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Sony Clié PEG-TJ27
Price: £170 inc VAT

Features
Performance
Ease of use
Value for money
Overall

Reviewed By: Andy Shaw

This review updated: 01/04/2004
Featured in magazine:
Issue 80
Manufacturer Contacts:
Supplier: Sony
Tel: 08705 111999
Web Address: www.sony.co.uk


Once the play-things of the corporate businessman, the PDA is making its way out of the office and into the hands of everyday folk. This entry-level 'personal entertainment organiser' from Sony has a handy built-in camera that levels Palm's Zire 71 in its sights. So which PDA is the best?

Features
The star attraction here is the built-in camera, which can take pictures up to 640 by 480 pixels (0.3 megapixels). Although not significant enough for the photography market, it's perfect for taking quick snaps for emailing. And if you're rubbish at putting names to faces, you can have pictures of your contacts in your address book. It has a higher specification than last year's Zire 71, with an extra 16Mb of memory, but it doesn't have the Palm's other killer application – a built-in audio player.

Performance
The screen on the device is crisp and clear, even when previewing images direct from the camera lens – Sony has brought its digital camera expertise into play and it counts for a lot. To use the camera you rotate the device around by 90 degrees. With the shutter button then on the top of the device, it's got the feel of a good slimline digital camera, not a PDA with a lens bolted on. And the pictures it takes are excellent, compensating well for low light considering there's no flash.

Ease of use
With Palm's latest operating system in tow, there's no problem with this device on the usability front. Sony's jog wheel makes scrolling and selecting items even easier than it is on Palm's own devices, while Graffiti 2 makes inputting text nice and simple. There's a collection of bonus software programs to make your life easier still, along with a few classic games to keep you entertained.

Value for money
For the camera and the PDA this isn't a bad price, but Palm's older and slightly more expensive model comes with that all-important stereo headphone jack. This adds MP3 player capability to the device for a minimum of extra outlay, taking a significant bite out of the value for money on offer here.

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