Lust After The Sony Clie NZ90 266
V0rtex writes "Once again, Sony is ahead of the game with their new Clie PEG-NZ90. View the specs here. Not to be released until the end of February, this one is packed with some long awaited features since the NX70V such as built in bluetooth and the 2 megapixel camera with flash. Is it really that great? Check out a couple reviews. It would be nice if they would include the faster (400 MHz) version of the XScale processor and step the internal memory up a bit, but this one carries an $800 price tag as it is." Even if it has issues, I think any step towards integrating the vast array of personal electronics (Cel Phone, MP3 Player, PDA, Digital Camera) is a good one. And this looks like the first PDA with a real camera.
Clies are Palm OS devices... (Score:3, Informative)
Clies are emulated Palm OS devices... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Clies are emulated Palm OS devices... (Score:5, Informative)
damn.. i had moderator points - but, i figured my input in this story was better than moderating it
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=35839&cid=3
and, some other postings specific to native code in the ogg/vorbis threads. [maybe of interest - more specific to development of native arm code]
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=46474&cid=4
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=46474&ci
as a developer, having 400Mhz is nice. we have a 3D engine (raycaster based) running on 68k units, and, we were able to seriously enhance it for arm units:
http://mobilewizardry.com/board/viewtopic.php?t
its been solely possible due to the extra processing power. while some may argue its only an emulated system - the extra Mhz means palmos can do pocket pc stuff
> There is a way to write some code as ARM, but it's pretty painful
it is not painful to write ARM code
Re:Clies are emulated Palm OS devices... (Score:3, Funny)
Just when did the pubic devices become available?
400MHz? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Clies are Palm OS devices... (Score:3, Funny)
That's simply not correct (Score:3, Insightful)
The relative efficiency of the OS isn't the issue; the complexity of the desired applications certainly is.
Re:Clies are Palm OS devices... (Score:2, Insightful)
Those aren't the primary functions of a PDA. You use it mainly to take notes, keep addresses, etc. The faster you can get in, look up an address, and shut down, the better. Keeping that info in memory instead of having to look it up in a file has to be at least a little faster.
(That said, AeroPlayer [aerodromesoftware.com] rocks. Somebody put up a (leaked) patch that fixes the Tungsten T audio problem; with the patch in place, AeroPlayer sounds as good as any other MP3 player. For you Ogg zealots, it supports that format too.)
Sony (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Sony (Score:2, Interesting)
Just out of curiosity why is that? Are you afraid that in a couple of years Sony will abandon the memory stick and leave to stuck unable to get new ones? Do you want to use your memory stick in other devices? Do you just not like the concept of a "proprietary (whatever that means in this context)" format?
Re:Sony (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Sony (Score:2)
Re:Sony (Score:5, Interesting)
I have a digital camera which use SD cards, if I want to use the PDA to view the pictures in the card, I need a PDA that can read SD cards.
All other (major) Palm OS manufacturer are putting SD slots in the PDA. Expect to see more devices/software availlable for SD slots that memory sticks.
If I buy the Sony PDA and want interoperability I have to buy other Sony devices.
On the other hand, if I buy a device which use technology that nmany manufacturer support, then my choice as a consumer are greater.
So for me, a Sony PDA is a no go just because of the absence of SD support.
That's unfortunate as they do produce GREAT PDAs.
Re:Sony (Score:2)
I have a digital camera that uses SmartMedia cards, therefore your SD-reading PDA wouldn't exactly work for me. It's kind of hard to fit all the card readers into one small device.
You can't make everyone happy, but Sony cameras use Memory Sticks, so they're trying to make those people happy.
Re:Sony (Score:4, Informative)
With 6 in 1 card readers for USB costing around $30 in the UK, its easy enough to transfer data between different card formats, provided you buy one that has a slot for each type rather than a slot or two that multitasks. A PC with a card reader is such a useful machine for sorting out collections of MP3s or photos or whatever, maybe doing a bit of red eye removal, that the apparent disadvantage of going via an intermediate card reader isn't as bad as it seems.
Re:Sony (Score:2)
Besides, doesn't this CLIE unit serve as a multi-function device so you don't need to carry a separate PDA? I thought that bypasses the compatibility issue.
