Sony has finally launched the Clie PDA in Australia. But where other world markets such as the United States and Japan are getting all three Clie models, Sony is testing the Aussie waters by selling just the mid-range model: the PEGT615CG2. If all goes well, you can expect the other Clie models to follow.
In typical Sony fashion, it is distancing the Clie from the rest of the PDA market by referring to it as a PEG (Personal Entertainment organiser).This isn't just a smoke and mirrors gambit however, as the Cli can be used for a lot more than mere organiser functions. Although it runs Palm OS 4.1 and is based on standard PDA technology, such as the DragonBall VZ 33MHz processor favoured by the Palm M505 and Handspring Visor Prism, the Clie takes it all one step further.

Eschewing a lowresolution monochromatic or basic colour display of the standard PDA, the Clie has a 320 x 320 backlit LCD screen which is a delight to look at.The quality of the icons and text is excellent, and JPEGs display with good quality with the preinstalled Picture Gear Pocket software. For third party applications that run on the Palm OS you can toggle the resolution of the Clie back to 160 x 160 mode (the resolution of the Palm), so it can run seamlessly.
When you do this though, you really notice the difference in resolutions: the icons become chunky and you can see the blocks that make up text.

The design of the Clie is excellent.The physical unit fits snugly into the palm, and was designed to operate one handed without the stylus (particularly if you're right handed.) Extraneous buttons have been kept to a minimum.Where your left thumb sits is the ubiquitous Sony jog dial that makes scrolling though icons or menus a breeze, plus an exceptionally helpful 'back' button for jumping back to the previous application.

Aside from the jog dial and the back button, there is only a power button on the front.A quick tap turns the Clie on or off, but a sustained press toggles the display's backlight, saving battery life.With the backlight on, the Clie has one of the brightest handheld displays we've seen.

The top of the unit features a MemoryStick slot for adding extra functionality or storage space to the Clie. It does not utilise MagicGate, so you can use or transfer files with impunity. Aside from storage, the slot is used to clip in a small digital camera (sold separately) and there may be other expansion devices in the future.

Another module arriving soon that attaches to the cradle socket on the bottom of the Cli is an MP3 player that plays music from a MemoryStick (or whatever you can fit on the 4MB flash memory), and a bonus is that it plays MP3 files, not ATRAC3. The Cli comes with 16MB of DRAM, and running just the base OS leaves you 15MB to play with. Filling this void isn't too hard, as the unit has a huge bundle of preinstalled software and applications.These include the standard Palm OS inclusions, plus a load of Sony applications: movie players, picture viewers, world clocks (for the jetset) and more. On the 'toys for the boys' side, you can program the Clie so you can use it as a remote control for your TV, VCR or DVD player.What more do you want?

Darren Ellis