Customer Reviews

Sony PEG-T415 Clie Handheld

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Although the PDA market is moving towards color, I decided to go with the latest monochrome offering from Sony. I loved the sleek design and the 320x320 screen. I feel that all Palm based PDA's function exactly the same (no matter how hard they try to market them separately). You're paying for the design and in some cases compatibility. The USB connection and the rechargable battery were also pluses for me. The software that came with the t415 is great but taxing on the memory if you install all of its offerings (3rd party software is not essential to utilize Clie)

I was disappointed with the screen though. It looks nothing like how Sony has posted it on the web site. The text and pictures are very sharp but the t415 uses reflective technology similar to the Palm m505. So if you're using it in a dim room and the light isn't hitting the screen at just the right angle, it's really difficult to see. No problems in bright, direct light. One other flaw is the placement of the buttons. If you look at the Clie from the side, the task buttons stick out ever so slightly so if you carry it in your pocket using the cover, you could accidently hit the butttons and turn it on. Sony should try and improve that aspect of the Clie. PC users should have no problems syncing. Mac users on the other hand will have to purchase "missing sync" software from markspace.com.

All in all, I'm satisfied with the t415. If you want a cheaper monochrome PDA you might want to check out the VisorEdge which is now ($$$). If you want color, I hear that the best thing to do is wait until the New Year arrives.

When my Palm IIIxe started getting flaky, I looked around for a new handheld. I wanted the Sony Clie 610, but apparently they're discontinuing it now--everyone's out of stock, including Sony's own store. Why they'd discontinue a popular midrange color handheld when the market is moving that way, I've no idea. The alternatives were to pay $... more for the audio capabilities of the 760, or pay $... less for the b/w 415. I chose the 415 because I don't really want or need the audio, and I liked the slim design.

Overall, this is a great device. There IS a contrast control, contrary to what one of the other reviewers said--it's right on the front of the device in the bottom left hand corner of the input area. I do agree that the screen is dim and hard to read, but I find that in most cases the backlight helps, and since the battery is rechargeable, I don't worry too much about keeping the backlight on.

The high res display is neat, and I think worth a little extra. I am not super-impressed with the pictures and movies--I think they'd work better on the color screen. I like the ability to use the Memory Stick, though I haven't tried it yet. Getting the data to my new Clie from the old Palm was very easy, thankfully. And there are a number of small features and 3rd-party apps that make this better than my old Palm. The WA Clock, for one, which allows you to.. *gasp* set an alarm without making a date book entry. The Clie can play various different sounds for an alarm, too. A lot of the 3rd-party apps are limited or trial versions, but Documents To Go (which allows you to share Word and Excel documents) is a welcome addition.

My biggest gripe is that Sony has changed the connector on this handheld from previous Clies, so the Targus keyboard I bought (which claims to work with "Sony Clie Handhelds") doesn't fit it. Even the salesperson didn't seem aware of this, and Sony sure hasn't gone out of their way to publicize it; the only way you can tell is to note that there are separate versions of some of their peripherals for the 415 and for the 320/610/760 group. Oh well.. if they hadn't done that, this would've been a five-star machine.

I find that I'm the kind of person who wants to purchase the "top-of-the-line" in gadgets. However, I am also the kind of person who can't ever afford it. So I have to be an efficient shopper to get satisfaction. I must have read 50 or more reviews for this product (and a select few others)before I decided to purchase it. I knew that since I was ordering it I would not like the idea of having to send it back. The majority of the reviews I read on the T415 all complain of a screen that is anything from irritatingly dim to impossible to use. In fact numerous people claimed to have returned the T415 in favor of another handheld. I was disappointed to hear this since I really enjoy higher resolution whenever I can get it and I LOVED the idea of being able to customize the alarm sound however I wanted.
I finally got the chance to...check it out on display. Now I understand the problems that people were having.......they need to take more vitamins and get their eyes checked. I ordered one right away. The screen is head and shoulder above all the other handheld I have seen. I LOVE the that I can get more information on the screen at once. That means smaller fonts and icons people! If you can thread a needle, you'll handle this gadget well. I you cant even see a needle when you hold it in you hand, look elsewhere for you plam device. The sound function is as cool as I expected. Don't expect to throw out all your stereo equipment or anything but it's cool none the less.
The screen doesnt have the same near iridescent background as a few other palms and some digital watches but it is not noticably dimmer than any other LCD screened device. (cell phones, calculators, ect...) I own a wizard organizer and the screen is slightly clearer and many time sharper that that. PLUS the bluish hint to the the gray scale along with the black on the screen actually makes this more of a "duochromatic" rather that monochromatic pda. Two colors rather than just one.

