TG50 Review!!

[EdFrmBrighthand]

Sony has finally officially unveiled the TG50 in the U.S. I've had one for the past week and I've just posted a review:
www.brighthand.com/article/Sony_PEG-TG50_Review

[OcellNuri]

Awesome job. It is also great to see a picture of the unit without the cover!

How does the speaker compare to the NX or NR models?

[yOyOYoo]

How does mp3 playback sound when the unit is laying flat on a table? Does the fact that the speaker is on the back side hinder the sound much?

How easy is to take off the flip cover? How tightly does the flip cover fit?

Also, how large is the TG50's screen in comparison to that of the Tungsten T's? Too bad the screen is smaller than the t665s...

Last thing, that white part where the hindge is, is that plastic material? And if so, how does it feel, does it feel well constructed?

[T1000X]

Thank you, Ed! I've been waiting for you or someone's input I trust to review the unit. I do have some questions though, and I'm hoping you have an answer to them.

1) Are there any application incompatibilities with the TG50? One of my concerns is that Sony is using a new Hi-Res API so some of my applications like SplashMoney, Bejewelled and others will not work with it.

2) Will it work with some of the Sony OEM cases like the flip one? I don't like it that the MS slot is exposed.

3) Does it come with Documents to Go like previous models? Have you had a chance to try D2G with it yet, or was the review unit sent back already?

4) Does it have a vibrate alarm? That is one thing I like my Mom's T415 has and something from the T665C and other unit's I've tried I miss.

5) What about the problem with the stylus being at the bottom, and not accessible when in the cradle?

[Jeffry]

thanks! :)

Now I know that the screen of the TG50 is smaller than the T665c. :(

Can we see more comparison pics between TG50 and the SJ30, or NR, NX, NZ, etc...?? I'm particularly interested in the screen size and thickness of the handheld.

Thanks.

[Importluva]

Good review ed. Btw, I used to always go to Brighthand when I had a PPC. I learned alot from you guys, and Steve too. Also, I have grown to trust and look forward to all of the reviews you have given. You remain one of my favorites sites to visit, 2 years after I first got a PDA. Thanks brighthand :)

[kwajkat]

I enjoyed the review and have a couple of questions. One I don't see where there is much difference between the screen size of the TG50 and the SJ33, etc, if you put your finger over the graffiti portion of the other screens, the rest of the screen is the same size or very very close. There is a marked difference between the tg50 and the nx/nz series also with the resolution. Personally I would prefer the 320x480 resolution because it is easier for me to see. I also like the larger screen size like my IPAQ. Must be getting old!!

I am wondering if the problem with the screen flaws is similiar to the nz problems in that a bad batch has been released while others may not have the problem. Perhaps a serial number posting would determine if there is a bad batch out there. I will be checking mine when I get it because I don't want that problem, it drove me nuts on my NR

Finally, I am wondering now if I should get another model than the TG50 for my needs, i.e. SJ series and wait until they come out with something else like a better nz or cheaper model with the screen I prefer. Hey what can I say I have become a closet gamer with these things and other than my genealogy, don't do much else. Camera would be nice again. But mah jongg, freecell, are my main things.

[EdFrmBrighthand]

> How does mp3 playback sound when the unit is laying flat on a
> table? Does the fact that the speaker is on the back side hinder
> the sound much?

It is pretty muffled. You won't want to listen to music that way.

> How easy is to take off the flip cover? How tightly does the flip > cover fit?

It fits pretty tightly and it isn't easy to take off or put back on.

> Last thing, that white part where the hindge is, is that plastic
> material? And if so, how does it feel, does it feel well
> constructed?

Yes. The sides and back of the TG50 are metalized plastic. It feels solid.

> Does it come with Documents to Go like previous models?

That's covered in the review.

> Does it have a vibrate alarm?

No.

> One I don't see where there is much difference between the
> screen size of the TG50 and the SJ33, etc, if you put your finger
> over the graffiti portion of the other screens, the rest of the
> screen is the same size or very very close.

I measured it with a ruler. It's definitely smaller.

[jiserrab]

Is the actual LCD smaller or is it just the screen over the LCD which is smaller. From the picture the 665 has a border around the LCD while on the TG50 the LCD goes right to the edge, there is no border.

