No Retail Packaging The Sony CLIE PEG-S300 is Sony's first Palm OS device. CLIE stands for Communication Link Information Entertainment (I really hate weird acronyms). It comes in two different versions. A mono and a color version. Right now only the mono version is available here in the US. The color version which is currently selling in Japan will be released here in the US either at the end of this year or the beginning of 2001. Hardware Specs: Processor: Motorola EZ Dragonball 16mhz Operating System: Palm OS 3.5 Memory: 8MB RAM / 2MB FLASH / 8MB Removable Memory Stick also included Display: 160x160 pixel, 16 gray scale LCD Power: Lithium-ion Rechargeable Batteries Communications: USB and IR port Size and weight: 2.875 x .625 x 4.625in, 4.27oz (7.30 x 1.59 x 10.85cm, 121.05g) When I saw the first pictures of the CLIE on the net, I thought the PDA looked really clunky and cheap looking. But, when I actually saw it in person, I changed my mind. The CLIE is VERY solid feeling. I would say that it is the most solid feeling Palm device to date (other than the Palm V/Vx). Although it is not as wide as a Palm V/Vx, it is thicker and just a little bit longer. I think it is comfortable to hold and use. It feels good in your hand and doesn't flex or creak at all. Below you can see some pictures comparing the size of the CLIE to a Palm V and a Palm IIIc. One thing that I noticed with the CLIE is that it uses regular Phillips screws to hold the case together. This is great for those "I want to take it apart and see how it ticks" kind of guys. :-) When you see pictures of the CLIE, it looks kind of strange because of the silver rails that run along the sides. They aren't actually rails though. The plastic wraps all the way around the PDA. The application buttons are pretty small. They are actually smaller than Palm V/Vx buttons. The up/down scroll button is one piece instead of separate. Even though the buttons are small, they have very good tactile feedback. The buttons are concave and are pretty much flush with the face of the PDA so it is hard to press the buttons by accident.At the top of the unit is a small power button which also has good tactile feedback. The Memory Stick slot, IR port and stylus silo are also located at the top of the unit. The stylus has a plastic top and bottom with a metal barrel. It has a nice smooth tip. I would say this stylus has the best tip of any stock Palm stylus yet. The memory stick is spring loaded and pops out if you press it in. When the stick is fully inserted, the top of the stick is flush with the top of the PDA. When you remove or insert a memory stick, the CLIE beeps (even when turned off) and a small LED beside the stick slot lights up when a stick is inserted. Sony was also nice enough to include an 8MB memory stick with the CLIE when you buy it.Right now, the memory stick is strictly for storage. You can't actually run apps from it. An included app called MSGate allows you to copy to and from the stick. There aren't any easy backup and restore features. You have to manually copy files / databases to / from the stick.Sony plans to use the memory stick slot like Handspring uses the Springboard slot. They want to create accessories such as digital cameras, wireless modems etc. Right now though the only thing the CLIE can use the memory stick slot for is memory. Besides the memory stick, the CLIE has another new hardware feature. A jog dial is located at the top left corner on the unit. The jog dial is a plastic wheel that can rotate or be pressed in. The wheel doesn't have a stop. It continues to rotate in whichever direction you roll it. It is easy to rotate and press. If you press the jog dial in on the application list screen, it will switch to the next application category. If you rotate the jog dial while in an application list, it will popup a pull down list with all the apps in that category listed. You can then rotate the dial to go up and down thru the list. Pressing the jog dial in on an entry will launch that application. The application list popup only stays on screen for about 3-4 secs and then disappears.Applications that have support for the jog dial show up with a little jog dial icon next to them in the applications list screen. The Address book allows you to scroll thru users and select a user with the jog dial. You can press the jog dial again to get back to the address list screen. With the Datebook app, the jog dial scrolls thru days. Pressing the dial cycles thru the different views (day, week, month...). In Memo pad, the jog dial allows you to scroll and select memos. I personally am not fond of jog dials. As a left handed person, the location of the dial really isn't useable for me. If I were right handed, I might use it but I'm not sure. Another good change with the CLIE is the return to the old style backlight. All I can say about this is "It's about time!!!". Instead of the reverse backlight which started on the Palm V, we are back to having the background light up and the graphics stay off. It works MUCH better. |
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