Re:Sony (Score:4, Informative)
128MB Memory Stick: 58.73 UKP (not inc. VAT)
128MB Compact Flash: 30.27 UKP (not inc. VAT)
Both prices from Dabs [dabs.com]. (Normally, I buy memory from Crucial [crucial.com], but they don't stock memory sticks.)
So: memory sticks are expensive, hard to get, and only work in Sony devices. That's a pretty fair reason not to use them in my book.
Re:Sony (Score:2)
I disagree with your numbers.
http://www.devsdeals.com/article.php?sid=3468 [devsdeals.com]
128 MB memory sticks can be found quite easily for ~$30, and that is pretty much the same price for 128 MB CompactFlash.
hard to get
What do you mean by that? They are available almost everywhere I shop online.
and only work in Sony devices.
Not true- several companies (including Samsung and Pioneer to name a few) manufacture devices that use Memory stick.
That said, my support for memory sticks has dropped a lot after Sony announced that the sticks larger than 128 MB might not be compatible with existing memory stick devices.
Re:Sony (Score:5, Informative)
It is bigger than SD/MMC, more expensive per MB than just about any other removable media, slower, and is still maxed out at 128 MBs.
Sony has been promising gigabyte memory sticks for years, and just recently they announced that not only will it be delayed further, but in fact they won't work on ANYTHING but new devices.
I'm the very happy owner of a Sony NR70V, but to suggest memory sticks are even remotely competetive with the plethora of compactflash and SD/MMC available in stores today is ridiculous.
The sooner Sony gives up on this stupid attempt to control storage media, the better off they and their customers will be.
Re:Sony (Score:3, Informative)
That is not exactly what they announced:
http://news.com.com/2100-1040-980270.html [com.com]
They don't have a list of the devices that are compatible up yet, though.
Re:Sony (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Sony (Score:3, Insightful)
Quick look on pricewatch shows the cheapest 128mb MMC/SD card at $53, the cheapest 128mb memory stick at $57, hardly "ludicrously expensive". Plus, if you're buying a $800pda, how many memory cards do you need, and is a $4 differential in cost (or even $10) worth not purchasing the entire pda?
I own two CE devices that use electronic memory, an Olympus digital camera (smartmedia) and Sony camcorder (mem stick). The media they used was extremely low on my totem pole of "features" that influenced my decision to buy. Things like image quality and features factored WAY more heavily. Now had it boiled down to two devices that were basically the same and one used one format and the other used another, THEN I would probably lean toward using a more "common" format, but that hasen't happened yet. Esp. with SmartMedia, it was a struggle early on. But then again I'd much rather have inconvenience (and perhaps a bit more cost) to get a "superior" product in those areas that are most important to me.
Re:Sony (Score:5, Interesting)
I've expressed similar sentiment on /. before and got drilled a bit, because Memory Stick has become cost competitive with Smart and Compact. Personally, I use Compact for everything and wouldn't like having to spend the money twice.
I do have some reservations about Sony's quality, as a rising number of reviews are finding problems with Sony's quality. It seems after Akio Morita died the company's focus appears less on innovation and solid quality, more on innovation and maximizing profit drawing on Sony's reputation. I get burned once and I seldom give a second chance. There are so many players in the various tech markets these days.
Has anyone had quality issues with Clié units?
Lastly: This page [sonystyle.com] renders like sh!t in Netscape. How very unprofessional.
Re:Sony (Score:3, Informative)
Off hand, I have to say the Sony's have done very well compared to their counterparts. Ignoring features, and looking at just durablity, I've personally only had one problem, which is common across all palms. That is occasionlly I have to recalibrate my stylus, usually after I've dropped it or something.
As far as screen problems, I've never seen a Clie with a broken screen after it was dropped....sure it could/has happened, but I've never heard of it personally. OTOH, I've seen numberous palms and a few visors with cracked screens after a fall.
Battery life has never been an issue for me. I make sure I leave it on the cradle at least once a week.
The memory stick, never heard of anyone having any problem with one going bad. Just make sure you get a blue, not a white one, to make sure you never have problems with mp3 playback down the road.
