Rating: 
Summary: It's Great
Review: Well I've had this since Monday(6-9-03). So far, the battery has lasted about 9 hours, with the backlight on full brightness. I'm getting a keyboard and a memory stick, so i can't comment on battery life while using those. My dad said that there was no way I would be able to use a "Little, itsy-bitsy, teeny-tiny screen to read." When he saw the screen he was blown away. I really wish the cable had a Hot Sync button on it. Also, it could have come with Docs 2 Go, since i need it for school. But I couldn't find any more SJ30 models, and even when i purchased Docs 2 Go separate, it cost less than most other models. I believe that this handheld is really worth the price.
Rating:
Summary: A great color display at a resonable price!
Review: To clear up one other review: loading pictures is very easy, you DO NOT need a memory stick to load them, and you don't have to purchase the user's manual - it is on the included CD ROM.Anyway, this is a great little PDA. The display is better than any Palm and it includes most software that you need. Yes, it doesn't include Intellisync Lite, which would be nice, but you can't complain too much for this price. If you really must have Intellisync, an mp3 player, etc., you can spend ... more [money]and upgrade to the next Sony model. But, if you want a brilliant color display and don't absolutely need all the extras, this is the model to buy. You won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Great piece of hardware
Review: I've had the SJ-22 for about two weeks now. (It's probably my fourth or fifth PDA, I don't even remember at this point.) I normally prefer the old Palm III form factor, but the SJ-22's smaller size works fine. It's still a pretty "normal" thickness, so it's comfortable to hold even despite it's diminutive appearance. It feels very solid and well built too, and actually feels better than any metal PDA I've used (including Sony's high-end PDAs). The buttons and controls on it are well designed (even the odd choice of an up/down rocker that's harder to press up than down works fine). The screen's excellent, for any price point really, let alone the price Sony's charging for this thing. It's significantly better than Palm's Tungsten T or M515, though maybe not quite as good as the Zire 71 or Sony's NX line. When inserted, Memory Sticks are flush with the casing, so they can be left in the unit all the time. I would have liked a slightly easier to press power button-but that's a minor complaint. Even the included leather flip cover does its job better than I expected. It also includes Sony's standard metal stylus. It's a bit too thin, as all Sony stylus' are, but I appreciate that it's metal. Many significantly more expensive PDAs include plastic stylus, which really don't feel as good to use. I don't find the job dial and back button particularly useful, but they're well designed, unlike the PocketPC PDAs that include them (the jog dial actually rotates completely around, it doesn't just tilt up and down). The SJ-22 also uses Graffiti. REAL Graffiti, not "Graffiti 2/JOT" that the PalmOS 5.2 devices are using. For me that's a big deal, as I can't stand JOT (to the point where I may never buy a PDA that only uses it). While it has "only" the same 33-mhz Dragonball processor that's been in PalmOS PDAs for years, it actually feels and benchmarks faster than any other 33-mhz Palm I've used...meaning it's very fast. For the heck of it, I tried playing some movie trailers I created in the Kinoma video format, and was surprised to find that the SJ-22 actually plays 30fps full screen video extremely well (looks almost identical to the faster ARM based PDAs). If this had more advanced sound instead of the standard old PalmOS speaker, it would actually be very good at multimedia (without more advanced sound, video is more of a curiosity than anything else). Obviously the included 16MB goes far on a PalmOS device, especially when many programs and documents can be stuck on a memory stick. Unsurprisingly (since it's a Palm), I haven't had a single crash or any strange behavior since I've started using it. I'm sure there's SOME weird piece of software out there that doesn't agree with it, but the dozens of programs I've been using for years work great. One small complaint is that the SJ-22 doesn't seem to do that great of a job displaying photos from a memory stick taken from a Sony digital camera. It seems to 'cheat' when displaying them and cut out a lot of detail-something Sony's higher-end NX line doesn't do. Importing pictures from a computer to the SJ-22 using Sony's Picture Gear software DOES use the screen to its full potential (which is really quite amazing looking), but it would have been nice to get the same quality when viewing pictures directly out of a Sony camera, as the SJ-22 has a larger screen than most cameras. Battery life seems to be excellent. I leave my PDAs plugged in to my computer while at work, so I rarely go more than a day or two before recharging. That said, even with fairly heavy use I don't think I've seen the battery indicator drop below 100%. A Tungsten T I tried seemed to blow through the battery when just browsing through a To-Do list for a few minutes. The battery compartment is user accesable. I don't think Sony has any