Sony has upgraded its high-end Clie handheld with video capture, a faster processor, voice recording capabilities and the newest version of the Palm operating system, the company has announced.
Besides the high-end PEG-NX70V, Sony also announced a lower-cost model called PEG-NX60, which doesn't include a camera.
The Sony PEG-NX70V carries a suggested retail price of US$599 (about AU$1150) and will hit retail shelves in the US in early November. On the outside, the device looks much like the current NR-70V, with its built-in keyboard and swivelling digital camera, but on the inside Sony has made many improvements.
With its new voice recording abilities, the Clie can store nearly nine hours of audio on a 128MB Memory Stick, Sony said. The video camera now boasts an improved 640x480-pixel resolution, and the machine is now powered by a 200MHz ARM chip, as opposed to the slower Motorola Dragonball found in the previous model. The camera can record MPEG-4 video clips, storing up to an hour of 160x112-pixel video on a 128MB Memory Stick.
The device will also be able gain wireless data access through an optional 802.11b (Wi-Fi) wireless card. The PEG-NX60, which will retail for US$499, has the same design, operating system, processor and wireless capabilities, but does not include a camera.
The PEG-NX70V is available for preorder in gunmetal grey and silver, while the PEG-NX60 is silver only. Sony's PEGA-WL100 Wi-Fi modem card will cost US$150.
Sony did not announce UK pricing and availability for the new handhelds, and Sony representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The gadgets will be among the first to take advantage of Palm's new operating system, which runs on a new class of processor and is designed to make it easier for handheld makers to add advanced features such as multimedia and improved graphics. Sony and Acer -- by adding their own tweaks to the existing Palm operating system, along with companion graphics and audio chips -- have already built devices with improved screens and the ability to play music.
With the new device, Sony is clearly aiming to stay ahead of the Palm OS pack at the high end of the market.
Palm is expected to launch its first OS 5 device, the Tungsten T, on 28 October. The colour handheld combines Bluetooth short-range wireless capability and a high-resolution color screen.
Analysts have said that Sony might want to think about adding built-in wireless capabilities to its devices, instead of requiring users to purchase a separate card.
Handspring, which has said nothing about plans for an OS 5 device, has announced a software upgrade for its Treo handhelds that adds improvements to several of the Treo's features as well as the ability to work with always-on GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) networks.
The upgrade is available in Europe and Asia first, with the United States to follow in the coming weeks, sources said. The GPRS upgrade has already been made available in Singapore and New Zealand, but Handspring warned customers outside those countries to wait for software designed to work with their carrier.
Meanwhile, mobile phone makers Samsung and Kyocera are both readying new mobile phones using the Palm operating system, though neither is using OS 5. First shown in June, Kyocera's 7135 Smartphone builds on its predecessor by adding a color screen, MP3 music playing abilities and a new folding, clamshell design.
Samsung has shown prototypes of a design quite similar to Kyocera's 7135, although its next product to hit the market will be more like its current nonfolding model, albeit with the addition of slightly more curves and an improved colour screen.
Both phones are expected in time for Christmas.
ZDNet UK's Matthew Broersma and News.com's Richard Shim contributed to this report.