Overall, I've been very happy with the Sony Clie's quality as well as the memory stick, and all my couterparts with a Clie that I have spoken too would say the same thing.
puck
Re:Sony (Score:3, Insightful)
I'm not aware of many desktops, let alone notebooks that ship with CompactFlash or smartmedia built in, but I do know the Sonys all have them.
Re:Sony (Score:2)
actually, the biggest reason is the lack of support
Re:No -- it's Sony's history that stops me (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm a Mac person, and remember the Sony CDs that break Ibooks. So I decided "Sony's out".
Within the next 6 months, I noticed reports of Sony quality being down, so I don't regret my decision either.
In line with that, I also dropped HP from my list of "good companies" when Lucent's marketing manager was hired as their new president, and all the old management fled. Lucent, if you remember, came up with those wonderful closed architecture WinModems that -- as it later turned out-- died within a year due to quality problems. Now, as it turns out, I find that HP has been short-filling their inkjet cartridges.
Same kind of decision about Sears. When their middle managers had to sue their upper managers for firing them when they refused to continue to attend Scientologist courses that said "cheat the customer..." I decided it was time to give my business to other companies. In the following years, I did not regret it.
It's just too bad that with all the fluid hiring and firing, and stock changing hands, it's a bit hard to keep up with what companies. But when they go bad, it's usually permanent. So once you find an apple going bad, it does make sense to throw it out.
Are you crazy? Sony Memory Sticks are **FAST**. (Score:2)
Re:it DOES have a CF slot (Score:2)
Integrated "PDA" (Score:5, Interesting)
Its a greyscale display, but still has a nice look.. not like the T81i(I think thats the name) which is full color and features a screensaver. (Why in gods name do I need a screen saver on a phone?)
but I think Im going to swing less towards bigass PDA's all-in-ones and more toward smaller phone style ones.
I already have to carry my work-issued two way pager, my Multiplier geek tool kit, and my bungee badge on my belt.. adding a PDA just makes me look a bit too batman.. where adding a phone only causes me to lean to one side a little bit.
Maeryk
Re:Integrated "PDA" (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Integrated "PDA" (Score:2)
The T62u is currently available from Cingular.. I know that is fairly limited as far as "us" is concerned.. its mainly PA, Jersey, and Delaware, as far as I know.. but its not a bad phone. Sounds kind of tinny.. but I figure everything this side of "all digital" does anyway.
What I really like is it is a tri-mode.. I may be paying a bit more for the signal in oddball areas, but at least I _have_ a signal.
Maeryk
Re:Integrated "PDA" (Score:2, Informative)
Also, I think my brother mentioned a third generation camera phone from Sony Ericsson.
Both the T68i and I suspect, T62u are fairly old phones.
Re:Integrated "PDA" (Score:2)
Re:Integrated "PDA" (Score:3, Informative)
The display on this thing sucks (IMHO if it ain't bright and probably color, it's hard for this old guy to read). BUT... I don't use it that often as a PDA. It's there when I need it, but like many Palm users, my Palm desktop (in this case running on [asbestos on] windows [asbestos off] ) is my true personal organizer.
But having a synched copy of all of my data in my phone is extremely handy.
Unfortunately, given the stupid fragmentation of the US cellular market, and the forced practice of buying your phone from the service provider, there aren't enough choices out there. I would like a new, smaller phone/PDA but QWest doesn't have them (gratuitous factoid: "QWest Sucks [tinyvital.com] generates 37800 hits on google).
Furthermore, qworst informs me that the market doesn't seem too interested in pda/phones - consumers are more likely to have phone/lames... errr phone/games than phone/PDA's. And since the market is so fragmented, only the largest demographic groups get what they want.
On top of that, some of the cool PDA/phone combos don't do analog. That means that if you leave the big city, your phone is dead. Here in Arizona, where my favorite drive to the mountains has a 90 mile stretch without NO stores or gas stations, this is a non-starter. And of course when I go tornado chasing every year in the midwest, analog is needed most of the time.
(Okay... you wonder why I still have QWorst when I think they suck. It's because they are my home phone carrier and thus are the only people who can give me totally automatic one number service. If you call my home-office number and my cell phone is turned on, the cell rings. If the cell is off, the home phone rings. Very cool!)
