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Handhelds Hardware

Sony Announces Superslim T415 133

atomic212 writes: "Sony has announced a new mid-range handheld today, the PEG-T415, a 320 by 320 monochrome model that is, according to Sony, the world's thinnest PDA. Though only .41 inches thick, it has a Jog Dial and a Memory Stick slot and includes remote control software."
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Sony Announces Superslim T415

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  • ...until the next one comes out in three weeks. It's disturbing to think they produce these things simply because they can, and more disturbing that people who don't need them (which means 90% of us) buy them because they absolutely must have them. Feh.

    I'd ask people to imagine a Beowulf cluster of these, but I won't.
  • I wonder how much these designers get paid to sit in a padded room using their wealth of experience to create the funkiest designs.

    Are they just extinct PR bunnies turn creators?

    This latest offering certainly looks nice, but I still have to see _anyone_ walking around with any form of Sony PDA (clie). Come to think of it, Handsprings aren't exactly common (even though they're cheap). I know for one tha the iPaq is the PDA-to-have around here - even though most people just seem to use them as expensive mp3 players and meeting-announcers..
    • You need to meet more people who have a Sony fetish. I'm on a college campus with many folks who love everything Sony, and I have seen a few Clies in use already. The low-cost monochrome models seem to be more popular than the high-res color ones, but the Sony name alone is a nice selling point.

      Also, unlike Palm and Handspring, Sony can diversify itself. Even though the Clie is not the #1 handheld, Sony still has many other high-margin products to make up the difference.
    • That's why I want a Sony Clie with the built-in MP3 player. That seems like a better combo (PDA + MP3) than the combination of PDA and remote control. In fact, it seems like you would want to integrate capabilities into a PDA that consumers would take advantage of while "on the road". That means that an MP3 player makes sense. A phone makes sense. A voice recorder makes sense. A GPS unit makes sense.

      A remote control? How many people have a clip-on remote control that they wear around the house with them?
    • The impression I get is that PalmOS and PocketPC came from two different directions and didn't quite meet in the middle: PalmOS evolved mainly from simpler electronic organisers and, earlier, the Filofax; PocketPC is closer to a cut-down laptop.

      Having used both systems, the iPaq is nice, but PocketPC is too complicated for use as a genuine organiser. All I ask for is something with the power of an iPaq and the ease of use of PalmOS.

    • Bought my S320 clie at $199.99. Sony's recently dropped the price to $169.99.

      Had PalmOS4.0, 8mb internal, and the memory stick expansion slot.

      Cheapest Palm I could find out there with an expandable memory slot was the M125 which is retailing in this area for $250.

      And let's not forget about the DRM "features" of SD cards. Granted, the situation with the magicgate sticks insn't much better, but you can do what ever you like with the little purple MSA sticks.

      The extra $50 I saved got me a nice case and a 16mb memory stick.

      Bought a Visor NEO for my mother. Slightly bigger screen, but the thing feels huge in my hands compared to my clie.

      That having been said, the springboard slot offers a lot more expandability than the little memory stick slot my clie has. But if I want to connect to the net, or make phone calls, or listen to MP3's, I've got a laptop, cellphone, and mp3 player for each of those.

      In the end, at least for the low end S320 model, it seems to me that Sony's got the right idea. Best price for the features.
  • Though only .41 inches thick, it has a Jog Dial and a Memory Stick slot

    Never mind, at least it's still 0.41 inches thick. It's not all bad.
  • Sony has announced a new mid-range handheld today, the PEG-T415, a 320 by 320 monochrome model that is, according to Sony, the world's thinnest PDA. Though only .41 inches thick, it has a Jog Dial and a Memory Stick slot.
    It tries to strike a balance between serious and fun. For business users, it is the first Sony model to come bundled with Documents to Go for compatibility with Microsoft Office. For fun, its infrared port has been enhanced to let it be used as a TV/VCR remote and it has an improved speaker and audio abilities.


    It will be available near the end of November for $300.


