A review that I wrote in April 2004:
I used to own a Palm M130
Why did I pick the Sony Clie PEG-TJ37?
This was a decision that took me a couple of weeks to make. I knew that
I definitely wanted color, of course, and I wanted something with more
memory. I was quite torn with whether I NEEDED the wireless
capabilities, but I finally decided that if I was going to upgrade, I
might as well get something that hopefully wouldn't be obsolete in a
couple of years. Having the camera wasn't important since I already own
a digital camera, but I figured it would be nice although not a
dealbreaker. So, after deciding on these requirements, I had to look at
price. I really didn't want to spend more than $300, so this meant I
was limited to the Sony Clie PEG-TJ37 and the Palm 71.
I was all set to purchase the Palm 71 until I compared the screens and
realized I liked the color screen of the Sony Clie a lot better. It
didn't look as cartoonish and seemed to be more clear to me. It also
was more visually appealing to me. Another thing I didn't particularly
care for was the joystick on the Palm 71. I tried using it in the store
and found it uncomfortable.
So what does the PEG- TJ37 look like?
The unit is 4.5 x 3 inches. It comes with a black screen flip cover
that easily attaches to the unit to protect the screen. It has an
aluminum case that appears to be strong. On the side of the unit you
have the button to slide the unit on or off and it also turns off the
backlight. There's also the snap button for the camera. On the back of
the PDA, you will see the speaker and the camera lens. On the bottom,
there is a slide button to open the lens and the slot where you stick
the charger/sync cable. At the top, there is an opening for the memory
stick, along with the headphone jack, the WiFi/IR port, and the slot
for the stylus.
There is a jog dial button with this PDA. I was unfamiliar with
this type of button but picked it up quite quickly and prefer it to the
"up/down" buttons of my last PDA. There are also four application
buttons and left and right buttons that I use mostly when playing
games.
On the screen you will find the area to write in Grafitti2.
Grafitti2 is something that I was not used to as I only knew Grafitti.
I didn't even bother to learn Grafitti as this PDA comes with the
Decuma program which allows you to write in your own handwriting. I
consider this a lot better than Grafitti and it's much easier for
people if they don't know Grafitti.
You will also find the home, options, calculator, and find buttons on the screen as well.
What's included with this PDA?
This PDA is almost like a mini laptop. The operating system is the Palm 5.2.1. You have the typical programs such as:
1. Address Book
2. Calculator
3. Date Book
4. Memo Pad
5. To Do List
Sony includes the following programs:
Clie Launcher, Clie Files, Clie Camera, Clie Mail, Clie Memo, Clie Viewer, Data Import, and the Memory Stick Backup.
Other third party software included are:
Audible Player, Aero Player,Kinoma Player 2, MobiPocket e-book reader
(with some sample books), Decuma Input, Picsel Viewer, Netfront v. 3.1.
PC Desktop software is as follows:
Adobe Reader v.6, CLIE Mail Coduit, CLIE Migration Tool, CLIE Update Wizard, Data Export v.1.0, Giga Pocket Plug-in
Image Converter v.1.1, Intellisync™ Lite v.4.0, Palm Desktop for CLIE QuickTime� v.6.4.
A number of trial version third party software is also included.
As I mentioned previously, a flip screen cover is included to
protect the screen. Although it looks flimsy, it has withstood the
constant bending back and abuse that I have given it.
You also receive a USB Hotsync cable, AC power adapter, a retractable stylus, and a hand strap.
Wireless Capabilities
My husband has had a wireless network set up in our home for over a
year now. This has been the only place where I have utilized the
wireless capabilities of the Sony Clie. Setting it up was a little
difficult for me and I needed a little help. After configuring a couple
of things with the security setting on our wireless router, I was able
to connect.
Surfing the web takes a little time to get used because of the small
screen. I ended up using a third-party software that automatically
"squeezes" each page to fit the screen and makes it easier to view. I
surf the web almost daily and have had no problems. It does drain the
battery faster than most other applications, but I've been able to surf
the web for a considerable amount of time (over 2.5 hours) before the
battery died out.
Camera
I've only used the camera a couple of times, but I am very pleased with
the quality of the pictures. I wasn't expecting much, but the pictures
come out pretty clear. You definitely can't take any decent pictures in
a dark setting and it won't capture all the colors in a picture as well
as regular camera.
