Sony CLIE PEG-SL10 Handheld

This is my 2nd PDA - my first being a Handspring Visor Deluxe. I wanted something that had a somewhat better display and had better memory expandability. And while color would have been a nice feature to have, it was not something I needed to spend the extra money on.

The hi-res display is really sweet !! Letters are no longer "blocky" looking. It just has a nicer, smoother look to it. The size & weight is fine for me - I'm not looking for something that will fit in my wallet - and its much smaller than my Visor anyway. The cover is adequate, and I may ultimately opt for a more protective case in the future. The buttons on the front are just fine (a little smaller than the standard Palm or Handspring buttons). Overall, this unit feels solid. I had read an article on another website where people were complaining that the touch screen on this unit wasn't very responsive. Me personally, I did not find this to be the case (but this could be a subjective issue from person to person).

But aside from the new hi-res display, what really drew me to this model was 1) the ability to use standard Sony Memory Sticks, and 2) the Jog Wheel & Back Button on the side - this was a brilliant move by Sony to add this to the unit. Its like using the scroll wheel on a mouse. You just scroll to the item you want selected, and then just press the wheel.

My only criticism with this unit does have to do with the display. In a room with softer lighting, the display is a little hard to read. For me, this is minor because I don't mind using the backlight feature. Yeah, using the backlight draws more battery power. But I always keep a healthy stock of batteries in my house anyway and won't mind changing the batteries a little more often. And the display looks GREAT with the backlight on !! But I could see this being an issue with some people.

Compare all the other PDA's on the market in this price class. Personally, I don't think any of them will come close to what you get with this Sony. This price class is typically for the "entry level" PDA. But I do not consider this Sony to be an "entry level" unit. BUT, before you buy this model, I do recommend seeing it firsthand to determine if the display is to your liking, because I can see some people NOT liking it.


An *excellent* PDA, a fantastic value...   September 4, 2002
Jose Sierra (Boca Raton, FL USA)
26 out of 27 found this review helpful

I've owned 4 PDA's in my time, and have had extensive experience with everything from a PalmPilot Professional (my first), to the Handspring Visor Edge (my most recent before the SL10). Here's the scoop:

It does everything that you need it to do. It handles all the software, has enough memory to hold all the dates and addresses you're likely to need, and is *very* compact. It's solidly built (unlike the Handspring units, which feel flimsy and fragile - and are flimsy and fragile), very light, and the interface is the standard Palm. It easily fits in a pocket unobtrusively, and is so light you can barely feel it in there.

The jogwheel and back button are *ridiculously* amazing additions to the interface, and I can honestly say that while I thought it was kind of gimmicky in the past (the jogwheel has been featured on many Sony products), now that I'm using it, it's downright indispensable. It allows for excellent one-handed operation.

It's b&w, but colour, in my experience, is pretty useless in a PDA (except to suck battery life). The screen is clear, crisp, high-res, and is clear in all lighting conditions. The backlight is also excellent, and provides clear operation in near-dark to dark conditions.

Graffiti recognition seems to be enhanced, perhaps because of the higher-res screen. I find that there's less backspacing (if at all), even when powering through notes. It comes with an excellent set of included software, most of which is utterly useless for the most part, but with a few gems (the drawing program is quite nice). Also, the memory-stick utilities are excellent.

The memory-stick capabilities are also yet another compelling quality in this PDA. You really will be hard-pressed to use the 8mb of onboard RAM, but why pay more for 16mb when you have near-infinite storage? Very nice.

All of this for around [price]. There's simply nothing on the market that can compete at that price-point. Honestly, this PDA competes with *much* higher-priced units for sheer usability and convenience. It fills a niche for a disposable PDA; I'm not afraid to lose it or handle it (unlike a [price] PDA, where it's a ritual to use, and you're always afraid that it'll break, or fall, or whatever.) If anything happens to it, your data is backed up and you simply pick up another one. At that price, it becomes a secondary data-retrieval device, much like a cel phone, instead of a high-priced toy.

The only caveat is that it's battery-operated (as opposed to the Lithium Ion rechargeables out there.) Personally, I'd prefer a rechargeable, but it adds a *lot* more weight, and the unit lasts a good two weeks with constant use, so it's not bad.

