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CNET editors' rating:
3.0 stars
Good
Detailed editors' rating - Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 18 reviews
- See all user reviews
Product summary
The good: Solid battery life; rechargeable battery is replaceable.
The bad: Lackluster software bundle; no headphone jack; less responsive than competition; less memory and a dimmer screen than comparable models; no voice recorder; lacks Mac-compatible software.
The bottom line: This CLIE's disappointing software and feature set make it a less than ideal choice when compared to the competition.
Specifications: OS provided: Palm OS 5.2; Installed RAM: 16 MB; Processor: Motorola 200 MHz; See full specs
CNET editors' review
- Reviewed on: 11/18/2003
- Released on: 10/01/2003
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| A central barrel roller has replaced the side-mounted jog dial of previous CLIEs. | Unlike the step-up model, the TJ25 lacks a headphone jack. |
Flanking the navigation controls are the standard Palm shortcut keys for the calendar, the task list, contacts, and notes. The top of the unit is home to an infrared port, a stylus receptacle, and a Memory Stick Pro slot but lacks the standard 1/8-inch headphone jack found on the step-up model. The Power/Hold button sits alone on the right side, a docking connector and an indicator light share the bottom, and a small speaker lives on the back with the Reset switch. The left side is empty so that it can accommodate the included snap-on screen cover.
Unless you buy the $30 docking cradle, the only way to recharge and sync the TJ25 is with the included dongle, which has ports for interfacing with the provided AC adapter and USB cable. The small, squarish dongle snaps into the docking connector.
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| The TJ25 ships with a protective screen flap but not a docking cradle. | For charging and USB syncing, you need the small adapter. If you lose it, you're out of luck. |
The 320x320-pixel, 65,536-color backlit screen is adequate, but it's grayer and slightly washed out compared with the Tungsten E's ultrabright display. That's true even when the Sony is at full brightness and the Palm is at 50 percent. But unlike with the Tungsten, which has a sealed case, you can replace the TJ35's rechargeable lithium-ion battery. A robust 200MHz i.MXL processor powers the TJ25. Sony was stingy with the internal memory, limiting it to 16MB of RAM (11MB of which are available) and 8MB of ROM. But the expansion slot supports up to a whopping 1GB of memory. The storage space and the included backup software will protect your data from power losses and reboots. If you get the TJ25, you should definitely invest in a Memory Stick or two.
This CLIE runs the latest Palm OS (5.2.1) and includes all the standard Palm applications, such as Calculator, Memo Pad, and To Do List. Notably, Sony stuck with the older Address Book and Date Book programs, so you don't get the enhanced functionality of the Tungsten E's new Contacts and Calendar apps. In addition to the aforementioned backup utility, you'll find a photo viewer, a memo pad, a world clock, and a file manager. A handful of additional utilities, games, and trial software rounds out the list. Unlike the TJ35 and the Tungsten E, this model lacks a Microsoft Office-compatible file reader, removing it from consideration in any serious business environment Likewise, the TJ25 is missing the headphone jack and, consequently, any serious multimedia capabilities found on those competing models. Compared with the Tungsten E, the TJ25 has a faster processor but half the amount of memory, which may explain the Sony's slightly more sluggish performance. Whenever we toggled between applications, the Tungsten E switched effortlessly, but the CLIE displayed its "please wait" screen for a brief but noticeable delay. And as we discussed in the Design section, the TJ25's screen is significantly duller than the displays on competitive handhelds.
We installed our own copy of Kinoma's video playback software and ran a video loop with the screen brightness at 50 percent. The unit expired after 4 hours, 45 minutes. That result is above average and an hour better than the TJ35's; the TJ25's dearth of audio playback no doubt helps it conserve power. Using the backlight judiciously during normal usage, you can go several days without having to recharge.
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User reviews
- Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 18 reviews
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
