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Handhelds Hardware

New Sony Clie PEG-UX50 267

Posted by CmdrTaco from the just-makes-you-wanna-lick-it dept.
webguru4god writes "Sony Japan has just released a killer new Clie, complete with integrated Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a camera, in a small laptop-like enclosure. It runs Palm OS 5.2, has a 65,000 screen, and a built in keyboard! " I've always been a bit skeptical of handhelds that have flip out keyboards like this, but have repeatedly been impressed with the quality of various models of Clie. This might be worth a look.
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New Sony Clie PEG-UX50 More

New Sony Clie PEG-UX50

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  • ...but it will shave your cat, clean your oven, and vacuum the carpet! Tally ho!

    First post!

  • Yay! (Score:5, Funny)

    by Eric(b0mb)Dennis ( 629047 ) * on Thursday July 17, 2003 @02:13PM (#6463435)
    All I need is this and a pack of sidewalk chalk and it's time for some fun I hope I don't get stopped for vandalizing :( ALL WIFI POINTS ph34r my chalk!
    • Warwalking?

      I suppose stranger *has* been done.
    • Does anyone have any software to do this? I've got an NX70 with the WiFi card and am looking forward to warwalking with it or even with this new one.
    • "welcome slashdot visitor! you have been redirected to a ligher version of our article in order to conserve bandwidth and keep the site running smoothly for everybody. this is the whole text of the article, if you would like to read the story along with our reader comments, please click here."

      slashdot provides anti-spam armoring, and the sony site apparently offers anti-/. effect armoring?

      ah, if only i could find a way to bring that full circle, my karma would be mighty indeed...

      ed

  • Ouch! (Score:4, Funny)

    by mattrix2k ( 632351 ) * on Thursday July 17, 2003 @02:14PM (#6463449)
    The handheld body is made of magnesium.
    Better hope it doesn't rain!

  • No Graffiti (Score:5, Insightful)

    by berkeleyjunk ( 250251 ) on Thursday July 17, 2003 @02:15PM (#6463459)
    At last somebody understood people wanted to type on their PDAs instead of learning how to use Graffiti or a soft keyboard. I have a Sony PictureBook and I love it. This is going to rock.

    • Re:No Graffiti (Score:5, Informative)

      by TedTschopp ( 244839 ) on Thursday July 17, 2003 @02:24PM (#6463552) Homepage
      There is a keyboard and Graffiti and a new input system which does trainable handwriting recognition.
    • This thing hardly qualifies as a traditional PDA - it's too big! About the size of a Palm V and a foldout keyboard you can actually touch-type on (and not just with 2 thumbs).

      If something's too big to fit conveniently in a pocket, it might as well be a laptop with a real OS.

      While I'm complaining, I don't like the specification of battery life as " 14 days with 30 minutes of typical use per day." Let's do a highstreet poll and see how many people figure out that really means 7 hours.

  • 65,000 Screen? (Score:2, Interesting)

    by lcsjk ( 143581 )
    What is a 65,000 screen? How do you interpret that? Maybe I just don't get around as much as I used to.
    Anybody else in this boat?
    • For the user who can't get by with just 60,000 screens.
    • it actually has 65,000 screens, each of which is visible in an alternate universe, a la quantum physics.
      • it actually has 65,000 screens, each of which is visible in an alternate universe, a la quantum physics.

        Waitwait. Screen is quantuum branching?

        (breaks leg)

        screen -d -r OtherHistory

        waitwait. screen is quantuum branching?

        (breaks leg) ...

      • it actually has 65,000 screens, each of which is visible in an alternate universe, a la quantum

        So, assuming that every possible configuration of the display is rendered in all universes, we can conclude that the screen is either a 4x4 pixel screen in black and white, or maybe 2x2 pixels at 16 colours.

        Man, that sucks.

      • Is each screen a different colour?

  • Battery Life (Score:5, Interesting)

    by pheared ( 446683 ) <kevin@p[ ]red.net ['hea' in gap]> on Thursday July 17, 2003 @02:16PM (#6463476) Homepage
    Sony rates the battery life at 14 days with 30 minutes of typical use per day.

    So, just say 7 hours. Unless of course sustained usage drains the battery faster.

