- Palm OS version 5.2, Sony Handheld Engine processor, 32 MB RAM
- Built-in 310K Pixels CMOS Camera with 2x Digital Zoom (JPEG, 640 x 480 resolution), audio player, and video player
- High resolution TFT Color Display (480 x 320 dots, 65,536 colors)
- Integrated Memory Stick slot (compatible with optional Memory Stick Pro media)
- Internal lithium-ion polymer rechargeable battery
The design is very classy and professional, with a textured black plastic body and dark metal screen bezel. The TH-55 also features a built-in screen cover, which is a fingerprint and smudge magnet. The cover only flips back about 135 degrees, so at times it can get in the way. You can remove it, but it will leave two gaping holes in the top of the handheld. The best thing about the cover is that it is clear, allowing you to see appointments or alarms without opening it up, as well as the "viewfinder" for taking digital photos.
The digital camera is a 310,000 pixel unit capable of 640x480 photos. It has a 2x digital zoom and dedicated shutter/capture buttons on the left side of the handheld. Picture quality is decent for such a small unit, but the photos are only suitable for quick snapshots and e-mailing.
Of note is that the TH-55 has 32MB RAM with all 32MB available for use. In the past, CLIEs had memory specs like "16MB, 11 available to user." For further memory expansion, the Memory Stick slot is located on the left side and has a little door to prevent the stick from popping out. The slot supports all regular Memory Sticks, as well as the new Pro cards.
A big feature about the TH-55 is the wireless networking. Although the U.S. model had Bluetooth removed, the WiFi remains, and works very well. You'll take a noticeable hit in page loading speeds, but turning off Power Saving mode in the main prefs can help. Don't expect pages to pop up instantly though. NetFront 3.1 is the preloaded web browser, and makes for a nice handheld web experience, with various page fit options, Javascript support, and Jog Dial support.
Speaking of the Jog Dial, Sony moved it to the upper back of the PDA, right above the digital camera. This takes some getting used to for previous CLIE owners who may be used to having the Jog Dial on the side. There are also buttons to the left and right of the Jog Dial, which serve as back/forward in NetFront and previous/next in the Audio Player, among other uses.
The speaker is located on the back, and is reasonably loud. If using the TH-55 as an alarm clock, it helps to put it on its face so you can hear the alarm better. Alerts come through well, but the vibrating alarm of previous models has been removed. As with previous models, Sony also includes a Voice Recorder application.
Battery life is phenomenal; I can't honestly remember a time that an electronic device has wowed me with miserly battery consumption. When playing music with the screen off, I got 22 hours and 14 minutes in before the audio capabilities shut down. Surfing the web with WiFi enabled and the screen at half brightness, I got nearly seven hours of use (my cramped fingers!) before the networking shut off.
The great battery life is partly due to the Handheld Engine Sony uses in the TH-55, which is also used in the UX-40/50 line. It integrates a 123MHz ARM CPU, graphics core, and DSP onto one chip. The DSP helps the TH-55 play videos smoothly and decode mp3s despite the low CPU clock. Similar to Intel's SpeedStep technology, the Handheld Engine can regulate its clock speed from 8-123MHz depending on the application.
Sony's been hyping its new Clie Organizer software, but after all the talk, I went back to the standard PIM utilities. Like some third-party apps, it aims to put all utilities in one place, and allow you to move information back and forth between them. The Datebook gets a makeover, allowing you to write notes directly on the screen and add icons and pictures to your appointments. The right side of the screen is home to a tabbed launcher, which lets you access all the core apps with a simple tap. Although it's neat, the default Palm utilities do the job quicker and don't require relearning. It's not bad for a 1.0 release, but needs more speed and polish.
Sony includes Piscel Viewer on the TH-55, so you can view Microsoft Office documents. For a limited time, registering the handheld will get you a free copy of Documents to Go, which will let you edit Office documents. You get just about everything you need out of the box software-wise.
