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10 out of 10 people found this review helpful
4.0 stars
"I don't own the product but..."
Pros: Size, speed, great screen, security, camera, media, geek candy
Cons: It'll be outdated in 4 years time... if you're picky wait for the Microsoft Origami MAYBE that'll be better
Summary: So I don't own one but I got to 'test drive' one at the Sony store. Plus I've done research and asked sony reps as many questions as i can think of. And i figure if that other person can rate the device on 1 for screen size alone and not being even remotely open-minded i figure hey can review it too. But I'll try to be more informative =)
So..screen size. It's sharp and crisp and the one down side is that if you're zoomed in you can't type. BUT, when it comes to doc, pdf, or adobe files you can scale it to 150 to 250 percent to help your eyes and you can still edit stuff. ALSO, when it comes to surfing the web, just increase the pixilation or whatever to get a larger font. same thing for most applications. I've surfed on my friend's treo, and on my cell phone. Granted the font size is larger but it's almost like you're already working in the "zoom in" mode (which you can't zoom out of). So us "meer mortals" should learn to use our pc knowledge to get around those silly little things.
Typing - I have medium sized hands, for a girl, they're definitely not dainty but not huge either and when i held on to the ux and typed a little somthing in word it wasn't so difficult. My thumbs could touch at the center so i didn't have a problem reaching the keys. Complaint I've read elsewhere: needing to press hard on the keyboard. The one at the store wasn't tough. Maybe, like a new pair of sneakers, you just have to wear them before they feel just right.
Cingular Edge - I wasn't diggin on that too much when i heard about it. But it's just an option. If you have a bluetooth enabled phone you can use that to surf the internet instead of buying a plan from Cingular (which doesn't work well in my neighborhood). I confirmed this with a Sony Rep.
Heat - some devices get really hot after a long period of usage, and I don't remember this device feeling warm to the touch. And since it was at the store it was on for most of the day (i got there around 3pm so give or take a couple of hours). At least that's good.
Weight - I asked the sales person at the store if its alright to stick it in my bag for a bit. Once i dropped it in I didn't even feel it. Being that i'm a college student i have heavy text to carry and my 4lb laptop is too much on top of everything.
Downside - the button on the mouse got screwy (stopped moving on screen) on the one i used at the store. The rep had to remove it and fudge around with it to get it working so who knows. But I'd definitely recommend shelling out the cash for an extended warranty on this baby. Most laptops are good for that first year, after they start messin up.
People just have to remember is that the whole point of this device is portability. So it's going to be designed so that everything you want fits. People want something that doesn't take much room in a bag or pocket, but complain it's too small or too big. They want a keyboard attached for typing but the keys are too small, and it's flush against the device.
pick pick pick... I would have given it a 9 because nothing's perfect but for the screwy button it got an 8Updated
Now that i have it I think it's great and would probably change my rating to a 9 if i was to do it again. Here's why:
Surfing is great especially in the verticle mode. Especially for emails and pages with alot of data. You get a fuller page.
Key Board - I've gotten pretty used to the layout so i can type pretty fast. but don't get me wrong I have my slip ups, where i press or miss a letter and I really wish there was a Right Shift key. I'm no where close to normal speed but it's doable. If I don't want to slide up the screen I've set a shortcut for the on screen keyboard (with a large font) when I'm in verticle/PDA mode. Very Handy.
My Active desktop calendar (http://www.xemico.com/adc/index.html) has turned this baby into a high powered PDA and it's fab.
School wise this is great, it's light and I can get started on my lab reports while on the train and not have to worry about takin elbow space. Plus i can get my textbooks as an ebook (through ichapters.com) to lighten the load -awesome!
Pen plus is great for writing little memo's on the screen it's very reponsive to my handwritting. but i have to admit it takes some time to get used to the stylus shortcuts as sometimes it doesn't seem to "get" what i'm requesting. (oh yeah and i'm afraid i might lose the small stylus one day so i'm extra cautious)
Battery is great, I have it set to hibernate when I hit the power button. I use and then turn off. so far i've got 2.5-3 hrs. (by the way a short batt is good cuz do you really want to view a tiny screen for 5 hrs at a time? The screen doesnt generally bug me but once i spent that much time and my eyes did feel a bit tired)
And the memory stick option works fine. I use mine mainly for my psp (it's 2 gigs), but what's great is that if my batt dies on my psp i can just use my UX for movies and music.
As for other entertainment I've got location free and was able to watch my shows while vacationing in Philly. Very cool
Oh yeah the speaker on this little guy can get pretty loud.
Wireless - I'm thinkin about unlockin mine and just using my sprint acct but i'm not sure since that's an expensive monthly perk.
Other than that it's been great. oh yeah I got mines off of ebay WITH a 3 yr warranty for the retail price (and it was brand spankin new) so I'm even happier
