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 Sony Clie PEG-N710C Review Comments
 Sony Clie PEG-N710C Review Comments (Page 1)
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| Author | Topic: Sony Clie PEG-N710C Review Comments |
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Julie Administrator Posts: 2752 |
posted 06-12-2001 12:45 AM
   
Post your comments here on the Sony Clie PEG-N710C Review. http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/sony-n710c-review.html Just click the POST REPLY button on this page. |
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Nexter unregistered |
posted 06-12-2001 02:05 AM
Nice review, but I think that Julie seriously left out or overlooked something I feel that is very important in a review of a PDA device. That is the battery life of the Sony Clie. I would like to know, how long does the battery last for when using it as a regular PDA, as opposed to using it as a MP3 player a lot, or a combination of both. Sure it's nice to have all those cool features, but if the battery doesn't last that long (my opinion would be at least 10 to 15 hours continuous usage between charges), then I think the usability of the Sony Clie is well compromised in the face of all the fancy features it has. P.S. A device that acts as an MP3 player should have a belt clip kind of holder or case so that it can be clipped on the belt like a walkman, does anyone know if the Clie has such an accessory/ability? |
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clierocks unregistered |
posted 06-12-2001 02:35 AM
I was wondering where you got this. Is it widely availble yet. I am from Canada and was wanting to get one of these. I don't want to drive down to the states and come back empty handed without a Clie. Also I was wonder, since the clie can double as a memory card reader, can it only read/transfer audio files, or can it transfer pictures and also pictures taken with other sony memory card products? Thanks for the great review. |
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10basetom Member Posts: 30 |
posted 06-12-2001 02:42 AM
The ultimate machine would be the new Clie married to the HandEra 330: * Clie's metal (?) body Well, I guess it won't be supremely ultimate unless it incorporates features from other Palm and Pocket PC devices as well, but I'll leave that up to everyone's imagination -10bt |
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TheDreamer Member Posts: 10 |
posted 06-12-2001 07:36 AM
Two thoughts on the Sony Clie PEG-N710C review.... Would a person with a Palm Vx buy this (or the Palm m505)? Or should I just wait for the next color device. I originally was leaning to the m505, but since its not compatible with my accessories....not is no longer a criteria. Hmmm, what was the second thought...oh yeah, has anybody heard anything about wireless Internet for either devices (710 or m505)? I heard about bluetooth for the m505, of course then I would need a bluetooth access point....of course it probably won't be too horrible since I don't travel much...so an access node in my office and another at home might be tolerable....at least for the first few days while I show off the latest 'toy'. Which I'm starting to suffer from withdrawal, because I haven't had one lately 8-). |
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JUlery unregistered |
posted 06-12-2001 07:55 AM
I have had my Clie for a little over a week and so far have been fairly impressed. I have noticed that the unit is less than stable when playing MP3s in the background, (I've had to reset it several times) but other than that it appears to be a good PalmOS-based PDA. The USB connection has had a few problems, but I've experienced that with PocketPC devices as well. I was NOT able to easily move from my Vx to this unit. I had to export my old Palm Desktop entries and import them into the Clie Desktop. I was able to beam NotePad to the Clie and use it successfully, (using Z'Catalog) which I have not been able to do with any other color Palm unit. One of the posts above asks about battery life when not playing MP3s and I have to say that this unit seems to last at least as long as my old Palm Vx. It charges quickly and holds the charge during heavy usage. The nice thing is the fact that I can dim the front lighting or turn it off completely if external lighting conditions allow. I was lucky enough to get one of the first 128 meg Memory Sticks from CDW, and for now, at least, I've got enough room for pictures and MP3s (video just isn't worth it, too slow and blocky). The Sony part number is MSA-128A and the CDW part number is 293313. I'm looking forward to Sony releasing (I hope) either PalmOS 4.0. Maybe then the unit will support 16-bit color, although the 256 dithering is really, really good. |
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Julie Administrator Posts: 2752 |
posted 06-12-2001 09:01 AM
Nexter: You're right, according to the specs on Sony's site, the Clie can get 15 days of typical PDA use between charges (that is a few minutes here and there during the day with no MP3 playback). With MP3 playback and the display on, you can get 3hrs of use. With the display off, you can get 11hrs. During my few days with this PDA, I didn't notice a problem with battery life. clierocks: TheDreamer: JUlrey: Julie |
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bookrats Member Posts: 110 |
posted 06-12-2001 12:02 PM