The price is right, and the machine impresses with a lot of technology packed into a small package. Battery life is great, and road warriors who don't like charging every day will love the TH-55. Despite having a low-powered CPU, multimedia doesn't suffer, and the WiFi is very handy when you don't want to fire up your main computer. The wonderful screen is the icing on the cake, but you won't be able to play games that require a joypad due to the screen taking up so much of the front. Not a bad effort from Sony with their first 320x480 tablet form handheld.
Buy Sony CLIE PEG-TH55/U Handheld Now
And I've owned quite a few: Palm Zire 71, Dell Axim X5, Sony Clie SJ30 and a couple more, just to name a few.Where to begin? The screen on the TH55 is crisp and vibrant (though a little dim compared to some other models) and huge, too! The pictures from the camera, while they're not print quality, I don't need them to be, as I already own a Sony Cybershot camera. And anyone complaining about the camera's pictures being pointless because of poor quality is crazy. With the TH55, the pics you take are perfect for use with the Clie Organizer and for e-mails--which is what they were MEANT to be for--not for making 4x6 prints. Just like with camera phones, the photos have to have a small file size, otherwise it wouldn't make much sense when you try to send it to someone.
But the biggest selling point for this PDA is its multimedia capabilities. I can FINALLY watch the MPEG movies that I record with my Cybershot on my PDA! Awesome! And some MPEG files downloaded off the 'net work, too. The 320x480 screen allows me to check out photos without a lot of wasted screen space, so my pictures look even BIGGER than on my old 320x320 Palm screens. Oh, and did I mention you can play MP3s, too? Awesome!
I also picked up a Palm wireless keyboard, so now my TH55 is like a portable laptop! I can watch movies, look at photos, listen to MP3's, browse the internet and send e-mail with Wi-Fi (built-in), play some seriously cool games and type up Word and Excel files (with free downloaded version of Docs to Go 6.0)--and all with a folding keyboard and PDA that take up 60% less space than a laptop!
Oh, and the battery life blows away any other PDA I've ever used. I can check out pics, type up a Word document, play some solitaire and listen to MP3s and a couple of hours later, I STILL have over 75% of my battery power left over! (I do have my screen brightness at about 70%, though) For once, I can go on vacation and not have to lug around a battery charger!
I hardly ever think that an item deserves five stars, but this one actually does. My only complaint? The stupid flip cover--it can get in the way sometimes and is a MAJOR dust/fingerprint/scratch magnet. But, I bought plugs for the holes for when you remove the cover, so now my TH55 is one sleek, slim tablet. PERFECT!
Read Best Reviews of Sony CLIE PEG-TH55/U Handheld Here
I've had this PDA for almost a week now and it's been GREAT! It is thin (about 5/8"), has a sturdy flip-up cover and feels solid.I previously had an old Palm m105 so I wanted to stay with the Palm OS. I had planned to buy a Tungsten E but the reviews for it talked about poor battery life, so I kept searching. I found that Sony was planning to release the PEG-TH55 in late February of 2004 and it was exactly what I was looking for in a PDA.
Out of the box, I easily transferred my m105 data to the PEG-TH55 with the Palm Desktop app (you'll need to switch to Palm Desktop for Clie if you are using a Palm-brand PDA, but that was seamless). The built-in Wi-Fi connected without a hitch to my home network and I hit some web pages to test it. The 320x480 display is very sharp and gives you a lot more real-estate to view applications. At the touch of a button, the Graffiti 2 or Decuma (both are options) input screen can come up and you still have the standard 320x320 display. There is a jog-dial and "back" button on the back which give another quick way to browse information.
Battery life? The box says 15 days but I haven't had it that long yet. I do know that I can fully charge the PEG-TH55, use it at work (not on a wireless LAN) for note-taking, scheduling, information look-up, etc., and the battery guage will still be at 95% full at the end of the day. That's a good sign that it will be able to keep up on a long business trip. The price is $399 MSRP but it does have lots of features that I think make it worth the cost -the larger display, 0.31 mega-pixel camera, built-in Wi-Fi, voice recording capability, etc.
