Need a basic PDA with some thrills? Anthony Newman invites you to inspect the somewhat uneven yet more capable sibling of Sony's CLIE PEG-TJ27: the PEG-TJ37.
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Sony's CLIE line continues to evolve, with the latest models sporting cameras across the board, even on relatively low-end devices. One such model is the PEG-TJ37, an updated example of Sony's pocketable basic philosophy.
 | The PEG-TJ37 chalks up points for its innovative camera integraion
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Design
Crafted from silver plastic, the PEG-TJ37 is small and stocky, giving an impression of robust quality that makes it ideal for dropping in a pocket or handbag. Indeed, with the included cloth flipcover attached and the particular choice of proportions for this device, the TJ37 reminds one of nothing more than a little black address book - and there's nothing more rugged than that.
Measuring 13.2 x 11.3 x 7.5 cm and weighing 145 g, the TJ37 is almost indistinguishable from the aforementioned address book in size and weight, too, which is just perfect for a PDA. It sits well in the hand, and is instantly familiar thanks to its very conventional layout.
A square screen occupies the front face of the device. It runs at Sony's usual 320 x 320 resolution, in 16-bit colour. Although not as impressive in brightness, colour or resolution as the company's extended-resolution (320 x 480) devices, we were more than happy with the screen and its touchscreen layer, although we were disappointed with the hard Graffiti area after the revelation of soft input. However, no display feels nice while using Sony's toothpick stylus, which remains sadly unchanged from recent models.
Also unchanged is Sony's preference for pretty, but nearly unusable, buttons. Below the screen lies a central jog roller for scrolling, which is flanked by two horizontal direction buttons. These give next to no feedback, but feel positively excellent in comparison with the two pairs of application buttons. These tiny silver bars make a useful click, but have very little movement and are totally indistinct from each other and from the surrounding surface. When will Sony learn?
The button situation is completed by the now-usual power slider / hold switch, on the lower-right of the side, but also by a camera lens cap cover discretely located on the bottom edge. Finally, the shutter button for the camera is placed so that, when the CLIE is held with the display towards the user, like a digital camera, the button sits naturally for taking a photo. Handy.
A single LED sits on the top of the TJ37 to show power, alert and charging status, with another on the bottom edge to indicate a Wi-Fi connection.
The handheld features a headphone jack for audio, a speaker and 3rd party AeroPlayer software for MP3 playback. Although not the best we've experienced, the inclusion of audio in a low-end handheld is appreciated.
Connectivity
Memory expansion is offered the form of a full-size Memory Stick Pro slot complete with handy internal dust-flap. Desktop connectivity is offered in the form of the typical Sony tangle of wires, with included dongle, two-part AC adaptor and sync cable. No cradle is provided.
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