Size <--, Price --> (Score:4, Funny)
With this trend I foresee the following:
"Repeat after me: With this PDA I thee wed."
"With this PDA I thee wed."
cool! (Score:2)
HEAVY! (Score:5, Interesting)
I really, really, REALLY hope Sony gets off this everything-but-the-kitchen-sink kick, and release a lightweight, full screen version of the Clie. Hell, I have been using the Palm OS for years, but my Ipaq 1910 is on it's way now, because it is approximately the same size/weight as a Palm V.
Re:HEAVY! (Score:2)
Winton
Re:HEAVY! (Score:2, Informative)
(That and I never, ever got used to the keyboard. Go go gadget graffiti.)
When in the course of things I filled it with water and it was going to cost over $300 to repair, I started looking around and decided I needed a smaller form factor. This ruled out Pocket PC, etc, and I went back to a Tungsten. It might not have ALL the features, but it was the ones I need, and I carry it.
The large, thick, form factor is an absolute killer for me in these PDAs. (Though that small iPaq mentioned in the parent... that looks interesting.)
Re:HEAVY! (Score:2)
Check out the Viewsonic V35 too. They are both just over 4 oz, full screen, and XScale. Ironic that while Palm really hit the jackpot on the Palm V and smaller form-factor models, you cannot get a small form factor full-screen Xscale Palm OS model. The Tungsten is nice, but I want full screen!
Sony could really hit it big too. OS 5 actually USES the full capabilities of the Xscale (unlike the Xscale in PPCs, which are crippled by the OS). A full-screen Palm model should run faster for the same MHz and have a longer battery life (due to less code to run, as well as being able to use the XScale "scaling" feature to lower clock speed when you don't need it -- hell, the Xscale was NAMED after this feature and PPCs can use it).
Re:HEAVY! (Score:2)
How marketplaces work (Score:2)
So why, when Sony and its competitors, already sell laptops, shouldn't Sony sell to this niche?
incredible (Score:4, Insightful)
I sometimes question the value of integrating everything. It's cool and all, but I sort of like the modularity of things as they stand. Like if I'm in a meeting I can have my PDA but leave the cell phone behind, and I can go jogging with my mp3 player and not have to bring the camera along too.
Still, I don't think we should be too hasty. If wielded with wisdom and with the desire to defend, the Sony Clie NZ90 could save us from the doom that grows nearer with each dawning day.
Not Bad (Score:5, Interesting)
Integerated Cell Phone
MP3 Playback
Voice Recorder
GPS
Memory slot (SD, Flash etc...)
Calender/Scheduling etc...
Full operating system (either Linux or PocketPC)
Clamshell design (hate having to use a stupid case)
At least 3 Megapixel Camera with optical zoom
I think we will have this in about 2-3 years and it will cost $500.
Any other features I've forgot?
Re:Not Bad (Score:4, Insightful)
Goto any PDA site, and everytime a new PDA comes out someone says "Oh yeah, I'll buy this when...insert large list of features"
I'm not telling you to stop wanting these things, cause sure, that would be pretty cool, but you can't use "I'll wait fot the next generation" as your reasoning every single time. Obviously you don't need all/any of these things, single out the things you need everyday and go with it. Then go buy high quality stand-alone versions of the stuff you only need once in awhile.
For example, you can already buy cell phones that do mp3, voice recording, calender/scheduling, SD and run PPC. You're going to have to make some kind of sacrifice, thats life. To think that your standards won't be any higher than this in 2-3 years is absurd.
The Sony Ericsson P800 is close (Score:3, Informative)
You should take a look at that - nearly the only negative thing about is of course that it uses memorystick :(
It was mentioned here a few days ago I think, but you can see a good (p)review here: http://mobile.burn.com/review.jsp?Id=141
With commands like that ... (Score:5, Funny)
Knowing me, I probably would have been bored/vaguely amused if I was left to my own devices. Then where would we be? And since I try to limit lust to interactions with my wife, I totally would have missed the mark on this one.