    It runs Palm OS 4.1 and has 8 MB of RAM and 4 MB of Flash ROM. It uses the 33 MHz Dragonball processor from Motorola.


    The T415 is 4.75 by 2.88 by .41 inches and weighs a light 4.3 ounces. The majority of its casing is made from a single piece aluminium that wraps around the screen which not only gives it a professional look but increases its strength.


    It comes with a flip cover but there don't appear to be any photos of it. A Memory Stick is not included.


    It has the Jog Dial that has become a standard on Sony models. It includes a small back button that works like the back button on the N series.


    As mentioned earlier, it is bundled with DataViz's Documents to Go Standard, which means that it users can use Microsoft Word and Excel documents and spreadsheets on their handheld.


    But it isn't all business. The T415 comes with an application called the Clié Remote Commander which lets it be used as a remote control for TVs, VCRs, DVD players, and other such electronics. The infrared port has been strengthened to give it a range of up to 15 feet.


    The T415 also has an improved speaker and audio capabilities compared with most Palm OS handhelds. MIDI and WAV files on a PC can be converted and played on the palmtop. This means alarms don't have to be just beeps, they can almost any sound the user would like.


    The T415 also has a built-in vibrating alert.


    It runs on an internal lithium-ion polymer rechargeable battery which Sony estimates will last for about 15 days with normal use.


    The T415's smaller size means that it can't use other Clié peripherals designed to attach to the serial port. Therefore, Sony has announced they will be selling a special version of their clip-on Audio Player just for this model.


    With the inclusion of this midrange model into Sony's lineup of handhelds, the company feels they have a product to fit almost almost everyone's needs.

  • by Anonymous Coward
    According to this press release [pdabuzz.com] from Sony, it's 4.65 x 2.83 x .39. The reference linked is incorrect (which they usually are.)
  • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

    Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • You've got to be kidding me. My friend paid $500 for an iPaq when it came out...and all he does is stare at it and show friends how it can play mp3s. Forget about hefting it around, the battery dies before the day is done and it weighs a ton. I got a cheapo Visor 2mb a year ago, and I must say I like it. It feels more intuitive than a cheapo organizer yet its small enough and light enough to fit in your pants pocket. Thats of course all I use it for...addresses and games. If I want to hear music, nine times out of ten i'm near a computer or stereo, and if I want to go online...I'll wait. I remember what 14.4 was like, and I refuse to torture myself like that again, especially on a 3" 1/2 VGA screen. These are fringe features, but they manage to hype it to the point where everyone thinks they need them. Me, I'm happy with a truely pocket-sized device with a readable screen and 30-60 days of battery life. Makes me wonder how many people buying these highend Palms or Pocket PCs actually use them.
    • Actually, the Visor Prism (color) is down to $300 now and for $50 you can buy a Springboard module which reads CF cards. Never had anything on a Palm I needed it to be faster for. Personally I have the Prism and a VisorPhone, and I've been very happy with them.
  • PDA as remote control? Since I don't wear my handheld at home I don't see myself whipping out the PDA to change the channel. But I imagine this could be a whole lotta fun at sports bars.

    Tig
    • of an universal remote (the cool ones 8) you can tell yourself that for another $100 you buy a PDA...

      On my table I now got 5 Remotes. I really only need 2, the rest only once or twice a week.

      I was thinking buying an universal remote, but now I start looking at an old palmIII to see if I could use them as remote. But I think the LED is too weak.

      Nevertheless, a 15feet remote is a cool trick, but a 15feet IR communication channel allows for much more mischief at exams 8)

      • I can remember 6 years back, some of my highschool teachers freaking out because two kids in the class had brand-new HP 48G calculators, complete with an IR interface. No amount of reasonable discourse could convince the teachers of the hilariously puny transmission distance, so the two were separated across the room during tests. I imagine that teachers have already jumped on and banned all Palm organizers from use in class, seeing as how every Palm and clone sold in the last two years has shipped with an IR port.
  • firewalled (Score:3, Interesting)

    by cloudmaster ( 10662 ) on Monday October 22, 2001 @10:19AM (#2459595) Homepage Journal
    Unfortunately for Sony, they're still firewalled at my wallet, due to the article at http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=00/08/23/021223 2 [slashdot.org]
    Wake me when some other company starts selling these.
    • This is a very good point. It's all well and good to say you like a particular product, but hate the company for its actions. It's not so cool to give that company lots of money to continue those actions you hate.

