Home > Consumer Reviews > PalmOne Zire 72 Handheld

got the zire 72 ~2 years ago, replaced with t/x 12/05 (see my review on it). thought i should still write a review because i thought it was a great palm overall.

pros: very quick, quicker than the t/x and locks up less; also very important for music lovers: you can lay the palm flat and actually hear the music fairly well with its speaker (volume overall much louder with 72 than t/x; and when flat, can barely hear stuff on t/x). similarly, if you connect it via the headphone jack to your car stereo, it produces a much louder sound (important to minimize static noise if using a cassette adapter); has a voice recorder!; has a decent camera as a backup in case you need a pic and no real camera around

cons: comes with only 32 mb internal memory but can use an external card; blue "paint" will flake off...i just peeled all mine off so it had a nice silver look but then they came out with the zire 72s which is basically the same thing!; some of them will start making the high-pitched buzzing noise when on...mine started doing that after i had it for a year or so; screen size is the usual size, not bigger like the t/x

all in all i think a great palm, definitely get it and not the t/x if you plan on using it more for music than other productivity stuff!

I had a Palm III followed by a Palm V and I was pretty pleased with both these older model PDAs. After some study, I opted for a Palm Zire 72 and I am very pleased with the features.

Important to me, the Zire 72 has Palm's suite of information management applications and the ability to edit Word- and Excel-compatible files and synchronize with Microsoft Outlook (Windows only). This is one reason I got the Palm; my Blackberry is not good as a PDA and I love the easy-to-use and fast PalmOS.


The Zire 72 features:

1-megapixel image resolution (1280 x 960 pixels
32 MB of memory --64 MB in the special edition
Video capture with sound
Digital
Voice recording capability.
Wireless Bluetooth connectivity to connect to the PC or your Bluetooth-enabled phone
4.8 ounces wieght
Palm OS 5.2.8 Operating System
Software
USB cable for linking to PC
Slot for SDI memory card
16-bit 320x320 TFT screen capable of 65,000 colors.

Capabilities Rundown:

PIM and software:
Zire 72 features Palm's suite of information management applications for expenses and note, and it has the ability to edit Word- and Excel-compatible files and synchronize with Microsoft Outlook in Windows. Our own company email system will support the Palm and Pocket PC while it will not be supporting the Blackberry Enterprise System anytime soon. So the Outlook support is very important.

Bluetooth:
The Bluetooth seems designed for devices to enable mobiles, LAN and PC connections to give web capability. It would be clunky, in my view, to connect via a cell phone, so I'd love to see WiFi. But this feature can be added with a $99 card put into the SDI slot. Bluetooth is not as easy to configure; the set-up wizard seemed to be a bit difficult and there are only a few cell phone models included in the preset configurations. If you can get the 72 connected, you can use it to dial numbers, send SMS, MMS and e-mail, and browse the web using the Web Pro 3.5. Or you can opt for a WiFi card and surf at MacDonalds and Starbucks. Phones that are listed:

Sony-E T68i

Sony-E T610

Nokia 6310i

Nokia 3650

Siemens S56

Not a super list.

For PC interfacing or Palm-to-Palm there still is an infrared port.

Egonomics:
Complaints were made about the blue paint on the regular edition flaking off. There is available a special edition with the silver body that seems to be less prone to this complaint.

The control is a rectangular navigating button. The screen has the familiar Palm division between screen and stylus pad below. The Graffiti 2 was easy to use--the letters are almost exactly like written print, as long as you know where to begin the the letter, but that's practically intuitive. The sensitivity and accuracy of the stylus-pointing is a huge improvement over the very early Palms like the PalmV.

My system came with a Cordura nylon case, very nice quality and a huge improvement from the old flimsy leatherette flaps of early days. Without a case, you have to get something to cover the screen. The stylus is the same type of rod that attaches to the side by sliding into a slot.


MP3:
You need a SDI card (Secure Digital card) to load MP3 songs with RealPlayer onto the system for playing back with MP3. These are not hard to find, you may even have one floating around the house (we did.) Drag-and-drop songs onto the card on your PC, put card in Palm and go. There is a headphone jack.

