Rumor: PC Mall Lists the Sony T415

Posted By: Ed Tuesday, October 16, 2001 3:15:18 PM

PC Mall has jumped the gun on Sony and published details on the Sony Clié T415. However, the handheld described and the price given don't seem to match up. According to the PC Mall page, the T415 is exactly the same as the N760C but for only $290, which is over $200 less than the N760C. It seems unlikely that Sony would be able to make a handheld with a 320 by 320 TFT color screen, MP3 playback, 8 MB of RAM, and a Memory Stick slot for less than $300. If they could, they would totally destroy sales of the N760C, N610C, and probably all other high-end Palm OS handhelds.

Actually, the entry for the T415 is almost word for word the same as the one from the N760C. Either Sony has made some breakthrough that will let them significantly reduce the price of their handhelds or someone at PC Mall just cut and pasted the info for the N760C into a new entry, renamed it the "T415", made some small edits, then accidentally made it available to the general public.

Another strike against the PC Mall info is that, until now, all Clié models with color screens have ended with the letter "C", which the T415 does not.

As the PC Mall page will almost certainly be removed soon, a screen shot of their listing is available.

A few weeks ago, the rcs eshop posted some very brief information on a product it called the Sony Clié T415 B,W. The only details given are that it runs Palm OS 4.1, has a "slim design", and costs $300.

Thanks to rldunn, John Bomba and boomer for the tip. -Ed

Related Information:

Article Comments

 (45 comments)

The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. PalmInfocenter is not responsible for them in any way.
Please Login or register here to add your comments.

Comments Closed Comments Closed
This article is no longer accepting new comments.

Down View Full Comment Thread

Hmm...

msmasitti @ 10/16/2001 3:26:22 PM #
<<or someone at PC Mall just cut and pasted the info for the N760C into a new entry, renamed it the "T415", made some small edits, then accidentally made it available to the general public. >>
This is the only reasonable explanation. I think that if handheld companies could sell handhelds as good as this for $300, then the m100 should be like $30 [:D]. Obviously Sony has something up their sleeve, but, there are no images, details, etc. so it could be phony. Oh well, all we can do is wait. Any ideas on what it will look like? It could be a hi-res monochrome model, or maybe a mono mp3 player, or... oh, the possibilities are endless. Oh well...

-Mario
Sony Clie N610c


RE: Hmm...
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 3:44:37 PM #
In both the product snapshot and product specs, it shows 320x320 color TFT. This could be the real deal!

RE: Hmm...
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 3:48:03 PM #
Why would they make a whole new model? If they could really do it, why not reduce the N760 to $300 and the N610C to $250. I think this is a PCMall **** up.

RE: Hmm...
Boomer @ 10/16/2001 4:07:09 PM #
PC Connection also lists the T415, but for $299 [and no details]

C is for Color...

GregGaub @ 10/16/2001 4:15:39 PM #
Ok, so we know that the C at the end of the model names stands for "Color" device. Assuming that this device name is accurate, it will probably be monochrome. My question is, what in the world does the "T" stand for? For that matter, what does the "N" in front of the 710, 760 and 610 stand for? With a litte more speculation, we might be able to predict more about the device.
T = TFT? Probably not, since it's not color.
T = telephone? Maybe, but have they ever indicated a desire to compete on the phone market? Do they make mobile phones?
T = other... what other ideas do people have, and what does the "N" stand for anyway?!?
-Greg

RE: C is for Color...
Moosecat @ 10/16/2001 4:34:31 PM #
PDABuzz is reporting that Sony dropped the price on the S320 today. Maybe this T415 is a monochrome model that would compete with it.

I don't have a guess about what T stands for. Could be Tomato. Or Tomahto.

RE: C is for Color...
Admin @ 10/16/2001 4:34:42 PM #
Sony does make wireless phone handsets in the Asian & European markets.

---------
Ryan
Editor in Chief
webmaster@palminfocenter.com
RE: C is for Color...
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 4:41:14 PM #
Sony also used to make wireless phones for the US market. I had a Z phone, which was a cute little brick wonder with a fold down mic, it was something like 3 x 2.5 x 1.2. They left the market when things started to get ugly a few years ago.

RE: C is for Color...
Ed @ 10/16/2001 4:41:41 PM #
Moosecat, you must have missed my article on the S320 price drop yesterday morning:
www.palminfocenter.com/view_Story.asp?ID=2435

I've never had a clue what the N or the S stand for. Maybe I'll ask my contact at Sony.

