Sony's Clie
The US economy might be responsible for a slump in sales of handheld PCs, yet the new models keep coming. Announced this week are a pair of PDAs that add a few twists to the basic Palm styling and its operating system . Due in the US stores in June, with a UK launch pre dicted for autumn, is Sony's second take on the PDA. The $500 PEG N710C Clie's headline facility is its 320x320 pixel colour screen, which will make graphics and type much clearer.
The PEG N710C, right, also features an audio player that plays back files in both MP3 and Sony's proprietary compression format, ATRAC3. The device is operated via the 3.52S version of the Palm OS and uses Motorola's 33MHz DragonBall VZ processor. Owners can enhance the Clie's specification via its Memory Stick slot. Sony is promising digital cameras, global positioning system and Bluetooth add-ons early in 2002. See www.sony style.com/vaio/clie .
Also due in US stores this month is the $350 HandEra 330 Palm OS-based PDA. The part of the device usually devoted to the Graffiti text input system can be made to disappear, enlarging the screen as a whole. Other facilities include a voice memo system, built-in speakers and two expansion card slots compatible with SD (Secure Digital), MultiMedia and CompactFlash cards. It also features Motorola's 33MHz DragonBall VZ processor. Details at www.handera.com
80s revival
Philips is reviving a friend from the late 80s. The mini 8cm CD format, once used for CD singles but recently featured in Sony's Mavica range of digital cameras, returns on the Philips eXpanium 401 player. According to Philips, music files are burned on to the 8cm discs in the same way as they are on to standard 12cm CD-R/CD-RW discs. Each write-once 8cm disc can store up to 200MB of music, translating to at least three hours of MP3 encoded tunes.
As the new eXpanium is designed exclusively to play back 8cm CDs, it is significantly smaller and lighter than standard CD personals. It boasts an anti-shock mechanism, a dynamic bass boost and is powered by a single AA battery. The eXpanium 401 is expected to retail for around £150, with the discs selling for around £2 each. See www.expanium.philips.com.
Get personal
Panasonic is hoping to grab the lead in the DVD personal cinema market with two new models. The key feature on its £1,000 DVD L70 is the lithium ion battery, which delivers five hours of movies before the screen goes blank.
Other facilities include a seven-inch TFT LCD widescreen, a digital optical audio output compatible with Dolby Digital and DTS surround sound formats and an array of picture-enhancement modes. Owners can listen from the unit's built-in speakers or via headphones. The DVD L70 will not play back CD-R and CD-RW discs, a key feature of Panasonic's second personal DVD player, the £850 DVD-L60. The cheaper model has a 5.8inch TFT widescreen LCD and offers four hours of movie playback from one battery charge. Both will be on sale in the next two weeks. See www.panasonic.co.uk
