Wife Gave me Clie NX-73V for Christmas

[Mark Weiss]

In general, for a PDA, I like my new toy and have been putting it to regular use.

I do have some frustrations with getting certain types of data onto the PDA though.

Some of the problem areas surround:

Not being able to directly copy files from the memory stick to the PDA. (an error saying that the files are not in some database format ensues).

Not being able to load some MP3 files from the memory stick onto the PDA, or even play them from the memory stick. (something about needing a memory stick Pro or secure memory stick).

As far as calendars, notes and the camera go, that's all pretty easy to use. But just today, I tried to load some PDF format documents onto the CLIE and they would not import. The picsel viewer is a mystery to me as to what sorts of 'various documents' it reads.

The proprietary nature of the CLIE software seems to hamper my attempts at getting the most functionality out of it. I had entertained the idea of using it as an audio player (pending testing of the audio quality to see if it's even close to my Sony GRX560 laptop) to replace my laptop, which is too big to fit in the physical space for a particular application.
I also want to have certain reference PDF files resident on CLIE for my engineering work.

Am I missing something here? Have I overlooked an approach to data interchange that would make these things work?

Also, my wife bought me a Belkin leather pouch to carry the CLIE on my belt. But unfortunately, this pouch covers up the camer and IR ports. Also, the belt clip broke in the sub zero weather last month while I was climbing into my truck. Can anyone recommend a robust replacement pouch with the proper cutouts for the NX73V?

Thanks!

[stronggeek]

Originally posted by Mark Weiss
In general, for a PDA, I like my new toy and have been putting it to regular use.

I do have some frustrations with getting certain types of data onto the PDA though.

Some of the problem areas surround:

Not being able to directly copy files from the memory stick to the PDA. (an error saying that the files are not in some database format ensues).

Not being able to load some MP3 files from the memory stick onto the PDA, or even play them from the memory stick. (something about needing a memory stick Pro or secure memory stick).

You can't load mp3s and run them from the PDA and you should be able to use a regular MS stick run use mp3s.

As far as calendars, notes and the camera go, that's all pretty easy to use. But just today, I tried to load some PDF format documents onto the CLIE and they would not import. The picsel viewer is a mystery to me as to what sorts of 'various documents' it reads.

I personally don't like PV and have much better success with an app called Repligo.


Thanks!

Hope this helps.

[*YellowRose*]

Originally posted by Mark Weiss
In general, for a PDA, I like my new toy and have been putting it to regular use.

I do have some frustrations with getting certain types of data onto the PDA though.

Some of the problem areas surround:

1-Not being able to directly copy files from the memory stick to the PDA. (an error saying that the files are not in some database format ensues).

Once you tap MSImport on your Clie, your PDA will show up as an external drive - just drag and drop 'em. You just need to make sure you have something on your PDA that's able to read what you put there.

Originally posted by Mark Weiss
[B]2-Not being able to load some MP3 files from the memory stick onto the PDA, or even play them from the memory stick. (something about needing a memory stick Pro or secure memory stick).See above. DO NOT use the music software that came with your Clie. It's crummy. If you drag and drop the MP3s, the only thing you need to worry about is putting them in the correct directory on your card.

Originally posted by Mark Weiss
[B]3-As far as calendars, notes and the camera go, that's all pretty easy to use. But just today, I tried to load some PDF format documents onto the CLIE and they would not import. The picsel viewer is a mystery to me as to what sorts of 'various documents' it reads.Again, use the drag and drop method. It allows you to put ANYTHING on your card.

Originally posted by Mark Weiss
[B]4-The proprietary nature of the CLIE software seems to hamper my attempts at getting the most functionality out of it. I had entertained the idea of using it as an audio player (pending testing of the audio quality to see if it's even close to my Sony GRX560 laptop) to replace my laptop, which is too big to fit in the physical space for a particular application. I also want to have certain reference PDF files resident on CLIE for my engineering work.It's a wonderful audio player.

Originally posted by Mark Weiss
[B]5-Am I missing something here? Have I overlooked an approach to data interchange that would make these things work?Yup...the drag and drop feature...

