A toy to rival all others (for the next month or two at least)
Written: Mar 25 '03 (Updated Mar 26 '03)
Product Rating:
Pros: Fully loaded with user-friendly features (camera, mp3 player, swivel-screen, jog-dial, etc.), some unique
Cons: Price, slight size disadvantage
The Bottom Line: Not for anyone just looking for standard handheld functions, but if you've got the $$ and make use of the features, then this is THE top-of-the-line choice (for now, anyway!).
helpimaddicted's Full Review: Sony CLIE® PEG-NZ90 Handheld
This is my fourth PDA and my second color Sony CLIE. I love my etoys, but even I had to do some soul-searching to justify a handheld that exceeds the price of many starter desktop PCs. But I read up on it and 'lusted' after it ever since I saw it come on the market. The way I put it to my boyfriend was: "If it was possible to fall in love with an inanimate object, then this might be it." (Gee, hope he didn't take this the wrong way--he does love his gadgets too and probably understood...)
Well, I bought it and haven't looked back. I've had it for about a month now and can't say I have any regrets. But I'm the kind of person who would actually use 95% of the features.
My last CLIE was in the N7--C series. I was on the verge of getting the memory stick camera accessory when the NX and NZ series started coming out with the camera already internalized, so this was perfect for me. This camera is beautifully integrated and comes as close to stand-alone quality/features in a 2 megapix digital camera as any PDA hybrid has to date. The one rather minor (for me, at any rate) drawback is that it does make the entire unit slightly bigger (I think it weighs in at just over 10 oz.) and top-heavy. This doesn't bother me, but if you are looking for the nano-handheld that slips into a shirt pocket without a trace, then this isn't it.
There is also a minor issue that it sticks out a bit in the back near the top due to the camera and the completely redesigned USB dock (which is no longer at the bottom, but in the back, protected by a rubber door). The only real issue I have with this is that there have yet to be any really nice fitted leather protective cases that are custom made for the unit, and most of the cases I've seen that can fit it right now are hard, large and bulky, magnifying the size issue (I decided just to go with a Case Logic soft camera case, which works well for me). But again, none of this was a real problem to me, your mileage may vary. You may not even need a case given that it is sturdy metal and has a swivel screen (great feature; you can turn it 180 degrees back on itself and lay it flat on the keyboard, so that your PDA shows only screen and no buttons).
From my perspective, this slight bulkiness is a very minor trade-off for the seamless integration of a fully-functional camera, which takes still and video clips and has more features than other integrated cams (multiple flash modes, timer, auto-focus, competitive image quality at 640 X 480, all shown beautifully on one of the best screens on the PDA market today--a sharp 320 X 480, with beautiful colors). Consider how much space carrying around a personal organizer, MP3 player and digital camera would take up altogether--if you are like me and use all 3 regularly, this is well worth it to get one unit that does everything. I do have a 4 megapix digital cam which I use when I need print-quality high res photos, but I don't bring that with me everywhere; you'd be surprised how many more photos you take when it's so convenient. The swivel screen (and timer feature) make it easy and less awkward to take self-photos, or photos at any angle while still looking at the viewfinder. And everywhere I go, this is an attention-getter and conversation-starter; there has yet to be a time when I've taken a photo with this PDA that a total stranger hasn't come up to me to ask about it.
The photos you do take can be used in a variety of ways. You can make slide-shows to show off pictures of the kids to coworkers. You can write or draw on them and send them by email. You can create photo albums to organize things in, and it has creative options for documenting photos (one example: if you are a cook, take photos of your dishes and write it up using the recipe album template; then beam the recipes to friends). You can even easily add thumbnails of photos to your address book (with little cost to internal memory) in case you are the type of person to have problems putting a name to a face.
Sony doesn't let us down with the rest of its entertainment functions; though if you really want to make the best of all the features offered, you will definitely need a few 128mb memory sticks (retail for more than $100, but can be found for under $50). I have reserved one for just MP3s; you can fit 20 or so songs on one stick. Believe it or not, I actually found myself jogging with this thing today when I couldn't find my Rio player! Hardly something I'd recommend for jogging usually, but it worked well for me in a fix and the sound quality always sounds good through the CLIE player & earbuds (internal speaker leaves something to be desired certainly, but this isn't made for blasting music, of course). The remote control unit attached to the earbuds makes it easy to maneuver around tracks without touching the PDA itself.
The other memory sticks I have are reserved for photos, ebooks, games, other applications, etc. (you basically use the PDA as an external drive and cut-and-paste files once it is hooked up to the PC). Since you can't use the entire 16MB of Intel RAM (next to nothing if you want to get full use out of the rich assortment of features), I highly recommend buying a handful of the Sony memory sticks.