Thank you greatly for the review, Julie. I was looking forward to information and perspective, and your review delivered. Also some great info -- I hadn't known about being able to copy MP3s directly to the memory stick by mounting the Clie from the Audio Program! Cool! Since I have no interest in video playback, and have no problem using 3rd party software to run apps from the memory stick (particularly as I understand that there is VFS support on the Clie for the memorysticks), my total tally for the Clie is somewhat higher than yours. I also have NT4, which would be a problem (no USB), but I understand from various postings that the old Clie S300's serial cradle will work fine with the new Clie. I'm currently waiting to hear if Handspring announces anything to compete with the Clie at next week's NYC PC Expo. If not, it's a Clie for me! ------------------ |
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bookrats Member Posts: 110 |
posted 06-12-2001 12:04 PM
quote: I don't think the Sony case has a belt clip. As a long-time Rhodiana belt-clip person, I'm with you there -- I want a case with a belt clip. However, pickings are slim at the moment for such a beast with the N710C. I sent a note to Rhodiana and Vaja; the former provided no plans for a N710C case at the moment, while Vaja said they planned to make one, but didn't have a date. However, I understand from an article on VisorCentral that E&B is releasing a Slipper for the N710C in the middle of this month -- and that would almost certainly have a belt clip. ------------------ |
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bookrats Member Posts: 110 |
posted 06-12-2001 12:10 PM
quote: If I go the Clie route, I was planning to take the route bradhaak suggested over at VisorCentral -- use the old Clie S300 Serial cradle, and just continue to use the conduits and my old Palm Desktop 4.0 (not 4.01), which is already set up for my Visor Deluxe, to sync with the Clie. Then add the individual Clie drivers/conduits to the setup individually. We'll see if that works.
quote: I found it amazing that the N710C hardware can support 16-bit color; the OS just doesn't support it yet. Take a look at the "Sixteen" application from Red Mercury over at PalmGear HQ -- it's rather incredible. ------------------ [This message has been edited by bookrats (edited 06-12-2001).] |
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narnia_77 unregistered |
posted 06-12-2001 12:30 PM
quote:It depends on how it was when the unit turned off. If the backlight was off when you turn the PDA off, it will still be off when you turn the PDA back on. |
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Julie Administrator Posts: 2752 |
posted 06-12-2001 12:39 PM
narnia_77: You're right! I just tried it. But, by default the backlight is on as in, reseting the device will always set the backlight status to on. Julie |
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Jeff D. unregistered |
posted 06-12-2001 12:54 PM
You mentioned in your review that you considered this the best color Palm OS unit on the market, but it had not replaced your IPAQ. What specific issues prevent you from switching from the IPAQ to the Clie? If you were to rate them against each other as the two leading contenders for each OS, how would each of them rate on your list of PDA factors you consider? I am currently struggling with M505 vs. IPAQ decision because I use both for different tasks and they each have different weaknesses and strengths. Maybe your experience can shed some light. Your reviews are the best I have read on a rapidly changing subject. Thanks for the great work. |
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Stewy unregistered |
posted 06-12-2001 02:21 PM
Been waiting for this for a while. I had a ppro (1mb) then upped to a IIIx, now its time to up again. cant decide over this or the handy330... bonus i have my memsticks from my sony digital camera that i can swap them around etc... assuming i dont have to 'format' them differently than whats the clie reads... having read reports on the non 4:3 aspect ratio of the handera 330.... makes me wonder who will get most support for the extended screen size, handera or sony... aargh! but sony has 4mb flash, 2mb more than handera... hmmm now i just have to wait till it comes to the UK!!! |
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bookrats Member Posts: 110 |
posted 06-12-2001 02:56 PM
quote: Take a look at Red Mercury's discussion of the N710C's high resolution support at: http://www.red-mercury.com/N710Cperformance.html They tend to believe that the high-resolution scheme Sony uses will be incorporated into future versions of the Palm OS (i.e., 4.x), as opposed to the Handera scheme. ------------------ |
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Keylar unregistered |
posted 06-12-2001 03:53 PM
I think it will depend greatly on whether Palm decides to add virtual silkscreen or not. The HandEra resolution makes the most sense with the virtual silkscreen, the Sony resolution makes the most sense without it. The HandEra resolution is actually more of an industry standard, the main issue with it is that it is not as compatible with games as the Sony resolution is. I personally would rather that Palm add the virtual graffiti, than pass it up just to stay compatible. But I think that is probably how they will go anyway. |
