New Sony Clie Gets Colorful, Musical

The new Clié handheld from Sony adds a high-resolution color screen and a built-in MP3 player to an already sleek and storage-rich product.

At first glance, the $500 Clié PEG-N710C could be mistaken for a slimmed-down Compaq IPaq with its silvery case. Even at the brightest setting, however, the Clié's front-lit, reflective active-matrix screen looks dull compared with the brilliant IPaq's color screen.

But the Clié's 320-by-320-pixel resolution looks noticeably finer than the 160-by-160 grid on other handhelds that use the Palm OS--and much nicer for viewing photos and short videos. I also liked the suede-like flip-up lid that protects the screen (and which stays in place with a magnet when it's closed).

The Clié's MP3 player requires inserting a Memory Stick in the slot on top. You need the white version (with copy protection) to use Sony's MG Jukebox software to convert music files to Sony's own high-quality, space-consuming format at 132 bits per second. MG Jukebox does prevent you from transferring copyright-protected songs back to any PC except the one they originally were loaded from. Alternatively, you can transfer MP3 files to a purple Memory Stick. The included clip-on earphones are a bit awkward to wear, but they do deliver good sound quality.

To power all that multimedia, the Clié PEG-N710C uses a lithium ion polymer battery that recharges via the USB-based desktop syncing cradle. In my tests, the Clié ran for several days between charges--longer than I'd expected, considering the heavy play that I gave a color game (Bejeweled) as well as all that Memory Stick music.

SUMMARY

Clié PEG-N710C VALUE: Fairly priced handheld for those users seeking a Palm-based PDA with a high-resolution color screen and a built-in MP3 player. $500 Sony www.sony.com