First Impressions: Sony UX-50

[ojlittle]

I found a Sony UX-50 today @ CompUSA. Here are a few of my thoughts if anyone cares:

PROS
1. The unit is a great size for everything it does. It fits in my shirt/pants pocket very well & the flip screen provides screen protection (even thought I had to modify a WriteShield to prevent stylus scratches).

2. The Wi-Fi works great & is relatively fast. NetFront is the best PDA web browser I have used to date (I've never tried Thunderhawk). The screen is 480x320 & renders web pages very nicely. I can see PPC Thoughts exactly as it is intended on the desktop. It also supports Flash.

3. It comes with a lot of great multimedia appz for pics, music, & movies.

4. The only other app of note is PicselViewer which is very nice. It opens .PDF files much faster than Adobe's version (I haven't tried Repligo on this unit yet).

5. The most impressive thing about this unit (other than the built-in Wi-Fi, bluetooth, & small size) is video playback. It is by far the smoothest playback I have seen on a PDA. It also records movies with sound & they are simply amazing when played back on the unit. I was very surprised.

6. Keys are backlit, they light up a nice orange color.

7. USB sync & copy is very fast compared to other Palm products.

CONS
1. The screen real estate is smaller than most. This is apparent when working with regular Palm appz.

2. No Word/Excel compatible software, only a viewer.

3. Screen can not be used in Portrait mode (If it can I haven't figured it out yet).

4. It ships with a power brick that plugs into the back of the sled (cradle) & then you must connect a USB cable to the actual unit. That means you have to have the cradle with you at all times if you wish to charge. No USB charge & I don't know if it will be possible since the sync/charge in two separate ports.

5. It does not use PPC 2003!

Well, those are my first impressions. I know most of you are not interested but I thought some of you might like to hear a little about it. My preferred device is a hp 2210 but when something this cool comes out I have to try it!

[CTSLICK]

I went over to CompUSA to check one of these out today. Apparently it had just hit the shelf yesterday morning. I really do like the hardware design. The built in WiFi and Bluetooth is nice as well.

I was able to Pair it with my T68 but I couldn't use it to get to the internet. Couldn't get the WiFi to work either. Too bad, I wanted to check out this site on that nice 1/2 VGA screen. The guy behind the counter was clueless since it just hit the shelf.

3. Screen can not be used in Portrait mode (If it can I haven't figured it out yet).

I tried this when I had it in "touchscreen" mode and I couldn't get it into portrait mode either. If this is just the way its designed then it makes the whole arrangement a lot less attractive being that I am left handed. The input panel is on the right side of the screen. It does not appear that you could switch sides for the input panel either. I would also think that this would negate any ability to use Fitaly.

But once again, this hardware design hits very close to the mark for what I would like. But $699 is pretty steep, but at least you get 2 flavors of wireless and a camera for that price.

[dh]

I love the form factor of these new clamshell PDAs. Of the two, I think I prefer the Zaurus but both are nice.

Come on you PPC manufacturers, when are we going to get something like this instead of variations on the same tired designs?

[ojlittle]

I tried this when I had it in "touchscreen" mode and I couldn't get it into portrait mode either. If this is just the way its designed then it makes the whole arrangement a lot less attractive being that I am left handed. The input panel is on the right side of the screen. It does not appear that you could switch sides for the input panel either. I would also think that this would negate any ability to use Fitaly.


There is a way to switch the input panel to the opposite side. Go to Preferences - Extension - From there you can switch the silkscreen from right to left, turn the keyboard LED on/off, & setup hotkey settings

[CTSLICK]

I tried this when I had it in "touchscreen" mode and I couldn't get it into portrait mode either. If this is just the way its designed then it makes the whole arrangement a lot less attractive being that I am left handed. The input panel is on the right side of the screen. It does not appear that you could switch sides for the input panel either. I would also think that this would negate any ability to use Fitaly.


There is a way to switch the input panel to the opposite side. Go to Preferences - Extension - From there you can switch the silkscreen from right to left, turn the keyboard LED on/off, & setup hotkey settings

aaahhhh...well, that would certainly help. Thanks for the info.

[StrikeTen]

well the only bad thing i can see of the ux is the fact that it CANNOT be put into portrait mode.

[spursdude]

well the only bad thing i can see of the ux is the fact that it CANNOT be put into portrait mode.
And it can't multitask. But otherwise, this really looks sweet.

[CTSLICK]

I wonder...will Jot work on this device. Is so one could just minimize the input area and write anywhere on the screen....hmmmm.

[CTSLICK]

I had another go at the UX-50 today at CompUSA. Took so long with it I think it made the guy behind the counter nervous :D.

In any case, I went back and switched the input panel to the left side of the screen and it made a big difference for me (left handed).

I also stumbled across another input option called Decuma. I haven't seen this character recognition software before but I ended up liking quite a bit. I especially like that you can train it to you own way of writing letters.

My concerns about using the device in landscape mode all the time are gone. After holding the device for a good 20 minutes in "touchscreen" mode I found it to be very comfortable. Surprisingly comfortable.

I got pretty quick thumb typing on the keyboard in a short period of time.

I admit it...I am stricken. From a pure hardware features/design point of view I love this device. If it were a PocketPC I would have bought it today.

A few things stop me from going after one of these.

(1) I truly don't know if I am ready to venture back to the Palm OS. I guess I will have to eval all the stuff I do on my Dell and see if I can do it on the Sony. (Though I wouldn't mind being able to use ShadowPlan again!)

(2) Sony Memory sticks...ugh

(3) its DEVASTATINGLY expensive. $699!!! CRIPES!!! eCost has them for $639 but still!

Man I HATE my gadget addiction.

[bradolson]

i would like to see a ppc with the same clamshell design, add a sd slot instead of memory stick and of course wm2003. i'd buy that in a second.

Brad

[Remedy]

i would like to see a ppc with the same clamshell design, add a sd slot instead of memory stick and of course wm2003. i'd buy that in a second.

Brad



Close enough? (http://www.dynamism.com/nexio/index.shtml)

[CTSLICK]

i would like to see a ppc with the same clamshell design, add a sd slot instead of memory stick and of course wm2003. i'd buy that in a second.

Brad



Close enough? (http://www.dynamism.com/nexio/index.shtml)

I'll chime in since I said I would buy a PPC that had the same design as the UX-50

The Nexio just isn't quite the same due to its size. This thing is right around 6 inches long. I really liked the smaller size of the UX-50.

My feeling is that the keyboard is in the uncomfortable gap between thumbboard and small keyboard. A thumbboard is what I am after. I doubt it would be as easy to hold the Nexio and thumbtype as it is with the UX-50. In fact with the hinge arranged as it is, I wonder if it would be possible at all?

Its is also missing bluetooth built in. I am hoping to do away with a bluetooth CF card.

From a practical standpoint its over $1200! I am balking at $700 for the UX-50.