Palm Zire 31

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Palm Zire 31 Review

The Zire 31 is aimed at casual PDA users, but it packs a lot of features for the $150 price.

PalmOne Zire 31

With monochrome Zires now available for as little as $69 for the original model or $99 for the newer Zire 21, the Zire 31's $149 price tag may seem a bit high for a basic Palm unit. But PalmOne throws in a lot for the $50 premium over the Zire 21: It buys you a color screen, double the memory (16MB), an SD card slot (missing on the monochrome Zires), a built-in MP3 player, and improved address and datebook apps.

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It's not the best-made handheld we've ever seen, though. The first unit we tried had hardware connectivity problems (the USB connection came and went), but PalmOne quickly replaced it with a unit that worked just fine. The color display is a passive-matrix LCD with 160-by-160-pixel resolution; it washes out in bright sunshine, and in general is noticeably inferior in quality to the bright, high-resolution (320-by-320-pixel) active-matrix screen you get on the $199 Tungsten E, for example.

Still, it's a vast improvement over the Zire 21's monochrome screen-especially for use after dark, since the Zire 21 has no backlight. The Zire 31's new slate-blue case front (similar in color to the more expensive Zire 71 and 72) looks classier than the plain white of the Zire 21. We also like the rubbery, semitranslucent flip cover that protects the screen.

Extra memory is always a plus on a handheld, but the Zire 31's SD slot is an even bigger bonus. With an SD card full of MP3s and the bundled RealOne audio player, you can use the Zire 31 as a portable MP3 player. Just plug in your headphones, or use the device's built-in speaker if you must (the sound quality isn't great, but it's not much worse than what we've heard from other PDAs). Alternatively, you can run applications from an SD card, or even add peripherals, since the slot supports the SDIO hardware interface.

PalmOne has upgraded the datebook and address book applications (now known as Calendar and Contacts, respectively). Calendar has a new Agenda view, which shows upcoming appointments against a customizable photo background. Contacts can accommodate more fields (the older version had limited room for multiple phone numbers or addresses) and can even incorporate a photo.

To help new PDA users (for whom this model was designed), PalmOne has bundled--along with the standard Palm OS apps--a nice selection of software, such as a basic personal finance manager, a simple database application with some samples (for tracking birthdays, car maintenance, movie rentals, and more), and even that old PC standby, Solitaire. An application called Addit offers you a chance to try out (and then buy) some other programs, but users should shop around online before buying: Since more than 20,000 apps are available for the Palm OS, you may find better software or better deals elsewhere.

Upshot: It's something of a splurge for a basic PDA, but the Zire 31 has some very desirable features, including the lowest-priced color screen to date on a Palm-based handheld.

Yardena Arar

User Reviews for Palm Zire 31

Reviewed by: frankyboy

Duration of ownership:

Strengths: Fast startup time, 'bullet-proof' Palm OS, Excellent as a routefinder for the car.

Weaknesses: With the routemapping software installed 16Mb internal memory is cutting it fine.

Overall Evaluation: I have just bought the version bundled with a GPS and ViaMichelin route mapping software. The software comes on a 128Mb SD card and uses it all up with a complete UK and Ireland street map. It also includes Points-Of-Interest, like petrol stations, car parks, museums, restaurants etc. and you can add your own. It is truly excellent, and half the price of most integrated GPS route finding computers (e.g. Tom Tom). You can search right down to the house number on any street. You can purchase further maps to cover the rest of Europe too. The voice is very clear and loud and gives precise and good instructions on when to turn and which exits to use. You can view your route as you travel in 3D or standard overhead 2D mode. If a road is blocked or you miss a turn it quickly recalculates an alternate route and keeps you on track. The only bad points I have found really is that the 16Mb of internal memory isn't really enough for route finding as quite a bit of info has to be stored internally rather than on the SD card. If you start filling it up with photos and such you can get warnings about it not being able to save your routes. Another point worth noting is that the tiny GPS unit can take several minutes before locating enough satellites to zero in on your position. This may be true of most GPS devices though. Plus, I have had the USB port lock up and refuse to see the GPS a couple of times, needing a hard reset to fix it. I am still incredibly impressed by the bundle though and it is well worth the price. I am just about to download and install a free database of UK Speed Cameras too but I may have to install the whole thing on a 256Mb SD card first.
Reviewed by: dontbuypalm

Duration of ownership:

Strengths: Was great when it worked.

Weaknesses: One day it turned off and never restarted.

Overall Evaluation: I had this pda for 6 months. It was my first one and I loved it. It worked great. Then one day, it just died. PalmOne had terrible customer service. It would cost more to fix it than it cost me to buy it. I was told to consider upgrading. Apparently many people who own this pda have had this problem (look on Amazon and epinions). Since it is out of the 90 day warrenty, I am out of luck. Now I have a $115 paperweight!

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