UX50 or TH55

[jlperdue]

It is time for me to upgrade my Clie from my trusty T665 and I am debating whether to go with the new TH55 or the UX50. A PDA has to last me about two years. I was first fasinated by the new TH55, but began to think about the faster, more storage of the UX50.

Any thought to convince me the UX50 is the way to go?

Can you describe your ability to tie into a cell phone?

Internet access?

What's the best deal going to pick one up?

Thanks,
Jack

[peterb123]

I'll put it this way. I used to not be all that careful with mine, but now that they are being discontinued I'm overprotective for fear of never having a UX50 anymore.

I connect to my phone via BT. Fast (to connect but not the connection) and easy. Since I'm Verizon (one day they will get a clue), I had to get a 2 year old phone in order to have BT.

I connect to the internet either via BT thru phone, WiFi or BT through my computers. Fast and easy.

I think the UX50 is an exceptional piece of hardware.

My $.02.

[madmaxmedia]

I think memory-wise they are both good. The TH has more regular RAM which is easier to use, the UX50 has the 16 MB + 29 MB Internal Memory stick which is also nice.

The main benefits of the UX50 are the keyboard and Bluetooth, the main benefits of the TH55 are longer battery life and bigger screen.

The UX50 is an amazing piece of kit (just got mine!), if only the battery life were a little better. But the extended battery helps a lot with that. Plus the battery life is still better than the T665! If the T665 had Wifi it would last about 10 minutes using Wifi.

[jlperdue]

Thanks for the reply. You would rather connect via BT phone than a SmartPhone? I too am with Verizon and they told me that BT was old technology they choose not to support. I was wondering since Sony made their announcement if the prices for Clie would fall or if there would be a run on them. I used a cable to connect my TH55 to my Verizon phone, but don't know how I'll do it if I go with the UX50.

[peterb123]

How do you connect a PDA to a SmartPhone if you don't have BT? Do you use a cable?

I thought these Smart Phones were phones with some PDA functions. Am I incorrect?

As far a BT being "old technology", that's just silly.

One reason why Verizon doesn't carry BT phones is because they want people to use their mail and web surfing features, which they charge extra for.

[josephgreco]

I dunno, BT is not necessarily old technology, just technology that the U.S. doesn't seem to have gotten behind thusfar and thus probably never will. The standard is just too slow. The new faster standard will not be compatible with old kit. It's still useful--particularly for mobile multiplayer gaming (see NesEm 1.5). But once Wifi (or WiMax, given the speed things seem to be moving on that front) becomes de rigeur, BT will be mostly useless. Right? Except for headsets and so for. Maybe BT can become the de facto standard for remotes, headphones, etc., not data. Too damn slo. Works nice on the Wavebird, though.

[cktlcmd]

When I bought my UX-40 2 months ago, my plan was to buy the latest UX that would eventually come up, but since Sony will not release any future Clie and I fell in love with the UX, I am definitely considering of buying a UX-50 now. If you are using a lot of memory hungry apps and you don't mind not having a lovely keyboard, I'd say buy the TH55. But if you do a lot of typing on the road or away from your PC, like I do, GO FOR THE UX!!! I'm pretty sure you won't regret it. Just make sure you buy it with the extended warranty or buy it from CompUSA, just to be sure if ever you get a whiny screen you have that immediate option to exchange it.

[ksjenkins]

If you need a keyboard the the UX is your bet.
If you need bluetooth either the UX or the European TH.
Memory - you always need more memory. Memory management is a necessary discipline. I have plenty - but if I get lazy I don't ever have enough.
Screen size is all perference - both have the same geometry but the TH is bigger.

[jlperdue]

I have a question about the memory of the UX50. I read it has 109 megs but not all of that is available to the user. How much can I expect to have available for apps, etc. And does JackSprat and JackFlash offer any options? Thanks, Jack

[jlperdue]

Also, you users of the UX50, what accessories would you consider essential? Extended battery, chargers, cradle, etc? Thanks, Jack

[peterb123]

Extended battery with that modification to add the USB you can find on this board.

[SonyStyle]

i would go for the TH55 since the ux50 is kind of "outdated". places in asia are selling it really cheap right now while usa and canada are still selling it at a high price. the th55 is newer, latest sony gadget, clie organizer,, long battery life, large screen 3.8", colours seem more brighter and sharper, and the camera takes sharper images than ux50. if you like bt and keyboard then go pay the premium price for the ux50. i would so say the TH55

[Cyker]

IMHO:

If you want a keyboard, landscape and/or clamshell design, go for the UX50.

Otherwise get the TH55.


(BTW, UX50 and TH55 have same speed CPU?)

[MrNako]

Want great battery life? TH55 then

[ksjenkins]

I have about 8MB of main memory free most of the time. Of the 104MB it is divided like so:

16MB User RAM - Main Program Area
16MB Backup Area - Internal backup - not user accessable
29MB Internal MS - Non-volitile area, like a mini MS (non-removable)

16MB Used by system
19MB OS + Pre-installed Apps
8MB Embedded Memory in CPU

= 104MB Total

I have the extended battery (essential for power web + MP3 or Travel), Bluetooth GPS, 512MB MS + 6x128MB MS (90% Music), car cradle, Brando screen protector, Vaja Case. I never leave home without my UX (sometimes I do forget my wallet ;) ).

