Reviews

The Sony Clie NR70

May 30, 2002

Physical Aspects & Technical Specs

Inside that hip green box is the device itself, a software CD, two printed instruction manuals (one for the device, and the other for add-on software), headphones, an audio remote control, a USB cradle, and an AC adapter. It features a lightning fast 66MHz processor and 16MB of memory on board, plus a memory stick slot. The Clie NR70 is a bit larger than handhelds I’m used to, but not by much. Here’s what I found (and no, I didn’t use calipers or a digital scale here!) as far as size is concerned.

Closed, or in tablet mode

5 and 3/8 inches long

2 and 3/4 inches wide

and just a shade over half an inch thick

Open

9 and 3/4 inches long

2 and 3/4 inches wide

and just a hair over a quarter inch thick.

Now if you aren’t familiar with the NR 70, you may be wondering why I’m giving both open and closed dimensions— that’s because this model is the very first clamshell Palm OS device ever. You can carry it closed, you can open the flip top for regular mode, and you can then twist the top over and fold it on top of the keyboard in order to use it in “tablet” mode for reading ebooks or accessing information. This is a revolutionary design that allows the Clie to meet a variety of needs. I love not having to have a carrying case or screen flap, since the screen is completely protected when the device is closed. In regular mode I can use the integrated keyboard to enter new information, and when I just want to play games or read books, I can switch to tablet mode very quickly.

The keyboard really is quite amazing. Instead of having to purchase a separate keyboard for this device, I can just use the one that’s already there. I was worried at first that it wouldn’t be very useable, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised. While I’ll likely never achieve full touch typing speed using just my thumbs, I am able to type pretty quickly. Numbers and punctuation are accessed by pressing the Function key first, then the appropriate key. There are also cursor control keys, as well as a Control key, an Alt Key, Tab, Backspace, Enter, Caps and Num Lock, and Page Up and Down features. While it took some time to learn the punctuation placement (it’s kinda funky) I was typing normal letters like a pro in no time. You’ll also find the four standard hard buttons just above the keyboard, though in a slightly different configuration, and the up and down scroll keys are also present.

The NR70 also features some extras not found on most Palm OS handhelds, such as a Jog Dial control, a “back” button, a headphone jack, and a “hold” button that prevents the handheld from being turned on automatically. The jog dial control is especially helpful—it allows you to access information very quickly with just one hand. You can scroll through your calendar or contacts, page down in an ebook, select programs in the launcher very quickly, etc. I hadn’t realized just how handy it would be until I actually had one, and that’s true of the “back” button as well- switching between applications or going back to just before an errant stylus tap is very quick and easy. There’s a lanyard attachment on the other side too, in case you ever want to wear your handheld around your neck. It’s nice not having to buy a separate accessory with a special connector, and most of us probably have at least one lanyard laying around the house from a convention or trade show.

The entire package is quite sturdy and very stylish. As I mentioned, not having to use a carrying case is a real blessing as far as both functionality and my wallet are concerned, though I will likely be getting some sort of slip case just so I don’t have to worry about my keys or a pen scratching the device while it’s in my purse. So far though, no scratches or blemishes at all. I really like the all metal effect too—the Clie NR70 casing is made out of magnesium, and it looks really sharp. The same can be said of the cradle too- it’s very sleek and understated. It includes a stylus holder, since the NR70 stylus is housed in the bottom of the unit and is not accessible when it’s in the cradle. It looks like the Sony design team did their homework too- the cradle is angled in such a way that it will accomodate the device in closed, regular, or tablet form. That’s great for people like me, who tend to leave the device in the cradle all day at work— I can still use the Clie at my desk.

That gorgeous screen

This is what really sold me on the Clie— the amazing 320 x 480 screen with a collapsible Graffiti area. While not a lot of applications support it yet, the few that do show just how much of a difference it really makes. I can see a lot more information in ActionNames and WordSmith when I get rid of that pesky Graffiti area, and hopefully more programs will follow suit soon.

That’s not the only reason though— colors are bright and vibrant, and don’t appear washed out or pixelated as they typically do on other handhelds. With Hi Res assist turned on in preferences, the results are truly amazing. Text is sharper and clearer, though a tad bit smaller in some applications. Please note that the backlight does default to “on” at all times, which both impacts battery life and makes it a little hard to do a direct comparison. But even with the brightness adjusted all the way down, as I like it, this screen is still a beautiful sight to behold. If you’re really pressed for power, you can turn off the backlight completely by depressing the power button for a second or two.

Color me spoiled, but I can’t imagine ever going back to a handheld that doesn’t have a hi res screen with a collapsible Graffti area at the very minimum.