Originally posted by Mark Weiss
[B]6-Also, my wife bought me a Belkin leather pouch to carry the CLIE on my belt. But unfortunately, this pouch covers up the camer and IR ports. Also, the belt clip broke in the sub zero weather last month while I was climbing into my truck. Can anyone recommend a robust replacement pouch with the proper cutouts for the NX73V?

Thanks! Well, you can't get any better than a VAJA case. It's available at www.vaja.com. Having said that, I use a covertec case purchased from here. :D If you use your Clie in areas that may cause Clie abuse, you may even want to consider a metal case. While it will hamper some uses of your clie, it WILL protect your thoughtful wife's gift . . . :D

I hope this helps a little . . . welcome to ClieSource, and please, if you have more questions, please don't hesitate to ask!

[stronggeek]

http://cerience.com/products/palm/index.htm

[Mark Weiss]

Thanks Yellowrose, for some key information that I missed in the manual.
On my CLIE, it is a data import function and apparently makes the memory stick appear as a drive on my laptop PC that it's connected to, while the program is running. Cool...

So far, I was able to copy some of my PDF files to the CLIE and view them in picsel. Beautiful!

Now I also copied a test mp3 file that I made. I put that on the memory stick and then used the CLIE file manager to move it to the MSAUDIO folder. Audio Player can see it, and it appears as an 'album', but when I click on it I get 'invalid track' and 'the track is unavailable for one of the following reasons:
The memory stick is write protected or does not support copyright control, or the track file is corrupted.

I'm stumped as to this error. I am using a standard Sony memory stick (32MB) that I used in my Sony DXC VX2000 camcorder. The stick is good and I doubt that the file is corrupt. What now?

[*YellowRose*]

Hmmmm . . . how is the mp3 encoded? You may want to attempt to re-rip the file . . . a Clie can't use VBR encoded MP3s. :(

[Mark Weiss]

Originally posted by *YellowRose*
Hmmmm . . . how is the mp3 encoded? You may want to attempt to re-rip the file . . . a Clie can't use VBR encoded MP3s. :(

I see.... I wonder if there is an after-market player that can?
All of my MP3s are VBR.

The fanciful thought here is to not have to lug around my Sony GRX560 laptop to the radio station every weekend, but see if it's possible to do each broadcast using the CLIE as a program source (if the quality is as good as the laptop's playback audio). The studio where I host my show out of is very cramped, and the space where I put my laptop is only large enough for a telephone. The CLIE would be a wonderful thing here, assuming I can find a more advanced audio player that handles VBR and can do some basic jock assist functions, like show a playlist, what's upcoming, pause after a song automatically if I choose, etc...
I wonder if there's anything out there like that?

I currently use my laptop to do this, but I don't like the idea of balancing it on the edge of a 7" wide counter edge with the other half hanging over empty space!

I'll encode a CBR MP3 file and try to load it. At least I might be able to check the quality and see if it's broadcast quality or not.


[update]
I've just encoded a CBR version of some test material. It plays just fine on the CLIE. So it appears that VBR is the problem. I wonder if the VBR limitation is one of the software player, or of the hardware in the CLIE? Anyone know if there is a player that handles VBR?
Quality seems to sound as good as my laptop PC when played through a mixer and hi-fi system.

[Blazefire]

Sorry to tell you, but the NX series of CLIE's can't play VBR's, and you can't use any other audio player at all. Sony has just announced that they will no longer use the proprietary audio player anymore, but won't release to developers how to program for the NX and other proprietary CLIE's that use the Sony audio program.

You have to convert those MP3's into constant bit or re-rip all your music again if you want to use your clie.

[Mark Weiss]

Thanks for the quick post Blazefire,
That explains why a Google search turned up nothing.
So it's up to me to decide whether to slowly convert some 19,000 selections over time, or stay with using my full size laptop.

At least now I can use my PDF file, and get basic quality MP3 files into the CLIE. I guess that's doing pretty well for a PDA.

Some ergonomic issues would present themselves too, using the CLIE for radio program source, as the built-in software has some limitations, such as the limited number of characters I can have in a title. It truncates the names of the selections. It may not be the ideal platform for broadcasting a syndicated music show and maybe I shouldn't try to lighten my travel burden to that extent. But the CLIE's ability to play decent quality audio triggered my desire to shed the weight and girth of my Sony laptop and see if I could do entire 2-hour programs using just the CLIE. Cool concept, and maybe a national first, but perhaps more novelty than practical. :)


PS: is there any advantage to getting a Memory Stick Pro with MagicGate(TM) technology, or is the extra $20 for a 256MB stick wasted?