---
News Editor

RE: C is for Color...
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 4:54:34 PM #
T doesnt mean anything. It's like the N and S in N7xx, N610, and S3xx.

RE: C is for Color...
Moosecat @ 10/16/2001 5:30:13 PM #
Sorry, Ed ... I did miss that. More accurately, I looked at it, but at that time the news about the Sony price drop went in one eye and out the other. By the time the laggards at PDABuzz picked up the story, it had renewed relevance due to the T415 story here.

I'll do my penance (three Hail PICs) and put on the dunce cap.

Think thin
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 5:48:48 PM #
My guess is that the T415 is Sony's answer to those (not me) who complain that the Clie is a brick compared to the m50x. We suspect that it's B&W and "thin." Adding that to a price of $299 - that would put it even with the Edge and the street price of the m500 - I come up with a thin Clie. Just like Handspring with the Edge, Sony is jumping on the "thin is in" bandwagon. Let's hope they do it better than Handspring.

RE: C is for Color...
GregGaub @ 10/16/2001 6:33:17 PM #
Duh, "T" is for THIN! I'm so blind.
Heh, maybe "N" is for "Normal"! ;-) and "S" is for "Sucks" (no, just kidding! I know lots of S users who all have great personalities! ;-).

But seriously, it's logical for the T to mean "thin" especially if that's the main marketing point for this device. But, can they really make a thin device with a Memory Stick slot? It's it like 2x the size of SD/MMC?

Russian Site Appears to Confirm Thin Design
Smartmoose @ 10/16/2001 9:03:14 PM #
A Russian Palm Site PalmQ, appears to confirm that the new T415 is a thin design. See their posting at http://www.palmq.ru/article.php?sid=399

If anyone knows Russian, I'd love a translation. When you go to the site, be sure to click on the image which shows a listing from RCSeshop.com and describes the T415 as "thin design." I cound not get the RCS Eshop site to load fully to confirm this listing (damn lag!). It's worth checking out if you can get through.

Oddly enough the site's article links back to PIC!

RE: C is for Color...
Kaitou @ 10/16/2001 9:12:12 PM #
Was going to translate it, but that is just a rehash of the PIC article, the link on the bottom says "Source: Palminfocenter"


N is for New.....
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 10:54:21 PM #
Since they last screwed up on the S model, they need a new code for the upcoming handheld worthy of CLIE's name. What better code to use than N, a "new" beginning!!

Now give me a G800, which stands for "gorgeous".....

RE: C is for Color...
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/17/2001 2:13:19 AM #
How about a "W" for "WHAT THE F**K ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!!!"

RE: C is for Color...
GrouchoMarx @ 10/17/2001 2:31:41 AM #
I'm of the mind that introducing a new 320x320 model with a T-prefix is a deliberate attempt to make life more difficult for journalists. When reviewing a piece of software, do we say "works with the Sony N-series" or "works with the Sony T-series and N-series" or "works with the Sony T415, N610C, N700C, N710C, N750C, N760C, and N770C"...? I think it's a deliberate attempt to confuse the issue, to get people to just say "Sony", and make 320x320 resolution synonimous with Sony and with high-end Palms. They're trying to flood the mindshare market, and leverage that to get a larger foothold in the actual market.

You heard it here first... :-)

RE: C is for Color...
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/17/2001 3:18:18 AM #
>>You heard it here first... :-)

Whats that all about!!


RE: C is for Color...
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/25/2001 8:07:23 PM #
T means Thin.

160 x 160 perhaps?

I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 4:50:04 PM #

Only you'd think that it would still be a 7-series.

RE: 160 x 160 perhaps?
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 5:42:10 PM #
No silly, the 7-series is made in Germany, not Japan. All the BMW drivers could tell you that.

Can click on technical specs also....

I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 4:55:55 PM #
Are these the same as the 610 also?

RE: Can click on technical specs also....
Ed @ 10/16/2001 5:14:23 PM #
The technical specs for the N760C and the T415 are pretty much identical (I was trying to say that in the article). The ones for the N610 are phrased differently.

---
News Editor

Sony T415 - Japanes tactics

I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 5:24:31 PM #
Hey Ed, great job with your site. I'm a regular from Switzerland. As for the down price, check this: isn't that what the japanese are reknowned for? Dumping prices to get competitors out of the biz? I am not being racist or anything, but that is the way of getting the market for yourself. Be cheaper than all others, hold on through the turmoil and then dry out the market to your prefs. Could be what is going on...
Cheers
Cornelis S.
Basel, Siwtzerland

RE: Sony T415 - Japanes tactics
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 6:02:05 PM #
Tactic first started by Microslut

RE: Sony T415 - Japanes tactics
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 11:47:38 PM #
Possibly. I don't think it's confined to Japanese companies though. Any corporation with the muscle that Sony has would try to take advantage of any opportunities. It just so happens that if this is indeed a thin color device, there really is NO reason to get an m505. Not only that, but there's also no reason to get any other monochrome model but the S320 at $169. Man, Sony is making a killing...