    Either way that's pretty good since my iPaq can now barely run for 45 minutes without a charge. I have a backpaq arriving soon with extra battery capacity so that should help.

    • Re:Battery Life (Score:5, Informative)

      by zmooc ( 33175 ) <zmooc@[ ]oc.net ['zmo' in gap]> on Thursday July 17, 2003 @02:26PM (#6463577) Homepage
      On my clie NX70V the battery-life varies a lot on the applications used; the cam uses quite a lot, memorystick access as well. Wifi really drains it. So no matter how long they tell you the battery life is, it's utter bullshit anyway since it depends heavily on the application used. Taking pictures and immediately e-mailing them over wifi can drain the battery within half an hour while using it exclusively as an electronic agenda will get you somewhere around the mentioned 7 hours.
    • So, just say 7 hours. Unless of course sustained usage drains the battery faster.

      Either way that's pretty good since my iPaq can now barely run for 45 minutes without a charge

      You're compairing the battery life of a brand new device with a PDA you've had for how long? Over 6 months? Hell, you're compairing the marketing spin from Sony about it's battery life against something a little more real world.

      Tad unfair maybe?

    • Re:Battery Life (Score:3, Informative)

      by BenjyD ( 316700 )
      The battery life is affected by how long the device is on (just keeping the screen on uses some power) and also by what you do with it. If it's not actually doing anything (i.e. it's just sitting in the event loop waiting), the whole processor bit almost switches off, so power consumption drops.

      The other power consuming action is maintaining the contents of memory, which happens all the time whether the unit is on or off, although it doesn't consume that much power.

  • You're all pigs! (Score:3, Funny)

    by tevenson ( 625386 ) <tevenson.gmail@com> on Thursday July 17, 2003 @02:17PM (#6463491) Homepage
    It looks like a laptop for midgets. I guess that's not bad. Even Willow needs to check his email.

  • Another Article Link (Score:5, Informative)

    by jared_hanson ( 514797 ) on Thursday July 17, 2003 @02:17PM (#6463494) Homepage Journal
    Another article with more detailed information can be found at infoSync World [infosyncworld.com].

  • What I want to know is (Score:5, Funny)

    by Timesprout ( 579035 ) on Thursday July 17, 2003 @02:18PM (#6463506)
    More details and an official US announcement are expected tomorrow (7/18) when Sony's handheld President, Masanobu Yoshida,

    Why did they make him president if he needs someone to hold his hand ??

  • Sony wants ubiquitous wifi (Score:5, Interesting)

    by dspyder ( 563303 ) on Thursday July 17, 2003 @02:18PM (#6463508)
    Talking to a wireless engineer at Sony, they are really interested in finding a way of having ubiquitous 802.11 access everywhere. With devices like this, who can blame them.

    Trouble is, he also said Sony wants a piece of the service market offering that access. Seems to me I would stick with being a hardware provider and let the ISPs sort out the delivery. Of course, with Sony being in the content business as well........

    --D

    • Re:Sony wants ubiquitous wifi (Score:5, Interesting)

      by yelohbird ( 658476 ) on Thursday July 17, 2003 @02:33PM (#6463653) Homepage
      Sony already owns a big chunk of the Asian ISP market, with ventures for broadband services in Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and other markets. With their financial leverage, I would not be surprised if they are able to deploy ubiquitous 802.11 (b/g) access in those same markets, where the dense metropolitan population and high demand for tech fads would make it feasible to carry out this project.

      And then, maybe 20 years down the road, ubiquitous wi-fi will finally be "feasible" and make its debut the United States...
    • Talking to a wireless engineer at Sony, they are really interested in finding a way of having ubiquitous 802.11 access everywhere. With devices like this, who can blame them.

      Hmmm... downloading Sony music off a Sony WiFi point onto a Sony computer then burning Sony brand CD-Rs for all your friends with a Sony CD-RW driver sounds like fun.
  • Perhaps this is just meant to be a laptop for very, very small people such as himself.

  • Mirror (Score:3, Informative)

    by H0NGK0NGPH00EY ( 210370 ) on Thursday July 17, 2003 @02:25PM (#6463567) Homepage
    Check the story here: http://myhome.spu.edu/time/mirror/Clie-UX-50.htm [spu.edu]
    The enlarged pics are here [spu.edu] and here [spu.edu].

