Rating: 
Summary: Correction - Playing MP3s in background is possible
Review: I've read several reviews that say you can't run applications while listening to MP3s, but this is not true. If you start the audio player, select menu, options, preferences and then check the "enable background play" box it will continue to play while you run other applications.
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Summary: ...MIGHT BE OBSOLETE BEFORE YOU EVEN ENJOY IT...
Review: Much as I hate to write a negative review about this very well done and universally liked product, I had a what I would call bad experience in buying a Clie that I want to share with you....I ended up having a friend buy the Japanese version of this product (Clie PEG-N750C) in Akihabara in Tokyo for me. After he brought it back to the USA, I got it, and took it out of the box. I started to use it. About six hours later I was having technical difficulties with it, and so I browsed the Internet for instructions. It was then that I found out that Sony announced the new model (Clie PEG NR-70V). So here I was, stuck with a brand new but already obsolete Clie. It made it more frustrating that it was only six hours after I first opened the box. All I can say is Sony will come out sooner than you think with something that will make your Clie obsolete. If I had only bought mine a day later, I would have been able ...[to get more] and get a digital camera, built-in keyboard, and bigger screen. So I would give the unit a 5 star rating for technical perfection and negative 3 stars for extremely poor, self righetous, and/or nonexistent Customer Service....
Rating: 
Summary: It done up and died on me
Review: My comments are on the PEG 710C, which I guess is now the 760 C. Like some of the reviewers, I too have owned several PDAs. My last one was the Palm Vx, a useful and versatile machine, although the black and white screen can be hard to read. This past August, I wanted color. I looked at this item and the Palm 505. I liked the brighter screen and resolution. I didn't care much for an MP3 player - haven't used it (yet). I don't care much for the memory stick - I haven't quite figured out what I'm supposed to do with this, and it is an attempt by Sony to get you to buy their other "Memory Stick" products (including peripherals which are supposed to help you connect with non-Sony products (to some extent). Yesterday, the Clie died. No explanation - it was not dropped, baked, boiled, or fried. It was fully charged when I left for work in the morning, and worked during the day. Once I got home, there was absolutely no response from the power switch. No response from reset. Not even in the recharging cradle. On top of that, trying to contact Sony on-line proved to be impossible (the e-mail I send to them kept on generating an internal error message from Sony's server - warning!). I was left on hold for a long time by phone. Folks, I am very upset, because I paid a bundle for this. First of all, I did not by this through Amazon or Circuit City, their online partner. I bought it from another major electronics chain, where I am going to march in with my receipt and demand my money back (even this far out from the purchase). I am going to go to the Palm 505 - larger screen, less bulky, and based on my past experience, probably more reliable. Too bad that I couldn't give this unit no stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Very satisfied
Review: My first experience with a PDA was with the Palm IIIxe. I got hooked on the convenient functions and useful features but was underwhelmed by the difficulty of reading the underpowered screen. I bought the Clie 5 months ago and find it is a great improvement over the Palm. The color screen is bright and clear, so no more eye strain. The batteries last a full day or more in heavy use. The cradle allows for easy recharge and hotsync. What is especially nice is the download speed and ease of use of the Avantgo software which allows me to read the news even on the crowded train to work. It is an expensive PDA but if you intend to use a PDA extensively then whatever you do, go for one that has a well powered, clear, bright, color screen like the Clie. Your eyes will thank you.
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Summary: don't let the battery run down...
Review: or it will erase everything on it. and when you try to restore it from the memory stick backup, the datebook and phone numbers are restored but all the third party applications need to be reinstalled from scratch. in the 21st century with cheap static RAM (compact flash, smart media, memory stick!) this is inexcusable. oh, and another thing, you can't run an application from the memory stick. and the mp3 player doesn't read ID3 tags. overall this thin is a bunch of hype. i wish these handheld companies would take care of the basics before sticking on a digital camera or some other useless feature. still the palm platform is not as mature as my 10(!) year old Apple Newton...
Rating:
Summary: Purely amazing piece of work
Review: Prior to buying the sony clie 760c i had a palm V for a while, both are around the same size and weight the clie slightly bigger but for the options and advanced features it brings i am not complaining. You can do just about anything. I have a rio 128mb mp3 player which i am considering getting rid of since the mp3 player on the clie is astonishing and delivers crystal clear sound. I have the optional camera for the clie which is really a neat addition, the high resolution really makes a difference. All images are crisp and vivid, sound is high quality, plenty of space and can always be expanded. USB hotsync is fast and easy. Great item if you have the cash buy it if you dont get the cash then buy its worth every penny.
