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69 of 69 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Best bang for buck, but a star short., July 20, 2003
Sony doesn't exactly develop the newest technology, but nobody
has better designers and nobody can refine an idea like Sony. The SJ33 is the case in point today: I'm a former Handspring Visor owner, when it was the first PDA to come in colors and the first to come with 8 Megs and an advanced version of the Palm OS. It was cutting-edge then... and the SJ33, while not cutting-edge any longer, will fill the bill for former Handspring Visor owners and newcomers alike. First, the display is color, 65k colors worth and bright as all heck. You want to keep a virtual picture frame on your desk, this is a nifty 320x320 screen for displaying hundreds of wallet-sized photos. Second, MP3s out of the box. Sure, no Memory Stick is included, and you are limited to 128 Meg Sticks at that (the new 256 Sticks are merely double-sided 128s), but you score a few Sticks, and you've got nearly as much MP3 space as a CD. And because it's solid state memory, no shock, no skip, just pure sound. Third, it comes with the best software bundle of any PDA today. In fact, all Sony handhelds come with superior bundles: Documents to Go lets you view *and* edit Word and Excel documents; Intellisync is the best sync software for Outlook users, bar none; the games are terrific, but Bejeweled is possibly the most addictive game since Tetris; and the utilities for viewing and managing music, photos, and movies (yep, movies too) are far beyond my expectations. Fourth, it's a Lithium-Ion battery, so you charge it whenever you're not using it, and just go. It lasts awhile, not nearly 9 hours if you're playing Bejeweled constantly or listening to MP3s, but you can go a whole day easy. Fifth, those flip cases come in colors. I'm sorry, but a little funk in your PDA is a must. I dig colors, and I'm gonna score me that excellent orange one soon. Now, the bits that kept a fifth star from alignment in the Clie Constellation: #1 The SJ33 doesn't support Memory Stick Pro, so if you think you want 256, 512, or even 1 Gb Memory Stick space, you have to go a different route, like the NZ series or T series Clies. #2: MP3 encoding from bundled software is limited to 128kps, 44Hz encoding. If you like 192 or even 256k encoding, you need 3rd party software. Good news is I can play my 192 or 256-bit MP3s with no problems. #3: The Jog Dial is very cool, but a bit small and stiff. You need some serious dexterity to properly use it while holding the unit (heh, I said "unit"). #4: Palm OS 4.1. Keeps the costs down, keeps the software in the greatest compatibility, but Sony's lead time could've allowed for Palm 5. And it's not truly upgradable either: you patch it. Ah well. #5: It doesn't come with a cradle. Yeah, the fifth star is withheld on that alone. Cradles are a necessity, and while I do give Sony credit for the compact travel sync/ charge option, I expect a cradle with any PDA. Period. Let's sum up. A solid four stars, a really good choice for your 1st PDA (it'll go around two hundred), an outstanding upgrade from older PDAs (especially B&Ws and lo-res color), and an all-around high performer. If you don't need a camera, Memory Stick Pro capacities, or Palm OS 5, this is your best bang for the buck.
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by Denny Atkin
by Rick Broida
