Zire 71 is an excellent successor to the Palm III, V, and VII series. Like them, it has a screen larger than the M series cell-phone-like screen. But it also has gorgeous color and a built in camera. No built-in wireless communications, but I bet an accessory will be along shortly if it doesn't already exist.
The Zire 71 takes a memory card too, where you can store MP3s or an entire library of Gutenberg text files or basically anything you want up to 128 megs.
Rechargeable battery. To an old IIIxe user it's unnerving to see the battery gage drop as you watch. However, you can get a slim, lightweight power pack for about $50 which extends battery life to twice the normal time.
I paid $299 for the device. The store also included a 128 meg memory card, normally $79 to $89.
The snapshots you can take with the Zire 71 are somewhat low resolution--they look like old Brownie pics taken with early color film. Personally I think it's a charming effect. I'm extremely satisfied with being able to take pictures in any light level, with a non-bulky device that I'd be carrying anyway.
More Useful than I thought it might be by conradm ,Oct 15 '03
Pros: Good value for the size, capacity, and price. Cons: The screen doesn't response well to the stylus.
I like this little PDA. It fits into my pocket easily. The date book synchronizes with my MS Outlook Calendar, which is important to me (I only have to enter dates one time). The camera takes nice photos if you need them to be small. When you blow them up, they lose resolution very quickly. I use the Note pad function frequently as an actual note pad, taking down short notes, instead of using a scrap of paper which would inevitably get lost.
The only thing I have against it so far is that when you use the stylus on the screen, the writing is not directly below the tip, which makes it hard to write a straight line or click on tabs or buttons on the screen.
Outstanding new Palm...Highly recommend! by jmaudsley ,Sep 22 '03
Pros: Color screen, handy camera, speed, and Mp3 compatability! Cons: Delay of camera shutter, incompatibilty with older Palm accessories, and Graffiti 2
I upgraded from a Palm Vx and wow am I impressed! The color screen is awesome, its like a totally new experience. I love the camera and the ability to take and store photos so easily. I like being able to have an Mp3 player with me all the time, too. The speed of the unit is really great, it makes playing games more fun and some of my other applications much faster.
I am not wild about Graffiti 2, having used Graffiti for 3 years, the transition has not been smooth. Get ready to be frustrated if you are making the transition.
I highly recommend the Zire 71 to anyone looking to upgrade or even if you are new to PDAs.
Very good but that battery life! by riverrafter247 ,Jul 11 '05
Pros: features; bright screen; Palm OS simplicity Cons: battery life (when using camera or MP3 software; a little bulky
When Palm discontinued the Palmnet wireless service for the Palm VIIx, I realized it was time for me to upgrade. Not wanting to spend the (then) $300 that the Zire 72, which had just come out, was being sold for, I purchased a new Zire 71 on Overstock.com for $125.
The Zire 71 handles all of the standard organizer functions capably. With its SD expansion slot, it also allows me to use it as an MP3 player (using RealOne) and an audiobook player (using Audible), as well as to load other software available for this format.
Sliding the back down exposes the lens of the built-in camera as well as the shutter button. While the resolution is not in any way exceptional, it's a capable snapshot camera for anyone who does not have a cameraphone (and can even take shots indoors without a flash!)
The screen is exceptionally bright, sharp and clear: as good as any I have seen on a Pocket PC organizer
Pros: Great screen, terrific form factor, intuitive controls, good battery life. Cons: Requirement to slide open case to expose camera.
I've owned them all going back to the days of the U.S. Robotics Palm Pilot and the Zire 71 is the best PDA you can get. It has by far the brightest and best color screen - much better than any Sony Clie product. It has great battery life for a bright color screen. The built in camera is handy. The rounded edges fit the hand much better than other PDA's. (I read an e-book a week on my Zire and it is very comfortable and the toggle stick is great for changing pages). It slides in the pocket easy. Its very durable - I've accidently dropped mine two or three times and no problems whatsoever - Try that with a Clie and you will find that your memory sticks no longer stick in place. It uses SD memory cards which you can swap in and out with your card reader on your computer. Buy it and you'll like it.
Highly functional PalmOS PDA by orlyaa ,Apr 15 '04
Pros: Decent processor and screen. Gimmick camera for emergencies. Cons: 16MB RAM only, camera is slow.
The Zire 71 does its job well. The 144MHz processor is fast enough for most all tasks thrown at it, the screen is very usable even in bright daylight, the SD card allows for expandability, and the camera is a nice gimmick.
