Sony Clie NX60 Discontinued, NX70V Lowered

Posted By: Ryan Monday, May 5, 2003 3:38:06 PM

Sony has discontinued the Clie NX60. The NX60 was the lower priced NX series model that lacked the built in digital camera. In addition the NX70V price has been lowered to $499.

Sony quietly moved the NX60 to it's list of discontinued handhelds. Sony never announces or gives reasons for price cuts and discontinuations.

The NX60 was the lower priced alternative to the NX70V. It debuted in October of 2002 at $499 USD. It shared the same form factor and features as the NX70V, but left out the digital camera. It ran Palm OS 5 and included a 320x480 screen, the 200mhz Intel PAX250 processor, 16MB of ram and an integrated thumboard.

The Clie NX70V model has been lowered by $100 to $499. Historically when Sony cuts prices and discontinues models, replacements are not far behind.

It is reasonable that Sony will use a faster processor and offer increased memoryin any future device. The PXA250 processor, which Sony has used in all of their Palm OS 5 models, was recently discontinued by Intel and replaced with the more energy efficient PXA255 which can run at speeds of up to 400mhz. Palm OS 5.2.1 has also removed the 16mb internal memory constraint, paving the way for more internal RAM for all Palm OS licensees.

Thanks to Devan for the tip!

Related Links:
Purchase the NX70V at SonyStyle
Find the lowest price on the NX70V

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Battery life

MP3 @ 5/5/2003 4:23:03 PM #
First post! ;-)

I guess the new "energy-efficient" means that the Clies won't have a shorter battery life than the Palms like they used to, doesn't it?

RE: Battery life
bobes @ 5/5/2003 4:46:27 PM #
if they continue with the HR+, it'll still have a shorter battery life copared to the Palms

cool! i'm looking forward to seeing new Sony handhelds!

killah fury @ 5/5/2003 4:24:37 PM #
Hopefully, a t665C form factor machine with 64mb of Ram, virtual graffiti, no keyboard, Palm OS 5.2.1, this new Intel processor and bluetooth.

RE: cool! i'm looking forward to seeing new Sony handhelds!
xtremist5150 @ 5/5/2003 4:39:06 PM #
Boooorrrrriiinnngggggg.

RE: cool! i'm looking forward to seeing new Sony handhelds!
abosco @ 5/5/2003 4:39:15 PM #
Actually, that would make perfect sense at $499, and an upgraded NX80v with 64 MB RAM, 400 MHz PXA255, and 1.3 MP camera at $599. This lineup would be great.

-Bosco
Proud Member of the Top Non-Mods
Members: abosco and ImpReza M3
Now accepting new applications
RE: cool! i'm looking forward to seeing new Sony handhelds!
Fammy @ 5/5/2003 5:03:10 PM #
I saw the NX60 for $300 this week. Tempting! Too bad I'm invested in the SD card technology - flash drive, PDA, camera. I'm not buying memory sticks too.

_____
Fammy
RE: cool! i'm looking forward to seeing new Sony handhelds!
robrecht @ 5/5/2003 5:05:54 PM #
Bosco's right--don't anybody disagree with him except maybe for those who also want built in WiFi. Of course, I'd also like a removable batter. Oops.

Thanks, robrecht
RE: cool! i'm looking forward to seeing new Sony handhelds!
abosco @ 5/5/2003 5:10:41 PM #
Oh yeah, I also meant built-in Bluetooth, OS 5.2.1, and 1200 mAh removable battery like the NZ90's, so that's cool!

One thing I'm praying for is support for 320x240 video recording. 160x112 is starting to get on my nerves.

-Bosco
Proud Member of the Top Non-Mods
Members: abosco and ImpReza M3
Now accepting new applications

RE: cool! i'm looking forward to seeing new Sony handhelds!
HandyMan @ 5/5/2003 5:14:15 PM #
At least now with the CompactFlash driver you can get a CF/SD converter and still use SD cards if you wish.

I do hope that the next verison (NX80 or whatever) still has a CF slot that's compatible with the drivers. It would make a great replacement for my T665C.

RE: cool! i'm looking forward to seeing new Sony handhelds!
AmrMan0628 @ 5/5/2003 5:48:22 PM #
We're all so anxious to see this new Sony (if one is even coming out) but the thing is that everything upgrades too fast. By the time we, or atleast I, buy a decent PDA, something new comes out. I bought a m500, then an m515, then a Sony NR60, then NX70V, each time hoping I won't have to upgrade for another year (Boy, what was I thinking?) Thats almost $2000 just to upgrade to the newest and hottest PDA. I'm not putting down PDA technology... I love it... but I think this is what aids in low sales, tech economy going down and etc... How many people are able to buy a new PDA every month when a new one comes out? And how does this make a person feel when after buying the newest bad boy on the market, something smaller, faster, better, more efficient comes out? Again... do not misunderstand me as I love new technology and high-tech toys... but I'm just trying to make a statement and explain how I feel.