official replacement for the battery (the compartment was designed to be opened so that the battery can be recycled), but it may be possible to use a third party battery when it dies in a few years. The only 'issue' with the SJ-22 is that, as has been mentioned by others, Sony cut corners with what comes packaged with it. No cradle (a $30 extra), although the included cable works fine, so it's not a big loss (it just means one has to manually click "hotsync" from the hotsync app rather than hitting a button on the cradle). It also lacks software to sync with Mac OS, or Outlook, and lacks an Office type program (though all are available separately if desired). I don't feel remotely cheated though-the SJ-22 is a great piece of hardware, and is worth the price just for the hardware even without many included extras. One last note-I was hesitant to buy the SJ-22 because for some reason every store display model I tried seemed to have inaccurate Graffiti. Letters just seem to come out semi-randomly for me. So far, after two weeks of use I've had no problems at all with my unit. It might just be that the graffiti area is a bit smaller than on most PalmOS PDAs, and I just wasn't used to it. The SJ-22's price is cheap, and they cut some corners on the software bundle, but they didn't cut corners on the hardware. The hardware's actually a great design, and in many cases preferable to or competitive with PDAs three times it's price (aside from the lack of much media support). Well worth considering if you don't care about playing videos/listening to music, or if you just want a good price on a good PDA.
Rating:
Summary: Sony comes through with replacement software
Review: As mentioned in a few other reviews, Intellisync Lite was NOT included with the software bundle accompanying the SJ22. However, in July they came through and offered a free download of the latest edition of Intellisync Lite for all registered owners of the SJ22. This bit of software is essential for syncing with MS Outlook. The other well-publicized missing software application is Documents 2 Go. While not essential for normal operations, it's good stuff to have for those who transport Office documents between work and home or who like to work on docs during a commute (or during boring meetings). If you don't absolutely need color, go with the SJ20 instead; it includes all of the above applications and it's cheaper. The resolution is still higher than the Palm Zires and you'll get the friendly Sony screens and operation. If you must have color, go with the SJ33 instead and you'll get faster processing and all of the above software. Sony went for a price point and sacrificed some "free applications to get there. But Kudos to Sony for getting back in the game and offering the Intellisync Lite download (after so many of us complained).
Rating:
Summary: This PEG is everything one needs and more
Review: I was impressed with the processing speed, and the graphics is second to no other, sony's best. I got used to it real quick and was already downloading and intalling programs on it. It has an easy interface for those not interested in sophisticated models and enough sophistication to give the hardcore pda lovers enogh work on their hands. When my friends with pocket pc's saw it, they started thinking twice about their pocket pc because of the simple yet precise functionality of the PEG - SJ22. This is a prodcut that has it all, from entertainment, to serious business as well as made for students. You'll not regret buying it because its graphics, speed, functionality are all great!
Rating: 
Summary: Disapointed w/ Clie SJ22
Review: Even though the Sony Clie SJ22 has a great color screen and the scroll button on the side is very handy, I am disapointed overall with this palm. Firstly, the sony doesn't allow you to jot notes directly on the screen for quick note taking. And not only do you have to buy the cradle and the owners manual seperatly, but you also have to buy a memory stick to hold photos. I was interested in this model initially because of the screen resoluting, but installing pictures is such a hassle it doesn't even seem worth the trouble.
Rating: 
Summary: SJ22 OK for price - Beware of "missing" software
Review: I wish I'd read all of the reviews before buying this model. Even though the screen is very nice and the memory is enough for almost all applications, Intellisync Lite is no longer included, nor is Documents 2 Go. These are deal breakers for many people who need to perform syncing with their Outlook Calendar or to work with Office documents/spreadsheets. Without Intellisync, you will be able to sync with Outlook for mail only. The main reason I need the PDA is for my calendar and the SJ22 wouldn't sync for this part of Outlook. It's inconceivable to me and my IT friends that this program is no longer included. So buyer beware on this point. They are more up-front about Docs 2 Go not being included. While not essential (and there are other, better programs available), this software (as is Intellisync lite) does come with the SJ20 model (the B&W version). I guess to meet this price point, some software had to be sacrificed. I just wish some of the less essential software was "missing" instead. I suggest looking at the SJ30 instead, or the SJ20 if you don't need/want color.
