Of all the applications that are available for a PDA, gaming has always been one of the favorites. Everyone enjoys a good game at least once in a while. However the available handheld gaming platforms have been limited. The most successful handheld game platform has been the Nintendo Gameboy. A great product, but primarily made for the kids or young teens market. Not the best choice for the adult gamer. Gaming on mobile phones has been limited to fairly simple games with low resolution and slow processor performance. The modern PDA has given rise to a new level of handheld games. Usually equipped with a better processor, more memory, more storage, and 16-bit full color screens, the modern PDA has allowed adults to play games that are more complex and sophisticated. So is the market ready for a hardware platform that is more advanced than previously available and designed for the adult gamer? Tapwave believes so.



Tapwave is a relatively new company and has introduced the Zodiac. Zodiac is a handheld gaming system. Based on the Palm OS5 platform, it has been enhanced with Tapwave software and hardware to create a system designed for a serious game player. Combined with a nice range of game titles, the Zodiac could change the way handheld games are played.

There are two models of the Zodiac. The Zodiac 1 is “Slate Gray” with 32MB of internal memory and sells for $299.95. The Zodiac 2 is “Charcoal Gray” with 128MB of internal memory and sells for $399.95. Otherwise, they are exactly the same.

Let’s start by taking a look at the basic features:

200 MHz Motorola MX1 processor
Palm OS5 with Tapwave Enhancements
3.8” Trans-reflective TFT LCD, 65536 Color, 16-bit Display with 480x320 resolution
Landscape and Portrait Mode Support for Display
Flash Upgradeable ROM
32MB of RAM (20MB Usable) or 128MB of RAM (116 Usable)
2 SD Card Slots (1 SD and 1 SDIO)
Built-in stereo speakers and 3.5mm stereo headphone jack
Vibration feature for games, alarms, and alerts
Directional Pad with 4 action and 2 trigger buttons, and buttons for Power, Bluetooth, Function, and Home
Docking and power ports
Integrated Bluetooth version 1.1
1540 mAH Lithium Rechargeable Battery
5.6” x 3.1” x .55” (LxWxH)
6.3 oz. weight



One of the most important things that great gaming requires is lots of CPU power. Surprisingly, it is one of the things that handheld game machines have never had. The Zodiac uses the 200 MHz Motorola MX1 ARM9 processor. This is one of the fastest processors available in the Palm family of PDAs. While it has a fast processor, the Zodiac is a great multimedia performer due to a combination of the processor, an enhanced version of the Palm 5.2 OS, and an ATI W4200 Imageon graphics processor with 8MB of video SDRAM. The Zodiac uses the X-Forge 3D graphics engine from FatHammer to provide support for 3D graphics, multi-channel audio, multi-player networking, etc. A Yamaha audio chip with built-in stereo speakers and a headphone jack provides clear, accurate sound for games, MP3s, movies, and application audio. An adjustable bass boost is available. All of these features combine to make the Zodiac one of the fastest Palm PDAs available and the fastest handheld gaming machine currently on the market.

The 480 by 320 resolution display is very sharp with good color saturation. It is great for games, watching movies, and displaying photos. While not as bright as some other PDAs, it works well in landscape or portrait mode depending on the application. Not all applications can support the portrait mode. Landscape is the native mode for the Zodiac.

The Zodiac has a complete set of controls. Well designed for gaming and general PDA use, the controls include:

An analog joystick controller on the left side used for gaming or as a directional pad.
Pressing the joystick will activate the Action / Enter button. The responsiveness of the
joystick is generally good, but the quality will vary depending on the game you are
playing. Unfortunately the Zodiac does not include any settings or preferences to
customize the response and sensitivity of the joystick.

Four Action buttons are arranged in a circular pattern on the right which are used for in-game
functions or as Application Launch buttons. The Application Launch buttons can be
customized.

2 Gaming trigger buttons are located on the top left and right edge of the Zodiac.
One Bluetooth activation button / light is located in the middle of the top edge.
Power, Function, and Home buttons are located on the left side near the joystick.
Vibration feedback is available for games that support it or can be used for vibration alarms and alerts.



The Zodiac 1 contains 32 MB of RAM with 20 MB available for storage and application memory. The Zodiac 2 contains 128 MB of RAM with 116 MB available. Both models require that 12 MB be reserved for system use. Both models contain 2 SD card slots. Both can be used for storage cards and the right slot is also an SDIO slot which can be used for interface cards such as camera and networking. Bluetooth 1.1 is standard and used for networking and wireless gaming. A Bluetooth button/light is located on the top edge of the Zodiac. Only a few games currently support multi-player, but the Bluetooth can be used to connect to a network, mobile phone, or internet access point. An interesting use for Bluetooth is InkStorm, a built-in application, which allows multiple Zodiacs to share a chat / whiteboard form of communication.



