Considering the fact that this is my first ’real PDA’, ( I had the chance to fiddle around with a tons digital diaries and sorts..) , I had some apprehensions about this review being too much of a fascinated one. So came the decision to give my excitement a respite period, just to come back and write a more relaxed and realistic review here!
The reason to go for a PDA was not just that of a gadget-freak?s heavy ambition supported by a much deeper pocket. Rather it was necessitated by routine schedules getting too much of a mess in the order of multitudes as I was trying to jot down everything which comes to me on sticky notes and pocket sheets. I had a serious thought about the long-term viability of the ’dead-tree-skin?! I just kept on adding piles of pocket sheets and jotting on tickets. A PDA is neat way to organize every piece of information, which you deal with. With a PDA you have a new way to shape your life fruitfully.
So the search was on for the right PDA which will suite my personal likes.
Form factor was a very important consideration, as I don?t want to carry it in a case and give special attention, instead I wanted one which would fit in my pocket comfortably. But to my surprise, the available models didn?t fit this criterion.
I checked out with my friends who had previous PDA experience. They suggested an Online-Buying-Option. I started my journey for the right PDA in Baazee.com. It was full of real surprises. A plethora options with various buying and bidding options. You could inspect the gadget directly there, make up your mind by going through the specifications, be assured about the seller by evaluating his previous customer responses and make easy payments either online or offline.
I was really impressed.
The initial pull towards Clie was it’s form factor. Then I heard a lot of customers crying out blissfully at it’s ’paper-white’ bright screen. I didn?t believe initially, as I had a picture of a greenish Martian PDA in my mind.
I did a Google picture search on SJ20, found it to be best one to look at , at MY-PRICE!
Finally the Product was in my hand. A great Moment!
The first thing that would catch your eye is the thick-fabric black flip-cover, which is flexibly removable.
The power-on switch is placed right on top in a depressed fashion. Press it and you are ready for a visual-treat!
Display is indeed paper-white but a lot sluggish as Sony ditched a dedicated Display co-processor for an appealing end-user pricing, which I learned later. But a couple of minutes with your CLIE, You are smiling back again..!.
The fonts are a thin , yet clean and suitable for a long time gaze and read. You switch off the back-light, you are in dark!, the thin fonts couldn?t make any sense to my weak retinal lens. So lesson #1: Always back-lit. :)
Test the Graffiti, and you learn that its easy and intuitive. But the Stylus is a disappointment. Itz way too small for my thick fingers!. Maybe my better half would find it apt!. But it snuggles well into a compact slot on my CLIE without a trace. But way easy to pickup even under a rush.
The jog dial is easy to navigate. Handy when you have a cigarette in your hand while you read an e-Book ;)
The back Button works with most of the well-written applications.
A noticeable absence is that of a Cradle; instead use the supplied USB Cable to Sync. The Rechargeable batteries are highly durable, lasts a long ( 6 Hours or so even with the back-light). Recharging take a meager 2.5 Hours. Both the AC-Adaptor and the USB cable shares a common adapter. I am keeping the USB Cable in my office and the Power cable at Home. But Need to carry the Adapter always with me, which could easily be displaced.
The Built-In sound is very weak, just useless in a crowded street. The flashing small LED in the front substitutes as a silent alarm.
The hard-buttons are concave and groovy!. They are slightly too adjacent, making game play a bit difficult.
Its astonishing to see the software bundle which Clie packages along. You get an MS-Office companion in the form of Documents-to-Go, which really integrates well with my Beyond-Contacts E-Mail/Scheduler.
The bundled MobiPocket Web reader is sluggish and heavy on resources. AvantGo! on your Clie. It?s more suitable.
The Bundled software for Painting and Movie playback might just qualify as good ones.
The 16 MB ram would suffice for an average user, but you always have the option for expanding the secondary storage with Sony Memory Sticks.
All in all, a Good PDA, which could well be an asset, a disciplined organizer, an able e-Book reader and most importantly this PDA, has ’that’ - likeability factor in it. You will Love it. So grab it, if one comes your way, at a reasonable price of around 5-6K. If you looking out for a real converged product which should duplicate as an MP3 Player and wish to do a lot of colors, stay away!.
- Here is an annoying fact: - The Bangalore Palm user club has just 60 members!!. Hum nahi sudarengei..!