  • capacity... (Score:2, Interesting)

    by selderrr ( 523988 )
    ...It has 32mb of RAM, with 16mb available for use...

    umpf... my iPod has 30GB. How come they can't build PDAs with a decent storage inside ?

    • Re:capacity... (Score:4, Funny)

      by fluxrad ( 125130 ) on Thursday July 17, 2003 @02:33PM (#6463648)
      Your iPod has 30GB of RAM???

      Holy shit!
    • Heck, I would consider this straying too far from the promise of a personal digital assistant.

      Look at it; it's like a mini-laptop. Laptops from 12-14 years ago had similar screen resolutions and CPU speeds (even if they had less power, were bulkier, and lacked Wi-Fi/Bluetooth, etc). What it looks like is a Vaio Laptop Junior.

      I have a Clie NRV70. It's nice (except for the datebook bugs), but it's incredibly bulky compared to my Vx. It'd be nice if sony would have an external keyboard that's attachable

    • ugh (Score:2)

      by zapp ( 201236 )
      I really hope you are aware that an ipod has an internal hard drive. hard drives offer much more storage space, but are way way way slower.

      Flash memory is usually what is included in smaller mp3 players (in the 32mb-256mb range for example) and also in these hand helds. Flash ram has advantage of keeping what it was storing, even when power is turned off.

      PC's use another kind of ram, which is fast, is cheaper than flash memory (thus you can afford more), but loses its contents when power is disconnected.
  • The next one will surely have GPS, duct tape dispensor, phasor, bowie knife, ball of string, elastic band compartment and five loaves & two fishes.

  • Am I the only one who still, after years of seeing laptops(and now phones) and PDAs with digital cameras find them cheesy?

    I hate the phone cameras- it's an instant turn-off to me, a guarantee I'll pick another model; I'd rather they spent $ on useful features that directly apply to the device's purpose and functionality. PDAs are for storing information- not taking crappy, small pictures that are bested by a 5-year-old "regular" digital camera.

    • Personally, the sooner they take all of the kooky little widgets and bundle them up in one single kooky widget the better. I want a handheld computer that takes pictures and video, acts as a pager and cell phone, talks effortlessly to my computer back at home to retrieve data that's stored there, has a keyboard or recognizes my voice enough that I don't have to learn shorthand, has an FM radio in it, charges happily in my car and fits at least as well as a cell phone in my pocket.

      Almost any device that mov

  • embarrassing question (Score:5, Interesting)

    by AssFace ( 118098 ) <stenz77@gmail. c o m> on Thursday July 17, 2003 @02:30PM (#6463618) Homepage Journal
    One of the owners of the company I currently work with has taken me aside many times and has me on a quest for what I think is the unattainable... mainly because the idea is retarded.

    But I have to ask, since this seems about like the perfect place to do so. Or instead of asking - maybe I should just describe what he wants and enthusiasts can chime in.

    He wants a handheld device. He loves Sony products, and hates Handspring products. He has no real reasons or logical justification for this as far as I can tell - but he isn't going to change.
    He wants something that will keep track of all of his appointments. He wants something that can play mp3s.
    Ideally it would also have a camera and a phone in it, but that isn't necessary.

    But what he *really* wants... and this is the part that I find amusing - he wants this thing to have a phone jack in it.
    For two reasons - the first reason is so that he can put a phone line into it and record conversations. For some reason he thinks that there is a large demand for this, just because he wants it.
    He also wants this thing to be able to check e-mail - but he doesn't want to pay cell phone charges for checking e-mail, and bluetooth and wi-fi are out because he wants to travel the globe with this thing and plug into the phone lines at hotels and then dial up and check his e-mail. Via the modem jack of course.

    I thought I had him sold on the cool Neuros, but then this phone jack idea occurred to him and he is now focused on that.

    The worst part is that he finds the fact that it doesn't exist and that nobody else would want this a personal failing on my part.
    As if I'm just not trying hard enough.

    I feel like telling him that if he clicks his heels together, rubs a lamp, and also *really* believes in it, then it will happen.