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tthiel Member Posts: 72 |
posted 06-12-2001 05:31 PM
I bought a Clie a week or so ago and returned it today. I was in love with it at first. Such a great screen. But after using it for awhile those tiny buttons and especially the scroll bar just got to me so I couldn't stand it anymore. I need to read and store alot of text and it just wasn't working for me. I've had a Handera for a couple of days now and even thought its pretty retro with its size and mono screen I think I'll be using it for awhile. |
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RickO unregistered |
posted 06-12-2001 05:45 PM
I've had my CLIE for about a week and have been very pleased with it. I just finished reading Julie's excellent review and am in agreement on pretty much everything that she wrote. A few notes: - Although the image that appears in the corner of an address book entry is small and blocky, you can tap on that image and bring up the original image from Picture Gear. With the CLIE's support for 320x320 images, the quality of the actual snapshot is excellent. - Converting from my Palm Vx was very straightforward. I used BackupBuddy to sync the Vx for the last time, essentially taking a complete snapshot of the Vx. When I synced with the CLIE for the first time, I identified it with the same user ID and all my data got uploaded. There were a few quirks with third-party apps (for example, TravelTracker became disconnected with the entries that it had made in the datebook) but those were easily fixed ignored without consequence. - BTW, I am doing all my hotsyncing on a PowerMac using the CLIE MacPack -- to date, USB syncing has been reliable, fast and seamless. - Yesterday, I, too, noticed some instability with MP3 background playback and I had to soft reset the device. Looking forward to a software upgrade. Finally a question: I use SilverScreen (it's great to finally have that in color!), and it's showing something a bit strange on the CLIE. Two applications were loaded to the CLIE during my first hotsync: the newer version of AudioPlayer, and a copy of MS Gate. When looking at the CLIE from the built-in application chooser, everything looks OK. However, when listing all the loaded apps in SilverScreen, I see two separate copies of Audio Player (one is version 1.3 and one is version 2.0) and two separate copies of MS Gate (both version 2.01). I can't delete the extra copy because it's locked or in ROM, and so far there seems to be no conflict problems. Has anybody else seen this? Any ideas about how to proceed? I sent a support e-mail to Sony, but so far nothing useful in response. Thanks! |
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orph Junior Member Posts: 1 |
posted 06-12-2001 05:55 PM
What about expandibility? I love the clie's screen, but I'm sure Handspring will come out with an OS4.0 with 320x320 res. With my iPaq and an Orinoco card, I can standalone web surf and e-mail along with all the other good things PocketPC's can do (except authenticated SMTP, and using it with a Sun workstation). Without authenticated SMTP, I can't even use it standalone since most mail services requires this now as an anti-spam measure. I got a Prism and am saving for the Xircom Wi-Fi Springboard module. This'd give the connectivity of the PocketPC with the ability to sync with something other than Outlook or a PC (as an engineer, I have to use Sun's), and at home, I wouldn't need to be tethered to my PC. paul |
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Unregistered unregistered |
posted 06-12-2001 08:54 PM
Those people who are worried about the Clie's battery life might want to check out my site for battery rundown test results... http://gizmo.digital-alchemy.net The clie performed quite well, outlasting the m505 by a good margin, although it takes a bit longer to charge. Also of note is the clie's screen... its beautiful and all but its really spongey... i find the m505 much easier to write on... i constantly feel like im ripping or scratching the clie screen. (still using it as my main pda though) |
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unregistered unregistered |
posted 06-12-2001 11:18 PM
Good review, but I feel the memory stick format should of been listed is a con. |
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samsilverstein unregistered |
posted 06-13-2001 12:36 AM
Only one thing left out. The Clie will easily sync with a Mac. You need the extension available at www.markspace.com Sony should include it. It costs $30 and works great. If you want to run the other Sony software on the CD then use Virtual PC. I have the Clie and really enjoy it. |
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mikecane@wildmail.com unregistered |
posted 06-13-2001 10:06 AM
Great review, Julie. One point I thought was missed: in Prefs, you can set the behavior of the JogDial so it selects from the icons directly, instead of using the (standard on the S300) pop-up list that you have a screensnap of. Go try (if you still have the unit; if your iPaq has not beaten it up out of jealousy...) |
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Julie Administrator Posts: 2752 |
posted 06-13-2001 10:28 AM
Mike, You are right, you can select from a pop up list or by icon. I'll update the review with that info tonight. Julie |
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JohnKes unregistered |
posted 06-13-2001 11:54 AM
