The Zire 71 is a mid-range handheld that boosts the power quotient in the Zire series considerably with it its high-resolution color screen, fast processor and multimedia features. The Tungsten T, which has similar audio features and the same CPU, features a more compact and solid design, and is supposed to appeal more to the corporate power user.

Zire 71
    

The blue and silver Zire 71 is light, 5.3 ounces, and it fits comfortably in the hand with measurements of 2.9 x 0.67 x 4.5 inches. In fact, it is considerably smaller than the Tungsten T when that device's cool slider is open, exposing the Graffiti area. The slider in the Tungsten T, nevertheless, when retracted makes it the smallest PDA on the market, measuring a mere 3 x 0.6 x 4.0 inches. It jumps up to 4.8 inches in height when open. It is also pretty light at 5.6 ounces. Though the Zire 71 is lighter than the Tungsten T, its case is made out of plastic, while the Tungsten T's case feels more solid as it is made out of gunmetal. The same cannot be said of the Tungsten C, which also has plastic casing like the Zire 71.

Tungsten T

Speaking of sliders, with the Zire 71, Palm has added more function to the form, with the creation of the easiest to use digital camera we've come across in a handheld.

Camera
When the slider is opened, the Zire 71's camera software is automatically launched, turning the display into a view-finder and exposing the camera's auto focus lens on the back of the unit. At the bottom of the slider is a button with a picture of a camera on it. Just push the button and you've got a picture. As far as PDA cameras go, the images it takes are good but not great, but you can't beat it for convenience. In fact, it is a lot of fun to use, even though the lack of a flash limits when it can be used.


Zire 71 Slider & Camera

With the camera, you can take pictures at 160x120, 320x240 or 640x480 resolutions and choose to either save the pictures in RAM or on a memory card. A new feature of the Palm Desktop, Palm Photos (also available with the Tungsten C), lets you transfer pictures between your PC and handheld. The Tungsten T comes with an earlier version of the Palm Desktop which doesn't have this feature. You can, however, download the latest version from the Palm Website.

Photo Applicatoin in Latest Palm Desktop