    Anyway, anyone know of such a beast to exist? (he has a laptop, but apparently that is "too bulky" - so that solution is out - and I know that Handspring has plug-ins for all of that stuff, but he hates Handsprings and refuses to ever own one)

    • Re:embarrassing question (Score:4, Interesting)

      by British ( 51765 ) <british1500@gmail.com> on Thursday July 17, 2003 @02:35PM (#6463674) Homepage Journal
      Find a PDA that has a standard "mic" plug on it, and go buy a telephone convo recorder at Rat Shack. That might work.

      Or if you want to be more enterprising, open up the recorder, and put shorter cords in it so it won't tangle up with his other things..

      Then find a way to mass-produce them and sell them at a high price so other people like your friend will buy them.
    • The problem is that he is looking at either PDAs _or_ laptops. What he is really looking for is a subnotebook. Dynamism (moderately pricey import place) has some nice ones.

      The model I think you'll be able to interest him in is the Sony U101.
      http://www.dynamism.com/u101/index.shtml
      W eighs in at just under 2 pounds and is 7(w) x 5.5(l) x1.3(h) inches. It'll fit into a large pocket. You should be able to find a modem card for the Type II PCMCIA slot.

      The bad thing is that it is not touchscreen and not ins

    • Re:embarrassing question (Score:5, Funny)

      by kinnell ( 607819 ) on Thursday July 17, 2003 @04:12PM (#6464767)
      You have clearly been given a special assignment to spend your whole day surfing the internet, checking out all the latest cool gadgets for your boss. Keep him interested as long as you can.
    • er... Last time I checked a modem jack is a phone jack. A modem uses a phone line. I would imagine it's only a matter of finding software that will record what the modem hears.

      The only problem I might imagine is if the modem on whatever gadget you are looking at doesn't listen to voice frequencies. But I'm not too bright on the frequency stuff, so I may be completely off.
    • "But what he *really* wants... and this is the part that I find amusing - he wants this thing to have a phone jack in it. For two reasons - the first reason is so that he can put a phone line into it and record conversations. For some reason he thinks that there is a large demand for this, just because he wants it."

      they have compact [virology-online.com] flash [neticamall.com] modems [compactflash-card.net]... that might help you out? :/

    • Handspring is the ony way to go. I've been a Handspring lover since its company started out. Their springboard design allows various kinds of modems to conenct, wired to a phone jack. There are several speeds to choose from. Not only can you surf the net and check email, you can also sync and backup your data back to your local computer (home computer). Are you sure he doesn't want Handspring at all? It can bring him a long way and he might like it eventually. I already have an mp3 player module for my Hand
      • I see what you mean. Well, this reminds me of one incident where my friend commented on my newly puchased HP laptop. He said: "Man, HP computers are not good, they crash a lot and they get slower after time." That's Bullshit. As you know, it's the problem with Windows and cheap hardware. Same applies to your friend's issue. Handspring runs on Palm OS just like almost any other PDA out there does. It has the same processor as quite a few Palm/Sony handhelds. Maybe his friends just got unlucky and installed a
    • The Sharp Zaurus has a mic port and runs Linux, so I'm sure phone recorder software could be whipped up in under ten minutes. The interface jack the phone side might be a bit funky though. Furthermore, it has a CompactFlash port that can take a CF modem, which gives you your dialup. Ta-da!
    • I'd personally steer him towards a Sharp Zarius [sharp-usa.com], or even one of the latest Japanese models [sharp.co.jp] shipped across [dynamism.com]

      They support Compact Flash Type1 Cards which means you can swap in a Modem [socketcom.com], GPS [pocketgps.co.uk],Barcode scanner [socketcom.com] or anything else available.

      Cos you just know your Boss is going to NEED a Barcode scanner, well, just as soon as he thinks of it...


      PS. I just used google to find the example CF Cards so I recommend looking about for the best buy.

  • Nifty but what's the price? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by anagama ( 611277 ) <obamaisaneocon@nothingchanged.org> on Thursday July 17, 2003 @02:33PM (#6463655) Homepage

    If this thing tops $500, won't people start just looking at a laptop?

    It's neat and all in a gadgety way, but PDAs need to be small and light so they fit in your pocket. The problem of course, is that when they are tiny, data input is a bear - and it always will be till voice recognition/mind plugs replace grafiti and thumboards.

