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THE PERSONAL digital assistant has been around long enough that many of us have had one, if not several. However, there are still tons of people who have yet to dive in and try this easy-to-use, timesaving technology. That's where a basic and affordable PDA such as the Palm Z22 fits in well.
With the simplified control system that uses two buttons and directional pad—similar to Palm's LifeDrive ($500; www.palm. com)—and a clean, iPod-like design, the Z22 makes a nice starter handheld. It is smaller and lighter than the majority of PDAs out there, and no competitor can match the price for the features you get.
The Palm Z22 handheld is a nice upgrade from its predecessor, the Zire 21. Improvements include a full-color display, two and a half times the RAM (giving the Z22 a total of 20MB available to the user) and an update from Palm OS 5.2.1 to the Palm OS Garnet 5.4. The Z22 is also a bit smaller and lighter than the 21, weighing the Z22 in at 3.4oz and 2.7"x4.05"x.6". The best part, however, is that the Zire 21 and Z22 have the same low $99 price tag.
So, for people who want a PDA for more traditional uses, such as storing to-do lists, calendar events and addresses, the Z22 is a great digital organizer. There are also hundreds of applications that you can download that add to the value of the Z22. Software titles such as SplashShopper for organizing shopping lists, PowerOne Calculator for budget tracking and of course, time-passing games are all available to enhance your PDA experience. We like that you can store hundreds of JPEG photos on the Z22 as well. Also, the Palm Z22 is equipped with a rechargeable battery and the Palm non-volatile file system (NVFS), so if your battery runs out, you won't lose your information. This is great; after all, even those of us who have owned PDAs for a while sometimes forget to plug them in to recharge them.
What comes in the box with the Palm Z22 is as basic as the design of the PDA itself: a mini-USB cable for syncing and charging, an AC power adapter for charging when you're away from your computer, a sheet of film to apply to your Z22 screen for protection and a disk with all the basic Palm applications you need. Also, in matching with the simplicity theme, the printed material included with the Palm Z22 is very introductory. Getting everything possible out of this PDA won't be a problem for even the least tech-savvy people.
We were a little disappointed that there wasn't an SD card slot to give you the option to expand upon the 20MB of available user memory, but if memory is your concern, for $150, the Zire 31 supports MultiMediaCard, SD and SDIO expansion cards. Both handhelds have the same size full-color screen (160x160) and the same speed processor (200MHz). At 4.1 oz, the Zire 31 is only a little heavier and a little larger. Plus the Zire 31 lets you listen to music, so the additional $50 cost makes sense.
Those of us who are more tech savvy probably want something like an all-in-one device that does everything from taking photos to playing music and sending email—something that's more complicated and much more expensive. However, for students who are new to organizers, soccer moms who have just too much going on to keep it all in their heads and anyone else who's interested in a PDA but doesn't want to spend the cash for a lot of features they probably won't use, the Z22 is a smart choice.
–MICHELLE A. LEMIRE
Z22: 
Palm, Inc. | www.palm.com | 800-881-7256 | $99
Pros: Small, lightweight, full-color display, plenty of memory for phone numbers.
Cons: No SD card memory expansion slot.
Requires: OS 10.2.8 or higher, USB port
macHOME recommends: A bow—this PDA makes a fine gift
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