Sony CLIÉ PEG-TJ37

The Sony CLIÉ PEG-TJ37 ($299.99 direct) is Sony's middle offering between the high-end PEG-TH55 ($399.99) and the entry-level PEG-TJ27 ($199.99). It's a decent PDA that comes loaded with cool apps and lets you listen to your favorite MP3s and take pictures without a flash. We did find its inconsistent wireless capability troublesome, however.

The PEG-TJ37 weighs 5 ounces and measures 4.5 by 3 by 0.5 inches (HWD)—about average for a PDA. The screen resolution is 320-by-320 pixels with 65,000 colors. The screen is crisp but not as bright as those on other PDAs, such as the Palm Zire 71. The PEG-TJ37 comes with a collapsible stylus, which we found a bit too small to handle easily.

The device's camera (640-by-480 pixels, 65,000 colors) lets you take pictures while holding it horizontally—similar to the feel of a typical camera. We like the sliding lens cover, as it helps keep things clean, but there's no flash. The image quality is slightly better than that of the camera on the Zire 71. The included CLIÉ camera software offers options like brightness setup and white-balance presets, and lets you view the previous picture taken. But if you want to view all your pictures, you have to open a separate viewer application.

The PEG-TJ37 runs Palm OS 5.2. In addition to the default Palm applications, like Address Book, Graffiti 2, and Date Book, Sony adds its own applications. For example, NetFront 3.1 lets you browse the Web, CLIÉ Memo lets you draw and type on a pad, and CLIÉ Files lets you browse through the files on your device or on your Memory Stick. In addition, if you want to access information on the Memory Stick but your PC doesn't have a reader, you can connect the PEG-TJ37 to your computer and use the Data Import feature. This will give you access from your desktop to read and write to the Memory Stick. It will show up as an added drive on your system.

The CLIÉ also comes bundled with Aero Player, which lets you play MP3s. This application is fairly easy to use, but you must install it from the included CD. Keep in mind that the device doesn't come bundled with headphones, though it does have a standard 3.5-mm jack.

We ran into some problems when testing wireless capabilities. We used two 802.11g wireless access points by Linksys and SMC set in 802.11b mode. Unfortunately, the PEG-TJ37 couldn't connect to the Linksys AP and achieved only an intermittent connection to the SMC AP, mainly when we stood in front of (but not behind) the AP.

The Sony CLIÉ PEG-TJ37 is a good PDA. It lets you listen to your favorite MP3s and take pictures, and it comes loaded with cool apps. But if you're looking for good wireless performance, it may be best to look elsewhere.

Pros:

Crisp screen, MP3 playback, built-in camera, latest Palm OS

Cons:

Somewhat dim screen compared with other PDAs, lack of flash limits camera's usability indoors, problematic Wi-Fi

Bottom Line

For Palm OS users, the Sony CLIÉ PEG-TJ37 is a handy device, but because of its poor wireless performance, you may want to think twice about buying it.