Archon
03-19-2003, 08:38 PM
I have had a few days to play with the PEG-NZ90 at work, and here is my mini-review of it ;)
==
The first thing I noticed about this PDA was its sheer size. This thing is about 50% thicker than my NX60, and at the camera, its even bigger. The PDA isnt as big as I thought it would be though, it certainly isnt a "brick".
Some things I dislike about the form factor are:
1. The camera button is on the top right of the PDA. Being a right handed person (as are the majority of people), this is a really awkward place to put it, as I would be holding it with my right hand (thus, put the button on the top-left, like on the NX70v).
2. The stylus is weird, it isnt like the normal Sony stylus, which slide into a sleeve and lock in place. This stylus kind of just rests on the side of the screen and snaps in place on the top. It doesnt feel secure, and infact, when testing the PDA in my pocket (under the watchful eye of store loss prevention ;)), the stylus fell out of the PDA when removing it from my pocket.
3. CF slot. I thought the CF slot on the NX60/70 was well placed. (obviously they couldnt do that on the NZ90 because of the 2mp camera located there). But it just seems awkward putting it on the bottom. Hmm.. wait, maybe Sony should have made the WiFi INCLUDED.
4. Charger port. the port is in the back of the pda (back-middle). That isnt my grievance though. My grievance is the flimsy-plasic cover they felt the need to put over the connection point. If you just open it and close it, it almost feels like it is going to fall off.
Stuff I do like about the form factor:
1. Gunmetal is a friggin awesome color!
2. The camera area is silver, which I like a lot.
3. Considering the size of the unit, Sony did to a good job at keeping it at respectable proportions.
4. fudge it, I like the whole damn thing ;)
==
The screen on the NZ90 I found was better than on any other PDA. Compared directly next to an NX70v, the NZ90 was much brighter and sharper in image. Dunno whats goin on, but I suppose sony threw in a better screen ;)
errr uhh... 32bit color, 320x480 display (320x320 with virtual graffiti expanded)
==
Battery life was OK, I like the new SmartLithium (or whatever its called) battery, that displays time left on it, rather than just percent gone. It does die quite quickly when using the flash on the camera (and the camera in general), so keep that in mind.
I also like the fact that its removable ;)
The battery itself is like $79.99 (I did a price check), which is uber pricey! (goes to tell ya, get a service plan when you buy a PDA... I dont care if you get it at circuit city, but get the damn thing! -- err.. Best Buy's service plan is $69.99 (savin 10 bucks on the battery, plus ya get a warranty);)).
==
Camera... what can I say? Its nice. a 2mp camera with a flash. The zoom kinda stinks though, its a max of 2x digital zoom, which isnt the best, but hey, it works.
I could go into a lot more detail here, but why bother? its a friggin camera :P
oh yeah, and it records movies with sound.
==
extra stuff:
1. voice recorder
2. mp3 player
3. remote control
4. bluetooth
5. QWERTY keyboard
6. CF WiFi expansion slot
7. MSPro expansion ability (up to 36gb, I hear -- damn pricey!, but thats way into the future).
==
So, what is my final assessment? Its nice, sleek, sexy, nice thing to own. Will I buy one? No. ;)
Frankly, the $799.99 (not for me, but Im being nice ;)), is a bit too much. Also, the size of the unit, although not overkill, is BIG. I had to take my wallet out to fit the PDA in my pocket (and I by no means have "small pockets" ;)).
Im holding my money for the next DG series (where I believe sony is heading) - thin, big sharp screens, flip covers, etc...
==
The first thing I noticed about this PDA was its sheer size. This thing is about 50% thicker than my NX60, and at the camera, its even bigger. The PDA isnt as big as I thought it would be though, it certainly isnt a "brick".
Some things I dislike about the form factor are:
1. The camera button is on the top right of the PDA. Being a right handed person (as are the majority of people), this is a really awkward place to put it, as I would be holding it with my right hand (thus, put the button on the top-left, like on the NX70v).
2. The stylus is weird, it isnt like the normal Sony stylus, which slide into a sleeve and lock in place. This stylus kind of just rests on the side of the screen and snaps in place on the top. It doesnt feel secure, and infact, when testing the PDA in my pocket (under the watchful eye of store loss prevention ;)), the stylus fell out of the PDA when removing it from my pocket.
3. CF slot. I thought the CF slot on the NX60/70 was well placed. (obviously they couldnt do that on the NZ90 because of the 2mp camera located there). But it just seems awkward putting it on the bottom. Hmm.. wait, maybe Sony should have made the WiFi INCLUDED.
4. Charger port. the port is in the back of the pda (back-middle). That isnt my grievance though. My grievance is the flimsy-plasic cover they felt the need to put over the connection point. If you just open it and close it, it almost feels like it is going to fall off.
Stuff I do like about the form factor:
1. Gunmetal is a friggin awesome color!
2. The camera area is silver, which I like a lot.
3. Considering the size of the unit, Sony did to a good job at keeping it at respectable proportions.
4. fudge it, I like the whole damn thing ;)
==
The screen on the NZ90 I found was better than on any other PDA. Compared directly next to an NX70v, the NZ90 was much brighter and sharper in image. Dunno whats goin on, but I suppose sony threw in a better screen ;)
errr uhh... 32bit color, 320x480 display (320x320 with virtual graffiti expanded)
==
Battery life was OK, I like the new SmartLithium (or whatever its called) battery, that displays time left on it, rather than just percent gone. It does die quite quickly when using the flash on the camera (and the camera in general), so keep that in mind.
I also like the fact that its removable ;)
The battery itself is like $79.99 (I did a price check), which is uber pricey! (goes to tell ya, get a service plan when you buy a PDA... I dont care if you get it at circuit city, but get the damn thing! -- err.. Best Buy's service plan is $69.99 (savin 10 bucks on the battery, plus ya get a warranty);)).
==
Camera... what can I say? Its nice. a 2mp camera with a flash. The zoom kinda stinks though, its a max of 2x digital zoom, which isnt the best, but hey, it works.
I could go into a lot more detail here, but why bother? its a friggin camera :P
oh yeah, and it records movies with sound.
==
extra stuff:
1. voice recorder
2. mp3 player
3. remote control
4. bluetooth
5. QWERTY keyboard
6. CF WiFi expansion slot
7. MSPro expansion ability (up to 36gb, I hear -- damn pricey!, but thats way into the future).
==
So, what is my final assessment? Its nice, sleek, sexy, nice thing to own. Will I buy one? No. ;)
Frankly, the $799.99 (not for me, but Im being nice ;)), is a bit too much. Also, the size of the unit, although not overkill, is BIG. I had to take my wallet out to fit the PDA in my pocket (and I by no means have "small pockets" ;)).
Im holding my money for the next DG series (where I believe sony is heading) - thin, big sharp screens, flip covers, etc...