VisorCentral.com (http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/index.php)
- Visor & Deluxe (http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/forumdisplay.php?forumid=1)
-- traded-in VDX for Clie PEG-S320 (http://discussion.visorcentral.com/vcforum/showthread.php?threadid=17269)

traded-in VDX for Clie PEG-S320

I traded my workhorse Graphite VDX in for a Sony Clie PEG-S320 via the Best Buy Performance Protection Plan option (when I bought the VDX I paid $60 extra for the Plan, which allows me to upgrade to another comparably-priced device at any time during a three-year period if my current device becomes defective in any way).

Let me say up front that I'm writing this to assist anyone who might be considering the move I made. There was no info on the Internet concerning a VDX - to - Clie PEG-S320 conversion, so I'm providing it here. My VDX served me well and I really liked it, but switching to the Clie made sense for me, as I'll explain below.

For those who don't know, the PEG-S320 is the new monochrome version scheduled to replace the original monochrome Clie. Rather than do an exhaustive review of the PEG-S320, I'll simply list the pros/cons of VDX vs. PEG S-320 (from my perspective, of course). This comparison ultimately led me to make the switch.

VDX:

Pros:

--nice sized screen for viewing data
--nice looking (in graphite)
--good scalloped app buttons
--AA batteries
--springboard (though I didn't use it)

Cons:

--clunky snap-on cover
--too heavy to carry in front pants pocket
--annoying quality control issues (crooked screen, loose/shifting glass panel)
--older Palm OS, not updateable (not a huge deal, but still annoying to me vis-a-vis out-of-the-box web clipping)
--poor screen brightness
--springboard modules somewhat bulky

Clie PEG-S320

Pros:

--smaller and MUCH lighter than VDX. Can carry in front pants pocket easily
--Casing is silver plastic, which may annoy some Visor Platinum owners who have had paint rub-off problems, but I like the plastic casing b/c it reduces overall weight of device. Paint quality is superior.
--Flip cover is Star Trek communicator like cloth with hard insert. Connection on top of Clie is a bit bulky and may wear out long term, but this is a great solution: just flip back, remove stylus, do your work, flip forward. One negative here: cover does not "snap" to Clie front in any way and so could twist/move during transport. Not a big deal for me since I don't treat my PDA roughly.
--As expected, great Sony quality control. Nice looking device.
Palm OS 4.0
--fabulous backlit screen resolution (still 160x 160, but it's now bright)
--Memory stick is tiny/compact.

Cons:

--smaller screen means smaller font. Could be problematic for those with poor vision. I have pretty poor vision and I find that the enhanced backlit screen makes up for the smaller fonts/screen real estate.
--app buttons are pretty tiny and require some getting used to. If you're clumsy with these buttons, you may become annoyed with scroller espec.
--flip cover doesn't affix to front (with velcro or whatever). I may do a micro-velcro deal to hold it in place but so far no probs. It fits nicely in place. Also, the hardware used to hold flip cover in place (plastic clips) may wear out longer-term.
--hotsync cradle NOT included. You get a cable only. Cradle will cost you $50 extra which could be a problem for some users who sync regularly. I don't, so not a problem for me.
--rechargable l-ion. Not wild about it, but it's monochrome, so battery life should be good. However, without cradle, charging the device and sync-ing it require separate cables. A pain for hotsync-o-holics.

Installing Clie Palm Desktop, making the switch:

Sony's manuals are not the best. They recommend removing existing Palm desktop install before doing the Sony install, but I didn't want to get into having to recreate my account, so:

did full backupbuddy sync before I actually traded in the VDX
copied complete contents of my Palm directory to a safe location
installed Palm Desktop for Clie directly over top of existing Handspring install. No problems. My account was recognized and I had everything copied to the Clie in minutes.

DISCLAIMER: Just because this worked for me does not mean it's Gospel. Sony does not recommend it in the documentation, but their documentation was confusing to begin with and they do not address Handspring-to-Sony conversions at all. My setup: WIN 98/SE running on Dell 266 Pentium laptop (no jokes, please).

Again, I describe how I switched because I could not find any info on the 'Net (or Sony's website) explaining how to make the VDX-to-Clie switch. Just make sure you back everything up before you upgrade. Better safe than sorry.

**Note to Datebk4 users: Bug in the program as used under Palm OS 4.0. Right-most icons on appt/to-do line are "dead" and do not respond to taps. A beta release of datebk4.0e is available from Pimlico and it fixes this problem, among others. This release also "activates" the jog wheel on the Clie, adding many nice features. Pimlico says the beta release is quite stable and I have no reason to doubt them.

Cheers,

/Steelkilt

You dont sync often or use springboards? hmm. thats not exactly the demographic was expecting would frequent a visor forum... good comparison though.

__________________
-thorin

I have a webcomic. You should read it, or I may do something rash. <b><a href=http://driveby.keenspace.com/>Drive-by Loitering</a></b> is updated every monday, wednesday and friday.

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