New Sony Clie PEG-UX50

webguru4god writes "Sony Japan has just released a killer new Clie, complete with integrated Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a camera, in a small laptop-like enclosure. It runs Palm OS 5.2, has a 65,000 screen, and a built in keyboard! " I've always been a bit skeptical of handhelds that have flip out keyboards like this, but have repeatedly been impressed with the quality of various models of Clie. This might be worth a look.

Comments

No Graffiti

[berkeleyjunk]

At last somebody understood people wanted to type on their PDAs instead of learning how to use Graffiti or a soft keyboard. I have a Sony PictureBook and I love it. This is going to rock.

Battery Life

[pheared]

Sony rates the battery life at 14 days with 30 minutes of typical use per day.

So, just say 7 hours. Unless of course sustained usage drains the battery faster.

Either way that's pretty good since my iPaq can now barely run for 45 minutes without a charge. I have a backpaq arriving soon with extra battery capacity so that should help.

Sony wants ubiquitous wifi

[dspyder]

Talking to a wireless engineer at Sony, they are really interested in finding a way of having ubiquitous 802.11 access everywhere. With devices like this, who can blame them.

Trouble is, he also said Sony wants a piece of the service market offering that access. Seems to me I would stick with being a hardware provider and let the ISPs sort out the delivery. Of course, with Sony being in the content business as well........

--D

Re:Sony wants ubiquitous wifi

[yelohbird]

Sony already owns a big chunk of the Asian ISP market, with ventures for broadband services in Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and other markets. With their financial leverage, I would not be surprised if they are able to deploy ubiquitous 802.11 (b/g) access in those same markets, where the dense metropolitan population and high demand for tech fads would make it feasible to carry out this project.

And then, maybe 20 years down the road, ubiquitous wi-fi will finally be "feasible" and make its debut the United States...

Re:Ouch!

[guacamolefoo]

The handheld body is made of magnesium.
Better hope it doesn't rain!

It serves as firestarting tool as well!

GF.

Re:Yay!

[stratjakt]

War-getting-a-ride-from-mom-ing

But then everyone gets a ride from his mom.

embarrassing question

[AssFace]

One of the owners of the company I currently work with has taken me aside many times and has me on a quest for what I think is the unattainable... mainly because the idea is retarded.

But I have to ask, since this seems about like the perfect place to do so. Or instead of asking - maybe I should just describe what he wants and enthusiasts can chime in.

He wants a handheld device. He loves Sony products, and hates Handspring products. He has no real reasons or logical justification for this as far as I can tell - but he isn't going to change.
He wants something that will keep track of all of his appointments. He wants something that can play mp3s.
Ideally it would also have a camera and a phone in it, but that isn't necessary.

But what he *really* wants... and this is the part that I find amusing - he wants this thing to have a phone jack in it.
For two reasons - the first reason is so that he can put a phone line into it and record conversations. For some reason he thinks that there is a large demand for this, just because he wants it.
He also wants this thing to be able to check e-mail - but he doesn't want to pay cell phone charges for checking e-mail, and bluetooth and wi-fi are out because he wants to travel the globe with this thing and plug into the phone lines at hotels and then dial up and check his e-mail. Via the modem jack of course.

I thought I had him sold on the cool Neuros, but then this phone jack idea occurred to him and he is now focused on that.

The worst part is that he finds the fact that it doesn't exist and that nobody else would want this a personal failing on my part.
As if I'm just not trying hard enough.

I feel like telling him that if he clicks his heels together, rubs a lamp, and also *really* believes in it, then it will happen.

Anyway, anyone know of such a beast to exist? (he has a laptop, but apparently that is "too bulky" - so that solution is out - and I know that Handspring has plug-ins for all of that stuff, but he hates Handsprings and refuses to ever own one)

Nifty but what's the price?

[anagama]

If this thing tops $500, won't people start just looking at a laptop?

It's neat and all in a gadgety way, but PDAs need to be small and light so they fit in your pocket. The problem of course, is that when they are tiny, data input is a bear - and it always will be till voice recognition/mind plugs replace grafiti and thumboards.