Customer Reviews

Vadem Clio C-1050 PC Companion

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

 

 

The Clio is working great for me. I've been using it for about two weeks so far. First of all, it looks very small (and is light) when closed, but the 9.4" screen is great, wwaaaayy better than the Jornada's tiny screen. The folding arms are awesome and Tablet mode is cool too. The handwriting recognition actually works, it recognized most of my handwriting right away and I've further fine tuned it's settings since so it's even better. Recognizes cursive very well too. The C-1050 is twice as fast as the C-1000 and Mobilon Tri-Pad (by Sharp). There's virtually no delay in opening things. No booting up either, since it runs on WinCE and just suspends when you're done using it. Battery life is excellent! It isn't ten hours, but at least 6 on medium brightness & contrast. Synchronization worked without problems using the included software. It's definitely 10 times better than a Palm and in my opinion better than a laptop unless you need to be doing graphics or using Windows programs which don't come on CE as well. I highly recommend it.

It took me some time to decide what I wanted, Palm Pilot, Pocket PC, H/PC, H/PC Pro, ahh! After deciding that the Handheld PC Pro was for me, it was time to compare the H/PC Pros and select the one which suit me the best. I ultimately chose the Clio mainly because of its fabulous form factor...the HP 820 has no touchscreen and the NEC's standard clam-shell design seems to pale in comparison to the Clio's ability to be used as a tablet (for web browsing, writing and jotting down quick notes). When I first began to synchronize data to and from my Clio I too experienced a little slowness with the transfer of my contacts and calendar items, but after talking with the suprisingly helpful folks at Clio support my data transfers are now much faster (apparently the default setting is slow to eliminate possible problems on your first data transfer)...furthermore I had no problems getting connected with my ISP (Earthlink).

The applications included with the Clio are great, I use the Vadem Viewfinder and Calligrapher handwriting recognition every day...

All in all, my choice to go with the Clio H/PC Pro has really paid off, all I needed was an extension of my desktop PC...but I actually got that and a whole lot more. I just can't wait until my wife (the CFO) lets me set up my Clio to be my wireless web-pad around the house!

Originally, I was in the market for a notebook, but I ran into the HP Jornada. I figured that I didn't need a very powerful machine (for all the powerful stuff, I had my home computer); I just needed something portable that could do the basics when I had time between classes. While price searching for the Jornada, I found many PC companions- Vadem's Clio being one of those. The programs, screen size, lightness, battery life, and reasonable price convinced me to buy it. I never thought it would come in so handy as it has! Not only does it have the other attributes I mentioned, but it is very reliable!

The perfect tool for a mobile professional. It is lightweight, has great battery life and the best handwriting recognition application I have used. The swivel screen lends itself to presentations and a usable tablet mode for "taking notes" or data entry without the keyboard. The ports are useful for IR printing or faxing, and the PC card slot is useful for anything from memory expansion to wireless modem addition. I have used Palm, handheld and laptop computers while travelling and the Clio is the answer to any use.

I bought the Clio C-1000 about 3 years ago and have yet to see a product of the same form and functionality as either model. I bought it to replace a dearly loved Newton 2100, and fell in love with it from the moment I opened the box. With a battery life of 8-10 hours and a key board, you can't beat the verisility of the machine. Once I purchased my Handspring Visor, my wife took the opertunity to start using the Clio for her job, and I yet to get it back from her. I am currentlt contemplating replacing my outdated laptop with a new C-1050 model. You can't beat this machine for it features, use of use, compatibility of file formats and the "WOW! what's that!?" factor when people see you using it. The only thing that would make these units better would be the addition of Pocket PC2002 (or even Linix).

I would highly recomend these for any company that has a mobile sales force. you can load powerpoint presentations onto it, email, transfere data between units (IR port), and the 8+ hour battery and sixe make it easy to use in confined areas such as on a plane. Try using a full laptop on a NYC to LA flight for the whole trip!

The Clio was a good idea, but doesn't meet expectations. The passive matrix screen is difficult to read. The keyboard is small and curved making touch-typing difficult. The unit itself is a bit heavy and ackward to lug around compared to some of the latest (and smallest laptops). With a max resolution of 800x600, images and video look cheap. There are NO output ports on the unit itself - you have to hard-link to a computer even to print! No VGA-out for use with a projector. Not even a PS-2 or USB port! The handwriting recognizer works about 3/4 of the time. That is, in a page of handwritten notes, you'll have to manually correct about 1/4 of the page. It does slightly better on single words or sentences. My recommendation: Take the [amt] that you'd spend on the Clio and add to it the [amt] you'd spend on a Pocket PC and buy a decent laptop.

I have been a Clio user for over a year. I started out with a C-1000 and really was amazed by the slickness of the innovative of swing top. Unfortunately the hardware was not up to par with the industrial design. It was too slow. Along cam the C-1050. A big improvement in speed. It is about twice as fast as the original. I use it as a companion to my desktop pc's at work and at home. I really like the fact that it has a touch screen. It's great for navigating the desktop. I use Clio primarily for jotting quick notes, memos and for keeping track of my appointments and contact list. Oh yeah, it's perfect for a lot of the CE games out there. It has a neat software driven screen rotate feature. The battery life is about 8 hours and lasts me through a week with out recharging based on my usage pattern. I have tried to use it to browse the web but it is too slow for serious browsing. Also, the handwriting recognition software is amazingly good sometimes but I find it easier and faster to use the keyboard. When it does make mistakes it is very annoying.

Pros: Battery life, keyboard, touch screen, coolness factor, color display. Cons: Too slow for heavy browsing, CE OS, handwriting recognition not compatible with my handwriting style, limited software availability, unviewable outdoors.

If you are looking for a PDA with a keyboard and trully unique and functional form factor and don't want the weight nor limited battery life of a lap top then Clio C-1050 is worth checking out.

I bought this and found it very hard to set up. I couldn't get the dial up to log on at all & it took almost 2 hours to get my act contacts (4500) on. By contrast, my palms though not as detailed did the same work in minutes. I thought the unit was bulky and with all the program son it, you only get 16mb available. Though they say it can be used with a Iomega click drive, the PCII card does not fit in.