-Come with an open mind
RE: cool! i'm looking forward to seeing new Sony handhelds!
peitron @ 5/5/2003 6:05:25 PM #
Sony is a joke. How can they launch a new PDA every month and discontinue their products after only 6 months in the market? That either reveals that they're launching products without a clear understanding of their targeted consumers or that they just want to gain marketshare without any regards for their existing clients. Ultimately, brand-loyalty is the secret to success in every consumer market. Is Sony building brand-loyalty this way?

_____________________________________________
"Why should I care about posterity? What's posterity ever done for me?" - Groucho Marx
RE: cool! i'm looking forward to seeing new Sony handhelds!
Kaitou @ 5/5/2003 6:07:28 PM #
Heh, I know what you mean.
But I update yearly, at around this time. I had my Palm IIIx (8meg upgd) till early summer, two years ago, when Sony released the N710. The first Hi-Res model, with MP3's. I waited a year to upgrade hardware (tho I did upgrade to the N760's flash rom) I passed by the T series, till the NR70V came out, at around this time, a year ago.
My trusty NR lasted me till now, but I am itching for a new model already. So this new NX, whatever it may be, will be my next Clie, for another year or so. Just staying at this sort of cycle helps me deal with "new product envy"

Sony's cycle is always rather interesting.

They generaly release a $599 model, and a $499 counterpart, at around late spring/early summer each year. They may follow up with an incremental upgrade by end of summer (ie N760). Then they release the "next-tier mid-range model" such as the T series, along with an upgrade to the lower-end model in the fall. Winter releases are more sporadic, but it seems a safe bet to count on them to release a "high-range" model at around this time yearly. Thats where I keep my chips anyway.

RE: cool! i'm looking forward to seeing new Sony handhelds!
Kaitou @ 5/5/2003 6:17:08 PM #
My previous post was to AmrMan, this is to peitron:

I think they are actualy. I never understood the people who complain that their model is obsolete, just because a new one is coming out. With Sony's current product cycle, there is a Clie for pretty much every budget, the connector is the same for all of them, my charger cable works on my NR70, my brothers T615, and my friends' NX70. With the product cycle, Clie are never far behind the technology curve, and as they only add things, and never remove them, I haven't really had any compatibility issues.
As for brand loyalty, check out sites like ClieSource and CliePlanet. Based on them, my answer would be that Sony is indeed doing nicely in that area. Just because a product is discontinued, doesn't mean there is no support for it, nor does it mean that it stopped working for you.
I'd much rather have a whole range of Clie to pick from, and to know that if I don't see something I like, I only have to wait a few months, for new offerings.

RE: cool! i'm looking forward to seeing new Sony handhelds!
Miss Clie @ 5/6/2003 9:02:41 AM #
I'm sorry, but boo-hoo to the poster up above!

It must be so terrible to feel obsolete because Sony continues to make new technology. That Clie in your hand must just fall dead the minute a newer model comes out!

I'm still happily using my 760C - and guess what? It still works great, has tons of space even though I've got 30 or so apps on it, I can still use new software and play the newest games (unlike when my PC gets old), and I haven't needed to buy any new add-ons for it in a while.

Try (I know, it's hard) being happy with what you have, and view the parade of new technology as something radical - like a *choice*, not a requirement. Sheesh. You'd be complaining just as bitterly if there was NO rapid new technology development.

- Miss Clie

A new NX should be better

jfbarros @ 5/5/2003 5:09:30 PM #
I am looking forward for a thinner form factor, longer batery life, Radio/TV and a better digital camera (Keeping the current features, like MP3 player and Hi-Resolution). In my opinion the problem is the Memory Stick's size, it's too big in comparison to SD, and the price is really expensive, mainly MSPro. Ah! Before forgeting, the price must be at maximun $500

What I've been waiting for

Kaitou @ 5/5/2003 5:26:07 PM #
As for me, I am just looking for a trade-up for my NR70V. So long as it has the NX form (CF included), a nicer camera, and at least 32 (64 pref) ram, thats all I need. Other extras would certanly be nice, and knowing Sony, I do expect a few other additions to sweeten the pot, but I am pretty much sold on it already. Seeing the trend over the past few years, it'd be logical to expect a $599 release price for the top line NX with camera.

RE: What I've been waiting for
Lidocaineus @ 5/5/2003 6:34:24 PM #
No offense, but why in god's name do people upgrade such new tech, ie the NX70V?? Even with stuff like BT and a better camera, more ram, and a faster proc, can you folks really justify a practical reason to upgrade a $500+ piece of equipment, or is it just more of the must-have-the-top-of-the-heap syndrome? I mean I survived with a Palm Vx from the time it came out until just recently when I upgraded to a T|T. But by that time, the Vx had paid for itself over and over again.