[C.L]

If someone is interested, I will trade my UX50 for a European TH55 + the new bluetooth keyboard from Stowaway.

[peterb123]

BT was old technology they choose not to support.

Copied and pasted:

A recent report predicts that one in five new cars shipped next year will include Bluetooth hardware. This is a promising prediction. When matched with the growing number of phones with Bluetooth radios and 2.5G or 3G data speeds, Bluetooth-enabled cars will be able to access the Internet or telephony functions through a paired-up phone. This will allow the car to perform: handsfree calls, location-based services and map downloads, traffic updates, emergency calls when airbags deploy, diagnostic data calls with the car-maker, and messaging, browsing, e-mail, and more. Instead of the car having its own phone number and service plan (a la OnStar) it will share the mobile phone's service. Among the great benefits of this architecture is that new phone technologies come along every few months, but lead time in automotive products is about three years. An OnStar car buyer today uses an analog cellular connection, and the car will still use that radio in five years. A Bluetooth-connected car can connect through an GPRS phone today, a EDGE phone next year, and a UMTS phone in a few years.

[C.L]

About EDGE, the Nokia 6230 is already in placed but its also the only phone I know of with that speed. For those who is not familiar with EDGE, EDGE is basically same as GPRS except that EDGE have a bandwidth limit of 300kb/s. Even when tested on a network, it got a stable speed comparable to a Cable modem. The transfer rate I seen on Nokia 6230 is 150kb/s. Now all I worry about is Canada, being behind in everything, I might not get to see it for another 2-3 years.

Secondly, it all comes down to what you use the TH55 for. TH55 is strictly organizing, and multimedia. It does not offer the best mobile communication that the UX50 offers. Even with the European version it is not the best web browsing equipment. For games, it is tied with the UX for being the weirdest key formation. Though, the keys if used purposefully for checking mail, going on web and checking datebook, Sony has designed it relatively well.

[glassman]

If someone is interested, I will trade my UX50 for a European TH55 + the new bluetooth keyboard from Stowaway.

Just wondering...if you think the UX50 is the best PDA ever, why do you want to trade it?

[uz50]

ux50, it really look like a mini-laptop.




_______________________
www.ComputerOfAmerica.com <--------best Mp3 / Computers in the world.

[C.L]

Just wondering...if you think the UX50 is the best PDA ever, why do you want to trade it?
Financially, I am struggling to buy accessories like MSX-1G, EB40 and what not for it. With TH55 I can have a bit of spare cash and dont need the EB40.

[dwig]

IMHO:

1. _IGNORE_ everyone's _conclusions_. They are all wrong since they apply to the poster and not necessarily to you. Read their opinions about the various attributes of the devices and see how they fit your needs.

2. As several have pointed out, the UX is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a PDA (slab shaped device that is usable with one hand). It is a notebook/tablet computer. Those that dislike the UX are almost all users that want PDA's and not notebooks. The TH55 is, on the other hand, is a PDA. PDA's are awkward and limited when forced to do the work of a notebook (pitiful keyboards, if any, that force the use of external ones; square or portrait displays that make web pages hard to read; ...). Notebooks, though, are often somewhat unhandy when used as PDA's even when they are as small and pocketable as the UX.

Follow the antique rule on how to buy a computer: "define the use first, find the necessary software for that use second, and only then choose the hardware." The big question is whether you want a PDA (one hand use, PIM applets are primary software useage) or a notebook (dominate usage is document reading/creation, web browsing, email usage).

For me, it was a "notebook". My small computer history is HP320LX handheld (WinCE v1.0 & v2.0), Fujitsu B112 (Win98 subnotebook), Clie T415 (only PDA), and now a UX50 (I'm back to the notebook config). My primary usage is eBooks, and other document reading and creation, along with some database usage. Web browsing and email are only when traveling but that was a significant part of my purchase decision. I regularily use the PIM applets but my useage is not very demanding so the built-in applets are fine as are either the PDA/Slab or notebook hardware configs.

BTW, some of the opinions about BT in this thread are somewhat off-base. BT in less of an issue with portable devices in the US largely because most of the cell phone networks use a protocol that is different from that used in Europe and the rest of the world. For whatever reasons, the handset manufacturers don't make BT phones for the common US network. Some have been made but all or almost all of the handset manufactures have discontinued such hardware. Also WiFi was adopted much much faster in the US reducing the use of BT where WiFi is really the proper choice.

The ultimate is to have a portable device that has both. Use BT as a "wireless serial cable" for applications where you would otherwise use a USB type cable; attaching accessory devices. Use WiFi as "wireless networking" to connect computers as equals. WiFi is much faster than BT. BT is good for connecting a PDA or notebook to a cell phone to use the phone as a modem and getting dial-up type speed. WiFi is the choice for connecting directly to a network via an AP and can deliver true broadband speed. Neither is the best for everything.