There are "speakers" (tiny) and a voice recorder. Great for memos.

Camera:
The 1.2 megapixel camera has onboard adjustments for contrast and light (I needed to take down the exposure for a shot of my deck at dawn.) Digital zoom. No cover for the camera lens. The resolution was ok. The memory will hold about 85 shots, and you can move them to the SDI (optional) card. No flash.

Software:
The installation CD comes with Adobe Acrobat Reader for Palm, plus a calculator, a reader-- Documents To Go which allows you to read Microsoft Word and Excel. It's recommended to download AvantGo to add internet features. Sites such as www.palmsource.com, www.freewarepalm.com, www.palmgear.com, www.download.com have many free or inexpensive applications for the PalmOS.

There is no manual, it's on the CD.

Summary:
For a PDA, this is about perfect. To be perfect, they'd have to include WiFi and or a better phone setup list for the Bluetooth. I am quite thrilled with the Zire 72--it does what I want it to do, mainly be a PDA and keep my appointments and handle some data. The camera and MP3 are nice for travel.

I bought this device because I loved that I could use it for both work and personal fun. I bought it in September 2004, and by January 2005, I'd returned it because the blue paint was peeling off. PALM was pretty awful to deal with. It was returned to me in April or May. When they did return the device, it would not sync properly. I called PALM and they gave me the run around, telling me it was my PCs problem, my company's problem, etc. They wouldn't take it back. Then the warranty expired and they wouldn't take it back, and quite frankly I was exhausted by the whole thing and stopped using it for a couple of months. Finally, in January 2006 I decided just to use it for its organizational tasks and forget the syncking. Now, June 7, that just broke and I am throwing it away.

This maybe bias, but oh well. I had the zire 71 for almost a year, when my dog stepped on it and killed the LCD screen. I would have gotten a new Zire 71 but it was "out of date" and the stores no longer carried it so i was stuck with the 72. The camera in the 71 is better than the 72. The 72 has the voice recorder which is wonderful, but i'd really have the plug in the bottom so that i could plug in the the keyboard instead of a wireless one, which i never seem able to make work. I wouldnt recommend this product to anyone who enjoyed the 71's picture quality.

Defending the Zire 72 Palm handheld.


I have a Zire 72, and I am convinced that it is an excellent PDA. However this particular Palm gets relatively bad reviews and bad ratings. This document will record each negative thing that I could find about this PDA and my response to these comments. Is the Zire 72 the best PDA for everyone from every walk of life? No, and it doesn't intend to be. But as for what it DOES intend to be, this Palm is one of the best, in my opinion.


Negative Comments:


1.) The Palm continually crashes.

Response: This does not necessarily have anything to do with the Zire 72. The Palm OS is not the most stable of all operating systems. Having said that, I can say with all certainty that my Zire 72 does not continually crash. This is the second Zire 72 that I have owned. The first one I owned I sold to my brother. Yes, it does continually crash. However, it is noteworthy that this Palm is over 3 years old, has been dropped several times, the speaker has been broken, it has been stepped on by the dog, and the battery has been severely abused.

2.) The paint peels off too easy.

Response: Yes, the first Zire 72's that came out had a blue rubber finish that did come off quiet easily. However, my Zire 72, as well as any Zire 72 made within the last year or so, will not have this problem, the Palm now has a different kind of paint, and it still looks the same. Also, Palm has come out with a special edition of the Zire 72 that has no paint and is silver like other PDA's such as the Tungsten E, E2 etc.

3.) Palm has bad service.

Response: This is a common objection to the Zire 72 and many other Palm handhelds. However, even if this allegation were true about Palm, it would have nothing to do with the Zire 72 itself (as well as any other Palm handheld). The Zire 72 could be the greatest PDA ever, and if someone drops it and it breaks, and Palm gives them a hard time about it, that is between Palm and them. I am not here to defend Palm as a company, only this particular handheld. I only mentioned this objection because it is so widely held among people who review the Zire 72. People will have a bad experience and give this Palm a 1-star rating which causes its average to go down. The Zire 72 doesn't have bad service, Palmone does.

