Comments on: Sony Clie TH55 Review

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GNM

If you see a Sony PDA come out with an SD slot, or indeed Any sort of expansion that isn't Memory Stick or otherwise Sony-crafted, then the world has ended. I'd sooner expect a native Linux port of Microsoft Office.

I'm happier than a pig in poop with the th-55, no kidding. The battery life is excellent and wi-fi works so much better than BT for what I need (wireless networking w/o a BT phone)

The only problem I have with the TH-55 is that the stylus sucks eggs. It's reminiscent of the toothpick from a Swiss Army knife, in size and quality.

I love my Clie!

BikerTech

But it's worth taking an hour or so to start from scratch and re-install stuff. There are a lot of orphaned files that get left on your PDA that are worth getting rid of to free up memory.

Couldn't agree more. I messed up my first T series this way... had to go back and install from scratch when a few forgotten files transfered from my M515.

Anyway what about the TH55 when compared with my current PDA the T3? It uses Memory Stick. I don't own any Sony PDAs since the NR70V so I don't have any with me. So I can't test the VFS speed. The screen is very nice, not as bright as my T3 but still nice. There is no landscape support. Landscape support is essential for me as I use them for reading books and surfing WebPro. I do not like the flip cover. Its cheesy and does not fold all the way back. Lets hope some company create replacement leather covers that can be folded.

The PIM is interesting...I would say its a nice addition but I rather have the full Outlook field compatibility on my T3. But its nice, I guess we have to wait for an OS6 Sony before we have the best of both world.

The camera is useless. VGA...come on!

It is slow. Even within Sony's designed and optimized new launcher its slow. But not too slow. I will put it on par with an OMAP powered OS5 PDA.

I hate the position of the jogdial. Why? It is a mad place for gaming. It is nice to be innovative but not at the expense of usability! It seems as though Sony can't think of any other way of making their Clies unique so they put the navigator at the back. It did make the Clie unique but in a bad way. I like the casing though. Non slippery and looks tough. Probably won't need a case to protect it.

Overall I did not buy it. OS6 is just around the corner as with official PPC2004 PDAs. And Sony's UK service is just pathetic.

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PDAs: Psion 5> Vx > m505 > N770C > T625C > NR70V > Toshiba e310 > T/T > HP h2210 > T/T3
Mobiles: StarTac > Ericsson T28m > T39m > T68m > T610 > T630
DigiCam: Minolta DiMage E323

I tried the Sony Clie TH55 in the store, and one of the first things I notice it's very sluggish, no where near as responsive as my Tungsten E with it's 126 MHz OMAP 311 processor.

I don't know, but was wondering if the extra PIM functionality is dragging the whole thing down.

Well there you have it. No wonder it felt sluggish, and it's battery lasts so long, as you sacrifice responsiveness, when it running at low speed.

Check the TH forum at ClieSource.com for comments on the BestBuy.com preorders. I had mine on preorder there as well and gave up after waiting 2 weeks. I ordered mine from ecost.com for a mere $6 more than the BB price, and had it within 3 days. They've got it for $339 + shipping right now.

Mark

BikerTech

Bingo, you hit the nail on the head! Sony would not have put all that work into the processor if there was no advantage in battery life. If a person does not like charging, then they should not complain about speed, even though the speed of the TH55 is fine for most things. Likewise, someone who buys a compact device with the fastest processor and a lot of RAM really can't expect battery life to be a strong point.

BTW; the PXA255 in the T3 also does a speed change in some situations, but does have the level of control that the Sony does. The CPU clock on the T3 is set to 200Mhz, with 400Mhz being the turbo mode. From the looks of it, it kicks up to high speed whenever it's not loafing around in one of the PIM apps or something like that. The actual CPU can cruise comfortably at 532Mhz without a drastic hit on battery life, but it does make a difference. Above 550Mhz, you're on your own, as this gets into the grey area depending on the individual chip. If you plan on exploring the upper limits with a utility, be sure you have a current backup and know how to open your device to disconnect the battery! If it freaks out due to overclocking, you will NOT be able to do a reset.

I don't think those utilities would work on the TH55 with the differnt CPU and speed management built in.

I won't be going pack to Palm. This was far too late in coming out.

Jejoma

Not exactly a full sized screen, but certainly an awesome phone. I can see why you're a happy camper with it. I'd consider it if I did not need Office compatibility (or all the $ I've thrown into games!)