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Summary: MP3 is a Very Nice Feature
Review: Since trying out new PDA's is part of my job (life is tough, huh?) I recently had the opportunity to sample Sony's new Clie N760C. The color screen is outstanding, especially for displaying digital photos. Downloading photos with the included software was very easy and intuitive. The Clie will display snapshots (in a set) in 10 second, 30 second, and 5, 10 and 30-minute intervals. This is great for using the Clie as a mini-digital photo frame (setting the unit in its charging cradle); but the 10 second interval is a little slow for hand-holding the Clie and showing off one's photos like a brag-book. The Clie will display photos in alphabetical order based upon its file name, so it's important to choose the file names carefully if showing the photos in a particular order is important. The Memory Stick expansion is really handy since photo files tend to fill up the Clie's internal memory rather quickly. (Overall, the photo quality and sharpness are a little better than what I get on my Palm 515 using MGI's Photosuite Mobile.) Women in my office (and father's with young children) loved this feature. I also purchased the accessory digital camera (which plugs into the Memory Stick slot). The photo is captured by tapping the screen which, unfortunately, isn't as intuitive as holding the unit up to your face and pressing a button (as you would for a film or digital camera). The camera also flips around to face the user (and rights the image) so taking one's own portrait is feasible. Images can be uploaded to one's PC and then printed. Unfortunately, the picture's resolution is extremely low so the camera is usable, in my opinion, only for sending digital photos via e-mail or as a conveniently available digital photo recording device of last resort. If printing the images for viewing is one's objective, this camera will prove to be highly unsatisfactory. Since I already own a digital camera (and numerous film cameras), I found the Clie accessory camera to be a novelty at best. The most outstanding feature of the Clie, though, is its ability to play MP3 recorded music. Not wanting to use Sony's cumbersome check-in/check-out music program, I opted to use the more open RealJukebox software instead. Unfortunately, the instructions that came with the Clie were very incomplete. After much trial-and-error (which literally took me weeks to figure out), I finally discovered that the RealJukebox website had a very thorough set of instructions for loading music into the Clie. The PC screen controls for the program, unfortunately, are not very intuitive. It's necessary, for example, to use (somewhat hidden) pull down menus to import music, add the RealJukebox/Clie converting software, and then download music to the Clie. The music transfer rate is extremely slow (seemingly slower than real time). The music can be loaded into the Clie via the docking cradle, or directly into the Memory Stick itself -- provided one has an accessory USB (Memory Stick) reader or a Sony Vaio (desktop PC) with a Memory Stick slot. Unfortunately, loading the songs into the Memory Stick directly (via either method) is not any quicker. The audio quality of the Clie's player is outstanding, but I was disappointed to discover that it wouldn't play while another application is running (so updating my Palm's to-do list while listening to music, for example, was out of the question). The included remote is convenient for using the Clie as a portable MP3 player, but the inability to lock the Clie's buttons during play causes the unit to shut down if any button is accidentally depressed, which is a huge shortcoming. A 128 MB Memory Card will hold about 40-50 songs (pretty much equal to other MP3 players using a memory card-like storage media). Since you'll always have it with you, the Clie is a very convenient MP3 device; but a dedicated MP3 player, by comparison, is easier to use and much more versatile. The Clie's other shortcomings include the screen's two-layer laminated construction which makes tap screen usage (which I do) not very positive. (One must press both layers of the screen together in order to type.) Graffiti usage is unaffected. There are also very few accessory modules available for the Memory Stick slot -- unlike for the Palm, which has dozens. I use a dictionary/thesaurus and a Bluetooth module (for wireless printing) on my Palm 515, neither of which are yet available for the Clie. Overall, the best reason to choose a Clie N760C is for the convenience of having a built-in MP3 player (and for its very cool styling). If one doesn't need this feature, though, I would strongly suggest buying a Palm 515 instead. The Palm 515's color screen (even for digital photos) is almost as good as the Clie's; tapping on the screen to input data is much more positive; and the greater availability of SD (Secure Digital) card programs makes the Palm 515 much more indispensable, especially for heavy PDA users (like yours truly).
