Sony Discounts High End Handhelds
After a recent $50 price reduction, Sony is now offering an additional $50 off with a mail in rebate. The offer applies to Sony's higher end Clie's, the NX80, NX73 and the UX series. Also, the VR100K Clie video recorder has started to ship.
After the previous price reductions and current rebate, the UX50 can be bought for $599 and the UX40 now retails for $499 USD from SonyStyle. The NX80 is down to $499 while the NX73 is reduced to $399. SonyStyle is also offering free standard shipping.
The rebate is good from October 31st until January 3rd, 2004. The offer applies to a purchase of a PEG-NX80V, PEG-NX73V, PEG-UX50 or PEG-UX40 CLIÉ Handheld. See SonyStyle for more.
They can be ordered directly from SonyStyle.com. You can also use our comparison shopper to find an even lower price from another source.
About the UX50 and UX40
The models have a mini laptop like design with a large swivel screen, digital camera and built in keyboard. The PEG-UX50 has both integrated in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless, while the UX40 only includes Bluetooth. Read the full PalmInfocenter review here.
Clie Video Recorder Ships
In related news, reports have come in that pre-orders of Sony's Clie Video recorder have begun to ship. The VR100K Video Recorder can record hours off television and video onto a memory stick in a format optimized for Clie handhelds that run Palm OS 5. The accessory retails for $299 and should also be in retail outlets soon.
Thanks to Madeline for the tip!
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RE: Sluggish Sales?
RE: Sluggish Sales?
RE: Sluggish Sales?
Where did you find the T³ selling for $250?
RE: Sluggish Sales?
The TE is a stocking stuffer at that price.
RE: Sluggish Sales?
I still don't see how a $60 rebate brings the T3 price down to $250. Is this the New Math?
The TE is a stocking stuffer at that price.
Nice to hear you're so generous. And to think I was just expecting some coal...
RE: Sluggish Sales?
Coal in *your* stocking? Never! I was planning on something that glows in the dark.
Sony Business Plan
1. Introduce nice new cutting-edge unit
2. Price unit 35% too high
3. Make sure it uses only Memory Schtick
4. Reduce price because of slow sales to 25% too high
5. Reduce price again to 20% too high
6. Stop production
7. Go to Step 1.
Addendum: Do this 10 times a year...
We are at Step 5 now with the UX series, I believe.
RE: Sony Business Plan
RE: Sony Business Plan
RE: Sony Business Plan
Amen to that. I'd like to think they DO have one coming out by Christmas so I won't have to think about buying SD cards and losing the cash spent on MSs I won't be able to use anymore.
RE: Sony Business Plan
We'll have to wait and see .....
RE: Sony Business Plan
RE: Sony Business Plan
What if THAT is the reason for all the price reductions?
Yeah, yeah I know nobody is suposed to have a finalized OS6 yet from palmsource, but I would not be shocked given Sonys recent os6 talk as of late.
RE: Sony Business Plan
Haven't heard of anything as bad as Palm's T3 frying expensive SD cards with Sony's PDA. Thats a major flaw in their R&D before T3's release I think. If my card was fried, I'd be pi$$$$ed...
================================
PDAs rule the world !
RE: Sony Business Plan
RE: Sony Business Plan
I know I'm opening up a can of worms but what's with ppl not liking MS because it's proprietary?
I'll understand if you dislike it because it doesn't do this or can't do that... but just because it's proprietary?
Are you guys all on Linux? Palm OS is proprietary...
Geez...
It's a matter of choice... MS is just another option. Like SD and CF... Is SD that much better? in what way besides the fact that it is open technology?
$$$
But yeah, Costco has the UX40 for $450. Tempting no?
I would stop pining away for a camera too.. 2 bird w/ 1
stone. But alas, the stupid MS.
The lack of SDIO 802.11b is rather annoying. Not that
I would buy San Dick stuff. Why not? They have a bad
history (not just reputation).
decisions, decisions. I think w/ costco's great satisfaction
guarantee policy, I'm gonna go for the UX40. (They only
have the TT2).
