CNET editors' review
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CNET editors' rating:
stars
Very good
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 03/29/2004
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| Two horizontal bars replace the circular shortcut keys of CLIEs past. | Add more storage space with the TJ27's Memory Stick slot. |
The handheld's main attraction is its 320x320-pixel, 65,536-color transflective TFT display. Just beneath it is the dedicated Graffiti-input area, and lowest of all are the controls. Between the left- and right-arrow menu-navigation keys is the depressible barrel roller, which Sony first introduced on the TJ25. Scrolling up and down with that jog wheel is simple, but we'd prefer to have it side-mounted for easy one-handed use.
For the shortcuts to the date book, your address book, your to-do list, and the memo pad, Sony replaced the earlier designs' circular buttons with two slim, horizontal bars that you rock to either side. They look great but make it too easy to select the wrong application.
Sharing the back panel with a speaker and a tiny Reset hole is the camera lens. When you want to shoot, you retract its built-in protective cover with a switch on the bottom of the CLIE. Then a button on the right-hand side, just below the power/Hold key, gives you one-press photo capture. This design is better than the Zire 71's; you have to slide open a panel to use the Palm's camera.
For charging and computer syncing, the bottom-mounted docking port accepts a dongle with connections for the AC adapter and the USB cable. All three accessories come in the package, but if you'd prefer the cradle, you'll have to purchase it from Sony for $30.
 All that's missing is a docking cradle. |
Rounding out the TJ27's chassis are a Memory Stick expansion slot, an infrared port, and a stylus holder, all of which reside on top of the handheld. To attach the included protective cover, you pop its two tabs into holes on the CLIE's left side.You won't miss any Kodak moments with the Sony CLIE PEG-TJ27. Its integrated camera provides a 310,000-pixel resolution; zooms to 2X; and can save 640x480, 320x480, 320x240, or 160x120 photos. White-balance and brightness settings let you adjust for indoor and outdoor scenes, and when you're feeling artsy, you can give your pictures a black-and-white or sepia effect. Of course, the TJ27 won't produce the same image quality that a dedicated digital camera will, but the handheld is still good for quick snapshots.
 Say cheese: The TJ27 features a 310,000-pixel camera with a 2X zoom. |
We're pleased to see Sony boosting CLIE memory capacity. The TJ27 provides 32MB of RAM (23MB of it user-accessible) and 16MB of ROM. However, photos require a lot more, so you'll have to expand the storage space with the TJ27's media slot. Along with standard Memory Sticks, it accepts 1GB Memory Stick Pro cards, which will hold a lot of high-resolution photos and audio.
Though Sony made hardware improvements for the TJ27, the PDA's software is a little disappointing. You get the usual PIM (personal information management) applications, but the company stuck with the old Address Book and Date Book instead of upgrading to Contacts and Calendar, which sync better with Microsoft Outlook and have enhanced features. The new programs come with the Palm Tungsten E. But the TJ27 does run Palm OS 5.2.1, and its software bundle includes Palm Reader, as well as the CLIE Mail and CLIE Memo utilities. And the good news is that when you register online, you can download Dataviz's Documents To Go for free. The tool lets you view Microsoft Office documents--a real necessity if you're planning to use the TJ27 in any business capacity.
Unfortunately, this PDA is all work and no play. It has no MP3 player, and video clips run without audio. In comparison, the Zire 71 offers RealOne Mobile Player for music files and Kinoma's Video Player and Producer for movies. If you want these features in a Sony CLIE, take a look at the PEG-TJ37, which supports MP3 playback, QuickTime, and Wi-Fi networking.The Sony CLIE PEG-TJ27's 200MHz i.MXL processor, combined with the newly boosted memory, keeps performance relatively fast. A couple of times, switching between apps brought up the Please Wait screen, but the delay was brief and not too distracting. On the other hand, the Palm Tungsten E runs so smoothly that you'll rarely see that message.
For our battery tests at the CNET Labs, we installed our own copy of Kinoma Video Player on the handheld, set the screen brightness to 50 percent, and looped a clip. The lithium-ion cell was impressive, lasting 4 hours, 48 minutes. Sony says the CLIE should provide up to 10 days of normal use before needing a recharge. However, we were disappointed to discover that unlike the TJ25's battery, the TJ27's isn't user-replaceable.
Again, the TJ27 is no substitute for a real digital camera, but the handheld snapped some decent photos. Even though it doesn't have a flash, indoor shots came out clear and well lit. Pictures we took outside, however, were sometimes washed out, and the problem was especially bad on sunny days.
The TJ27's high-resolution screen delivered a sharp, crisp view and captured the littlest details. Unfortunately, this image quality was overshadowed by the display's overall dim, gray appearance, which didn't improve even when we bumped the brightness to its highest setting.
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