TAPWAVE ZODIAC Hardware FAQ Version 1.0 By Meweight Version History: v1.0 (December 18, 2004) - Began the FAQ. X|-------------------|X X| TABLE OF CONTENTS |X X|-------------------|X 01. Introduction 02. Technical Specifications 03. Setting Up Your Zodiac 04. Changing Settings 05. Using The Palm Desktop 06. Highly Reccomended Software 07. Highly Reccomended Accessories 08. Credits (--------------) ( INTRODUCTION ) (--------------) The Tapwave Zodiac is a great breed between a Palm Pilot and a handheld gaming system. Tapwave was founded in 2001, and the Zodiac1 and Zodiac2 were both released in 2004. The system has won many awards. It got first place in PC Magazine's Last Gadget Standing. It got Mobiletrax's Mobility Award, CNET's Editor's Choice Award, PC World's Next Gear Innovations Award, and Popular Science's Best Of What's New (BOWN) Award. When you open your system, you should find a Tapwave Zodiac with a screen protector already attached, a USB Sync cable, a power adapter, a stylus, Earbud headphones, a wrist strap, a flip cover, a Getting Started guide and a CD-ROM with bonus features on it. (--------------------------) ( TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS ) (--------------------------) Here I will list all the technical specifications of the Tapwave Zodiac, which come from the Tapwave website (www.tapwave.com). Memory: Zodiac1 - 32MB (12MB reserved for system use) Zodiac2 - 128MB (12MB reserved for system use) Processor: Motorola i.MX1 ARM9 processor, 200 MHz Graphics Accelerator: ATI Imageon W4200 graphics accelerator (with 8MB dedicated SDRAM) Display: 3.8 inch transflective display, 480x320 (half VGA), 16-bit color backlit display, Portrait and Landscape display capabilities, digitizer for enhanced usage Sound: Yamaha audio component, stereo speakers, 3.5mm stereo headphone plug, Earbud-style headphones included, support for external- powered speakers. Vibration: Supports silent notification and interactive gameplay Controls: Variable pressure analog controller, 2 triggers, 4 programmable action buttons, 1 special function button, 1 home button, 1 power button, 1 Bluetooth button Expandability: Dual expansion slots, Slot #1 supports MultiMediaCards and Secure Digital (SD) cards, Slot #2 supports MultiMediaCards, SD cards, and SDIO cards Wireless Connectivity: Built-in Bluetooth radio with activation button, ideal for wireless gaming or sharing information and infrared for easy data exchange with other Zodiacs, handhelds, phones, and more Battery: High-capacity rechargable Lithium batteries - 1540 mAh Power Supply: AC Adapter / Battery Charger (120-240 volt, 50-60 Hz) Size: 5.6 inches wide, 3.1 inches long, .55 inches tall (this may be incorrect) Weight: 6.3 ounces Color: Zodiac1 - Slate Grey Zodiac2 - Charcoal Grey Operating System: Tapwave enhanced Palm OS 5.2T System Requirements: PC running on Windows 98/ME/XP/2000 with Internet access and one available USB slot (------------------------) ( SETTING UP YOUR ZODIAC ) (------------------------) First when you get your Zodiac, you should charge it for an hour or two. You will be able to tell when it is FULLY charged when the power button turns green, but you can use it after a while if it is orange, that just means it isn't fully charged. After turning it on with the power button, you will be asked to calibrate your Zodiac. First you will have to calibrate the Touch Screen. To do so, tap the areas on the screen that it asks you to. Next you will need to calibrate the analog controller. First you will be asked to hold the function button (the little dot) until the picture turns green. Then you will need to hold the analog controller up till the arrow is green, down till the arrow is green, left till the arrow is green, and right till the arrow is green. After that you will need to spin your analog controller in a circle until every point is green. Congratulations, you have calibrated your Zodiac. Next you should install the CD-ROM onto your computer. You will have Palm Desktop now and will be able to HotSync, meaning you are transferring data between your Zodiac and your computer. Now is the time to add in any extra memory cards and download any games you purchased from the Tapwave store. Don't worry, you can do this at any time, but I'm sure you'd like to do it now. (-------------------) ( CHANGING SETTINGS ) (-------------------) There are many settings on the Zodiac, and some you may or may not be pleased with. This will cover everything on the "Preferences" menu. To get there, go to Utilities, and then Prefs on the side area. Bluetooth - Radio: This means that your Bluetooth radio is on or off. Keep it off at all times unless you are planning to connect your Zodiac to someone else. If you just leave the Bluetooth on, it will waste your Zodiac's battery. Device Name: This will be the name that you gave your Zodiac, but it can be changed. Trusted Devices: To add a device that your Zodiac trusts for Bluetooth connection, go to Trusted Devices and then Add Device. NOTE: I have never used Bluetooth for anything, so I do not know how all of this works. Calibration - This menu allows you to calibrate the Touch Screen and Analog Controller, just like you did when you first got your Zodiac. You should do this every month or so, or if you think there is something wrong with your Zodiac. Connection - These are the ways you connect to your PC. You will most likely be using the choice that says Cradle/Cable. Date & Time - Set Date: Set the current date to your Tapwave Zodiac. Set Time: Set the