Sony Japan Announces the Clie TG50

Posted By: Ryan Tuesday, March 4, 2003 12:26:19 AM

Sony Clie TG50 (Updated) Sony Japan has announced the Clie PEG-TG50. From what we can tell the TG50 runs Palm OS 5 and has a built in Bluetooth, keyboard and flip cover.

Sony Clie TG50The PEG-TG50 runs Palm OS 5.0. It is powered by the 200mhz Intel PXA250 XScale CPU and has 16MB of RAM. It has a 16 bit, 320x320 pixel display. It also has an integrated Bluetooth (Class 2; 10m) radio, an enhanced IR port, voice recorder, memory stick expansion and mp3 audio.

Directly below the screen is the built in keyboard similar to the one found on the NZ90. It appears you can also enter standard graffiti via a software program.

Its dimensions are 2.8" x 4.96"x .64" inches (71.6 x 126 x 16.2mm) and weights 6.4 ounces (184g).

The device comes with Sony's suite of Palm OS 5 software including the Clie Launcher, Audio Player, Clie Viewer, Clie Mail, an mpeg movie player and Clie Files. There is also a number of bundled third party software including the Macromedia Flash player, Picsel viewer and the NetFront web browser.

Sony Clie TG50So far this model has only been announced in Japan. At this time there is no word on availability outside of Japan.

UPDATE: Pictures at PalmOSLove now confirm that the keypad has a orange tinted backlight. The TG50 has a rechargeable lithium ion battery. Sony says the battery will last 11 days with 30 minutes of use per day without the screen backlight. The casing is made of aluminum. It's is priced at 39,800 Yen, which is roughly $340. It will likely debut around $399 in the US.

Related Articles:
Rumor: Additional FCC Sony TG50 Information

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Treo 90 replacement!

TDS Computer @ 3/4/2003 1:22:34 AM #
I can already see Treo 90 users lining up to upgrade to this little guy. This is what Handspring should have come out with months ago. A killer handheld with these specs, but with an SD slot.
I love my Treo 90, but this is SO tempting, especially if the battery life is pretty good.


Visit us at www.tdscomputer.com

and T|T replacement too...
gfunkmagic @ 3/4/2003 1:40:04 AM #
Agreed TDS, except I would add T|T users as well. I think Sony was looking at the T|T and seeing how people wanted to use the BT connectivity to connect to the internet via BT enabled mobiles. The TG50 offers this functionality with the added feature of integrated keypad which makes it easier for users to send/check sms messages and email. Definitely a good move by Sony IMO...

RE: Treo 90 replacement!
HangoBango @ 3/4/2003 2:45:10 AM #
Not me, I own a treo 90, am the best thing abt it is that I put it in my pants pocket & it's so light (4oz) that I don't even noticed that it's there. Sure, it doesn't have mp3, and BT, but BT is useless unless I have a BT phone. And the only reasonably priced mem stick is 128 & 256MB, which is really not enough to store any music. 512 & 1GB sticks are way too expensive. Treo 90 is the lightest color palm in the world! I wouldn't give it up til someone comes up with something truely better.

- HangoBango
if it's not broken, brake it!
Bluetooth is FULLY MOBILE.
pdangel @ 3/4/2003 6:19:34 AM #
"BT is useless unless I have a BT phone" it's like saying....i have a driving license but it's useless unless i have a car.

The emphasis in Bluetooth is on mobile, re-configurable computerized units that need sporadic contact with each other.
http://www.swedetrack.com/images/bluet00.htm



"There are 2 kind of people my friend....those with wires and those without"

RE: Treo 90 replacement!
CleverClaire @ 3/4/2003 10:51:39 AM #
ok. Now why would a T|T user be inching to "upgrade" to this? Because their T|T is too light weight?

Seriously. I might like a thumbboard. But why would I move from SD to MemStick and add an ounce and an inch to my PDA???? Same memory. Basically the same screen. Proprietary Sony launcher?