The Zodiac is a solid, well built product. While it is big compared to many other handheld devices, the size is appropriate for a handheld gaming machine. With comfortable controls and an easy-to-view screen, it makes playing games very enjoyable. However, when used as a PDA, its large shape makes it difficult to comfortably hold in one hand, especially in landscape mode. Using the PDA functions while in portrait mode is comfortable and the large screen makes it more user-friendly than most PDAs. Overall, the Zodiac is very ergonomic and easy to use. A removable, flexible Flip Cover that protects the screen is included. The stylus is stored on the back of the Zodiac using 2 sets of rubber clips. While I have never lost a Zodiac stylus, I am a little uncomfortable with the possibility of the stylus popping out from the clips. Plus it is a little annoying to have to turn the Zodiac over to remove and store the stylus.



The Zodiac features a non-user replaceable, 1540 mAH Lithium Ion battery. The Zodiac has better battery life than many Palm PDAs. Depending on the screen brightness and other settings, 3-5 hours of use between charges is normal.



Various accessories are available for the Zodiac, including a carrying case, docking cradle, and additional stylus. Tapwave does not include a cradle with the Zodiac, which is surprising since all other PDAs include a cradle. The power and data connectors on the bottom edge of the Zodiac do not maintain a secure connection with the included cables. The connectors feel loose and will easily disconnect when you are holding, using, or move the Zodiac. I would highly recommend buying the optional cradle. The standard Zodiac includes a USB sync cable, power adapter/charger, wrist strap, stylus, ear-bud headphone, software CD, manual, and flip cover. The flip cover is useful for protecting the screen, but it is not a replacement for a protective carrying case. I would recommend the Zodiac case or a suitable alternative.

Tapwave includes a variety of applications which make the Zodiac a very useful device. Besides the standard Palm OS 5.2 applications, the Zodiac includes:

Besides the standard Palm OS 5.2 applications, the Zodiac includes:

Tapwave MP3 Player
Tapwave Photo Viewing Application
Kinoma Player for viewing videos
WordSmith word processor
PowerOne graphing calculator
InkStorm chat and whiteboard application
Web internet browser
AcidSolitaire, the best Solitaire card game I have ever played
Stuntcar Extreme racing game

The Kinoma Producer is included for use on your desktop to convert MPEG1, MPEG4, QuickTime, and AVI files to the Kinoma format for play on the Zodiac. Unfortunately, only a limited function version is included. A full-function version can be purchased from Kinoma. A customized version of Palm Desktop for Windows is included. Unfortunately, no Outlook synchronization software is included. Intellisync can be purchased from the Tapwave web site.



Tapwave continues to improve the Zodiac. An Update of the internal software (1.1) has been released as a response to requests made by Zodiac users. Previous owners can download the update from the Tapwave web site. The update includes many great improvements such as:

Background music play - allows music to play while running other applications
System-wide Quick Launch – provides Quick Launch button at all times
Open Home to Last View – Home button returns screen to last view instead of home screen
Wake to Music – play a complete MP3 as a wake up alarm
New alarm sounds and MIDI capabilities
Power does not turn on when Zodiac is inserted in cradle or connected to cable.
Plus many other enhancements.



Any game system is only as good as the games available. Tapwave has signed a large number of developers and publishers to produce games for the Zodiac. Most of the early games do not really “push” the capabilities of the Zodiac, but as new games are released, they will continue to improve and take advantage of the hardware. In addition to the custom Zodiac games, the Zodiac can play almost any Palm OS 5 compatible game or application. Some of the currently available Zodiac games include:

Spyhunter, driving combat
FireHammer, space shooter
Galactic Realms, space combat
Atari 2600 Retro, collection of classic games
Duke Nukem, first-person shooter
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, skating stunt game
And many others.

Check out the Tapwave web site for the latest games. Previously available only on the Tapwave web site, now that the Zodiac can be purchased from CompUSA and other retailers, the number of game titles will hopefully expand quickly.



The Zodiac is a well-designed, full-featured game system. But looking at it only as a game system would be “selling it short”. With its performance and features, it makes a great video, photo, music multimedia device as well as a high-performance Palm PDA. While a little expensive for a handheld game machine, if you are looking for an advanced game system with all the features of a multimedia player and the latest PDAs, then the Tapwave Zodiac is definitely worth the price.

Pros
Good quality
Dual SD Slots
Stereo Speakers
Fast Performance
Graphics Speed
Large display screen
Long battery life
Bluetooth Wireless Gaming (Look E.H. Bluethooth in not dead --- ?B!C)

Cons
Docking Cradle not included
Weight
Sync Cable Connector
Non-replaceable battery
No Preferences for joystick
No Outlook Sync included

Rating: 8.5 out of 10 Stars.

Reviewed by Harvey Lee – Technology Editor


Manufacturer: Tapwave

Web Site: http://www.tapwave.com

Category: Palm / PDA Platform

Price: Zodiac 1 $299.95
Zodiac 2 $399.95

Availability: Now