Battery Life

A full charge is 4.20 volts, at least in my own personal experience. That’s almost exactly the same as my trusty old Palm m505. And while I am no engineer or battery expert, I’d have to say that battery life compared between the two devices is just about the same. I have never gotten a low battery warning on my Clie, even after extensive use over a weekend and some MP3 playing with the screen turned off during my Monday commute—all before I got back to my office to recharge. If you watch the battery voltage very closely you might be alarmed by how quickly it drops down to about 4.12 volts, and then it just sits at that point for what feels like forever. And that’s with the backlight always on the lowest setting! While I can only assume that the bigger screen and MP3 playback will drain your battery more quickly than on a comparable Palm OS device, I don’t think that drain is all that noticeable or worrisome.

Software

Included Software

The software package simply blew me away. Aside from Documents To Go, which is practically a standard for all new handhelds, Sony also included Intellisync Lite for Outlook synchronization plus a whole slew of extras, such as:

Audio Player- for MP3 and ATRAC3 playback. The sound quality is amazing- I’ve loaded up some tracks that sound better on the Clie than they ever did on my stereo, my PC, or any of my Pocket PCs. The bass boost and the sound range are incredible. I’m no audiophile, but I must say that the sound certainly beats any other portable device I’ve ever had.

PictureGear Pocket (for viewing photos) and PhotoStand (for slideshows)

Clie Paint- a surprisingly full-featured drawing program

gMovie Player- for playing movie clips

Clie Mail- a mail application that supports some attachment types

World Alarm Clock- great for people who travel a lot

CLIE Remote Commander- allows you to control your TV, VCR, etc. with your handheld

Sound Utility/Sound Convertor- so you can play WAV and MIDI files on your Clie

Memory Stick Autorun- allows you to set an application to run immediately when the Memory Stick containing it is inserted in the slot on your device

Memory Stick Import/Export- does everything that SyncWizard does for other Palm OS devices, and it’s included! One tap on MS Import on the handheld opens a direct connection to my computer, where my Clie shows up as a drive in MS Explorer. Makes copying and moviing files a snap!

MS Gate- a built-in file manager that allows you to move, copy, and delete files on your handheld and Memory Stick, so you don’t have to purchase McFile or any other similar application.

MS Backup- so you can backup all of your device’s internal memory to a Memory Stick. Not quite as flexible as BackupBuddy VFS, in that you can’t choose what is backed up, and it isn’t automatic for times backups either, but MS Backup is still a handy program to use if you can remember to use it…

What all of this really means is that the Sony Clie NR70 is a very impressive handheld device, right out of the box. Of course we all have our favorite applications, and I’m going to suggest a few extra utilities in just a second, but it is possible to use the Clie and never have to buy any extra software programs for basic organization, word processing, spreadsheets, utilities, and entertainment. That’s an incredible value.

Suggested Utilities

CRS Launcher is a great freeware launcher that includes a tabbed interface and a “most recently used” list at the bottom of the screen when the Graffiti area is collapsed. It also shows you battery voltage and keeps track of your free memory at the same time. Available at this Yahoo Group here.

SilkSkin is a must have if you want to use skins with the Graffiti area. Since not all programs have been updated to use Sony’s proprietary APIs and you can’t always hide the Graffiti area, you can at least make it more fun or attactive, as I’ve done here with my Tigger skin. It’s freeware, and several skin archives have popped up all over the web. My favorite is here and it includes a tutorial as well.

PageDown Hack is an absolute necessity if you use your Clie in tablet mode a substantial part of the time. It adds four invisible buttons to the control bar at the bottom of the screen that mimic the function of the hard buttons located above the keyboard. If your device is in tablet mode, you can’t get to those buttons. But with PageDown Hack, a simple stylus tap gets you where you need to go. And best of all, it’s free! Available at this Yahoo Group here.

Conclusion

The Sony Clie NR70 is an awesome device. While you may not be ready to part with your hard-earned money just yet, with Palm OS 5 devices just around the corner, you might still find this particular device a compelling upgrade or a good first purchase. How can I say that? It’s pretty expensive at $499 (or $599 for the NR70V with the built-in camera) but it does provide an impressive list of features: fast 66 MHz processor, 16MB of RAM, a gorgeous Hi Res+ screen, an integrated keyboard, an innovative clamshell/tablet design in a remarkably small form factor, MP3 playback, and smashing good looks. While I can’t give it a perfect rating (it is a bit too pricey, and I think the overall device could have been a bit shorter without sacrificing any of the screen size), this is still a solid device and a smart choice for anyone who wants the most advanced Palm OS device available today.

PocketGoddess rating for the Sony NR70:

Category: Palm OS: Hardware
Published: May 30, 2002 10:00 AM

Comments

1. avi koren on June 27, 2006 3:11 PM said...

Where an I buy/find a Battery to Sony CLIE NR70?

2. linda on July 6, 2006 4:39 PM said...

I just changed the battery for the first time. I purchased it from eBay. I could not find directions to replace the battery in my documentation, but did find some online and it was relatively easy. Make sure you find the directions before you try to replace the battery and make sure you have a VERY SMALL phillips head screw driver handy.

3. Dan on September 18, 2006 6:24 PM said...

where can i download/buy the base software/disk

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