If any of the features above are intriguing to you, I recommend you choose the T415. Provided you don't want to spend the extra cash for the color version of essentially the same device. The color version does have I clearer screen as is expected...it's COLOR for pity's sake. You get what you pay for.

I must agree that I have not yet found the solution for the button problem. I dont mind the shape. I dont mind the tiny scroll "lever" (it's not even really a button). I just can't seem to stop the thing from turning on no matter where it is. Pocket, briefcase, soft pda case, wherever. I'm currently looking into some sort of hard case but there are few options for such a unique sized and shaped device.

I've read some of the other reviews, and I disagree with many of the gripes. I played with several handhelds before deciding on the Clie 415. The 320 resolution is wonderful; true, it isn't as pretty or eye-catching as the color displays, but the 320 is much easier to read than the lower resolution found on the lower-end clie and the handspring and palm systems. The display can be dim, but it is not any dimmer than any other handheld I played with, and it was actually easier to read for me than some b/c of the 320 display. I actually paid more money for the 415 b/c I wanted the display upgrade from the lower end clie. Also, it was much more attractive looking b/c of it's super-slimness and cute body styling, but it still had the memory slot for expandsion (plus Sony now has a memorystick camera for the clie out now).

I don't know about the remote feature, since I have a perfectly good remote control at home that works just fine. I do think it was silly of Sony to put a remote feature on the clie.

Documents to Go has been a life-saver to me. I am a very busy person and it helps being able to write and edit documents on the run.

The only gripe I truely have with it is, and this is not Sony's fault, that you can't get Handsprings datebook+ to go on it. The datebook plus has a week in view that shows a week and displays what you have scheduled, not just the bars representing that you have something scheduled. I tried to download the only version of datebook plus I could find on the internet (a beta version) and it froze the system up, so I had to delete it. That was the only reason I even considered a handspring over this product.

Overall, I have become thourougly dependent on this product and love it... I just wish I could upgrade to the color, but I could not justify paying so much extra for the color when I really wouldn't use it, it would just be for show.

I bought the T415 to replace a 2 year old Visor. I'm very happy with my purchase. The performance speed is very good compared to older PDAs, and the sleek aluminum case and thin form factor is exactly the style I was looking for.

The screen is dimmer than many other brands & models on the market, but I'm very happy with it. If you're used to a bright screen, you may not like this one. The backlight is like an indiglow light, and doesn't reverse the screen like some other backlights.

The hotsync cradle is also the charger, and out of the box, you need both a usb cable and a power cable plugged into the cradle. The T415 also comes with a flip cover to protect the screen. It's ok, but I'm looking forward to real cases to become available for this model, as I'd like something more substantial. The installation cd also includes Documents to Go (not a demo) and some shareware programs to try out.

The buttons are a little small, so if you like playing games that need the buttons, you may not like these. This wasn't a consideration for me, and for regular use, the buttons are fine.

If you're not looking for a color screen, this may be worth a look. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is the dim screen which won't be suitable for everyone. If you're not sure if it will work for you, check a store demo first.

The Clie 415T would have rated 5 stars if not for its extremely dim screen.

