Rumor: Sony S320 Discontinued?
Sony's low-end model, the PEG-S320, now appears on the SonyStyle webstore as "sold out". While it's entirely possible that heavy demand for this model during the holiday season has simply depleted Sony's stocks, the only times in the past Sony has allowed this to happen have been when it was about to discontinue a product.
If so, this would come as a surprise to a great many people. There have been no rumors circulating of a new low-end replacement for the S320, though Sony has done an excellent job in the past of keeping such announcements a total secret.
Possibly, Sony intends to replace its entire line with models from its new T series, allowing them to share many of the same peripherals.
Because of the holiday season, getting in touch with anyone at Sony for comment has been difficult.
The N610C also started being listed as "sold out" at SonyStyle last week. It is expected to be replaced by a U.S. version of the T600C in the near future.
The Consumer Electronics Show is coming the second week of January. It is also possible that Sony will take this opportunity to announce any new handhelds.
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NOT 160x160 COLOR!!
RE: Alas, the S320!
It's a great upgrade from S320.
it's a good things that SONY create a new standard (High-Res TFT) in Palm-based computing.
I think other should follow SONY high-res TFT.
And T415 mono is not a mistake too...
It should be in the low end of spectrum.
Sell to people that don't need color.
RE: Alas, the S320!
160x160 color would compete with the m505 -- and provide that marvelous JogDial.
However, now that Thin Font Fix has come out, it seems the "T615" might be best. But that T415? Forget it!
RE: Alas, the S320!
RE: Alas, the S320!
I have to admit I was puzzled when I saw this device in the store. Not only was it dark and hard to read, it was also very slow in regards to the screen response and boot up time. I'm accustomed to my Palms turning on instantly and flipping through launcher screens with no delays. The T415 was so slow you could see the icons fade onto the screen. The actual processing times seemed ok, but the slow screen would drive me buggy. I think the darkness comes from having twice as many grid lines on the hi-res screen, which is kind loses its purpose on this device. Using the "Actual screen capture" of the trumpet from Sony's website, I found that the image used to promote the T415 looked better on every other device in the store.
RE: Alas, the S320!
Look at it from this perspective: the majority of PDAs are used in a business environment. For many business/executive users, the main game is a small and simple to use PDA; gimmicks are not necessary (and the IT Departments don't want to pay for them, either). From what I've heard about the T415, it will fit well within the enterprise niche. It will have some tough competition (from the m500, in particular) but it should do OK.
Sony (and others) will continue to offer more sophisticated units, so that should keep the more demanding 'power users' happy.
That's the beauty of the Palm OS - it is flexible enough to cater for different tastes. Compare this with the PPC - Uncle Bill forces you to shell out lots of cash for all the fancy so-called 'features', whether you want them or not.
RE: Alas, the S320!
Consider the marketing. Sony is going for entertainment purposes, NOT enterprise. That's a main reason they went for the 320x320 screen. But the screen on the T415 is a HUGE disappointment. If you were buying for enterprise purposes, you wouldn't place a priority on screen res, but you wouldn't be pissed off if the screen were as dim & slow to refresh as the T415. Which means you'd go for a Vx, an m500, or the S320. But the T415? Please! Have your head examined if you believe that one...
RE: Alas, the S320!
I think Sony is really going places in the PDA world. The S360 for $200, the T415 for $250, a T615 for $325 and a T715 with dual MS slots (one half and one full slot and larger batter and soft grafitti and 66MZ Dragonball) for $415 would put the PDA world at Sony's feet by the time OS 5 arrives.
Sold Out
T415 is the replacement for S320
This will help sony fight the eroded ASP.
RE: T415 is the replacement for S320
MSRP Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price.
Nah...
S320 is the real bargain. Basic monochrome, rechargable battery and expansion, plus thin and light... it has the same spec as m500 except metal casing.
why get m500? get S320, save some money for some other things else.
RE: Nah...
RE: Nah...
RE: Nah...
For a handheld, you may or may not care. But it really bugs me that Sony is throwing its corporate weight around, trying to force a proprietary standard onto the market where perfectly good, cheap, convenient, and widely used standards already exist. In fact, even MMC was somewhat redundant, but at least it's somewhat less tied to a single manufacturer and it is being adopted much more widely.
It's pretty clear to me that Sony is able to give you some great deals on handhelds and digital cameras because they hope they'll be making up for it in accessories. Since that money will be coming out of your pockets, their deals aren't quite as good as they may look on the surface. Just be aware of it.
610C Sold out as well
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Alas, the S320!
I just wish Sony provided a 160x160 *color* upgrade path. The mono T415 is a mistake.
And, of course, it'd be nice if they gave us an OS4.1 upgrade -- but I guess that's why it is possibly discontinued.