Rating: 
Summary: Does What You Need it to Do!
Review: My old Palm V, which was purchased in late 1999, never was the same after I dropped it early in 2001. I tried to be patient, but having tasks disappear when a due date is assigned sort of defeats the gadget's raison d'etre, right? To make a long story short, I needed to get a new PDA PDQ!This Sony Clie is a great little device! I looked at more expensive Sony models like the T665C and the NR70, but didn't feel I needed the 66 mhz processor, MP3 capability, or the ability to use it as a remote control for my home entertainment center. If you use a PDA to keep your contacts organized, remind you to do things, keep track of appointments - in short, the basic things a PDA was created to do when it started to replace those old bulky organizers - avoid over-spending and buy this device. Naturally, the Palm OS works flawlessly, and it remains as intuitive as it did back in the Version 2.0 days. Sony throws in other programs that enable the device to display and edit Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and Powerpoint presentations. There are other applications, too, but I haven't had the chance or the need to use them. I will say that spreadsheets look terrific! The screen's resolution is magnificent, and is superior to the resolution found on the Palm M515. 320 x 320 beats 160 x 160, or whatever poor resolution the M515 has. The plastic case is beautiful and matches the other Sony appliances around the house. It appears to be thicker than the Palm M series, but it is still light enough to put in your pants pocket and not make you feel uncomfortable. Set up was really easy. I have a Windows XP computer at home, and I can't for the life of me understand how anyone could mess it up! I was up and running in no time at all, with my first Hot Sync completed, and all my data sitting on MS Outlook in my Sony Clie. Follow instructions, and you should have no problems. The one thing that is missing is a cradle. The USB cable and power connector provided is nice, but I miss seeing the device standing tall in a cradle. Sony offers cradles, but I'll let you decide if the price tag is worth it. If you are looking for fancy bells and whistles, and are able to afford the inflated price tags, this is not the PDA for you. But if you are looking for a high-res color screen, expandability (via Memory Sticks), Palm OS simplicity, basic functionality, lithium-ion battery, an attractive package, and a fair price, this PDA deserves lots of consideration. I have no problems recommending this device wholeheartedly.
Rating: 
Summary: Good PDA - shame about the connectivity
Review: I have used PDAs for a few years, starting with a basic Palm 100. I received my Sony Clie as a gift for Christmas 2002. During the first year, the cable started to fail to charge up the device and I sent it away to the Sony workshop. It was fixed on the second attempt under warranty (apparently it needed welding and I was not impressed with the service). However, the same fault has recurred and I gave up and bought another PDA, chancing another Sony with a 2-year guarantee. Guess what? The new cable charges up the old PDA no problem. Also, I wonder if anyone else has a problem with displaying pictures from a Sony memory stick - my PDA shows a pixillated mess!
Rating: 
Summary: A good product with a few grievances
Review: I own this PDA and love it. I work as a nurse and this PDA allows me to carry several reference books and nursing "tools" even without an extra memory chip. I also have several games for downtime fun. The screen is capable of displaying high quality graphics. However, sometimes the super sharp graphic version of a game/program might run slower than I would like. The personal organization software that comes with the unit is my favorite part of the whole deal. It turned my laptop into my personal organizer and you can download your whole schedule to your PDA for later reference. Most software runs without problems on the unit. I've only had difficulty with some of the oldest palm programs (most of which you would not want to use anyhow). Once you are ready to expand your memory you can use Sony's generic memory chips....up to 128 megs I believe. So long as Sony keeps using those for their cameras and other products those chips will remain available.
The battery lasts a good long time. Long enough to use the unit productively without the worry of running out of batteries halfway through the day. You may run out if you play games a lot on the unit. The good news is the unit charges quite quickly (especially if you buy a better cradle than what comes with the unit). So, its managable if you have some place to charge the PDA if you are a big game player.
There are two downsides to this product. The biggest is that Sony had abandoned the PDA market. This means that sooner or later it might become difficult to find spare parts and software upgrades to keep up with newer operating systems. Currently they do not offer hardware support from Sony's stores. You'll have to order everything online/over the phone. There is some consolation because the unit can use palm software, so you will be able to get new software (just not sony specific programs/upgrades). The second problem is that the cradle that comes with the unit is downright lousy. The cradle is easy to lose and easy to break. The good news is there is a wide variety of people who make much better charging/linking cables than what comes with this PDA. I'm so happy with my new cradle (not made by Sony) that I would suggest you purchase another cradle when you buy the unit. The cradles sell quite cheaply.
Rating:
Summary: faulty cord?
Review: I really enjoy my clie. I use it everyday, all of the time. I have had it for a little over a year now. The great display is what really got me at first, the visibility is great even in daylight. I have used this product for everything and have stored about 15 third party software programs on it already. Although, it is a very slow to open the ones saved on the memory stick. Also, my battery quit working on me about a month ago. It would say it had 50% memory and go to 100% and back down to 20%, and was jumping around everywhere before it wouldn't turn on again. I was unable to use it and was trying to get some customer support (which was impossible) they wanted me to send it in for a diagnostic test; which would be $25 whether or not they could fix it, $75 for labor for anything, and they wouldn't even tell me what the possible price was for a new battery. No one knew anything (I talked to 5 different people), so I just figured it would be the same price or cheaper to get a new one. I had begun looking for a new PDA after my clie wouldn't power on for the past two weeks (even when plugged into the charger), and just when I was about to purchase another one I tried it and all of the sudden it started working again. So weird. I back it up all of the time now, expecting for the battery to fail. Other than the issue with the battery and slow processor this would be a five star.
Rating:
Summary: Nice color, but keep charging your battery!
Review: The Sony SJ30 is very easy to see with the backlight on, and makes playing games a lot of fun. I actually purchased this one over another brand because of the rechargeable battery. Great, the battery is rechargeable, but you really need to remember to plug it in or you will lose your programs and any other stored information (addresses, etc). Back it up often. The battery life will even run out if it's off most of the time. One other downside is that this PDA does not come with a hotsync cradle. While the cable is convenient for travel, it's annoying to have to crawl around on the floor to plug it in to the USB port and electrical outlet every time. Accessories in general are pretty easy to find (just do a search on Amazon.com), and you can find some generics floating around (like the hotsync cradle and the thumbboard), but there's still no reasonably-priced GPS plugin available in the US.
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