palmOne Introduces Two Color Zire Handhelds

palmOne has announced two new color Zire handhelds,the entry-level Zire 31 and the full-featured Zire 72.

From palmOne’s press release:

Building on the success of the best-selling Zire handhelds, palmOne, Inc. today announced two color Zire handhelds.

    — The Zire 72 handheld with a built-in digital camera, audio/video
       capture and playback ability(1), and Bluetooth(R) wireless technology
       offers affordable multimedia capability at an estimated U.S. street
       price of $299.
    — Adding color, expansion and MP3 functionality(2) to the record-breaking
       Zire handheld, the Zire 31 handheld is designed for students,
       superparents and seniors. It has an estimated U.S. street price
       of $149.

“The Zire 72 handheld works as hard as it plays. Now you can shoot photos, capture and watch video clips or create and edit Word- and Excel-compatible files,” said Ken Wirt, palmOne senior vice president and general manager of the Handheld Business Unit. “And, the Zire 31 handheld, with its bright, colorful screen, is the first color, full-featured handheld launched at under $150.”

Zire 72 Handheld

The Zire 72 handheld, with a built-in 1.2-megapixel camera and MP3 player, includes what users need for work and play. In addition to capturing photos, the Zire 72 handheld is the first PDA from palmOne to enable video capture. Users can watch video clips on a brilliant 320 x 320 color screen, and the MP3 player allows users to carry the tunes they enjoy and listen in stereo.(3) The Zire 72 handheld enables users to create and edit Word- and Excel-compatible files, as well as synchronize with Microsoft Outlook (Windows only). With the Zire 72 handheld, users can even share files, and get wireless email and Internet access with built-in Bluetooth technology.(4)

    — Built-in 1.2-megapixel camera
    — Ability to capture photos and video clips
    — One-button access to MP3 player
    — High-resolution, 320 x 320 color screen
    — Ability to create and edit Word- and Excel-compatible files
    — Synchronization with Outlook (Windows only)
    — Built-in Bluetooth technology
    — 32MB of memory (24MB user-available)
    — Expansion slot
    — High-performance Intel ARM processor

Zire 31 Handheld

The Zire 31 handheld from palmOne is designed for value-conscious students, superparents and seniors. It can store thousands of phone numbers, addresses, lunch dates, meetings, birthdays, doctors’ appointments and shopping lists. Its bright, colorful screen is perfect for viewing photos of family and friends. Zire 31 handheld owners can select from more than 20,000 available applications(5) and use the expansion slot for adding more memory, applications or MP3 tunes.

    — Bright color screen
    — MP3 player
    — Photo viewer
    — New PIM (Personal Information Management) software
    — Expansion slot
    — 16MB of memory (14MB user-available)

Accessories

palmOne also introduced a full range of new accessories, including the following (all prices are estimated U.S. street price):

    — Zire 72 hard case — Strong, sleek design in brushed aluminum; includes
       storage for expansion cards. The case has a sliding camera door so that
       users can take a picture while the device is in the case. — $29.99
    — Retro slip case (blue) — Fits most palmOne handhelds. This trendy and
       hip case has a secure magnetic closure. — $19.99
    — High-quality genuine leather cases — The wallet case, which has black
       leather with white piping, includes storage for cash and expansion
       cards. — $29.99. The slim leather case has storage for credit and/or
       business cards and expansion cards. — $19.99

Pictures and discussion can be found here:
http://forums.designtechnica.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=27152