Sony CLIE PEG-T615C Handheld

The world of PDAs is getting crowded; not only do users have to decide whether to go with the PalmOS or a Windows based PDA, but they have to struggle with the choice of Clies vs. Palms vs. Handsprings and whether they really want a built in phone or camera or MP3 player... It's enough to drive a person mad!

My current handheld is the Sony Clie PEG-S360 which I've reviewed elsewhere, but if money were no object, my handheld of choice would be the Sony Clie PEG-T615C or it's replacement, the newer Sony Clie PEG-T665. The main difference between the two is the T665's built-in MP3 functionality and a faster Motorola Dragonball processor, but the T615C can be had for about half the cost these days - if you can find it - and, for most, that gives it the edge over its newer, fancier cousin. To my chagrin, several of my friends (and my girlfriend's sister) own the T615C, and it is my experience with their handhelds on which I base this review.

I'll give you a rundown of the key points, but for the sake of brevity, I won't touch on the features common to all PalmOS handhelds such as the built-in software and interface. I assume if you're reading this, you're already somewhat familiar with the PalmOS.

What comes in the box:
The Sony Clie PEG-T615C comes with a box which includes the handheld/stylus, a protective cover, USB HotSync cradle, AC adapter/charger that plugs into the cradle, installation CD, and various manuals.

One thing that I first noticed is that the styluses keep getting skinnier! This one is noticeably thinner than the one that comes with my Clie S360. Maybe I'm just used to the feel of it because using the new stylus, I feel like I'm writing with a toothpick.

As with the rest of the Clie line, the protective flip-down cover is fairly flimsy and is held in place by a locking mechanism which, to its credit, stays in place quite well. One problem, however is that pressure to the lower right corner of the cover from being in your pocket tends to push on the power button and turn on the Clie. This, of course, has an adverse effect on battery life. One of my friends did attach a strip of foam rubber inside the bottom edge of the cover that keeps this from happening, so if you have the same problem, it seems to be a satisfactory fix. Furthermore, the cover leaves all but the top and front surface of the Clie exposed, exposing the thin aluminum casing to denting and wear-and-tear from daily usage.

As with just about all Palms these days, the T615C has a rechargeable Lithium-ion polymer battery which charges in the included cradle. The all-in-one charger/HotSync cradle is a nice touch! The power adapter plugs into the back of it but can be removed and used to charge the handheld directly for added flexibility. Furthermore, I've found with my girlfriend's Palm m130 that it takes a little skill to sit her Palm on the cradle properly. This is not a problem with the Clie T615C which slides right into place. One downside is that if the battery ever goes sour, the T615C does not allow any means of exchanging the battery yourself. Well, you probably COULD, but that would mean opening up the case and voiding any warranty that might be left. Fortunately, Lithium-ion batteries are very reliable these days, and your handheld will likely become obsolete long before the battery goes bad. Still... it has happened.

The features:
One thing about the T615C is that it looks sexy! It comes in a handsome aluminum body and measures in at a compact 4.65 x 2.83 x 0.50 inches and 4.9 ounces, fitting easily into your front pocket. It's a little wider than the lower-end S360/SL10/SJ20 and doesn't fit into my hand quite as comfortably, but then again I have small hands. The body is fairly resistant to dents and scratches, but if you tend to be a little rough with your handheld, it will soon start to show.

The biggest selling point with the T615C is definitely its high-res 320x320 pixel full color screen. I suspect once you've used it, it's hard to go back to the old 160x160 screens which only give you a QUARTER of the resolution! Viewing photos on Sony's screens is a thrill and will blow away people who have been happy with their Handspring Visor Prisms or Palm m515's. As another reviewer noted, colors can be a bit off in some cases, but the detail you can see is quite stunning. My girlfriend keeps some photos on her Palm m130 as well, but after playing with her sister's Clie is now wondering why she even bothers. (Sibling rivalry rears its ugly head once again!)

As another big plus, the T615C offers 16MB of memory, providing ample space for your info and programs, in addition to a 4MB ROM which you can't really access anyway - although there is a program called JackFlash which lets you use the leftover space in the power-independent ROM. In addition, as with all other Clies, the T615C has a Memory Stick slot which is available in standard capacities up to 128MB. Memory Sticks are traditionally a bit more expensive dollars-per-megabyte, but with Lexar and Sandisk making them now, the prices have come down nicely!

At its heart (or brain), the T615C is fitted with a Motorola DragonBall VZ 33MHz processor. The higher-end Palm PDA's currently get up as high as a 66MHz Dragonball SuperVZ for the T665/SJ30/NR/NX/NZ, and 144Mhz ARM for the Palm Tungsten. As far as the handhelds running on the 33Mhz processor go, however, the T615C is the speediest I've found so far. Running benchmark programs on the similarly equipped Sony Clie PEG-SJ20, Sony Clie PEG-S360, Handspring Visor Platinum, and Palm m515 shows the T615C beating them all out - some by as much as 10%!

An addition compared with the lower-end Clies is the little speaker on the back bottom corner. Sure, you're not gonna listen to pop tunes with it, but it makes alarms louder and more useful. Plus the T615C can produce multiple notes and play short tunes instead of just the simple clicks and beeps that the earlier Palms were restricted to.

The T615C runs on PalmOS 4.1 as do most of the Clies. The newest models now available are starting to use PalmOS 5, but current users will not be able to upgrade. Which is ok by me since we're sort of in a "growing pains" period at the moment and several programs are having compatibility issues.

Usage:
Using the Clie T615C isn't really much different from using other PalmOS handhelds, but there are a few small things that are unique to this particular model.

First of all, the S360 features a jogwheel like the rest of the Clie line. This is convenient when scrolling through large text documents or databases. With the "back" button, you basically can get away with one-handed operation for most mundane tasks. I have several texts and e-books stored on mine and can navigate them with these controls alone! Similarly, looking up phone numbers and appointments is a snap. You don't even have to take out the stylus which is too skinny to use comfortably anyway.

Secondly, the T615C features a single button for the "scroll up/down" functionality. Actually, this is a feature common to the entire Clie line, but the T-series actually has a "rocker button" that is actually fairly difficult to use, especially if you like playing games on your Palm. Fortunately, for most applications, the far superior scroll wheel can be used instead. The rest of the buttons are long narrow bars which LOOK nice, but again can be a bit awkward compared to the standard-sized buttons on most other Palm handhelds.

A big selling point with the T-series is the "enhanced IR functionality" meaning you can use your Clie as a universal remote for your electronics. The CD includes software for this purpose. I've found that I can get satisfactory usage out of it from up to about 20 feet away, but it does seem to vary a bit from unit to unit. It's a nice gimmick, but nobody seems to really use it for this purpose. And fortunately, I have not had any problems beaming software with this modified IR business.

My final comment is actually one of the biggest downfalls of the entire Clie line. For some reason, there is no built-in Mac compatibility! Whereas the Handspring and Palm series come with Mac software and can be plugged into the Mac's USB port just like on a Windows machine, Sony has opted to basically ignore the Macintosh contingency. Fortunately, a software fix exists called "Missing Sync", but it's annoying for Mac users to have to pay for this in order to use a Clie which many consider to be the most innovative line in the PalmOS family.