I have always been a Neo-Luddite when it came to handheld devices. Ever since my brief encounter with a Sharp Pocket Organizer years ago, I’ve held firm in the belief that electronic methods were unnecessary when paper is both more affordable and more portable.
Ever try to slip a Palm (even a Palm Vx?) into your wallet?
Of course, I don’t have thousands of essential numbers, and I’m not a jet-setter who needs to keep track of the day’s flight itinerary. A couple of old business cards, a good pen and real small writing has always sufficed for me.
So how do I happen to have a Sony CLIE?
No, I didn’t give in, exactly. I figured there’s got to be a business opportunity, a niche to be filled, in handheld devices. Because while I don’t use them, a lot of people apparently do.
How do I explore the possibilities if I don’t have one myself?
Design
How does the Sony compare to the Palm Vx? It is thicker than the Palm and it’s thinner than the Palm. Let me be more precise, front to back the Sony is thicker, but side to side the Sony is thinner. Because of this, the CLIE feels really comfortable in your hand.
The design of the CLIE is arguably better than the Vx. The CLIE avoids the simple, chic, model-thin look of the Palm and instead goes for a more traditionally clean, straight-line, two-tone styling that just stands out. The CLIE has a nice heft to it, without being too heavy. The pen, which has a metal body, slides into its holder with an unmistakably refined snap.
Jog Dial
You know the specifications on the CLIE: it’s got the extra jog-dial and the memory stick slot (included is an 8MB stick). Are they useful? The jog-dial would be, if more applications used it. It’s well-designed, sitting right underneath where your left-thumb normally rests (sorry, lefties).
Unfortunately, applications have to be written specifically to make use of it, so only the built-in software that comes with the CLIE uses the jog-dial. It’d be nice if third-party products like AvantGo would start using it.
Memory Stick
The memory stick is the main reason why I chose the CLIE over the Vx though. Expandable memory seemed like a good idea considering offline browsing of web-sites requires anywhere from 50K to 250K per site. Here’s one thing you should know though: just like the jog-dial, the expandable memory can only be used by applications that specifically support it. Meaning for now, the memory stick is mostly unused, since data that needs to be accessed by most applications must sit in main memory.
Backlight and Case
The backlight works! I’ve never had to squint. In bright light, it doesn’t show up at all, but when you need it most, it comes through.
The case is a slightly textured, faux leather that protects the CLIE well and is resistant to scuffs and scratches itself. It folds out towards you and downwards like a super elongated flip-down cell-phone.
What
do I think of handheld devices now that I have one? I like AvantGo. I like being able to read the news while on the bus or the MTR. There’s a lot of travel time to kill with public transportation in Hong Kong. That’s what I’ve been using it for.
I’d pick this over the Palm Vx any day, but the Sony CLIE still gets a rating from me. While offline browsing is wonderful, it is not essential, and for all its other functions, well, I can still make do with my old scribbled over business cards.
Finally, Panasonic and eventually Sony released new portable DVD players that suited my needs, the Panasonic LV75 and the Sony FX1, and I knew it was time to make my purchase. After comparing the two units, I finally settled on the Sony.
Second, the sound. Sony sounds better both from their built-in speakers, and more importantly, from their headphone jack. Plug in a pair of headphones/earphones, and Sony’s “SRS Headphone Surround Sound” is just awesome. Finally, the picture. While the two were fairly close, Sony’s just seemed a little more “true” in color (the old Kodak vs. Fuji film debate).
The Sony DVD looks and feels great by almost any measurement. I initially felt that it would be too heavy especially when the battery is attached. But after lugging around various camera and computer equipment, the DVD is relatively light. As you can see, it’s about the size of a boxed DVD, so it isn’t too bad to lug around. The screen is reasonable, given its size, and because most movies are widescreen, it’s actually much bigger that it initially looks.
The sound though is the real winner. I used both my Sony noise reduction Headphones and my new Bang & Olufsen earphones (to be reviewed next), and they both sound great. The machine did tend to get a bit hot after an hour of use, but I was still able to keep it on my lap (unlike my Sony Vaio).
The whole point of buying a portable DVD player is to have it portable. (Which is why I don’t like the new Sharp/Kenwood 8″ DVD players – if you want a large, portable DVD player, buy an iBook!) In this regard, the Sony FX1 works great. It travels very well. Yes, I have to admit the battery makes it twice as thick (and nearly twice as heavy), but it is still a really small player.
I took with me on several trips. The player slips into my laptop bag where my CD Rom used to be. It works great when you are riding the train to the airport, or when your flight is 3 hours delayed, or while you’re on a roadtrip to say Las Vegas from LA. The battery lasts about 3 ½ hours, enough for me to watch Armageddon and three episodes of “Sex and the City”.
If you’re constantly on the go, then you should definitely have one. It’s my 4th DVD player, but my first portable, so I don’t know if it’s a substitute to owning a full DVD player. But it has all the features to replace one. I would definitely recommend the player to anyone. For gadget factor, fun, and just plain cool looks, the Sony FX1 is a winner. This is an ESSENTIAL gadget that no true gadgeteer should be without.