When Tapwave set out to develop the Zodiac, their "Palm powered multimedia handheld," they may have envisioned the same thing I expected, which is a portable gaming console that can also be used as a PDA. But what they may have come up with is a portable home entertainment system (that can also be used as a PDA).
There are actually three aspects to the Zodiac; the games, the PDA and the extras. I'll start with the games.
With 25 games on my test unit I was able to get a good feel for what the Zodiac has to offer. Since most of us in the 35 and under range have grown up playing games on consoles, the game quality will impress those of us that remember Atari and early Nintendo, but the Playstation generation might be underwhelmed.
Most games failed to draw me in and were little more than time-wasters, others were good. There are some quality titles available, such as Doom II, Duke Nukem, Spyhunter, and some pretty good driving and Tetris-type puzzle games.
While the games lack some sophistication, they usually make up for it in graphics, sound and the aforementioned time-wasting aspect. Besides, since the little dynamo can also help you get work done, maybe the games shouldn't be too addicting.
As for the hardware, the analog controller seemed too sensitive for some games that required precise movements. Another problem: games that required constant use of the top trigger buttons and the joystick and other buttons in unison, tend to cause severe hand cramps after a while.
Not being a PDA owner myself, I was surprised at the Zodiac's ease of use. The PDA software is Palm OS and fairly intuitive (though some type of prominent back button would have helped). The stylus, which can also be used in game playing, attaches neatly to the back when not in use. I found the writing software, Graffiti 2 v5.2, to be quite easy to use. I began writing notes with no demonstration and only needed instruction for a few characters. The address book supports vCards, so you can easily upload from whatever desktop e-mail organizer you prefer.
The process of uploading to, or Hot Syncing, the Zodiac is quick and easy. The Zodiac connects to a PC with a USB cable that doubles as the power cable. For PC side administration, the Zodiac comes with a half-MB Palm desktop application that helps to synchronize your schedule and address book as well as transfer files from your computer to the Zodiac.
To me, the capability of the Zodiac to handle a multitude of different files is where the true usefulness is hidden. In creating a handheld designed for gaming complete with a 200 MHz Motorola i.MX1 ARM9 processor, an ATI Imageon graphics accelerator, a 3.8 inch 480 x 320 16-bit display and an exceptional Yamaha audio system, Tapwave has created a device that doesn't just do games and address books.
I've uploaded pictures of my wife and son, songs to listen to on the bus, sports video highlights (though the Kinoma video software does not convert Windows Media files) to share with my friends and, though, I didn't get around to it, you can also upload eBooks.
What makes viewing all these files possible is the capacity of the Zodiac. A Zodiac 2 (which comes with 128 MB of internal memory -- 12MB reserved for system use) and two maxed out 512MB SD cards can theoretically store over a gigabyte of data -- not enough to watch a full length movie, but enough for two separate 30 minute videos at the highest video resolution available.
The way I see it, if you are already interested in owning a $100+ MP3 player or a $200+ PDA, you should definitely take a look at the Zodiac. Oh, by the way, it plays games, too.
