Rumor: Clie NX Series Can Use CF Memory?

Before you get too excited

http://www.spug.net/reviews/rnx70v_2.htm

here's a first review of this sony.

Just finished reading the NX70v review on SPUG. My NX70 purchase plans are definitely on hold! Thanks for the heads up. I think I will check out ebay for a NR70v.

_____________________________
Phew! Whats that smell!?! Did someone Zire in here? Buy Palm stock...it's only a nickle.

Hmm, I think that the SPUG review should be read with more than just a grain of salt...

A persistent thread is how all the "hires+" apps that were developed for the NR- series aren't working.

You don't say...?

Sony used proprietary graphics extensions for the NR-series and a number of developers updated or created some very cool apps to take advantage of this, BUT it's a developmental dead end. The "hi-res+" apps should really be called "NR-only".

Sony's NX-series uses the new OS5 graphic APIs. Does anyone truly believe that developers aren't going to be updating / creating apps for this device??

It's probably a wise move to wait until there are a few more reviews posted before coming to any conclusions. :-)

Ah, the suspense is nearly killing me. If the CF slot is versatile then it would be a massive plus. I can live with the battery drain - bring on that 1GB Microdrive.

One ClieTokyo member commented that SanDisk hinted that MemStick was on the way out. Did anyone else pick up on that?

Cheers

Matt

I will be very surprised if Sony promotes or encourages the use of the CF slot for memory cards. If that were the case, they would have simply used the SD cards in their devices. I think keeping the MS as the only working memory card on their devices is a major part of their strategy. There are two reasons for this strategy: 1) Extra revenue from the purchase of the MS, which would lessen if CF cards were allowed and 2) The MS factor is what's called a "Barrier of Exit" for the consumer. In other words, someone goes out and buys a whole bunch of MS cards that are completely useless on a non-sony machine, that consumer is much more inclined to stick with Sony. So it behooves Sony to keep MS cards as the only working Memory cards. Otherwise, Sony customers could buy CF cards and potentially move to other devices, though there are few handhelds that use the CF cards (isn't there a PPC that still uses one?).

Just my 2 cents.

With full volume and brightness using that 1GB Microdrive would last about as long as... well, driving to the store to purchase one. Doesn't Sony know about the SEVERE power-drain of CF's?

I don't think you understand the gravity of the situation. We're in space.

The NR-70 is worse on battery life than my 3835 iPAQ which I find quite annoying. The shorter battery life on the NX has pretty much nixed any plans at upgrading from the NR-70, unless the battery life turns out to be much better than what's advertised.

It would be nice to see 3rd parties come out and make viable battery solutions for the NR series. I'd LOVE to see someone make a 2400 ma battery which comes with it's own backplate which can replace the original one. It would take about 10 min. to open the unit, unplug the batttery, plug in the new battery and reassemble.

There is such an application. Fast CPU, currently at version 3.0. I've been using it for many months now and it's a top notch program. I can crank my CPU way down when doing e-books and playing chess and whatnot, but crank it up for games and graphics intensive apps like the Rand McNally Atlas card. The latest rev. overhauls the interface, and adds support for the newest 66 mhz Dragonball Clies all the way up to 99 mhz.

Go check it out!

It is good news if true. Better news would have been that Sony had included full CF support in the first place, rather than "having" to due to pressure.

I'm still not sure what effect this will have. i.e. Will we actually see lots of devices with drivers for the Clie. Hope so, but not sure yet.

Zuber

> There is nothing here we didn't already know

You are wrong. We did not know that the CF - slt that Sony calls a 'wireless' slot - had the capability to support true CF accessories beyond Sony' wi-fi card. They explicitly stated that it was only for this purpose and - although there was speculation here on PIC that it **might** be able to be used for standard CF if drivers were written AND if it contained all the pins of a CF slot. So - we did know. perhaps you just want to complain - but this is important to anybody thinking about plunking down $600 bucks on an NX series device - we want to know what the deal is with the CF slot. So we get an anwser to an obvious technical question - and this bothers you for some reason???!? I don't understand.....

> perhaps you just want to complain - but this is important to
> anybody thinking about plunking down $600 bucks on an NX series device -
> we want to know what the deal is with the CF slot.

Anyone who bases their purchase of an NX series device on this "story" would be an idiot. It tells you nothing more than you knew a week ago. I have plenty of hardware lying around that could do this, that or the other thing if somebody wrote driver X, Y or Z to prove it.

The fact that this story might somehow influence your decision to buy an NX series device only makes my point all the more clear. When there actually are drivers for this device, then that would be a "lead story".

>Yay!!! Only 2 weeks later, and we already have the
>return of the "Lead Story" being anchored at the
>top... to serve the mere 5% of Palminfocenter readers
>that prefer it!
>
>-JWH

Where do you get 5% from? If the Discussion Forum is anything to go by an overwhelming number of PIC readers want to hear (and discus) Sony products and issues.

>After some more thought about this, there is no way
>that what some Sony boob at McDonalds said might be >possible should be a "lead story" over the DataViz >and AlphaSmart stories.

>This whole idea of pushing some kind of "lead story" >to the top is BAD, since it causes people to not see >other new news items.

Knowing the culture there is no doubt that this type of Sony roadshow would have been staffed by more than just a 'boob' or two.

Since when did PIC push "lead stories" as opposed to just putting them in date order? I think this is just nit picking, then again if scrolling down a page to scan articles for interest is too difficult . . .

cheers

matt

But would a company be willing to go to the effort of writing drivers if the only people that will use them are those prepared to have a "little glue and homemade handle stuck to the end of the CF card ".

Zuber

The fact is that this isn't a problem there are plenty of compact flash cards out there that aren't completely smooth and that have some type of notch to extract the card. For example the crucial technology compact flash cards have a perfect notch for getting the card out of the clie. I own a NX70v and just wish everyone would quit talking about whether or not the drivers are going to be written. It would be great if somebody just went ahead and wrote them so I can begin to use the expansion slot.

Yeah, and a 1 hour battery life