Rating: 
Summary: Tech - 5 stars, Ergonomics - 2 stars
Review: I got my Zire 71 yesterday. Software upload and first synchronization went without a hitch. The ARM processor really zips through the data. I have an 8,000+ name contact list on my Zire, I use Chapura Key Contacts, and STILL the Zire 71 zips through the contact searches in nothing flat. All the software I've tried works, so on the Tech dimension, Palm has a winner on their hands. The screen is, hands down, the best thing out there right now. Bright, good color, good detail. Clie, eat my dust! Ergonomically, the thing was designed to for aesthetics, not reality. Some things to think about: 1) Stainless steel outer case and the blue plastic bezel are very cool to look at, but what happens if you drop it? The stainless will bend and dent. And lets face it, everybody drops their PDA once in a while. 2) The flat sided rectangular shape and the smooth stainless exterior contribute to the "greased pig" factor, as in, "It's harder to hold onto than a greased pig." Consider, in contrast, the "waisted", more organic shape of the Palm M100, M125. The waist around the middle means that once you're fingers are around it, it won't slip through. Also, these units have textured plastic cases that aren't slick like the Zire 71. So, now I'm very worried about the dent factor in point 1). 3) Palm changed the Graffiti Software slightly. That's like changing the QWERTY pattern on your keyboard. At least offer a "Graffiti Classic" option. Sheesh! Now I have to relearn how to make about 20 of the characters. Now, I know that this is not a big thing, but it is annoying. To recap: COOL to look at, works great, but not very practical ergonomics. I expect that you'll start seeing Zires with tape around the middle so you can HANG ON! In all though, I'm happy. Great Oooo's and aaahh's from the toyheads I know.
Rating:
Summary: Very nice
Review: I just recieved a Palm Zire 71 as a birthday present. Previously I carried a "little black book" of names, addresses, email, phone numbers, etc.. Every few years it would fall apart from being carried everywhere. I planned on buying a bottom of the line PDA to replace my address book when my darling wife suprised me with the Zire 71. First the good, the screen looks great! It's bright, colorful, and contrasty. My coworkers with older color Palm PDA's all covet it. I'm going to put lots of pictures of my daughter in my PDA and use it for my brag book instead of carrying a bunch of pictures in my wallet. The handwriting recognition is ok but what I like about it is that I can enter the data on my PC then sync it with the PDA. I entered hundreds of entries from my address book in a few hours (quicker than I could have copied them to another address book!). I've been going through game withdrawal ever since giving up my Nokia cell phone with snake (my top game was over 1,100). I downloaded Tetris on my PDA which is a lot more fun. Now the bad, 16MB of RAM is a little stingy now that RAM [costs so little]. My first addition will be a memory expansion card. I wish the Zire 71 came with everything to play MP3's. As it stands I'd rather buy a [] MP3 player than buy the card for this and then have multiple cards to keep track of. I don't know why the other reviewers consider the built in camera to be good. When you see the pictures on the 320x320 screen they are already downsampled; when you see them at full resolution on a computer screen they look awful; downsampling them to 320x240 doesn't make them look much better. Even the cheapest and worst digital camers takes better pictures than the little camera in the Zire 71. I like the idea of a digital camera in a PDA but as poor as this one is I think they should skipped it and made it a little cheaper or upgraded something else on it. In sum, this is a great little unit but do budget for a memory expansion and don't get your hopes up too much for its camera.
Rating:
Summary: Palm is getting it right!
Review: I am always looking for a new Palm handheld that is affordable but has a lot of great features. Most of the latest models that have been coming out have been focusing more on wireless capabilitie than function and affordability. Well I think the Palm Zire 71 is getting them back on track. This device is reasonably priced... what the Palm m500 cost when it was initially released, which is saying a lot considering the differences between the two models. For the most part everything new is simply a refinement to an already simplified and easy to use device. A hidden camera, high-res color screen, a better directional navigation, more memory... this thing has just about everything I have been looking for short of a sliding keyboard. If they would keep the stylus writing area and stil find room for a Thumboard I would be sold in a heart beat. The only thing I don't lie about this new model is the color. They have been staying fairly consistent with plain metallic cases. Had they stuck to their guns with this model I would be sold. In the mean time I'll continue to play with the display models in Staples.