Looks like for $50 more than the m505, you get the better screen but you don't get DocumentsToGo ($30 value). Thus the premium you pay to go with the N710C is $80. Considering the cost, I think I will stick with my Visor Deluxe until someone combines the best of m505, N710C, and the Handera 330. JK PS Have you heard of the MemPlug for Compact Flash springboard? |
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Julie Administrator Posts: 2752 |
posted 06-13-2001 12:02 PM
JohnKes: I have a review sample of the MemPlug and will be posting a review soon. Julie |
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Alchemist42 unregistered |
posted 06-13-2001 12:12 PM
JUlery, You mentioned using Z'Catalog to move notepad to the clie... id wanted to do that for a while... (i have alot of notes in notepad, so right now im carrying an m505 and the clie... carrying the m505 just for the notepad). So i tried it last night... Installed ZCatalog on both units... when into Z'Catalog and checked the 'show rom' function on the m505... i then beamed note pad.prc, note pad.ovls, and npad.pdb and all seemed well... but whenever i try to run notepad i get an fatal exception forcing a reset. How did you get this to work? Thanks... |
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palebear unregistered |
posted 06-13-2001 02:02 PM
julie, in your review you mentioned that when you downloaded several gMovies for the new CLIE from the gMovie site they were corrupted and gave a "Fatal Exception". I am not sure if the page that we were working on was the one you went to (ours is a sony page), but if so, could you try downloading those files again. We were having problems with propagation over our various servers, and thus some users were downloading potentially older corrupted files if they hit certain servers. this should be fixed now, and i'd like to know if you have success playing the movies now. the url is: http://www.spe.sony.com/pda/indexmedia.html thank you, |
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virginia unregistered |
posted 06-13-2001 07:07 PM
Well done! Definitely the best review I have read so far, English or Japanese. I have been using the Clie for about a week now, and there are a couple negatives which I have noticed. 1) When looking at the screen straight on, there are some horizontal lines which are most noticeable on the higher brightness settings, especially in low light situations. Those lines really irk me, as I am used to the pristine white background of the Casio PPCs. Certainly though, I prefer the horizontal lines to the "black grid" of other color Palm OS machines. Even with the negatives which you mentioned and those I listed above, the Clie is clearly the best choice for me right now. On the other hand, I don't see myself buying a large MS for music anytime soon, so maybe I should have held out for the N610C As for MS being a "con," I see no reason to believe MS will be a liability. As soon as bluetooth SDs etc are released, and MS versions are not yet out, I will believe this. Until then, it's just a your guess vs mine type situation (wah wah proprietary shmaprietary |
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Edwards Member Posts: 108 |
posted 06-13-2001 08:44 PM
Great review for a great Palm! Two things though: What are the differences between Palm Desktop (3.x or 4.x) and Clie Desktop, and could we see a picture of the front with the Clie turned off, Please? |
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yorbaknovla unregistered |
posted 06-14-2001 12:46 AM
quote: Probably a little co. called Handspring... |
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Derek unregistered |
posted 06-14-2001 01:41 AM
hi Julie, just a question for lefties. Do you find difficulty is using the jog dial on the Clie? That has been the main reason why I have not serious considered Clie. Do you think it will be comfortable? |
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tkim unregistered |
posted 06-14-2001 09:24 AM
Hi Julie, Nice review. I have an N710C and would agree with your review of the nuts/bolts of the device and your overall impression. One question lingers in my mind. I've heard of the dust problems with the displays on the iPAQ and the m505, but this is the first I'm hearing about it for the N710C (although I suppose this was an inevitable problem given the iPAQ has had problems with this). My main question is this: Do you know if there is any way to clear that dust? If not, do you know if that is covered under the warranty? Thanks! |
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Julie Administrator Posts: 2752 |
posted 06-14-2001 10:31 AM
Jeff D.: The reason why the Sony doesn't make me want to switch back to Palm OS from my iPAQ is that I just happen to prefer the Pocket PC at this moment in time. I prefer the larger screen of the iPAQ (I read ebooks so the more content I can get on a screen, the better), better graphics in games and applications, better audio out of the speaker, voice recording capability, and audio book capability. RickO: Regarding the two copies of the Audio Player and MS Gate, I think you just have to deal with it. The new versions in RAM take priority over the older versions in ROM. Unregistered: virginia: As for the punctuation marks appearing larger with the smallest font, I think the problem is that the appear to be bold. I'm just noticing this with just the period and the comma. Edwards: Derek: tkim: |
