Sony launches two new Clié PDAs

Sony Corp. will launch two new models in its Clié PDA (personal digital assistant) range in Japan in two weeks and plans to follow that with launches of the devices in overseas markets, the company said Tuesday.

The PEG-TH55, which is the more expensive of the two new models, is the first to feature a new organizer software application developed by Sony called Clié Organizer, the company said. It replicates the basic organizer functions that are a staple of PDA software, such as scheduler and address book, but frees the user from being restricted to entering information in text only and allows handwritten comments, icons and images to be attached and added to organizer pages.

As for hardware, the PDA is based on Sony’s own Handheld Engine processor running at a 123MHz clock speed and PalmSource Inc.’s PalmOS 5.2.1 operating system, according to a Sony statement. It has 32MB of RAM and a color LCD (liquid crystal display) that supports 320-pixel by 480-pixel resolution and 65,536 colors. Interfaces include USB (Universal Serial Bus), infrared, MemoryStick Pro and IEEE802.11b wireless LAN (WLAN).

The camera uses a 310,000-pixel resolution CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) image sensor, which means images up to a maximum resolution of 640 pixels by 480 pixels (VGA) can be taken, and the PDA also has a voice recorder function.

It measures 73.3 millimeters by 121.5 millimeters by 15.7 millimeters and weighs 185 grams. The built-in rechargeable battery has enough power to last 15 days of use, which Sony defines as 30 minutes per day with the LCD backlight switched off. With the backlight switched on, the battery life will be less although Sony doesn’t provide a figure for this case.

The PEG-TJ37 is similar to the PEG-TJ35, which Sony launched in the U.S. last year with the main difference being the addition of a digital still camera function. The camera is similar to that in the PEG-TH55 and offers the same VGA resolution. Other functions and specifications are similar to the PEG-TJ35, such as a Motorola Inc. i.MXL processor running at 200MHz, 32M bytes of RAM, a backlit color TFT LCD panel with 320-pixel by 320-pixel resolution and MP3 player function. The device is roughly the same size, too, and measures 75 millimeters by 113 millimeters by 13.2 millimeters and weighs 145 grams.

The PEG-TH55 and PEG-TJ37 will both launch on Feb. 14 and will be priced at around ¥40,000 ($378) and ¥30,000 respectively, according to the Tokyo company. Overseas launches of each model are planned however release dates are yet to be decided, Sony said.