Comments on: Clie T665 and SJ30 Special Edition Preview

EXACTLY.

Every time Palm (or another company using the Palm brand) releases a "special edition" handheld with special casing, it seems like they're bashed MERCILESSLY by people on this site--particularly the Sony users (heck, I'm a Sony user and I still find it annoying).

Wonder what the bashers will say this time around. Here's hoping the end of anonymous posting will keep these people quiet.

That said, the orange is, well, "interesting." Personally, I wouldn't buy it, but more power to someone who does. Variety is what we need in PDAs now--not only of features, but of looks. This is what always amazes me about the current PPC offerings--pretty much cookie-cutter iPaq clones. Sure, they're getting cheaper, but lower price only takes you so far. What I like about PalmOS is that there's a nice variety of devices available, with many others still to come. Maybe this variety will eventually get rid of the tired "My PDA can beat up your PDA" attitude.

quote:
:: This is what always amazes me about the current
:: PPC offerings--pretty much cookie-cutter iPaq
:: clones. Sure, they're getting cheaper, but lower
:: rice only takes you so far.

That is a very good point, and part of the reason for that is Microsoft's hardware/liscensing requirements. It's almost like the PPC market is turning into a PC "white-box" range with the similarity between devices. I think most people would agree that the more variety the better and that is on of the stregnths of the palm os platform

So you mean orange case and sliding D-pad is the reall deal instead of Low price with stacked up spec?

Quit your PPC loving/Palm OS pooing attitude because PPCs have the same washed up appearance and functionality that brought them under the Palm OS in sales and is continuing to do it. Face it, days on bragging rights about your PPC are over.

---
I suport pudlik edicashun.

whose day is over? How about new cheapo $299 iPAQ that compete even with t655 dragonball, nevermind TT.

http://mypdacafe.upasia.net/members/iPAQfreak/1910.bmp

Hey Ska, if you like that cheapo iPaq go ahead and buy it but please quit comparing PPC vs Palm OS. That's a never ending story and it won't end even if you find PPC better or if I think that Palm OS 5 has given a very tough (almost deadly) kick to PPC.

_______________________________________
Nothing: the worst you can do.

LOL!!!
I cant believe theres actually hypocrits out there who think that the Palm OS will rule out PPC2002.
Hell, now that Palm has the same features of the PPC, im so glad that people will see the clear side, and buy a cheap, Viewsonic or Dell PPC for half the price of this fungsten.
Palm's theory: "You dont need it until we've created it"

"Now thats just PRIME!"

You are an idiot..... like anyone on earth in the PDA business cares about the specs.... it's people like you that cause the PocketPC to have the pitiful market share it has now, buddy.

-Davy Fields
http://nr70.davyfields.com

ska: "So you mean orange case and sliding D-pad is the reall deal instead of Low price with stacked up spec?"

Well, I wouldn't necessarily say they're the "real deal," but the point is that there is no "real deal" anymore, or at least shouldn't be. Handhelds are maturing as products, which basically means that there are more factors than simply "what's under the hood" to take into consideration.

Let's take the "more features + lower price = everything" argument into desktops. Based on this reasoning, I should get the most basic-looking tower with the fanciest components that my neighbor can build after shopping at Fry's for an hour. This would be the cheapest, most feature-packed machine possible. Why don't people do this? Because they want variety, which includes the look of the casing. Same thing applies to laptops, cell phones...name the product.

Am I evangelizing PalmOS? Hardly. But I think this is a strength of the platform. I also think PPC was good for handhelds, if only because it raised the bar on features. However, Microsoft's micromanagement of the hardware has sanitized the PPC line. PPC 2000 was far more interesting in terms of hardware. PPC 2002 is trying to make iPaq clones as cheaply as possible, which lowers prices, sure, but which also eliminates variety. I think that's a mistake.

At any rate, enough of the PPC talk. This is PalmInfoCenter. If you want to evangelize PPC, go to a PPC site. I think this is a nice development, even if it's not exactly revolutionary, for Sony, and I hope more PalmOS licensees take these things into consideration.

ok so I take it Palm Inc according to you succesfully foster diversity. ..?

current generation: 2 companies and 3 models as of now...so much for blooming diversity

alexp,

YOU ARE TOTALLY WRONG!

How long after the product first released did Palm make a "speciali edition"? 18 month!

How long after the product first released did SONY make a "speciali edition"? 4 month!

No wonder palm was bashed, because they could not come up with new modle with new spec !!

------ achen@clie.info ------
Why get Palm when you can get a Clie?

Basically, I think Ska is a knob.

Handhelds are not really like PCs at all, where the market has become 'commoditised' (if that's a word!), and people do look for the most 'bang per buck'. Handhelds are all about 'doing things' and are consumer tools. Companies like Sony and Nokia understand this. Nokia's best selling phones are not their most expensive (nor even their mid-range), but the ones that are most customisable. People like to feel ownership with their portable devices -- because they are with them constantly, it is an extension of themselves in much the same way that the clothes they wear are. This is particularly so for the teenage market -- the next purchasers of PDAs.