This PDA comes with a pretty generous software bundle. There are little neat "oh, ok, cool" options, like turning your PDA into a remote control for your TV/VCR/DVD (most PDAs can theoretically do this with freeware, but the infrared range on this one is better and makes using it as a remote from far away actually practical). Games do look awesome on the high res color screen; and wait 'til you see what the Matrix Reloaded teaser looks like on its movie player. I especially love PicselViewer, which is like Adobe Acrobat for your handheld--I read anything from bartending drink lists to ebooks and color maps on this thing (you can pick up the whole document to move it over smoothly, easier on the eyes than resizing and scrolling, as seen with many map and document readers).
If you put the executable application in the Launcher folder of the memory stick, you can run files from there instead of the internal memory, and it will automatically find associated files in other folders. I find this really useful for running large app's like Vindigo (finds updated movie times, restaurants, stores, etc. in your local area when you subscribe) and, since I'm a med student, for my medical dictionaries and references. In a flash, I can give you reviews and directions/color map to the closest Italian place from the exact street corner where I'm standing, or punch up a rundown of the various treatments for sarcoidosis, cross-referenced against drug lists in another program. The fast CPU allows for switching back and forth between programs without much pause.
I have still to even explore Bluetooth (now fully-integrated) and the internet functions. Now that I've got the wireless LAN card (sells $150 retail, bought mine for $75; the Sony WL-100 is the only compatable model, so watch that you don't buy the wrong one), I've got no reason not to get a router and start networking this to my desktop PC for wireless internet.
A few last notes on the rest of the features:
Hard buttons: All up and down the sides of the unit, there are hard buttons. Two are for instant capture of voice or photo, so you don't have to fumble around with the screen for spur-of-the-moment recording of spontaneous moments. There is also a "back" button for getting out into the parent menu again, and the standard PDA buttons (datebook, addressbook, find, etc.) are both on the inside where you would expect them and on side rim of the screen.
Jog-dial: I love this thing! The newer-model CLIEs (NX & NZ) have this. It scrolls through long lists and menus effortless and is a God-send when you have a large number of files (the desktop layout is pretty intuitive). Also great for other functions like changing volume when playing music or working it as a remote control for the TV. Once you use it, you'll never know how you got by with just soft scrolling by stylus pointing on the screen.
Mini-keyboard: I honestly find that this is the least useful feature, but that's just me. It is thumb-style, but personally I'd rather just use the soft Graffiti/keyboard pad (both of which are now retractable on command, so you can free up the full screen at other times) or just invest in a full-sized folding keyboard (alternatively, just type on your main computer and transfer over). It is frustrating for me to type on a QWERTY keyboard with just my thumbs and I don't know how anyone who knows how to type puts up with it. I would rather see Sony use this area for other features, like maybe just always have that reserved as a soft tablet, so you don't scratch up the screen (if you use Graffiti a lot). This and freeing up more of the internal memory limits are two things I'd like to see Sony improve on in later models.
Stylus: I've seen people mention stylus issues, but I don't understand that at all... aside from finding the darned thing initially (it's so sleekly docked on the side of the screen, you would never find it unless you knew where to look for it), it clicks in securely and works as any stylus should.
Battery: I think this is the first CLIE with this type of removable lithium battery. So far, the battery life has been consistently about 5 hours. This is fine for me, since that's about 2 days' worth of standard use for me and I charge/sync it daily. If you see yourself constantly using the MP3 player or camera features on a very regular basis, I'd invest in the spare battery (about $80 retail) and/or an extra charger.
Cradle: Neat, I like it. It folds up and is even smaller than before, with the major changes being that the sync button is hidden on the side, and the USB/charge port is on the top of the back surface, as mentioned. I'm not sure why they changed it, but I assume that it was mostly to free up room for buttons and the LAN port, which is now on the bottom.
Swivel-Screen: Although it has worked great for me so far (see above), I am actually paranoid that this is the hardware feature that is most vulnerable to breaking. So far, it hasn't given me problems, but I could just envision potential problems if it were dropped or pushed around when in its "open" position, or if someone tried to force the screen counterclockwise. The warranty Sony offers is 1 year, so I supplemented this with Mack's extended 3 year parts & service warranty (was about $20 on sale); I'd like this to be the last PDA I own in a long time.
Support: Can't forget this. I had heard great things about CLIE support before, and also used Sony support many times in the past (with good experiences), but I must say that the two times I called for this PDA, the support was exceptional. The staff were knowledgeable and very patient and walked me through every area of the problem (I had a hotsync problem because I had had multiple CLIEs in the past), and while we were waiting, even chitchatted with me about other issues I had had with my desktop before. 5 star!
In summary, no, this is not the PDA for everyone, especially if you are sailing on the trend to go smaller and smaller, or just want your handheld to be an organizer and datebook. But if you are a gadgetphile like me who wants the best of ALL worlds, then this thing is as pimp-style and cutting-edge as it gets ;-) Well, for NOW, at any rate... stay tuned...
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