Palm Debuts the Z22 Organizer

Posted By: Ryan Wednesday, October 12, 2005 12:01:01 AM

Palm Z22 handheldPalm also announced the Palm Z22 handheld today. The Z22 is an easy-to-use and compact color handheld built for the mass market, the Palm Z22 organizer is the most affordable color handheld from Palm yet at $99 USD.

With the introduction of the Palm Z22 organizer, Palm is targeting the $1 billion per year paper-planner market. Research conducted by Palm suggests a substantial population of late technology adopters have been afraid to buy handhelds, fearing they are too difficult to use. The Palm Z22 organizer offers paper-planner users as well as others an extremely simple and fun way to stay organized. New users will find the three-step set-up process for the organizer incredibly easy. Users also will find that keeping track of their to-do lists, busy schedules, family and friends' contact information, shopping lists and birthdays all in one small place is useful and simple. To ease the transition from paper planners to the Palm Z22 organizer, Palm includes an organizational booklet with tips and vignettes on how to be more organized.

Palm Z22 OrganizerWeighing just over 3 ounces and about the same size as a deck of playing cards, the Palm Z22 organizer is compact and stylish with its white front and translucent blue backing. Small enough to fit into any purse, backpack or back pocket, it boasts a bright, color display, making it easy for users to read names and addresses. They can even color-code appointments, and view and carry pictures of their friends and family wherever they go.

"The Palm Z22 organizer was built on the success of the original Zire handheld, which sold more than 1 million units in its first seven months on the market," said Ken Wirt, senior vice president of worldwide marketing for Palm, Inc. "It's perfect for first-time users and students, who can now throw away their paper planners, replacing scratched-out pages and dozens of sticky notes with all the information they need in one little place."

The Z22 has physical dimensions of 2.7" W x 4.06" H x 0.6" D (68.5 x 103 x 15 mm) and weighs 3.4 ounces (96 grams). It runs Palm OS Garnet 5.4.9 and is powered by a 200 MHZ Samsung ARM processor. It has 32 MB of nonvolitile flash memory, of which 20MB is user accessible. It has a built in lithium ion rechargeable battery. The X22 has a 160 x 160 pixel CSTN display that supports 4096 colors.

Key software includes core applications, such as Calendar, Contacts, Memos, Tasks, Note Pad, Expense, Calculator, World Clock and Photos. It also includes a new game, Crazy Daisy, made by Astraware. The Palm Z22 organizer comes with AddIt, a program that includes a variety of applications such as CheckSplit, Chess, Carb Counter and Solitaire. The software CD, included with the organizer, has an eBook reader with three books and a dictionary; the powerOne Calculator, perfect for basic and advanced mathematics; and SplashShopper, a helpful shopping list application.

The Palm Z22 organizer has an estimated U.S. street price of $99 and is available today from the Palm online store, at Palm Retail Stores and at select retail and resellers throughout the world.

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Palm finally hit $100 sweet spot with color pda...

gfunkmagic @ 10/12/2005 1:00:16 AM # Q
I've been saying Palm needed to offer a color pda at the sub $100 price point for years! This should (hopefully) sell quite well in the soccer mom and tech-avoidant consumer markets....

--------------------
Gaurav
RE: Palm finally hit $100 sweet spot with color pda...
SeldomVisitor @ 10/12/2005 7:30:45 AM # Q
I thought the necessary gadget was a $100 phone...

TREO will not save PALM.

RE: Palm finally hit $100 sweet spot with color pda...
fishtastic @ 10/12/2005 8:52:43 AM # Q
A soccer mom would keep her phone numbers and appointments in her phone. It will sell well, cheap christmas presents etc, but without an expansion slot it is really rather limited and many phones offer enough for the pda-uneducated market.

Fish

RE: Palm finally hit $100 sweet spot with color pda...
LiveFaith @ 10/12/2005 10:17:25 AM # Q
I like that "3 step setup". A huge reward awaits the company that can bring the extremely complex tech world into the hand of the mainstream herd. You may fault Palm's lack of cutting edge specs etc, but you gotta hand it to them for their marketing. The minnow still swims among the sharks!

Pat Horne; www.churchoflivingfaith.com
RE: Palm finally hit $100 sweet spot with color pda...
arp @ 10/12/2005 7:23:10 PM # Q
At least they chose the correct therm --> Organizer.
It's hardly got the features to be called a pda...