I bought the 415T and used it for 3 weeks before returning it and buying a Clie 610C. (I highly recommend the 610C.) While I absolutely loved the 415T's thin, brushed aluminum chassis, I just couldn't get used to how dim the screen is. If there is any kind of bright light behind you the screen is almost impossible to read. You need to have the back light on almost all the time, and even that was unsatisfactory. The blue-green back light is too weak to remedy the situation.

Another disappointment is the "Screen Commander," Sony's program that turns the Clie into a remote control unit for your TV and SOME other components. Not that I bought the Clie for this feature, but it would have been cool if it had worked well. The problem is that the 415T will only control 4 components at a time: your TV, DVD, VCR and receiver. It will NOT control your cable box or a CD changer, so for me the feature turned out to be worthless.

Bottom line, though is that the screen is just too dim. If Sony fixes the screen brightness they will have a real winner on their hands, because the 415T has by far the coolest form factor of any PDA.

This is the best thing I have ever had.
First, I must say that I'm a big fan of all Sony product, those people are just amazing.
Second, there is no comparison with any palm device when it comes to the screen, and design as well.
The unltra-slim design, to be honest, was the main and biggest feature I was looking for in a palm. I really needed a small and light PDA that I can carry anywhere without stuffing my pocket.
I had the Palm M100 for more than a year, and it was great. It never failed me and give me problems, except for two things: not enough memory, and the backlight was awful, which is the case with almost all the palm devices, the backlight works well only if you are in total darkness, and it is not actually a "back light" because it only lights the fonts and icons against dark background. But, with all Sony palm devices, the back light works great. They gave you very bright light background against dark fonts and icons, although this takes some of battery life, it shouldn't be a problem becasue since it is rechargeable, unlike the Palm M100.
This device is great in its processor speed, sound, and the wonderfull applications that come with it.
It is also light in weight. I bought the ultra-slim leather case to protect it, and, though, it is slim and light. You won't even notice that you carry it in your pockect. Trust me, it is the thinnest palm ever made, as they say about it in Sony home page.
The price also is not so bad. I strongly recommend it.

...Before I looked on Amazon, I looked at [a local store], and they were all out, and out at surrounding stores...The Clie is very nice. My old Palm 3 died last week after 3 yrs... so I was very concerned about my old data. That was seemless. The instruction manual suggested that you uninstall the old Palm off my computer first, but I didn't. I just installed the new software, and did a hot sync. All the old data was tranfered seemlessly to my new Clie'.

The screen is a little smaller than the Palm M500, but only a hair, and...cheaper, I like the Clie 415 better. The screen isn't as bad as some...say it is. In normal light there is no problem, and in low light, it is a little weak, but at least as good as my old Palm 3... with the backlight it is fine.

I recommend this product. Sony continues to be a value leader. This PDA feels solid and quality made. The wheel is nice. The software is nice too.

I went to [local store], played around with all the Palm PDAs on display, and picked this one because of its small size and high-res screen. Got it home, and guess what? the screen is next to impossible for me to read. If I were under 30, it would probably be OK; if I were using it mostly under fluorescent lights, I could probably live with it. But, given my middle-aged eyes, and working under mostly incandescent or natural light, I can't find a lighting situation that gets rid of the glare and makes the display possible to read without agonizing squinting.

It's a shame, because apart from the display, it's a great little PDA, especially for the price. BTW, I'm a Mac user, dowloaded the appropriate software ..., and have had no trouble hotsyncing with my Mac. I'm considering upgrading to the Palm m500 because it has a display I can actually read.

Very stylish monochrome PDA, very nice form factor.

Pros: Very thin, solid metal frame, 8MB memory and 4MB flash, decent audio capabilities. Small form factor cradle, lots of bundled applications.

Cons: Screen hard to read, it is much darker than my previous Palm PDA. Also, characters on the 320x320 display are thinner, making it harder to read. There is no contrast control for the screen, also, there is no way to select bold characters as default. Even with the backlight on, the display does not look anything like the nice black on white images shown in Sony ads (including the picture on Amazon.com).