Since the introduction of the original Palm Pilot, almost every PDA maker has abandoned the clamshell design that was prevalent with early PDAs like the Zaurus and Casio organizers. Sony changed that trend a year ago with the introduction of the Palm OS based NR and NZ series, units that featured innovative screens that flipped up to reveal a keyboard, and twisted around to close over the keyboard for pen input ... just like this one.
http://www.streettech.com/storypics/UX50twist.jpg"> Those PDAs were widely lauded for their innovation, but criticized for their monstrously large size, Sony has responded by introducing a pocketable version of these models called the UX50, which has an impressive list of features: hi-res screen, integrated keyboard, WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity and an internal VGA camera. Encased in a magnesium shell that is slick, fingerprint resistant, and cool to the touch and eye, the UX50 is just 4" x 3.4" x 0.7" when closed, making it much smaller than previous NR style units. The size is a little wider and a little thicker than other PDAs, but is also shorter. The odd dimensions make the UX barely comfortable to hold in one hand, but perfect for holding with two. It weighs about 6 oz., which is comparable to other PDAs. The UX50 is a clamshell device much like old-style PDAs in that the screen lifts up to reveal a tiny keyboard underneath. Just like the NR/NZ/NX models, the UX has a screen that rotates laterally as well, twisting on a second on a hinge, allowing the user to close the device while still having access to the touch-screen. Unlike previous Sony models, or any previous models of Palm or PPC, the screen of the UX is widescreen format, with a resolution of 320 (h) x 480 (w), which makes for extremely crisp text and graphics. The screen cannot be viewed in any other format than widescreen. And unfortunately, the screen is a touch smaller than most, measuring just 3¼" diagonally. The small size of the screen is exacerbated by the high resolution and small fonts, which makes everything just feel a little more cramped than other Palms and Pocket PCs. A little fiddling with the fonts, especially using Fonts4UX or other third-party font tools, obviates most problems though, and I find the screen size is not a major problem. Full review over at StreetTech. Source: StreetTech
