Sharp OZ-290HII Pen Touch Wizard Organizer with Outlook Sync Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I wanted (and got) an inexpensive electronic organizer, which would give me the functions of a calendar/schedule and an address book.This unit has both as well as a calculator, English/Spanish translation dictionary, several different type alarms, a memo function, a backlight feature, a couple of basic games, a conversion mode for metric measurements and currency (when you know the exchange rate), and the ability to sync with my Windows computer using Outlook.The unit has 1MB of memory, which is plenty for storing tons of addresses and memos for 150 years into the future. (The calendar goes from 1950-2150.It goes backward for what reason??)
Pros:
1.It has a backlight.
2.The stylus tucks away in the unit and it works precisely. (So does the end of an unclicked pen, in case you lose the stylus.)
3.Batteries *are* included! (2 Lithium batteries, model CR2032.One for unit operation and one for backlighting.)
4.It has an auto power off after 7 minutes to save battery life.
5.Data isn't lost while replacing batteries as long as you do it quickly and don't pull out both at the same time.
6.The @ and dot (.) symbols are conveniently available so you don't have to search for them when you enter an e-mail address. You can enter other symbols by toggling through a list of 32 different ones.
7.There is a 5-line display and the letters are a good size for reading.
8.It has a protective cover that flips neatly to the back while you're using the unit.
9.The search feature for names & addresses is nice-- it searches by last name.
10.Address fields you can enter are: last name, first name, company, home#, office#, fax#, mobile#, e-mail, address, city, state, ZIP, country, and note.
11.There are 3 kinds of address books: "Unfiled" "Personal" and "Business" for organizing your contacts.
12.The memo feature is nice for storing all those account numbers you can never remember.
13.It has a password lock feature for privacy.
13.The accompanying operation manual is well organized and clear to understand.(It's also in Spanish.)

Cons:
1.The screen has a glare to it unless you hold it at a certain angle.
2.The backlight isn't very bright- more like a "glow."Use a lamp when possible.It's probably good in pitch dark.
3.Some of the screen words like "MENU" and "EDIT" are very small-- have your reading glasses on!
4.I doubt I'll ever use the language translator, so to me it's a waste of space. (Hey, I can read the Spanish version of the manual!)
5.The data entry is not as intuitive as I would like it to be. (I had to read the directions.) And there is no "ESCAPE" or "CANCEL" for navigation.
6. The "ENTER" key on my unit is up-side-down.
7.It has a slightly annoying habit of wrapping words and phone numbers to the next line unless you insert spaces to keep a word or number together.

The following are requirements for synchronization with your computer:
-IBM PC or 100% compatible
-Windows 98/98SE/2000 Prof/Me/XP
-Pentium 300MHz or higher
-50 MB free disk space
-64 MB RAM for Windows 98/98SE/2000 Prof/Me
-128 MB RAM for Windows XP
-Available 9-pin serial port
-CD-ROM drive
-Mouse
-Microsoft Outlook 97/98/2000/2002 must be installed to use the Synchronization Software between the Organizer and your PC.

I don't have Outlook (only Express) and haven't tried this feature.Someone else will have to report on it.(Sorry)
Overall, I think I got more than what I paid for.This is a nice organizer and is superior to its paper counterpart address book and appointment calendar.

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Product Description:
Sharp Table Top Style Personal Organizer, 1.5 MB Memory, Built-in 9 PIM Functions, 14 x 5 line, Touch Screen Navigation, English and Spanish Transulator, Includes Diet & Pedometer functions, PC Link (one-touch Outlook Sync) Software