Sony CLIE PEG NX80V Review

[dang]

Checkout our latest review of the Sony CLIE PEG NX80V (http://reviews.designtechnica.com/review392.html)The Sony Clie NX80V is an elegant, speedy, and full featured Palm OS 5 based PDA, but still lacks enough memory for serious usage and offers no built in wireless options

[Archon]

I agree

[techfreak]

$499 is way too much for something that only allows you 16MB of storage. The fact there there are proprietary technologies on this device, especially in the way of MP3 compression scares me. I want a portable assistant that has a lot more memory and will last me a long time. The built in camera, while good isn't necessary either. SDisk card would have been preferred over Compact Flash IMO.

[neuroking]

Originally posted by techfreak
$499 is way too much for something that only allows you 16MB of storage. The fact there there are proprietary technologies on this device, especially in the way of MP3 compression scares me. I want a portable assistant that has a lot more memory and will last me a long time. The built in camera, while good isn't necessary either. SDisk card would have been preferred over Compact Flash IMO.

The propriety tech really shouldn't concern you. This isn't Dell making standard PC parts incompatible, and you're not swapping out the proprietary components. It actually works in favor of the device in this case, since the Palm mp3 decoding is cr#p, IMO. The MS obnoxiousness isn't going away anytime soon, so it's a case of learn to live with it. Nearly every desktop card reader has an MS slot (if you go for the all in one types). Even with Magicgate, you can stil play regular MP3s, which most ppl don't realize.

Alot of Apps can be moved to the MS, so the internal memory isn't HORRIBLE, but yes, 16MB was one big factor on the score, as was the nearly false advertising on the amount of memory (look it up at an online store site and they will list it as 32MB). You'll notive that Best Buy lists this as a 32MB device.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=1055343968725&skuId=5680364&type=product

The camera is part of the reason for the entire line. If you don't want it, look into the T series. Nearly the same specs, cheaper, and non-clamshell. This isn't a device that you say, "Well, I guess I'll take it even though I don't need the camera." They tried that with the NR70 and NX60. Without the camera they simply didn't sell.

SD vs CF is splitting hairs IMO. Since more camera use CF, and SD max out at 256MB (while CF is at 1GB with up to 4GB on the horizon), I think CF was the better choice too.

Brandon

[Ioman]

I think that the UX50 looks very intriguing and would make a great personal assistant since it can wirelessly connect and syn with your desktop computer VIA bluetooth. The NX80 looks neat too, but I think $499 is steep especially since there is no Bluetooth and only 16MB of useable memory. Good review Brandon.

[Archon]

well, remember, NX60, for instance, is 16mb, but only 11mb of it is usable

[neuroking]

Originally posted by Archon
well, remember, NX60, for instance, is 16mb, but only 11mb of it is usable

Yes, that is the case with the NX73 actually. The NX80V, though, does have a full 16MB. I accidentally did a dumb dumb restore from my old NR70V, and had problems, so I hard reset it and check to make sure everything was gone my checking the memory info. Something like 15.6MB free.

Also, I didn't want to get into it int eh article but the UX series has 16 MB of 'real' memory, 16MB to backup that 16MB if the battery fails, and 29MB for 'media'. Anyone here ever buy a camera of mp3 player with a whopping 29 MB of memory? Yeah, didn't think so.

Brandon

[IronSerif]

Good review bro. Ever since I jumped ship to Pocket PC I've always been interested in reading the latest on Palm OS reviews, especially with Sony's products. They're sexy.

[Archon]

cant wait for my OS6 TG form factor with no keyboard ;) and wifi and bluetooth and 64mb of memory.

[neuroking]

Originally posted by Archon
cant wait for my OS6 TG form factor with no keyboard ;) and wifi and bluetooth and 64mb of memory.

dr0000000000llllll.......... That would be nice.

Of course it wil be '64MB memory', with 8 available, 16 for launcher skins only, 16 for emergency backup (for the skins), and 24 for alert sounds only.
:)
Brandon
ps-and maybe they can use a new Memory stick too, like the MS Duo Ultra, just to make it incompatible wiht everythign else!