Cons? Not many so far. I don't think that you're able to do a HotSync with the Wi-Fi connection...I'm not sure if that can be done by any Palm but I had thought it would be possible. The camera is good for quick pics, but not for anything significant. Sony PDA's also do not have slots for things like SD/MMC, but use the Memory Stick instead...a minor problem if you already have those for your current PDA.
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I have been a long time Palm User, I can't even recall how many I've had. My latest was the M500 which I liked considerably because it was B&W and its battery lasted a month with heavy use. When my first M500 expired I purchased another, primarily because of the light weight and long battery life.I was very reluctant to try a color PDA, as I feared the frequent need to recharge. The ultimate failure of my 2nd M500 forced me to reconsider, especially in view of the fact that many new apps don't seem to run on Palm OS 4.x.
When I read that the Clié TH55 battery can last 15 days, I gave it a try. I have not been a bit disappointed, the TH55 can indeed go 15 days between charges. (Unless you are a mole who plays Acid Solitaire 23hrs out of 24.)
In writing a review of this product I'm somewhat hampered by the fact that I don't know which of the many useful software features are inherent to Palm OS 5.2 or are unique to the Sony authored software.
I can only say that many of the software capabilities are extremely handy, such as the interconnections between the datebook, freenotes, addresses etc. There are many ways to do everything on this PDA, such as enter text, configure the address book, use freenotes. Most everyone should be able to customize the use of the apps to their taste and needs.
The color screen is of good size and performance, not the best but close, in my opinion. Despite the 123mhz rating, apps don't seem to run slowly, though some may load a tad slowly.
The TH55 fits neatly in my shirt pocket and the plastic screen protector, that almost every review berates, actually serves its main purpose nicely, it protects the screen. I use a tissue or a clean piece of cloth to remove dust and fingerprints if necessary, but believe me that's not the big deal that many seem to make of it. So what if it's hard to see through, it protects the screen from other items in my pocket or on a table, and that is what I need.
My M500s were smaller and lighter than the TH55 but by the time I put them in an adequately protective case, they became bulkier and heavier, to the point that it was a squeeze to get them in some shirt pockets.
In my opinion something that makes the TH55 or any Sony better than any of the many Palms I've had or tried, is the way the Sonys hook up to recharge. I don't care if the TH55 is shipped without a cradle, when I plug it in to charge, it charges. You can purchase a cradle if you want, and maybe I will. The fact is that all the more recent Palms have a very unreliable way of hooking up to power.
To digress; I have had to adjust my Palms perfectly in their cradles and put a weighted object on top, then turn on the unit to see if the lightning bolt is there. Often the power light illuminates but the unit is not charging. Frequently it would take many adjustments to seemingly get it right, only to find that instead of charging overnight the unit is discharged. My Fiancés' Zire 71 is worse, there isn't even a light to make sure you're getting contact.
I love the way my new Sony has a positive locking feel when the charging adapter is inserted, and I know a little jostle can't break the connection.
OK, so the camera is a lousy "Camera" but if you use it as another reviewer mentioned, to record a price tag, a spec sheet, or to give someone an idea of how something looks, it can be invaluable in saving lots of writing and talking. There are PDAs with better cameras, they are still poor cameras. I don't recommend chosing a PDA based on the quality of it's camera, at least not today.
It would be nice to have Bluetooth, but I've had to make worse compromises in the past. The only thing that upsets me about it, is the arbitrary way it was done. Seems that Sony's "Suits" know that many Americans will go right out and buy the next iteration of the TH55, ditching this one, because it will then incorporate Bluetooth. I guess Europeans are more frugal about things like that.
The best thing Xerox ever did for Palm was to cause them to develop Graffiti 2. G-2 is much improved over G-1 and very easy to learn. For example, I found it very annoying and often confusing to perform an upstroke before writing a capital letter, and two upstrokes for caps lock was often too much for my multiple dead pixeled brain.