--
http://www.arpx.net/article.php/top_10_palmos_applications - my top 10 palm apps
RE: Palm finally hit $100 sweet spot with color pda...
R-I-P @ 10/13/2005 4:08:58 PM # Q
Well. The only true PDA was the Newton. It was the only device that had an "assist" feature that put the "assistant" into the acronym coined by Apple, PDA.

I would love to see that tech come to palm. Truly innovative. I still fire up my trusty v2.0 Newton 120 just to mess around with the 'assist' feature.

RE: Palm finally hit $100 sweet spot with color pda...
craigdts @ 10/15/2005 2:01:53 PM # Q
This is a great product for its target market. I saw one at Fry's Electronics today, I was there for about 5 minutes and sold the z22 and TX to a couple. However, they didn't have display models out yet, :(

The wife got the z22 and she was even afraid of it at that. Husband asked about the zire 31 and I told him difference, w/ expansion slot and I saw her cringe in fear. This is who the Z22 is for, and that is a lot of people. back to the basics. I was amazed at the size, it's small.

Another man was looking at one to replace his Zire 71 or 2 because it "is too big"! He liked the price and size of the z22.

The Z22 is going to appeal to a very large market. It's small, thin, sleek, & best of all it's simple. People want quick and easy access to data w/ low learning curve.

Reply to this comment

Does the Z22 use NVFS??

gfunkmagic @ 10/12/2005 1:03:35 AM # Q
Just wondering if the Z22 used NVFS like more higher end Palms? Couldn't find any info on Palm's site regarding this? Also, I can't recall if the Z31 uses NVFS as well? Probably not, but would be a good feature to have imo to reduce data loss due to lack of charging etc...

--------------------
Gaurav
RE: Does the Z22 use NVFS?? -Yes
Admin @ 10/12/2005 1:06:44 AM # Q
Hey G - Yes, the Palm Z22 does use nonvolatile memory.
RE: Does the Z22 use NVFS??
gfunkmagic @ 10/12/2005 1:25:45 AM # Q
Really?!! Wow, that's pretty cool then. All the soccer moms won't have to worry about losing all their data then when the forget to charge the pda! ;)

--------------------
Gaurav
RE: Does the Z22 use NVFS??
Tamog @ 10/12/2005 2:36:26 AM # Q
Hi,
just to clear things up:

Zire 32: AFAIK uses RAM
Zire 22: AFAIK uses NVFS

Best regards
Tam Hanna

Find out more about the Palm OS in my blog:
http://tamspalm.blogspot.com

RE: Does the Z22 use NVFS??
LiveFaith @ 10/12/2005 10:20:00 AM # Q
No,

Actually both the new Z22 and the Z33 use NVFS.

Pat Horne; www.churchoflivingfaith.com

Reply to this comment

Wow, it's so easy to use!

Dr Opinion @ 10/12/2005 1:16:39 AM # Q
This is great!

It's the perfect upgrade for a wince user who has reached that stage in their development when crash-free hotsyncing becomes important.

And its so easy to use, they won't even miss the big goofy start button! :)

------
"People who like M$ products tend to be insecure crowd-following newbies lacking in experience and imagination."

Kirvin, how much is Palm paying you for your retarded fluff?
The_Voice_of_Reason @ 10/12/2005 4:41:54 AM # Q
Your bogus comments make Palm advocates cringe.

------------------------
Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.
------------------------

The Palm eCONomy = Communism™

The Great Palm Swindle: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=7864#108038

NetFrontLinux - the next major cellphone OS?: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=8060#111823

RE: Wow, it's so easy to use!
LiveFaith @ 10/12/2005 10:21:21 AM # Q
Doc O,

I bet that's exactly what Palm's market research found. Time to abandon the X50v & HX4700 boys. Here's your daddy, the Zzzzz!

Pat Horne; www.churchoflivingfaith.com

Reply to this comment

Too bad that...

Mantees @ 10/12/2005 7:53:46 AM # Q
It lacks for memory cards support. This might not really interest true palm newbies but I think it is an importanti missing.
If it wasn't for this I would buy one as a gift right now.

RE: Too bad that...
hoodoo @ 10/12/2005 8:14:50 AM # Q
It has non-volatile memory...the target market is people such as my wife, who never remembers to charge anything, and wouldn't have the first clue about using memory cards, nor understand why she would have to spend extra on a cheap pda just to back it up. She has absolutely no interest in taking the time for mp3 either...

Anyways, she just started using my old Visor Prism, and *I* have to make sure it's charged and backed up to the module...

