SJ30 review
Ming
need some help to choose between clie SJ30 and m515:
1. Does it's body tough enough?
2. the Ir is not enhanced Ir. what doesit mean?
3. compared to m515, how is the battery life?
4. how is the button feel?
5. how is the software compatibility?
6. screen visibility outdoor/indoor?
overall which one is more recommended? m515/ SJ30?
Thanks,
Mng
Peter Mutsaers
Ming> need some help to choose between clie SJ30 and m515:
Ming> 1. Does it's body tough enough?
Ming> 2. the Ir is not enhanced Ir. what doesit mean?
Ming> 3. compared to m515, how is the battery life?
Ming> 4. how is the button feel?
Ming> 5. how is the software compatibility?
Ming> 6. screen visibility outdoor/indoor?
Ming> overall which one is more recommended? m515/ SJ30?
SJ30 is larger (bulkier). It has a hires screen though, but worse
battery life.
In comparing with the m515 however, it is more fair to compare with a
clie T665C/T675C. The T675C is more expensive than a SJ30, but still
less than an m515. The T675C is a little lighter and smaller than the
m515 (for me size and weight are very important) and apart from that
it has the same drawbacks/advantages as the SJ30 has, but for not too
much extra money you get:
- craddle (not included in the SJ30)
- enhanced IR, i.e. you could use it as a remote control
- can play MP3.
Of those, only the craddle mattered to me, but alone that and the fact
that it is thinner make it worth it.
If I would have had only the option between SJ30 and m515, it would
have been a hard choice for me.
For both clie's, the hires screen (M515 has only 160x160) is a big
plus for me (reading ebooks and some games profit greatly from it).
The screen of the T675C is better though (people say it is equal in
quality or slightly better than the Tungsten-T).
--
Peter Mutsaers, Dübendorf, Switzerland.
Marc Carter
represent:
I cannot comment on the 515, but I can talk about the Clie. I had a IIIe
and then a IIIc for a couple years (combined), and upgraded to the Clie
SJ-30.
1. Tough enough for what? I don't sit on mine or use it to hold open the
subway doors; aside from that, it's fine. I keep it in my old PalmGlove
(which is way too big for it, but I like the idea that there's a lot of
rubber surrounding it in case I drop it), and take it out and stick it in
my shirt pocket if I don't have a larger pocket available. (You just gotta
remember not to bend over to tie your shoes.)
2. The enhanced IR port refers to one that can be used as, say, a remote
control for your TV. If that's a value for you, don't get the Clie.
I have dedicated remote controls for my A/V stuff, and that works quite
well.
3. Battery life: again, I cannot comment on the 515, but I use my Clie to
read books for at least four hours a day (true!), and it gets charged for a
half-hour twice a day (once when I get up, and once at work -- the four
hours are spent on trains). I find the battery life to be exceptional: the
meter rarely ever goes off 100%. I've used it for days (reading, again),
and the lowest I've ever seen it is 86%. I don't know what they did, but
it impresses me.
4. Buttons are a little weird. I don't use them much. They don't feel
really robust to me. The software off switch is very handy.
5. Software compatibility is fine, afaict. I chiefly use it to read
ebooks, but also use fireviewer to hold a subway map, have a chess and
solitaire game, Showtimes (for movies), AvantGo, things like that. They
all work fine. I've not had to reset it since I figured how to sync it to
my computer (I run Linux). Some experimentation was required...
6. This is where I'm a complete fan of the Clie. On the IIIc, in direct
sunlight the screen was unreadable; as the ambient light level changed (as
it will do on a train), I had to constantly adjust the brightness, because
if I left it all the way up, it would scarcely make it to work. With the
Clie I have the brightness set at about two taps above the minimum, and it
serves in all light conditions: outside in direct sunlight the screen looks
like a regular LCD; indoors when the light is low, it looks like the IIIc
screen (only sharper and more readable).
I don't know if the 515 uses the same screen technology. It's very
nice, and for a serious reader, it's a marvel.
Cons: you gotta get your own cradle (ca $30).
But the Memory Stick makes up for a lot: it works fabulously (I mount it as
a separate partition under Linux and directly copy files to and fro it), I
keep one 16 mb-er with a weekly backup of everything on the device (not in
the case with the Clie, in case of loss).
I can't tell you which one is better, but I can say that I'm pretty nearly
perfectly happy with the Clie. The screen is amazing (looking at photos on
it amazed me, and reading books requires no strain at all). It has gobs of
space (16 mb + up to 128 mb on something smaller than a stick of gum), and
is really quite small (compared to the older Palms, anyway).
m
--
Marc Carter
Assistant Professor, Itinerant Scientist,
Inveterate Skeptic, Former Surfer.
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