Sony's NX70v is one wicked cool device. But does it fully deliver as a Palm OS 5 handheld? Larry Garfield takes a look at Sony's first Palm OS 5 device and says... mostly.
While some of Sony's handhelds are flashy without breaking any new ground, Sony is also responsible for some of the biggest changes in Palm OS form factor. Case in point is the CLIE PEG-NX70v, one of Sony's high-end clamshell models. The cool factor and feature factors on this gem are high, but there are a few issues that make us pause.
Design
The CLIE NX70v, as well as its little brother the NX60, use the length-wise clamshell design first seen on the CLIE NR70v. The device flips open almost like a flip-phone (although a wrist snap is a bad way to try and open it), to reveal a 320x480 screen on the top half and the standard Palm buttons and a keyboard on the bottom half. The casing is all brushed metal with a slightly rough feel to it. When open, top flap sits back at approximately a 120-degree angle. When closed, the overall device measures a 13.9 x 7.3 x 2.4 cm and weighs a chunky 226 grams. Part of that size and weight is due to the included Sony Wi-Fi card slot in back. More on that later.
 | The NX70v uses a novel twisting clamshell design
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Once opened, the top flap can also swivel around 180 degrees clockwise, causing the screen to invert vertically. When the device is then closed, the screen is right side up to the user and can be used as a tablet instead of a clamshell. There are two catches to this otherwise clever design, however. First, any moving part is inherently fragile, especially swivel joints. Turning the screen counterclockwise is a very good way to damage the circuitry of the connection. Second, when in "tablet mode" the screen covers up the application buttons and directional arrows.
The screen itself is, as one would expect from Sony, terrific. Colors are crisp and clear and the refresh rate is terrific. The NX70v is also one of few Palm OS devices to have a virtual Graffiti area, using a Sony proprietary API. The virtual Graffiti area allows for handwriting echo as well as larger display areas in programs that do not need textual input.
The application buttons are all on the lower half of the device, right near the flip joint. Each button is flat and round, with its corresponding application silk-screened onto it, and slightly sunken. The directional buttons are both semi-circular and also slightly sunken. The arrangement, however, is a bit unusual. Instead of one straight line, the application buttons form a smiley-face shape around the directional buttons. While it may be cute, it's also terrible for gaming. On the left side of the bottom half are the standard Sony scroll wheel and back buttons, as well as a hold switch for the audio player.
The hinge itself is mostly part of the lower half of the case. It includes the large rectangular power button, which always faces towards the user, and on the NX70v it also includes the small swivel camera. On the left side of the hinge is a large Capture button for the camera. These latter two features are only present on the NX70v, not the NX60, and are the only hardware difference between the two.
The camera itself is a small swivel cam that rotates from its closed and protected position up to face the user or away from the user. It's essentially a toy, with a still image resolution of only 640 x 480 pixels. It can also record low-res video clips with limited audio. Camera and camcorder makers need not feel threatened by this model.
There are two LEDs on the hinge, one on the power button and one next to it. The one on the power button glows green when the device is on, and orange if the device is charging. When the device is fully charged the light shuts off. The other is the Record light, which glows red if the camera is in video capture mode. There is also a "busy" light next to the Memory Stick slot.
One of the NX70v's most eye-catching features is its thumbboard. Each of the keys in the modified US QWERTY keyboard layout are round and made of silicone or plastic. They are easy enough to press, but spaced a little widely. Most keys serve triple duty as upper-and lower-case characters as well as numbers and symbols via an Fn key. There are also Ctrl and Alt keys, although what purpose an Alt key serves we don't know, and four directional keys. Sadly, there is only one shift key, in the bottom left. Overall the thumbboard isn't bad, but it's not the best we've used.
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