Exactly. I got a cheap Zire 71 to tide me over. If this TH55 had come out a year ago, maybe. If it were now selling for the TJ37 price, if, if, if. But, I am not getting a TH55. Sony just doesn't want to make PDAs. They just want to make money and stare MS in the face in as many markets as they can.

Mark

Really? Too cool, I'll check it out.

Palm Pilot 1000 > Palm Pilot Professional > Palm III > Palm M100 > Sony Clié PEG-T415 > Palm T|T3

this really stinks. :(

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PalmPilot>PalmIII>HandspringDeluxe>ClieT615

It is a manufacturing technique that wireless phone manufacturers use all the time. For example, they mass produce a phone with multiple band capabilites (1900 MHZ CDMA & 800 MHZ AMPS), but may sell it to a wireless provider at a cheaper price who only needs one band, with firmware disabling the use of the extra bands. It would simply cost more to make a special batch of the phones with the extra hardware removed.

In the case of Sony it could just be wishful thinking on my part. I wish I knew the reason why Sony did this.

Question -- have you figured out a way to tell it not to show completed todos in the contents panel? I can't make mine go away.

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"Well, if it isn't the leader of the wiener patrol, boning up on his nerd lessons"
http://stirwise.com

I don't use CO, so I only go in there to poke around. The lack of certain settings and features then begins to annoy me, so I go running back and hug DB5. Incidentally, CESD released a version SM of DB5 that eliminated the dupes, if you ever want to go back to DB5. It works just fine.

Other than that, I absolutely love my TH55. I'm just waiting for the perfect bottom-flap slipper case to be created, and I'll be totally happy.

First, the TH55 comes bundled with 3 different launcher options. You can use the standard Palm-style launcher with the additional option of Sony's tiny icons view. You can use the Sony Clie Launcher, which is the long-list view with the category 'dial' on the top left. Or you can choose the Clie Organizer launcher, which is basically the Palm-style view, with tabs on the side, and some 'favorites' docking spots on the bottom.

So there's no lack of options where the launcher is concerned on this model. Just pick the one you like the best, and make it your launcher. I applaud Sony for offering all of the options, since everyone has their own style and organizational levels.

Regarding the CO itself, it has mostly better functionality than the built-in Palm Datebook, but those functions are still in their infantcy. So it's totally a matter of taste at this time. Eventually, I think a lot of the options and intuitive items that folks are used to will be incorporated into the CO components. It'll be interesting to see how deeply Sony wants to venture into the software business.

Ah...I think I know why Sony is excluding BT from US models. Most Europeans buy PDAs from America through online merchants because its cheaper. An European Bluetooth only model can be seen as an incentive to some people not to purchase from the US.

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PDAs: Psion 5> Vx > m505 > N770C > T625C > NR70V > Toshiba e310 > T/T > HP h2210 > T/T3/HP h4150 (est arrival 25th March)
Mobiles: StarTac > Ericsson T28m > T39m > T68m > T610 > T630
DigiCam: Minolta DiMage E323

Yep! I can vouch for that -- I see them in NYC stores all the time wanting to buy PDAs and cellphones to take back and use in Europe. It's bad enough having to keep track of US cellphone options and standards -- but then you have Euros asking about *their* systems.

They did not save any significant money by its exclusion, but it must be cost related. Perhaps to prevent erosion of another product... maybe they aren't selling enough BT Memory Sticks ;)

So if you have both cords hooked up to the dongle at your PC, then you're going to get charging while syncing. However, if you do it like I do, and sync at the desk while charging by the bed, then you are only getting the sync cord coming into the dongle (no power/light, doesn't engage the charger) at the PC, then you take the TH55 and the dongle over to the bedside table and plug the power into the dongle in order to charge. The dongle makes it rather annoying.

So, really the TH55's battery is incredibly better than the T3's... well, time to look for PowerToGo and such.

While we're at it... anyone knows if I could build a recharger from 4 NiMH AA batteries? 4x1.2 volt=4'8, close enough to the 5 volts provided by USB or the T3 power brick, so I guess it should work; but the fact is, the closest commercial thing I've seen uses a 9 volt battery...

Sony already makes a recharger that uses 4 AA batteries (alkaline or rechargeable). Check under Clié Accessories on their Web site and then use Pricegrabber.com to find the best price.