Puppy
04-08-2003, 07:20 PM
Well, I’m considering the NX60/70, SJ-33, and SJ-22. I bought a Tungsten T, and shipped it back, as the screen was blurry and dim if you tilted the top edge away from you even slightly (which is how I hold my PDAs). I compared it to a store model, which was brighter, but still not as good as the NX models, so…
Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a single PDA out there that’s exactly what I want. The Tungsten T is flaky. The SJ 22/33 screens are too small, especially the graffiti area (for whatever reason, graffiti doesn’t seem very accurate on them) and the 33 has a lame scroll wheel. That GRwhatever only has a thumb keyboard, which I hate. The NX series feels pretty nice in the hand. I love the virtual graffiti area (love the size of the area, being able to see what I’m writing, and text entry seems easier than on other PDAs). And the screen seems to be the best on any current Palm. Except I hate that there are no hardware buttons on the bottom of the screen when in “tablet” mode, which is how I’d use the NX 99% of the time. Not sure if I could get used to that.
At any rate, I’ve got some questions about it maybe you guys could help with.
*Have there been any widespread problems with them? The Tungsten T seems to, and the NX series is so ludicrously over-engineered that you’d think there would be problems. Is there an issue with Memory Sticks not reading, like there appears to be with the NV models?
*Are the NXs as stable as other Palms? (How about Sony’s low-end models, for that matter?) I’ve had various Palm and Handspring models, and probably have to do a soft-reset less than once a year, and then only when I’m screwing around with various programs. I’ve heard that the NV and NX seem to crash more often.
*Do I need those stupid MagicGate Memory Sticks for anything (like MP3s)? I’ve got several regular 128MB sticks I use in my camera, and because of that (and because I’m generally opposed to things like MagicGate anyway), I want to make sure all the media capabilities are usable with regular memory sticks.
*Can I just copy MP3s or videos or whatever to a Memory Stick by accessing it like a disk drive? (Like I do with my camera) Or would I have to use some specific Sony program? Can’t believe the NX doesn’t play 64Kb/s MP3s! That’s nuts! I was hoping to record some NPR/Talk Radio from the internet, and stick it on the PDA to listen to on my drive home. That’s only like 24Kb/s, so obviously having to use 96Kb/s is a waste of storage space.
*Do the NX models come with any alternate virtual graffiti/status areas? Something with virtual buttons at the bottom of the screen for the 4 main applications would at least make the unit more usable for me. Like I said, I’m not sure I could get used to always switching to the launcher, and loading basic stuff from there. Too much thought involved :)
Anything else I should know about with it? I wouldn’t even be considering it, except that you can get them for around $400 now, which is basically double the SJ-22, which may or may not be worth it.
Also have to decide between the NX 60 and 70, I guess. I can get them for the same price ($412), but the NX 60 without a rebate for that price. I HATE rebates, as they never seem to come. Plus I have no real use for the camera, as I've already got a real digital camera. Though it would be kind of nice to have one with me all the time, in case something popped up.
I guess what I'd really like is a Palm with the NX form factor and screen when it's in tablet mode, but just a regular design, none of this goofy swiveling stuff. Stick a bigger battery in there with all the extra space you're saving, and give it 32MB. That would be pretty close to my ideal PDA right now.
Thought of another question. How usable is the audio player? Can you easily fast forward through something? Does it remember where you left off if you hit stop, use other apps, and start playing the track later? Or does it start playing from the begining again?
Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a single PDA out there that’s exactly what I want. The Tungsten T is flaky. The SJ 22/33 screens are too small, especially the graffiti area (for whatever reason, graffiti doesn’t seem very accurate on them) and the 33 has a lame scroll wheel. That GRwhatever only has a thumb keyboard, which I hate. The NX series feels pretty nice in the hand. I love the virtual graffiti area (love the size of the area, being able to see what I’m writing, and text entry seems easier than on other PDAs). And the screen seems to be the best on any current Palm. Except I hate that there are no hardware buttons on the bottom of the screen when in “tablet” mode, which is how I’d use the NX 99% of the time. Not sure if I could get used to that.
At any rate, I’ve got some questions about it maybe you guys could help with.
*Have there been any widespread problems with them? The Tungsten T seems to, and the NX series is so ludicrously over-engineered that you’d think there would be problems. Is there an issue with Memory Sticks not reading, like there appears to be with the NV models?
*Are the NXs as stable as other Palms? (How about Sony’s low-end models, for that matter?) I’ve had various Palm and Handspring models, and probably have to do a soft-reset less than once a year, and then only when I’m screwing around with various programs. I’ve heard that the NV and NX seem to crash more often.
*Do I need those stupid MagicGate Memory Sticks for anything (like MP3s)? I’ve got several regular 128MB sticks I use in my camera, and because of that (and because I’m generally opposed to things like MagicGate anyway), I want to make sure all the media capabilities are usable with regular memory sticks.
*Can I just copy MP3s or videos or whatever to a Memory Stick by accessing it like a disk drive? (Like I do with my camera) Or would I have to use some specific Sony program? Can’t believe the NX doesn’t play 64Kb/s MP3s! That’s nuts! I was hoping to record some NPR/Talk Radio from the internet, and stick it on the PDA to listen to on my drive home. That’s only like 24Kb/s, so obviously having to use 96Kb/s is a waste of storage space.
*Do the NX models come with any alternate virtual graffiti/status areas? Something with virtual buttons at the bottom of the screen for the 4 main applications would at least make the unit more usable for me. Like I said, I’m not sure I could get used to always switching to the launcher, and loading basic stuff from there. Too much thought involved :)
Anything else I should know about with it? I wouldn’t even be considering it, except that you can get them for around $400 now, which is basically double the SJ-22, which may or may not be worth it.
Also have to decide between the NX 60 and 70, I guess. I can get them for the same price ($412), but the NX 60 without a rebate for that price. I HATE rebates, as they never seem to come. Plus I have no real use for the camera, as I've already got a real digital camera. Though it would be kind of nice to have one with me all the time, in case something popped up.
I guess what I'd really like is a Palm with the NX form factor and screen when it's in tablet mode, but just a regular design, none of this goofy swiveling stuff. Stick a bigger battery in there with all the extra space you're saving, and give it 32MB. That would be pretty close to my ideal PDA right now.
Thought of another question. How usable is the audio player? Can you easily fast forward through something? Does it remember where you left off if you hit stop, use other apps, and start playing the track later? Or does it start playing from the begining again?