MP3 and Movie players
You can plays MP3s on this PDA. The speaker is located on the back
of the unit and when played, it doesn't sound that great. But if you
have headphones, it sounds on par with any portable CD player I've ever
used.
The Kinoma player that comes with the PDA does a decent job with
playing back the movie clip that I downloaded. It ran smoothly and I
didn't have any problems with interruption.
To use these options frequently, a memory stick should be purchased.
Pros
1. Color screen - TFT color display with backlights 320 x 320
pixels, 65,536 colors. I really love the color screen. It's so much
more crisp and clear compared to my previous PDA and even compared to
the competing Palm Zire 71 (although the Zire does seem to be a little
more "colorful"). Problems with reading it in bright light are slim to
none and I find it perfect for reading my E-books.
2. Battery Life - Considering everything this PDA can do, the
battery life is pretty good. I use this constantly and I've never
encountered a situation where I lost battery power (unless I was
testing it).
3. Price - This unit runs for $299. Considering all that it offers, I
consider that an excellent price. I purchased this from Dell.com when
they were running a free standard shipping sale, plus 20% off, plus I
went through Ebates.com to get my "rebate", so I ended up paying a
little over $230 for it.
4. Wireless Capabilities - Being able to surf the web is a great
option. I hope to be able to utilize this option outside of the home
once more and more places start to recognize this technology. Also, you
can configure the TJ37 to hotsync wirelessly which is another plus!
5. MP3 Player - this makes this PDA the perfect companion for the
commuter who has a long train ride or the student who has breaks
between classes. Not only can you keep all your documents,
appointments, presentations, etc., you can also listen to mp3s.
Although I wouldn't use it without headphones, WITH headphones it
sounds great.
6. Speed and size - It's a lot faster than my previous PDA at
200MHz. Comparing the two, I can barely imagine how I managed those two
years. The size of the unit is perfect. It fits easily into my small
purse and I've never had any problems with it turning on by mistake.
I've even carried this in the pockets of my cargo capris and it fit
nicely.
Cons
1. Lack of USB cradle - I was so used to having the cradle with the Palm M130
and I just assumed that every PDA came with those. Not so. The TJ37
comes with a double cable that plugs into an adaptor. It's very awkward
to have these two cords running from the PDA to the computer and the
wall.
2. Stylus - It seems a little flimsy and although it is
retractable, that turns into a disadvantage when it retracts at the
wrong time. I would have preferred a styles that wasn't retractable.
3. Buttons are small - when my husband has tried to play games on
this, he complained that the buttons were too small for his hands and
he was right. I don't have any problems with them, but this might be an
issue with men.
4. Occasional Resets - On a few occasions, I've needed to reset the
unit because it was "stuck". I never had that problem with the M130. I
never lost any of my information with these resets, so it hasn't been a
big problem. Plus, I'm used to "stuck" screens after using Windows for
so many years.
Conclusion
I would not hesitate to recommend this PDA to anyone who is in the
market for a unit that is not basic. I've been nothing but pleased with
the performance and I've found that I rely on it a lot more than my
former PDA.
If you need/want a PDA with wireless capabilities, camera, mp3
playback, color screen, lots of memory, etc., this is definitely for
you.
If you don't need the wireless, I would not hesitate to recommend the
PEG-TJ27, which is basically the same unit (minus wireless, mp3
playback, speaker, and some software) but about $100 cheaper.
Product Information
Palm OS Software v. 5.2
200 MHz i.MXL Application Processor
32 MB RAM (Approx. 23 MB available)
16 MB ROM
Integrated Wireless LAN (802.11b)
High-resolution TFT Color Display (320 x 320 dots, 65,536 colors)
Built-in 310K Pixels CMOS Camera with 2x Digital Zoom (JPEG, 640 x 480 resolution)
Built-in Audio Player. (Compatible with MP3 audio format)
Built-in Video Player [Compatible with QuickTime file format}
Center Jog Dial™ Navigator with Left/Right Buttons
Key Applications (CLIE Camera, CLIE Viewer, etc.) pre-installed in the ROM Memory
Bundled with Decuma Input Handwriting Recognition Software
Bundled with Picsel Viewer Software for Viewing Native Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF and HTML Files.
Supported Desktop Systems
Windows� Millennium Edition, Windows� 2000 Professional, Windows� XP Home Edition, Windows� XP Professional
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