RE: What I've been waiting for
UZI4U182 @ 5/5/2003 7:23:55 PM #
I upgraded to the NX70v because I wanted it's functionality. WiFi, fast, multimedia, huge screen, and super expansion. I no longer want a laptop now because I have something that can do all of what I would do on a laptop.

UZI4U182@suscom.net
Main PDA: Sony CLIÉ PEG-NX70v
WiFi setup coming soon...
RE: What I've been waiting for
Lidocaineus @ 5/5/2003 7:32:50 PM #
UZI, you miss the point. Going from something like a Vx to a T|T is a *tremendous* upgrade all around. Going from an NX70V to what was described above is barely a baby step. BARELY.

Is it technolust? I think so.

PS - Super expansion? A Sony model? Don't make me laugh :P *cough* memory stick *cough*

RE: What I've been waiting for
iJITSU @ 5/5/2003 9:29:27 PM #
Cool. Hook me up with that Vx. I want it to pay ME for itself over and over. :-)


Lidocaineus @ 5/5/2003 6:34:24 PM

No offense, but why in god's name do people upgrade such new tech, ie the NX70V?? Even with stuff like BT and a better camera, more ram, and a faster proc, can you folks really justify a practical reason to upgrade a $500+ piece of equipment, or is it just more of the must-have-the-top-of-the-heap syndrome? I mean I survived with a Palm Vx from the time it came out until just recently when I upgraded to a T|T. But by that time, the Vx had paid for itself over and over ag

RE: What I've been waiting for
Kaitou @ 5/5/2003 10:11:18 PM #
you probably missed what I said. I am going from an NR70 to the whatever NX that will be announced next.
I got a lot of use out of my NR, but with OS5 out, there are things that it cannot do, that I would like to be able to rely on it for. In addition, I am a memory hog, so I need the CF memory, and with drivers now being avaliable, the upgrade makes sense. As I am using the camera a lot, getting an upgraded camera makes sense.
And no, I do not need a separate camera, as I like having it in my clie. half the time, I take "notes" with the camera, taking a picture of a book cover, an ad or a classified ad.

RE: What I've been waiting for
southbound747 @ 5/5/2003 11:44:40 PM #
somebody above complained about sony's replacement cycle being so fast. look at it this way...son loses out when they have to discount. the trick is not to want to be the kid with latest toy. if you can stay behinf the curve, instead of riding the edge, you save hundreds of dollars.

i bought an i704 for full price 18 months ago...$499. it can be had for less than $150.

i will never pay full price again...that i know for sure. i may get this new sony that is coming out...but i will wait til next year...when all the people who buy it this summer are crying that it is outdated and they wasted their money..

Hold your horses....

Cold Slap of Reality @ 5/5/2003 11:39:05 PM #
I hate to deliver the news to all the bright-eyed Clie NXZwhateversnext upgrade hopefuls but there will never again be a Clie with a compact flash slot. If you will remember, the NXs came out to grab top end business away from palm before there was a memory stick over 128mb. The MSpro had not yet been realeased, and so, knowing full well that eventually someone would crack the driver (or at least that techie power users would assume so), Sony slapped a compact flash slot onto the backs of the Clies. The only accesory that even work with the slot now is the WiFi card I believe (please tell me what else if you know) so I have NO doubt in my mind that the next super duper Clie will have built in WiFi, and permanently put the CF slot to rest. Sony is evil, but not stupid. They know that not only do drivers exist for the slot now, but that those drivers eat into overpriced MSpro sales. Now that Sony has an alternative to CF slots, the NZ90 (once the price drops to semi-reasonable levels) is looking to be one of the better PDA values for functionality/gadgeteering.

~~Elliot~~

Have a POS kinda day!

RE: Hold your horses....
mikecane @ 5/6/2003 12:10:35 AM #
In Japan, PHS and other phone-like services are available in CF format and work in the CLIE CF slot. It is a "Communications Slot," remember, not CF. At least that is what they have called it.

Your speculations are probably correct, however.

RE: Hold your horses....
mentalsrule @ 5/6/2003 1:41:54 AM #
actually, if you havent noticed, drivers have been released for the CF slot on the NX and NZ series for other things than just the one CF wireless LAN card.

____________________
Dum De Dum.

www.HandHeldHQ.com

RE: Hold your horses....
Len DeJesus @ 5/6/2003 2:13:49 PM #
Got a link for the CD Drivers?

RE: Hold your horses....
Len DeJesus @ 5/6/2003 2:14:20 PM #
Er make that CF Driver?

RE: Hold your horses....
OcellNuri @ 5/6/2003 3:07:47 PM #
http://www.eruwarestore.com/

It's "Ocell" for short.
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