About the only thing I didn't like about this Zire is what's supposed to be its "killer feature" -- the camera. The Tungsten E is cheaper, has the same processor (more or less), has more RAM, but no camera.
Unfortunately, the Zire 71 camera is slow. When you press the button, the clicking fake shutter sound happens maybe 0.5 seconds later.. but wait. The photo isn't actually taken when the clicking sound happens, it takes another 0.5 seconds or so. Making the camera just about useless for candid shots. The low-light sensitivity is awful, and there's no flash. In other words, the camera is a cheap gimmick that doesn't work very well.
But better to have a gimmick camera than nothing at all, at least with the Zire 71 you have a (sort of) camera all the time. But then if you have a camera phone.. it becomes redundant.
Packed with features, but unreliable by doru ,Dec 24 '03
Pros: Nice big display. Embedded camera. Decent sound. Good to impress friends. Cons: Not reliable. Unforgivable mechanical and firmware design flaws.
At first I was impressed by its features.
However, soon, problems arrived:
- buttons got accidentally pressed in my pocket. It powered up, consumed the batteries and lost everything! (and yes it has a hardcase)
- there's no firmware to set up a combination of keys to power it up, and neither for backing up to card
- the display has some lose contacts inside - at power-on it often shows a white display. I have to slide camera in/out to get the display back
- the power button is near the stick. When I get the stick out, I often press the power button
- clumsy I/O interface. Why not having a normal jack for power supply and another one for communication?
- shuts off after 3 minutes at most, no matter what. I can't use it on my bike (with a GPS) because of this "feature"
- can not turn off display
- bulky, plasticky case
I was amazed at how professional is their customer support. Wish their design team was equally professional...
I you plan to use Zire 71 to store critical data, forget about it! I got burned. Buy an agenda and a pencil instead.
Pros: Nice screen, fast processor, digital camera, relatively low price Cons: Battery dies frequently!
This palm had a lot going for it. A nice color screen, fast processor, digital camera, MP3 playback, SD memory slot and a pretty good price. . .
. . . there's just one hitch- and it's a big one.
The power gets turned on inside the case and the battery dies on me at least twice a month! When this happens I loose everything since my last hotsync. This is a huge hassle which makes the great value more of a headache.
I don't really enjoy missing appointments and asking people for their phone numbers over and over. The problem is the joystick sticks out a little and functions as a power button, so the case presses on it and drains the battery.
There is some software called "disable buttons" that is suppossed to fix the problem, but it still allows the unit to try and turn on when the joystick is pushed, so the battery still ends up dead.
If anyone knows of any other way to fix this, please email me at pizqueta@hotmail.com
I think the zire is one of the best palm pilots #1 because
it has a good camera.#2 because It has the best color screen that palm makes at the time.I think It is better than the tungsten because It has a camera and because it is more sturdy. It is also a lot cheaper.
I gave this PDA to my husband last Christmas. The battery lasted about two weeks. When the battery went out so did all the memory. He then called Palm several times before they told him to send it in. When he got the PDA back, it was still having the same problem. Now the battery stays charged but the memory keeps getting wiped out.
My husband has called Customer Service several times but has not gotten anywhere and basically was asked if he was charging his PDA daily for a least three hours. I have an older PDA that I can go without charging for up to two weeks.
Would not recommend buying this product or any product from Palm just because of their customer service.
I loved it from the beginning. Its color, smooth touch and ease of use.
Most of applications can be put on the expansion card (I have SanDisk 256Mb) with good launcher application (like ZLauncher) and it works great (especially after installing the SD patch from Palm).
I started having performance problems when I loaded heavy applications on, like AvantGo (web pages loading is very slow).
Still waiting for SanDisk to come up with wi-fi SD card for Palm so I can use "web pro 3" and access all web sites.
Pros: Screen, case, battery, lot of software available Cons: Colors - A slight shift to the blue side of spectrum, installed software too skinny
I found this gadget to be a great value for cash. If you need a PDA with superb screen and lot of cheap software available, look no further. The battery is excellent and lasts about 2 weeks on average use.
The Zire 71 Saved My Life! - Great for Teachers!!! by charityangela ,Oct 26 '03
Pros: Ease of use, camera, great software, good handwriting recognition. Cons: Needs a good case.
