Sony has taken the wraps off two high-end Clie handhelds that feature a clamshell design, integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technologies, running on a Sony-made processor.
The Clie PEG-UX40 and Clie PEG-UX-50 will become available in Japan in August and the United States in September. Sony Hong Kong says the two Clies will be available in Hong Kong soon after the Japan launch.
The UX40 comes with built-in Bluetooth technology, while the more expensive UX-50 comes with both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi technologies. The UX-50 is the first in the Clie line to come integrated with Wi-Fi, but it is not the first in the market. In March, Palm introduced the Tungsten C, the first Palm-based device to sport integrated Wi-Fi.
According to Sony, wireless technologies will become an integral feature in all its future high-end Clies, as it aims to increasingly allow consumers to access Web-based content and communicate using the internet.
Masanobu Yoshida, Sony president of handheld computing, said in a press statement: 'We see beyond the 'tool' aspect of the handheld market.'
Both Sony devices use version 5.2 of the Palm operating system, and feature a new design that resembles a miniaturised tablet PC with a screen that swivels around 180 degrees.