Sony CLIE PEG-SJ22
If price is your only consideration, the SJ22G may be for you.The SJ-22 has a couple of distinctions that mark it out from the rest of the PDAs in our roundup. For a start it's the cheapest unit at AU$449, although there are other PDAs (most notably Palm's bargain-basement Zire) that beat it in the price stakes. It's also the shortest PDA in our roundup, and the only Palm device to still be running on Palm OS 4.1.
The SJ-22 runs on a very ordinary Motorola Dragonball VZ 33MHz processor, by far the slowest processor of any of our test units, although it's pretty much the standard for older Palm OS PDAs. Likewise, the SJ-22 offers a small 16MB of onboard memory; bear in mind however that Palm units are typically more storage-thrifty than their Pocket PC counterparts, so if you only need a PDA as a digital organiser this should be plenty.
The SJ-22's most notable physical feature is the protective flap that can be clipped on the front of the unit. It makes the pedestrian SJ-22 somewhat ugly, but it is effective in protecting the screen from knocks and scratches. Consumers pondering similar cheap units such as the HP iPAQ H1910 should bear the cost of a screen protector in mind; with the SJ-22 you don't need to worry.
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PDAs
Introduction 1. Dell Axim X5 2. HP iPAQ h1910 3. HP iPAQ h5450 4. Palm Tungsten C 5. Palm Zire 71 6. Sony CLIE PEG-SJ22 7. Sony CLIE PEG-TG50 8. Toshiba e350 9. Toshiba e750 Editor's choice |
Sony sells a dock for the SJ-22 as an add-on, but out of the box you'll have to make do with a rather fiddly connection dongle. This clips into the base of the SJ-22, from where the USB and power cables attach. While USB cables are nicely portable, if you lose the dongle you're in real trouble.
Sony has previously made its CLIE line stand out with an impressive lineup of additional software, but it appears that the SJ-22 is the one that got away; while it has a small army of trial software on the included CD, you'll have to make do with CLIE PAINT, various Memory-Stick import/export packages and Palm Desktop for Palm. Palm OS 4 software isn't exactly thin on the ground, however. Notably, while Palm devices are in theory Mac-compatible, Sony provides no software to assist in this, and you'd need to track down a third-party connection application to manage this feat.
The Lithium Ion battery in the SJ-22 is easy enough to swap out as it's held in place by a single screw. Sony suggests that it's good for 15 days usage at 30 minutes usage/day; in previous tests we've seen it last just under four hours of continuos usage.
At AU$449, the SJ-22 is respectably priced, but in comparison to what you can get for just a little bit more money -- the Zire 71 on the Palm side, or the Dell Axim on the Pocket PC side -- it's hard to make a compelling case in the SJ-22's favour. It's a perfectly solid PIM-style PDA, but lacks that little bit extra to make it a truly worthwhile purchase unless your budget can afford you nothing else.
Sony CLIE PEG-SJ22
Company: Sony Australia
Price: AU$449
Distributor: Selected resellers
Phone: 1300 137 669
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I am interested only in limited features in a PDA like the Phonebook, Birthday or Anniversary date storages etc. etc.
So which pDA do you recommend me to have that should have some high Battery backup and long-life warranty?