- Stylish color PDA
- 8MB, Palm OS software
- gMovie player, Jog Dial
- Expansion slot
- What's in the box: Clie Handheld, USB HotSync Cradle, Detachable AC Adapter, Stylus, Installation CD-ROM, Applications Manual, Graffiti Sticker, Protective Cover, Top Cover Piece
I spent months deciding which PDA to get. I wanted to see the second-gen Pocket PCs before I did anything.
Ultimately it came down to reliability, bells & whistles, and cost. I'm the first to admit I love gadgets. So I was mightily tempted by the current crop of PocketPCs, particularly for their gaming ability. Face it: this generation of Palm PDAs--even the ones with the Dragonball 33 mhz processor like the Clie--can't compare to the 206 mhz 32-bit StrongARM-powered PocketPCs when it comes to animated gaming. The Clie's 33 mhz 16-bit CPU simply lacks the horsepower for realistic animation. The same goes for video. So if it's important to you to be able to play action games on your handheld or watch movies on a tiny screen, by all means get a Pocket PC.
If you want to use your PDA for business, understand that Pocket PCs are still toys for adults. Business users should get a Palm OS PDA. And if you're going to get a Palm OS PDA, the Clie 610c (or 760c) is the way to go.
This may sound like blasphemy to Clie fans--Sony is trying to position the Clie 6-and 7-series PDAs as multimedia machines to compete with Pocket PC. But they really can't compare in that regard for the reason I noted above. (You can listen to music on your 760c, though.)
So why the Clie, with its Palm OS, instead of Pocket PC for business? After all, Pocket PCs will sync with your Windows apps, right? Pocket Outlook, Pocket Word, etc must be a more seamless match than Palm's 3rd party apps, right? Wrong. Pocket Outlook is a brain-damaged version of the real thing. Just try sync-ing subfolders. It's not gonna happen. Same with Pocket Word. You lose all your formatting. Meanwhile Palm OS has 3-4 different 3d party apps that sync with each program, and allow you to retain your subfolders and formatting. And these are just examples. The Palm business apps really are better--for now.
Then there's reliability. The dreaded Blue Screen of Death should be all-too familiar to all Windows users. Guess what? Now you can have the Blue Screen of Death right in your Pocket. Imagine how much fun you'll have when you're on the road and your Pocket PC requires a hard reset and you lose ALL YOUR DATA and you can't restore it from your desktop because you're, as I said, ON THE ROAD. Pocket PC's are as unstable as their pre-Windows XP big brothers. In my view, they are not stable enough for serious business use. Palm OS, by contrast, is rock-solid.
Cost is also a factor. Personally I can easily afford the [the price] of a 2nd-gen Pocket PC, but for what purpose? I would have a very expensive Gameboy Advance, and I would still need a REAL PDA for work.
What really sets the Sonys apart from the crowd of Palm OS PDAs is their incomparable screens. The Clie 610c and 760c use the same screen technology as the Compaq Ipaqs--universally cited as the best in the Pocket PC world. And the Sonys posess even higher resolution than PocketPCs (320 x 320 vs 320 x 240). All the other Palm PDAs are still stuck with relatively dim 160 x 160 displays (OK, the Handspring Prism isn't dim, but it is still low-res). But the numbers don't begin to tell the real story. The 610c's display is bright with 64K colors, readable in daylight, and razor-sharp . You will never go back to a monochrome unit once you've used the Clie.
Clie also has a jog-dial. It sounded handy before I tried it, but after using it: big deal. A non-issue. Clie also looks cooler than other Palm PDAs, but that's just my opinion.
As for support, I confess to being among the very first PEG 415 users, as I ordered one direct from Sony the day it came out. The 415 has a 320 x 320 16-shade grayscale screen in a beautiful brushed aluminum body that is a bit over 1/2 as thick as a 6or 7-series Clie. Unfortunately, the 415's screen is so dim it is almost unreadable in ordinary light, even with the (weak) blue-green backlight on. (...)
As for expandability: you're pretty much limited to the memory stick. There is an MP3 player add-on for the 610c, but if you wanted MP3 you would have bought a 760c in the first place. The memory stick itself is excellent, and cost is now comparable to other flash memory. But if you want a GPS unit or some other specialized add-on, you'd better go with a Handspring.
Battery life on the Clie 610c is excellent, particularly compared to Pocket PCs. I routinely use it for 2-3 days without charging it, and the battery life has always remained above 3/4. It would probably last over a week with a single charge.
Construction is very sturdy. I haven't had a problem with dust under the screen as reported by some Ipaq users.