RE: Too bad that...
LiveFaith @ 10/12/2005 10:23:15 AM # Q
Ya know, if Palm could spin this with a photo album for family, kid's sports etc, then they might bite too. Gotta be simple, simple, stupid simple. They could carry all their photos around to show off then. Needs hi-rez & a strong cam/photo interface tho. Z23 I guess.

Pat Horne; www.churchoflivingfaith.com
RE: Too bad that...
JarJar @ 10/12/2005 11:22:11 AM # Q
Although you may want the SD card, the problem is that SD cards are an added complexity for newbies. Palm is trying to keep this thing simple.

This is a great device.

The only thing I think they could add is the hi-resolution screen. (no added complexity for end user) A better screen makes this thing better for photos as Live Faith has pointed out.

My other minor complaint is the connector at the bottom. I was really hoping that Palm would be standardizing all their connectors and yet here we are with a different connector than all the other devices:(

RE: Too bad that...
pmjoe @ 10/12/2005 1:36:09 PM # Q
Well, I guess Palm's answer to that is that if you want a card slot (and a headphone jack to play your tunes), pay $30 more and get a Zire 31.

Lack of SD card won't be an issue at all
ackmondual @ 10/12/2005 4:26:11 PM # Q
Well, only minor way would be for photos. Showing off photos on SD cards would be a plus. Furthermore, it frees up the 20MB of user RAM, but im' sure Palm Desktop will have some idiot proof way to allow users to easily transfer photos via hotsync and even compress them to save footprint... unless the new Palm Photos allows u to zoom in on images.

Otherwise, low end users like my sister are comfy with a Visor (original with just 2MB!). I know this b/c I used her old Visor Deluxe bef it broke, and she only used 400KB of that handheld's 7.9 user RAM. Never even touched a Springboard module. She's not technically incompetent either. She's no IT professional, but she know's her way around the internet, laptops, and desktops. She just plans to use her PDA for only PIMs and limited other software.

The z22 is targetted for such ppl who just want the bare essentials and nothing more than color. If ya want hi-res and/or SDIO, then said person would've bought the T|E or T|E2

"Do you know the difference between an error and a mistake? Anyone can make an error, but that error doesn't become a mistake until you refuse to correct it."
-Grand Admiral Thrawn

the secret to enjoying your job is to have a hobby that's even worse

My PDAs: Visor --> Visor Neo (blue) --> Zire 71 --> Tungsten T3 (with 4 of 6 screws still remaining) ~?~> zodiac 2?

RE: Too bad that...
hkklife @ 10/12/2005 5:30:11 PM # Q
First of all, I may be one of the handful of non-apologists who actually think Palm's doing a nice job with their budget PDA line (<$200). Those are the units that fit best within the limitations of FrankenGarnet, of course


1. The outgoing Zire 31, widely available at $100 or less new, is a MUCH better deal for anyone who cares about anything media-related at all. The 31 has an SD slot and a headphone jack albeit less RAM and a more washed-out looking screen.

2. I'm curious to compare the Z22 & Z31 screens side by side as well as the hard buttons etc.

3. Palm needs to release a solid $200 MSRP unit combining a 320*320 screen, 32mb NVFS, Bluetooth, Athena connector, the Treo 650's decent quality VGA camera, and an SD slot/headphone jack. Basically, combine the Zire 31, the T|E2 and the Zire 72 with a single model. That'd give Palm solid PDAs at the $100, $200, $300 price points while keeping the line pared down to the bare essentials. Let the LD(s) and Treos cover all of the pricey segments.

FrankenGarnet is on its way to being the Wal-Mart (or Target if we're lucky) of the mobile OS world...

RE: Too bad that...
ackmondual @ 10/12/2005 6:26:56 PM # Q
1-
The lesser screen and RAM would do it for me. IMHO, i feel that 16MB is too little for today's pOS media user. SD card adds great potential, but u still need some breathing room in user RAM to run apps and internal media. Washed out screen may not be as big a deal, as I'm assuming music is 1st in media for handheld, followed by pics, then vid. Else, it's a concern for ppl who wanna show off many pics.

I would still get a T|E or T|E2. Just a better "entry level" handheld IMO.

2-
If ya geta chance to view them in a brick and mortar store like Staples, let me know :) I'm also gonna try to compare the screens for myself if i have time

3-
SLOW DOWN THERE!!
Palm doesn't wanna leap too far too fast! I'm guessin they wanna do some pacing with upgrades so R&D can keep up and so they won't end up with no new features come next time (altho some ppl would argue this has been true since the T|E and/or T|T3)

Besides, Palm has a hard enough time making ONE good PDA at a GOOD price. It took them this long to combine 2 PDAs together (good features of 2 PDAs, not bad features) with adequate results. Let's let Palm work its way up.