    • you haven't seen the picture of someone actually holding this device. this thing, folded up, is smaller than the person's hand that is holding it. and as you can show the screen while it is closed by turning it around and closing it, it can be as small, or maybe smaller, than a normal pda.
    • If this thing tops $500, won't people start just looking at a laptop?

      Laptops which weigh less than 3 lbs usually cost way more than $500.

      And this Clie is actually a little smaller, in terms of cubic inches, than a Palm III !

    • I can type on my psion revo almost as fast as I can on a fullsize keyboard, and it fits in my pocket just fine. I know some people find it difficult, but give me a PDA with a keyboard any day.

  • Zaurus (Score:4, Funny)

    by pergamon ( 4359 ) on Thursday July 17, 2003 @02:34PM (#6463658) Homepage
    Ooh. I feel my previously-unwavering desire for a Zaurus 760 [dynamism.com] beginning to wane...

    • Re:Zaurus (Score:2, Interesting)

      by fishynet ( 684916 )
      Why? The Zaurus c760 is better in most ways... (Zaurus vs. Clie) Better screen (640x408 vs. 480x320) Better processor (Xscale vs. ARM) Better keyboard Better OS ;) (Linux vs. Palm) Better (more) memory (128+64 vs. 32(16 usable) Better (more) expandibility (CF+SD vs. nothing) The only places where the Clie is better is: Built in Wifi/BT (This could be negiative when you can't upgrade later on.) Built in Camera
      • Why? The Zaurus c760 is better in most ways... (Zaurus vs. Clie) ...

        The Zaurus is worse in terms of size, weight, and battery life.

        And if your main use isn't too carry it in your pocket without a power cord, then a small laptop might be better than either.

      • You say that Linux is a "better" OS than PalmOS but one factor (among many) to consider is the huge number of applications out there for the Palm. Yes I know there are a million and a half Linux utilities out there, but are they targetted for PDA use?

        I would say that they're just different, PalmOS is gonna be "better" for a lot of people. Linux, of course, has its advantages and will be better in other situations.

        On your other points. Wi/Fi and Camera are big features in my mind. As are battery life,
      • Notice I said "starting to wane". I'd still prefer the Zaurus, though it is quite a pain in the ass to get right now unless you want to pay Dynamism's prices.

        I bought the SL-5500 (within the past couple months, actually) basically so I could have a PDA and have Linux running in my pants. Well, the builtin PDA apps (even the brand new ones) do various explicit things to the appendages of barnyard animals. It doesn't quite fit in my pants, either.

        The Zaurus (I'm speaking of the SL-5500, but the environme
        • Doesn't affect the PIM apps, but give the new ROM from the Kompany a spin if the OS is part of the hassle. Basically a de-bugged Sharp ROM with a KDE-like skin. Best I've used of four by a wide margin.
    • Hmm... IMO, the Sharp model is much better, and it just seems that Sony decided to copy their design. I've seen a lot of mobile PCs, and the Zaurus C700 series is the first of its kind.

      With its better processor and far superior OS ( I always hated palm because I bought a Palm IIIxe with Palm OS 3, and SUPPOSEDLY it could upgrade, the jump to 4 did very little for it, and I can't use 5 on it) I think the choice is clear which is better.

    • Yeah, Sharp really need to get the Zaurus 7-series shipping in the USA, if they want to have any hope of selling any.

      I was waiting for a Sharp Zaurus, but it looks like Sony are going to release my next PDA first.

  • Smartphones (Score:3, Insightful)

    by erixtark ( 413840 ) on Thursday July 17, 2003 @02:35PM (#6463670)
    Kind of makes you wonder, once again, what Sony will do with Sony Ericsson and its' smartphones, such as the P800. The PDAs and the smartphones are getting more and more similar. Seems kind of foolish for Sony to have different strategies (not to mention different OS platforms - Palm and Symbian OS) for the two.

    So far Sony is using Sony Ericsson to keep one foot in the mobile phone market, which is pretty much controlled by the operators (who Ericsson has steady relations to). This won't last forever, however, as the two markets merge and wireless internet access becomes transparent.

    Then, as with the PC market, developers and content makers will be ones leading the market. They will choose the platform that provides the greatest leverage for their applications. If that platform is Palm OS, Symbian, Java or .Net remains to be seen. I guess that's what Sony's waiting for.