For an excellent PDA with functionality, convenience, and style, the SL10 is, in my opinion, the finest choice on the market. After a month of operation, I am both impressed and happy with my decision to purchase this unit.


Great Budget Palm PDA   August 18, 2002
22 out of 22 found this review helpful

the choice between Palm OS and Pocket PC was a tough one for me to make. PPC has built in MP3 and video while having little battery life. Palms are typically half the price (at least this one is)and it still does Microsoft word and excel like a PPC. Past that the unit is great, ive gotten about 20 hrs of life out of the FACTORY batteries, though some might want to have internal Li-ion batts, just so theres less hassle, but with traveling away from a syncable pc, and AAAs everywhere, it seem fine to me. the display is sorta hard to read in dim light, though outdoors and brightly lit indoor areas are fine. the backlight provides a lot of illumination with very little extra battery drain (great for playing solitare or reading emials in bed. the only qualm i have is sony hasnt made screen protectors and they say there arnt any on the horizon, so im goin to have to find some that fit, regardless of what they were meant to go on. Oh and the fact that the sync cradle is "optiona: for [more money] (?) seems like a money making ploy to me. the cable works fine, its just a pain to plug in that little hole in the side, plus pocket lit may get jammed up in there as well, but thats true for all open spaces. I have yet to used the Memeory stick slot, but it and the jog dial and back button are just little extra perks. For [the money], this is a great little sleek Palm PDA for those who just need to know when and where to be, without the snazzy color or MP3 or video features(those these are expansion options from sony)


Excellent for a first handheld   October 29, 2002
19 out of 19 found this review helpful

So far, I've been very impressed with what is basically a bargain-priced PDA.
It's got all the features that any low priced Palm model would have, and the high resolution screen is a nice step up from the basic 160x160 resolution on the Palm line of PDAs.
Haven't had the chance to test out the memory stick function, but I'm sure it works fine like any other type of expansion offered on any other handheld. The Graffiti input for the text gets the characters right most of the time but for Microsoft Word document creation (with the included software) I'd get the Sony keyboard add on that lets you use this PDA like a basic word processing laptop.
All in all, with the software included and a keyboard add on this PDA is a great replacement for a laptop if you only need some specific functions. I use it to take notes in class and work on all kinds of papers and thus far it has saved me over [$$$] compared to what I would have paid for a laptop that lets me do all the things that this Sony Clie does.


Last PDA made to run on AAA batteries.   August 6, 2003
superman2k3 (On a sunny beach!)
18 out of 18 found this review helpful

That's correct, this is the last PDA made to run on AAA batteries. All future ones would be running on a propreitary Lithium Ion battery. LiIon dies in 2 yrs time leaving you with a dead PDA. And replacing LiIon batteries is not easy or economical either. Yeah I know the technology changes a lot with time, but to throw away a working device just because its battery died is stupid. (All cell phone & laptop makers sell replacements for their battery packs, why not PDA makers?)

So after that rant about LiIon batteries back to the PDA review. The major pro's are,
1. Low price and still good build quality.
2. Looks good, small size, light weight and a very nice flip cover included.
3. Jog dial and memory stick expansion slot.
4. HiRes display and backlight (unlike Zire).
5. 6-7 hrs of battery life on a pair of NiMH AAA with backlight on all the time. AAA batteries can be found in easily in most stores for replacement.
6. Runs Palm OS 4 which has zillion free apps available and is very easy to use unlike Windows based PDA's.
7. Good set of bundled applications.
8. Comes with a simple non-propreitary USB cable. No bulky charger, cradle or other stuff to worry about on trips.

Con's,
1. The LCD is a bit dark for use in medium lighting conditions (although good in bright and in dark).
2. Eats batteries much faster than old Palm's which ran like weeks on a single set.
3. No other fun stuff like mp3 or color screen, but then look at its price!

In short if you want to get a PDA which will do basic stuff and keep running for a few yrs get a SL10 (found only refurbished or on ebay). All the new color PDA's will come with a LiIon battery which becomes a pain after one year of use when their charge capacity decreases. (Other AAA based ones that can be still found are Visor Edge/Deluxe and Palm iiixe.)