P.S. Was gonna get the TT3 & Canon SD100... but so many
kodak moments missed.... But hey that would have cost $700
guess I'm going SONY (fingers crossed
RE: Sony Business Plan
I use Graffiti 1 on the T3 and can write while walking & talking (on my T68i) plus the photos are so much better with my Canon IxusII. If you have trouble with graffiti (1 or 2) and want to sit at a desk & use the keyboard then theres no doubt that the UX has one of the best Palm keyboards.
Ive still have a T665 plus 2 portable charge units and a black toothpic - it had a battery life that makes the T3 look excellent - I'm reluctant to sell it to anyone I consider a friend.
Just stop dithering and buy the T3 to enjoy now - if Sony comes out with a better device that suits european hands and your needs then buy that - be a good consumer and enjoy today!
UX40=big mistake
was annoyed that there was absolutely no mac support.
the review at pic said you can buy mac support but
i couldn't find it. any pointers ppl?
+webbrowsing was cool.
+can send files (including pics & movies) via bt
+lanyard hole. handy but could be smaller (like c.phones)
+is possible to change batteries... just have to have a universal battery charger & phillips screw driver. (1 screw)
-awful stylus. and I HAVE SMALL HANDS
-memory partioning 32MB virtual MS card, 16MB "regular" mem.
-camera was pretty crappy
-crappy scroll wheel/buttons placement. can barely use in tablet mode. again, I HAVE SMALL HANDS.
-bulky ac adapter
-ir port bad placement. should have been next to camera.
well gonna give it a go tomorrow. if it doesn't work out, I'm gonna return it. man, i wonder when costco will carry the TT3.
RE: Sony Business Plan
Used to be that way, but the competition today changes everything. If the Sony handhelds were the only game in town then they could get these premium prices. With Dell selling the Axim 3i for $379, it is unthinkable that Sony could sell the UX50 for 50% more.
25% more? Maybe.
"I know I'm opening up a can of worms but what's with ppl not liking MS because it's proprietary?"
I have nothing against MS per se, but it just so happens that I own about 8 SD cards, which represents a significant investment. If Sony expects people to switch to their handhelds, they are going to have to drop the SONLY act and adopt some form of standardization.
"I'll understand if you dislike it because it doesn't do this or can't do that... but just because it's proprietary?
Are you guys all on Linux? Palm OS is proprietary...
Geez..."
No, I use Window$, not because I am in love with it, but because in the business world, it is a standard, like it or not.
RE: Sony Business Plan
This means:
*They set the price
*They set the sizes
*They set the max. data transfer rates
*They set what devies can use it
*They decide who is aloud to license it
With SD (or CF):
*Competition means that prices are lower
*Sizes are being worked on by many companies to try for competative edge (CF will be at 12GB soon)
*Max. data transfer is set by device & card - usually higher
*Anyone with enough money to license it can do it (look at sandick and noone stopped them (a sad day that was))
The downside to using an open format is that things like the T3 + SD issue arrise but they are normally resolved quickly (look how long it took MS to get above 128 - SD issue was resolved quite quickly)
Really - MS isnt that bad - its just that the whole MS/MSPro thing has really annoyed people. I prefer SD or CF where they got it right first time round. CF has a limit of 137GB - but by the time we need to get to that they could have updated the standard. SD has a limit of 8 or 16GB - same thing.
RE: Sony Business Plan
i couldn't find it. any pointers ppl?
http://markspace.com/missingsync.html
Have fun!
RE: Sony Business Plan
In my case, I widely prefer the Memory Stick to the SD Card, because I use an Acer PC, am thinking of getting a Samsung Handphone or a P900, and am currently using a Clie with a Sony Cybershot Digital Cam.
What Sony is trying to do with the memory stick is to support their own products, and they have a whole wide array of products with this compatibility built in them.