    This new Clie is pretty cool to have while waiting, though. I most certainly want one! :o)
    • "seems kind of foolish for sony to have different strategies"

      maybe they're just waiting to see which approach will win out. they can afford to continue both lines until a clear winner emerges, i would think. pundits keep saying that will emerge in the next year or so and have been for how long now?

      ed

  • not released, announced (Score:3, Informative)

    by acm ( 107375 ) on Thursday July 17, 2003 @02:36PM (#6463682) Homepage
    Sony Japan didn't release it today, they announced it. It will be released in Japan around August 9th, and no date has been given for the US. Sony's handheld president Masanobu Yoshida will hold a press conference in Sanfrancisco Friday announcing a new PDA (almost certainly this one) for the US.
  • it has 320x480, 64k color display, same as what is already available for a long time. same goes for bluetooth. the only new feature is wi-fi which was available previously through external CF cards.

    Other than new look, i failed to see anything newsworthy in this.
  • in PCWorld [pcworld.com].

    The camera can take 640x480 shots even though they don't fit on the screen. And has "movie recorder" software, I'd like specs on its movie recording capability. If it can take 320x240 MPEGs at 30fps I'm buying one as soon as they are released. If its some weird file format, or less than 20 fps, or not at least 320x240 I'll wait and buy a real digital movie camera instead.

    Also it has USB and infrared ports of course.

  • Eh...but the price? (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Qweezle ( 681365 )
    Okay, okay, this is all well and good. I think the thing is cool as anything I've seen in the PDA market, but we all have to keep something very important in mind: the price. I hope I'm not the only one who has realized this thing will undoubtedly be as expensive, if not MORE expensive than the $800 NZ-90, which may be worth its weight but is still too expensive for the average income-bringer. I wish that Sony could, instead of constantly coming out with expensive, fully-equipped PDAs, come out with a few
  • I heard that if you're:
    Using the integrated Wi-Fi while having the blue-tooth disabled
    and touching the casing of the unit
    and standing on carpet
    and someone IMs you
    it gives you a mild electric shock...

  • small but not small enough... (Score:3, Funny)

    by pioneer ( 71789 ) on Thursday July 17, 2003 @03:06PM (#6463977) Homepage
    I think all these companies have the wrong idea. Here's my idea. You build a ultra small form factor PC that has no display, no cdrom. Just wireless, VGA maybe some USB and a great battery. Then you buy one of these nifty [mobilemag.com] goggles [mobilemag.com] and figure out some kind of input device and you are money.

    now, if only some one kind find me one of these ultra small form factor PC's ... I found something called the Mini-PC-EX1 [wspc.biz] which is 450g (pretty light!) but it has a CDROM and is still a bit clunky...

    So, the question i ask is this? Anyone know of a truly ultra small form factor displayless pc? (that runs linux)? And, anyone know how I could input into this device with enough speed/accuracy to code?

    Just imagine entire corporate headquarters transforming into parks where people wander around with eyeglass mounted displays, and pocket size pc that are wireless connected... No need for small stuffy offices or cubicles...

    If you know anything please contact me with information...
  • but it needs a CF slot. What are they thinking?
    • Amen. From the article: "Naturally, it has a Sony Memory Stick Pro slot, but lacks the Compact Flash slot of some of Sony's other recent models."

      May people (I for one) would never buy a PDA - no matter how great - if it has no CF card slot. And one that can be used for peripherals, as well as memory (like my current Handera). I do NOT want to pay separately for my memory cards for PDA and digital camera.

      -DVK
      • Another Handera user eh. Can you believe those things are still going for $170+ on ebay? I just want a sleeker Handera with 320x480 grey scale screen running Palm OS 5.x. See my ran^H^H^Hcomments on PDA design here in my journal [slashdot.org] Of course, it's never going to happen...
  • GRRR! Another poorly designed handheld. Looks like the typical hard-to-touchtype keyboard that is so common on these little things. Rounded buttons tiny buttons are inferior to indented square buttons. The battery life of 7 hours (30 min/day x 14 days) also sucks for sustained note-taking applications.

    Why don't people want usable keyboards and long battery life anymore? Why did Psion die?