T|T has everything on this Clie that matters to most people and is substantially smaller and lighter.

You wish Sony fans.

Claire

RE: Treo 90 replacement!
rsc1000 @ 3/4/2003 11:04:54 AM #
>>ok. Now why would a T|T user be inching to "upgrade" to this? Because their T|T is too light weight?

>>Seriously. I might like a thumbboard. But why would I move from SD to MemStick and add an ounce and an inch to my PDA???? Same memory. Basically the same screen. Proprietary Sony launcher?

Just as important - to a games freak like me - why would i want to ditch my T|Ts D-Pad?

RE: Treo 90 replacement!
sixty-four @ 3/4/2003 11:47:24 AM #
CleverClaire said, "But why would I move from SD to MemStick and add an ounce and an inch to my PDA????"

Putting the TT in a case adds more than an ounce to the overall weight of the unit while significantly increasing its thickness. The integrated cover of the TG50 would be enough protection for my front pants pocket.

Sure the TT has that snap-on cover but it seems like such a hassle to deal with when out and about. I've always loved the elegant simplicity of integrated flip-covers.

I've been giving my upgrade a LOT of thought and have come very close to buying the TT or the Treo 90. I decided against the TT because of the cover-as-an-afterthought and that slider. Ugh, I don't think I could ever get used to it. The incredibly pocketable Treo 90 is a joy to hold and I don't mind the "old school" 33MHz processor and Palm OS4. It's that awful low-res, low-refresh screen. After using my Sony 610 for over a year, the Treo 90's display is horribly jaggy. Still, I'm a function over form kinda guy so I was taking another long look at a demo Treo 90 and was still tempted to buy one. I think I will wait to see how the TG50 feels in hand before I make my decision.

Keep in mind that all of the above comments are made with *my* usage habits as a point of reference. What may work for you might not be ideal for me.

If only Handspring would update the Treo 90 with a 66MHz processor and a 320x320 screen...I'd be all over that like hair on a gorilla.

RE: Treo 90 replacement!
Scott R @ 3/4/2003 12:01:31 PM #
"ok. Now why would a T|T user be inching to "upgrade" to this? Because their T|T is too light weight?"

No, because they both have Bluetooth. And many people purchasing a device with BT will want to hook it up to a BT phone and send emails or do instant messaging. And a thumbboard makes those tasks easier. But, certainly there are tons of people who buy TT's without ever wanting to do any (or much) wireless stuff with it, in which case the TT may be more desirable for them.

Scott

RE: Treo 90 replacement!
twalk @ 3/4/2003 1:00:31 PM #
I've got both a 615 and a treo 90. Love the screen on the 615, love everything else about the treo. A combination of these two would be great.

The tg50 isn't quite there as a combination of the two. Yes, it has the screen, and it has the KB, and even adds BT. But it's bigger than the treo, heavier, and the battery lasts 1/2 as long. Those 3 things led me to the treo 90, and I can't see myself giving up on any of them.


RE: Treo 90 replacement!
M3wThr33 @ 3/4/2003 4:54:41 PM #
Compared to a T|T I'd be losing SD cards, and this thing isn't confirmed to use MS Pro. Also, I can buy that add-on keypad if I want heavy-typing, but the TG50 can't buy another graffiti device. Not to mention the T|T has a MUCH better button config and the 5-way pad?
What would you be GAINING by purchasing a whole new handheld? A flipscreen and keyboard? WOOOOOOOO! Sign me up!

I don't think you understand the gravity of the situation. We're in space.
Palm Bluetooth Stack for OS5
pdangel @ 3/5/2003 2:35:47 AM #
Both Palm and Sony use the Palm Bluetooth Stack for OS5. Other Palm licensees could/will follow imho. The Palm Bluetooth Stack for OS5 is based on the Embedded Bluetooth Software of Extended Systems called XTNDAccess Blue SDK.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?S316250B3 (supported profiles). Extended Systems has more then 130 Bluetooth Customers worldwide.