The Zire 71 could very well be the best purchase I've ever made in my life. I've had pda's before, but after a few months of use I found them to be more work than they're worth. For instance changing my handwriting style to get the pda to recognize it was a problem for me. The 71 on the other hand, has great handwriting recognition. And with the notepad, I can scrawl my own note in my own handwriting when I'm in a hurry. I use the 71 for everything. I'm a teacher and use it as my gradebook. This is huge for me. I'm not always in the same room so I wouldn't otherwise have access to a computer gradebook. And I can email the kids their grades with a quick tap of the screen. I take pictures for my school website (the kids love to get posted), it's my notepad (no more sticky notes!), my datebook, my alarm clock, my shopping list, you name it. Ah, and it makes me look attentive during long staff meetings when I'm actually playing a game :)
Another good buy from palmOne by ecotony ,May 17 '05
Pros: SD Card expandability
The LCD is beautiful Cons: Camera is low resolution quality.
I've owned 2 PDA's in my life. The First was the US Robotics Palm Pilot, the first truly successful PDA Platform. The second is the Zire 71. I've had the Zire 71 for well over a year and it continues to meet my needs well.
Stability of the OS is good. I've never lost data.
I like the compatibility with Windows XP. Sync works great.
The Form Factor is good and feels well made.
3 long years of use, not one complaint by pawilsnj ,Mar 19 '07
Pros: For basic PDA purposes, this has it all. Cons: None for my needs. It has it all.
I had a primitive B/W Sony Clie as my first PDA. It was a disaster. Thought seriously about going back to a paper datebook. Gave the Z71 a try, and I'll never, ever go back to paper. As a substitute for a datebook, there is nothing missing here. Even the built in memory has been more than adequate for me. I have a memory card, but I never use it. Battery life has never been a problem for me, as it was with the Clie. Really, if you want something to store appointments, schedules, lists, directions to various locales, addresses and phone numbers, you really can't go wrong. I guess that makes me a low end PDA user. If you are like me, you'll love the Z71.
A breath of fresh air for Palm users! by bechandra ,Apr 14 '04
Pros: Brilliant display, built-in camera, same great OS, good feel in one's hand. Cons: Cradle is flimsy. No indicator light to let you know the unit is charging.
For as long as I remember, Palm has always had a problem with displays. Yes, they have a nice OS, but, if you can't read your display, the use of the OS is diminished.
The cradle is flimsy; however, if you are upgrading, you may be able to use the cradle from your last Palm. I am using one from my M500.
Things have really changed! This Palm is a sleek-feeling, nice looking unit with the added benefit of a camera. Although it is a camera without a zoom, it may come in handy.
There is no back light to turn off to conserve the battery; however, you can turn down the brightness by simply holding down the power button until the brightness scale appears.
For the price, this is a solid investment. Would I recommend it to my friends? -- absolutely!
Poor quality camera cover spoils the fun by jmuller ,Mar 02 '04
Pros: The Zire71 display is simply a marvel, bright and clear, the joystick gives good control,fast Cons: Poor picture quality from camera, very annoying.
Wonderful device this Zire71 but the camera could be much better, it gives smeared results and one of the reasons for this, as it turns out, is that the plastic covering the lens is of non optical quality! So if you have the guts it pays off to remove the lens cover, it will still be protected when the camera is not in use.
Love it but hard to hang onto by mgsporer ,Jan 31 '04
Pros: Screen quality, camera Cons: slippery, really slippery, like teflon. Power button is easily bumped.
I've had it one day and I love it. Screen is beautiful. Everything about it is wonderful, except ...
I'm upgrading from a m105. The m105 and all the others in the family have a flip lid that protects the screen. Lid up, use it, lid down, and you are done. My daughter's Clie is the same. I would have thought they figured it out by now. The Zire71 has no such lid. I hope I can get one. I comes with a sleave case. What the heck are you supposed to do with the case when you are using it? Last time I checked humans didn't have 3 hands.
But what worst about it is the polished aluminum shell. It may as well be teflon coated it is so slippery. I just spent $250 on this thing and it popped out of my hand in the first hour of use. Luckily I caught it in midair.
If I put grip tape on it then it won't slide into is case. Maybe I need to scuff it, but fundamentally the shape of the body doesn't lend itself to being held as securely as the m1xx family.
Pros: Great display, memory card slot, lots of software available Cons: That cursed sliding mechanism!
I received my Palm Zire 71 for Christmas 2003, and I love it! When my beloved PDA wears out someday, I will gladly buy another Palm product.
