Sony Clié PEG-SJ30

Having owned a Handspring Visor Deluxe for a number of years, I was pulled in by the new range of colour screen handhelds available. But also being a student I didnt have a fortune to spend on one. I had a look around and spotted the Sony Clie SJ30 and liked what i saw. The curves were smooth, the size was much smaller and lighter than my old PDA, and the screen was AMAZING! Although it is very hard to see with the backlight switched off, all you simply need to do is not switch it off! This does however drain the rechargable, internal battery more quickly, but if you are near your PC and hotsync every day, then it can charge whilst doing this. The software included with the package is excellent, with pictures being first class quality and videos, although being a bit poorer, what can you expect from a PDA?! I guess thats all i gotta say, but I would recommend this handheld for pleasure and business!

After a couple of weeks of playing with the Sony Clie PEG-SJ30, I am uniformly impressed by it. The screen is crisp and clear and colour is a nice bonus for a PDA of this price. Incidentally, for those of you considering the lower-priced monochrome SJ10 and SJ20 units, you might want to check out the backlights first. The SJ10 is wholly unacceptable in all but very bright lighting conditions. I was thinking of going with the SJ20 at first, but it suffers from significant "ghosting" when the screen changes (quite distracting). It's also not as bright as the SJ30 on full backlight. This colour model has absolutely no ghosting problems, and each screen pops up quickly and clearly. I recommend you try out all 3 models at a local electronics store that displays real units (I'd also recommend you try them at night, to see what I'm talking about). The response time of this unit is excellent, and all applications open quickly and smoothly. The bundled apps are more than sufficient for most users, and the software setup was simplicity itself. In particular, the datebook is well designed and easy to use (one of my most important concerns). As always, documentation leaves a little to be desired (especially the poorly documented mail feature that some have rightfully complained about). However, the basic Palm OS mail software DOES automatically message with Outlook Express without special setup required (would be nice if they told you that, though!). Note also that it only syncs with your inbox and not all your subfolders (presumably need to pay for the full Intellisync software for that feature). The remaining software is great, and all very easy to use and setup. The unit is a bit on the heavy and thick side, but that's to be expected given its price. It's still quite reasonable and compact, and fits very well in the hand. Also, the incredibly useful JogDial can easily be accessed by a lefty like myself (i.e. using right index finger). The lack of that feature alone is what turned me off standard Palms (just like if you've ever used a scroll mouse, you know you can't go back!). Minor quibbles over the stylus or lack of cradle are understandable, but not an issue for me. The same goes for the simple speaker (I'm not planning to listen to music with it). If you want a PDA that works the way a PDA should, and don't care about the frilly extras, this unit has everything you'll want.