MS not included??

I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 5:42:43 PM #
Sony CLIE' T415 Handheld Personal Entertainment Organizer, DragonballVZ 33MHz, 8MB(DRAM) 4MB(FLASH), Palm OS 4.1, TFT

vs.

Sony CLIE' N760C Handheld Personal Entertainment Organizer, DragonballVZ 33MHz, 8MB(DRAM) 4MB(FLASH) 8MB(Memory Stick Media), Palm OS 4.1, TFT, MP3

MS not included??.

Isn't this the one that was listed somewhere else as slim format? T=thin??



RE: MP3 not included either......
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 6:04:57 PM #
Maybe this is why its so cheap. Who wants an MP3 player on their palm when they suck up batteries anyway?

Not only that, I'd rather have a cheaper price and use the savings on buying a larger MS than the previously included 8MB MS.

RE: MS not included??
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 6:16:54 PM #
Actually, I get Excellent Battery life on my Clie. Better even than my other 2 standalone MP3 players.

CNet Posting This As True

I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 6:46:21 PM #
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-7547522.html?tag=mn_hd

RE: CNet Posting This As True
Moosecat @ 10/16/2001 6:57:10 PM #
Criminy... If this is true (and especially if T = thin), the whole Palm/PDA world is about to be thrown asunder. (And my Palm m505 will be about to be thrown away. Kidding.)

Thin .... Hi res color .... sub-$300 ....

[Drool drool drool]

RE: CNet Posting This As True
polymath @ 10/16/2001 7:08:51 PM #
I think this might be a B & W unit with high resolution.

If it's color, I don't see it using 320X320. Why compete with N610C?

Looks like CNET article is based upon the web page put up by PC Mall. If you ever browsed the on-line vendors' web pages, you know how often there are mistakes. I would not put too much stock on this.

320x320, Color, Thin, VFS, and $299...I'll take it!!!!!!!!!!
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 7:25:47 PM #
yipeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!

ED - Can you call your Sony contact to confirm???
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 7:27:30 PM #
Throw your weight around as the OP of the #1 Palm Info site and squeeze them for the info! If that doesn't work, just use your immense personal charm. On second thought, better stick to the first strategy.

RE: CNet Posting This As True
Ed @ 10/16/2001 9:57:58 PM #
Guys, the Cnet article says the exact same thing as this article: that PC Mall posted some details on the T415. In fact, I'd be willing the bet you that the guys from Cnet learned about it by reading this article.

And just because Cnet said it doesn't make it so. I still believe that its impossible for Sony to make a handheld with that feature set at that price. Like polymath said, online retailers put up incorrect info about unreleased products fairly frequently.

Sorry, the Sony rep says the same thing he always says to me when I ask about rumored products, "No comment".

When/If Sony announces the T415, please don't be all pissed off that it isn't what PC Mall described. I would say the odds of PC Mall being correct are less than 5%.

The only thing all the webstores have had in common about this device is the name and that it will cost about $300. I'd expect a mid-range device with mid-range features. Not high-end features with a mid-range price.

Just my $2.

---
News Editor

People takes their wish for granted...
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 10:34:39 PM #
I am sure you're right Ed. Everybody seems to forget that Sony is in that business to make money. What would they do with their inventories of N760C (they just put that model out) or N610c (5 months old)... Do a upgrade program ???

Come on people, nobody will put gifts under the tree before X-Mas.

Solo

Hi-Res, but not color

I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 9:21:58 PM #
You heard it here first. Hi-Res 320x320, but monochrome, not color. A little birdie...

RE: Hi-Res, but not color
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/16/2001 10:17:32 PM #
This would be my prediction as well. The price would fit right. And with Sony's recent reduction in price of their low-res B&W model, it makes sense that they might be releasing a new B&W model.

Scott

Or, maybe...
I.M. Anonymous @ 10/17/2001 10:12:12 AM #
Actually, there's another possibility, if the $300 price is right. It could be a color 160x160 model.

Scott

Top View Full Comment Thread

Account

Register Register | Login Log in
user:
pass:

Latest Comments