Keep the UX40?

[Cikub]

I just exchanged my UX40 for a new one at CompUSA, citing screen whine and the fact that I had to recharge it every single night.

Now that it's in an unopened box, I could even return it if I wanted. I really liked using the first one for the last week and a half, but have some concerns that I would like some opinions on before I crack the seal on this new one. I know the real answer is always "Do what works best for you!", but I'd really like some outside opinions.

1. How long of a battery life do most people get on their UX device? I wasn't using WIFI (of course) or Bluetooth, but just day to productivity (or time wasting) stuff. I didn't really measure it, but it seemed like I was getting little more than an hour between recharges. Going two days seems like out of the question. I had to keep the charging cradle by my bed to make sure I didn't forget to charge each night.

2. Should I hold out for WIFI? I bought the UX40 because it was so cheap ($300 after rebate) and I don't have WIFI at home or at work. I want a Bluetooth phone but I'm stuck with Verizon for now and their phones suck in the connectivity department. So, I'm wondering if I'm really missing out without WIFI connectivity. I mean, how wide spread is it outside of one's home? How much does it cost when you happen to be someplace that has it? I travel a lot, maybe it's in lots of airports? Is it worth the extra $100-200 to have it built in? How often do you UX50 owners connect (after the honeymoon of your acquisition is over)?

3. How soon will Sony follow up with a new model? How likely is it that the UX series will be orphaned? As you know, there are a bunch of small, annoying things on the UX series that will likely get fixed in a new version (i.e., non-charging USB, jog dial in wrong place, only 3 launch buttons, etc.).

4. Should I buy the CompUSA express exchange warranty? I've made it a policy to buy warranties for PDAs in general because I have *never* owned a PDA (and I've owned lots) that did not have a problem and need to be repaired or replaced. However, I declined the warranty a week and a half ago because it was $100 for a two year plan and the UX40 only cost me $300 to begin with. And the problems I've had in the past with other PDAs were usually related to problems with the screen (cracks, digitizer off, etc.). I thought the UX40 might be unlikely to have screen problems because it's protected by the clamshell design and the digitizer is used infrequently because of the keyboard. But how well built are these things? Am I likely to have a problem with screen (or any other part)? I half-expect that if I get a warranty exchange in a year, it's unlikely that the warranty company will have UX40s in stock because it's a fairly rare device and no other brands have similar models--and thus I'd probably end up with an upgrade of some sort (I would/have never purposely break/broke my device to get an upgrade, by the way)

Any thoughts or advice would be welcome. If you were in my situation, what decision would you make? Have you been pining for another PDA even though you love your UX40/50?

Thanks!

C

[A1CPete]

Honestly, I had a UX50 and LOVED it, short of the screen calbiration problems. Mine had little to no whine. I sold the UX50 because I never really used the wifi and I was a little hard up for cash at the time. The big selling point for me was the keyboard. So I had full intentions of buying a UX40. Well I started to really looking over the TH55 while I was in circuit city one day, and said well, I can get this for the same price and I wouldn't have to order it over the net and wait for it to show up (they didn't have the UX40). So I grabbed a TH55 and KB100 keyboard. And let me tell you, holy crap sticks. This thing is awesome, I find myself using wifi all the time now, I don't miss bluetooth, the screen's fabulous, clie organizer is great software, the KB100 is the best PDA keyboard I've ever used, everything about this thing is great. My suggestion, buy a TH55, and this is coming from someone who damn near had a seizure when he saw the UX50 for the first time.

[PaulaBerge]

I bought the UX40 at Comp USA too.

1. I get about 3 hours battery life with the screen on full bright and not using bluetooth. I get about 2 hours using bluetooth intermittently (have BtToggle installed).

2. I'm using a class 1 bluetooth adapter to connect to the internet at home. You can add a wifi card for about $129, but you have to give up your memory stick slot for it. There are places that have free wifi, but to connect at airports, etc., you usually have to pay for a plan. Go to http://www.wififreespot.com/ and see what is available free in your area. It may be possible to connect to BT phones off strangers if you're in a crowded area, I tried it at a baseball game using BtSerial Pro, but didn't find any. A kid at Comp USA told me that in England, you can connect via BT just about anywhere and coffee shops will probably have it free in the US soon.

