MaximumPC 2004 10

THIS MONTH: Mobile Gaming Devices!

TAPWAVE ZODIAC

Head 2 Head A showdown among natural PC competitors

I

t’s ironic that even though we live in a fast-paced

society, waiting remains an unavoidable fact of life.

Whether it’s at the post office, the bank, or the DMV,

there will always come a time when you’re stuck in line

staring at the back of some stranger’s head watching

precious seconds of your life slip slowly down the drain.

This is why we never leave the house without taking

along some sort of gadget to keep us entertained;

playing a few rounds of virtual golf or listening to MP3s

makes the down time pass that much faster. This month,

we test two portable devices that will help you retain

your sanity when life inevitably grinds to a halt: the

Palm OS powered Tapwave Zodiac2 and the Nokia N-

Gage QD. Which device, if any, should you slip into your

pocket before venturing out into the vast, unforgiving

world? Read on to find out.

—TAE K. KIM

24 MA XIMUMPC OCTOBER 2004

Beautiful screen, Palm functionality, and a great

library of apps.

RIDING THE WAVE

DOING THE WAVE

Not-so-great library of games, and a lack of con-

nectivity options.

$400, http://www.tapwave.com

MA XIMUMPCVERDICT 7

Productivity: There’s no contest here. The venerable Palm

operating system has powered handhelds and PDAs for a long

time and the number of available applications is staggering—you

can find software that will help you stay on top of everything from

your finances to your daily calendar. There’s even software available

to help keep your fantasy football team in check. Can the N-Gage

QD do that? Nope. Winner: Zodiac

Unproductivity : This is one

category where the Palm OS’

pre-existing library of software

doesn’t help the Zodiac2.

Traditionally, PDAs and

handhelds weren’t intended

as gaming machines, so the

majority of available Palm

OS games are simplistic

time wasters that are no

more challenging than

the games that come

preinstalled with Windows.

The Zodiac2 does sport a

few first-rate titles, including

a port of id’s Doom 2 that plays

like a carbon copy of the original,

but when compared with the QD’s

impressive line-up, the Zodiac2’s

game library lacks both variety and

originality. Need further proof? According

to Tapwave’s web site, the number-one selling

Zodiac2 game is Duke Nukem Mobile. Yikes.

Winner: N-Gage QD

Input: The Zodiac2’s gorgeous screen is more than just a pretty face; it also functions as a touch

screen. You can use the included stylus to tap onscreen icons and enter text via the Graffiti handwriting-

recognition software. The Zodiac2 also features a button layout that will feel immediately familiar to

any gamer who’s spent time holding a Gameboy Advance or PlayStation 2 controller. Unfortunately, we

were less than pleased with the Zodiac2’s slim formfactor; extended gaming sessions became a finger-

cramping ordeal as we struggled to find a comfortable grip. Regardless, while the N-Gage QD’s taco

shaped body is much easier to hold, the Zodiac2’s versatile touch screen and intuitive button layout give

it the edge in this category. Winner: Zodiac

Output: “Wow!” was the first thing we said when

we saw the Tapwave’s gorgeous display: We definitely

weren’t expecting it to look this good. The 3.8-inch

backlit display is powered by ATI’s Imageon hardware

and offers up a resolution of 480x320 and 16-bit color

support. Everything from games to mundane tasks

like managing our social calendar became a

visually satisfying experience thanks to the

Zodiac2’s bright, crisp display. The only

problem: The reflective nature of the

screen made for some occasionally

nasty background glare. But this

is a minor complaint about what

is arguably the Zodiac2’s best

feature. Wow, indeed.

Winner: Zodiac

Connectivity: Aside from

Bluetooth support and a USB

cable for wired syncing, the

Zodiac2 offers little by way of

connectivity options. We would

have appreciated a Zodiac2-

compatible Wi-Fi solution but none

were available at the time of this

writing. It’s possible one will present

itself in the future but until then, the N-

Gage QD’s wireless nature easily wins this category.

Compared with the Zodiac2, it’s practically bristling

with options. Winner: N-Gage QD