The Sony Clie UX50 was a high-end Palm OS PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) released in 2003. It was one of the most advanced and stylish PDAs of its time, featuring a clamshell design with a rotating screen, making it a hybrid between a handheld and a mini-laptop.
Sony Clie UX50 Key Features:
- Operating System: Palm OS 5.2.1
- Processor: Sony Handheld Engine (custom chip based on the ARM architecture)
- Display: 3.2-inch TFT LCD (480 × 320 resolution) with a rotating hinge
- Input: QWERTY keyboard and stylus for touchscreen navigation
- Connectivity:
- Wi-Fi (802.11b) – one of the first PDAs with built-in Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth 1.1
- Camera: VGA (640 × 480) camera for photos and videos
- Memory:
- 16MB RAM (user available ~ 8MB)
- Memory Stick PRO slot for expansion
- Battery Life: Around 5–7 hours of use
- Multimedia:
- MP3 playback with Sony’s Audio Player software
- Video playback with the built-in Clie Media software
Why Sony Clie UX50 Was Unique:
- The mini-laptop design with a rotating display was ahead of its time.
- One of the first PDAs to feature both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
- Aimed at business professionals who wanted both portability and productivity.
- Its high-resolution screen (for the time) made it great for reading documents and web browsing.
Downsides:
- Expensive at launch (~$600)
- Limited internal storage (relying on Memory Stick expansion)
- Short battery life compared to some competitors
- Limited software support due to the eventual decline of Palm OS
Despite its limitations, the Sony Clie UX50 is still remembered as one of the most innovative PDAs ever made. It remains a collector’s item for tech enthusiasts today.
