Tapwave Zodiac
The Tapwave Zodiac is a Palm OS 5 -based PDA created by Tapwave, and the first Palm-based device developed with gaming and multimedia as primary considerations. On July 25 2005 , Tapwave announced that they had gone bankrupt, and they are no longer providing support for these devices.
Functionality
The Zodiac includes the standard PalmOS Date Book, Address Book, To Do List, and Memo Pad PIM functions. It also ships with the Stuntcar Extreme and AcidSolitaire games, an MP3 player, and the Kinoma Video Player for digital video . The device can display photos, and ships with the PalmReader eBook reader, as well as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and The Last of the Mohicans ebooks. A graphing calculator (powerOne) word processor (WordSmith), graphics program (Inkstorm), internet browser (Browser), SMS application, and Alarm Clock are also present.
The system includes a standard touch screen but has additional inputs designed for gaming. Held in a landscape configuration, there is an analog thumbstick and a function button (equivalent to Start on other consoles) on the left of the screen, four digital buttons on the right, and two shoulder buttons (triggers) on the top of the device. The unit accepts SD format cards as removable storage.
Most PalmOS 5-compatible games play on the Zodiac, as well as games designed specifically for the Zodiac’s hardware. A great deal of freeware and shareware games and emulators are therefore available. For example, there are versions of Doom , Quake , and Hexen , as well as versions of emulators such as UAE .
The Zodiac’s implementation of Palm OS 5 has been modified for custom features. It has a radial menu (the analog stick is pushed in one of eight directions to select menu options) with a side list for use without the stylus.
The device has a total battery life of about 3 hours when using audio, backlight+screen and CPU-intensive tasks, and while running as a dedicated audio player it can push 6 hours, but will vary from device.
A new update is due that introduces hardware decoding of MPEG4 (such as DivX or XviD). Video playback is available with a port of The Core Media Player (originally for the PC, this version is based on the Pocket PC version). A new optimized web browser is also available.
Specifications
Two versions of the Zodiac are available, differing only in the amount of memory and colour
- CPU: Motorola i.MX1 ARM9 processor (200 MHz)
- Memory: Zodiac 1, 32MB. Zodiac 2, 128MB (minus 12MB for both models, reserved for system usage)
- Graphic Accelerator: ATI Imageon W4200 graphics accelerator (with 8MB dedicated SDRAM)
- Display: 3.8 inch transflective 480 x 320 (half VGA), 16-bit color backlit display (65,536 colors)
- Sound: Yamaha sound and stereo speakers, 3.5mm earphone plug
- External Connectors: 2 expansion slots (both are MMC / SD capable, one is also SDIO capable), Zodiac Connector, 3.5mm headphone jack
- Wireless: Infrared, Bluetooth (Compatible with Wifi SDIO cards)
- Battery: Rechargeable Lithium Batteries – Dual totaling to 1540 mAh
- Size & Weight: 5.6″ (143mm) x 3.1″ (79mm) x .55″ (14mm) / 6.3 ounces
- Colors: Zodiac 1: Slate Gray, Zodiac 2: Charcoal Gray
End of Life
Tapwave recently announced that the Zodiac will no longer be produced. The following message was posted on their website:
We are sorry to inform you that the Zodiac business was discontinued and service and support are no longer available as of July 25 2005 . Resources that may still be helpful to you can be found at and This includes links to websites where you can find a variety of useful tips and information as well as purchase e-books, Audible books and magazines, Palm OS applications, Zodiac skins, and third party Tapwave Certified games. Additional products, accessories, and game cards may still be available from COMPUSA, Fry’s, and J&R while supplies last. We thank you for your past interest and support and apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused. If you have an outstanding claim with the company, Ueker and Associates will be contacting you shortly. Sincerely, The Tapwave Team
External links
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