Every Bluetooth member (more then 2000 worldwide) can pick the available Bluetooth profiles they want to use with there product(s). Palm chose not to include all the Bluetooth profiles that are available from Extended Systems. So Palm has add limited profiles to there Palm Bluetooth Stack for OS5. Adding that certain profiles of the available total of 13 profiles aren't intersting for certain products. It's argueable. It's something different imho when for instance Microsoft picks only 3 profiles with there Bluetooth Desktop Solution and which ONLY works with Windows XP. They didn't include the PAN profile for instance (MSFT profile update will come this year they said). That this Bluetooth Product of Microsoft doesn't work with other Bluetooth Products isn't a surprise unless it supports the same profiles and works with Windows XP. That certain so-called tech writers like our Walter Mossberg of WSJ haven't done there DD and write st@pido things like "...installed the Microsoft software and was using the keyboard and mouse, tested the Bluetooth transceiver to see if it would recognize another Bluetooth-enabled device -- a Sony T68I cellphone. After following 46 arduous steps -- 46! -- with help from a technician, we still couldn't get our computer to communicate with the phone. In my test, I couldn't get it to work with a Bluetooth-equipped IBM laptop."

Now what a surprise.....This is a Microsoft issue not a Bluetooth issue imho. You could say that every company should include the complete profiles but, like i explained above, certain profiles aren't useable in certain products. You don't need the Headset profile with a keyboard for instance (ok maybe some do ;o)

"....Bluetooth is being optimised for a myriad of different roles. With these 12/13 new profiles, in addition to the 13 existing profiles, Bluetooth's abilities are being solidified from vague goals to practical real-world implementations. As more and more products implementing these profiles are released, the true potential of Bluetooth should be realised, showing to the user the practical uses of Bluetooth-enabled devices, as opposed to industry promises & newspaper predictions of what Bluetooth can do. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a digital camera transmitting a image to a mobile phone, via a Bluetooth link, is worth even more to Bluetooth's future user up-take."
http://makeashorterlink.com/?H2D5420B3

deadline.


"There are 2 kind of people my friend....those with wires and those without"

RE: Treo 90 replacement!
pdangel @ 3/5/2003 3:10:56 AM #
By the way.....i e-mailed Mister Mossberg about this but he didn't find the decensy to e-mail me back and to edit his article. Are these so-called tech writers great or what?

Thumbs up....not

:o(

"There are 2 kind of people my friend....those with wires and those without"

Sony Ericsson CDMA phone (for Sprint?) with Bluetooth
pdangel @ 3/5/2003 3:29:06 AM #
Sony Ericsson T608 color-screen phone will be available in North America in the second quarter for use with CDMA networks. It will be the first CDMA phone with Bluetooth wireless technology available in the U.S., the company said. It includes a joystick and a navigational joystick.
http://biz.yahoo.com/djus/030304/0645000587_1.html

mobile.burn.com: The T608 is Sony Ericsson's first phone for Sprint and the first CDMA handset in North America with built in Bluetooth. To be used on Sprint's CDMA 1xRTT network, it can be expected to share the typical Vision features such as GPS, Java Games and Polyphonic Ringtones.
http://mobile.burn.com/news.jsp?Id=187

Sprint will offer Bluetooth Handsfree as accessoiries with there phone.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?L357420B3

Sony Ericsson Bluetooth phones include the R520, T39, T68i, P800 and the upcoming T610 (T68i's substitute), T608 and Z1010 dual mode UMTS/GSM-GPRS phone
http://clubsonyericsson.com/en/
http://clubsonyericsson.com/en/products.htm
http://www.sonyericsson.com/t610/
Z1010 dual mode UMTS/GSM-GPRS phone with Bluetooth connections to up to 100 meters
http://mobiledreams.free.fr/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=55

Available/Arriving Mobile Phones with Bluetooth(+ CDMA/Bluetooth issue; scroll)
http://makeashorterlink.com/?L225259A3

*The Motorola TimePort 270c is a CDMA phone and has been available in the US but has Bluetooth as additional/optional feature and not built-in.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?C587250B3
http://www.4cellular.com/search/phone_Detail.cfm?id=8

Products like this Sony-Ericy CDMA phone with Bluetooth and the new Sony Clie Devices makes Bluetooth Wireless more attractive in the US and Asia imho.



