First Reports of NR70 in Stores

Get a gameboy.

Is there any online retailers that ship to Canada that have it instock and ready to ship?

I too saw it at datavision. The cashier tried to "upsell" me with a PPC, I got irritated and left without buying the thing. Anyway I want the camera one.

I hope sony pulls the plug on datavision

When the NR70 is open in clamshell mode, can the screen be folded down to nearly flat? It seems that then playing games that need the hardware buttons wouldn't be so bad, even if the bottom part with the keyboard is sticking out. I'd like to hear from someone who has tried playing a game like this, to know if it is really more cumbersome than I imagine it.

How can younger sales market afford $600 gadget? That's a FULL price desktop. if he is a true geek he might as well get a Zaurus at $499 and hack away by himself.

Plus really, what sort of big deal game are available in Palm? another millionth version of tetris or ababall?

So, how many people do we know who buy $3000+ computers just to play games? Plenty. And it's gaming that has driven a majority of the advances in consumer graphics and made the Intel x86 architecture the dominant desktop computing platform. Given this, why is it so silly to have gaming be a major concern for someone buying a PDA? That's reality and should be a design concern for PDA makers or they risk being left behind.

The people at datavision are jerks....they dont know anything, and they will take every opportunity to rip you off. NYC people, dont buy anything from this store.

BTW, the fact that the application buttons are hidden when the screen is folded outward not only sucks when you occasionally want to play a game...but also it makes things more complicated than they should be. It may sound silly, but you actually have to search for those apps in the menu now...and what about those apps that arent jog dial compatable? Ive came across a few. certain apps just require you to use the scroll button (though older).

I think I'll stick with my t615 till OS 5 is released...This PDA is just not practicle, IMHO.

The NR70/70v will be a success though...they are just so unique and cool looking....and they keyboard its pretty comfortable to use.

DataVision Sucks. those salemen in suites think theyre professionals or something. they dont know ****...and if you return something you cant get a full refund.. just a store credit.

I agree about the screen....Freakin amazing. The first thing I noticed was how viberant the red part of the hot sync icon was. Also, grafitti recognition is supurb. I didnt miss a letter, or write a 'O' when I really wanted an 'Q' once.

PLEASE SONY PLEASE release a non-flip pda with virtual grafitti and a screen as viberant and amazing as the NR series'.

A hardcore PC gamer might have a $3000 machine, but most likely he build it himself and the cost was spread over individual components over time instead of actually "buying" a $3000 machine.

anyway back to palm, Palm is definitely lacking a 'fuller' gaming experiance. simply from the fact it is so limited in screen, sound, hardware power, and OS API. (bla bla bla...same old stories)

They should fix that, specially in light of how 30% or Palm retail softwares are actually games.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - in the US the video games industry makes more money that the movie industry and the record industry combined (SOURCE: The Economist).

The sold software for Palm OS devices is games (SOURCE: Palm).

Sega have just annouced they will be release games for the Palm (SOURCE: Sega).

The NR70 is about convergance (SOURCE: Sony), it is a 2.5G device (using IR or a BlueTooth memory stick).

The single most important new revenue generator for 2.5G and 3G network operators is *games* (SOURCE: Vodafone, Orange). [This is closely followed by gambling and pornography.]

Games are very serious business. Why do you think Gameboys are so popular? The generate so much business that camers have had color handled games consoles for over a decade!

As for "Who spends 3000 USD on a PC for games?" well I did. Infact I spent 3000 UKP (which is over 4,300 USD).

I'm 22, own a m500 w/BlueTooth, and a T39m and and seriously considering simply getting an m515 instead of waiting for an NR70 because of the button issue (though I will give the NR70 a try when it comes out, and see if it is as alkward as it first seems).

...Though to be honest, the fact that my camera and G4 laptop support non-propriatory SD cards and so does the Palm is a factor - as is that BT MS are still not availible in London yet.

The price however, doesn't bother me at all and the placement of the buttons is still the biggest issue I have with it (though I will not judge it until I have tried it).

right. And remember the push for 2Ghz cpu's is also mainly about 1 thing and 1 thing only - games. Games are the only applications on home systems that require more and more horsepower. period. Only the tiniest fraction of people would use their home system, for anything that requires this kind of performance aside from games (3D games chew processor cycles like nothing else).