      I know a guy who vehemently hates the RIAA because of their anti-fair use actions and will not buy any RIAA label CD's etc... When it came time to buy a laptop, apparently my friend forgot that Sony Music (one of the 'Big 4') and Sony Computers are actually the same company, at least at the highest levels, and shelled out around $2500 for a nice Vaio notebook. There's lawyers' fees for a day or so...
  • vibrating alert! (Score:2, Insightful)

    by kc0dby ( 522118 )
    The T415 also has a built-in vibrating alert.

    For great justice!

    I have been asking, pleading, begging palm for a model that's a little more "industry friendly" which I would certainly pay a pretty penny for. I guess being able to "hear" this thing go off while trying to program a machine that is stamping out oil filters will be enough to get that old palm up on Ebay.

    My only question now is when are they going to make one that vibrates, is in a mil-spec casing, and will make a small fire if I'm trapped in the wilderness?
  • The worlds most fragile PDA.
  • Great, Yet Another New PDA.

    Is anyone else tired of the fact that it seems that a new Palm-based PDA is coming out every three months? Although it's great that there's competition in the market now that there are other manufacturers in the game other than Palm, at least there used to be some stability to the models offered. Now with Handspring, Sony, Handera, etc. in the game new models are coming out at such a rapid pace that I think it's going to have the opposite effects on consumers. Rather than upgrade to a new model from a different, or even the same, manufacturer, people will hang on to their current model for longer than before.
    • Unfortunately as soon as one particular manufacturer dominates the market they get branded as a monopolizer and banished to the pit of eternal stench.

      So 6 month turnaround on technology is the only answer to a companies success (I won't mention extra revenue from new versions etc etc.)
    • Rather than upgrade to a new model from a different, or even the same, manufacturer, people will hang on to their current model for longer than before.

      And why is this bad? Are you in favor of planned obsolescence?

      No thank you. I still love my Palm VIIx. I don't need to get rid of it just because something cool came out.
      • Are you in favor of planned obsolescence?

        Not at all, but it seems as though the frequency in which new models are coming out might mave the opposite reaction from consumers than they want.

        Or maybe I'm just turning into a grumpy old man.
  • Jog Dial (Score:3, Informative)

    by n-baxley ( 103975 ) <nate@baxleysIII.org minus threevowels> on Monday October 22, 2001 @10:22AM (#2459613) Homepage Journal
    Sony is not the only one with a jog dial. Handera has a great product. 240X320 display, 8MB, jog dial, digital audio recorder, 33MHz Dragonball, 2MB Flash, and it supports Compact Flash and Secure Digital. I've had mine since July, and love it! Handera used to be called TRGPro for those of you who haven't heard of them.
    • Informative? The comment hadn't even got a URL! Anyway, here's the URL for HandEra [handera.com].
    • The Handera has a bunch of cutting edge features for the Palm platform and the display resolution is awesome. However, I *cannot* believe that they don't have a USB sync port.

      BTW, here [pdabuzz.com] is a good review on PDABuzz.

      JOhn
  • I am not sure I like this thing, I think it is still way to expensive, $300? The palm IIIc is less expensive nowadays.
    I think this one is nice for people that don't really need a palmtop... It's a nice marketing stunt, but my guess is that it's that and not much more.
    Spend an extra $100-$200 and buy a real one (that's what I think)
    • What makes this not a "real one"? It has a better resolution than the IIIc. It also has a similar form factor to the m500s. There's also the far reaching IR port. To me, this is a STELLAR improvement. This may be the PDA that will make me trade in my plain V and get a new one.