"Do you know the difference between an error and a mistake? Anyone can make an error, but that error doesn't become a mistake until you refuse to correct it."
-Grand Admiral Thrawn

the secret to enjoying your job is to have a hobby that's even worse

My PDAs: Visor --> Visor Neo (blue) --> Zire 71 --> Tungsten T3 (with 4 of 6 screws still remaining) ~?~> zodiac 2?

RE: Too bad that...
twizza @ 10/14/2005 12:44:20 PM # Q
Hey yall;
I revied for BPDA so I can answer a few things.

1. No Sd card because it would have made the cost more (didnt believe it either, but I just am a reporter).

2. Pics are handled by a Palm branded version of Splash Photo, automatically resizes photos for the screen. They get insanely small. And look great. Drag, drop, sync. Its that easy.

3. Battery lasted 9.5hrs from 100% to 0% in my battery test. That works out to easily 2 weeks for this market group.

4. The AddIt program on the Z22 is imporved such that it will make installing new software a breeze, aka for those afraid to download anything that isnt certified MS safe.

5. Hard buttons on the 22 are larger than the 21/31. My fiance, who owned a 21, remarked that she liked the power button being easier to press (its closer to the outside of teh device. She also liked teh 5way as it felt better.

6. There is NO CONNECTOR at the bottom. only the mini-usb at the top. It charges fully no matter if plugged into wall or computer. Very nice and thoughtless feature. Basically, gives two charging options to those who want to keep this for work and home (USB at work, and wall wart for home).

7. Doesnt come with a case but Palm is offering Boxwave like skins for it for $15. didnt get mine with teh review, but rad boxwave's and you get the idea.

Yes, this device is simple. Think 7 habits simple. Exactly the folks that would want this device. It should sell well, not as well as the orig Zire or TE, but not far off from it either.

mobileministrymagazine.com
antoinerjwright.com

Thanks Antoine
The_Voice_of_Reason @ 10/14/2005 2:20:17 PM # Q
Excellent info, 'Toine. Sounds like Palm may finally be sweating the details on their hardware. With the TX potentially shaping up to hit the sweet spot of the upper-middle end of the market and the Z22 (if this solves Palm's headaches, the Z22 should be renamed the "222" in Canada - as in "two twenty two" http://www.heroinhelper.com/sick/222.shtml ;-O) filling the "organizer" niche, Palm is paring its offerings to a more realistic lineup as I had suggested:


$100, $200, $300 and $400 PDAs. (I actually think the only way to justify a $400 traditional form factor PDA in 2006 will be if it includes either a decent keyboard + CLIE UX50-quality construction OR if it has a built-in cellphone radio.) The LifeDrive is the answer to a question no one was asking and should go the way of the dodo. Fixed harddrives have no place in PDAs now that 1 and 2 GB memory cards are coming down in price and have the advantages of no moving parts, lower power requirements and the potential to be swapped out for use in several devices.

Now Palm needs a $200 "average intelligence" phone to go with the $500 Treo 700w and 700p.

P.S. One suggestion, 'Toine: spellcheck your posts! ;-O
Your typing is almost as bad as mine and undermines the great info you always provide.

TVoR (who now uses voice recognition software after enduring years of people biotching about their 133t typing 5Ki11z...)

------------------------
Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.
------------------------

The Palm eCONomy = Communism™

The Great Palm Swindle: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=7864#108038

NetFrontLinux - the next major cellphone OS?: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=8060#111823

RE: Too bad that...
twrock @ 10/14/2005 10:20:59 PM # Q
Thanks for the review twizza.

I assume you really meant "thoughful" in the "Very nice and thoughtless feature" sentence, right?

This could make a nice little replacement for the IIIxe that my wife is still using. It's been a solid unit and will probably keep going for a few more years. But playing Bridge and Solitaire in color is a lot more fun. ;-) Since mobile MP3 listening is of no interest to her, the Zire31 would not be desirable. It would just add complication and bulk.

I assume the G1 libraries will work on this one too. That would probably be a deal breaker if it didn't. Come to think of it, that might just be the only advantage of having to use OS5 for so long; the G1 libraries still work!

I'm still waiting for the mythical "color HandEra."

