Detroit is notorious for launching "brand new" models that are little more than a rehash of an existing offering. PalmOne sells handheld computers, not automobiles, but it is developing a reputation for having something genuinely new and exciting when it announces new gadgets. PalmOne"s Zire 72 is far more than a cosmetic redo of last year"s sexy Zire 71, while the Zire 31 that accompanies it out of the gate doesn"t replace anything in the PalmOne lineup, but fits just above the $99 entry-level Zire 21. Both go on sale today.
Power users will be more interested in the $300 Zire 72, which is superior in almost every way to the soon-to-be-discontinued Zire 71. For starters, the 72 has 32 megabytes of memory versus 16 MB for the older model. The brain of the 72 is a 312-megahertz Intel ARM Holding-based microprocessor, whereas the Zire 71 has a 144-MHz Texas Instruments chip. Among the other significant improvements in the Zire 72 are the addition of a voice recorder and Bluetooth wireless capability. PalmOne buyers previously had to opt for the $399 Tungsten T3 to get those features. Users with Bluetooth handhelds can swap files, share notes on a whiteboard or connect to a Bluetooth-enabled phone to browse the Web.