  • Handhelds are stupid (Score:1, Interesting)

    by Mdog ( 25508 )
    --Flaimbait--
    Does anybody else get fed-up with the fact that any time some moron puts out yet-another-overglorified-speak-n-spell that /. seems to cream in its collective pants? What's really different about this as compared to writing about every time Dell or Gateway puts together a new piece-of-crap? There's nothing innovative here, nothing interesting (unless you're into handhelds, and even then it's only a blip)...I don't get it.

    Thank goodness I can only get modded down by two.
  • I just hope they hurry up and release a PCARS tablet.
  • I once bought a device that was encased in a solid piece of aluminium, for "strength"... I had it sitting on a pillow on my bed, and i accidentally dropped a book (a reasonably light one) on it, and BAM- huge dent in the aluminium, and it doesn't close properly now. How durable is this device going to be? How resistant to impact will it be?

    I wouldn't want to have one, and then have the lcd shatter or the casing bend because i dropped it by accident ... .41" thick certainly can't leave much room for padding

    er...
  • are the things this pda can what my palm v can't. i can even run a webserver on my palm (but as a matter of fact thats absolutely senseless). world's slimmest personal assistant is still a sheet of paper, and for all of us that want a digital playtool (all of us) the exisiting things will do just fine
    • If you only expect to be able to hold a few thousand bytes of information a single sheet of paper is useful. Fact of the matter is I need more than that. Carrying around notepads, books or other. 8MBs of information printed off into a book is a shitload of paper with excessive weight -- assumming its of an easily readable size.

      Paper lacks grep, ease in editing, simple deletion (gotta find a recycling bin), and doesn't hold up well when wet... well, neither do palms for that last point.

      I can assure you, my Thinkpad is much thinner than the stack of paper it replaced. Those 500 page Requirement Docs get damn heavy if you need more than a few at a time and I can fit them on a palm (in text) quite easily. But yes, I'll stick with my Thinkpad for the readable screen.
    • Re:what... (Score:3, Interesting)

      Webserver on your PDA is not useless. I run NPDS on my Newton 2100 all the time and it's one of the most convenient ways of interacting with your PDA while you're at your desk. I got it a static IP and got it put in the DNS.

      Now, when I need to get at some information that's in the device while I'm at my PC, I don't have to pull the PDA out and pen-tap through things, I just point the browser (usually already running) to:

      http://newton.xyz.com

      From there I can search my contacts, get at my notes, use my datebook etc. Data can be entered this way as well.

      Webserver-in-a-PDA: Don't knock it until you've tried it...
      • I can see your point, for that use - Dosen't anybody make a desktop setup for the Newton yet?

        All of the Palm basic app info (And many secondary ones) can be accessed through the desktop application without draining the PDA's batteries.

        Running a webserver off of a PDA just seems like a lot of bother for not a lot of added benefit.

        • As a matter of fact, yes, I can sync to Outlook with my Newton, but so what? If you or anyone else wants to know what Newton can/can't do, I suggest asking on the NewtonTalk [newtontalk.net] list. But that's not what my post was about, jack... My post was about my enjoying the use of a webserver on the device, not about you thinking you'd found a forum for anything-but-PalmOS-bashing.

          If you want to get vicious, I can also run VNC over Ethernet or wireless LAN on the Newton's 480x320 display after I'm done syncing with my PC and interacting over http. And after my VNC session, I can browse the Web and send/receive POP3/SMTP e-mail in real time on an Ethernet or wireless LAN from my Newton as well. Let's see your little Palm do all of that.

          It can't, I know, I had a Palm before the Newton! :O

  • For the metrics (Score:2, Informative)

    by fre ( 111527 )
    0.41 in = 10.414 mm

    thank you very much.
  • Woah! I'm totally impressed by the looks! That's by far the coolest looking PDA so far. Too bad it runs Palm OS, which unfortunately sucks. That's not flaimbait, it's a real observation based on facts. As much as we all hate Microsoft, the fact is that at the moment, Pocket PC (in particular now with Pocket PC 2002) is *YEARS* ahead of Palm OS.