"There are 2 kind of people my friend....those with wires and those without"

Sony Ericsson Bluetooth Music Hands-free HBM-30
pdangel @ 3/5/2003 4:04:36 AM #
Sony Ericsson Unveils Accessory for Music Lovers: the Bluetooth Music Hands-free HBM-30: Doubling as a high quality digital audio player and wireless hands-free to any Bluetooth™-enabled phone, the HBM-30 is the latest addition to Sony Ericsson's leading portfolio of mobile phone accessories. The Sony Ericsson HBM-30 is a small-sized music player for MP3 and ATRAC3, utilizing Memory Stick Duo for music storage. Through Bluetooth wireless technology, it can be connected to any Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone and in that way also be used as a handsfree device. When a call comes in, the music will be muted and the user can choose whether to take the call or not. The display will show the name of the caller when not showing the name of the song playing. The HBM-30 can also be used without being connected to a phone. Consumers can easily update their music library by using the music recording function of the HBM-30, or by using a PC. For PCs without Memory Stick drive, there is a wide range of adapters. The HBM-30 comes with high quality stereo headphones from Sony and 64 MB Memory Stick Duo and will start shipping during second half of 2003. Bluetooth products communicate by means of a radio link, eliminating the need for a physical connection via cable. Bluetooth wireless technology has been adapted by the world's leading mobile phone, computer, laptop and PDA manufacturers among others as the ideal cable replacement technology. Sony Ericsson today has the most comprehensive portfolio of Bluetooth phones and accessories. Sony Ericsson Bluetooth phones include the T68i, P800, T610 and T608.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?K148660B3

(REMINDER) PalmSource and Sony Ericsson Bluetooth Deal
Posted By: Ryan on Thursday, October 17, 2002 3:25:08 PM
PalmSource, Inc., and Sony Ericsson, today announced their plans surrounding optimization of the Bluetooth interoperability between Sony Ericsson mobile phones and Palm Powered(TM) mobile devices.
http://www.palminfocenter.com/view_story.asp?ID=4382



"There are 2 kind of people my friend....those with wires and those without"

RE: Treo 90 replacement!
gfunkmagic @ 3/5/2003 4:05:19 AM #
wow, thanks for the links pdangel!!

RE: Treo 90 replacement!
pdangel @ 3/5/2003 4:14:39 AM #
No thanx gfunk (i thought it was P-Funk? ;o) By the way....i met George Clinton once in Den Haag after the North Sea Jazz Festival had ended. Great guy. oooops of topic.

I never give up the "funk". Love those old funk/soul guys like Larry Graham, Zapp, Johnny Guitar Watson, James Carr etc. yeah yeah.....deadline.

"There are 2 kind of people my friend....those with wires and those without"

Would take convincing to go back to Sony...
hawkspy @ 3/9/2003 11:37:09 AM #
Horses for Courses I suppose - but for me the lack of battery life in Sony products and their unforgiving data-loss if battery runs out really takes the gloss off their otherwise great products.

Also - the screens for the CLIEs have always had a bluish tinge to them, not to mention the irritating narrow font they use as a hangover from the japanese character development base.

I swapped TO the Tungsten T from the T665 and am really pleased with the battery life (considerably better brightness-for-brightness), implementation of simple bluetooth. And for me - grafitti has been an excellent way to enter notes on the fly - I wish T9 had carried on into OS5 - but I have the slim keyboard for longer text tasks and until such time as an OS5, phone/BT/Wi-Fi unit is released...see no need for an on-board keyboard.

