Comments on: Sony to Unveil New Clie on Friday?

The Investors Business Daily has published a report that a new Clie will be unviled at a press conference on Friday. The new handheld could likely be the prototype shown off recently in Japan. The prototype has a clamshell like design, a camera and some form of built in wireless.

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Ulitmate Clie?

lshanepowers @ 7/15/2003 2:05:24 PM #

Been waiting for a Clie like this. I always though that the camshell Clies were a little akward to use witht the keyboard. Hopefully they'll do it right by including 802.11b and bluetooth. A collapsable compact flash slot would be nice to. This would be great for watching movies. Hopefully Landscape mode we'll be included with builtin apps. Apps that don't support it could just display in the middle of the screen in landscape. We'll have to wait and see. Hopefully Sony won't disappoint.

-Shane

Cool?

abosco @ 7/15/2003 2:32:14 PM #

I think this is going to be another NZ replacement at $800 that'll draw little more than ooos and aaas. I'm guessing $800 for 400 MHz, 128 MB, 320x480 flip and rotate landscape with touch-type keyboard, 2 MP camera, Bluetooth, and Wifi. Then, I'm expecting a TG replacement with 320x480 in a thin design with 200 MHz and 32 MB (16 heap) and Bluetooth at $400. Maybe some low-end replacements if Sony gets bored. And that should end up being the product line before OS 6. Since the top of the line NZ now has 400 MHz and 128 MB, the NX series can finally be everything people have asked the NX73v and NX80v to be with 400 MHz, 64/128 MB, Bluetooth, full CF slot that is actually USEFUL when retracted, plus OS 6. Shower, change, repeat the cycle. That's my take on it.

-Bosco

RE: Cool?

Foo Fighter @ 7/15/2003 4:03:08 PM #

Sony is really starting to piss me off big time. They're mid-range handhelds are a joke compared to Palm and Pocket PC offerings. And for some bizarre reason, they believe we are still living in the halcyon days of high-priced handhelds. I hope HP steals more marketshare away from them. They deserve it.

-------------------------------
My blog: www.pocketfactory.com

RE: Cool?

Tungsten @ 7/15/2003 4:27:50 PM #

"They're mid-range handhelds are a joke compared to Palm and Pocket PC offerings."
You mean the $249 SJ33 and the $349 TG50? They are reasonably priced, but they're about the phased out soon. It's unfair to compare near end-of-life products to just-released.

"I hope HP steals more marketshare away from them."
The new HPs are good but not great. Bluetooth on the sub-$300 1945 is as good as it gets - for now.

"They deserve it."
Let the market sort it out.

RE: Cool?

RhinoSteve @ 7/15/2003 4:41:01 PM #

Sounds like someone needs to get a job to buy more of their toys intead of complaining a lot.

RE: Cool?

abosco @ 7/15/2003 4:49:17 PM #

Who, me? No, I've got cash. Cash isn't the problem. Sony's innovation has drawn them away from some basic concepts. The nit-pickiest of which is the stylus. For years, people have complained about the coffee stirring stylus Sony made. So what do they do on the new NX line? Make them smaller! Maybe since it retracts, we won't notice? I mean hey, a retracting stylus is nice and all, but let me grip the thing first. There are other things like a faster processor. 2 MP cameras and dual wireless is nice, but not when you have less than 16 MB RAM to work with, same goes with the 200 MHz. Thank you FlashSeeker and PXA Clocker.

Sony IS pissing me off, too. The SJ33 was released around the same time as the Zire 71 at $299. Difference? Zire was smaller, faster processor with OS 5, G2, .3 MP camera, and expansion >128 MB. SJ33? An edge on battery life, but it better have that since it runs a Dragonball and is .8 inches thick. And the TG50? Don't get me started!

I'm relaxing. I'll just sit here and watch the orange light on my NX80v as it charges up... ;)

-Bosco

RE: Cool?

Foo Fighter @ 7/15/2003 5:02:06 PM #

Exactly my point as well. Sony should take the SJ33 out back and use it for target practice. Zire 71 walks all over it.

