Rating: 
Summary: Great Budget PDA!
Review: I purchased this for my daughter, who is a freshman in college, and was very impressed! For the price, the Zire is an outstanding entry-level Palm PDA. Set up is easy and the "hot synch" process enables you to back up info you've entered, as well as install new programs that are easily obtainable from the Palm website. Despite having only 2 mgs. of memory, I was able to install a Franklin Covey "Student Suite" program to help her keep track of assignments and grades, along with several other programs, and there is still plenty of room to store info. Text can be entered by tapping the stylus on a mini keyboard on the screen or by actually writing in the "graffiti" area (quite easy to learn). This surprising versatility at an excellent price, plus the standard Palm features (address book, appointment calendar, ability to download and read e-mail, etc.), make this much more than a PIM--it's an entry-level mini computer. It even comes with a flip-over plastic cover to protect the screen and, while it's a little cumbersome to keep out of the way, it's welcome and unexpected for the price. My Kyocera Palm Smartphone came with no protective cover and I've already scratched the screen, so I was glad to see one here. The bottom line? It's a wonderful product. If you're looking for an easy to learn, entry-level Palm with a surprising amount of features and quality--look no further!
Rating:
Summary: Great for first timers
Review: My first born was anxious to get his own handheld after seeing his cousin with one.
After much debate, we decided to purchase one for him since he had met our requirements: acheived a 90+ aveage in school.
He loves the Zire, and it has just enough features for him: not more than he'll ever know what to do with. You can also download more features using the USB hotsync cable, as well as linking to your home/business pc.
Great for students & beginners.
Rating: 
Summary: Good device, poor service
Review: I like the size, rechargable battery, speed and price. I don't like the rubbery plastic cover. It gives no protection against accidental button pushes as I carry the Zire in my pocket, and I suspect it will accelerate screen wear as it pushes against the screen and grinds whatever dirt happens to be there into the screen surface.My biggest problem is with service. You have to make a long-distance call on your dime, wait ten minutes before talking to a human only to have them put you on hold for another ten minutes while they think about the problem. Tonight, the tech hung up on me as I was trying to report what I think is a bug that was introduced in PalmOS 3.5 (years ago). The hang-up may have been unintentional, but no one called me back. Here's the bug -- you can try it yourself. In the date book, select the preferences item in the options menu. Set the 'alarm preset' option for 5 minutes. Click OK. Next, create an event by writing the time in the graffiti pad for ten minutes (round up) from the current time, using the default duration of 1 hour. Wait. The alarm should sound five minutes before the event, but doesn't. This failure happens for the last event you create if that event is today.
Rating:
Summary: I am very happy with the Zire : )
Review: If you are looking for an economy PDA I believe that this one is the best on the market at this time. I have been genuinely been surprised at how much I use every program. I was intimidated by the PC sync, but it is so simple that I only use the Palm organizer PC software for addresses, to dos, memos, dates, etc. I took everything out of MS Outlook. The best feature is the Notepad program that lets you write directly on the screen and save a note. This has completely replaced sticky pads in my life. I am about 10x more productive, without exageration. Also the games are very nice and I find myself playing them when I am on line, or in some other boring situation. I even found a case that doubles as my wallet, and it all fits in my coat pocket. The recharging battery makes the thing absolutely perfect for me.
Rating:
Summary: old stuff packed in new clothes
Review: Zire is old stuff packed in new clothes and I think it is not worth the price... For the same price, there are better choices outthere such as the sony clie line and handspring's visor Deluxe line of product. For about 60% more, you can get a 8MB PDA with color LCD in palm's own product line. So skip the Zire, and get something better. For the same price..., you can get a sony clie SL10 at Fry's Electronics. What you get with the sony clie SL10 are: 1. Three times more memory: 8MB vs Zire's 2MB (Believe me, you can do so much more with 8MB memory. Especially if you are using Avantgo.)
2. Backlight (You must have it at night. Very useful)
3. Memory Expandability: Slot for memory stick as extra storage
4. A 320X320 pixel screen instead of Zire's 160X160 screen
5. A processor twice as fast
6. Four buttons for better game play (Zire has only two buttons)
7. The wheel The cons of the Sony clie SL10 are: 1.The LCD is not bright and may be a little hard to read at times
2.No rechargable option (the zire uses rechargable lithium battery)
Rating: 
Summary: DO NOT BUY THIS!
Review: Over the past month, I have had problems with, not one, but THREE Palm Zires. All three were returned within 1 to 2 weeks due to a malfunctioning digitizer (when you touch the screen with the stylus, it either didn't work or was way off its mark). NOTHING worked to fix it. Needless to say, I no longer own a Palm Zire. Save yourself the frustration and DO NOT BUT THIS PALM!!
Rating: 
Summary: Organization
Review: If you like to be organized but don't want to throw your check away, this is perfect.
Rating:
Summary: Exactly Like The M100
Review: The Palm Zire seems like a great little PDA with all the basic functions of the others. But it seems an awful like a certain model that was released 2 years ago. I own the Palm M100 which was the exact same price (at least in Canada) and there were way more features including a backlight. It also had 2 megs of RAM, which in Palm life is huge, it had the James Bond type flip cover and it's tiny. It fits everywhere. The screen doesn't scratch easily either. It has simple connectivity to PC and Mac. It doesn't have rechargable batteries built in, but the batteries last forever. I believe the OS is Palm 3 because that is all that was out at the time. If you can find this one, look for it instead, as it is alot better with the reflective backlight.
Rating:
Summary: It's all you acutally need.
Review: I am very happy with the Zire. It has all it actually needs. I deducted though one star because of a missing docking station (cradle), no background lighting and the cheap protective flip cover. Honestly, you can live with the way the Zire is. I used to have a Palm III with background lighting. I really hardly ever used it but I admit that it is at least nice to have. A docking station or cradle as Palm calls it would really add to. I don't really understand that Palm didn't include this in the package. The cheap protective flip cover is not really helpful. You will eventually have to buy a real cover. But do not get the Palm Zire Carrying Case - read the reviews! I bought the Zire on Amazon ...
Rating:
Summary: ease of use
Review: I was hesitant to purchase a handheld thinking it would be to complex to use. The Palm Zire is simple and easy to learn. I use it daily in my business to record appointments. It has become invaluable. The "find" option is very helpful. I enter a name all info about this person is at my finger tips. I recommend it for anyone who is a first time user.
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