Product Reviews

Remember the days when a Palm device's prime purpose was to organise your life? Powered by a couple of AAA batteries, it would keep going for a month and the closest it got to multimedia was the occasional beep. Well, the NZ90 is so far away from these creatures it's barely recognisable. It's 22-29mm thick, needs a 1,200mAH lithium ion battery, and even boasts an integrated 2-megapixel camera.

This puts it into true digital camera territory, and the NZ90 is undoubtedly the best camera you'll find available for a PDA - and by some margin. But cast aside any hopes you might have of a camera replacement. Both indoors and outdoors, there was too much 'fuzz' and lack of definition in the NZ90's results. If photo quality is important to you, and you always want a camera to hand, take note of Casio's Exilim EX-S1 (see issue 98, p93). This produces much better pictures and is slim enough to slip into a pocket.

The integrated flash is another impressive new feature, but beware - as soon as the battery gets below a certain level, the NZ90 won't let you use it. Providing you charge the battery properly, however, there's enough juice to take 100 photos with flash. Sony estimates the battery will last for ten days, but if you use it intensively over a couple of days then expect around two and a half hours of life. Thankfully, Sony has redesigned the NZ90's body so you can

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swap out the battery while on the move.

Yet another new feature with this device is an improved keyboard and slightly larger keys. It's a good effort and reasonably easy to use, but note the lack of a separate line for numbers. I failed to get along with the new, thin stylus, though. This slides down the side of the lid and is fiddly to get back into place.

The NZ90 also heralds a new cradle design. It folds away in a neat and compact manner, although it also feels less stable and more lightweight than previous CLI cradles. But one definite plus point is a video output. Sony provides the requisite AV cable for connecting to a TV or video, and even bundles a cable that will allow direct printing to a USB-equipped printer.

The connectivity doesn't end there either. Sony builds Bluetooth into the NZ90, allowing you to send files and Date Book data, for example, to another CLI. You can even perform a wireless HotSync using Bluetooth with a suitably equipped notebook or PC. There's the ubiquitous infrared port on the left-hand side of the unit, while Wi-Fi fans will snap up the optional 802.11b CompactFlash card that slips into the Wireless Communication port.

There are many other aspects of the NZ90 that are brilliant too. The high-resolution, 320 x 480 screen looks fantastic, while a 200MHz Intel XScale processor helps Palm OS 5 to scream along. The Jog Dial makes it easy to activate programs with one hand, and its MP3-playing ability - complete with excellent earphones and a remote control - is the best you'll find on a PDA.

But all these features mean the NZ90 is the most expensive PDA on the market, and it's also the largest and heaviest. You'll need a big pocket to hold this device, and I ended up hauling it about in my bag. Palm-lovers and occasional photographers would be better served by the Palm Tungsten T and the new, updated Exilim (the EX-S2) - a combination that would still cost £50 less than the Sony CLI PEG-NZ90.