-------------------------------
My blog: www.pocketfactory.com

RE: Cool?

gfunkmagic @ 7/15/2003 6:01:31 PM #

Quote:
"Sony IS pissing me off, too. The SJ33 was released around the same time as the Zire 71 at $299. Difference? Zire was smaller, faster processor with OS 5, G2, .3 MP camera, and expansion >128 MB. SJ33? An edge on battery life, but it better have that since it runs a Dragonball and is .8 inches thick. And the TG50? Don't get me started"

Bosco, that's not true. Sony released the SJ33 in late January and PSG released the Z71 in late April! That's a long time between the introduction of the two models. However, I agree the Z71 is a much better pda and bargain when compared to the Z71. The SJ33 definitey needs an update in comparison. I just think its unfair to blame Sony for not matching the Z71 when their model was released some time before PalmSG's...

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RE: Cool?

jjsoh @ 7/15/2003 6:21:26 PM #

abosco

I agree 110% on the stylus. Why can't they get it right? Not only are they too thin even for small hands, but they keep falling out of the poorly designed stylus holders.

I've recommended Sony CLIE's to my brother and brother-in-law (because they don't care for brands and were purchased at sale prices), and both have been complaining to me about the stylus falling out ALL the time. Whenever I see them taking it out, there goes the stylus towards the floor. I even got them different types of styluses over the years to try and see if they'd work better. Same story.

It drives me crazy, and I feel bad because even though I recommended Sony, I am, and always was, a Palm user/owner. Unless they resolve this problem, on top of other issues like battery life, I don't know if I can ever recommend, in good conscience, a CLIE again.

Jim

SJ33 a good strategy

rmhurdman @ 7/15/2003 6:41:27 PM #

Not only did the SJ33 come out 3 months before the Zire71, it was not a new device. Sony merely repackaged a previous device, added some fancy colour, lowered the price and continued to squeeze every last dollar of revenue they could get out of that portion of the market. It was probably never meant to compete.
And Sony will continue to repackage old models while lowering the price. And most of you technophiles will continue to pay top dollars for the new models, switching back and forth between Palm and Sony, depending on who has the flavour of the month.

RE: Cool?

mikecane @ 7/15/2003 8:01:39 PM #

Cheap stylus fix: wrap some high-end Scotch tape (the green plaid kind) around it to fatten it up so it will stay in its silo.

But, geez, those styli otherwise stink! TungT has the best damned stylus around. Sony should start with *that* stylus and design a PDA *around* it.

RE: Cool?

Marshall Flinkman @ 7/15/2003 10:37:00 PM #

Abosco:

The Zire 71 has OS 5.2, so it definitely isn't running on a DragonBall...

RE: Cool?

jjsoh @ 7/15/2003 11:06:59 PM #

mikecane

Agreed. The Tungsten|T stylus is by far the BEST designed stylus I've ever used. Sony should definitely take some notes.

Also, judging from the image of the new Sony prototype in question, maybe a redesign has already been implemented? It doesn't seem like the conventional Sony stylus design would fit in such a small form factor. That would be interesting to see.

Jim

RE: Cool?

Tungstenman @ 7/15/2003 11:30:44 PM #

Actualy mike, some former sony disigners were hired by palm to disign the Tungsten T, so realy, sony already has this stylus, or at least has no excuse not to have it.

Steve, Tungsten owner

RE: Cool?

cbulock @ 7/16/2003 3:29:01 AM #

"Abosco:

The Zire 71 has OS 5.2, so it definitely isn't running on a DragonBall..."

Actually, Abosco said that the SJ33 was running a Dragonball, which is the only reason it has an edge on battery life.

________________
-Cameron
http://nx.cbulock.com

RE: Cool?

mikecane @ 7/16/2003 6:24:30 PM #

>>>Also, judging from the image of the new Sony prototype in question, maybe a redesign has already been implemented? It doesn't seem like the conventional Sony stylus design would fit in such a small form factor. That would be interesting to see.

I fear it will use that new, AWFUL "mini-stylus" that comes with the new NXes, 73 & 80.

It's unbelievable, but Sony actually managed to take a *bad* stylus and make it *worse*!

Look closely at the lcd display...

mtnbrfl @ 7/15/2003 5:03:41 PM #

It appears to be square, 320x320, instead of the nx/nz 320x480. It also looks much smaller in length than nx/nz models. I'm interested in replacing my T615C, but I want it to be less bulky than the nx/nz's.