I researched PDAs fairly extensively before I settled on my Sony Clie TJ27. Well it has been about a month, and I am delighted with it so far. Originally I was interested in a Palm but was frightened away by all the negative reviews everywhere. My Clie came with free Dataviz software (upon registration of the product on the Sony website), including word, excel and "Slides to Go" (similar to Powerpoint) and I have had no trouble transferring data from files on my PC to my Clie and performing hot sync operations. I've taken pictures (okay, you need to get fairly close to your subject with the 2x zoom limitation, but if you want topnotch photography, buy a digital camera). The only area needing improvement is the battery power. When you use the camera, it eats batteries faster than if you were just working with data. All in all, I love it and would highly recommend, especially to first time users who don't expect it to be their morning alarm clock (honestly, who would rely on a handheld for this); a top-notch digital camera or their desktop. It is what it is a great value for the price.
Upon registering with Sony you're issued a code that allows you to download a free copy of Documents-To-Go Professional, the software that enables you to use MS Word and Excel documents on the PDA. The Clie installation disk comes with Data Export (lets you use the Memory Stick as a removable drive on your PC), Palm Desktop for Clie, HotSynch and much more. Unfortuntely, most of the additional software included is of the time limited or stripped down variety, most of which I decided not to load. So far, the unit has held up well, producing pictures that are adequate for emailing or viewing on the PC desktop, and documents that synch flawlessly with the originals on my hard drive. Both keypad and Grafitti Pad are functional and comfortable in relation to the overall size of the device, although using the Grafitti Pad takes some practice.
The only real drawback I see is that the battery can't be easily replaced by the user, however, it does fill up pretty quick after the initial charge. And I would have gladly paid an additional $20-$30 bucks to have a cradle (very difficult to find in the stores) included in the package rather than wires, but that's just a personal preference. Overall, I'm quite happy with this device.
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I bought my Sony CLIE TJ27 back in August from a local Staples. I was looking at a Zire, but another person that was looking at the Sony TJ27 said that for about $30 more dollars I could get this one, which is much better. So I bought it for $160. From all the features it had, it was a steal.I've had a GameBoy in the past so I know how easy it is to scratch screens on PDAs. So I bought some plastic cover sheets with it. They fit perfectly and the screen is in perfect condition. The Stylus it comes with is very, very comfortable and the whole handheld is just downright sexy. I also purchased a 250 MB memory stick for it, which was over half the price I paid for the actual handheld. I shouldn't have bought one so big, because the included CLIE Viewer is a real pain when you have tons and tons of pics.
The built in camera is one of the first things I became fond with. I now have thousands of pictures, most of which I would consider priceless, and I still have over 200 MB left of my 250 MB card. The pictures look fairly well on the handheld but have poor quality when viewed on a computer. But still, this isn't for the professional photographer, this is for the average guy that just wants to save his best memories in picture form. One thing that I don't like about the camera, however, is that it eats up the battery severely. When using the camera, it's "open lense, snap, shut lense". Otherwise you'll find yourself charging it twice a day.
It comes with a built in attractive CLIE Launcher, but since I'm an old guy, I'm used to the old generic Palm style launcher, so I stick to that. It also comes with the standard Palm software. The screen is absolutely amazing. Very clear, high resolution, and lots of colors. The processor is quite fast, as well.
I've also read about a few incidences where the screen has broke... even just from falling a couple of feet onto a carpet. I've put my CLIE through a LOT of abuse. I've dropped it many times. Just recently I tripped over the power cord and it fell four feet from my desk onto a concrete floor. No scratches, and it works just as good. I've also dropped on many other occaisions. My assumption is that in the incidences that the screen broke, there was nothing protecting it. I've had the plastic cover screen on it since the day I bought it. So the plastic probably provides additional reinforcement. I also use the "flap" that it comes with, so I think that has also saved me a couple times.
All in all, this is a great palm that I'd highly recommend to anyone that is on a low budget, but wants a great bargain. Although, there is one thing that I strongly dislike about the TJ27 and this is why I rate it four stars instead of five. When I turn it off and put it in my pocket, one of the "shortcut" buttons always somehow manages to get pressed, and then it turns on for two minutes until it shuts itself off. I believe that it's the flap pressing against the "Memo" button on the far right. But when this happens, it wastes about 15% of my battery.
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I purchased the TJ27 on May 20th expecting a small, nonflashy, down to earth PDA with the ability for me to be connected all the time at work and home (I bought the WiFi memory stick for a steal, $20). When I got it, I charged it up, popped in the wifi card, and loaded netfront, and was WOWED. This is a SNAPPY machine. It excells at PIM functions better than the _new_ PalmOne units!Looking back, the TJ37 was more appealing, but I cant justify the 60$ more to get it instead of the TJ27 + WiFi stick. This palm looks great, functions perfectly, and I'm certainly not ashamed to pull it out infront of someone with a brand new (read: $450+) Tungsten T5. My only wish is that Sony had continued the Clie line.
All in all, I am impressed with this unit. Battery life is excellent (5 hours wifi on, 7+ hours wifi off), and the unit preforms well under all circumstances. if you are contimplating buying one of these or similar model, go with the TJ27 or TJ37, as the TJ25 and TJ35 had a VERY severe backlight defect.
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This is a great product, except, as several other reviewers have noted, the glass is EXTREMELY fragile. Treat your Sony Clie like an egg. It cannot survive the abuse you are probably accustomed subjecting your PDA to. I have (well, now, had) mine in a padded leather case and dropped it about two feet onto brick. The snap that held the case closed pressed into the screen and the Clie is now toast. Now, keep in mind I practically ran over the first Palm I had and it was fine. You could drop kick one of those things down your driveway and it would survive unscathed. Not the Clie!All that said, I loved this Clie so much I will probably buy another one. I would have to pay much more for similar features in a Palm, and I'm not willing to pay much more. However, this time I'll get one of those padded metal cases for it!
Really, those of you who have a Clie or are thinking of getting a Clie, it's a fabulous product but be very, very gentle with it. Nothing about it (glass, toggle, etc.) is built to last. If you don't break the sceeen, you might get 2-4 good years out of it, which is about all I'd expect from any handheld these days.
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