3. Who knows - old debate about waiting around for something better. To each his/her own.

4. I did, it was $99, I said no several times, they discounted the UX40 another $40 to get me to buy it so I did (final cost of UX40 was $259 after rebate, then $99 for the extended warranty). I rarely buy extended warranties but I figure for $30 a year and the free pen/stylus, unmatched class, screen protectors, free case (by mail), etc. they threw in - what the heck.

I'm keeping mine.

[Dougf]

1. How long of a battery life do most people get on their UX device?

How much and how do you use it? I use heavy PIM all day and occasional games. I use WiFi at home only presently.

Today from 9AM I used Wifi to hotsynch, update my Avantgo, and a little surfing. I used heavy PIM all day, and played a game of Scrabble. it is now 1:20AM and my battery is at 94%.

A good hour with Wifi will beat my battery up real good real fast, it's up to you. The processor and battery are the same as TH55 the difference is TH55 has a WiFi powersaver mode that significantly slows the connection. The battery I noticed also gets better after a few charges, I thought I was nuts, but this has been confirmed by various members on this site. One last thing, I do plan to purchase the extended battery, I would be using it as a mobile travel charger just in case.

2. Should I hold out for WIFI?

You asked what we would do, I am telling you what I did, I like the convenience of the WiFi feature. People complain that you can't hotsynch from the cradle. I Hotsynch from my couch. It goes quicker then any cable Hotsynch I have ever performed. It is also nice to be able to glance at different sites without having to start up the PC. It was put on this unit so you could have high speed at home, and Bluetooth for the road. I am all about convenience.

3. How soon will Sony follow up with a new model?

Your guess is as good as mine, there have been rumors that were confirmed as bogus, I have a 2000 Maxima, the 2004 has more Horsepower, newer design, better gas mileage, does that mean my car is obsolete? Should I trade it in tomorrow? I trade up ridiculously often, E-Bay has been very very good to me-it keeps the cost minimal.

4. Should I buy the CompUSA express exchange warranty?

You could purchase the 1 year at $69.99 if you are coming up to 11 months and want to extend it to 2 years, they will let you.

Any thoughts or advice would be welcome. If you were in my situation, what decision would you make? Have you been pining for another PDA even though you love your UX40/50?

My most recent PDA's were the T3 which I am currently selling, the TH55 which I returned, and now the UX50. Just a note, I got this unit because of the keyboard, the wide, plenty of room, easy to use excellent keyboard. I don't like having no keyboard option. When I had the T3 and TH55 I kept pining for this unit. I hate using Graffiti and constantly fixing mistakes, I am fast with it, but faster with a keyboard. I also like the wide screen. I haven't had a 2nd thought since I purchased it. Let us know what you decided.

[Cikub]

Thanks for your replies. I decided to keep the UX40 since anything else that would compete with it for my attention would 1) not have a keyboard, and 2) would be more expensive. I figured those were the most important things to me rather than whether it had WIFI, etc..

I'm still trying to figure out if I should go for the warranty, thought.

C

[ClieMaster1]

Originally posted by PaulaBerge
I bought the UX40 at Comp USA too.

1. I get about 3 hours battery life with the screen on full bright and not using bluetooth. I get about 2 hours using bluetooth intermittently (have BtToggle installed).

2. I'm using a class 1 bluetooth adapter to connect to the internet at home. You can add a wifi card for about $129, but you have to give up your memory stick slot for it. There are places that have free wifi, but to connect at airports, etc., you usually have to pay for a plan. Go to http://www.wififreespot.com/ and see what is available free in your area. It may be possible to connect to BT phones off strangers if you're in a crowded area, I tried it at a baseball game using BtSerial Pro, but didn't find any. A kid at Comp USA told me that in England, you can connect via BT just about anywhere and coffee shops will probably have it free in the US soon.