    I was in Japan two weeks ago and an interesting note from there was that Pocket PC wasn't in as strong a position there as it's here. The two most common PDA's were Sony CLIE's and Sharp Zaurus devices. The new Zauruses will run Linux and Tao Group's Java VM.. Looks like the Japanese are putting up a pretty good fight against Pocket PC. Let's hope that helps the innovation on all fronts in that arena!
    • Re:great looks!! (Score:2, Insightful)

      by moof1138 ( 215921 )
      Hmmm. I have a Jornada that has mostly sat in a drawer now for two months. This is because I won a Palm V. I liked the Jornada, though it was a little too big to carry around in my pocket comfortably, but once I played with the Palm, I found that while the Palm does not have all the gimmicks that the Jornada has, it is infinitely more useful. The Palm UI is clearly years ahead of the PocketPC UI, and given MS's tendencies, I do not think that it will ever improve. Plus there are a lot more *useful* apps for the Palm. I use it for grocery lists, to dos, scheduling, contacts, and other useful things, and it excels. On the Jornada I could get these things to work, but I was always fighting it to make it work. Anyone who thinks that they will be playing a FPS on their PDA for more than a month is probably mistaken, and while I was able to impress my friends for a while with the 'gee-whiz' factor of the multimedia stuff, it is honestly pretty poor, and no substitute for a real laptop. All of the 'features' that the PocketPC touts over the Palm are impressive loking at first, but ultimately useless to me.
      • I'm curious as to why you consider the Palm UI to be years ahead of the Pocket PC UI. I like the Palm launcher, the app groupings and the simplicity of that. Pocket PC has the "this is the stuff for today" approach and a start menu. Many vendors supply their own app launchers but they typically suck. As far as actual application UI's go, I find the Pocket PC *much* better than those in Palm apps. The Palm widgets are simply too limited. With a device with a fast CPU (unlike the Jornadas I've tried) Pocket PC is very responsive and nice to use. I can play mp3's while surfing over WLAN with my iPAQ and it works just great...
    • Real observations based on facts never include the word "sucks" and always include the "facts".

      PocketPoolPC2002 is still a massive resource hog that's really bad at doing the things I need a PDA to do. Your mileage may vary.
  • by millia ( 35740 ) on Monday October 22, 2001 @10:51AM (#2459795) Homepage
    i don't care about the thickness of my PDA. after seeing the sony clie 750 (i think that's the number) at best buy, i now care about the resolution. the color model with 320x320 is the first PDA i've seen where you could actually conceivably use it to read books on. comparing it to the prism was laughable- and it looked better than any of the pocket pc's.
    by my reckoning, it is 144 dpi. if handspring would come out with color at 144dpi, i'd buy it in a heartbeat.
  • I can use it to pick the lock on my apartment door.
  • With the new SONY / TIVO Agreement in mind, it does have TIVO built in, right?
  • Thinnest? (Score:4, Funny)

    by EnglishTim ( 9662 ) on Monday October 22, 2001 @11:04AM (#2459878)
    thinnest at .41 inches?

    The Palm V is .4 inches as well, and it's been out for ages...

    ObMetric: 0.41 inches = 10.4 mm. It never seems right to me to split inches into 100ths. It just doesn't seem to fit into the whole Imperial system. Shouldn't it be split into 24ths, or something similarly incomprehensible?
    • The Palm m505 [palm.com] is at .5 inches, making it thicker than the new Sony model. The Palm Vx is at .4 inches, just like the Palm V before it.


      As for funky alarms, The Palm m505 also has a vibrating alarm, as well as a flashing LED. So Sony isn't the first on this.

    • Technically, .4 is anywhere between .35 and .44 (if I remember my .5 rounding rule properly).

      .40 on the other hand would definately be thinner but .4 may or may not be.

      Did palm round from .41 or .42 down?
    • Traditionally, you would want it in 64ths...
    • As long as we're picking nits, note that "Imperial System" refers to the system used in the UK and Commonwealth before they went metric. The system used in the U.S. also originates in the UK, but is different from the Imperial System in many ways. Officially it's known as "US Customary Units".

