Sony's PDAs have always been targeted at consumers, a market segment no other manufacturer knows better. The PEG-S360 - Sony's latest entry-level PDA - is the successor to S320. Apart from a fresh coat of Frosty Silver finish and more memory, the S360 has little to differ from its predecessor. If you are intending to upgrade to the S360 from a S320, you will be able to use all your current accessories and peripherals as the former has inherited the form factor and connector of the S320.

Like its predecessor, the S360 has the polished feel and finish of a Sony product. Underneath the fabric-covered flip cover lies a 160-by-160 monochrome screen, coupled with the four ever-familiar quick-launch buttons and a rocker up-down scroll button that is shaped like an hour glass. On the left of the screen is a Jog Dial, but unlike the N or T series, the S360 does not feature a back button.

The power switch located at the top-left corner is not obvious to first time users and is definitely too tiny for the average user. While it is hard to turn on/off the S360 inadvertently because of the tiny power switch, I would prefer a bigger button any day! Also located along top of the unit are the Memory Stick slot, the infrared port, as well as the opening of the stylus channel.

The S360 has a standard 160-by-160 resolution 8-bit monochrome screen, and is the only current Sony offering that does not feature a Hi-Res screen. The screen on the S360 has a fairly dark shade of green in the background; however, this does not affect the clarity of the screen when used either indoors or outdoors. Sony's decision on using a low-res screen means that the S360 will not support the Memory Stick Camera, as its camera application requires nothing less than a Hi-Res screen.

Like many entry-level handhelds, the S360 is bundled with a HotSync cable instead of a cradle. While some embrace the idea of HotSync cables for its convenience, others still prefer to park their handhelds on cradles. Personally, I would prefer to be empowered with the ability of dropping the handheld into a cradle, and possibly using the handheld as a desk clock while in its cradle.

While technology has made it possible for HotSync cables to charge handhelds when connected, the USB cable which came with the S360 does not have the capability to do so. This means that you are unable to HotSync and charge your handheld at the same time. To charge the S360, Sony has provided a separate power cable, pretty much like the ones that come with the N760C.

The S360 flip cover is the same as the one that was introduced on the S320, a vinyl-like material with "Clié" written on it in silver. Held on by a pair of L-shaped clips that snap onto the top then back of the handheld, the flip cover also acts as a protection for the Memory Stick slot which does not have its own safety door. The manner the flip cover is implemented requires the cover to be flipped around to the back before one can reach the power button or remove the stylus, which is certainly something users of the S360 will have to get used to.

While one would expect Sony to ship the S360 with Palm OS 4.1, it has held on to OS 4.0 for the S360. With the differences between OS 4.0 and 4.1 being just bug fixes, the use of OS 4.0 on S360 certainly isn't a factor of concern. Like all OS 4 and above devices, the S360 runs web clipping applications (PQAs) right out of the box.

Bundled with S360 is the same set of applications that was bundled with the S320, along with the addition of Documents To Go 4.0 Standard Edition. While gMovie and PG Pocket are part of the software bundle, S360's screen does not have what it takes to do justice to these applications. The inclusion of Documents To Go 4.0 Standard Edition, however, adds value to the package, as it allows users to transfer, edit and synchronise their Microsoft Word and Excel documents between their handhelds and PCs.

 

Running Benchmark 2.0, the S360 scored 210% which is significantly higher than the 156% scored by the m515 which uses the same Dragonball VZ 33Mhz Processor.

At just under US$200, the S360 is a PDA of great value, taking into consideration the fact that you are getting a relatively fast Palm OS-based PDA with 16MB of RAM and Memory Stick Expansion.

I would recommend the S360 to anyone who wouldn't mind a monochrome PDA, and doesn't quite care for multimedia functions.

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