Now, if you are of a (slightly) older generation, more used to conformity (maybe you all wear the same dull blue or charcoal suit to work), the similarity between PPC devices and the standardised 'corporate' look is comforting. The market for PDAs is pretty stagnant at the moment -- maybe this is due to people holding off buying until the Palm OS 5 devices arrived; but more likely it is due to the majority of consumers feeling that they don't need a PDA, or that it is too geeky, or one doesn't fit their lifestyle needs.

Okay, so Palms are a little expensive at the moment (I guess they are trying to recoup some R&D costs quickly from the early adopters); but variety and a consumer focus is what is going to expand the PDA market. PPC clone manufacturers would do well to head this.

FBN.

ska and Fzara2000's comments are disturbing the peace of this forum. If you two like PPC so much then go to a PPC only forum.

Please Ryan do somenhing about people like these.

Well at least Fzara2000 is not as annoying in this forum as in brighthand where he constantly bashes palm Os users.

uhh....drool....

What would I do for one of these!

Seems pretty damb inovative to me!
Much more than my m130. I don't need the best Palm out there but I sure as hell need something better than what I have!

yes it is true !

------ achen@clie.info ------
Why get Palm when you can get a Clie?

Thats nice to know.
How much longer will it last?

I just ordered one 2 days ago from Amazon. Not only is it $249, but there is free shipping and a $25 rebate. I had to cancel it the next day when the TT was released. I only hope that Palm doesn't jerk me around like when I pre-ordered my 505.

There have been a few price cuts today:
SL10 $150 -> $130
SJ20 $200 -> $180
NR70V $550 -> $520

Also check out the deals on reburbs in the "Clearance" area.

- Dan

Do you think this price reduction means an OS 5 SJ30 size model is on the way?

It would be great to have a mid end O% handhleld with the same form factor as the SJ30 (exept for the tickness, .5" would be much much better).

O%

Sorry a typo, I mean OS5.

Price cuts are nice, but does a few dollars really help?

a $10 cut doesn't make me want to run out and get one.
Whatever these prices are, I don't have a clue what they would be in Canadian, I guess a hell of a lot more.

For get about the T series, how about the SJ30 with VG!!!!!

___________________________________
Yankees, Steinbrenner,...... I will never turn to the dark side.

I don't think the SJ series could *fit* the virtual graffiti screen (from top to bottom) let alone fit it within a protective case or anything.

In terms of area required, any Palm device with a silkscreen area could have VG. However, the extra depth of the display needed for all those extra transistors and backlighting may lead to problems. Certainly I don't see a problem -- especially if manufacturers start using Lithium Polymer batteries that can be made into wierd and wonderful shapes (even the casing?).

Still, I prefer the metal case of a T Series or Tungsten over the SJ's plastic.

FBN

the reason i stated what i did is because the VG area is most definately taller than a normal graffiti area.

the VG area is half as tall as it is high, whereas normal graffiti is about one third.

Apparently there's been a delay in posting the SJ30 Special Editions. Although the price of the sliver SJ30 is now $250, the Sp. Ed. are likely to be $300.

BTW, we did get authorization from Sony to post this article with info on the SJ30 before they did. Heh, how's that for a scoop?

- Dan

What colour is it?
How is it special addition?

-Andrew
_______________________________________
Email me about anything at
andrewholler@rogers.com
Current PDA:= Palm M130
by the way, Can someone buy me a TT?

LOL - someone *had* to post that ;-)

good one!

e740, m500, T615, m515

Not sure in this case - it might mean that they're just trying to entice more Christmas shoppers.

Of course, with Sony's past history, it probably won't be too many months before we see new models.

- Dan

> they're just trying to entice more Christmas shoppers.

Looks to me like they're trying to entice more Halloween shoppers, but they've only got a couple of days to do that.

It comes standard.

We just found out that the T665C Special Edition will also come with a free Cordovan leather carrying case (as per the promotion for the silver T665C). However, that appears to be a recent decision, and we didn't get that case for the review.

- Dan

I have just come out of a store that had a Tungsten, & a Sony SJ30 which I placed together side by side along with my 505 and I was amazed at how poor the Sony (screen clarity not resolution) was by comparison to the Palms which were easy to read without the backlite. The Sony was dim even with the backlite in artificial lighting conditions in the shop so I am wondering how much worse it would have been in bright natural light.

I am also wondering why the Sony SJ30 dosen't use a reflective display like the Palms? Is there a trade off somewhere that I missed? I have heard great things about Sony, so I hope the Palm Gurus will be able to fill me in.

Thanks Guys

Carlos