R.I.P. Tapwave Zodiac
Yes… it is time to say goodbye to our little PDA that almost could. The Tapwave Zodiac, a very solid product in itself, and recieved very good reviews, simply never caught on. Tapewave issued a statement a couple days ago. From just reading it you can feel how somber they must all be over at the company:
“We are sorry to inform you that the Zodiac business was discontinued and service and support are no longer available as of July 25th 2005… We thank you for your past interest and support and apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused.”
It’s sad to see it go, but leave us a comment and tell us if you will miss tha Zodiac, or if it doesn’t even really matter.
Comments
July 25, right on my birthday. Though I actually never got one. I saved my money up for the DS and PSP but if I had the extra cash I would have gotten it…maybe.
Its still a good multimedia PDA, so its sad to see it go. Hope you had a Happy Birthday Matt (I’m sure cancelling the Zodiac didn’t mess it up too much)!
What the…
Why isn’t it even doing well as a PDA?
What about a modem-add on (essentially turning it into those cell/pda hybrids)?
Zodiac, you are dismissed from class.
Really a shame, but not really a surprise. If only there were more developers. If only the system were cheaper. If only…
Yet another portable in the graveyard.
I bought one and have cracked my screen and don’t know what I’m going to do I loved that thing it to me by far was the best gaming system that I’ve owed I played all my fav. nes and snes games what will I do and where will i go to find something to compair
i had the zodiac and sold it for the PSP about a week before tapwave closed…its a shame. I loved the zodiac it could do alot…just didn’t have what it needed. i’ll buy one later on in life though
I think it kinda sucks about the customer service part. I mean just because you stop selling it doesn’t mean that people no longer own it! Why do companies cut-off customer service when they stop selling a product. I guess the whole Zodiac customer service team was probably laid off as well from the company…
I own a Zodiac 2 and am disappointed to see the company go. It is still a great PDA and I think it was worth the money. It’s just going to be harder to find games and accessories for it now 
I love my Zodiac. I never considered a PDA vital to my existance until I ran across the Zodiac. I’m hoping at least the community stays up and running. I am going to keep using mine ’til it dies :).
The Zodiac continues to live in the hands, literally, and hearts of the those who purchased it. We are still strong in numbers at ZodiacGamer.com and tapland.com. Viva la Zod!
Had several other palm based PDA’s, the zodiac was the best, hope that some other company picks up some support or produces the international power kit!
Yeah great system. Dunno about an international power kit - mine came with a set of interchangeable plugs which I’ve used in Greece (still Europe but on different power rating).
What I’m trying to find is a Car Charger unit and a GPS kit on SD card or similar that will work with the Zod
This system was soooo great for its time. I believe if it was out 6 months before it was, it would have been a huge success. The service and support thing really isnt that big of a deal because every time i called i wound up talking to someone who couldnt speak english. the versatility and portablility of this system will keep mine in use for years….unless psp comes out with a keyboard and windows based operating system.
its a crying shame, i love my tapwave and am sure its just as powerful as the psp or ds not to mention it has the best screen and can do so much more. Is there even a game out that uses the rage 128 chip on the tapwave?? It needed 1 killer game thats all and i blame tapwave for not not making sure 1 killer game was produced. i also have a bngage and i love it but the tapwave should be better but there just isnt that 1 game that makes you want to own it. Im living in hope that 1 will still come out. ie look at tony hawks on tapwave compared to th on the ngage, ngage is full 3d but tapwave is fun but the 2dness of it was a letdown.
ill be keeping it for a long time as its my satnav (tomtom)
it was a great machine, with a joystick and all. the time of release sealed it’s doom. the n-gauge sucked so people thought this did to. if i twould have been put out with the gba it would have made it. sooo sad…
Holy Cow. I have had my Tapwave since the 2nd month they were out. I’ve never had a problem. I decided to check out their website today for the 1st time since at least 7/25. This caught me by suprise. I use it more as a PDA than a gamer. I do have Madden05 on it and it is great. Hopefully my Tapwave continues w/out problems because I’m keeping it until it dies. It has definitely been durable. I also use GPS Delorme products with it.
Zodiac - best PDA I’ve owned - and ive owned and used a lot. It still is more than competitive today - only thing missing is wifi - but I’ve hardly used the bluetooth function anyway.
Wonderful device to hold and use. The PSP before the PSP. Shame the pricing wasn’t right until just before the end - and then the stocks just disappeared withing days
Well crud! I’ve about worn mine out and was going to ask for a new one for Christmas. Every time I get attached to something they stop selling it…taco-flavored Doritos, Gilette Micro-Trac razors, and now my beloved Tapwave! I don’t believe in anything anymore, man! Time to figure out what the next best thing is so I get SOMETHING to replace my Tap. Crud!
Crud is right. I love my Zodiac (even tho I don’t use it enough) and it really is a great product. It seems the whole trouble with these products is the fact that they’re not in the IN-crowd. Meaning they don’t get included in compatibility lists for software and peripherals.
If you don’t want to be a sheep and buy a Sony, Palm or Ipod, you’re outta luck. I hope the same thing doesn’t happen to my Cowon I-audio.
heh. I just got one on clearance (demo model) from CompUSA for $100, with a 2-year replacement guarantee thrown in. (So, when it ‘accidentally’ breaks in 2 years, what are they going to replace it with?
I bought it simply because it’s roughly equivalent to the current $250 Palms, only cheaper. I don’t care about the games (unless they release some truly GOOD games for it,) but it is a kick-ass Palm organizer.
I got my N-Gage for the same reason. Traded for it over Craiglist for the ‘free’ cameraphone I got. Only bought one game for it (it was on $5 clearance,) but it is a great smartphone. (Symbian 60.)
Oh well, I’d suggest checking out stores for their last demo model on clearance.
The Zodiac was obviously doomed the moment the PSP was announced.
Zodiac was a PDA + gaming console. The market for each is already difficult and competitive. But how much overlap is there between the two? I was in the overlap. I wanted a PDA and a gaming console. But I never thought the Zodiac had a long-term chance.
Where can I download the Wi-Fi drivers and email applications for my Zodiac-2 now that this manufacturer closed its doors? Also is the Zodiac2 comparable with Microsoft OS? can the Palm OS 5.2 be updated to MS? Has anyone tried this? Thanks
Sorry to see it go. I gave my husband one for his birthday a couple of years ago. He has loved it and said it’s the best pda he’s ever seen. Too bad the game side never lived up to its potential.
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Yeah I bought the Z, and it kinda sucks that its goin cause if could of had a lot goin for it. But w/e, Ill probably sell mine now that theirs not much comin from it now. Hopefully the price of it will go up a little on Ebay…[wipes tear from eye]