While PDAs have gotten more powerful and plenty of games have been created, especially for the Palm operating system, the basic design has stayed the same. Though there have been some nice variations, especially in the PalmOne Tungsten T series and with several Sony Clie PDAs, these designs aren't the most conducive for what might be defined as console level gaming.

TapWave's Zodiac changes this with a form factor built from the ground up with games and entertainment in mind. The Zodiac isn't all form, however, as it includes the specifications and features to make it one of the most, if not the most powerful consumer handheld on the market.

At the PalmSource Developers Conference this week, while touting its newest operating system, Cobalt, PalmSource executives, including CEO David Nagel, offered kudos to TapWave for achieving the level of power and multimedia sophistication with Palm OS 5 in the Zodiac that they expected not to come to fruition until Cobalt devices hit the market, which at this point looks like the summer.

Zodiac comes in two flavors, Zodiac1 with a mere 32 MB of RAM for $299 and Zodiac2 (the model we looked at) with a whopping 128 MB, the most found in a Palm OS device, for $399. The extra 96 MB of memory is well worth $100. 12 MB of RAM in both Zodiac models is reserved for system use, which still leaves an impressive 116 MB in the Zodiac2 free.

The charcoal gray Zodiac2 has an elegant curvy design that is conducive to gaming with a leather flip cover to protect the display. It measures a reasonable 5.6 x 3.1 x .55 inches and weighs 6.3 ounces. In fact, the Zodiac's elegance rivals that of the Palm V, which set the standard for mobile devices back in the late nineties. Though it's made for entertainment, you won't feel out of place bringing the Zodiac into the boardroom.

For power, TapWave integrates a powerful 1540 mAH Lithium Ion battery in the Zodiac. It also includes an AC Adapter/ Battery charger that plugs into the USB cable which is used for connecting to a desktop. Unfortunately, TapWave chose not to bundle a cradle, which would have been nice in a $400 device, though they do sell one separately for only $20.

Zodiac is also the only Palm OS device to feature two Secure Digital slots. One slot supports Secure Digital and MultiMedia cards for memory expansion and content, while the second one supports these and SDIO enabled peripherals, which include, among other things, digital cameras, presentation solutions and GPS devices. Since the Zodiac doesn't include Wi-Fi (802.11b) wireless networking, it'll be nice to use one slot for Wi-Fi Secure Digital cards when those finally become available for the Palm platform.

One of the first things we noticed about the Zodiac is that it really flies when performing an operation, especially when playing games. The images and video are incredibly smooth. The reason for this is that TapWave implemented two processors, a 200 MHz Motorola i.MX1 ARM9 CPU and a ATI Imageon W4200 graphics accelerator with 8 MB of dedicated SDRAM. This runs counter to what most handhelds include, which is a single processor to handle everything. By offloading the graphics to the ATI Imageon, TapWave took a vital step towards making the Zodiac a quality gaming platform.

Perhaps the most important feature for an entertainment device besides its internal processor is the quality of its display. Without a good screen it'll quickly become tiresome to play games and watch videos. The Zodiac's display, quality wise, is right up there with Tungsten T3 and Sony’s devices with high-resolution screens. Like with those devices, its large 3.8 inch transflective display runs at half VGA or 480 x 320 and supports 65,536 colors. A nice feature is that it can be used in portrait or landscape modes, meaning you can use the Zodiac vertically or horizontally. The backlit display performed brilliantly indoors and while dimmer outside, was still quite usable.


Landscape & Vertical Modes

The Zodiac features superior sound courtesy of Yamaha audio component and stereo speakers, a rarity in a handheld. There is a standard 3.5mm stereo jack for headphones (the unit comes with ear buds). A nice feature of the Zodiac is that you can listen to music while using the device.

In terms of game play, the Zodiac features the most impressive array of controls found in a PDA. To the left of the screen is a variable pressure analog controller or joystick, which you setup when the device is first turned on. The joystick also serves as a 5-way navigation system that offers 360 degree control when playing games.

There are also two game triggers, one on the upper left and another on the upper right side of the Zodiac. The device has been ergonomically designed for gaming, so when you have your hands on the device, your two index fingers are by the triggers, while one thumb is at the joystick and your other thumb is on top of four programmable action buttons.


Triggers

In addition to the controls mentioned above, there is also one special function button to the lower right of the joystick, a home button, a power button and one that turns Bluetooth on and off.

Bluetooth is a wireless standard for personal area networking, meaning devices that support Bluetooth can communicate with each other within a short distance. With Bluetooth enabled, Zodiac owners (up to 8) can play against each other wirelessly or, for instance, print to a Bluetooth-enabled printer or even sync with a desktop computer. Speaking of game play, the device features vibration for a silent alarm, but more importantly for feedback while playing games.

As for Software, Zodiac runs on a modified version of Palm OS 5.2 that supports the multimedia and gaming features of the device. When you turn it on you notice how well TapWave modified the user interface to fit the Zodiac's features. There is a taskbar on the right with another set of icons right next to that allows you to modify how you want to view all you files and applications. Even more importantly, the Zodiac implements a circular metaphor for its interface that allows you to easily access your applications and documents by category via the analog controller. This makes navigating the device a breeze. This launcher allows you to launch up to 64 applications with 8 categories that can hold 8 applications each.


User Interface

TapWave bundles two Games that have been written just for the device. These are Stunt Car Extreme and AcidSolitaire. There are a number of games that have been written for the Zodiac with more becoming available. Some of the current games include Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4, SpyHunter, DOOM II, Duke Nukem Mobile, Neverwinter Nights, Galactic Realms, Phantom Strike and Warefre Incorporated, which recently won an award at the PalmSource conference. Of course, the device supports the thousands of standard Palm OS applications currently available. TapWave has also struck a deal with Handango, which will open Zodiac specific online application shop.


Galactic Realms


SpyHunter

As we said earlier, TapWave's proprietary MP3 player lets you do other things while listening to music. The company also bundles its own JPEG photo viewer and Kinoma Producer to convert and load videos as well as Kinoma Player to play them on the device.

MP3 Player

Photo Viewer

Other applications include PalmReader, PowerOne Graphing Calculator, an Alarm Clock, InkStorm for instant messaging drawings and notes, and the WordSmith word processor from Blue Nomad, which is, in our opinion, the best one available for the Palm OS.

Zodiac, being a Palm OS device, includes the standard Palm OS organizer applications, except they've been enhanced by TapWave for the unit's controls. These applications include DateBook, Address Book, To Do List, and Memo Pad. There is also a Web Browser and SMS client that are compatible with Bluetooth phones on the CD-ROM that also includes a modified version of the Palm Desktop.

TapWave has come out of the gate with a real winner. Zodiac includes a boatload of features that in terms of raw power surpasses the high-end Sony and PalmOne handhelds. While its missing a digital camera, which many of these other handhelds include, and it would be nice if there was a Wi-Fi solution currently available, it excels as a superior entertainment orientated PDA. Time will tell, however, how the Zodiac will perform at retail, as you currently can only buy one directly from TapWave. At CES last month, TapWave executives hinted that you'll be able to find Zodiac via other outlets, including stores in the near future. We'll keep you posted

The only other handheld that has been designed with gaming specifically in mind is Nokia's N-Gage smartphone, which is based on that company's Series 60 version of the Symbian operating system. N-Gage is nowhere near as powerful as Zodiac and it has a display that is relatively small with a resolution that doesn't make gaming on it any better than on a standard Series 60 handset. Its controls are what separates it from these other smartphones. As a phone, its taco shape makes it awkward to use. While the Zodiac doesn't have a phone feature, it is a superior entertainment device.