Hand-Held Divergence
This is a tale of two hand-helds: Sony Corp.’s Clie T615C and Palm Inc.’s i705. It’s also a story about how hand-held computers have diversified--both devices run the Palm operating system, but Sony and Palm are taking different paths to your pocket.
In one hand, there is Sony’s Clie model. (That name is pronounced clee-AY, and it sits alongside the Vaio model in the “What Were They Thinking?” wing of the Name Recognition Hall of Fame.) The $400 T615C is a lovely hand-held, sleeker and trimmer than the Palm i705, with 16 megabytes of memory--twice that of the Palm.
The T615C sports some unique hardware, starting with a spectacular color screen capable of 320-by-20 resolution, twice that of the Palm and far brighter. It even does justice to photographs--prop up the T615C on its flip-over leather cover, run the bundled PhotoStand software and you have a high-tech picture frame that displays slide shows.
Like other Sony hand-helds, the T615C has a clever “jog wheel” contraption that allows for one-handed operation--no grappling with the stylus while trying to hold on to the pole of a crowded bus. You still need the stylus to enter text, of course, but the jog wheel lets you single-handedly start programs and retrieve contacts or appointments.
It also has a slot for Sony Memory Stick modules. If you have a Sony digital camera that uses Memory Sticks, you can view your photos on the T615C’s screen. Sony also sells a $149 module that snaps into the Memory Stick slot and turns the hand-held into a low-resolution digital camera.
Sony bills the T615C as a “personal entertainment organizer.” The T615C includes software that turns it into a remote control for your TV and stereo. It works, but tapping tiny buttons with the stylus is tedious.
Despite its billing, the T615C can’t play MP3 music tracks. (Sony’s pricier Clie N760 can.) You can, however, add MP3 playback with a $129 snap-on accessory.
In the other hand, there is Palm’s $449 i705. The 5.9-ounce device weighs an ounce more than the Clie T615C and it’s slightly larger. But the most noticeable difference is the screen. The screen on the T615C makes you say, “Wow,” but the i705 prompts you to wonder, “Is it turned on?”
What sets the Palm i705 apart is its wireless e-mail and Internet features. If Sony is going after the digital-lifestyle set, Palm is courting the crowd that checks e-mail during romantic dinners.
To make the system work, you have to sign up for Palm .Net Wireless Service. The i705, with its built-in wireless modem, will check up to eight e-mail accounts several times a minute, even when off. When e-mail arrives, a light on top of the i705 flashes. (You also can have the i705 beep or vibrate.)
Staying in touch isn’t cheap. Palm.Net costs $20 a month for an account limited to 100 kilobytes a month--a limit only the most reticent users could abide by. Unlimited access costs $40 a month.
No wonder industry analysts describe wireless services as a potential boon to hand-held manufacturers, whose profit margins are thinner than a Clie.
The i705 also includes America Online’s Instant Messenger software, so you can chat wirelessly too. And the Palm.Net subscription includes access to “Web clippings”--condensed, text-only versions of some 580 major Web sites, 50 of which are preinstalled.
The Clie T615C and Palm i705 are both excellent high-end hand-helds. I prefer the Clie model for its size and screen, but if wireless e-mail was my raison d’hand-held, the i705 would be the obvious choice.
The i705 also holds appeal for Mac users--Sony doesn’t include Mac software for the T615C, though rudimentary syncing software is available from third-party firms.