Rating:
Summary: Good PDA, (surprisingly) decent camera, bad cover
Review: Got one two days ago, and have been satisfied so far. Its a decent PDA (my earlier Palm V died on me, so had to get a new one), and I like the camera. Once you get used to it- (wait a few moments for the lighting to adjust, and another few moments after clicking the pic), it is a great party camera. Some disappointments- 1. Bad case- it presses down on the buttons, turning the palm on, especially if its your pocket. 2. You need to buy a extension card to store mp3s- the case doesnt mention this; only after you start downloading music do you realize it. Caveat: The hotsync cradle by default is USB; those with older machines (I have a ancient Win NT laptop) need to buy an optional serial cable cradle.
Rating: 
Summary: Makes the M515 obsolete
Review: Everything seems nice, but I guess the whole package will conk out in 6 months, keeping in mind Palms "legendary" quality control!I think it would be better to wait until the bugs (and there will be bugs!) show up...
Rating: 
Summary: Better than Pocket PC
Review: I just bought this last night. Had purchased a Toshiba 335 Pocket PC about 4 months ago. Find this much easier to use. Love the camera and the fact I can send and recieve emails using my ISP upon synching the machine.
Rating:
Summary: My FIrst PDA...Great Choice..Great Price
Review: I have never owned a PDA before. I hope I use this thing. I just picked it up today... For [the] price, it is absolutely the best deal out there. I like the Palm system because there is plenty of software available. I basically have only used the camera and looked at the address book so far. The pix are good...not as good as my 4 megapixel Sony digital camera, but good for e-mail or viewing on the PDA color screen. Also, because the screen is so vivid and bright, you can download pix from a home computer to show off to people(pix of kids, etc).
I must admit I have to get used to writing with the grafitti part. My wife has been using a Handspring Prism for two years now. It has a great color screen too but this unit is so light and portable. You can also use this screen outside much better than her Handspring. The way it was described to me was like a Sony Clie but at half the price. The reviews on this baby claim it has the nicest screen they have seen on a Palm Operating System to date. Sorry I haven't used the MP3 or video clip part yet so I can't be more helpful there...but I did just buy it today. I will report back as soon as I become more familiar with it.
Rating:
Summary: If you consider upgrading, this palm is the way to go
Review: I just bought this new palm ... I have to say, if you like the Palm OS, and is in search of upgrading from the M5xx series .... it's definitely a great buy. I haven't had the chance to try out all the features, but one thing is for sure, the new Zire has the best screen, which makes the built-in Camera that much nicer. The MP3 player also sounds great, but you need buy an expansion card.
Go to your local electronic stores and take a look at it.
I did my research and read about 10 ten reviews, and I see why it got such high reviews.
For in-depth reviews, go to CNET or Palminfocenter. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Design Student's Best Tool
Review: As a fashion design student in New York, I use this thing all day long. I listen to music on the bus & subway. I keep my schedule. I take notes (in Memo Pad)- using grafiti for quick notes and the folding keyboard (sold seperately) for long lecture classes. I put my homework assignments in my to-do list. I take pictures of my professors' examples, my own work, or anything that inspires. I even use the camera instead of the photocopier in the library! I have great maps of the city in it so I don't get lost in the fashion district. It amazes me that not only do my classmates not have one, but most of them have never used a palm. It's a definite edge. The only place where it does not adequately replace paper is with quick sketches & diagrams. Sure, you can use Note Pad, but then there's no way (that I know of) to attach that to the relavent notes that go with it in Memo Pad. I'm sure there's some more sophisticated software to be had for this purpose that I haven't investigated & invested in yet. Overall: it's the next best thing to the French curve.
Rating: 
Summary: it keeps breaking!
Review: I got my Zire 71 as a Christmas Gift. I absolutely loved it, however, it malfunctioned in March (a problem with the digitizier). I had barely used it and it stayed on my desk for the most part. Palm sent me a replacement unit because it could not be repaired. In May it malfunctioned the exact same way again! Once again, Palm is sending me a replacement unit. You do have to be careful with the power button...the battery drains very quickly. The case it comes with tends to turn it on when you slide it in. I wish I could get a refund...I will never buy another Zire again. I asked Palm for a refund and they told me "a refund is not an option."
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