      Strange as it may seem, pocket calculators are a relatively recent invention. Before that time, it made a lot of sense to use divisions that were divisible by 2 and 3, to simplify mental calculations. Even with calculators, life is complicated by having everything a multiple of 2 * 5. Ever try to split a $10 parking fee 3 ways?

      The same French reformers who gave us the metric system also wanted to decimalize the clock. Imagine trying to schedule 3 shifts per day with such a system!

      As the failure of the decimal clock (and the decimal calendar, and don't forget geographic coordinates) indicates, the metric system didn't succeed because it was "better" than the systems it replaced. It succeeded because the existing hodge-podge was impractical. Every country, every province, even every profession had a different system of measurements. The U.S. gets away with having it's own system because it has a large user base. You know, like Windows.

      • Ever try to split a $10 parking fee 3 ways?

        Sure... That's 4 bucks each with a $2 plus for the poor sap who had to donate his car.

        You complaining? Weird, I was so sure you hate walking...
      • Ever try to split a $10 parking fee 3 ways?

        See in the Olde English monetary system, which was not decimal based, this would have been simple. Each person would pay (to split a 10 pound fee): 3 pound, 7 tuppence, 12 farthing, 8&1/2 shilling and 17 zorkmid. Much simpler than having one of the three pay an the extra cent that todays messy decimal based system would require. :)

  • by msheppard ( 150231 ) on Monday October 22, 2001 @11:06AM (#2459890) Homepage Journal
    I'm sporting a Palm V + Hard Case right now, and it is a very nice combination. I had several palms of different flavors before that. I broke the screens or get them wet. I still have nightmares of jumping in water and realizing my palm is in my pocket. I guess a waterproof version would be nice.

    IMHO, the smaller the better. I use my palm A LOT. For astronomy (app=planetarium) and finding satillite passes (pocket sat, or avantgo+heavens-above.com). I also use it as a log, keeping track of when we did what on trips and hiking. I used to use it for Phish-setlists, so I had the exact length of each song. Alas, that is on hiatus. I also use the typical things, phone numbers (if I hear a phone number, it goes in the palm, cause I almost always need it again). I write names of songs in it when I hear them so I remember to get them later. I've also read quite a few books on it (www.peanutpress.com) and it's far far better than a book. Backlit and always in my pocket. Best is reading books while waiting in line.

    But the FORM FACTOR has been key. I always have it with me. The PalmIII I destroyed was just too bulky. That 1/4inch made a big difference.

    M@
    • I couldn't agree more about this. I gave up my Palm III and a Pilot (way back in the day) to family members in high school simply because it was a bit too thick. This new entry looks promising, and it's pretty sexily designed as well. Sony's computing line seems to be creating a bit of dedicated following simply because of design. And hey... it matches my shiny, and thin, Sony discman.

      Since I've been out of the Palm world for a while now, I was curious about this Documents to Go [vnunet.com] feature. It's basically a document viewer and editor that lets you peek and mess with Office and Lotus files. I don't believe most people will be actually editing files on such as mall screen and with limited input devices. I think, however, that most business people would be glad just to be able to read files they use/created on the desktop.

  • I keep my pilot in my pants pocket. So far I have dropped it twice, trodden on it by mistake once, and sat on it, again by mistake. It is still working. I wonder if the the Sony machine would be able to take that kind of punishment. It just seems a bit flimsy. On the other hand it looks pretty cool.

    I wonder when they will get linux running on this, that would be pretty impressive, a cool looking system running a cool OS!

  • How is .41 inches notation superior to 1 cm ?
  • Make that sucka tough as nails and make it waterproof and float then we'll be danncin in the streets and firin our AK's to the sky to Allah and shit.
  • They have apparently forgotten the Franklin / Xircom / etc. "Rex". It's the size of a PCMCIA
    card. It isn't as powerful as the handhelds,
    but it sure seems like a PDA to me.
  • Flexible PDA? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by ldopa1 ( 465624 ) on Monday October 22, 2001 @11:41AM (#2460056) Homepage Journal
    It would be really cool to see Sony [sony.com] or some other company come up with a thin, flexible PDA. The technology is already there, save for the touch screen part of it.

