Sony handheld has style to spare

By PETER GRIFFIN

Consumer electronics giant Sony has arrived last in line in the New Zealand market for handheld computers, but the slick design of the Clie just about makes up for that.

From its slimline silver case to the 16-bit colour screen and weighing in at just 138g, the T615 beats its better-established rivals on looks. It is also reasonably well powered by the Dragonball VZ 33MHz processor and 16MB of built-in memory.

But how you like the way the Clie T615 operates will largely depend on your experiences of the Palm operating system - the updated version 4.1 drives the Clie. As a fan of the rival Pocket PC 2002 platform, which Hewlett-Packard, Compaq and Toshiba have embraced with their handhelds, I found switching over relatively hard work.

It's not that Clie lacks functionality - there are thousands of Palm-based applications you can download for the Clie and a fair few come out of the box too. But there seems to be better continuity between the desktop and handheld using the Windows-based alternative.

Palm's desktop syncing software installs easily (on Windows 98 and later) and is easy to use. It will let you sync multiple handhelds and will transfer all the info you had on your old Palm V to Clie. Syncing with Microsoft Outlook for mail is easy, and Sony software such as PictureGear Pocket, gMovie and Photostand lets you view images and video clips on the handheld - just as Windows Media Player does.

Finally, owners of Sony's Memory Stick compatible devices have somewhere else to plant their stick. A Memory Stick slot lets you add up to 128MB of memory for storage, which allows you to transfer files between home and office or use the Clie as a portable music device.

But unlike the HP Jornada, converting your Clie into an MP3 player involves buying an expensive earphone attachment - any old $5 pair of Walkman earphones will not do.

Peripheral wise, the range is extensive, from the obligatory collapsible keyboard through to a digital camera module, however they won't be available in New Zealand for a few months, so functionality is limited initially.

A nifty infrared feature allows the Clie to be used as a remote control to operate all your Sony devices - TVs, stereos and DVD players - and a flashy world alarm clock is a decent feature for travellers.

Soundwise, the small speaker inevitably struggles to deliver. For the first half dozen listens I thought the greeting on Clie's demo said: "I am Clie control me!" I was disappointed when a colleague deciphered the true greeting "I am Clie - from Sony!"

* Price $1199 including GST.