.FLYINGHEAD SIX MONTHS LATER
.TITLE Six months later with the Tapwave Zodiac
.AUTHOR James Booth
.SUMMARY Everybody runs reviews of the latest and greatest product to hit the market, but rarely does anyone ever do a follow-up on how the product continues to perform. Because we believe in providing full-service reviews at Computing Unplugged Magazine, Senior Editor James Booth brings you his "six months later" report on the Tapwave Zodiac.
.OTHER
You see everybody and their brother running reviews of the latest thing to come down the pike, and frequently these reviews hit the stands the same the day the product hits the shelves. But what about down the road? Rarely do you ever see anyone running a follow-up article on how the product continues to perform. Here at Computing Unplugged Magazine we believe in providing full-service reviews, so I offer here a "six month later" look at the Tapwave Zodiac.
Although we ran our review of the Zodiac in the August 2004 issue of Computing Unplugged Magazine, see http://www.computingunplugged.com/issues/issue200408/00001348001.html, it’s actually been six months that I’ve had this hybrid Palm OS device. So how has it performed in those six months? For the most part, pretty well. There’ve been a few bumps in the road, but I’m still basically happy with the device.
Bumps in the road? What kind of bumps, you ask? Well, over a period of two and a half months I had five different Zodiacs because of either hardware or quality control problems. Three of the devices, including my original one, had critical system failures that resulted in the device being unusable. A fourth had a dead pixel dead center in the display, which really isn’t Tapwave’s fault per se, and the fifth and final unit has functioned tip-top for the last three and a half months without a single crash.
.BREAK_EMAIL Is this a product you’ll be happy with? Tap here to learn our verdict.
I have to say the management staff at Tapwave was very helpful and accommodating in resolving the problems I had with my devices, allowing me to skirt the normal tech support/RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization) cycle. Typically, a consumer would have to contact tech support, go through the standard troubleshooting attempts, be given an RMA number, and be required to return the defective unit before a replacement was issued.
Because of my contacts at Tapwave I was able to get replacement devices before I had to return mine. This was very nice for me, and I’m grateful to the Tapwave staff for assisting me in this manner, but the average consumer wouldn’t have this option, would have had no end of problems, and would have been without their device for extended periods due to the back and forth shipping.
Clearly, for some time there were QA (Quality Assurance) problems at Tapwave. From what I’ve seen in various online communities, these problems seem to have thinned out by now. I would have thought that by the time I bought my unit, nine months after product launch, these problems would have been resolved, but obviously not.
As a result of all these returned units, Tapwave has a surplus of used devices, which are then refurbished and sent back out to the consumer in exchange for their defective devices. In some instances you wouldn’t know the difference, but I’ve read accounts of customers receiving replacement units with blatant and obvious physical defects, such as dents and deep scratches or gouges in the finish.
Although in the fine print of the warranty they’re allowed to replace defective devices with refurbished ones, I feel that as long as the device is under warranty, it should look, act, and feel the same as a new device. At the very least some type of adjustment could be made based upon how long you’ve had your device. Again, in the online communities, I’ve heard of customers returning a brand new unit and receiving one back that’s been through the wringer.
Speaking of the online communities, there are several that are Zodiac-specific, with a core of loyal users. I really believe it’s these tight-knit groups of loyal users that have kept the Zodiac afloat. Through all the trials and tribulations, these users stick by the Zodiac, to the point of creating their own software applications. It’s through these communities that the Zodiac has picked up a strong following in the emulation field.
What’s emulation? Emulation is the ability to run software created for a different platform through the use of a gateway application that "emulates" the original operating environment. Nintendo, Super Nintendo, and Sega Genesis are some of the more popular platforms that are emulated.
What about accessories and platform specific software? Well, for a device that’s been out for over a year these are really lacking. Still, after all this time, there’s no auto charger for the Zodiac. For a device that’s supposed to be a mobile entertainment platform, Tapwave has failed to provide a mobile charger, something this author considers mandatory.
One of the more interesting accessories available for the Zodiac is the CommandPlay game grip. It’s designed to give a more ergonomic feel to the Zodiac, similar to a PlayStation or Xbox controller. Although I haven’t got my hands on one of these yet, it does seem like it would be just the thing to help alleviate hand cramps while gaming.
Still, after all this time, the availability of Zodiac-specific applications is rather light, and most of those are games. Don’t get me wrong, I love games, but even though the Zodiac will run most Palm OS games, there just aren’t that many that are specifically designed for the Zodiac. Maybe the developers don’t feel it’s a profitable market, I don’t know. Tapwave does have some interesting titles lined up, such as Tomb Raider, and I’ve heard rumors of a Neverwinter Nights port, but after over a year, the titles are still rather thin.
The Zodiac was the first handheld to incorporate a dedicated video processor and video memory, but so far developers have failed to take advantage of that, for whatever reason. In addition to being a boon to gaming, this video card opens the device up to so many more possibilities. But it seems to have kind of fallen flat in that department.
Third party suppliers seem to jump on pretty much every new palmOne and Pocket PC device that hits the shelves, but they’ve been rather absent when it comes to the Zodiac. Still missing is a hard case, an external power supply, like the devices that allow you to use alkaline batteries to charge the handheld, and as I mentioned above, an auto charger. Virtually all of the third party accessories you can buy for the other Palm OS devices and Pocket PCs are missing when it comes to the Zodiac.
I see the Zodiac as a niche device that’s not quite finding its niche. It really seems marketed more toward gaming, but Tapwave has told me they see it as more than just a gaming device. Considering the available software and accessories, I really don’t see it as much more than a gaming device though, and I think that’s how the public perceives it as well.
In my original review, I gave the Zodiac 4 out of 5. But six months later I have to amend my rating to 3 out of 5. The quality control at Tapwave was missing the boat for basically the first year of the product’s life. And after all this time, software and accessory support for the device is rather lacking.
Do I regret my purchase of the Zodiac? Not at all. Now that I have a device that functions perfectly, I love it. Would I recommend the Zodiac to a friend? Probably not, as it’s just not quite hitting the mark. Outsourcing to third world countries can save companies millions in wages and benefits, but at the cost of customer service and quality control, and I think this is partially at fault for some of the Zodiac’s troubles.
.RATING 3
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources
For more information on the Tapwave Zodiac, visit http://www.tapwave.com.
.END_SIDEBAR
.BIO