Thank Cmdr. Taco kids.Thank you Taco
Re:With commands like that ... (Score:2)
Who needs these features? (Score:4, Funny)
Why would someone want a digital camera integrated in their PDA? Is there some aspect of Personal Digitial Assistance that involves photography?
Personal entertainment...games, digital music, wireless news service...things a person might use daily or to fight tedium, I can understand. But, a camera?
Some similar multimedia features Sony has touted for a while now have also perplexed me. Like having a picture viewer and movie player in your PDA. In what situation do I, when mobile, need to suddenly watch a 10 sec movie clip? Are people really carrying pictures of their grandkids on these things?!
Then I figured it out. Masturbation. The only viable use I can fathom for having the ability to conveniently and surrepitiously carry around tiny movie clips and random digital phots is to satisfy a lonely geek's need to have easy-access porn-at-hand...for when...ah...nature..calls.
I mean, is this the understood, implicit subtext in packaging all this worthless multimedia capability in a handheld/palmtop? (Wow. Even the form factor is masturbatory.)...or is there some other utility I'm missing?
I can only assume the digital camera is for the porn do-it-yourselfer.
Feelin' Trollish,
Me
Re:Who needs these features? (Score:3, Funny)
Nah! I mean.. thats an added side benefit.. that and suddenly getting rich by adding to the plethora of "upskirt" sites.. but the REAL reason is..
Sony is quietly taking over the world.. through secret underground corporations run by Illuminati, they have their hands in cell-phones, digicams, the companies that provide your cell service, and web hosting companies. Once they hand these to kids, (who now think the inane blog type live-journal.com are the way to go) the kids will invariably run the bill sky-high on the phone/palm that mom and dad got them (and pay the cell bill for). Now they can send blurry black-with-a-bright-spot-in-the-middle photos REALTIME to a webpage and say "Look.. Its Rammstein! Live!" and hordes of people will flock to the site to see it!
Said site, of course, being owned by Sony.. and featuring sony advertising. And a couple of pics of unbelievably hot girls _in_ the advertising, making boys say "wow.. I can chat with her" and girls say "Wow, I can BE her with one of these new blog-cam-phone-pda-turnip twaddlers!"
Its clever... all your PDA are belong to them!
Maeryk
With that in mind (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:With that in mind (Score:2)
Re:Who needs these features? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Who needs these features? (Score:2)
Because it would mean I wouldn't need to tote around a digital camera to take those quickie pictures of the girl on the train who's picking her nose ? Because people who carry PDAs have them with them all the time, and might not always have their digital camera with them when something interesting happens ?
Re:Who needs these features? (Score:2)
The movie it records is tiny anyway, and mono sound in ADPCM?! One would think with 400MHz under the hood it can do real-time MP3 encoding...
Re:Who needs these features? (Score:2)
Depending on the clarity of the camera in this model, I think it could fill in in a pinch for a low-end digital camera. While some complain about the "everything/all in one"-ness of Sony's product lines, I personally like the fact that I have a PDA, an MP3 player, and a digital camera all in one.
Porn at your palm! (Score:3, Funny)
Overintegration (Score:5, Insightful)
I agree, but only to a point.
Integrating an MP3 player with my Palm sounds like a cool idea, at least it did when most MP3 players were stuck at 64 or 128 MB of storage. Now that we've got many 20+ gigabyte players out there, a "real" MP3 player will never fit in a PDA (at least not until we can get HD-like capacities in flash or extremely low power drives).
Getting a cell phone integrated is good, for cool factor, but I wouldn't want one. For one, I'd be tied to whatever local providers had service for my particular model. Unless you could trade in a CDMA version for a GSM version the next time I get annoyed with my wireless carrier, then this simply won't fly for many people. Plus, I can certainly see a need to talk on the phone while looking something up -- which you can't do with an integrated unit unless you put it in speakerphone mode (or carry a plug-in earpiece/microphone).
And, finally, maybe this new Clie has a "real" digital camera, but please define "real." Compared to 640x480 2nd generation cameras, maybe it's cool, but compared to modern 4 megapixel cameras? How big is the lens opening (which helps to drive its sensitivity to low-light situations)? How quickly will you drain the batteries when using the flash?