4.) It's not very compatible with Windows XP

Response: This is simply not true as far as I know. I have Windows Xp and it works great with this PDA and the Hotsync software. Xp is very compatible with USB devices. This particular user may have just not known how to configure his system properly.


5.) Poor battery life


Response: Not really. Granted the Zire 72 doesn't have the best battery life out of all the PDAs, I have not had any problems with it in this respect. I will say that the Zire 72 has an extremely bright screen. If you turn down the brightness on this screen it will greatly increase the battery life. (NOTE: Even after turning the brightness on the screen to its lowest setting, the Zire 72 still has a brighter output than virtually any Sony Clie and many other PDA's).


6.) It is too delicate and there is no case to protect this unit.

Response: This is simply not true, yet it is still used to give this Palm bad ratings. Palm has made a wonderful hard case for this unit that they will include for free if you buy the Zire 72 through them. There is also a hard plastic clear case, and Rhinoskin has also recently come out with a case for this unit.


7.) The price is too high.

Response: Not by a long shot. Considering that this Palm has a camera, and Mp3 player, a voice recorder, Bluetooth, a 312Mhz processor, and a thin lightweight design it is not expensive at all compared to other PDA's with far less features. Actually, since this Palm is not all too popular, you can find it for even less. You can get a brand new Zire 72 for less than $200.


8.) It constantly losses all its data


Response: I have never had a problem with this. The only Zire 72 I've ever heard of loosing its data is my brothers that has been dropped, stepped on, is not totally functional and has had serious battery abuse. Allot times people using these kinds of arguments may not be telling the whole story...


9.) The camera is horrible

Response: This problem occurs when people buy a PDA with the preconceived idea that the camera feature is a replacement for a 5.1Mp digital camera. If they had owned PDA's with a camera function before, they would not be as disappointed. Yes, I do agree that the Clie has a better light filter or whatever you want to call it, however the Zire 72's camera can produce the 3rd highest resolution out of all PDA's I know of. However, regardless of what PDA you're buying, don't get one with a camera as a means of replacing a real camera. The Zire 72 has a 1.2 Mega-Pixel camera. The best camera on any PDA I know of is a Sony Clie with a 2.0 mega-pixel camera. Still, this will not replace the 7 and 8 mega-pixel cameras that are made solely for producing high quality photos.


10.) No Wifi

Response: This is true, of course this can be added on later via SD wireless card. While the Zire 72 does have built in Wifi, not many PDA's really did back when it came out, especially not any with all the other features the Zire 72 has. It does have Bluetooth however, which can also be used for Internet use.


11.) Lacks camera lens cover.

Response: All I can say is, I have owned Zire 72's for 3 years and I have never once gotten one scratch on the lens. The lens in recessed back into the device so it is not going to get scratched simply by laying it down. Besides, if you get the hard case for this Palm it solves the problem. This is something you are going to want to do if you get a Zire 72 anyways, or any PDA for that matter.

12.) Battery not user replaceable

Response: Palm has never made a PDA that has this feature, I have a hard time believing that they ever had any intention to. You cant blame the Zire 72 for something that all other handhelds made by Palm have in common with, but rather, you can blame Palm as a whole.

13.) SD card is recessed too far and is hard to get in and out.

Response: Again this is something that is common to many Palm handhelds. As opposed to the Sony Clie models whose memory stick protrude about 2mm out from the unit, Palm has decided to make the card slot on their units hold the card in deeper. This is something that you will get used to and something you must face regardless of what Palm you buy. If you decide to buy a Sony instead based on this issue, your faced with another problem. The cards on the Sony stick out too much. While they are easier to take in and out, you are always running the risk and banging it on something causing the card to be ejected, lost, or damaged.




14.) No attachable flip cover.

Response: Again this is something that all Palms have in common. People with these complaints are obviously those who have previously owned Sony PDA's. I personally find flip covers annoying, and took mine off back when I owned a Sony Clie. At any rate, as I've said before, you are going to want to buy the hard metal case that is compatible with the Zire 72, it will offer much more protection than any flip cover!

