Sony S360

[RD100]

I just got a Sony Clie S360 last week, and I LOVE IT !!!! :D :D :D

Prices on these units have come WAY down because it is discontinued model. It was selling for nearly $200 only a year ago. I got mine as a demo from Best Buy for only $69. It is in nearly perfect condition.

So what if it doesn't have the best picture available in PDA's today ???? I can live with a 160x160 multi-greyscale with a built-in backlight for $69. It came with both power and USB hot-sync cables. And for another $4.50, I got a mini-Keyboard which plugs into the bottom by Targus. And the battery-life in this model is teriffic!

The S360 is the perfect size and weight for carrying around. It's not oversized or a little heavy like some newer model PDAs.
It feels just like a slim wallet in my pocket.

My S360 can runs loads of PDA apps ... has Palm 4.0 , 16mb RAM, and a 33mhz cpu with dragonball. I can also add more RAM with a memory stick.

I use it to read AvantGo news, read eBooks, play games like MegaBowling, Chess Tiger, GTS Racing, Billiards, use inventory apps, Handy Shopper, take quick freehand notes with DiddleBug, and lots of other stuff. I am constantly downloading new useful apps into it every day. Yesterday I began toying with Mapopolis maps, and they look nice on a 160x160 greyscale. Very readable.

Why criticize something just because it isn't the latest and greatest?

Where else are you going to buy something for $69 that has a fantastic looking design, is very small and light-weight and easy to carry around, and can serve so many uses in your daily life ? :D

[Jeffry]

Well... at least you prefer the S360 over the Zire.

[archangel]

I see people buying the Zire when the monochrome Sonys next to them have a ton more features and memory and are the same price. Makes me wonder about Zire users.

My first PDA was the S300 which was not as good as a S360 and I loved it. I kind of miss having a PDA with a battery that seemed to stay at 100% forever.

[rlkdder]

I have used my S360 for about a year and it is great. $69 is a bargin for what it offers. I wish I could have picked it up for that price.

[sstrasser86]

my first palm wasn't even a palm but the great cassiopeia

[rlkdder]

I have only used a Palm IIIXE and now a S360. My PalmIIIXE met an untimely demise. It was smashed by a beer stein. The Sony S360 has more memory than I need at 16MB. I use it as a calendar, planner, and for reading books and Avant GO

[RD100]

Browse this thread which I started earlier this month: http://www.cliesource.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=9634 and you will discover lots of great apps for the S360 !!!

Most of them are FREE !!!! And many have links for where to download them from. If they don't have a link, they are probably available at www.palmgear.com , www.handango.com, or www.freewarepalm.com. Or you can just type the "program name" + "Palm" into a www.google.com search, and you will likely find where to get it.

This thread shows what most people consider to be the best Freeware available.

Programs like DiddleBug, Today, BigClock, X-Master (for Hacks), FileZ (for file mgmt), and tons and tons of great Games !!!

After only one month of owning my S360, I have nearly 200 apps loaded and I filled most of my 16mb, and I am now ready for a 128mb Memory stick.

I originally bought my S360 just to be able to carry around a portable inventory of my CD collection, Software collection, etc. so I know what I already own when I'm out shopping. But ever since getting it, I have discovered endless uses for it. I had no idea how many programs were available .. and how many of them are FREE to download !!!

Check out my above thread ... and you will see what I mean !!!

:D :D :D

[mrbjg4]

I used S360 for about a year before buying NX. I still love the S360, especially when I can just slip it into my pocket.

[rlkdder]

RD100, I was looking through your post on the thread concerning great apps. If I download a book from Project G. What do I have to do to load it on to S360? Can it be converted to Palm reader format? Do I need to download a different reader to handle the format? Can it be loaded into Documents to Go?

[RD100]

I have not done much in the way of converting eBook document formats.

I have played with a few Windows Based apps which will turn a Windows document into a Palm .PDB file, but I haven't used them much. I mostly just download eBooks in whatever format Project G has them in, and load them into my S360, and then determine which one of my readers can view the doc best.