I think it's important to remember what made PDAs, especially Palm-powered ones, so popular in the first place. They filled a need, not for a "laptop in your shirt pocket," but for a quick way to take notes, keep contact lists together, etc. I'd say that as far as PDAs take that same approach to integrated features like MP3s or photos, that's a Good Thing. The PDA approach to these should be to allow users to listen to "an album or two" and to take "an occasional photo of the whiteboard that you just filled with a world-changing idea."
But if they're trying to make a PDA into a "PowerMac in your shirt pocket," then it'll fail. And it should -- there will always be far better cameras / mp3 players / phones available than what's integrated into a PDA.
Re:Overintegration (Score:2)
The cell phone thing is a bit us-centric: the rest of the world (or at least western europe, the middle east and asia) don't have that problem...GSM standard, so it'll only be a problem when you go to the US. Me, I'd love a clie/phone combo, for the same reasons you mentioned PDA's became popular in the first place. For me, mp3-player comes secondary, camera doesn't figure at all, but only if they don't add to the size and weight factor. Idealy, that would add up to the following PDA:
-colour, highrez, full size (as in the whole front of the device) screen
-intergrated GSM
-removable storage
-no screwed up tiny qwerty keyboard! (screw you, TungstenW and Treo!)
And that's it...that's what'll get me to upgrade my IIIc and IrDA cellphone.
Hmm.. I'd rather get a .. (Score:3, Informative)
Um... (Score:5, Insightful)
For $800 I sure as hell don't want it to have 'issues'. Linux has 'issues', I'm willing to deal with them because it's free. If it cost $800 I'd laugh and ask for a refund.
Re:Um... (Score:3, Insightful)
Ahh, but would you laugh and ask for a refund when one of those Linux issues turns up on a >$800 computer ?
Let's Talk About Convergence (Score:2)
The Borg Box and Convergence Fantasies [slashdot.org]
Conversation Trumps Convergence [computerworld.com]
Is that a PC in your pocket? [palmstation.com]
Why Convergence won't happen [strom.com]
Convergence deathwatch! [contenu.nu]
Why convergence won't happen in a big way [osopinion.com]
What Convergence Isn't [cyberstuff.net]
Integrated isn't always the best solution (Score:2, Insightful)
Compare this for example with Hi-Fi stereo systems. A seperates system almost always sounds better than an integrated one.
You might find Nokia makes a good phone and Nikon makes a good camera. But Nikon probably doesnt make so good a phone and Nokia probably doesnt make great cameras.
Also there convenience is very much offset if one portion should ever fail. If your camera lense cracks and you have to have it repaired now you're without your camera, phone, mp3 player etc as well until it is fixed. The same goes for loss. If you loose it... you've lost a lot of things all at once - possibly stuff you dont necessarily need with you at all times.
Plus what do you do when a new technology appears? You may not be able to integrate new technology into your existing device. So now you've to replace maybe 5 sub-devices to get one new peice of technology
So the convenience of all these things integrated isnt as perfect as it first seems!
G.
Re:Integrated isn't always the best solution (Score:2)
Seems like only voyeurs would get a real use out of it. (Hmm... that chick across from me's panties are showing... better get a shot of that...)
I don't know about everyone else, but I take my camera with me when I plan on taking pictures; and I've never run into a situation where I wanted to use the camera while I was using my PDA...
Makes about as much sense as putting a camera into your phone... wait a minute....
T
New CLIE' features (Score:2, Informative)
Sony Marketing (Score:5, Insightful)
You know your a geek when.. (Score:3, Funny)
You know you're NOT a geek when... (Score:2)
And there was much rejoicing (Score:2)
I'll be more enthusiastic when Palm gets its act together and uses all that newly found horsepower to make Grafitti far more accurate and less of a pain in the butt to use.
Re:And there was much rejoicing (Score:2)
Soko
Good to see the new camera, but... (Score:4, Insightful)
I'm a little disappointed with this release... Many of us are breathlessly awaiting an Ericson / sony style crossover, in the hopes of picking up a very stylish, very functional treo mp3 equivalent.