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ronako Junior Member Posts: 1 |
posted 06-14-2001 03:06 PM
I have purchased the Sony Clie PEG-N710C and I have noticed that on my unit, Sony took out the Hi-Res option in the preferences that was reported in the review. I read in the manual that it will detect whether an application will display in 320 by 320 resolution. If not, it is supposed to automatically change to 160 resolution. Before this Clie, I had the the IPaq, the newest one (Too lazy to write model number, just ask if you want to know). The hardware was great, but being a palm and computer expert, i found it not as great because I think of pocket pc's as mini laptops that have less resources. It had 32mb of ram, but I was frustrated by the memory management of pocket pc's. You have to constantly stop a program once your run it. I am very happy with the Clie because I have more use for it. It is lightweight and thin. Besides, the datebook and address functions are the basic functions which are simple on a palm and are more than adequate with the thousands of software available on palm. You may not know it, but battery life on a palm os unit does not compare to a pocketpc unit. |
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Edwood unregistered |
posted 06-14-2001 05:41 PM
Does anybody know anyone that makes an adapter like the Palm Dock V or Bridge for the Sony CLIE PEG-N710C? I want to use my Palm III accessories like Stowaway Keyboard for the Sony CLIE PEG-N710C. |
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Edwards Member Posts: 108 |
posted 06-14-2001 09:30 PM
Julie: I don't exactly understand your reply. What is the difference between PD 4.0.1 (which has IR and USB support) and "Clie Desktop"? Also, what about the picture? If you don't have a picture of the Clie anymore, you could point me to another site with a pic. |
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Edwards Member Posts: 108 |
posted 06-14-2001 10:01 PM
O wait, Here it is. Really makes the Bar with the name Clie under the graffiti space stand out. And there is no Clie Desktop. I just read that in a post. [This message has been edited by Edwards (edited 06-14-2001).] [This message has been edited by Edwards (edited 06-14-2001).] [This message has been edited by Edwards (edited 06-14-2001).] Oh look! I got the link to work after 4 tries! [This message has been edited by Edwards (edited 06-14-2001).] |
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bookrats Member Posts: 110 |
posted 06-15-2001 04:23 PM
quote: Good news -- Targus is selling the Stowaway keyboard for Clie starting next week. Amazon.com has already taking orders as of next week. ------------------ |
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Garrison Member Posts: 39 |
posted 06-20-2001 12:53 AM
Well I looked at one of these today at the local Best Buy and it was rather nice. But I'll be sticking with my PPC. I was a devoted Palm user for 4 years and they do what they do well but this new offering doesn't do anything that the PPC's don't already do twice as well for the same price. I just don't see what the appeal is besides the slightly smaller size. The size is nice but functionality is what I crave and as far as handhelds go the PPC wins that game hands down. Most Palm users still do not realize that there are a ton of programs available for the PPC now. I can do anything on my PPC (a Casio E-125) that I could do on my Palm and do it better and there are lots of great features that the Palms don't offer. Even the Clie falls short. Ronako there are a couple of programs WisBar and GigaBar that are free that you can use on the PPC to instantly close programs without having to jump through the normal hoops. For those of you who want the PPC but don't want to give up the shortcut functionality of the Palm there is a version of the writing program Calligrapher coming out shortly that incorporates shortcuts and makes them much easier to use than on the Palm especially if you have a large list of shortcuts. That was one feature I was still missing from the Palm until recently. The writing recognition with Calligrapher is extremely good even allowing for the use of cursive. Calligrapher is a beta test right now but is looking very good. The PPC's memory can also be expanded way beyond the 32 meg it comes with through the use of CF cards from which you can run programs without any special software. If you haven't tried out the current crop of PPC's then you owe it to yourself to give them a try. And don't jump to immediate conclusions by comparing it to your Palm straight out of the box. It took me several weeks to get into the PPC loop the way I had been into Palm and find all the necessary software to make the change over. My main reason initally for changing over was that we started using them at work so I really had no choice. I've had mine for nearly a year now and I wouldn't go back to Palm even if we stopped using them on the job. Don't get me wrong the Clie is nice but for the money you can get so much more with the Pocket PC's, with the acception of the Jornada which is an inferior product. But the Casio or the Compaq will not disappoint once you get into the community and see what they can do. This site - http://www.pocketpcpassion.com/ - is an excellent resource for the new PPC owner. |
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