Sony's PEG-SJ30 a Great PDA, with Tons of Features
Written: Jan 18 '03 (Updated Jan 18 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Reasonably priced, 16 megs of RAM, 4 Megs ROM.
Cons: Screen gets reflective in certain lights. Comes without a cradle.
The Bottom Line: I have become completely dependant on my SJ30 since buying it in December. I recommend any average user to consider the SJ30 in there next PDA search.
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| lowdog420's Full Review: Sony CLIE® PEG-SJ30 Handheld |
My Sony SJ30 is my first experience in PDA ownership. And although I'm still learning how to best utilize it to my needs, I have been very pleased with the functions I have grown accustomed to. I mostly use my SJ30 to help organize and track my school work. to do this I use many basic Palm OS tools such as the date book, the To Do list, Alarm settings, and a add on program called 4.0 Student. Since most of these functions fall under the review catagory of Palm OS software I won't get too in depth with these.
I have found that the size of my SJ30 is perfect for me. Although some may find it a little deep, I have had no problems carrying it in my pants pocket, inside jacket pocket, or in my bookbag. My PDA goes everywhere with me weather it's to class, or just out to the liqour store. It's size as far as portablity is concerned has never been an issue.
USING THE SJ30:
There are a number of ways you can actually navigate through and select your tasks on the SJ30. the most obvious of these is the Stylus. Now I have heard many people complain about this stylus, but I really don't see the big deal. the stylus works just as well, and pretty much exactly the same as any other stylus I have encountered. Its difficult to use while walking, or on a bumpy ride, because of the sensitivity of the graffiti pad, but not impossible. The stylus works well on all aspects of use on the SJ30, and has surprising amount of accuracy when your trying to use the scroll bar.
The second way you can navigate through the SJ30 is the scroll wheel and back button on your lefthand side of the SJ30. This feature works almost exactly how you would think it would. The wheel resembles a volume knob on a Portable CD player. Except for the fact that it can be pushed in a little. By rolling the wheel up or down, a highlight bar will scroll thought the icons on the screen. To select the icon highlighted, you simply press the wheel in and it goes. The back button is located directly underneath the scroll wheel, and does exactly what the back button on your web browser does.
BATTERY LIFE:
The battery life on my Sony SJ30 is acceptable at best. I have never worn the battery down to nothing in one day, but there has been a couple of close calls. I'd ave to say that the average use time would be about 6 hours until the battery goes dead. No a whole lot of time, but usually enough. There are a couple of power saving features, like turning of the backlighting on the screen, but you better be outside on a sunny day, because otherwise you'll constantly struggling to see what your doing.
THE SCREEN:
The Screen on my SJ30 is very clear most of the time. If your in lowlight or no light situations, the SJ30 is crystal clear. However in the strong sunlight you get a very nasty glare sometimes. As I stated before, I don't recommend viewing it with the backlight off, its difficult to see and hurts your eyes after a while.
The resolution of the screen of the Sony SJ30 very much surprised me. The pictures I have downloaded onto my PDA are as clear as you could see them on a TV or Computer screen. It's graphics effects are a major plus when using detailed applications or games.
SOFTWARE:
Lets just say that you won't have any problem finding software compatable with the SJ30. Palm OS software is probably the most common software you'll find. Anyplace that sells PDA software will sell applications for your Sony SJ30. I have installed several organizational programs for my school work, a street finder, multiple games, and a couple of other free applications I downloaded from download.com. I have been very pleased with my range of selection when it comes to finding software for my PDA.
HOT SYNC:
Hot Syncing the SJ30 to your PC is a breeze. All you have to do after installing the Palm Desktop software onto your computer and plugged the USB cable into a port your off. All you do is plug in your SJ30 and hit the hotsync option on the PDA and the SJ30 and your computer take it from there.
The Sony SJ30 is overall a great PDA. It's memory is ample enough for most users, and the applications available for it makes it a great match with anyone at all.
I have fallen in love with my SJ30 and now wonder how I got anything done at all without it. It has been a lifesaver for me, and odds are will help you out as well.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 275
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Epinions.com ID:
lowdog420
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Member: Dan
Location: Morgantown, West Virginia
Reviews written: 90
Trusted by: 28 members
About Me:
Sometimes it's not important how fast your going, but where your headed.
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