My only problem with this model is a design flaw: the sliding mechanism. Like many other users, I have experienced the failure of the internal cable (and I don't think I overused the camera). To use the built-in camera, one must slide the unit to expose the lens. Sliding is also necessary to perform a soft reset. Because the internal cable is shot, I can no longer use the camera and
I am also unable to HotSync with the cradle (I can still HotSync using a cheap infrared port I bought for my PC, but it is very slow.)
It is no coincidence that Palm has not released another PDA with a sliding arrangement like the Zire 71. If you're looking for a mid-range Palm, I'd check out the Zire 72, Tungsten E, or Tungsten E2.
Pros: Camera / Audio and Video / Processor / Size / Expandability / Compatibility Cons: Built-in memory / Included software / Small quirks
I have been in the market for a PDA for about two years now, but have avoided making any purchases because I knew the perfect solution I was looking for would come along soon enough.
The Zire 71 is that perfect solution. With a colour screen, built-in digital camera, audio and video capabilities, expandability, and compatibility with so much software and hardware, this was a no-brainer.
I got a great deal on it by buying an "open box" model. It had been opened to show a costumer how to use the camera because the floor model was broken. It was put back in the box and I snatched it up for about $70CDN less than the original price, and $50CDN below the current sale price.
This Palm does everything I could want in a PDA right now, and it has the ability to do even more when I have the resources and means to get a Wi-Fi adapter and a keyboard, etc.
Pros: Color Screen, Camera Cons: Mostly plastic, bulky
I bought the Zire 71 a few years back. It has a great color screen, the camera is bad quality, but it's still a camera. I bought it to replace my older Palm, and M505. The one problem with this PDA is the plastic exterior. Why can't it be metal like the others?
My screen eventually broke because it was squished in a backpack, and I have no idea how it turned out that way.
Pros: good memory, nice graphics Cons: crap build, falling apart in less than 1 year
It was a good choice, mid priced, good memory, nice features
Then it started freaking out, locking up, freezing the screen. Oh it never does it when we take it back for service, but it has become a real pain in the butt.
How many pad and pens could we have bought for $200?
Pros: Camera,mp3 player,clear screen, fast Cons: Volume for playing MP3s isn't very loud
This is my first PDA and I am lovin' it! Much better than a paper organizer with a bunch of sloppy writing in it. This PDA keeps me organized and also lets me have fun by listening to MP3, snapping photos of friends, etc. I am also a college student and with the purchase of a wireless modem it is perfect to keep in touch with professors on the road with versaMail. The screen is beautiful and I like how there are color theme options so I can change the screen to funky colors! I would recommend this to anyone who has a busy life or is a student.
Great features but questionable reliability by rsatkin ,Nov 12 '03
Pros: Pictures look good, MP3 is OK and color screen looks terrific. Good price point. Cons: Uncertain reliability. Unit froze after HotSync on 1st day and needed reset.
Within first week, the Zire 71 locked up during a HotSync and I had to do a reset. And the clock mysteriously crashed. When I informed Palm Tech Support that the battery indicator showed 3/4 full, they responded that was low enough to interfere with ROM controlling the time! Great features at a reasonable price but don't like keeping my fingers crossed about long-term reliability.
Pros: Size and ease of use Cons: Not enough memory
I recently purchased the Zire 71 and have found a number of great uses. The photos come out clear, and the MP3 player sound real nice. Have recommended this to others.
Bought the Zire71 from Upgrade Source, they were fine. Enjoyed using it for about a day, until the POWER BUTTON STOPPED WORKING!!! This is after I sent back a Tungsten E for a buzzy screen and a hard to press task button.
So, after getting routed through India and the Phillippines to get customer service, I was given the information to send it back. PALM REQUIRES THE CUSTOMER TO PAY THE RETURN SHIPPING, WITH NO PROMISE OF REFUNDING THE COST. This is absolutely unacceptable!! No supervisor was available to talk with, period. So, now I have the prospect of paying to return it, and the possibility of getting a factory refurb unit in return.
PALM- GET A CLUE! You will not garner return customers this way!! I will not recommend this product solely on the basis of poor customer support.
This item is an average Palm OS With a Built-in Camera. If you buy this item, you will be glad that you bought this item instead of buying a $150 Palm OS and then buying a $200 Digital camera.
SUCKS! Both my sister and I bought one at seperate times at seperate stores and both of them literally just didn't turn on one day after only owning it for about 7 months!!
If you don't have your receipt there's no way to send back to the manufacturer to have them fix it!!!
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