Zodiac Handheld Gets WiFi Card

Today, Tapwave announced a Wi-Fi SD card solution for the Zodiac Palm Powered multimedia handheld.

In addition to the Zodiac’s built-in Bluetooth, users can now access email, surf the Internet or chat online wirelessly from virtually anywhere that has an available Wi-Fi network by simply slippinga SanDisk Wi-Fi SD card or palmOne Wi-Fi SD card into the SDIO slot available on this award-winning handheld device. This complete Wi-Fi solution includes a Wi-Fi SD card, Wi-Fi Software, an enhancedMail application and Web Browser — all compatible with the Zodiac handheld.

Available in the Tapwave Online Store (www.tapwave.com/store.html) for $99.99, the SanDisk Wi-Fi SD card offers fast, reliable connections to popular 802.11b Wi-Fi Hotspots worldwide, providing the highest performance with the lowest power consumption for the Zodiac multimedia handheld. This card requires the Wi-Fi software for the Zodiac. Tapwave is also offering an enhanced Mail application — both applications are compatible with the Zodiac handheld and available as a free download at www.tapwave.com. The Web Browser is already included on the CD-ROM shipped with every Zodiac handheld.

“We have been waiting for an excellent Wi-Fi solution and are glad to be one of the first multimedia devices to offer it to our customers,” said Peng Lim, co-founder and CEO of Tapwave “Now Zodiac consumers have all the power of a laptop computer in a 6.3-ounce multimedia device that can be slipped into a pocket and go anywhere.”

The Zodiac offers a high-resolution (480×320) 3.8-inch color display, Yamaha audio with stereo speakers and vibration effects. The Zodiac can be operated in landscape or portrait mode, allowing Microsoft Word-compatible documents, email or family pictures to be viewed in the orientation that best suits them. The Zodiac also features high-capacity rechargeable lithium batteries for extended use, a touch-screen for direct interaction and text input, and the first ever analog controller with 360 degree of motion in a handheld product.

Both the Zodiac 1 and Zodiac 2 handhelds feature a powerful Freescale ARM9 processor and an integrated ATI graphics accelerator. The Zodiac 1 comes with 32MB of memory and the Zodiac 2 comes with 128MB of memory. Each can be expanded by adding in SD cards in the handhelds two expansion ports, offering up to 2GB of additional storage — so you can store even more songs, photos, e-books, games, videos, and business documents.

In addition to the Zodiac multimedia handheld and Wi-Fi solution, consumers can choose from over 40 Tapwave Certified titles include: Electronic Arts Madden NFL 2005, id Software’s DOOM II, 3D Realms/MachineWorks Northwest’s Duke Nukem Mobile, Activision’s Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4 and Midway’s SpyHunter, Tiger Team: Apache vs. Hind and GTS Racing Challenge. Along with premiere titles, Tapwave is also offering two game packs — Z:Pak: Adventure, which will include Galactic Realms and Legacy; and the Z:Pak: Fun featuring Paintball, MegaBowling and Kickoo’s Breakout. Zodiac accessories available at retail include the Zodiac Sport Case, Zodiac Cradle, a Zodiac Stylus 3-pack and the Zodiac Deluxe Leather Case.