Product Description

If you're like most people, your life is filled with appointments, social engagements & meetings. Keeping track of it all can be tough. Until Sony created the Clie, that is. From a Palm OS 4.1 & 8MB built-in memory to Calendar, Appointment & To-Do List functions, this is one sharp organizer. But it doesn't stop there. It also includes great entertainment & expansion features, like a Memory Stick expansion slot, a built-in MP3 player & a video player. Who says life has to be all work and no play?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #116473 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Sony
• Model: PEG-NX70V/UH
• Dimensions: .94" h x 2.88" w x 5.50" l, 1.00 pounds

Features

• Built-in digital camera (310,000 effective pixels)
• Integrated wireless communication slot
• High-resolution TFT color display (320 x 480 pixels)
• 16 MB of RAM, 16 MB of ROM, Memory Stick expansion slot
• What's in the box: PEG-NX70V, USB HotSync cradle, stylus, AC Adapter, stereo headphones, remote controller, plug adapter, plug adapter attachment, hand strap, installation CD-ROM, beginner's guide

Amazon.com Product Description
The Palm-powered PEG-NX70V Clié handheld comes equipped with a built-in digital camera (310,000 effective pixels) for taking digital pictures and video. The camera resolution has been improved to 640 x 480 pixels (VGA) with an option to save the images on Memory Stick media in JPEG format. Furthermore, the PEG-NX70V will record and play back video (MPEG-4) and store it on Memory Stick media.

The PEG-NX70V is equipped with a wireless communication slot for adding an optional wireless LAN (802.11b) card. Browse the Web, check e-mails, and synchronize data wirelessly with your PC via wireless local area network (LAN access point sold separately and Internet service provider required).

Display
The PEG-NX70V features high resolution on its 320 x 480 pixel backlit color display, which can display over 65,000 colors.

Operating System
The Sony Clié PEG-NX70V is powered by Palm OS 5.0 for more processing power, multimedia features, wireless connectivity, and higher security than OS 4.1.

Extra Software
The PEG-NX70V comes with the following Sony software: Audio Player, Clié Album, Clié Camera, Clié Mail, Clié Memo, Clié Remote Commander, Clié Viewer, Flash Player 5, Image Converter 2 1.0 (for PC), Memory Stick Backup, Memory Stick Export 1.1 (for PC), Memory Stick Files, Memory Stick Import, Movie Player, Movie Recorder, PictureGear Studio (for PC), PhotoStand, Photo Editor, SonicStage LE 1.5 (for PC), Sound Converter 1.0 (for PC), Sound Utility, Voice Recorder, and World Alarm Clock

Compatibility
The Sony Clié PEG-NX70V is compatible with Windows 98 SE, 2000 Professional, Me, XP Home, and XP Professional editions.

In the Box
The Sony Clié PEG-NX70V comes with a USB HotSync cradle, stylus, AC Adapter, stereo headphones, remote controller, plug adapter, plug adapter attachment, hand strap, installation CD-ROM, beginner's guide, add-on application guide, End User License Agreement, Graffiti sticker, and limited-warranty statement.

Customer Reviews

NX70V: The First Look
As I announced before, I just got a chance to play a little with the new NX70V. So, this wouldn't be a complete and detailed review (like I did for the NR70V), but rather a short first-impression comparison between the two models - the old one and the new one.

The first thing that you notice is that the unit got even thicker and heavier. The added thickness on the upper-bottom part is due to the new Wi-Fi communication slot. It lets you use a proprietary Sony 802.11b-compatible card to connect to any 802.11b-capable wireless network. I didn't have the card, so I couldn't really test it. Nonetheless, it's a feature that I'm looking forward to the most (I have wireless networks both at my home and office, so it's a big deal for me). Anyway, this added some weight as well.
It's now 8oz compared to a 7oz NR70V. The body also feels differently. It seems to have a thicker magnesium layer. It doesn't necessarily is true, I guess it's just made rougher, so it doesn't slide off smooth surfaces. I like the new feel, though. The camera "eye" is a little different (it's surrounded by a rectangular-shape protector), and now you see the microphone "holes" near the power button. Otherwise, it's just like the old NR70V.
Now let's get closer to the new features.

The Screen

It seems to be even better than the old one. At least, I notice it's brighter than on my NR70V (or maybe I just have to clean it - AGAIN, it has just been 3 month since the last time!). The white background look much more white for sure. It also looks better in direct light.