Hehehe, I used to work at their 'sister' company, RCS Inc. They used to have three stores, now they only have two I believe...

Anyway, don't buy ANYTHING from EITHER store. Complete criminals. If they say they've got "one more" in the stockroom, they're selling you a display. Many times I had to take a display model, strip the gunk with alcohol, etc. and repackage it to look like new. Not to mention their shady dealings, having TWO different names for the SAME store to get MORE product from companies! There was even an incident a while back at the now-closed location involving a heist of around 30 brand-new, top of the line IBM servers - and it ended up being an INSIDE job. Guess where the guy that was the prime suspect is now? Working at Datavision. Funnnny.

If you go ANYwhere, you're actually BETTER off going to the RCS location on 56h and Madison, just KNOW what you want. WAlk in and get it, don't talk to ANYone, get a RECEIPT, and INSPECT YOUR PURCHASE RIGHT AWAY!

Watch out for both those stores!

OMG!!!!!!!!!! RCS is part of DataVision!!!!!! no wonder!!! The people at RCS are ratbastards...I remember i bought the N series classic case for my S320 last summer because they ASSURED it would fit...guess what happened when i got home?????? THE VELCRO COVERED THE RESET BUTTON! And the RCS people didnt want to return it...only offer me store credit...GRRR!

STAY AWAY FROM RCS AND DATAVISION!!! Wait for the CompUSA (or anyother reputable electronics store) to carry the NR series if you are in NYC and want that PDA...at least those people are A**holes.

for those who only see demo version of NR70, I feel sorry for you if you really THINK that is NR70...
I got mine in Japan and played it for about 3 weeks.
I feel this model is good except for its size and battery life.
For gaming, I don't have problem while your NR70 left open. And also it depends on which games you play, some games did need your stylus anyway. Several Hi-res games are available. They really looks great.

For normal Flat PDA mode, I did have same impression like the very first comment when I first play around. However, there is one hack able to utilize the very bottom-status bar to emulate those four hard buttons, up and down buttons. Maybe more for later release of the hack. That does help a lot.

I think the most excited part about NR70 is its Screen Size....after you swtich to its Full screen, you will know what I am talking about. Several applications, like iSilo, ActionName, supported this 320X480 mode (sorry you won't see built-in applicatons in NR70, therefore, until you buy it, install it, an use it. You will see what I am talking). One other application can change those non-320X480 applications into 320X480 mode. That's really amazing.

anyway, there are more after you really installed your software. If you only use built-in applications in NR70 to judge the conclusion, you won't really apprecate it in $500.....

I'm one of those that wouldn't even consider the NR series because of the button placement. I may be over 30, but that doesn't mean I don't like games! My Clie is not only a portable office, but portable entertainment when I am on the road, whether it's books to read, MP3s to listen to, or games to play. I could probably restrict myself to games that don't use the buttons (like Bejeweled) but there is another problem with the NR in terms of games and that's battery life. Games with any amount of animation really sap batteries on my 710C, which has twice the battery life of the NR units. I'd hate to think of how little playtime I would get with those.

For you gamers out there - this clamshell design DOES NOT mean you have to give up gaming on your PDA! I actually like this setup better instead of holding a top-heavy PDA with no support at the bottom, on the NR70, the keyboard part actually 'hooks' under the fat part of the base of your palm, providing even more support! All you have to do is hold the buttons as you would on any traditional PDA (as if the section with the buttons is the bottom of the device). The whole apparatus isn't even that much taller, since the keyboard part slides in between your wrists where an empty space used to be. I just played Zap! and this setup works perfectly. I cannot BELIEVE how well thought out this device is.

Trust me, it is as gamer-friendly (if not moreso) than any CLIE before it. And it's not like this is the first CLIE to lack a 4-way directional (in fact, how many Palm OS devices even have this?).

...until you overclock the NR70 to 80+ Mhz

Without a VGA output built-in (or even available), it's not very useful as a presentation tool.