Thinking of getting a Zod2

[Cyker]

As cool as my brother's PSP looks, the fact that it a) Has no good games and b) These games cost £40 (!!) is soured me on it. The DS is not much better.

However, there was an announcement on CliePlanet that the Zod can now be had for £99! (Well, £117 once you factor in VAT...), and the games were going for roughly a tenner!
So, for less than the price of a PSP I could have have a second real-RAM PalmOS device that can run ScummVM better than my TH55 AND have games that I'd actually enjoy playing on a small screen (Real 2D shoot-em-ups! None of this 3D crap! Bliss!).

However, since this is a PalmOS device, some research needs to be had...

What's the Zod2 like for compatibility?
Could I use the G1 hack for instance? Maybe the FAT32 hack?
I know TCPMP recently got updated with Zod support, which is another bonus.

Also, what's Zodiac's support like? (If it's better than Sony's, that's fine - i.e. I'm not expecting that much :p). Are they still actively supporting the Zod2, with stuff like ROM upgrades or system file patches?

Any common bugs I should look out for? (Along the lines of the TH55 double alarm bug, the Tungsten Find bug etc.).

How much of a pain is the DRM built into the Zodiac? What sort of stuff will it affect/stop me from running?

Thanks in advance for the info ;)

[Ezikial Anta]

They do support the Zodiac still, as new drivers just came out for the WiFi card.
Customer support that i dealed with was excelent, and much better than Sony.
I am pretty sure there were no bugs (None that i encountered anyway)
Scott over @ Tapland.com can answer the rest of these questions better though (and forgive me if i am wrong, its been a while since i used my Z)

[xMist]

What's the Zod2 like for compatibility?

It runs almost all (if not all) Palm apps. The only things it has trouble with are the things that haven't been updated for OS5 at all (obviously).

Could I use the G1 hack for instance?

I think that people over at Tapland have tried this - I think they were partially successful.

Maybe the FAT32 hack?

Dunno, no one's tried yet. :p

I know TCPMP recently got updated with Zod support, which is another bonus.

Yeehaw!!! :D :cool: The Taplanders banded together to raise money to send picard a Zodiac (sadly, I could help...). Well, he got it! :cool:

Also, what's Zodiac's support like? (If it's better than Sony's, that's fine - i.e. I'm not expecting that much ).

It's pretty good. I think that it's better than pa1mOne's...I've never dealt with Sony's support before, so I can't really say anything on that. They do have a very useful 'live chat'. You can chat, AIM style, on their website with a techie. Very useful and no long distance fees. The people over at Tapland have had pretty good results when they've needed to RMA their devices (not often).

Are they still actively supporting the Zod2, with stuff like ROM upgrades or system file patches?

Yup - they've just updated our WiFi drivers (more speed, compatibility w/ more APs) and are coming out with a new media-app update for it, as I hear. You've got nothing to worry about for the 'actively supporting' part.

Any common bugs I should look out for? (Along the lines of the TH55 double alarm bug, the Tungsten Find bug etc.).

Not really...that I can think of...there's the 'accidentally set Zodiac volume to loud' problem, which is when you go into a meeting and the powerful speakers of the Zod blast out everyone's eardrums...j/k lol

How much of a pain is the DRM built into the Zodiac? What sort of stuff will it affect/stop me from running?

The DRM isn't a pain at all. It's only a pain if you're actively developing software for the Zodiac or beta testing unsigned software for it. This is how it works:

To use the Zodiac's special features, such as having the joypad be an analog controller instead of the standard PalmOS D-pad, using the ATI video chip, the Yamaha audio chip, and the rumble effect, an app must be 'signed' to the Zodiac. To get it signed, a developer must submit his application to Tapwave. Tapwave then returns it, granting permission as they see fit to sign the software. Once the software is signed, the Zodiac-specific features in it can be used on everyone's Zodiac.

If you like to beta test things oftenly, you'd want to get a DAA. This allows you to run unsigned apps on your Zodiac.

For most users, the DRM is no problems whatsoever. It doesn't prohibit the end user from anything. :cool:

For more questions, hit Tapland (www.tapland.com). There's a really nice community of Zodiac users over there... :cool:

[Cyker]

Woo! Thanks guys! Those are some great responses! :D

I've been after a backup device incase my TH55 suddenly stops, but given how cheap this thing is now, I could pick it up with the games and that WiFi/256MB SD card for about the same price!

Bargain!! :D I'll have to see about picking one of these up over the weekend! For the amount of money it's going for, it's practically a steal!! :D

[Cyker]

I just through up a potential problem;

The Zod2 is not going to replace my TH55, but this means I will have to get them to co-exist somehow.

Does anyone have any experience with this?
I've never been able to get my TH55 and T665 to co-exist in Windows (Incompatible Hotsync drivers), but I'm wondering if the Zodiac will be any easier...?

[kennyd]

I just through up a potential problem;

The Zod2 is not going to replace my TH55, but this means I will have to get them to co-exist somehow.

Does anyone have any experience with this?
I've never been able to get my TH55 and T665 to co-exist in Windows (Incompatible Hotsync drivers), but I'm wondering if the Zodiac will be any easier...?

I doubt that this will work. I have wondered though, if it were possible to do Palm Desktop installs for two different "Users" on an XP machine. Another option would be network hotsyncing one to a different computer i.e. work or another computer in you house. I don't know. I can't believe that this is an issue with the PalmOS. It is suprising to me that small software developers are able to code hotsync coduits that are not device specific but device manufactureres release desktop software that at times can't even handle two of their own devices on the same machine. I'm no mnfctr or developer but you would not think that this would be unfeasable.

[Cyker]

It only became a problem with OS5.

With OS4, HotSync drivers were standardised - I could sync my T665 on my friend's system (He had an m505, the poor git :p), and he could sync on mine. Hell, even his ancient (But awesome) Palm III could sync with the Clie Desktop (!!).

For some reason that I can only attribute to the same stupidity that caused the original Palm split, all OS5 devices had their HotSync signatures changed so that they broke compatibility.

Now, I did discover that with judicious Registry hacking, INF modifying and DLL shuffling, I COULD get my T665 to Sync with my TH55's desktop, but then my TH55 wouldn't until I changed everything back.

Now, Linux doesn't have this problem - The Visor kernel module has support for a generic HotSync protocol, and the guy maintaining it just added all the new signatures in (With some exceptions code for devices with even stupider Hotsync protocol changes like the UX50 and TH55).

Now, I guess I could use Linux for the Zod2, but then that would require lots of extra re-booting, and also I wouldn't be able to use any of the cool stuff that is Windows specific (If any of it is worht using... I still haven't installed the Clie Organiser stuff for my TH55 :p)

But I guess I'll have to wait and see... If the Zod uses the old-style HotSynch protocols with the standard signature, I should be okay. If not... well, arse.

OTOH, since I don't intend to use the Zod as an organiser, maybe I can just sidestep the whole issue... ;) (Only problem that comes to mind is that a lot of programs need a HotSync name to let you register them... Can you set this without HotSynching??)