Sony Lowers the SJ22, Replacement Imminent

Posted By: Ryan Monday, September 29, 2003 2:16:35 PM

Sony has lowered the price on its entry level handheld, the SJ22. Its likely successor, the TG35 was on display last week at a Japanese Trade show.

SJ22
The SJ22 was released in March of this year. It debuted at $199, and was reduced to $179 in late May. It has now been lowered to $149 on SonyStyle.com.

The PEG-SJ22 has a 320x320, 65k color screen, 16MB of RAM and a Lithium-ion battery. It runs Palm OS version 4.1 and uses a 33mhz dragonball VZ. It also has a memory stick expansion slot, jog dial and back button and a standard IrDA port. It's dimensions are 2.8" x 4.1" x .66" inches (71.8 (W) x 104.0 (H) x 16.8 (D) mm) and weighs 4.9 ounces (138g). You can read the full PIC review here.

TG35 and TG25
The likely replacement for the SJ22 was on display last week at the WPC Expo trade-show in Japan. According to various sources there will be two new clies coming soon.

The TG35 will have a 320x320 pixel TFT screen and run Palm OS 5.2. It may also run the 200mhz Motorolla Dragonball MXl, the same ARM chip used in the Garmin iQue and Tapwave Zodiac. It will have 32MB or RAM and a redesigned jog dial on the front of the handheld, where you would typically find the up/down buttons. The device has a thickness of 11.9mm or .47 inches. A less expensive version, the TG25, will have 16MB of RAM and no mp3 audio capabilities.

The new models are said to come in six different colors (purple, white, black, red, blue, silver). They should be available in Japan before the end of the year for around 20,000 Yen, which is roughly $175 USD.

Thanks to Lucky Bob for the tip.

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Competition...

Lucky Bob @ 9/29/2003 3:37:40 PM #

I wonder how these new handhelds will compete with the Tungsten E...

(Why do some people say you can kill two birds with one stone when it's hard enough killing one bird with two stones?)

RE: Competition...

gfunkmagic @ 9/29/2003 3:49:23 PM #

They won't! ;)

Visit http://goodthatway.com/
-better living through better technology.

RE: Competition...

ray00pal @ 9/29/2003 5:25:42 PM #

I agree and who cares about SJ22? When are we going to get a 400hp /64MB real RAM Clie?

Killer CLIE coming soon.

The Ugly Truth @ 9/29/2003 5:34:48 PM #

I agree and who cares about SJ22? When are we going to get a 400hp /64MB real RAM Clie?

Patience, Grasshopper.

Note to the site editor: while it's nice to see how much you have been able to accomplish with little or no help, please consider asking someone to spell check your articles.

Sometimes the truth just isn't pretty™

RE: Competition...

Foo Fighter @ 9/29/2003 7:29:33 PM #

If rumors are true that the low end $199 TJ50 lacks audio, I don't see how it will hold up against PalmOne's latest offering. Hard to believe Palm handhelds are offering more bang for the buck over SONY's vaunted Clie line. My...how the tables have turned.

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My blog: www.pocketfactory.com

RE: Competition...

Foo Fighter @ 9/29/2003 7:33:14 PM #

Ack! I meant to say TJ25. Ryan, you need to get a new posting system in place! ;-)

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My blog: www.pocketfactory.com

RE: Competition...

hotpaw4 @ 9/29/2003 7:50:27 PM #

How well the the new models measure up will also depend on whether there are one or two new Sony models, how they are priced (bracketing the E?), how the CPU performances and battery lives compare, and differences in bundled software. These products could all win by offering consumers more choices to fit their individual needs (e.g. someone who carries an iPod around may not need mp3 capability in their PDA if it adds cost, etc.)

RE: Competition...

abosco @ 9/29/2003 7:53:58 PM #

I must also agree that Sony's latest offerings pale in comparison to palmOne's newest models. The TE will go on a rampage against EVERYTHING. Zire 21 and TE will be #1 and #2 this fall..

-Bosco

RE: Competition...

LiveFaith @ 9/29/2003 9:08:30 PM #

If the TE and hi-end Sony are at the same price point, what are the advantages of the Pa1mOne? Besides SD over MS and d-pad vs Sony's strange (remains to be seen?) jog-direction wheel.

The TE looks good, but I'm struck at how the two look similar.