time to your Tapwave Zodiac. Set Time Zone: Set your time zone to one of the chosen timezones. This is useful for if you go traveling with your Zodiac. Daylight Saving: This needs to be set if Daylight Savings Time is in effect at the moment, and will automatically change your clock to the DST time. Formats - Preset To: Set this as the country you live in. If your country is not on the list, you will need to manually set it. Time: The format of the time. Date: The format of the date. Week Starts: The day you start the week. Numbers: How your multi-digit numbers look. General - Auto-Off After: This is how long it takes your Zodiac to turn off when you are idle with it. Stay On In Cradle: This determines if it stays on while it is in the cradle. Beam Receive: I am not sure what this is. Brightness: This is how bright the screen is backlit. Input Area: This determines where the side menu is located, good for both left-handers and right-handers alike. Owner - This is where you label who the Zodiac is owned by. Quick Launch - You can set it so when you hold the Home Button and one of the four colored action buttons, it automatically takes you somewhere. It is automatically set so blue is Date Book, yellow is Address Book, green is Music, and red is Photos. Sound - You can alter volume and alarm volume in this section. (------------------------) ( USING THE PALM DESKTOP ) (------------------------) After installing the CD-ROM that you got with your Tapwave Zodiac, you will now need to launch Palm Desktop. The first window is the Tapwave screen, where you should register your Zodiac. Next up is Music. In order to add more music, go to "Add Song", choose the song from your computer (it must be an MP3) and then it should show up. Songs that are already on your Zodiac are marked with a green checkmark. Songs that are only in your Palm Desktop are marked with the HotSync sign. Photos work the same as songs, except you have more of a variety of image types that will work. With photos, you can create slideshows or set a background. The next one is Kinoma, which lets you add special videos. I have yet to use this function, so I honestly do not know how exactly it works. WordSmith lets you open documents you have created on your Tapwave Zodiac. WordSmith is compatible with Microsoft Word. So you can use "Add" to put a Microsoft Word document onto your Zodiac. Next is your Date Book, which shows the dates of things, and is interchangable with your Zodiac. Same goes with the Address Book, To Do List, and Memo Pad. Finally is the Install button. This is where you add programs. You can also add non-programs (such as ROMs), but only if you have an SD card, and the file type is supported by your Zodiac (see later). The automatic place your Palm Desktop will look for new programs is C:\Program Files\Tapwave\Add-On, so you may want to put the programs that you download there. You don't HAVE to, it's just easier to get to that way. When you are ready to transfer all of the changes you have made with the Palm Desktop (or the Zodiac), it is time for you to HotSync. First you need your Zodiac connected to your computer by USB. There are a multitude of ways to HotSync. One is to go to Utilities on your Zodiac and then go to HotSync. Another way is to push the HotSync button on your cradle (if you have one), while the Zodiac is in it. Another way is from the Palm Desktop itself under the HotSync menu. Whichever way you do it, the Palm Desktop and Tapwave Zodiac will take a short while and make a few noises telling you when it starts and when it is done. After it is done, all of the changes you have made should now be synchronized on both your Zodiac and your Palm Desktop. (-----------------------------) ( HIGHLY RECCOMENDED SOFTWARE ) (-----------------------------) This software is all freeware software, meaning that you can legally download it all for free. FileZ (http://www.tapland.com/featured_downloads/?id=397) FileZ is a useful program that allows you to delete programs that are otherwise unavailable to delete from the main menu. Card Directories (link?) Card Directories is used for putting certain files on your Zodiac. It is REQUIRED if you want to put ROMs on your Zodiac (see below). Little JohnZ (http://www.yoyofr.fr.st/) Little JohnZ is an incredible emulator (there are no ROMs on that site), that allows you to play NES, SNES, GB, GBC, Genesis, NeoGeo Pocket, NeoGeo Pocket Color, Wonderswan, Wonderswan Color, and TurboGrafx16 ROMs on your Zodiac. I have had good experiences with NES, SNES, GB, and GBC, but the others I have not tested. If you want to legally use ROMs, you will have to find a page with freeware ROMs that aren't dumps of real console games. (--------------------------------) ( HIGHLY RECCOMENDED ACCESSORIES ) (--------------------------------) All of these accessories can be purchased at the Tapwave store at the Tapwave website (www.tapwave.com). Zodiac Cradle The Zodiac Cradle is used to recharge your Zodiac and is also used for connecting it to the computer. It is very, very useful and is much better than what comes with the Zodiac. Tapwave Sport Case Deluxe This is a very useful case for holding your Tapwave Zodiac and all the accessories you may need to bring with you such as your headphones and extra styli. (---------) ( CREDITS ) (---------) Me - For writing this FAQ GameFAQs - For accepting this FAQ (GameFAQs is the only place allowed to show this FAQ) My dad - For buying me the Zodiac for my birthday Tapwave - For creating the Zodiac You - For reading the FAQ