[hotpaw4]

Run any benchmarks yet? Is the TG any different performance-wise than the NX or NZ units?

[EdFrmBrighthand]

> Is the actual LCD smaller or is it just the screen over the LCD which is smaller.

I measured the lighted up porting on both screens.

> Run any benchmarks yet?

hotpaw, your benchmarking tool really needs some results to compare current values with. For example, when I run the ARMlet sieve test I get 2.185 mS/loop. Is that better or worst than a Tungsten T? Your app should tell me that.

Actually, the best suggestion I can make is have it operate more like the clasic Palm Benchmark app; run a variety of tests and generate a single score. As it is now, its useful for people who understand the difference between a complex integer fft and a floating point math intensive benchmark but not for your average user.

[hotpaw4]

The bogo-68k-MHz numbers are for the "average user". I've spent too much time among the professional benchmark community; any single figure-of-merit score is usually either wrong, or created (compiler tricks, etc.) by the marketing dept.

My TT ran the armlet sieve test in 1.785 mS/loop, but that's only a single data point. I don't have any current NX/NZ numbers.

[VLevyNYC]

Thanks for that helpful review. You mentioned that it comes with Clie Viewer, whcih plays images, audio, and video. But in the preceding paragraph it seems that you were referring to another video player that played the mpeg's from the net. Is that the sme gMovie app that comes with the T665c now?

I have been having a problem with that now. I have downloaded videos that I transfer to MS and try to view in gMovie, but the audio from those files never gets converted for some reason, so the movies play without audio on the Clie.

[mashoutposse]

OS5 Clies come with an MPEG player and a converter.

[EdFrmBrighthand]

Originally posted by hotpaw4
My TT ran the armlet sieve test in 1.785 mS/loop
The TG50 ran this test in 2.185 mS/loop so, at least for this test, the T|T came out faster.

[Jeffry]

Ed, I have a question. How do you turn on the backlight for the keyboard? Thanks.

[quiller]

that's all mumble-jumble to me. i have heard that even the ancient Benchmark app didn't quite rate the "newer" devices correctly. Anyways, is this whatever-it-is difference noticable between the T|T and TG50? It seems that with a 200mhz processor, compared to a 33mhz one, the difference between the two is negligible.

[VLevyNYC]

Originally posted by mashoutposse
OS5 Clies come with an MPEG player and a converter.

I realize that. I was wondering if you could tell me which player and which conversion software

[wilsonch_98]

How does the keyboard keys feel like when it is pressed? does it feel like pressing on a gamepad or like pressing mobile phone buttons (ie, with annoying click sound)?

[mashoutposse]

It's a brand new Sony-developed player and converter. The MPEG player is called 'Movie Player,' and the converter is called 'Image Converter.'

[davidr]

PDABuzz has a "First Impressions" review of the TG50, which expresses disappointment that the batteries can't be exchanged, but the partial
manual that was widely posted a couple of weeks ago, leeked from the FDA filing, says the batteries can be exchanged.
Can you settle this question for us?

[EdFrmBrighthand]

The manual does not show the battery being exchanged. It shows how the battery should be removed so it can be recycled before you throw the handheld away.

[EdFrmBrighthand]

And let me mention, because I've seen this debated in a few places, that the TG50 absolutely does not come with a pair of headphones. I don't care what you think you remember seeing somewhere on-line, it does not come with them.

[jiserrab]

Originally posted by davidr
PDABuzz has a "First Impressions" review of the TG50, which expresses disappointment that the batteries can't be exchanged, but the partial
manual that was widely posted a couple of weeks ago, leeked from the FDA filing, says the batteries can be exchanged.
Can you settle this question for us?

It shows how to remove the battery to dispose of it properly when you want to dispose of the handheld. Most likely it is some environmental requirement.;)

[VLevyNYC]

Mashout, thanks for the info. So I guess they upgraded from the gMovie that comes with my T665. That's a big issue for me because right now when I convert downloaded Simpsons episodes to watch on the train, the audio doesnt convert. I think I might upgrade just for that reason!

Jisserab--nice pic!

[EdFrmBrighthand]

The video player is very good; much better than gMovie (bleh!) or even Kinoma. You don't have to pay for the converter, for one thing.