    • If my psion seriesV hadnt bitten the big one I'd still be using it. If it had only croaked a few months earlier I'd have been able to get it fixed and still be using it. The palmOS replacement was a letdown.

  • Zaurus C7x0 or PEG-UX50? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by xeno ( 2667 ) on Thursday July 17, 2003 @03:22PM (#6464185)
    Oh, my heart skipped a beat there.

    I'm expecting delivery of my Zaurus C750 today(!). After a long and relatively constructive affair with PalmOS devices, I decided to bite the bullet and get a device that I could actually do some work on (text & spreadsheet documents, email, browsing), rather than just coordinating the work. The last straw was HandEra EOL'ing their PalmOS hardware just as I was looking forward to turning in my 330 for an upgraded version with a color screen.

    But Sony has never been a viable alternative from my POV. Why? All that proprietary crap. I don't want to get into a PalmOS vs Linux/Qtopia debate (I like both), but the Sony custom menu-scrolling-rolodex thing is just horrid (my def of "horrid" is that it slows down usability and doesn't even look cool), and the screen resolution breaks some of my most useful apps. The hardware is the same: Memory sticks are a "non-starter" as those inside the beltway might say. Sony-only accessories? Nah. I really dig having two standard (CF and mmc/sd) ports, and I'd be hard pressed to give that up. It's nice having extra memory, a communications device, AND a keyboard at the same time, ok? So the 5600 Zaurus seemed like the natural progression. Then the C7x0 series came out, and I could resist no more.

    Now, am I sorry I didn't wait for the PEG UX50? Not at all. The UX50 will likely be in the same price range ($650+/-) as the C750/760's and has the same swivel-screen keyboard setup. Nifty. But the screen resolution of the UX50 is half that of the C7x0, it's got only a small fraction of the user memory, you can't expand with standard devices (CF memory, modem, serial, external monitor, etc), tho the built-in wifi i nice. A 0.3 Mpixel camera is the same as the PalmPix, no? I have one; it's useless. The screen swivels in the UX50, but does not switch display orientation. The only advantage I can see is that it *might* be available in the US with direct manufacturer support before Sharp starts selling the Zaurus here.

    Just my $0.02US.

    J

  • Wifi? How about GPRS? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by gad_zuki! ( 70830 ) * on Thursday July 17, 2003 @04:03PM (#6464654)
    I was hoping they would have a GPRS modem in the new Clie. If I'm in a "wifi zone" I'm probably near a computer or laptop.

    Of course people use technology different than I do, but my Sidekick and GPRS through tmobile keeps me attached to the product. I get mail, web, and chat anywhere I go.

    I'm going to hold back my gadget lust back until the Treo 600 comes out. They've already announced plans for GPRS support and I believe Compaq is putting GPRS modems in their future PocketPC models.
  • PalmInfocenter.com, check it 2, 3, 4 times a day.

    If that's not asking for a slashdotting, I don't know what is.

  • Product Info (Score:4, Informative)

    by dmccarty ( 152630 ) on Thursday July 17, 2003 @04:24PM (#6464913)
    Since the comments on this story have been limited so far to the usual it's-against-my-religion-to-read-the-articles-but- I-think-I'll-post-a-+1-funny types, here some information on the unit from the Japanese product page [www.sony.jp] at Sony:
    • Specs:
      • Sony Clie PEG-UX50
      • 802.11b
      • Bluetooth
      • Sony-developed Handheld Engine CPU (8 - 125MHz on demand)
      • 3.2", 16-bit, 480x320 resolution (locked to landscape mode?)
      • 4.1 x 3.4 x .7" (103 x 86.5 x 17.9mm) and 6.2oz (175g)
    • Wireless connectivity [www.sony.jp]: Comfortable wireless LAN network connection, or Bluetooth with automatic switching (corresponding equipment required)
    • Battery life [www.sony.jp]: 14 days of "normal use" (apparently 30min/day, backlight off) with a LiIon polymer battery. An extended battery is available for 35 hours of continuous use
    • Built-in camera [www.sony.jp]: The camera can rotate 300 degrees and take low-resolution stills (.3 Mpixel) or video (160x112) (w/ audio). It has a digital 3X zoom, white balance, "effects function" (It can possibly be used as a remote webcam via Bluetooth?)
    • Web browser [www.sony.jp]: Can be set to a one-button push (woo! note to Sony: check if Amazon already has the patent)
    • Screen [www.sony.jp]: Wide-screen, bright, video-supported, 480x320, 65,536 colors
    • Storage [www.sony.jp]:Memory stick, 22MB built-in, 16MB "of the substance" (?)
    • Build [www.sony.jp]: Lightweight, magnesium case and chassis with security loop
    • Web browsing [www.sony.jp]:
      • Supports: "Forward," "Back," bookmarks, JavaScript (not all), JPEGs, GIFs (animated, too), PNGs and SSL
      • Doesn't support: Flash, Java (?)
    • Video [www.sony.jp]: Can display video up to 30fps, converting AVIs on your computer to MPEG1 or QuickTime. (Can store 130 min of video on a 128MB memory stick, or 460min--wow, nearly 8 hours!--on a 1GB memory stick)
    • Audio [www.sony.jp]: Support audio playback for MP3 or ATRAC3 formats for appx. 16 hours (?) with the standard battery
    • Software [www.sony.jp]: I won't get into the software because unless you get yours now from Dynamism [dynamism.com] it's almost certain to change in the US version.
  • Sony:

    If you still want to buy toys from them and help fund the war on freedom, at least now you can't say you didn't know.

  • "I've always been a bit skeptical of handhelds that have flip out keyboards like this"

    Two questions:
    1. What is there to be 'skeptical' about? It's like a mini laptop. What's wrong with that?
    2. Where are all these flip out keyboard handhelds he is skeptical about? I think there's a decided lack of them.

    I am using an ancient Sharp OZ-770PC [amazon.com] because I simply cannot find a modern organizer with a form factor I like better. (Also, 2xAA batteries last it like 6 months) The TMobile Sidekick looked interesting

  • Why are so many electronics manufacturers insisting on putting tiny little battery sucking crappy resolution cameras on everything?

    I have been shopping for a new cell phone for the last few months and almost all of the new nice phones have a POS camera attached. I don't want that crap, and I have no idea who does. They drain the battery, get broken, dont look nice and add useless bulk to the device and the OS.

    This Clie looks really nice, but I will not even considder buying one until they offer a camer
  • Put in GSM, and I'm buying.

    OTOH, I'm not even interested in the Treo 600; I want a PDA with a GSM in there, not a phone with PDA functionality on it (they already exist, and suck).

    I want the screen realestate and (even just limited) data entry, not a small toy I can't read a book on or plot my programmable calculator of choice on.
  • Wha? The thing is big enough, why don't they just throw the palm OS on one of their transmeta machines?

    I want a PDA that will fit in my pocket COMFORTABLY. The Tungsten T is already too large (as a result I don't carry my palm with me everywhere anymore ) WTH would anyone want this thing?
  • Nothing new here except the CPU and RAM allocation.

    The "Sony Handheld" engine concists of an ARM926-based CPU that can vary between 8Mhz-123Mhz (performance vs battery life trade-off), built-in GPU/DSP, 64Mbit of on-chip RAM, direct interface for MemoryStick/USB/Camera/audio. Basically a single chip computer.

    http://k-tai.impress.co.jp/cda/static/image/200 3 /0 7/17/cli11.jpg

    The UX50 also has a strange configuration of RAM. 32MB DRAM, 16 of which is user sable (the other 16MB is for system heap space). Th

  • Reminds me of the old Psions (Score:3, Interesting)

    by stevarooski ( 121971 ) on Thursday July 17, 2003 @08:02PM (#6466738) Homepage
    I had thought this form factor had died out? It is DAMN hard to type on those little keyboards!! If you want more input functionality than a handheld, get a subnotebook like the Sony Picturebook or Fujitsu's Lifebook P-series. If you want more computing power in a handheld, get a tablet pc.

    I had a Psion Series 5 [series5mx.com] for a while, which also feature a keyboard plus pen input. Despite how dated it is, I still consider it a great little machine--responsive, neat software, worked well with windows, etc. But that keyboard made my hands scream. Eventually, that became the key factor why I gave up using the thing.

    I guess one caveat is that I haven't tried the new thumb-boards that are on the zaurus and the new palms, but at least they don't even pretend to be for real typing--and I can see how they'd be useful for passwords, etc.

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