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Sony PEG-S360 Clie Handheld

Sony PEG-S360 Clie Handheld

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Value
Review: I normally dont give entry level units 5 stars but this unit really has managed to separate itself as the KING of entry level units.

The 360 has replaced the 320 as Sony's entry level PDA. As i've said with my review of the m100 and m105 this would be a great gift to newbie's and students. Although it's a monochrome screen its still one of the more defined ones around. Its the only Clie thats 160X160 but its no big deal.

In terms of size its amazingly slim and light. Almost too light. Unlike the other clie's where the back is plastic and the front is a brushed aluminum finish the 360 is all plastic. None the less it still looks and feels good.

Other then the all plastic case, Sony has managed to keep costs low by not including a cradle and a memory stick.

I highly recommend this unit. To techie's and more experienced Palm users i would suggest going with other units but to newbies and students this is the unit to have.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Why the Clie S360 is the best entry level PDA you can buy!
Review: I bought the Sony Clie S360 after many hours of research - both online and at BestBuy (actually trying out various features) and this is by far the best sub-$[money]PDA around. In comparing all the features that I was looking for, the Clie S360 either matches or beats the pants off similarly priced Palm and Handspring offerings. Here's my comparison:
Screen size: Clie & Visor are bigger than the new Palms (I don't like the shape or screen size of the new Palms - make sure you see one in your hand before buying a Palm - the display is no good)
Display (readability/clarity): Clie is by far the easiest to read in the dark (by operating the backlit display) and in bright light; crisp display
Memory: Clie is 16 MB, Palm and Handspring under $[money]are 8MB (more RAM = more applications/programs you can store!)
Price: no higher than the other two (I bought mine new for $1[money])
Performance: Same processor or better than the other two
Applications/Compatibility: Same Palm OS hence same as the other two
Hotsync, IR beaming, Memory stick upgrades etc: Can do all these and everything the other two can
Battery: BIG difference here: both handspring and Palm run on AAA batteries - major headaches + expensive. The Clie has a RECHARGEABLE Lithium-ion battery. Battery life is pretty good, by the way - I use it for a 2-3 hours total each week and it only drops to 60-70% - once a week I just plug it in and in less than half an hour it's done!
"But wait there's more": The Clie has everything the other two have PLUS it has a new jog dial wheel on the side, which is GREAT for scrolling (page up - page down) and toggling sideways. If you are like me and can't surf the web without the 'scroll' wheel on your mouse, you will love the jog dial. Once you use it, you'll wonder why the others haven't thought of this before!

In summary, I can't think of why anyone would prefer the Handspring Neo or Visor or the Palm m100-125 to the Clie S360. The more I use it, the more uses I find for it in day to day life (apart from just appointments, reminders, address book etc.) This is the best entry-level PDA money can buy!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: AWESOME, but . . .
Review: This is one is a doozy. Love the design, love the screen, the backlight mode is the clearest of all the mono PDAs out there, TONS of memory, a great weighted stylus . . . and so on. The reason I give this 3 stars is that this model, like all PDAs that use Lithium Ion batteries, has a serious problem of built in obsolescence. After one year, the battery will start to die, requiring longer and longer periods of charging until it is worn out. Unless you feel like doing without a tool that will no doubt have found its way into your day to day life by spending [alot of money] to send it to Sony to have the battery replaced, you will need to buy a new PDA. This is a SERIOUS flaw with all PDAs that use this battery. I, for one, don't have the income or the interest to buy a new PDA each year. There are service plans (through Best Buy, for example) that take care of this problem for a limited period of time, but overall, this is a large problem. The only way to avoid it is to go with a model that uses AAA batteries. It's inconvenient, but at least you know that you can have the same PDA for years.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Worth it!
Review: I've been researching and comparing all pda from palm to handspring to sony etc. This one is the best value of them all and it's my first PDA. I was thinking about a color PDA but i don't think it's worth it. So I bought this one and enjoying it now, the battery life is super and the size is good. The best thing about this Sony is the 16MB memory, I can store a lot of file and software. I store the word and excel file from work in it. I also upgrade the Docstogo software so I can store Acrobat file, an all of that I still have 11 MB left on the internal memory. It also comes with a flip cover that looks really cool and good bundle of softwares. If you want color get a Pocket PC don't get a Palm OS device. I bought it for [less] when it first come out(I guess the store make a mistake on the price).

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: OK Starter PDA
Review: This was my first foray into the world of hand-held computing. I was a confirmed Day-Timer user and didn't think that all my "stuff" could be condensed down into such a little thing. During my orignal research, I settled on the Sony Clie PEG-S360 for several reasons:
1. Palm OS - Superior ease of use compared to Windows CE.
2. Palm OS units - generally much lower cost than Windows units. I wasn't about to spend [the money] when a Palm OS unit would cost less than half that.

OK - So now I had narrowed it down to the Palm OS. So now which one? I looked at many different makes and models and selected the PEG-360, mainly due to:
3. I knew I wanted a black & white display because of superior battery life and cost and this unit had the best display of all that I saw.
4. Easy one-handed operation with Jog-Dial. I thought, at the time that this would be important.

That was it. Now for the results after a year and a half of heavy use:
The Positives:
1. Battery life is excellent. I recharge maybe once a week.
2. Display likewise excellent. I can easily read in a variety of lighting conditions.
3. 16 MB of Memory - plenty of room, even for some fairly sophisticated database applications that I run.
The Negatives:
1. No MP3 capability. I've discovered the wonders of free music and would now like something that incorporates this.
2. Sony's stupid flip-top cover [is not good]. It broke twice. It's now held together with scotch tape.
3. This unit has limited expandibility. I'm interested in a portable GPS for aviation work that I do (I'm a pilot). It's much easier to accessorize a Palm unit than a Sony.
4. The job-dial; it works, but I discovered it's not such a big deal one way or the other.