As I began - horses for courses...but I love the small Tungsten T.

TG665 Navigation Buttons

ProE @ 3/4/2003 1:38:37 AM #
I just look at the TG50's pages posted on Japan site. I don't know if any of you guys notice the navigation buttons look identicle to the T665! From the T665's reviews, that is one of the cons on this model. Check this out:
http://www.sony.jp/products/Consume...pop_feat1_6.jpg

Also, VG on TG50 seems to take up space on the screen. If you use the VG on TG50, you will only have few space left to see things. Check this out (scroll all the way down at the bottom):
http://www.sony.jp/products/Consume...TG50/feat2.html

:)

RE: TG665 Navigation Buttons
Marshall Flinkman @ 3/4/2003 10:18:41 AM #
That page comes up "not found"...

RE: TG665 Navigation Buttons
cbowers @ 3/4/2003 4:21:11 PM #
Did you mean:
http://www.sony.jp/products/Consumer/PEG/PEG-TG50/feat2.html

Instead?

If they did VG as in HandEra and NX70/NZ90 fashion, it would mean a 240x320 (the 80 pixel space at the bottom for the VG), space for the app to display in. Don't know about that. It leaves a non-square area for a non-high res app to fit into.

You could perhaps do something like the reversi game image:
http://www.sony.jp/products/Consumer/PEG/PEG-TG50/Images/feat4_15_2.gif

Where the app displays in the square area of the upper left. In this case a 240x240 display. Leaving 80 pixels below for graffity, and 80 pixels on the right, for whatever. Blank space? Or write to it with a proprietary Sony API?

Not unlike the HandEra 330. A 240x240 display (doable also with the OS5 API with 1.5x scaling mode). You can shrink the VG area and get 240x320.

All speculation. Interesting device though. Page-up/Page-down seems to be the only nasty detracter. Sure there's the jog dial. I can send page-up/page-down with the jog dial on my HandEra too (on non-HandEra-ized apps), but the hardware buttons still get their use. Often the jog dial is trapped for special use, leaving you with the hardware buttons again...

RE: TG665 Navigation Buttons
Nebrie @ 3/4/2003 4:36:31 PM #
They look inverted with the buttons raised and a slit in the middle that is recessed.

Apples to oranges
Marshall Flinkman @ 3/5/2003 2:21:33 PM #
Virtual Graffiti and the onscreen keyboard are two totally different things. The screens shown at the foot of Sony Japan's page are for entering text in Japanese, whether in western letters (the lowest image on the left) that are then converted to Japanese characters, or tapping on the kana the way we tap on the onscreen keyboard on most Palm OS devices. Not likely to be something we'll see in a US or EFIGS version of this device.



lets see how smart sony is

navomaal @ 3/4/2003 2:13:59 AM #
I would love to know how much this product will sell for. If it were the dummies from palm - the would try to sneak it in for 499 - whereas sony - hmmm...I think we should just let the history speak.


RE: lets see how smart sony is
graph @ 3/4/2003 4:40:36 PM #
Lets see how smart sony is in figuring out that the UP and BUTTON SUCKS! and NO the jogdial will never replace up/down buttons.

Ive been waiting for this model but im not so happy of seeing the same up/down button on my 665c

I wonder...

hellferno @ 3/4/2003 2:31:42 AM #
This seems like a killer product, but...

Now that Palms are running ARM, StrongArm in fact, is the day near that people will be able to choose between PalmOS, Pocket PC, or Linux? Also,

How in hell can Sony make something that small, functional, and beautiful with basically the same (or better) hardware that makes Pocket PCs so clunky?


RE: I wonder...
asiayeah @ 3/4/2003 3:31:04 AM #
It's just that the resource requirements for Palm OS 5 is still smaller than that of a PocketPC and the Palm OS 5 is just more energey efficient.

--
With great power comes great responsiblity.
RE: I wonder...
rsc1000 @ 3/4/2003 11:08:40 AM #
>>Now that Palms are running ARM, StrongArm in fact

Its not StrongARM - it's XScale.