Rating:
Summary: Love the little machine - but probably wouldn't buy again.
Review: This is my first PDA (so I can't really compare it to others). I do love it. I can do much more with it than I ever expected. Because the screen's resolution is phenomenal, reading on it is a lot easier on the eyes than I thought (if you can get used to the small screen size which allows about a paragraph at a time) - so it's become primarily an e-book for me - which I hadn't expected. I've downloaded tons of large books (from Gutenberg primarily and Memoware partly)and signed up for Avantgo where I get my news. I spend a lot more time than I imagined reading my clie - which is delightful. (To turn it into a little library, I bought a 128 MB memory stick for ... here at Amazon - that was worth it since when I started downloading books I blew through the 16 MB internal memory quickly. The 128 MB is more than enough. I've only filled 30 MB of it so far. I downloaded a number of doc readers but use mainly Plucker, Avantgo and Weasel now). In retrospect, though I'm not sure I'd buy the Clie again. Since I was a novice I didn't know what to look for and after I bought it I found I couldn't do some things which other PDA's I think would allow me to: 1. There's no headphone jack for sound. 'Nuff said. 2. If I had bought one of the Pocket PCs I could have hooked it up to my wireless LAN at home - that was a supremely dumb move but it didn't occur to me that I could hook up the two. 3. Add-ons for the Clie are also just plain more expensive - the memory sticks, keyboard, etc. cost more than add-ons for pocket pcs or palms. 4. Other Clie models have Documents to Go - which I really need but costs another .... 5. Beaming - now here I really don't know how this compares to other PDAs - but in order to beam something to another Palm they have to be literally 6 inches apart and be exactly lined up. It's a pain. 6. Battery life is used up pretty quickly - and I've learned not only to turn the brightness down to the minimum or even use no backlight (if possible - which is rarely). It absolutely positively must be recharged nightly - on the upside it recharges in a VERY short time. 7. The memory stick is a lifesaver but using it a lot is a battery hog as much as a bright screen is. Also some programs seem to go horribly slowly when accessing the memory stick and others seem to have no problem - I haven't figured out why. 8. There are other little glitches - *almost* all Palm software works fine with the HiRes screen - but a few can't tolerate it and crash the system. This is the least of my quibbles though - since it's a relative rarity. As has been said repeatedly - whoever is responsible for the documentation (or lack thereof) on this model - should be fired. I spent way too much time trying to figure out how the thing worked. I know after all that complaining it seems contradictory that I love my Clie, but I do - the screen is so beautiful - and it can do so many things I hadn't expected that I'm very happy with it. I didn't look closely enough at other PDA's but if their screens didn't measure up I probably WOULD buy a Clie again - since that really is the key feature for me.
Rating:
Summary: Good product, bad management
Review: Bought a Clie SJ-22 to replace my venerable Visor Deluxe. I had run out of memory and was tired of looking at a monochrome display. In addition, my wife had just purchased an SJ-30 (which is no longer produced) and the new software made it impossible to sync my device. I primarily use the Palm software to look up medications and for addresses/phone numbers. I was infuriated to find out that the Intellisync Lite software was NOT included in the package and was available for an additional price! Luckily, I was able to use the software from the SJ-30 and sync with Outlook. I will not purchase another Sony product in the future. Good product overall...Management has again made a poor business decision.
Rating:
Summary: Good Basic Unit
Review: We recently purchased this model for my wife, who wanted something for scheduling. The unit comes with the basic palm software (schedule, to do, memo, task list, and sync program), and has an excellent display. Strongly recommend this unit above similar Palm devices. The only gotchas we see are: - the unit comes with connection cables, but not a docking base. Not the end of the world (the base works fine), but if you keep your unit hooked to a pc regularly, you'll want to spend the extra $...for a base unit from Sony. - the unit does not come with Documents to Go or Intellisync, which allows you to import / export Excel/Word/Email files. If you want that, you'd be better off to go for the SJ33, which includes those programs. Documentation is good, although most of it was on the enclosed CD disc as PDF files. I've had my SJ33 for about two months now, and continue to be impressed by the quality of Sony devices.
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