[neuroking]

Originally posted by IronSerif
Good review bro. Ever since I jumped ship to Pocket PC I've always been interested in reading the latest on Palm OS reviews, especially with Sony's products. They're sexy.

Thanx. i was VERY tempted to jump ship to an HP whatever-555, but I just couldn't. I don't know why. Part of me still think that I will get a Mac in the future, and then a PPC would be completely incompatible.

Or maybe because my work PDA runs Windows for Handheld PCs 2000, and it makes me want to claw my eyes out. *shrug*

Brandon

[IronSerif]

I hear ya man...its all understandable :)

A part of me says that I'm not gonna get a mac in the future...yet I know it's inevitable lol!

[Archon]

wow, no part of me says that. :D

[Ioman]

Originally posted by neuroking
dr0000000000llllll.......... That would be nice.

Of course it wil be '64MB memory', with 8 available, 16 for launcher skins only, 16 for emergency backup (for the skins), and 24 for alert sounds only.
:)
Brandon
ps-and maybe they can use a new Memory stick too, like the MS Duo Ultra, just to make it incompatible wiht everythign else!

LOL that was pretty funny. I am still amazed by how little memory is available to do anything. And Compact Flash cards in my opinion, are still relatively big, I like the SD cards better.

[IronSerif]

Psh...I like Smart Media better...

hehe j/k :P

[Ioman]

Originally posted by IronSerif
Psh...I like Smart Media better...

hehe j/k :P

PFFFTTT tape cassette owns you like my Commodor Vic 20.

[neuroking]

Just thought I'd post a little update.

I thought I'd clear up one thing with the whole Memory Sticks and CF cards, MP3s and all that jazz.

I mentioned that the built in audio player will play MP3s off Memory Sticks, but not the CF card. There is a hack that you can search for on the Clie Source site forums that allows the CF to be used for MP3s and movies. The MS slot is MS Pro compliant, and the max capacity right now is 1GB. The older Memory Sticks came in White and Purple varieties. Purple is like any other memory media, and white is "Magic Gate", which is Sony's hardware implementation of DRM. BUT... you CAN play MP3s on the white MG MSes. The only difference between the two boils down to the white MS can play AAC files, which offer a slightly better compression:quality ratio. Of course, the AAC files cannot be copied OFF the MS, and must be transferred using the Sony music program. All MS Pros are Magicgate. MS Pro is NOT the same thing as MS Select. Both came out at the same time, but MS Pro requires different hardware to read. MS select is really just two separate MSes on opposite sides of teh same stick. So, you really only have access to 128MB on a 256MB MS at a time. To access the other 128MB, you eject the MS and flip it around.

And then ther are the MS Duos. But right now nothing really uses them worth noting (okay, so the SE P800 cell phone does and the Qualia camera).

You know, I just got my parents a 512 MB CF card for their 4 year old digital camera. And it works fine. I have a feeling we'll never be able to say the same for Sony. Hell, who wants to bet that when they release the UMDs for the portable PSX, that they quietly introduce a UMD2 based digital camcorder....?

Brandon

[Archon]

UMD right now is read only :D

That CFII driver is a god-send, I watched South Park episodes for like 3 hours off those cards.

[rbatman]

Can the NX80V accept Memory stick Pro

[neuroking]

Originally posted by rbatman
Can the NX80V accept Memory stick Pro

Yup.

[camcorderman]

I really like the idea of this GPS unit +Cradle + MP3 etc....for my NX80V however, it only comes with maps for the United States, and I live in Canada. Are there any upgrades available so I can use this in Canada? Does anyone have any websites I can go to or any similar experience?

Thanks!

James

[neuroking]

You might want to check out Mapopolis, or I heard Sony jsut released a Memory Stick GPS receiver, but it's only in Japan. Give it a couple months and it will be here or there will be a hack for it. Also check various manufacturer's websites. Alot bundle US or Britian maps, but they have a bunch more online for fre download.