Coming Soon... to a store near you!

[sUnShInE]

Tapwave has officially announced that their award-winning Zodiac products and games for the Zodiac will be available in CompUSA stores nationwide starting next month. CompUSA has inked an exclusive deal with the up-and-coming Tapwave for distribution, new system software, tons of new games, and even Mac support for the Zodiac system.

According to the Tapwave press release, "In addition to launching at retail, Tapwave will release up to 10 new premiere titles by the end of the year, along with 60 to 75 Tapwave Certified titles, such as MicroQuad (arcade/racing game), Hellfire: Apache vs. Hind (helicopter combat game), Orbz (action arcade) and Acedior (RPG)."

The Zodiacs come in two different confirgurations, the Zodiac1 for $299, with 32MB RAM; and the Zodiac2 for $399 with 128MB RAM. Both units feature an ATI® Imageon™ graphics accelerator and Motorola® i.MX1™ ARM 9 processor, and "[i]n the near future, the Commodore 64® engine will be available for the Zodiac, and will be supporting Bluetooth multiplayer play."

For more info on the company and its current line of products, check out their website, or stop into CompUSA next month!

[Bob Russell]

Can you believe it? Sunshine posts this great info a LONG time ago, and not a single reply until this one!

Well, I only found this thread because I did a search for Zodiac. Why, you say? I'm glad you asked.

You see, over yonder in PPC fairy tale land where people love Microsoft, ignatz is being drawn in by the dark side. Craig is waving his magic wand again and catching us all up into his spell!

But I've broken loose again from his spell, and I'm certain that (for now) I'm a true PalmOS'er. I couldn't face leaving that behind, even if PalmOne is going to disappoint me with unimpressive new offerings.

Unfortunately, I have my poor old SJ33 that is fading fast. Scratches on the screen, including right in the middle of my alpha graffiti area. And the down button is so overused that it is barely functional. (Ha!.. Anyone want to buy it now!? Okay. No, actually it's not for sale. I've already given it away to my girlfriend and she's waiting patiently for me to buy a replacement so she can have it.)

So I either wait longingly for the next round of devices, or I cave in to temptation and buy something to "tide me over." After all, next wave may be OS6 and it might be 6mos to a year before most significant programs are updated. And I use my Palm so much, surely I owe it to myself to have a better device and a nicer screen while I wait. (Anyone out there sense large doses of self-deception?!)

You may wonder where I'm going with this, but let me wrap it all up now. I'm gonna get either a T|E or a Zodiac if I buy a transition PDA. T|E just doesn't impress me, but it is more reasonably priced. Zodiac looks nice and I found a neat looking case for it also. It might just hold me for a year or two while PalmOne (or Zodiac) come up with a killer Palm PDA. Surely the first OS6 devices are not going to be that spectacular, right?

Buy. Wait. Buy. Wait. Buy. Wait. It's like I'm riding a pendulum!

While I'm pondering the next move, anyone know much about the Zodiac?
Hey Ballistic -- didn't you get one of these?

Tell me if you can...
* How's the battery life?
* Is there much problem with software compatibility?
* Nice screen?
* Durable buttons and controls?
* Is the stylus holder okay? I heard it's just two little clips...
* If you have one, do you like it?

Tick tock, tick tock, what shall I do????

Ignatz, I feel for you.... this is a hard time to decide. No good scoop on the future. Tempted by the upcoming products, but wanting to buy now!

[Brian]

BobR,

Yes, I have a Zodiac 2 and I love it.

1. The battery life is great considering I tend to play a fair amount of games and use the device about and hour or two every day. The Zodiac has 1540mAh rechargeable Lithium batteries (best of any PDA). I put my Zodiac in its cradle overnight to charge every 2-3 days barring any extended (2+ hour) sessions of games and movies.

2. Most major OS5 applications support the Zodiac's landscape and portrait Hi-Res+ screen (VG) and analog controller. Those that don't yet fully support the Zodiac have plans to add compatibility to future releases. If an app doesn't support Hi-Res+, it is simply centered on the display in a 320X320 window. Most popular programs for music and audio files such as PocketTunes and Audible Players support the Zodiac.

3. The screen easily equals or surpasses my old NX70V's, but isn't quite as bright as models such as the NX80 and T|3. The color saturation is quite good and even, with no yellowing of whites like other devices. The horizontal resolution in the landscape orientation is exceptional as the Zodiac is meant to be used mostly in landscape mode (great for ebook reading).

4. The buttons and controls are geared towards gaming but function well as a PDA. There were reported widespread problems with the analog controller that seem to have been resolved with the 1.1 software update and some internal design improvements.

5. The stylus holder has been much maligned and criticized, but I find it more than acceptable. The clips are rubberized and flexible and hold the stylus firmly. PDA Panache offers a stylus with a thin elasticized tether that attaches to the recessed wrist strap slot on the back of the Zodiac to prevent loss.

6. I am pleasantly surprised every time I use my Zodiac: I like it even more than I expected. I am more excited by this device than I was by my NX70V, and the Zodiac has renewed my passion for Palm OS PDAs. I haven't felt this much excitement about the platform since I first became a Palm OS user with my Pilot 5000 back in 1996.

I'd recommend the Zodiac to someone who has the same requirements for a PDA and would also like gaming, multimedia and content in a single, very well designed and executed device, but I will add the following caveat: Everyone's needs and tastes are unique and very subjective. What may be "best" for me may not be the best solution for someone else.

Good luck in making your decision.

Brian G.

[Bob Russell]

Thanks for the info Brian!

Have heard lots of good things about the Zodiac so far. Including the quality and design. The fact that the Zodiac is primarily landscape has concerned me some, as I expect I am mostly looking for tall portrait screen. But there's so much good about the device.

Still teetering...

Will let you know if I decide to take the plunge!

[Brian]

BobR,

I understand your concern about the landscape orientation, but most apps will rotate to portrait mode including all of the built-in PIM apps which are also Zodiac-enhanced and support VG. The built-in launcher is currently landscape only however, but this can easily be remedied with a third party launcher such as ZLauncher, and Tapwave is always looking at areas where they can improve functionality and enhance the built-in user interface and applications based on user feedback.

To tell you the truth, I was also concerned at first after using my portrait oriented NX70V, but I am finding the landscape orientation of the device very user friendly. It is one of the traits that I liked most about my Apple Newton MessagePad 2100, a device that holds a special place in my heart and also shares a high level of user friendliness in landscape mode. Like I said in a previous post, the Zodiac is a great device for displaying mobile content like movies, ebooks and web content/clips,although the bundled web browser could use some improvements in other areas.

Brian G.