For these reasons I'm starting to look into something new and am leading towards the Compaq IPAQ, especially since the prices have come down. But for those who want basic functionality, an excellent display screen and lots of memory, the PEG-S360 is an excellent choice.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The best monochrome PDA
Review: I'm a big fan of Palm PDA's and even Pocket PCs and have had a Palm Vx, IIIc, and Compaq iPAQ, all of which I've been extremely satisfied with. I was recently checking out the new entries into the field, and this one caught my eye as the best of the current crop of monochrome units, unless you want to spend almost twice the price for the HandEra offering, which, although a great device, is noticeably bigger and heavier, although it offers that great feature of the two expansion slots for both SD and CF cards.

The main attraction for me is the extra 8 megs of RAM for a total of 16 megs. That's plenty of space for lots of programs, data and utilities. I've had to get Data Becker's Compress-It! program to make more room on my 8-meg Palm IIIc. This program allows you to compress even executables by an average of 37% in my experience, but with this PDA I wouldn't need it.

One other feature the Sonys have is the little jog-wheel, which I find a nice touch and very convenient. If I have one gripe about the unit it's that this wheel seems to protrude a little less than on the earlier Sony models, and one other thing is that they're replaced the up-and-down scroll buttons with a toggle switch that is also so low-relief that it's a little difficult to operate. But except for that I really don't have any complaints about it.

While I was at it, I also compared the IIIc to the Sony T615CS color model. I compared it side by side with my Palm IIIc, and at high brightness there's still no comparison to my Palm. The screen seems almost identical to the one on my Compaq iPAQ; it's bright but appears a little milky, but it's okay. The Compaq's appears this way because of the partially back-reflective screen which allows it to be seen out of doors in direct sunlight. Although not as bright as the IIIc, the IIIc's washes out in direct sunlight, so overall this screen is an improvement over the IIIc's in terms of features, but I still like the brightness on my Palm. If I had to use it outdoors much I'd probably prefer the Sony's. Last but not least, the Sony's greater 240 x 320 level resolution screen and 64k colors is just drop-dead gorgeous.

Since I started writing this review, I discovered Sony is coming out with two more units which should start hitting the stores soon, which have screens with 320x480 resolution--the Peg NR70 and NR70V models. Sony does this by removing the physical Graffiti area and providing a virtual one, as on the Pocket PCs.

With these two models, the Palm platform now has a PDA with a screen that is truly the equal of any of the Pocket PCs, something which I will probably appreciate since I really like the greater resolution and colors of my Compaq iPAQ. And my iPAQ 3630 only has 16k colors. I think the current iPAQs now have 64k, as does the Sony Peg615CS and above. The Casio Casiopeias have always had 64k colors, but the first HP Jornada also had 16k (not 64k as had been thought). I also noted that the HP's screen wasn't quite as bright as the Casiopeia's and the iPAQ, but it was okay. The HP also has a newer model since then but I don't know if the color range has been upped to 64k yet, but this gives you some idea of the differences in the screens between the major offerings in this area. All the Pocket PC's are 240x320 resolution. One other difference to be aware of is that the original HP Jornada only had 16 megs of RAM, whereas the Cassiopeia and iPAQ had 32 megs. I suspect the new release of the Jornada now has 32 megs also, but I haven't checked it out personally myself yet so I can't say for sure.

But getting back to the Sony PEG360 monochrome model, it's very lightweight and the screen, although the only Sony with 160 x 160 resolution, is, from what I can tell, the sharpest of the monochrome units out there. The backlight is also pretty bright. I note the built-in apps have been modified and have had some improvements made in the 2 years since I bought my IIIc, which is all to the good, and also there has been at least one major revision to the Palm OS in the almost 2 years since I purchased my IIIc.

All in all, this looks to be a great new PDA at an attractive price for all the features you're getting, and I would actually give it four and a half stars if I could.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Best pda for under 150
Review: I have used other pda's from the time they came out. It always frustrated me that it was hard to easily navigate menus and the stylus wasnt very responsive. Ever since I got this model I have had no problems. The hotsync works very well and never misses any files as I have had before. One of the best features is the large memory allowing me to store my documents and contacts easily and not worrying of going over the limit. If this is your first pda then I would get it because it is reliable and simple to use.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Seller Maliciously Falsified Product Information-ON PURPOSE
Review: I ordered a Sony Clie Handheld from this seller and he intentionally didn't list that the item is unusable, irrepairable, and worthless. After purchasing the item the seller stated this: "the sony clie has already been sent. As mentioned, it has not been tested and the screen is fixable by sony. go to sonystyle.com for more info."

He then went on to say: "the details on the Sony clie were and has been listed by Amazon since the item was posted. I dont know how you could have missed it. I have attached the link in which all the details were mentioned. http://s1.amazon.com/exec/varzea/ts/exchange-glance/Y04Y3657545Y8593902
All sales are final."

Even after rechecking the seller's page there was no sign of this link. I e-mailed the seller and he still is standing by his sale, although it is evident and apparent that he falsified the information for this product.

Please don't purchase from this seller unless you want to be put in a bind. Retract your purchase immediately by calling your bank and putting a hold on this transaction, at least until your product has been delivered and it is the product you were initially sold.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: The Sony Peg-S360
Review: This handheld is good for someone starting in the electronic word. Being the cheapest of the Sony handhelds, this Palm operated PDA keeps you organized and reminds you to do things. though while this is all it does, unless your into a handheld arcade, its still pretty practical.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellente PDA
Review: it is the perfect PDA, it's focus on the work side of live and does not forget the fun part.


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