Questions About the Sony Clie NZ90.

[Link_Chrono]

First off, I'd like to state that I've been an avid follower of the Sony Clie line since around 2003, at which point I fell in love with the NX80. From then, up until now, I've sadly been withheld from being able to purchase one. My views eventually turned to the UX-50, and just recently, oddly, I've reversed to thinking heavily about the NZ90. And now for it's low price on Amazon.com, I may finally be able to buy one.

But first, I have a few questions that can only be addressed by people more familiar with this PDA. I've noticed a few flaws that seem to be repeated again and again through out the reviews, and I'm wondering about it's real performance.

Opinion Questions:
1. How well could the NZ90 hold up in 2007, against the much newer PDAs? (Including the last Clies, like the TH55 and UX50.)
2. Is the vertical screen definitely superior to the horizontal display, seeing as the horizontal one works correctly with only a few programs?

Modification Questions: (I've searched alot, but haven't found any tips on modifying a PDA.)
1. Would it be possible to swap the "hard-drive" out from the NZ90, for one that is much larger than the 16 (11) MB original?
2. Can a more advanced and longer lasting battery be used instead of the current one?
3. Is it an option to somehow install the newest version of Palm OS onto the NZ90, in place of the 5.0?

I'm still extremely curious on how exactly the UX50 is "better" than the NZ90, as I'm not entirely sure if the 90 is the better choice.

Thank you for reading, I'd greatly appreciate your responses.

[ksharkman]

Hello,

I just bought my used NZ90 a couple of weeks ago on Ebay. It came with the original battery, and with 33 charging cycles on it, and being worn down pretty fast. I bought a brand new battery off ebay for only about $11, and thats including shipping. The new batter brought so much more to the clie unit. It lasts a lot longer than the original, but not as good as the NX series in which I used to own.

Before I bought the NZ90, I was going to definitely buy the UX50, but after reading review after review, I found that after owning an NX series one, I loved the portrait view of my previous version, and settled with the older clie version, NZ90.

I don't know too much more about the memory, and OS, but what I found in buying a new battery. I use it to take several pictures, play music, record sermons at my church, and still able to use it to play games throughout a couple of days just fine.

Hope this helps.

[salesrep]

I've seen prices on ebay in the $125 range for a used NZ90, but I would recommend going with something newer like a NX73V, NX80V, or TH55 (my and others' personal favorite!)

The only thing I can think of as for a reason why you would be considering the NZ is because of bluetooth. If this is a big consideration for you, then I would strongly suggest looking at the UX40, 50, and TH55/E. Since Sony no longer supports the CLIE line, bluetooth drivers are no longer updated and you might have difficulty actually using the bluetooth to connect to your cell phone. My mom got a TG50 (also with bluetooth and OS5.0) and has never been able to connect to her phone on Verizon wireless. It's just that the bluetooth drivers for the OS5.2.1 handhelds are newer and you'll have an easier time.

There are lots of comparison threads for the TH55 in the TH-forum, so do a search for much more info. That would be my #1 choice unless a keyboard is a must, then I would suggest NX73 or 80 because of the vertical 320x480 screen. You do have the option to find a NX73V/E that came with bluetooth, or the NX80V has a 1.3 megapixel camera if that's important. Cell phones have caught up to the times, so the camera might not do anything for you.

Anyway, good luck!

[jerryprism]

I have both. The screenis much brighter and larger on the 90. The 90's keyboard doesn't lite up. The 90 feels like a brick. There are ultra portable pc's that seem lighter than the 90. The 90's camera is excellent for the regular use. The 50 is smaller and fits into a suit pocket better. It feels like a slim cigarrette case and has a neat "wow" factor. If size doesn't matter get the NZ90.

[renaldog]

What PDA can you buy today that you can pack 8Gig or more (4Gig CF card and 4Gig MS) full of Music, Video, Maps for navigation (with seperate bluetooth GPS), wifi (with CF wifi card), games if you like, and with a great screen....all this on an NZ90!!!

Thanks to the great contributions from a number of people on this forum, I think you'll find the NZ90 is still a worthwhile consideration. I'd also recommend the UX50 and TH55 (with bluetooth) and perhaps the new HTC (windozer) with its built in everything!

[Link_Chrono]

Thanks for all the feedback! It really helped out. (And sorry for taking so long to get back to the forums, I've been having computer problems.)

Renaldog, it interested me how you said you could use a 4 Gig compact flash card with the NZ90. How exactly would I go about doing this? I've heard you cannot use CF cards unless you get a certain driver to allow it on this model of PDA.

I've decided that since the NZ90 has Bluetooth anyways, I don't really need a WiFi card, and that the CF is more wanted. Bluetooth should give me all the capabilities I'd have with LAN anyways.

Can anyone give me advice on where to find both a driver and 2+ Gig compact flash card that will work with the NZ90?

Thanks for the help.