Sony Clié PEG-SJ33

The Sony Cli PEG-SJ33 is one of the best mid-range products about. Its low price and massive range of software make it highly desirable. The screen is clear and bright even in sunlight. The processor is quick enough to handle anything you throw at it (66MHz). The software bundle is smashing. Documents To Go is an excellent way to view and edit MS Word and Excel files - idiot proof too.

kinoma player is good for video and the audio player is perfect for playing MP3 and ATRAC3 music (Magic Gate memory stick needed for ATRAC3 files, standard memory stick for MP3). Kinoma producer is a bit of a let down (it turns video files into palm-sized files) with only a 2 day free trial. Incidently it didnt make a good job of my AVI video anyway. PictureGear lite comes bundled with the clie and does the same job anyway. On the Clie you can also view and edit still pictures. Inputting text is relatively straightforward using Graffiti handwriting recognition or alternatively the onscreen keyboard. Most of the software is installed but you need to set aside about 45 minutes to install the rest. The handheld is pretty easy to use just by prodding at the screen to experiment - but extensive software guides are given in pdf (acrobat reader) format. Only sonicstage is a bit fiddly to use without scanning over 20 pages of instructions, but I dont use it anyway. Only one puzzle game, but its very addictive and there are loads available free for download (search for palm freeware). There's stacks of room for more programs on the onboard memory. However, if there's one thing you should buy with your Clie its a memory stick - 128MB is best and with a bit of searching you should get one for under £40 (Ebuyer). All in all, an excellent pda.