15.) One guy said, "The output signal from the headphone jack is *far* too loud. I have to set system sounds to "low" to get a volume that is bearable to my ears. I'd prefer a softer volume, though."

Response: This is why Palm has engineered this unit with the ability to lower the volume. This particular users preference is that the volume would be softer, which is fine, but why would you give the Zire 72 a negative mark for it because you had to go into the system to turn the volume down? The next person might prefer the volume to be louder, in which case he could turn UP the volume. I personally can hardly hear the system sound coming from the external speaker. I suppose it would be loud if you used headphones to listen to the beeps and ticks as you browse through system applications, but this would seem like a strange to do. However, no matter what your volume preference is, the Zire 72 is compatible either way...


16.) The headphone jack output produces a clearly audible background "hiss".

Response: This "hiss" is not audible while listening to Mp3's. I listen to my Zire 72's MP3 player every night and have been for 2 years. It's great. Yes you can hear a noise when there is no music and the headphones are plugged in, just like in many devices that use headphones. This sound ensure you that the headphones are in the device and are properly connected. Also might I add in defense of the MP3 player, Realone player is great! With the five-way directional pad you with switch through songs very quickly!


I think its funny to note that Cnet's review on the Zire 72 yielded a typically low rating among other handhelds they have reviewed before. Here are some things that where said:

THE GOOD THINGS:
Integrated 1.2-megapixel camera with video-record function,
Bluetooth,
Fast processor,
Multimedia support,
Robust software bundle,
Expansion slot,

THE BAD THINGS:

No Wi-Fi
Lacks camera lens cover
Battery not user-replaceable.


It appears that there are twice as many good things then bad things about the Zire 72 according to this review. And two of the bad things, especially the replaceable-battery issue I've already shown not to be serious things at all.

If you read through the review that Cnet has, you will find that the overwhelming testimony of the this PDA is positive, hardly anything bad is said about it, yet it only obtains a mere 6.8 rating. Lets look at another PDA that Cnet reviewed.

The Sony Clie TJ37. Here's what was said by Cnet:

THE GOOD THINGS:

Built-in Wi-Fi, (The Zire 72 does not have this, but it does have Bluetooth whereas the TJ37 does not.)
Integrated 310,000-pixel camera, (The Zire 72's camera is 1,200,000 pixel)
Fast processor, (The Zire 72's is faster)
MP3 and video playback, (The Zire 72 has this as well)
Slim form factor (As does the Zire 72)

The bad:

Comes with outdated Date Book and Address Book apps, (The Zire 72 does not)
No Bluetooth, (The Zire 72 does)
Dim screen, (The Zire 72 has one of the brightest screen I've ever seen)
Poor battery life, (The Zire 72 has fine battery life)
Lacks user-replaceable battery (Hardly any PDAs don't! That's what I've been saying!)

As opposed the 3 negative things Cnet wrote about the Zire 72 (two of which aren't very substantial) there are five negative things said about the TJ37, 4 of which are substantial in my opinion. You may think, "well maybe even though the TJ37 has more negative things, all of its positive things make up for it." I've already shown that the only thing the TJ37 has over the Zire 72 is Wifi, and that gets cancelled out with the Bluetooth anyway. What rating did Cnet give the TJ37? A 7.3. No it isn't a great deal higher than the Zire 72's rating but there is no reason why this PDA should have gotten a higher rating. I do not agree with the rating that Cnet gave to the Zire 72, and even if I did I would still expect to see that other PDA's rated to be rated by the same standard. Meaning the TJ37 would have something like a 6.4.



The Zire 72 is a very underrated Palm. The paint peeling issue just scared allot of people in my opinion and kind of ruined the market for this particular unit. Well spread the word! The paint-peeling problem has been dealt with! This unit is so fast, and you can practically work it with one hand. The five-way navigation pad is something that Palm has and Sony doesn't that really hurts for them. I think the Zire 72 accomplishes everything that it intends to, and if it weren't for all the false claims that have been made about it, there would be allot more people walking around with one.


Did I miss anything? Let me know!

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