When the SJ33 was announced and rumors of an SJ22 surfaced, many of us naturally assumed that they'd share the new flip-lid form-factor. Surprise! The SJ22 is basically identical to the earlier SJ30 (with its great hires color screen), but is clad in the subtly different SJ20 casing. There is one significant difference between the two models however; while the SJ30 debuted at $300, the list price of the SJ22 is $200.

Because PIC already reviewed the SJ30 in August 2002, we'll refer readers to the SJ30 Review instead of repeating our comments on the design, hardware and general impressions here.

Software: The only other main difference between the "new" SJ22 and the earlier SJ30 is the included software: the SJ22 doesn't have Docs-to-Go, and substitutes Kinoma instead of gMovie for movie viewing.

In addition to the core Palm OS applications, the standard suite of Clie programs are included [PictureGear, PhotoStand, Clie Mail, Clie Paint, World Alarm Clock, various utilities] plus a good selection of trial third-party applications.

The "S"-series: Its not easy to keep track of the ever-changing Clie lineup, but we try :-)

Last year, the Clie entry-level lineup consisted of three models: the SL10, SJ20 and SJ30 priced at $150, $200 and $300. The "Spring '03" lineup drops the SL10, shifts the other devices down a notch, and introduces the souped-up SJ33 while maintaining the 150/200/300 price spread.

With the SL10 gone, so is the option of a Clie that uses AAA batteries. What won't be missed is its screen, which suffered from poor contrast and slow refresh. The SJ20 provides a much better greyscale screen at the bottom end.

At the top of the line, the SJ33 66MHz adds audio and a fresh new design (see this PIC article for more).

And sitting in the middle: the SJ30, err sorry... the SJ22, with hardware specs very comparable to the T615C, introduced 14 months ago at $400. In that light, the SJ22 represents a lot of bang for the buck.

[ I'll refrain from a rant about Clie model naming conventions, but why wasn't the SJ22 called the SJ31? And with its new design, why not call the SJ33, the SR30 or something? ]

Family Affair With the introduction of the new TG50 expected to replace the T665C, the SJ-series become the only Clies using the Dragonball/OS4. The rest alll use ARM/OS5.

16MB RAM is now standard across all lines, but ironically, the SJ have ~15MB usable, while the TG and NX/NZ have only 11MB (due to 4MB being reserved for extra dynamic heap). To compensate, the OS5 devices are compatible with the faster, higher-capacity Memory Stick PRO media. The SJ-series are not, and are restricted to regular purple and the forthcoming 'Select' MemorySticks.

Another feature that the SJs lack is the "enhanced" Ir which allows control of Home Theatre gear. Also, instead of a cradle, a connector plug and USB and power cables are substituted.

A cradle is available for purchase seperately, as are numerous other accessories like the Audio adapter, GameController, Mini- and Compact Keyboards, Bluetooth MS, Camera MS and the skinny styluses. The cost of these relative to the device may mean that few owners will take this "incremental upgrade" path.

The SJ22 is a very capable handheld with a fantastic screen. At $200 it sets the benchmark for a PalmOS entry-level color handheld. Of course, we don't expect the other Licensees to stand still...

RATING: 7.6 / 10
Design:		compact size, decent buttons
Features:		well-rounded, healthy RAM
Screen:		crisp, bright, evenly-lit
Battery:		rechargeable; acceptable life
Value:		great PDA for two bills

Clie SJ22 Product Homepage

© 2003 Dan Royea, PalmInfoCenter

Sony Clie SJ22 Review http://www.palminfocenter.com/news/5104/sony-clie-sj22-review/

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