The bottom line is, the Clie PEG 610c's multimedia abilities are oversold, but its beautiful display, Palm OS and apps, and compact size make it the best choice for a business user. Pocket PCs are undeniably better at multimedia, but they still aren't reliable enough for business use. My suggestion: give Microsoft a pass this time and check back in a year or two. By then Pocket PCs may be ready for prime time, or Palm may well have overburdened its simple, stable OS with a plethora of features in an effort to match Microsoft, making Palm OS just as unstable as Pocket PC. Either way, you'll be ready for a new machine by then, anyway. For now, though, Palm OS is the only real choice for business, and the Clie 610c is the best Palm OS PDA out there.
Buy CLIE PEG-N610C/V Purple Handheld Now
I have a PEG-N710C, which is the same as this model, but includes the MP3 player functionality, which can be added to this one as an option. This is a wonderful PDA. The resolution is amazing and much better than its Palm or Handspring competitors. Photos can be downloaded and viewed with brilliant clarity. The memory stick slot is very handy for storing applications, MP3 files, or pictures. Memory sticks can be shared between the PDA and other Sony electronics. I have a Sony digital camera as well and it is very helpful to be able to use my memory sticks in both the camera and the PDA. Applications cannot be run directly from the memory stick but pictures and MP3 files can be directly accessed. The processor is fast, the UI is great, the unit is lightweight, and I have had nothing but good experiences with Sony support.
Read Best Reviews of CLIE PEG-N610C/V Purple Handheld Here
I have owned a Palm m105 for quite sometime now. I was bored to tears with it though and rarely used it. it was dim screened, slow, and the screen was small.
I am very happy with my Sony CLIE' 610c. this is the clearest, and fastest Palm available that I have found. with 16-bit color, I have pictures of my daughter on it, and show them off instead of carrying them in my wallet.
People "ooh" and "Ahh" over that! Its a great device, I definatly recommend it to anyone looking to buy a personal organizer.
I dont regret purchasing it at all.
Want CLIE PEG-N610C/V Purple Handheld Discount?
I put off buying a PDA for the longest time until I saw the Clie'. Nice graphics and fairly easy to use. The Clie's lightweight and small package size is great for somebody who does not want to be burdened with bulk vs. features. Another plus is the versatility of expansion utilizing Sony's memory sticks. This will allow you up to 128 mb of additional storage. If you use your Clie' as a GPS you can store a lot of maps on one or multiple memory sticks. Since I am into video production I see the audio or lack of, as the only drawback in that the clips play VERY well visually but there isn't any audio. If you wanted to run a quick demo for a client they can see the visual but not hear it in the Clie's standard configuration. Audio can be added as an option for about $125. The internal batteries also do not seem accessible by the consumer so I would surmise that I would loose the use of my Clie' while it was in having it's batteries changed. With the few drawbacks I have stated I feel that the Clie' is still a worthwhile investment.
When I saw a demo unit of this beauty sold for only $250 at CompUSA, I could not help me to get one to upgrade my aging Palm IIIx. Overall, it is a worthy ugrade. Here are what I like and not:
What I like:
1) best screen I've ever seen, bright and Hi-Res, it is great to shot off your photos;
2) Jog-dial is easy for one hand operation;
3) long battery life;
4) very stylish;
5) Memory stick what! Did say Memory stick is good? Yeah, you bet. Comparing with CF, it is small. Size does matters. I guess it is why Palm uses SD or MMC, but they are more expensive than MS. Again, MS is not Sony-only any more. I use Lexar and I see SanDisk out there too;
6) 8MB is enough if you know how to use MS with MsMount, and you will never short of storage. I recommend not-so-big 32MB since this one can not be used as a MP3 player.
What I don't like:
1) clip-on cover sucks, fall off too often, why Sony can not give us one come with Sony T-series?
2) lack of better font support to take full advantage of the great hi-res screen;
3) lack of lock mechanism for MemoryStick, I often accidently knock it out, although no harm to Palm OS at all.
4) a bit heavier than what I like, a form factor like T615 will be perfect (T615 is expensive and its buttons are too bad). In fact size and price are my main objections to Pocket PC devices.
5) lack of accessaries, I lost my stylus, Guess what? I can not find a replacement form local stores. Since Sony is relatively a newcomer comparing with Palm and HandSpring, it surely will be better over time;
6) don't bother with palm Desktop software come with Sony, it is slow and has problems with Avantgo, and can not sync with Netscape Mail. Download version 4.0.1 from palm instead.