NZ-90 Demo [sonystyle.com]
And for comparison, the NR-70 [sonystyle.com]
Fortunately, as with any new Sony release, this should push the price of the rest of their line down a bit... You can charge a premium for the latest and greatest, but you have to back off when you release something later and greater. Let's hope they back away from that black magnesium.
Re:Good to see the new camera, but... (Score:2)
Haven't you heard about the sonyericsson brand [sonyericsson.com]?
Re:Good to see the new camera, but... (Score:2)
Free Leather Case! (Score:5, Funny)
Woo hoo!
How can they afford it?
I noticed another great deal the other day too.... new Ferarris are coming with FLOOR MATS!
Integrating cams, PDAs, Cell Phones, etc. Sucks! (Score:4, Insightful)
I don't want a cell phone at all.
I do want a digital camera, but I want interchangeable lenses, etc. I bet this PDA doesn't have that.
I want an MP3 player. I don't want a cell phone with it. When I'm listening to music, I don't want the bloody phone to ring.
I want a digital camera. I don't want to take my PDA on vacation. What good is a PDA in the middle of nowhere when you're camping?
I do NOT want a built-in camera on every single digital thingie I own.
I'd rather have all these things separate, and better, rather than integrated into one-size-fits-all piece of shit that is more "cool" than it is "useful."
Re:Integrating cams, PDAs, Cell Phones, etc. Sucks (Score:2)
Yeah, bluetooth on my digital cam would be cool... save me having to pop out the MM card and drop it into the PC.
I can definitely see uses for wireless interoperability, and BT surpasses IR for most applications.
And if you act now... (Score:2)
Not what I want (Score:2, Troll)
Yeah, the pointer stick is nice. But you know what would be nicer? The following wishlist [not all of this is new]:
* two back panels that slide out to the sides. What are they? multi-sensing Hall effect touchpads. Instant combo keyboard and mouse, as was previously featured on slashdot.
* nice little applesoft-style programming language. Doesn't have to be fancy, but is a heck of a lot better than a calculator. It can thus be a programmable calculator, with graphics if you wish. I'm an engineer -- come on -- who really wants to find a computer with compiler to write a program?
* User-adjustable clock speed.
* Radio web comm for warchalking is nice -- but you should have an automatic link to an online harddrive [included in purchase price].
* Same radio should be usable for calculator-calculator transmissions at close range. Want to destribute your new program? No problem. Your friend hits "upload", you hit "download", and there you go. MacIRExchange is the idea.
* Speaking of recharging, I'd like rechargeable batteries, and an option where I can just plug the thing into a wall socket at work. With today's power mosfets, such things should not be impossible
* And -- if it's got to be a telephone -- don't put that thing up near my ear. It hurts my ear, and I hear that it gives inner-ear cancer as well. Use a directional microphone, and speakers.
How about a screen? (Score:4, Funny)
Re:How about a screen? (Score:2)
One reason Dell is gaining so much ground in the PDA market right now is PRICE.
20 Hz frequency response - schweeet! (Score:3, Funny)
> Audio/Voice
>Audio Frequency Response: 20hz
>Recording: ATRAC3/MP3(playback), ADPCM(voice >recording)
>Sampling: 44.1 kHz(ATRAC3, MP3)
>Output: Headphone jack / stereo mini jack
Great if you want thumping bass, without any other annoying frequencies, like 0-19 Hz or 21-20000 Hz!
what good is bluetooth for a 'personal network'? (Score:2)
a "storage brick": 10's of gigs, CF and/or hard disk, small as possible, long battery life, minimal user interface, integrates with my LAN;
a variety of PDAs that store their info on the brick, so I can choose one with the price/features I want;
a cellphone (actually just a headset) that can access the PDA's phone directory database on the brick, and maybe record conversations/voicemail messages to the brick;
a variety of cameras that can store/retrieve images on the storage brick, so I can choose one with the price/features I want (or not);
an MP3 player, which can play music from the brick;
in a perfect world, they would all plug into a single recharger (i.e. plug in the brick, plug the devices into the brick);
reasonable security for all of the above.
I might accept integration of any two of the items on my list, if the features were right, but I might not, too.
