Digital Trends

Sony CLIE PEG NX80V

August 17th, 2003 | by Brandon King

The Software

Graffiti had to be removed from Palm devices as the result of a lawsuit, and in many devices was replaced with Graffiti 2, originally known as Jot!.  Sony takes this a step further and includes the Decuma Input system.  This is the closest the Palm platform has come to true natural handwriting recognition, and instantly became our Graffiti replacement.  Accurate and easy to learn like any input system should be;  the input system can be selected from a drop down in the proprietary Sony Clie Launcher.  In addition to Decuma, Graffiti 2, Graffiti 2 + mini launcher, and a network data monitor can be used to fill the 'soft' input area.  The 'soft' input area, as opposed to the 'hard' input area of many devices, is a 'virtual' Graffiti area that can be hidden, freeing up 1/3 more screen space.  Once you try it, you will never go back.

The standard Sony Clie applications were bundled, including utilities to move data from a desktop computer to and from the Memory Stick while the Clie is in the cradle, a couple token games, NetFront browser, Clie remote control, and a document viewer (Picsel).  But, unlike some previous Clies, no applications for editing Office documents or spreadsheets.  Obviously not what we wanted to see.  Overall, with the exception of the Decuma input system, we felt the software could have been better.

Conclusion

While the top of the line Clie market is now easily the most confusing in the PDA world right now, the NX80V should be considered the flagship model for anyone considering a Palm based PDA, and needing only one method of wireless networking.  In all, the hardware and the software were very well integrated, the unit is attractive, and feels solidly built.  While it runs $100 less than the UX50, remember that the un-upgradeable camera is the NX80V is much better, and in general we feel that the best bet for product longevity is the device with the most expansion slots.  What would have made the Clie NX80V a solid 9 or 10 star product would have been at least one form of built in wireless and at least 64MB of user accessible memory.  The biggest downfall to all the currently available Clies, and we can't stress this enough, is the amount of available memory.  Hopefully this will be remedied in the next few months, as Sony's high end Clie product line has had a recent refresh rate of 5 months.