People may talk about the "Standard" SD Card, but in the future, when Compact Flash eventually gives way to the smaller formats, and these smaller formats reach the price level of the CF card... I sure would not want SD Cards dominating the market, in essence monopolising it. And that is the last thing I'd want to see in the Flash Memory Market. I would still prefer Some form of a competitor, to spur development, and keep prices in check... while offering a viable alternative to the SD Card. Right now... the Memory Stick seems to be the only viable alternative, and I'll stick to that.
What open standard?
What open standard? SD is proprietary, has no public documentation, and controlled by a consortium. Furthermore, the T3 kills SD cards and neither Palm nor SanDisk want to take responsibility.
Memory stick doesn't look so bad in comparison: sure, like SD, it's proprietary, but at least it seems to work correctly between the handhelds and manufacturers that support it.
RE: Sony Business Plan
Every flash standard has its limitations and every standard gets upgraded sooner or later. SD will run out at some size as well. Furthermore, MSPro guarantees transfer rates that allow real-time video recording, something that no SD standard does.
RE: Memory Sticks
The Memory Stick PRO allows for real time video recording.
Memory SrickPRO features a read speed of 20MBps and a MINIMUM Write Speed of 15MBps, meaning it can be reliably used to record Hi-Quality Digital Video.
In contrast, the only Hi-Speed SD Cards are the Sandisk Ultra-II which feature a read speed of 10MBps, and a MINIMUM Write speed of 9MBps... not as well performing as the memory sticks. On a little note, I got that info from an announcement from PIC a few months ago... and it seems that currently, SanDisk is only offering UltraII CF Cards
Besides, I am yet to see the long awaited SD 1GB Card...
RE: Sony Business Plan
Memory stick connects:
Laptop/Computer
CLIE
PHONE
Digital Camera
MP3 Player
TV
Projectors
Perhaps most would agree, Sony is #1 or 2 in most of those things. Now does SD or CF cards connect to ALL of those devices? Won't and can't. Because Sandisk/Lexar, or whatever do not manuafacture other devices like TV, camera, etc...
So you pay for the ability to take a photo with a (5 megpix) Sony P10 digital camera, plop it into the UX-50, or a Sony Ericsson phone, view it, email it away!
================================
PDAs rule the world !
RE: Sony (Giving you the) Business Plan
I'd watch the 'eventually' - There's a total of, what, one 802.11 SD card out there? 802.11b CF cards are regularly going for less than $40/ea on Pricewatch.
I think the R&D people are finding out just how hard it is to cram actual electronics into something the size of a SD card - Pity the marketing people diden't ASK them first before starting the party.
and these smaller formats reach the price level of the CF card...
That dosen't make any sense - If you assume that a chip die with (say, 256mb) flash on it costs $X dollars, why would making a bigger die with the same density (Say, 512mb, with twice the footprint.) cost more than 2*X? It's four cents(max) for the Silicon - Which means, of course, that CF will not only continue to have the capacity lead, it'll probably also keep the price lead, as well - The sizes they're just now debuting for SD are already in mass production (And reduced Manuf. cost) on CF.
Putting something in a smaller package will always cost more, and unlike (say) Celphones, the size difference between CF and MS, or SD isen't so great a burden that people will give up what they have to switch.
I sure would not want SD Cards dominating the market, in essence monopolising it.
Seen the 'xD' yet? Thumbnail sized, mainly used by Olympus cameras, IIRC. The SD spec hasen't even cooled off from the setting, and they've already got competition. I don't think you have to worry about a monopoly in the handheld/camera/MP3 player memory market.
As far as handheld peripherals, the problem that I've had with MS is that it's poorly designed(Do you want MS, MS Mini, MS Duo, MS pro, or whatever they come up with next week?), slow, and Sony can't seem to keep from shoving their DRM fingers into the pie (Magic Gate, anyone?) The fact that they can't seem to actually produce much in the way of peripherals for it dosen't bode well, either - I don't want to be told 'EBay your handheld and buy a new one' if I want 802.11 capability.