RE: Too bad that...
svrontis @ 10/18/2005 10:17:01 AM # Q
Agreed. But the next version has to be thinner than this one, to make it easier for users to carry around. Palm should (shamelessly) copy the iPod Nano in this regard.

RE: Need functioning G1 libraries for the Z22
Headbanger @ 11/25/2005 7:10:56 PM # Q
Just to let you know, I have a Z22 and I've tried several times to install G1 libraries without success.

I used the libraries that worked fine on my TE and another set that have apparently been tweaked for use on the TX. Each time it transferred into the PDA, I performed the necessary soft reset, then when I touched the screen to write something the screen went haywire and the unit froze up so badly that it could only be brought back to life by doing a hard reset.

Does anyone have a line on G1 libraries that work on the Z22?

Reply to this comment

This vs the $100 'laptop'?

ackmondual @ 10/12/2005 4:41:27 PM # Q
http://news.com.com/The+100+laptop+moves+closer+to+reality/2100-1044_3-5884683.html?tag=nefd.pop

I mention this b/c both would be the same price. And would b/c the latter isn't to see the light of day till next year, at earliest, if ever.

If there were some more adult games and software, along with good battery life, I may get that laptop..... after spending $200 to $400 first for a decent Palm PDA

RE: This vs the $100 'laptop'?
pmjoe @ 10/12/2005 7:41:13 PM # Q
The MIT Media Lab folks are full of ideas that never see the light of day.

My understanding is that another group tried to do the $100 computer thing for developing countries. I believe the Simputer was the result of that:

http://www.amidasimputer.com/

They don't show pricing, but my understanding is that none of them hit the $100 price point.

That said, if someone does the $100 (or even $200) Linux crank-up laptop, put me on the list to buy one.

Reply to this comment

Good choice on including "Craisy Daisy"

ackmondual @ 10/12/2005 6:07:07 PM # Q
It's an Astraware game so it's gonna look nice and polished (altho i always thought CD was only for hi-res screens) with good set of options. It's deliciously different from the standard fare of included games like card/classic games. However, it's also Astraware's most unpopular recent game (going by forum posting everywhere), so this lets them cut their losses better by licensing it for z22 handhelds.

"Do you know the difference between an error and a mistake? Anyone can make an error, but that error doesn't become a mistake until you refuse to correct it."
-Grand Admiral Thrawn

the secret to enjoying your job is to have a hobby that's even worse

My PDAs: Visor --> Visor Neo (blue) --> Zire 71 --> Tungsten T3 (with 4 of 6 screws still remaining) ~?~> zodiac 2?

Reply to this comment

Small

Timothy Rapson @ 10/12/2005 8:36:25 PM # Q
That's really small.

Simple
Timothy Rapson @ 10/12/2005 8:37:14 PM # Q
Really simple too for a color device.

Sale-priced
Timothy Rapson @ 10/12/2005 8:39:16 PM # Q
That is really priced to sell, too.

Shiney.
Timothy Rapson @ 10/12/2005 8:40:01 PM # Q
Nice and shiney too. A 14-year-old might think it is the iPod of Palms.

Stalwart
Strider_mt2k @ 10/13/2005 10:24:42 AM # Q
Basic construction and lack of extra external ports means a potentially more robust device.

Reply to this comment

why?

legodude522 @ 10/12/2005 9:16:10 PM # Q
Why so much power but no exapansion slot????

Palm m125 December 25, 2003 to March 24 2004 > palmOne Zire 71 March 24, 2004 to March 31, 2005. Tapwave Zodiac 1 April 18, 2005 to present.
RE: why?
just_little_me @ 10/12/2005 10:48:43 PM # Q
Price, price, and price... to hit $99 bucks retail you gotta cut some corners.


JLM.

RE: why?
JarJar @ 10/13/2005 11:20:14 AM # Q
I'm not sure the only goal was to save money.

Very few users of the previous "beginner" zires ever used the SD card slot. SD just generated more user complications and questions.

If you want an SD card slot, there are other models for you. (Like Zire 31)

Reply to this comment

Interesting Buttons

djeaux @ 10/12/2005 10:13:49 PM # Q
I'm surprised nobody has commented (or at least that I've not noticed any comments) about the buttons. Instead of the traditional four buttons plus the 5-way, the Z22 appears to have only calendar & contacts buttons with the 5-way. Interesting. Seems to cut straight to the "organizer" paradigm, doesn't it?

I'm not running out to buy a Z22, but it's actually a pretty design...

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