3. Who knows - old debate about waiting around for something better. To each his/her own.

4. I did, it was $99, I said no several times, they discounted the UX40 another $40 to get me to buy it so I did (final cost of UX40 was $259 after rebate, then $99 for the extended warranty). I rarely buy extended warranties but I figure for $30 a year and the free pen/stylus, unmatched class, screen protectors, free case (by mail), etc. they threw in - what the heck.

I'm keeping mine.



How do you connect to the internet using Bluetooth? Haven't tried that yet...

[PaulaBerge]

Originally posted by ClieMaster1

How do you connect to the internet using Bluetooth? Haven't tried that yet...

If you mean from a PC, I followed these two sites:

http://www.whizoo.com/bt_setup/

http://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.asp?contentid=1691

Neither were exactly like my setup, but close enough to figure it out.

Make sure to buy a class 1 bluetooth USB adapter (some class 2 and 3 don't say it on the package). The prices range from $20-70. I'm using a Belkin, $39.99.

I get full range in my house (4 level, 2000 sq. ft.) and front/back yard. The tech at CompUSA tried to tell me I needed a bluetooth access point to do this (Belkin cheapest at $129-149), but the adapter works great.

[PaulaBerge]

BTW I also hotsync with bluetooth which, although slower, beats using a cable.

[SuperSaiyan]

I love my UX40 :)
I thought about dumping ALOT more cash on the 50 and converting my home network to WiFi but it just wasn't worth it for me. I use a linksys USB bluetooth adapter (class 1) and get over 300 ft range. I can hotsync and surf the net at home and work. I also use SMBMate for file transfer to and from my PC(s) I'm not a "mall rat" and don't spend much time at starbucks so I don't run into many WiFi "hotspots" in Wash DC. $259 for my UX40 and $40 for the linksys bluetooth adapter.........I'm one happy camper :)

[Cikub]

Over 300 ft range for only $40? Who could complain? How is the surfing speed?

C

[SuperSaiyan]

Cikub, it's actually very good. My friend has a UX50 and has a WiFi and Bluetooth setup at home. Loading up this site was less than a second slower on mine using bluetooth. I imagine sites with heavy graphics and animations will be more noticable but so far I can't complain AT ALL.

-SS

[PaulaBerge]

Ditto that - I think the surfing speed is great with bluetooth. We have Comcast broadband internet/digital tv, with 4 pcs on 24/7 (4 kids too), 3 Audreys internet appliances, TiVo using HMO over broadband, Vonage with someone on the phone all the time... and one tiny UX40.

[dannn]

I use Bluetooth very heavily ever since i got ulimited internet with my phone. proabably around 4 hours on and off.
my battery usually never passes the 60% mark after a days use. i go to school at 7:30 and come back around 3.

I think the wifi is useless unless you have the extended battery becuase my UX50 cant last past 1:30 on wifi. i bought the extended battery and i can go for a long time now around 4 hours on the extended battery alone and another 1:30 with the internal.

I have both a bluetooth and wifi setup at home. i find myself using wifi mostly only at home
and bluetooth-> cellphone on the road.

my opinion would be you keep the UX40 and get a bluetooth setup at home.

OR sell it and wait if you dont need it right away for a newer model.

[ClieMaster1]

I hav a UX50 and like the idea of having BOTH options at my disposal. Being a self-employed network engineer, I have many clients that have WiFi in their offices, (I know, I set them up!), and I can connect just by turning my UX50 on! I also have WiFi in my office and my home. I RARELY use bluetooth since WiFi is all over my world!

[arth1]

I get 4-6 hours of battery life with my UX50, without the external battery. Note that this is when NOT using either of the following:
Multimedia playing/recording
IR
Bluetooth
WiFi

Simply turning bluetooth and IR off in the preferences can significantly save on battery life.

[arth1]

Oh, and the backlight -- turn it up high if you must, but try to avoid the full setting. The last few notches on the backlight uses a LOT of battery juice compared to the little extra you gain, just like the last inch on the gas pedal -- don't floor it unless you really have to.