Writing caps on the dividing line is just too easy. And now X's and K's write like they look and won't be easily confused. It only took me a few attempts to completely learn Graffiti 2, most of you can probably catch on even faster.
My only real disappointment with the TH55 is the Stylus. Come on Sony you can do better! I use a Ballpoint Pen/Stylus combo which I keep in my shirt pocket. The Palm Styli were perfectly adequate. So score one for Palm, they still lose overall though, IMHO.
To summarize: why should one buy the Sony Clié TH55?
-Compact size with only a small compromize in power
-Much better than average color screen performance and size
-Excellent battery charge life
-Palm OS 5.2 and the excellent Sony apps
I reviewed virtually every PDA made and none are perfect, one has to decide which features are important to you and which aren't. As a much more eloquent reviewer stated, "Try before you buy." I couldn't agree more.
The selling point for me was the reasonable price for wifi web capability for when I'm on the road. The wifi does indeed work, I have found it useful to have the web around NYC for checking and answering e-mail (I recommend the accessory keyboard), looking up quick info on the web while on the go. Here there are numerous hotspots, and even often on the road, where info at my fingertips is priceless. And free hotspots abound.
Software, in general, is one of my three gripes. Here are my software issues:
-Sony only bundles a light version of Documents to Go, the full version of which is invaluable to people (like me) who use MS Word and Excel files on the road. I had to pay for the full version. Sony shouldn't be so cheap.
-Address book software bundled with the TH55 is nice in that you can attach photos or link notes and files with a person's contact info, but useless because the number of fields is too limited (this is also true with Palm brand address book software). Many of us need BOTH home address and business address fields for our contact people. So I had to buy third-party software once again, luckily which syncs nicely with Outlook's many fields for addresses and phone numbers.
-My advice about games: there are many available, work well and look nice, but I find a pda a poor gaming device because the battery life will be seriously shortened if you use it for extended activity without being plugged in. Get a gameboy for a portable gaming device and save your battery.
Speaking of photo capability, it was my belief that many of the features of the TH55, including the camera, were frivolous and unneccessary, but I was wrong. Having a camera with you at all times is VERY useful, as I was looking for some new furniture and was able to take snapshots of the pieces (and the tags, which displayed the dimensions and prices) to send to my interior decorator sister for her opinion. I also carry family pictures downloaded from my digital camera as one would carry family photos in a wallet. It is true, it is no substitute for a real camera with a flash and high resolution, but that is not the point. Often I have been grateful for the TH55's camera, and the resolution is not a handicap. VERY useful.
Also useful is the ability to play MP3s. I work out at the gym in the mornings and carry my trainer's workout plans in Word files on my palm. Now, I also carry music to get me through my workouts, and the pda, unlike my CD player, never skips. A 128 X 2 memory stick carries more than ample music for weeks of workouts, and a small pair of ear buds (I find the speaker inadequate) fit into the sports case I got at a local running shop. To my surprise, playing the music in background mode lets me turn off the power and the music still plays. This uses minimal power since it is the screen which saps the battery. Once again, VERY useful.
Second gripe: ergonomics. Of the three slide switches on the left, the power switch, located in the middle, is the hardest to activate, which means I have taken countless pictures of my hand or switched on the voice recorder instead of turning the power on or off. The voice recorder has still not been of use to me; perhaps get rid of it? Sony needs to update the power switch with a better idea.
Third and biggest gripe: I am annoyed at how slowly Sony provides accessory items for this new unit. I am waiting for a screen protector for over a month (they are backordered) and no store has them -and no delivery date expected any time soon. Screen protectors are invaluable, since they protect the touch screen you write on, which can scratch and wear without one. And Sony hasn't provided cases that are just right for the TH55, either.
These gripes cost the TH55 one star in my rating. Nevertheless, I highly recommend it for the reasons mentioned above and also, as other have said, it is extremely compact, light, has a wonderful display, good battery life (and a removable, not sealed, battery) and the new features add greatly to a pda's functionality. Especially web access, in my case. Look for better web browser software from third party vendors.
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