If you want competition, don't look to Sony for it - They've done all they can to try to lock consumers into their products (MS, propriatary digital signaling standards on AV equipment, MD, etc, etc, etc), so they don't have to actually compete with anybody on any level besides advertising.
RE: Sony business plan - We will bury you all.
There's always another memory format around the corner
SD was a premature standard that answers a question that didn't need to be asked.
RE: Sony Business Plan
Hello! PalmOne released a fix that owners report work.
And those who have had their Sandisk SDs fried have been getting new ones under Sandisk's 5-year warranty.
Thank you for your misinformation.
RE: Sony Business Plan
6.5) Make money while other Palm OS companiess are struggling.
ATTN developers: - what does the T3 patch really do?
Let's see, a month after this monster bug, MOTHRA is discovered on the T3, a patch is slipped into Palm's website with no real explanation regarding what it's "fixing" or how it's doing that. The patch has been out for only a couple days, so let's not get ahead of ourselves.
It would be nice to hear a developer's analysis of what the patch is actually changing and what compromises - if any - were made to put out the SD barbecues. That's the kind of real, brutally honest info I come to Palminfocenter hoping to read. The kind of info you just won't find anywhere else.
Ska Smith, Esquire
Microsoft Spec-Ops, Misinformatics Division
RE: About the xD
I'll have to agree with this. I never mentioned anything about the CF Card's dominance of the market. I only said that in time... maybe not even in the near future, CF will see the end of its day when technilogy improves sufficiently enough to pack everything a CF Card can do into an SD Card or a MemStick. I used the word eventually for a reason ;)
Putting something in a smaller package will always cost more, and unlike (say) Celphones, the size difference between CF and MS, or SD isen't so great a burden that people will give up what they have to switch.
Ofcourse it'll cost more. But I'm not talking the cost price... I'm talking the Selling Price. Surely the companies make a profit from their card or they wont be selling it. When competition heats up, they'll be forced to reduce their profit gained from each card, hence driving down the price.
Sony can't seem to keep from shoving their DRM fingers into the pie (Magic Gate, anyone?
Seems like you dont really understand what is MagicGate. A MagicGate MS is essentially more similar to an SD Card than the Normal MS. Notice... SECURE digital. SD cards have their own DRM systems built in... just that it hasn't been used yet. Besides... you dont want DRM, use it like a normal MemStick... you can still store anything a normal MS or SD can store. So I dont see your point about MagicGate's DRM here.
the problem that I've had with MS is that it's poorly designed(Do you want MS, MS Mini, MS Duo, MS pro, or whatever they come up with next week?), slow...
If you had noticed the posts above, you would have realised that the MS isn't slow... its significantly faster than the SD Cards. The MSPro standard is here to stay. Sony made a mistake on the original MS by limiting its capacity. The MSPRO has a Max rated capacity of 32GB. Twice that of the SD Card, and it certainly is here to stay. The MS Duo is meant for smaller devices... not as a replacement to the standard MS. Take mini-SD if you may..
Seen the 'xD' yet? Thumbnail sized, mainly used by Olympus cameras, IIRC. Precisely why it hasn't gained recognition yet. MAINLY used in Olympus Cameras.... xD was meant to be a successor to the doomed smartmedia card. The chances are that it'll remain exclusive to those cameras for some time to come...
The fact that they can't seem to actually produce much in the way of peripherals for it dosen't bode well, either - I don't want to be told 'EBay your handheld and buy a new one' if I want 802.11 capability. If you had noticed... the MS Market is expanding. Hagiwara.... yes... Hagiwara, not Sony is producing a WiFi Memory Stick. Sony itself is producing everything from a Fingerprint recognition stick to a Mic... and I'm sure there'll be more on the way. Not as fast or robust as CF, but definately better than what SD has to offer right now...
I noticed that most of your statements were comparing MS with CF. The discussion taking place was comparing the MS with SD cards.... Just FYI...
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