SmackDaddy

Anyone heard much on this? Saw this on a pop up at Gamespot. Runs PalmOS, playes MP3's, and games custom made for the Zodiac as well as all the PalmOS games already available (graphics solution by ATI), bluetooth wireless multi-player etc.analog control. More appealing than the N-Gage, especially the screen, IMO, but still a bit on the pricey side.

Zodiac

Josh H

Still looks crappy. But it does look better designed than the N-gage, the buttons look more comfortably layed out, and from the speaker things it looks like you won't have to hold the damn thing sideways to use the phone.

Still, I have no interest in these things. They're simply too bulky for phones. I have a nicy, tiny flip phone that I love as I carry it in my pocket all the time. Plus I'm not huge on portable gaming and the GBA and it's huge library more than keep me satisfied in that regard.

cheapskate

I've only ever heard of this thing referred to as the "Tapwave" - but I guess that's the company name, and the unit's going by the name of the Zodiac now...

$299 - cradle NOT included(!)

What's strange is, they also sell the Zodiac 2 for $399... but neither of them have been released yet!? They both have the same description... weird.

Anyway, phew, finally a product launched with the potential to loosen N-Gage's choke hold on the handheld phone and gaming market! Watch your back Nintendo...

SmackDaddy

No phone component. Which I think is a waste on the N-Gage due to it's design. At least the Palm component of this is something I might actually use.

Hardware Specifications

Memory: Zodiac1 = 32MB*
Zodiac2 = 128MB*
* 12MB reserved for system use.

Processor:
Motorola® i.MX1™ ARM9 processor (200 MHz)

Graphics
Accelerator:

ATI® Imageon™ W4200 graphics accelerator (with 8MB dedicated SDRAM).

Display:
3.8 inch transflective display
480 x 320 (half VGA), 16-bit color backlit display (65,536 colors)
Portrait and landscape display capabilities
Digitizer for enhanced interactive game play, navigation and text input.


Sound:
Yamaha® audio component and stereo speakers
Standard 3.5mm stereo headphone plug
Earbud-style headphones included
Support for select third-party portable speakers


Vibration:
Supports silent notification and interactive game play.

Controls:
Variable pressure analog controller (joystick)
2 triggers, 4 programmable action buttons, 1 special function button,
1 home button, 1 power button, and 1 Bluetooth button.


Expandability:
Dual expansion slots for MultiMediaCards, Secure Digital (SD) cards
and SDIO cards, including digital cameras and more.*
Zodiac Connector for additional peripherals.
* Slot #1: supports MultiMediaCards, Secure Digital Cards (SD).
Slot #2: supports MultiMediaCards, Secure Digital Cards (SD), and
SDIO cards.


Wireless
Connectivity:

Built-in Bluetooth radio with dedicated activation button.
Ideal for multiplayer wireless gaming, sharing information and connectivity to other compatible Bluetooth enabled devices.


PC Desktop
Connectivity:

USB Cable
USB Cradle (sold separately)


Cover:
Protective Flip Cover

Wrist Strap:
Convenient strap

Battery:
High-capacity Rechargeable Lithium Batteries – 1540 mAh

Power Supply:
AC Adapter / Battery Charger (120 volt AC, 60 Hz)
International connectivity kit (sold separately)

Size/Weight
5.6” (143mm) x 3.1” (79mm) x .55” (14mm) / 6.3 ounces

Color
Zodiac1 - Slate Gray
Zodiac2 - Charcoal Gray



Software Specifications

Operating System: Tapwave enhanced Palm OS 5.2T

Writing Software:
Graffiti 2

Included Software:

Games:

Stunt Car Extreme, Acid Solitaire

Media:
Music: Tapwave MP3 player
Photos: Tapwave JPEG Photo Viewer

Video Playback:
Kinoma Player

Video Creation:
Kinoma Producer (Quickly and easily converts AVI, QuickTime, MPEG1, MPEG4 files for use on the Zodiac entertainment console).*
*QuickTime software required to use Kinoma Producer on PC

eBook reader:
PalmReader

Organizer:
Address Book, Date Book, To Do List, Memo Pad

Other Stuff:

Alarm Clock (Tapwave Alarm Clock with integrated stopwatch & MP3 music feature),
Wireless-based chat & shared whiteboard (PhatPad by Trumpetsoft)
Graphing Calculator (powerOne by Infinity SoftWorks)
Microsoft® Word®-compatible Word Processor (WordSmith by Blue Nomad)

Connectivity:

Web Browser and SMS client for use with compatible Bluetooth enabled phones (bonus software on CD).



system requirements

PC running on Windows® 98/Me/XP/2000 with Internet access. (Windows XP requires admin rights to install); one available USB slot.


in the box

Zodiac mobile entertainment console
USB Sync cable
Power adapter
Stylus
Earbud headphones
Zodiac wrist strap
Flip cover
Getting Started guide
CD-ROM with Palm Desktop Software with Tapwave custom extensions, Zodiac User Guide, and Bonus Software.

cheapskate

You're right! N-Gage wins AGAIN!

It does have the ability to hook it up to a cell phone however... sounds messy to me...

PixyJunket

Why can't it just play games?

Do everything = Suck everything.

SmackDaddy

That's true. Looks like it will have pretty good power with the 8 meg video memory and 200mhz main processor. It's too bad that the cost is so prohibitive. Strip out everything but the gaming and wireless multi play and then you've got something that might have a more broad appeal and better pricepoint.

Josh H

Yep. As I've said before, I sooooo hope Sony and MS put out gaming only (or at least gaming and dvd playing only) alternatives to their planned set top boxes.

I don't want to pay extra for a bunch of features I either won't use, or already have in vastly superior single-function stand alone machines.

joshd2012

Too expensive for too little of product.

a123slonky

Anyone know if there is a performance difference in the games between the 32 and 128 meg versions? I emailed their customer service about it, but haven't heard back. Thanks in advance.

jrutz

I have no idea how these Zodiac and N-Gage systems got past the proposal stage. They are bad ideas from the get go. Sure the N-Gage has better graphics, but it's cumbersome to control and has a tiny screen, plus it's expensive. The Zodiac is just as dumb, just as expensive, and plays lesser-quality games.

I don't know how they thought they could go up against the Game Boy Advance. Sega and Neo Geo had better handheld business models than the Zodiac and N-Gage and still couldn't make a dent into the handheld market.

Here's a thought - a MS handheld system, compatable with current XBox games, can play DVDs, is wireless for XBL, Bluetooth for system-link games, and uses a 5GB PCMCIA HD for game saves, custom soundtracks, etc.

If I were the manufacturers, I would have scrapped all plans for the new handhelds once I heard the news about the PSP. That's going to turn the handheld market upside-down, and unless Nintendo comes up with a GameCube-compatable handheld device soon, they are going from first to worst.

Jeremy

PixyJunket

Ya know.. once this thing falls flat on it's face I think I'll probably pick one up.. I have a good feeling it might have the potential to be a very nice portable emulation machine.

joshd2012

Absolutely nothing. Videogames are designed to use a set amount of memory, and unless a game designer desides to release two versions of their game (i.e. one using 32MB and one using 128MB), there will be no difference.

kvrdave

You guys are just haters. This is worth it for acid solitaire alone.

darkside

This has nothing to do with the video game ability. This is simply the storage for Palm OS programs. I believe the actually Tapwave exclusive games will be on SD cards. Also, the price is very cheap for a Palm OS unit that also plays 3D games. Most color Palm handhelds are $300-$500 and are just organizers.

For someone looking for a PDA that is also a decent gaming machine this is a pretty good bargain. Even if the video game aspect never takes off its still a fully functional Palm OS device and MP3/Movie player.

kvrdave

Having just read the Game Informer on this and the N-Gage, I will probably pick up the Zodiac once it fails. It would be a nice MP3 player/ Palm Pilot / game machine as a bonus.

mmconhea

looks liek this was made by some of the original creators of the PALM

tanman

I don't know why you guys are hatin'. Isn't just a Palm with more of an emphasis on being able to play Video Games? More on the lines of the Alienware computer then the N-Gage? It looks pretty good to me. It has the same functionality of a Palm so it isn't really an all in one machine.