Sony CLIE PEG-S320 Handheld

Download Clie S320 Manual

SONY CLIE PEG-S320

Perhaps no Palm OS licensee has pushed the Palm OS to its limits, and in many cases beyond, than Sony. In the past, Sony has tweaked the OS to add support for digital music and higher-resolution displays. Sony's CLIE PEG-S320 eases off the throttle a bit, however, in an attempt to appeal to more price-conscious consumers.

The S320 features a standard 160 x 160 grayscale display and lacks the hardware to produce stereo sound. The S320, however, debuts at several hundred dollars less than the S300's initial price.

The S320's 8MB of RAM and 33MHz Dragonball processor are current Palm OS maximums. Palm OS 4.05 resides in 4MB of flash memory. The use of flash memory means Sony can provide users with OS upgrades in the future. Sony estimates about 15 days of battery life from the S320's Li-Ion battery.

Like other CLIEs, the PEG-S320 features Sony's Jog Dial for navigating the device with one hand. There are more applications now compatible with the Jog Dial, but we still wish we could use the dial to exit an application and select a new one. A Memory Stick expansion slot is available, but unlike other models, the S320 doesn't bundle a Memory Stick.

The PEG-S320 includes software to view images and video clips. I don't mind the image software so much, but I've never been a fan of palm-sized video and won't be until someone introduces a killer app that works within a palm-sized computer's limited storage resources. Palm-sized video is even sillier on a device with a low-resolution grayscale display and no sound.

Although gMovie is more of a curiosity than a useful application, Sony does bundle other applications with the PEG-S320, including Race Fever, Bejeweled, AcidSolitaire, Rand McNally StreetFinder, AvantGo, Pocket Vineyard, and Vindigo.

The S320 has all the basics you'd expect from a Palm OS device, plus a nice entertainment bundle to boot, but I think the model will appeal primarily to those who already own Memory Stick devices.

SONY CLIE PEG-S320 Key Features

Operating System Palm OS
Processor 33 MHz Motorola DragonBall VZ
Installed Memory 8 MB
Display 2-bit (4 gray levels) Monochrome LCD
Technical Features
Processor Type Motorola DragonBall VZ
Processor Speed 33 MHz
Input Method Jog Dial • Touch Screen
Interface Type USB • Infrared
PDA Special Features Sound Notification
Expansion Slot Memory Stick Slot
Display
Display Technology Monochrome LCD
Screen Resolution 160 x 160
Color Depth 2-bit (4 gray levels)
Multimedia
Built-in Music Player Without MP3 Player
Communication
Wireless Capabilities Infrared irDA
Battery
Battery Type Proprietary Lithium
Dimensions
Width 2.88 in.
Depth 0.59 in.
Height 4.63 in.
Weight 4.27 oz.
Release Date Q2, 2001

Download Clie S320 Manual

Installation CD Available