Large PDA or Small Laptop?
Written: Aug 17 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Unique swivel screen, Excellent handwriting recognition
Cons: Windows CE OS limits usefulness, Expensive
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| RichBoston's Full Review: Vadem Clio C-1050 |
While the Clio falls under PDAs it actually is a “handheld PC” which is somewhere between a PDA and a PC.
I became somewhat interested when I became aware of how many of these existed and wondered if I was missing out on something. I found that I wasn’t missing out on a lot.
Like a PDA (personal digital assistant) there isn’t a CD ROM or floppy drive. You lose performance as compared to a PC but gain a more lightweight ( at 3 pounds though, it was still heavier than I would have liked), portable, travel friendly appliance. It boots up almost instantaneously.
I decided on the Clio because of the rotating screen. I thought this would be great for presentations and was – subject to the limitations of the software. The screen rotates 180 degrees and was quite useful in small groups when I presented a spreadsheet in Excel. Included are junior versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Explorer. But this remains a generation behind by utilizing the Windows CE OS – all but abandoned elsewhere. The Clio syncs with Outlook seamlessly.
Be careful in transferring large spreadsheets and the like from your PC to the Clio. Again, these are mini versions of the MS software and you will lose information in the transfer.
The keyboard, while sized for touch typing is tiring and uncomfortable. OK, it may be better than using the small stylus touch screen on my Palm IIIxe but this is not great.
The lithium ion battery has a listed life of approximately 10 hours. Consistent with all such estimates I barely squeezed out 7 hours before needing a charge. There is a battery monitor on the screen but I found it to be somewhat unreliable; not unlike the estimated download times that Windows estimates on your downloads. Word of caution. After 5 hours the battery indicator showed half the battery life left. Barely 2 hours later it was dead.
For your money you get 16MB of RAM, a respectable 33.6 kbps modem and a large (in perspective) 9.4 inch passive matrix screen. With the modem you can have wireless network connectivity to your office as well as internet access and email. Basic email was fine but attachments were a mess and the email synch time left a lot to be desired. MUCH slower than my Palm.
The Clio’s best feature is its handwriting recognition via Calligrapher software. Palm could take a lesson here. Instead of requiring you to learn the proprietary Palm Graffiti, the Calligrapher recognizes both printing and cursive and does NOT require that you learn a “new language.” Instead of it training you, you train the Clio how you write. It isn’t perfect but I liked it nonetheless. It did a better job at recognizing handwritten letters than it did cursive.
All in all, this isn’t a bad tool but still was a disappointment. The Windows CE software had a lot to do with my impression. While it has some nice features like the swivel screen I think I’d go all the way up to a laptop if I need something more than my Palm.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 800
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Epinions.com ID:
RichBoston
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Member: Rich
Location: Boston, MA
Reviews written: 92
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I live for the latest gizmos and doo-dads!
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