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Sony Clie PEG-TH55/U Handheld

Sony Clie PEG-TH55/U Handheld

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Almost perfect
Review: I have my TH55 about two months now and have had pdas for many years, though this is my first Sony and my first color pda.

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.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: WOW!!! BEST PURCHASE I HAVE EVER MADE!!!!
Review: I just bought this thing from Amazon and all I can say is WOW!!!!

This is probably the best purchase I have ever made. This thing is everything I ever expected and more!! It's easy to use as well - even my wife can operate it!

I have to say, everyone out there who is thinking of buying this, stop thinking. I bought it and I am extremely happy with it the moment I powered this thing on. YOU ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY CANNOT GO WRONG WITH THIS PURCHASE! I GUARANTEE IT!!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I love my Sony TH55!!!
Review: I just got it and have been playing with it all day. It is awesome. I buy PDA almost every 3 to 6 months. There is always something about them that dissappoints. Either its the battery, the design, etc. This one seems to be one that I will at least keep for a year and be happy. We'll see. The screen is beautiful and syncing was a breeze. I had a Tapware Zodiac and had no trouble transferring all the information to the sony.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Digital Swiss Army Knife
Review: I purchased my TH-55 about 2 weeks ago and it is without a doubt the best PDA I've ever owned or used. The previous reviewers have done a fine job of describing most of its basic capabilities with regard to the camera, Clie Organizer software, voice recorder, etc., so I won't bore you with much further discussion of those points. I would say that I've come to like the Clie Organizer program a little better for most functions than the standard Palm OS software. I'm still switching back and forth between the two, but this doesn't seem to create any hassle, since they share most information with each other.

I previously owned a Clie T665C, and the TH55 is nearly identical in size and shape, though slightly heftier. The transparent plastic cover is nice, though as others have mentioned, it does collect fingerprints quickly. Like all Clies I've seen, it has a convenient hold switch so it won't activate in your pocket and waste battery life. The new jog dial certainly requires an adjustment period, but it didn't bother me at all after very long. Thus far, I've had little use for the voice recorder, but it seems to function fairly well (the switch on the left side is, however, a little difficult to reach and activate). The wireless LAN has a shorter range than I'd like (it seems to function well enough within about 30 feet, through walls). An extendable antenna would have worked well for this.

The multimedia functions of the TH-55 are phenomenal. Playback of MP3's is crisp and clear, better in fact than on my notebook computer! You'll definitely want a good pair of headphones, as the monaural speaker is a bit tinny-sounding. Still, it's noticeably louder than the speaker on my old T665. Movie playback is excellent, though most movies will need to be translated and compressed using the included Image Converter software. An $300 Clie accessory is now available that will take any video signal (cable TV, antenna, A/V input), and record it onto Memory Stick media. I opted instead to download a $35 DVD-to-MPEG program, and I can now rip a 2-hour movie in about 5 hours (overnight), then compress it for the Clie using Image Converter (which takes about half as long). In Standard quality, the video looks smooth and relatively clear on the TH-55, and you get about a minute per 2 megabytes (I can put an entire feature film on two 128MB memory sticks). This way, I can watch movies on the bus ride home every day--a nice function I didn't anticipate when I purchased it. Don't worry about the battery dying, though--with the TH-55's already legendary battery life, even after running video for 2 hours straight at maximum brightness, it was still 74% charged. Note: darker videos may be difficult to see on the screen; Gene Kelly's classic "Singin' in the Rain" dance number and the underwater submarine shots from "The Hunt for Red October" were difficult to make out on mine, but this may have been more a consequence of the DVD ripping process.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Sony Clie TH55 worth the purchase!
Review: I purchased the Sony TH55 after having the newer Sony UX50, IPAQ 5550, and a few other handhelds. I finally feel like I have found my match. This Clie has outstanding battery life out of all the handhelds I have owned. To me, this is one of the most impt qualities in a pda. It has an excellent vibrant color screen " no dust particles underneath the screen like in the IPAQ's I have owned", a sleek design, and it's for the most part easy to use. The negatives about it? Well, I would have to say the camera isn't the best, but what do you expect for a pda? The flip lid can get kind of annoying, and doesn't seem to be too durable, but it does the job of protecting the screen and I have gotten used to it. Only other thing, is the sony memory sticks can get pretty expensive. It also doesn't come with a cradle, but that has not been a problem for me. Overall the pro's outweigh the cons. I highly recommend this pda!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Good Product TERRIBLE customer service
Review: I would recommend this item, but what use is a good product if not backed by good customer service. The agents are rude and unwilling to help. Avoid Sony product if you can.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great PDA with lots of features
Review: 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.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great PDA with lots of features
Review: 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.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great PDA
Review: I've owned 3 Palm OS PDAs over the last few years, the latest being a Sony T415 and have been researching a replacement. After spending some time reviewing all options I had picked the HP4155, Palm just didnt have anything to compare with it until I saw the TH55. It has everything I needed and more. The WiFi and screen size and resolution were the main deciding factors and the camera seemed like a great feature

I've had my TH55 for less than a week and can report that it is everything I expected it to be. Converting over from my old PDA was no problem except that the version of Intellisync that is bundled with the PDA does not support nested folders in Outlook, the full version costs $70. Fortunately I already had PocketMirror available so was able to sync all of my outlook folders.

I've been very pleased with the Organizer Sony provides, it is a big improvement on the Palm Apps. It has the feel of a traditional Franklin Planner with side tabs for address, datebook etc. , you can paste in Pictures and Memos and also use free text to add freehand notes.

Sony Provides a sync cable and charger but does not provide a cradle, and the cradle Sony recommends for the TH55 is not currently available. Sony told me that the cradle for my T415 was not compatible, I tried it anyway and it works. I've not had the device long enough to evaluate battery life but I've used it for 3 days for typical PIM functions and taken some pictures and I'm down to a 90% charge.

Overall the buttons are well laid out and the device feels comfortable, its a little bigger than the T415 but still fits in a shirt pocket. My one complaint is that the Power Switch can easily be moved to the Hold position which causes the device to be "on" with the display dimmed.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The best PDA on the market so far.
Review: It doesn't have everything everyone wants (doesn't synch with outlook 2003, doesn't have printed manuals, etc.), but it's still the greatest thing out there. I would not trade it for any other PDA on the market of the same rank..

Despite some people's complaints regarding the wireless I checked my email and browsed the internet at the dentist's office while waiting for my appointment. pretty fast and very easy to use.

Not much internal memory, but that's why it has the memorystick slot.. And if someone doesn't like the memorystick due to price or whatever, well if you want to have sony deal with it. With VAIO and Cybershot (DSC-S75 the other best thing by sony - with carl zeiss lense, takes flawless pictures at 3.3 Megapixel resolution).

And the battery life is very good compared to Palm.

And the screen is the best...

The list could go on and on..


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