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Wes@Play - Toys - Sony Clie PEG-NR70V (Reviewed 05/31/02)
I've had my Sony Clie PEG-NR70V for a week. It has many strengths and one weakness.
Design
The most arresting feature is the clamshell design and the swiveling screen. A warning that turning the screen the wrong way may break it is the first thing you see when you open the box, so perhaps it's a good thing Sony waits two months before releasing new devices in the US.
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| This photo shows the size difference between the Sony Clie PEG-NR70V (left) and the Sony Clie PEG-760C (both shown at actual size). The screen on the Sony Clie PEG-NR70V is significantly whiter and brighter. NOTE: The color of the casings in this photo is muddy due to poor lighting conditions; the top photo more accurately shows what the device looks like in daylight.
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I use my PDAs primarily to keep business and personal appointments, and both tasks are improved thanks to the faster DragonBall 66Mhz processor. There's no delay flipping through my address book, and loading images is more than twice as fast as on the Sony Clie PEG-N760C, my previous PDA.
Size Matters
If you're used to carrying a Palm V, the Sony Clie PEG-NR70V will take some getting used to. If you were using a Sony Clie PEG-N760C or similarly sized device, it feels about the same, despite the extra 1/2". Except when I'm using it as a remote control at home, I keep it flipped open to expose the keyboard.
Keyboard
Another nifty addition is a keyboard. When I'm walking and trying to add an appointment or search my address book where it's basically impossible to scribble a letter or number in Graffiti.
This solves this problem nicely.
Although in the familiar QWERTY layout, the small plastic keys are small and round, and are mounted on a flexible membrane to make cleaning easy. They provide with minimal feedback (sort of like pressing the keys on a first-generation Texas Instrument calculator) and thumb typing isn't particularly easy because of the reach to the shift key. On a standard keyboard, I type about 100 wpm. On this keyboard, I can manage perhaps 10 wpm.
 Numbers are typed by holding down the function key, as are special characters. Needless to say, I usually just write these in Graffiti.
Sony has included Page Up and Page Down keys which come in handy.
Virtual Graffiti
The switch to the virtual Graffiti area is doubly nice because of the way the Clie shows you the path you've just drawn when writing in Graffiti. My speed has gone up as a result because I can actually see why my Qs always come out wrong.
Again, performance is better than on the PEG-N760C.
Built-in Camera
It appears there is a lens on the built-in camera, but it operates much the same as a pinhole camera, with that devices strengths and weakneses.
On the plus side, it can focus from 0 to infinity with no adjustment. On the downside, everything is slightly blurry. If you planned on replacing your regular digital camera with this one, forget it; the quality is't there. For attaching faces to a record in the address book program, it works just fine.
 I actually use mine to record white boards I'm too lazy to transcribe. It could also be that I have a defective unit, although I haven't seen another Sony Clie PEG-NR70V—even at a store—to compare it to.
The Dock
The new doc is cool looking and holds the Sony Clie PEG-NR70V at a gentler angle so the Clie's screen sits vertically when unfolded.
There's no light at the bottom like the stand for the Sony Clie PEG-N760C; the orange charging light is on the Sony Clie PEG-NR70V itself. Synchronization is easy, just as with any Palm device.
Battery Life
I've had great success with this, even though I know that it's only supposed to last for hours on a charge.
Software
The selection of free software is good. The Datebook and Address Book work as usual, although they're very responsive running on the faster processor.
My all time favorite application is CLIE Paint. I've read other reviews which dismiss this, but you can render incredibly detailed drawings because of the high screen resolution, although it's true that for photo editing it's better to just use Photoshop.
The MP3 audio player is the same as on the Sony Clie PEG-N760C. I've already noted my opinion of the photo utility. There's a very addictive game called ZAP!2016; it's low-end arcade stuff, but the sound is great compared to other Palm games I've seen.
Photostand is one of the few applications that allows you to use the entire display to show a series of pictures (the Graffiti area vanishes).
The remote control software is easy to set up and use, and can control up to four devices (TV, VCR, DVD, receiver), although you may find yourself switching back to dedicated remotes. It's difficult to gauge exactly what you're doing because there's no tactile feedback as you have with raised buttons.
Purchase
I paid US$489 total for my Sony Clie PEG-NR70V through Dell.com, a steep discount thanks to stackable online coupons.
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