WHAT'S HOT: People who don't like using a stylus to enter data into a personal digital assistant will welcome Sony's innovative Clié PEG-NR70V with its firm, built-in keyboard and other push-the-envelope design touches. Much like the viewers on some camcorders, the screen can flip up and twist around 180 degrees. When the clamshell is open, you can hold it to view the screen while you're typing on the keyboard; or you can twist the screen around, close the unit, and write or tap on the screen just as you would with a conventional handheld.

A camera contained inside a small cylinder at the hinge takes pretty good photographs at a resolution of 320 by 240 (a cheaper version, the PEG-NR70, doesn't include the camera). The screen in our test unit looked great in all lighting conditions; its software-based Graffiti area vanishes when you run Sony's included software, so you can scribble on the full screen. Continuing a Clié tradition, the PEG-NR70V's 320-by-480 screen has six times the resolution of the 160-by-160 display typical of most Palm-based PDAs.

The handheld comes with headphone sockets and software for playing digital audio. Sony also throws in a wired remote control for the music player, as well as a hold switch that turns off the screen, thus extending the battery life.

WHAT'S NOT: MP3 files did not always play easily, especially those that were not encoded by the program supplied with the unit. While 16MB RAM may seem generous (and indeed for Palm OS devices, it generally is), if you want to take and store photos you will need to add Sony's proprietary Memory Stick card--which means you are somewhat limited in comparison with the more widely available Secure Digital and CompactFlash memory cards.

WHAT ELSE: Sony bundles a generous collection of software, including photo and video viewing and editing packages, a word processor and spreadsheet, utilities, and games.

UPSHOT: This sleek, well-designed Palm OS PDA with built-in keyboard and digital camera is high priced but well worth the cost.

SUMMARY

Sony Clie PEG-NR70V Palm OS 4.1, 16MB internal memory, 2.2-by-2.2-inch active screen area, 320 by 320 resolution, Memory Stick expansion slot, lithium ion battery, 6.9 ounces. One-year parts and labor warranty, toll-free support for 24 hours daily. $599 ($499 without the camera) www.sonystyle.com/micros/clie