Rating:
Summary: Best of both worlds
Review: Sony initially entered PDA market with a somewhat weak PALM unit in the Clie PEG-S300. With little fanfare and poor design, it was destined to fail up against PALM and HANDSPRING. Many thought that was the last we would hear of the Clie. Only a few months later, not only did Sony introduce two new models, but they took the PDA market by storm. Although the Clie line is still relatively unknown to many people, among PDA aficionados the Clie line has arguably surpassed HANDSPRING and even PALM as the number one palm unit in the market. Its combination of innovative initiative, sleek design, affordable prices, multimedia capability, enhanced screens and battery source that has really made SONY the new driving force in the PDA market where PALM once was. Considering that SONY is a baby in the PDA market this is an amazing feat. After much contemplation and research I decided that the Clie N760C was my next PDA. Owning a Vx for about a year and a half, my next PDA certainly had big shoes to fill. Now that I've had my N760c for about 2 months, those high expectations were not only met but in some areas exceeded. I will break down this review into three criteria's, which I feel are critical in reviewing the N760C. The first criterion has to be the SCREEN. Both fans and critics of this unit will agree that the screen is its crowning glory. It's an accepted fact that to date it has the best screen of all Palm OS units and even Pocket PC units. Its high resolution of 320X320 is a far cry from all of Palms and Handsprings 160X160 resolution. Text look so much better in hi-res particularly Avantgo. Also its 16bit screen (65,546 colors) displays a far better range of colors then the m505 and the Prism. Even at the lowest brightness level, the visual output is comparable to the m505. Viewing pictures is quite amazing. It's really like looking at a (sony) flat screen TV. The screen is bright enough that it is really adequate at one third setting. (equivalent to m505 with backlight on) Keeping it at this setting conserves the battery considerably. The only grip I have about the screen is that it seems to be softer then most silkscreen displays. Although it doesn't bother me now, the screen is noticeably softer then the Vx's. It is also a known fact that Clie's, had the ability to get dust on the inside of the screen. Fortunately Sony addressed this problem with the N760C model. They plugged up the holes and the screen is sealed well. I also suggest that before you buy one, check the screen for dead pixels. These are pixels that don't display any color, just white. Although it's rare, it occasionally happens. The second criterion is FORM FACTOR. It has a sleek case with a combination of brushed silver aluminum, metal and plastic. It quite a looker. It has a jog dial, which is standard on all Sony electronics. The integration of the jog dial to the operating system and applications is really a huge plus. With the combination of the jog dial and back button, only does it eliminate wear and tear on the screen, you can virtually navigate through applications with one hand. Although this unit is longer and thicker than the famous V/m500 shape, it is noticeably narrower. Strangely enough, because it is narrower then the V/m500's, it actually feels smaller in your hand. One thing about this unit that might bother a few people are the buttons. They simply weren't made for game play, particularly the rocker buttons. If you're a serious Galax or Pacman fan, I suggest you go elsewhere. Another criteria is the MEMORY STICK. There is a huge debate on which medium is best, Secure Digital or Memory Stick. I'm not even going to attempt to convince you one way or another. With the recent price drop of memory sticks, 128mb memory sticks are almost half the cost of Secure Digital cards. I'm sure SD price drops will follow. The only I/O devices available between memory sticks and SD cards are the memory stick cameras and GPRS devices. Although there are rumors that SD devices are on the way, its still pretty much wait and see. Lastly there is the built in MP3 player. To my surprise it is quite amazing. It was a little trick to figure out how to transfer MP3's at first, but once you got the hang of it, it's as simple as drag and drop. In terms of audio output, maximum volume is loud while not losing clarity. After all "It's a SONY". It is certainly comparable to dedicated MP3 players in sound quality. I would certainly recommend the N760c to both old and new users of PDA's. The N760C is really a class in its own in that it bridges the best of both worlds with PALM and Pocket PC's. For those who want color and multimedia capabilities of PocketPC's but the hassle-free, intuitive aspect of PALM with its endless database of practically free applications, then the N760C is really the only PDA to chose from. The only downside about Clie's is its anemic choices of accessories. (unlike PALM accessories) But with 5 new brands and 2 upgrades in less then a year, Sony has made its mark as a serious player in the PDA industry. Accessories will surely follow. The last thing I recommend is read a lot of reviews before you go out and buy your PDA. There is really no one ultimate PDA. From the m100 all the way to the PEG-T615, they certainly have their strengths and weaknesses. Other then the criteria's which I mentioned, there are many others to consider like power consumption, durability, customer support, upgradeable OS, application compatibility and many more. The only way to find out all those things is to read as many reviews as possible. Good Luck!
Rating:
Summary: Sony Clie PEG-N760C
Review: Sony's Clie PEG-N760C is (or was) a winner. It is well made, easy to use, an met all my expectations. The MP3 player is outstanding in musical quality. Sony made a big mistake in dropping this item from their product line. The camera works well, but suffers some from low image quality. This is probably a software issue - hopefully Sony will rewrite the camera software.
Rating:
Summary: Minor problems... Great overall
Review: The Sony Clie N760C is a great PDA with fantastic resolution and is great for playing MP3s. However, if you really want to use this as an MP3 audio player you must buy a 128 MB memory stick (an 8 MB memory stick is included) or else you could only play a couple of MP3s. Also, I have found that video files play very choppy. I do not know if this is the program's fault or the PDA itself. The Clie's major problem is its digitizer and digitizer calibration. I have talked to countless other Clie N760C users and most of them (me as well) have had repeated digitizer misalignment problems and errors with the digitizer calibration program. Other than that, the Clie N760C is great. Its strong points are picture-viewing, games, organizational-purposes, and MP3 playing.
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