| |  | Electronics Sony CLIE PEG-TH55/U Handheld |  | | | | | | | | | | Rating:  - The best PDA? As close as you can get!
The Sony Clie PEG-TH55/U (otherwise known simply as the TH55) is my third PDA. After upgrading to the TH55 after one year with the Clie PEG-SJ22 and six months before that with the Palm Zire, I am not going to switch anytime soon. All of the features I ever wanted in a PDA are crammed into this thin package. The huge screen, tiny profile, and great memory capacity are only the beginning.
With 32 Megabytes available RAM, the TH55 does not skimp on space. The 7 MB ROM is nothing to sneeze at, either. And the processor is fast enough for almost anything - and it slows down automatically for easier tasks to save the battery. I could go on and on, but here are the key points:
* Battery life - I have run experiments, and after a week at my daily use (which averages at least two hours daily, much more than the average user) the battery never falls below 60% if I play no games or music, and it stays above 40% if I play my mp3s or my favorite games. That rivals my Zire, which has no backlight and is greyscale. My Clie PEG-SJ22, in comparison, has a smaller screen (320x320 vs. 320x480) would go down to 75% battery life in a single day.
* Screen - HiRes+. The best available so far for Palm PDAs. Great, great, great. Plus, the backlight is brighter at its lowest setting than the SJ22 at medium brightness.
* Palm OS 5.1 - Frankly, the only bonus I get out of this is the compatibility with newer games and apps, plus more HiRes apps. If the HiRes+ came with OS 4, I would be fine with that.
* Jog Wheel - After having the SJ22 with the side jog wheel, it took a few days to get used to the jog wheel and buttons on the back, but it was time well spent. Theease of use is incredible!
* Wi-Fi, Baby! - As a true geek, I love wireless gadgets. Sure, there's no bluetooth in the U.S. version, but the 802.11b wireless is great for around the house and at the local Starbucks. Sure, full-size pages get a little cramped on the screen, but there are hundreds of palm-sized pages out there for you to choose from.
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Then again there are a couple problems with the TH55, none of which is hard to fix. The two problems (with remedies) I have found are:
* Graffitti 2 - Call me nostalgic, but I got used to the original Grafitti with my other two PDAs. If Graffitti 2 were configurable (I miss the old T), that would solve all my problems. Luckily, Sony included Decuma. You can customize it fully, which makes it a heck of a lot easier to use than Graffitti 2 - which I have gotten used to, by the way.
* Power Button - The placement of the power button is unfortunate. I cannot turn the TH55 on one-handedly. There are some "hacks" to fix that, but I get along fine.
THE BOTTOM LINE: With numerous pluses (only some of which I have mentioned), and only two major problems, both with easy fixes, the Sony Clie PEG-TH55/U is definitely my favorite.
Rating:  - Clie Disappointment
I was excited by the features on the PEG-TH55 when I bought it.No other device offered more for the price.But in less than a year, I have had two problems with it.First, the screen failed after three months, Sony said it must have dropped and charged over $100 to fix and return it, even though I'm sure it hadn't.Now the camera software doesn't work and I have to return it to Sony again, incurring more cost.To top it off I cannot setup the return online but must call to arrange it.
Sorry but for me it's not worth the headache.My old Visor ran for years with no problems at all.Needless to say I won't be buying another Clie!
Rating:  - Swansong for sony PDA's
The TH55 was/is a great PDA, no doubt about it.
The battery life has to be the best around and that includes the multitude of PDA's that have been launched since it came to market.
Great display, Best implementation of PALM/OS I've seen.
(I've never been a fan of the stunted implementations of Windows on the IPAQ and similar. You may as well use your laptop!)
Slightly quirky buttons and an average camera but so what!
Show me another PDA that can run for 7 days plus ,despite what you throw at it!
It ranks as a classic along with the Palm V and Palm Vx for its compact size and stylish design.
Rating: - It's a Shame, Really...
that Sony decided to drop out of the PDA market (at least in the USA), because the PEG-TH55 would be my choice for PDA of year. It does absolutely everything except make phone calls, and does it with great style and ease of use. The display is simply breathtaking, and while the processing speed could be faster given the price tag, it's hard to pitt an additional 5-sec load time (when displaying thumbnails of 150+ graphics) against the clarity of the images. A good set of ear buds will deliver beautiful sound, and the camera is more than adequate for the type of spur-of-the-moment pictures one would take with such a device. I also love the ability to play videos in widescreen mode.I favor the standard Palm OS datebook, address book and memo pad just because I'm used to it, but the Clie Organizer adds a nice touch of wimsy for those who lean in that direction. I'm also a big fan of the Free Notes utility. Nothing beats the ability to write directly on the screen like a tablet when you're in a hurry.
I want to add that the documentation states .wma and .wmv formats are not supported, but there is an updated Image Converter download on Sony's support site that will take care of it, so you can drag and drop files in Windows Media format as well as Mp3 and Quicktime.
I suggest you purchase an aluminum hard case made for this model for extra protection.
Rating: - perfect for school
Some things I find it very useful at school for:
Zap notes off whiteboards with the built-in camera.
Record lectures in high-quality digital with built-in recorder.
(I have dedicated recorder for this, but have used my clie as backup once and it worked very well).
I like the built-in wireless especially, so I can hang around outside at the edge of the library hotspot and check email and radar weather without having to go in, dig out my laptop, etc.
The camera is good for copying office hours from professor's doors, and also library hours.
The basic PDA functionality is simply palm OS, so rock solid. I like the IRda hotsync so don't have to mess with messy cables.
The high resolution screen makes reading ebooks very easy, and displays photos and web images with near laptop clarity.
Internal memory is big enough for a major bookshelf of ebooks. I have about a dozen books in mine. Great for while waiting in lines. Memory stick pro capability means 512K and 1gb capacity for MP3 tunes. Easy to switch out MP3 sticks for my lecture sticks. Lately I heard Sony stopped making clies. Thats too bad! They really are nice. I suppose I will get a pocket pc or something similar next. What I really would like is built-in GPS with moving map display...and perhaps walkie talkie or cell phone capability to boot. Aloha!
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