The palmOne Zire 31 is a welcome addition to palmOne's Zire line. It fills the gap between the entry-level Zire 21 (read our review) and the higher-powered Zire 71 (read our review) and new Zire 72. While it has much to recommend it, experienced Palm users should avoid it, as the 31's low resolution 160x160 pixel STN display will look stone-age to anyone who's used a Palm with a higher resolution TFT display. Nevertheless, the screen supports thousands of colors and has backlighting, unlike other low-end Zires, but the colors usually looked dull and dark in our testing.

That said, the 31 goes well beyond the basics in many ways. For a $150 price tag, it offers 16MB of memory (14MB usable), a 200-MHz ARM-based processor, and a rechargeable battery that should be good for a week of occasional use. The blue-and-white shell is curved to fit nicely in the hand and measures 4.4 x 2.9 x 0.6-inches. The unit weighs 4.1 oz.


Zire 31

The Zire 31 runs the latest version of the Palm OS, 5.2.8, and includes a few software improvements only seen in the Tungsten T3 (read our review) and Tungsten E (read our review) (and of course the Zire 72, released at the same time). This includes the Agenda view in the Datebook, which is Palm's version of the Pocket PC Start menu, offering you a quick summary of your tasks and appointments for the day. The 31 also has a feature new to palmOne devices, where you can add an images to the Contacts database.

New users won't have a problem with Graffiti 2, the simplified text-input system used by the 31 (experienced users will need to re-learn how to write several letters and symbols, but then the 72 and all future Palms will use Graffiti 2, so you'll need to learn it sometime). Writing with Graffiti 2 is actually much more natural. The 31 comes with a good bundle of software, including the usual PIM amenities, World Clock, Photos, RealOne Mobile Player, Palm Reader, Solitaire, Splash Money, Outlook conduits for Windows users, and more.


Rear View

The 31 has a Secure Digital expansion card slot, unlike less expensive palms, which is a great and useful addition, giving users room to hold a lot more files or music tracks. It doesn't come with a case, but instead has a rubbery blue flap that attaches to the back and protects the screen.

If you're new to the Zire line of handhelds, you might want to check out Now You Know Zire: The portable companion for palmOne Zire 31 and 72 handhelds by Rick Overton & Frank Marquardt. The book is a pocket-sized companion book for the Zire 31 and Zire 72 put out by palmOne and Peach Pit Press.





This 178-page title offers an thorough introduction to everything on these two models and does so in a colorful, engaging manner. We think it's better suited to users who have never picked up a Palm before, since it covers even very basic material in great detail, but it's also a useful guide to those who haven't tried OS 5.2.8 and want to get the most out of it.