Around the Block with Magic Link

From the moment your hands touch the Magic Link, much to the company’s credit, you know it’s a Sony product. It has a crafted finish that, while not present in all Sony consumer goods, gives a reassuring first impression.

However, it shares another Sony trademark that is characteristic of the consumer electronics market, namely that you can quickly locate the areas Sony left for improvement in upcoming generations.

The Good News

As we mentioned in the leader, the Magic Link shines because of the innovative interface designed by General Magic. The Magic Link’s speed in switching or completing a task is a pleasant surprise.

General Magic has done a fine job in squeezing very good performance out of a member of the venerable 68K family of processors. It’s not clear what the effect of stuffing the device full of data will be, however, the Magic Link continued to perform well as we continued to pour more and more of our lives into it.

And The Not So Bad News

The main criticism of the Sony Magic Link, without a doubt and well before the usual price concerns, is the readability of the screen. Not just in poor lighting conditions—where the Magic Link naturally suffers due to the lack of back lighting—but in nearly all lighting conditions.

The lack of back lighting was, of course, a design decision to maximize battery life. However it is equally difficult to adjust the contrast control for comfortable viewing in well- or brightly-lit areas as well.

Which brings us to the battery. The standard alkaline cells that come with the device are inadequate for serious use and require you to almost immediately purchase the optional lithium-ion cells. One can argue that these should have come standard with the device, however once installed, they easily power the Magic Link for the duration of a day.

The situation is similar with the built-in fax-modem and memory of the Magic Link. At 2400 bps send/receive data, anything more taxing than short email messages can consume a fair chunk of your valuable time. In addition, as soon as you start receiving email or install additional software, you will need a PCMCIA storage card.

Here’s a tip for the storage card: informal testing has revealed that you can save as much as $100 by purchasing the Newton SRAM PCMCIA card, instead of the Sony version. It’s about time something worked across these platforms.

For more information about the Sony Magic Link, contact David Yuan of Sony Electronics, Inc. at (201) 930-7834, [email protected].

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Sony’s Magic Link…

Sony Magic Link

• CPU: 3.3 V Motorola 68349, 16 MHz (Dragon I)
• Dimensions: 7.5″ x 5.2″ x 1″ (193 x 132.5 x 24 mm)
• Weight: 1.2 lbs. (550 g)
• Screen: 480 x 320, 4 shades of gray, reflective FSTN, touch screen
• Memory: 512 KB DRAM for data (battery backed-up), 512 KB for workspace, 4 MB ROM
• PCMCIA: Type II slot
• Ports: phone line, 14-pin serial port, infrared (38 kbps half-duplex)
• Modem: 2400 bps full-duplex data, 9600 bps send fax
• Audio: Internal microphone monaural speaker
• Battery: 6 “AAA” (included), Lithium Ion (optional)
• Pen: Cordless plastic, interface designed for use with finger
• Software (ROM): Magic Cap 1.0, AT&T PersonaLink, American Online, Pocket Quicken, PenCell, Spell Finder, Remote A/V Commander (Sony)
• Cost: $995

…and Motorola’s Envoy

Motorola Envoy (differences)

• Dimensions: 7.5″ x 5.7″ x 1.2″ (193 x 146 x 30 mm)
• Weight: 1.7 lbs. (733 g)
• PCMCIA: Two Type II slots
• Battery: Rechargeable NiCad
• Wireless: ARDIS two-way wireless data
• Software (ROM): Magic Cap 1.0, AT&T PersonaLink, American Online, Pocket Quicken, PenCell, RadioMail, Official Airline Guides
• Cost: not yet available