To load a Project G eBook into the S360 is a simple task.

You just run the Palm Desktop Install Tool, and add the Project Gutenberg .PDB doc file just as if you were installing a new .PRC app file. Then you run Hot Sync.

Then you can view the doc in any Palm based app which views docs, like iSilo, TomeReader, CSpotRun, Mobipocket, Plucker, etc.

But some docs are only viewable in specific readers, so you can not view all docs in all readers.

If you want to save yourself from running a complete HotSync every time you install a new app or doc in your S360, download a free installer called Pilot Install. I use it all the time, and it works teriffic !!! It will just install the app or doc .. and do nothing else, so it runs very fast !!!

:D :D :D

[rlkdder]

I played around with a Project G ebook and was able to install it using Documents to Go. Worked ok but it may take up less memory if I can figure out a way to convert it. I will poke around the Palm Reader site and see if I figure anything out.

How do you put the nifty pictures in the side column of your post on this message board?

[RD100]

To put the pictures into the side column, go into your member profile, click on EDIT OPTIONS, and there is a command at the bottom to add an Avatar (image file) which appears under your name. There are predefined ones, like the one for the S360 which are ready to use.

:D :D :D

[rlkdder]

It seems like the S 360 was only out for a few months before Sony moved on to bigger and better things. When I was shopping for a new machine, it was a great buy for the price even a year ago at $170.

[contravox]

Just be careful of that power button! My poor ol' 320 met its maker because the power button broke. As it turns out, Sony made this a lever-type button that is held in place by two tiny plastic clips inside the case. It fell...it broke...I cried...I replaced it with a TG50. The S-320 was a nice model and I would still be using it today. The guy at Best Buy (uggh) said this problem was common in older Clies. Go fig!

[rlkdder]

The power button and the plastic case are a little disappointing. A brighter screen would be nice too. But you can't beat t for the price. I bought the replacement policy for this machine when I bought it at Best Buy. That probably means it will last forever!

[RD100]

I agree ... the Power Button on the S360 is a poorly designed part for what once was a $200 PDA.

Sony should be ashamed of themselves!

But at least you can turn the PDA on with the buttons on the front, and you can get a freeware program like "OFF", which lets you turn the PDA off and turn on/off the backlight using a Graffiti stroke of the stylus.

At least users/developers are finding work-arounds for Sony's incompitence.

:D :D :D

[rlkdder]

I guess while I am at it, the cover that comes with it leaves a lot to be desired. I did not realize you could reprogram the buttons on the front to turn it off and on. (Actually it is a good little machine. After using these things for nearly 2 years, I still am amazed to think that it is really an extension of my PC.)

I did find that Word to Go includes a doc reader that works great for Project G books. There are books that are out of print and would be difficult to find in any other form.

[RD100]

I didn't know that the hard-buttons could be used for controlling both On and Off.

Thanks for the tip !

:D :D :D

[rlkdder]

I thought I picked up the on and off function from you. I could not find the off function as a option. Let me know if you figure it out. Sorry.

[RD100]

Nope. I don't know how to use hard-buttons to turn off the S360.
Not unless someone wrote a hack to do it. It is not part of the Palm 4.0 standard button preference settings.

My way to turn off the S360 is to use a freeware program called "OFF". It lets you use a graffiti stroke to turn off the PDA and also to turn on/off the backlight. So with "OFF", you really never need to use the S360 power button, since you can turn your S360 on with the hard-buttons.

:D :D :D

[clit]

I generally just let the unit time out on its own instead of turning it off, and usually just turn it on from the front buttons.

To toggle the backlighting, I just set the upstroke setting for that, so I don't really ever need to hit the power button.

I figure this will keep the failure prone button from breaking on me-

[a_clie_er]

for 69$?? geezz.. and i brought a 256 ms pro for 90$... yeah.. i had mine for over a yr now. ITs been great to me.. but now i got the TG50.. and looking for a new owner for the S360.
The memories of playing Bejeweled during literature class...=)