    Two companies, Flexible Circuits [aeiflex.com] and E-Ink [eink.com] have the circuits and display parts down. All we need now is a flexible processor and flexible memory, and we'll have a Palm FleX which you'd be able to fold up or roll up and put in your briefcase.

    If anyone knows of a vendor of flexible memory or processors, I'd love to hear of it.
  • I will never buy anything sony again. Yes they
    put out a very nice looking product, and sometimes
    with good ideas. But from my own first hand
    experiences, SONY products are shit when it comes
    to reliablity. I don't know who actually puts them
    together (ie are they outsourced?) but they need
    to refocus on making something that doesnt fry/fall
    apart.
  • Sony Boycott (Score:2, Interesting)

    by foo fighter ( 151863 )
    Isn't Sony a member of the RIAA and MPAA?

    I really couldn't care less about this gadget. I was upset last night when I rented Snatch for the first time, only to find out the Screen Gems (who distributed the movie) is a Sony company.

    The hypocracy of this site is maddening at times. Especially when the news really isn't news at all, and seems to hype a company that most of the readership has denounced time and again.
    • Isn't Sony a member of the RIAA and MPAA?

      I don't know, you tell me. Or do I have to research everything and you get to shout out vague pseudo-accusations?

      I really couldn't care less about this gadget.

      Umm, yeah, that gadget is what we're talking about here...you know, in this forum that's about that gadget?

      I was upset last night when I rented Snatch for the first time, only to find out the Screen Gems (who distributed the movie) is a Sony company.

      Golly, that's really fascinating. Did you get in a tizzy about anything else yesterday? Do tell.

      The hypocracy of this site is maddening at times.

      Particularly when members rent movies by companies that they publicly dennounce. That sort of hypocracy really chaps my hide.

  • The T415 also has an improved speaker and audio capabilities compared with most Palm OS handhelds.

    Cool! It looks like the phone book application can now dial the stored numbers for you.

    How long till somebody makes it do redbox tones? Do those still work?

  • I have a SCP-6000 (cell fone) ... It has a fully functional PDA integrated into it and is only .39 inces thick... although it does not sync all information like dates from the calendar, it does update info like fone numbers and addresses. not only that you can d/l numerous pictures and backgrounds to, shall we say, beautify it. Don't know what it has for a processor but it does have 4bit(2 color) grayscale which is what my fist palm had... So is sony's claim to the thinest PDA on the market true?

    SCP-6000 [sanyousa.com]

    lnxslak.

    Fighting for peace, is like Fucking for virginity.
  • christ people, if you really like the PalmOS, i have a vic-20 i'm trying to sell...

    jeez, let's get with the 21st century folks. I would consider the PalmOS great in the year.... 1992.

    the only thing good about the palm is the size, NOT the operating environment.

    in a few years, PalmOS and WinCE will be dead and embedded linux will be running all PDA's.
    • in a few years, PalmOS and WinCE will be dead and embedded linux will be running all PDA's.

      We'll see, I suppose. What's most important to a device like a PalmOS device is the UI and so far, Linux ain't doing so hot in that particular category.

      I run an Ipaq with Linux on it now and it isn't anywhere close to being as useful as PalmOS. I could see running PalmOS (which really is just an applications api on a licensed kernel) running on top of a Linux kernel, if the kernel can be pared down to a non-humongous footprint.

      There's an element of Real Time with the handhelds, too. Nothing is more annoying than waiting for an application to fire off in wince. It amazes me how slow Microsoft can make a StrongArm processor run. It reminds me of that /. sotry a few months ago about the researchers slowing down light...
  • Is it just me, or do the photos of that device resemble something out of Star Trek? I'm thinking of ST:VOY, specifically, since this device looks quite streamlined, and ST:VOY had nearly everything look 'streamlined' - from tables to bulkheads.

Intel CPUs are not defective, they just act that way. -- Henry Spencer

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