Pat Horne; www.churchoflivingfaith.com

RE: Competition...

Foo Fighter @ 9/29/2003 9:18:42 PM #

Uh...it supports digital audio for one. I don't understand why Sony even bothered with an OS5/ARM device that doesn't support multimedia. Why not just stick with OS4.1/Dragonball?

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My blog: www.pocketfactory.com

RE: Competition...

hotpaw4 @ 9/29/2003 10:14:58 PM #

Some posters seem to be complaining that the T|E is missing its Universal Connector; other posters have complained about its color or finish. But the photos from trade show seem to indicate that the new Sony models still includes their popular T-connector, and it seems that it might be offered in multiple colors with a less shiny finish.

RE: Competition...

hotpaw4 @ 9/29/2003 10:22:51 PM #

> Why not just stick with OS4.1/Dragonball?

What makes you think that the OS4.1/Dragonball is significantly cheaper? (especially once you include support costs for multiple differing software configurations)

RE: Competition...

hotpaw4 @ 9/29/2003 10:22:51 PM #

> but I'm struck at how the two look similar.

Not strange at all. They both have form factors resembling the very popular and successful Palm V, Vx and m515 models, except updated to support current applications.

RE: Competition...

Foo Fighter @ 9/29/2003 11:40:20 PM #

Quote: "What makes you think that the OS4.1/Dragonball is significantly cheaper?"

I wasn't referring to cost. My point is, without any advanced features, what benefit will the end user get from having OS5 or an ARM processor? Not much, in my opinion. It's the same level of functionality as the previous generation it replaced. Now, if they undercut PalmOne's pricing, like say...$150, that would be compelling.

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My blog: www.pocketfactory.com

RE: Competition...

helf @ 9/30/2003 8:49:11 AM #

Do you HAVE to have good sound to run OS5 programs? I think not. Use a little bit of your brain. There are a lot of good OS5 programs that'll run fine without decent audio.

RE: Competition...

ganoe @ 9/30/2003 10:36:43 AM #

> Why not just stick with OS4.1/Dragonball?

Get an Acer s60 then, or get an s50 if you don't need the audio.

RE: Competition...

Foo Fighter @ 9/30/2003 11:45:45 AM #

> "Do you HAVE to have good sound to run OS5 programs? I think not. Use a little bit of your brain. There are a lot of good OS5 programs that'll run fine without decent audio."

I'm not talking about "decent audio", I'm talking about a HEADPHONE JACK with MP player software, which is what just about every $199 will have shortly. Hell, even Pocket PC offers this feature at said price. Why in God's name did Sony leave it out? What was their logic?

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My blog: www.pocketfactory.com

RE: Competition...

Foo Fighter @ 9/30/2003 11:48:55 AM #

> "Get an Acer s60 then, or get an s50 if you don't need the audio."

Where? In Europe? the Acer S60 isn't available in the US.

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My blog: www.pocketfactory.com

RE: Competition...

Foo Fighter @ 9/30/2003 11:53:52 AM #

Actually, thanks for bringing up the Acer handheld. I had forgotten about that one. Has anyone ever reviewed this product?

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My blog: www.pocketfactory.com

RE: Competition...

mikecane @ 9/30/2003 5:22:37 PM #

>>>I'm not talking about "decent audio", I'm talking about a HEADPHONE JACK with MP player software, which is what just about every $199 will have shortly. Hell, even Pocket PC offers this feature at said price. Why in God's name did Sony leave it out? What was their logic?

Well, like, duuuuh, because some people just won't need it and would rather pay a few bucks less.

That's like raking PalmOne over the coals for yet another mono Zire. Some people can do without color too!

Hell, people would *still* buy the original mono Zire at CUSA even after I warned them it had no backlight! Apparently, these are people who just need a Day PDA.

RE: Competition...

shurcooL @ 10/1/2003 8:19:52 PM #

>> That's like raking PalmOne over the coals for yet another mono Zire. Some people can do without color too!

not me! /me sadly looks at his peg-t415 which he got for free (my dad works at Sony, and they gave 'em out to everyone) and wishes it were t615c... oh well, can't have it all - i should be thankful for anything and i am. :P just saying, most of you don't realise how much it sucks to not have colour. :) so go right now, and hug your colour pda for me. ;)

thanks,
shurcooL