From this list is seems apparent that bluetooth doesn't have the bandwidth; even 802.11 might be too slow. Until this bandwidth improves, I'm not going to get excited.
The target market is ... (Score:2)
Aside from a few gadget freaks, these are picked up all the time by media types and real estate people. For realtors the uses are obvious - the picks and little movies that they make of real estate and place on the web are of the perfect size and quality that these little Sony's take.
For the media types, it's either journalists that like the extra voice and video features of a PDA (remember, this is just a business expense for them), or movie location folks where just a little video snapshot capability in the pocket is gold.
I can see those two groups by themselves being large enough to warrant Sony's continuous delivery of these devices.
Lust After The Sony Clie NZ90 (Score:3, Funny)
System Requirements? (Score:3, Interesting)
Check out the "System Requirements":
System Requirements:
* Windows® 98 Second Edition, Me, 2000 Professional, XP Home, XP Professional
* Pentium® II 400 MHz with or faster (Pentium III 500 MHz recommended)
* 96MB RAM minimum (256 MB or more recommended for Windows XP)
How is a Linux or OS X user supposed to interpret this info? "Dont' buy this product, it won't work" or "Don't buy this product, you are not an important demographic to Sony"?
There is a better way [apple.com]
Not Enough Memory (Score:3, Informative)
Re:I like having just one device (Score:3, Funny)
Re:I like having just one device (Score:3, Funny)
*nix.org - Get It In You [starnix.org]
Re:I like having just one device (Score:3, Interesting)
Consider that Palm and Handspring provides Mac versions of their software, but Sony doesn't. While you can use the standard Palm Desktop, there probably is no driver for the USB synchronization cable available for OS X.
That said, on the other hand, Handspring does not work well with *Windows*. I am biding my time until my 12" Powerbook arrives - sometime early next week, it just shipped yesterday (yay!) - under SMP Windows XP, synchronizing my Treo tends to crash the computer.
Windows uesrs are paying for Microsoft's tactic of squeezing as much money as they could by prolonging Win9x (read DOS)'s lifespan - most drivers are not tested under SMP conditions. Using earlier ATI drivers I could force the computer to reset by shaking an XMPEG window while it is encoding.
Back to the topic though, I had a Sony Vaio Picturebook last time and must say I am not really that impressed with Sony's build quality, nor their UI design - too flashy, lots of garish 3D silver buttons.
Would be interesting to see if now that XP is out with support for styles, Sony packages a theme switcher and default Sony look-and-feel. Anyone out there has one and can comment?
Re:I like having just one device (Score:2, Informative)
Nice action - highly recommended.
Re:I like having just one device (Score:3, Informative)
For those on OS X, find the required software here:
Missing Sync [markspace.com]
and Linux:
Pilot Link [pilot-link.org]
Re:$800?! (Score:2)
Anyway, LC has an interesting policy of taking discounts after the fact for up to 30 days... so if you have eye insurance that will reimburse you for expenese, buy the glasses retail from the store, submit the receipt showing you paid full price, and then go back with a AAA (yes, the auto club) card and get 30% off, or bring any other vision care card that they do or do not accept and you'll get at least 20% off...
and before you say I'm full of doggy poo, I worked there for 2 years and am an ABO certified optician...
and also very very bored at the moment...
Re:$800?! (Score:3)
Actually I buy my glasses when I visit my parents in Indonesia. They turn heads and costed only $50
Re:$800?! (Score:2, Funny)
Re:What about my zaurus? (Score:2, Insightful)
You can get a camera for it (but why, when you can get a perfectly decent digital camera), phone Cf card etc.
I'm not getting excited about the sony...
Re:So Poor, I can't even pay attention! (Score:2)
The 2MB memory (which I think is non-expandable) sucks, but it's a pretty small unit. And actually 2MB isn't terrible. My battered 2MB Palm III, which is an upgraded Palm Pro (I think... it was the first one with the backlight) still performs really well, so I have to say I'm pleased -- probably too pleased for Palm's sake, because other than Geek Lust, I have no reason to upgrade...
Re:Remote Control? (Score:2)
Re:Battery Life (Score:2)
All that just to say that just becaus eit's color and has a lot of features - doesn't mean the battery life will be bad.