why the low end camera ?

[zzarg]

I've got a NR70V (dang, silly me for being an early adopter) and while BT and WiFi are great options the fact they've decided not to put the 2megapixel, 2x zoom camera on the UX models is a bit of a let-down.
Don't want to knock the UXs just coz they're new, but I'd love to see options to spec it with a better camera....

[dannyboy]

i might be wrong on this, but i'd imagine a 2MP camera will add considerable bulk to this thing. think NZ.

[zzarg]

oh, and why do I want a good camera.... with the bluetooth I'd use it in partnership with an MMS phone and or laptop etc as an 'always with me' instant snapshot. At the moment I'm using the camera on my Nokia 3650 in preference to my NR70V

[OcellNuri]

The 640x480 cam on my NX70V has proven to be adequate for my uses... quick snapshots. I would love to have a 1.3 megapixel, and am considering the NX80, but for me the 640x480 cam is very useful. Seeing how compact the UX is, with so many things built in, I don't see the camera as much of a let down.

[GummyDancer]

If there is a 1.3, 2 or even higher Mega Pixel Camera on the UX, lets first imagine the price... UX50 is selling for USD699.99 and the UX40 (no Wi-FI) for USD599.99.

If a Mega Pixel Camera is added on the UX, what will happen to the price? USD799.99??? will you buy it?

Website here for the prices: http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_BrowseCatalog-Start;sid=ph1_hDisj4h_qge0Eax1j3eg4WapEWNJ8wg=?Dept=hp&CatalogCategoryID=0ScKC0%2eNFCcAAAD2WXHZ7HTA

[dannyboy]

another thing about having a 2MP camera - next thing you know you'll be asking for a flash. assuming it could somehow all fit on the UX, it'll suck considerable juice from the device - next thing you'll be asking for the additional battery - next thing you know you'll have enough money for a picture book which won't be far off from the added size...

[zzarg]

I've already got a picturebook (c1mt) and I love it, but... although it's small and handy it's not quite small enough to slip into my shirt pocket when I'm out and about.
And unlike my Clie and G4 PowerBook since upgrading the picturebook to WinXP Pro the hibernate doesn't work so forget instant on !

Sure, I'd love flash and the 2mp camera... and if the package is good enough and the price is justifiable.... then I'd part with the cash. The biggest problem seems to be Sony not offering a more modular design/build/buy approach is that there's no upgrade path, so buying the UX today means that in 3 months when the 2mp model rolls out I'll regret it, in the same way I felt sucked in with the NR70V when within a couple of months the spec had jumped to the 90s...

[zzarg]

btw.... I don't want to knock the UX... it looks like it's a great model and certainly the platform appears to be a great foundation....
I hope Sony do really well with it... at the very least it's going to give Palm / Handspring some serious competition in the corporate space, and hopefully keep the ever encroaching PocketPC2003 (or whatevr WinCE is called these days) at bay !

[davy19]

because then they would have to raise price and ho wmany poeple will spend $800-$1000 on a pda when you can get a laptop for $600

[lostether]

Plus the fact that the main function of the camera, in a business sense, would probably be to snap quick photos and email them to the home office, clients or whatever. With the still limited wireless bandwidth and the inherent sluggishness of email, a higher resolution would be impractical. I realize you could switch between the various sizes, but sense it wouldn't be necessary for the intended (I believe) purpose, it would just add bulk and cost to the unit.

[dante21]

yeah they aren't trying to get you to replace your stand alone camera but hey you are the buyer you know what you want.

[n2ifp]

Sony is competing against the Zaurus in Japan, so there must be something to it. There are a lot of products in Japan that the USA never sees. All Sony is doing is giving more choices. No matter the design or functionality, it won't please everyone.

[Unregistered]

if you are deploying this pda for your company in the hundreds and perhaps thousands - i don't think you want to spend extra for a nice camera. do you see any companies buying camera phones for their employees? the corporate idea is spending less. the camera is simply a nice by product.

[gfunkmagic]

I think we should all realize that this is just a 1st gen model after all! :eek: If Sony added everything you wanted right now, how would they ever convince you to buy a new one later?! :D I think we'll eventually see higher rez cameras, faster proc, etc in later model versions just like the NX series. You just need patience and...er more money! :cool:

[brandonjr86]

i agree gfunkmagic

[brandonjr86]

thats why im going to wait a year just to see if ne thing happens beside the ux.

[Joel]

The Nokia 3650's camera or any other cellphone with a camera takes pictures in low resolution so that it can be sent quickly to someone through MMS.

I have an NX70V. If I take pictures with it and want to send them to someone else, I still resize the picture so that it can be easily sent through email. I also do the resizing so that the people I send the pictures to do not have to endure the long download times (yes, most of my friends still have dialup connections).

My point is, the UX is perfectly set up to take pictures and to send these quickly to anyone. The UX is just not targetted for people who want to take high quality pictures: The NZ is there for it (better screen + 2 megapixel camera).

Sony, in my opinion, is succeeding in hitting every target market it wants. There are already existing Clie models for most user groups now. I think many people are confused that each latest model Clie is there for everyone. It's not. Each new Clie is there for a specific audience. So if a person does not like a Clie model then it's simply because that person is not the target market for it. :D

[brandonjr86]

hopefully a new nz90 model

[Unregistered]

unfortunately, they have come very short of meeting a large target audience but it looks like Palm will meet that audience's needs/wants.

[Joel]

Good luck to Palm then. But I'm sticking with Sony :)

[Unregistered]

can't imagine a large or small corp deploying a 700 dollar PDA with or without a camera. risk/benefit analysis would not justify it.

[markgm]

Originally posted by gfunkmagic
I think we should all realize that this is just a 1st gen model after all! :eek: If Sony added everything you wanted right now, how would they ever convince you to buy a new one later?! :D I think we'll eventually see higher rez cameras, faster proc, etc in later model versions just like the NX series. You just need patience and...er more money! :cool:

I don't agree though ;-). Technology is improving all the time, and the perfect PDA that people write about today will not be the same in 10 years whenever the things have transporters and replicators built in. I'm sure pda's will have features we didn't even know we wanted in a few years.

[Orincarnia]

why don't they just broaden the range of specs on them? the only complaints i've heard is the screen orientation, the camera size and the small screen size (my personal complaint) why not just throw in those features now and jack up the price......i bet the people complaining won't complain any more i they see the broadend range i certainly wouldn't