Sony PEG-T665C CLIE PDA (Sony-PEGT665CU)

Reviewed by: sactolono

Duration of ownership:

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Overall Evaluation: The T665C employs a 66MHz Motorola DragonBall Super VZ processor, which keeps the bundled audio and video apps moving, and 16MB of RAM. (Older Palm OS PDAs tend to have 33MHz processors and 8MB.) That 16MB is likely to be more than you need for storing calendar, contact, and to-do-list info, but if you plan to load up lots of third-party applications, you'll appreciate the extra capacity. There's also a Memory Stick slot on the top of the unit to add even more memory for storing MP3s, video clips, and other data. The other significant internal improvement is the addition of an audio player, which has good sound quality and even sports a bass-boost function. However, the player suffers from a few quirks: while it is compatible with both MP3 and ATRAC3 files stored on a Memory Stick, it can't play tunes stored in system memory, making the purchase of an expansion card nearly mandatory. Also, you'll quickly discover that the bundled SonicStage software that Sony provides for shuttling music between the PC and the CLIE isn't worth your time. The software works with only the Open MG Memory Sticks, but ironically, there's nothing open about Sony's draconian copy-protection scheme. However, by using the bundled Microsoft Import application, you can easily drag and drop MP3s from your PC to a Memory Stick. The hold switch on the side turns off the screen, extending playback time from 1.5 hours to more than 4 hours. Aside from audio apps, there's a lot more software to be found on the included CD, though many titles are trial or demo versions. Worthy of special mention are Documents To Go Standard Edition for working with Word and Excel files and Margi's Presenter-to-Go, which plays PowerPoint slide shows. If you're looking for something a little more fun, there's also Sony's signature gMovie (a video player) and PictureGear Pocket (an image viewer) to show off the high-resolution screen. With CLIE Paint, you can draw freehand or on top of photos that are stored on the device. As an added bonus, Sony includes remote-control software so that you can use your PDA to command your home-theater gear, although we didn't like using the stylus to navigate the menus on our TV. Our only serious gripe with the CLIE software is the absence of Mac support; you can, however, buy third-party Mac software at an extra cost