The Software

PalmOS 5.0 is supposed to be a big deal. Finally, all (well, pretty much all) applications support the 320x480 mode. The only Sony one that doesn't do that is the Remote Control program. Well, not that it needed it anyway. The new photo-editor, memo pad (you can jot little memos), video player, and universal viewer (lets you view pretty much all the multimedia you save on the handheld) all support the full-screen mode. The photo-editor is much better than the one that came with NR70V. Overall, the set of software has improved. You can pick between the standard PalmOS-style interface and Sony's task launcher (the one you see on the picture). To me it seems rather too fancy. I still would stick to YiShow that I mentioned before, because it has more functionality and the interface is more intuitive. Not to mention the skins and configurable background (I have a lovely picture of my family there). I don't think that the Sony's one supports that kind of customization. Anyway, the software part is an improvement.

The CPU

Well, it runs noticeably faster. Really, it basically flies. Nothing more to say here, except that it also must drink more juice which comes from the same old battery (well, not quite the same, but let's talk about that later).

The Still Camera

Well, Sony has listened to many upset customers, doubling the resolution. It's 640x480 now, and it's pretty cool. The images became somewhat sharper, you get a 2x zoom (I'm pretty much sure it's digitally interpolated, but anyways). Now you can rely on the camera in taking relatively good pictures. However, don't expect a really photographic look when you print it out on your fancy photoprinter. It's still not sharp enough to be called a real photograph, but it's a HUGE improvement. My family 640x480 pictures taken with a Sony camcorder look lovely on the NR70V to show to my friends. I'm not a big geek in photography, so I'll be OK with taking NX70V with me on a vacation (together with my old-style 35mm camera). It serves its purpose quite well.

The Video Camera

Wow. Now your Sony can take videos as well as still pictures. You have to have a Memory Stick for that, though. There're 2 quality options: High (192K/sec video and 32K/sec audio) and Low (96K/32K respectively). The maximum continuous record is 60 minutes. In high quality it's pretty much what you can fit on a single 128Mb Memory Stick. The quality is OK, once again, for little snapshots. The processor doesn't seem to throw away too many frames, so the record is smooth. At least, it appeared smooth to me. I didn't test this feature too much, but it's more than satisfactory for what you expect from a handheld.

The Sound Recorder

That thing rocks! It's another feature I missed very much in my NR70V. The quality of recording is pretty decent and the microphone is sensitive (in a good sense). The only bad part is that there's only 1 capture button on the handheld. So, you pick what it does - record sound, take pictures, or film movies. I would probably go with the sound recording. Anyway, as I said, - VERY nice feature.

The Battery

A faster CPU and a Wi-Fi card all like to drink a lot of juice. The source of the juice in NX70V is a lithium-ion battery. Even though it's not the same battery as in NR70V,
I still don't think it's powerful enough to go with such a unit. The old one was 5.2V/800mah, the new one is 5.2V/1000mah. I didn't have a chance to see how long it runs for myself, but I wouldn't expect much improvement over NR70V (if any improvement at all). So, consider this issue seriously before buying.

The Price

The old NR70V has been said to be overpriced. The new NX70V has the same starting price (even though you can buy it for much less at some online stores) of [$$$]. I don't think it's overpriced considering all the goodies you get with it. The optional Wi-Fi card IS overpriced, I agree (I heard something about [$$$] or even more). But the handheld itself is OK. Especially, if you're smart enough to buy the whole bundle (handheld and card) for the same [$$$].

Well, that's enough for the "first glance." Next time, I'll try to test the Wi-Fi card as well as the battery life. Have a good one!

Don't waste your money on a lesser PDA
The functionality of this PDA is almost that of a laptop. I simply carry this wherever I go, and if I need a camera, it's got one - a video recorder - it's got one, a dictation machine - it's got one, .......... need I say more. People may say that this is overpriced, but not if you compare the functionality.

Get with the program....

It's December 16, 2004 - still the swiss army knife of PDAs!
UPDATE 12/04 - I still use this crazy PDA every day. This PDA becomes MUCH more interesting if you update (i.e. replace) all the non-CF compatible files with new ones. You'll need a program called Filez off of freewarepalm.com and some files you can find if you type "pelaca mirror" into Google. You will be able to upgrade Clie Files, Clie Camera, Movieplayer, and other odds/ends so they work with CF cards. Buy a 1 or 2 GB CF and you're golden.

Also, highly recommend you pick up a Hagiwara memstick 802.11 card. They're only $49 at Mobileplanet (don't think Amazon sells them). Run don't walk to get one of those.

The NX is still top-notch in technology and use. The screen blows away everything I've seen...I highly recommend this device...because it can do just about everything...it has loads of upgradeability in it...You won't be disappointed...

Get a screen protector because my graffiti text area is starting to sound really scratchy after 2 years of use...