RE: I wonder...
kidA @ 3/4/2003 11:30:56 AM #
clunky, eh? have you seen the ipaq 1910? it's one of the smallest PDAs on the market, PalmOS or PocketPC.


RE: I wonder...
BlueAnon @ 3/4/2003 11:32:28 AM #
200mHz PXA 250 to be precise. Nobody else is using 250 in new product anymore. Casio E3000 and Tosh E750 have gone 255.
RE: I wonder...
Wollombi @ 3/4/2003 7:58:22 PM #
>"clunky, eh? have you seen the ipaq 1910? it's one of the smallest PDAs on the market, PalmOS or PocketPC."<

Uh...yeah. And it's also one of the slowest and worst performing. Your arguement is invalid.

_________________
Sean

It is not very comfortable to have the gift of being amused at one's own absurdity.
-Somerset Maugham-

RE: I wonder...
BlueAnon @ 3/4/2003 8:13:53 PM #
Clue up before start blabering.

http://www.pdafrance.com/articles/article.php?
cat=machinesppc&id=242&p=3

RE: I wonder...
abosco @ 3/4/2003 8:49:14 PM #
Wow, a French review. Is not being able to read it proof that it's actually fast? Maybe you're the one who needs to "clue up" before you start trolling.

Oh, and the HP1910 is unbearably slow. I thought I was using my m105 when I was playing with it.

-Bosco
Proud Member of the Top Non-Mods
Members: abosco and ImpReza M3

RE: I wonder...
BlueAnon @ 3/4/2003 9:55:40 PM #
really? is it as slow as wordsmith spell checker? I have to admit h1910 is not as fast as flyinng saucers tho'

h1910 speed
mj6798 @ 3/4/2003 10:39:46 PM #
I have played around with it at a store. Even running PocketPC software, I found it to be very responsive--better than my, admittedly, aging Palm. And the things have been selling like hotcakes. Running Linux or PalmOS, the h1910 should fly.

Bluetooth-enabled iPAQ H1915 (updated 1910) Coming!?
pdangel @ 3/5/2003 3:16:45 AM #
Bluetooth-enabled iPAQ H1915 (updated 1910) Coming!?
http://www.infosync.no/news/2002/n/2951.html



"There are 2 kind of people my friend....those with wires and those without"

RE: I wonder...
jackatwork02109 @ 3/7/2003 12:27:30 PM #
I own the iPaq 1910 and it is neither clunky or slow. It also overclocks easily with little effect on the decent (for any color device) battery life.

However that said, I would have purchased this instead had it been available 3 months ago. It is a little homely compared to the 1910 but looks very useable, and with the backlit keyboard would have been exactly what I was looking for.



VG Model coming anytime soon?

Juno017 @ 3/4/2003 2:36:28 AM #
This would be the perfect PDA for me if it had Virtual Graffiti instead of that built in thumbboard.

RE: VG Model coming anytime soon?
pen_n_paper @ 3/4/2003 4:48:59 AM #
actually they do have VG they stuck it in with the keyboard...its a really small samll screen if you do that.....though


----------------------------------------
Join my forums and read my reviews at,
www.pants-onfire.2ya.com
Current reviews,
TT,Zire,NX60/NX70v

RE: VG Model coming anytime soon?
Fammy @ 3/4/2003 10:25:53 AM #
One day someone will listen to us and release a thin mid-range PDA with OS5 and virtual grafitti.

Garmin was close, in my opinion. I don't have a need for the GPS (but it would be fun).


_____
Fammy

RE: VG Model coming anytime soon?
hotpaw4 @ 3/5/2003 1:57:49 AM #
The TG50 *has* virtual graffiti capability on its square display.

If you mean a hires+ (320x480) display, then where in a slim unit are you going to put the battery to power that many pixels? Battery life (power on time) is usually more related to the number of pixels on the display than to the CPU MHz.

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