Palm's spring lineup includes a new Zire and a new Tungsten. Make way for the best screens ever on a Palm device, an integrated camera, and a screeming fast Tungsten with integrated Wi-Fi. Yum.
Palm's spring refresh of their product line includes one new consumer model and one new business model. Both the Zire 71 and Tungsten C add a number of new features to Palm's lineup, ranging from a camera to an eye-popping screen to a blazing fast 400 Mhz processor.
 | The Zire 71 sports an integrated VGA camera
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Palm's new Zire is the Zire 71. Although the original Zire was a low-end, cut-every-corner device the Zire 71 is anything but. Backed by a TI OMAP processor at 144 MHz and 16 MB of RAM, it includes an integrated slide-out VGA camera, a first for Palm. Included software lets uses synchronize images just as they do other applications. The Zire 71 also offers MP3 support via RealOne (or 3rd party programs) and video playback via Kinoma Player and a bundled Kinoma Producer lite. Unfortunately, it does not include a Bluetooth connection. As with most Palm-branded devices, the Zire 71 includes an SD slot and sports a Universal Connector, both of which were absent in the original Zire. Despite the extra features, the Zire 71 is only slightly thicker than its predecessor and weighs only 150 grams. (Read the review for more.)
 | The Tungsten C boasts the fastest processor and most RAM of any Palm OS handheld, plus Wi-Fi
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For the business user, Palm has upped the ante with the fastest processor ever in a Palm OS handheld. The Tungsten C is backed by an Intel XScale processor running at 400 MHz, twice the speed of any Palm OS handheld to date, and offers 64 MB of RAM, four times that of any other shipping Palm OS handheld. (The Garmin iQue 3600 is expected to have 32 MB of RAM, but is not yet available.) It offers the same 5-Way Navigator and thumbboard of the Tungsten W, while keeping almost the exact same size and shape. Although it has no external antenna, the Tungsten C includes an integrated 802.11b "Wi-Fi" radio. In order to provide all-day usage, it also sports the same 1500 mAh battery of the Tungsten W. Although it does not include an MP3 player, it does include a voice recorder, DataViz Documents To Go, a proxy-less web browser, and VPN support.
Both devices run Palm OS 5.2, which includes the new Graffiti 2 handwriting recognition system. Both support writing directly on the screen as well, a feature developed for Palm by former licensee HandEra. They also include Palm VersaMail 2.5 for e-mail. Both the Zire 71 and Tungsten C also include Palm's new screen technology. Both screens are vibrant and bright, with nearly infinite viewing angles, and are still visible in direct sunlight.
Both devices will be available worldwide staring on 5 May. The Zire 71 will cost $299 USD, while the Tungsten C will be $499 USD.
Additional high-resolution images of both devices are available on the following pages.
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