Product: PalmOne Zire 72 Price: $2,388 Pros: Upgrades its older sibling in every conceivable way Cons: Seems expensive for intended market Palm's new Zire 72 is an update on its first camera-integrated personal digital assistant. Nearly everything about it is a refinement on its already smart predecessor. A notable addition is Bluetooth functionality. This will allow it to communicate with other Bluetooth-enabled devices within 10 metres, including hot-synching wirelessly. This puts the consumer-oriented Zire 72's functionality on a par with more expensive models targeted at executives. Compared with more upmarket devices such as Tungsten models or the recently integrated Treo, Palm's Zire line has always been designed to introduce new consumers to its PDAs. While Palm traditionally tries to lure new users by building PDAs with nothing but the basics, the Zire 71's metallic blue casing, colour display, integrated camera and music playback capability attempt to take back ground lost to Sony. The Zire 72 now sports a faster 312-megahertz Intel PXA270 processor - which it needs because its older sibling often had difficulty multitasking with MP3 music playback in the background. Another worthy update is the enhanced 1.2-megapixel camera on the underside of the unit. Pictures taken are now worthy of printing - albeit small prints. The new Zire has also kept its funky, consumer-oriented exterior. The case is made of a rubbery plastic. Praise should be given to Palm for ditching the bulky and heavy metal plate the Zire 71 used as a lens cover. Speakers are fitted to the underside of the PDA, but it is recommended that headphones are used if sound quality is desired. A button on the side instantly transforms the Zire into a dictation machine. To round off the upgrades, the newest version of PalmOS is pre-installed. The installation CD has loads of useful commercials which would usually cost another bundle to buy separately - including VersaMail and Documents2Go. The only complaint is the price. The Zire 72 is positioned as a consumer gadget, but $2,388 would leave some consumers cash-strapped. Although the price is a lot cheaper than the Palm and Windows professional PDAs, many consumers may still see the Zire 72 as a sophisticated but expensive toy for grown-ups.