[*YellowRose*]

There's nothing you can do with a MagicGate memory stick that you can't do with the 'plain purple' memory stick . . . so save your money. :)

[Mark Weiss]

Thanks for the info on MagicGate memory sticks. I'll just get the regular one at newegg for $79 (256MB).

BTW, I checked out the Vaja cases. Very expensive, and still have the same plastic belt clip that broke on my Belkin leather case. I'm going to try to get it replaced under Belkin's lifetime warranty, but unless the clip design changes, I think it will keep breaking periodically. Especially when I go out in cold weather. The plastic gets brittle.

[donoman]

Well, aren't the Pro memory stick contiguous memory (as opposed to 128x2)?

I know a definite disadvantage to Pro sticks... they don't work with my damn SONY digicam!!! What kind of crock is that!?

[duke2106]

I purchased a case from www.ebcases.com, and I absolutely love it. No problems, and the belt clip feels totally sturdy, even though it's plastic.

[Mark Weiss]

Originally posted by duke2106
I purchased a case from www.ebcases.com, and I absolutely love it. No problems, and the belt clip feels totally sturdy, even though it's plastic.

Do you have another link for this site? It comes up like this:

The page cannot be displayed
The page you are looking for is currently unavailable. The Web site might be experiencing technical difficulties, or you may need to adjust your browser settings.


I much doubt any plastic clip is going to survive. The diameter of the pin is smaller than it is for my cell phone, so that makes the clip even more vulnerable to stressing. The ideal would be a stainless steel slide grip, instead of plastic. Mine broke after walking across a parking lot in sub-zero temperatures. The stress of twisting as I got into my truck shattered the plastic track of the clip, causing CLIE to fall onto the pavement. Luckily, I was observant and noticed it, otherwise, I could have run over it while driving off.

I don't want another plastic clip that can shatter in cold weather.

[duke2106]

Sorry, looks like the comma worked the link wrong. Try this:

http://www.ebcases.com

[Mark Weiss]

Thanks for the corrected link.

I looked at a few of their cases, but they don't show what kind of clip is used, or what the clip is made of.

Mine was plastic. I've inserted a picture of it so you can see how it just shattered and is no longer useable. (hopefully the pic appears--first time posting one).

These clips are the weak point. My cell phone has a similar clip, but it's made thicker and the track is more shallow, like a lip, rather than a wall, so it's much harder to break. Here's the CLIE clip made by Belkin:

Okay... it says the picture has already been uploaded, but where is it?

[Mark Weiss]

Today I returned my Belkin leatehr case for CLIE for exchange. The plastic belt clip had shattered on the old one.
Circuit City made an exception and exchanged mine. When I got the new one home, and slid the clip onto the case, just so it wouldn't get lost while I set it on the table, my wife picked it up and started looking at it. I walked not three steps out of the room when I thought she was pullin' my leg, saying the new clip was broken!
I took a look myself, and, sure enough, the track portion of the clip had split lengthwise. I haven't even attached it to my belt yet!! Just one the first operation of sliding the clip over the swivel pin caused it to splinter. And the plastic is so thin it comes as no surprise. It was a wonder that the first leather pouch lasted most of January, unlike this one.
My Nextel phone has a similar clip, but the plastic is 3 times as thick and the track has less overhang or unsupported parts to it, making it much stronger in many ways.
Looks like I'll be returning this one for a refund and searching for something else... but since all the other PDA pouch/carrying cases use the same type of belt clip, how can I tell if it's made of the same flimsy plastic?
This thing's too heavy to keep in a shirt pocket, so I really need to find a belt clip. I haven't been able to use it much all month because I'm always leaving it behind now, rather than having it at my side.
How many of you are able to safely carry a CLIE without the clip always splintering apart and dropping the PDA to the floor? Is there any quality research on the durability of the clips?

[duke2106]

I said, the clip is made of sturdy plastic. I've owned several cases from them, and I have yet to have a clip break on me. I did see a picture of the clip on their website that shows a closeup view of it on a belt.