Sony Dash Personal Internet Viewer

“The Sony Dash is a fun appliance that can assume multiple personalities. It makes for a great alarm clock in the bedroom, but does equally well in the kitchen where it might be used to show the latest weather and traffic information before your drive into work.Two caveats are the system speed and the screen. No matter what you are doing with the Dash, it constantly feels underpowered, like the touch screen and the applications are always dragging a few seconds behind your selections. Second, while the screen is pretty good for a unit priced under $200, it could be sharper and leak less light around the edges of the frame. We almost wish Sony put in a faster processor, a better screen, and charged an extra $50 to $100 for it. The closest competitor, the HP Dream Screen, starts at $249 and does half of what the Dash can.The Sony Dash is certainly not one of those “must-have” devices, but it has a certain fun-factor appeal to it that is sure to win you over.”

“For its price, the Dash puts a whole lot of features into a sharp, sturdy design. Sure, we wish the built-in stereo speakers packed more punch, or that the touch-screen interface would be more responsive, but all in all we think it's a good deal.The problem is: where do you put it? The Dash is a product aimed to fill a void we didn't know we had. It's great for video, but it looks silly next to your TV. The music-streaming capabilities are nice, but the speakers sound thin and running a cable out of the side to your stereo looks awkward. As a bedside clock, it's overqualified.Ultimately, we had the most fun with the Dash in the kitchen or at our desk, letting it run in our peripheral view as headlines, tweets, Facebook updates, and Flickr photos shared time on the screen. Under this guise, it works as a high-priced, passive alternative to the morning paper. Overkill? Maybe, but you do get a little futuristic thrill having it nearby.”

“So, should you buy the world's most complicated alarm clock? It all depends on what you want to do with the Dash. If you're looking for something that can sit by your bed, play some internet radio at you, and ambiently display some Engadget headlines and photos from Facebook, the Dash is perfect. If you're looking for something to really pick up and use to browse through photos, or pick songs, or even watch movies, we'd go a different way. Despite its name, the Dash is too stationary and too slow to be valuable in those situations.All that said, our verdict might change dramatically if the Dash 2 has a faster processor, that promised battery, and a slick-looking charging dock, especially if the price stays at $199. We'd love to love this thing, Sony -- let's make it happen.”

“Sony’s Dash really is a piece of the future. Being able to have all that power – in an alarm clock – is downright insanity. It’s irresponsible. And there is no reason why every electronic device can’t be so jam-packed with features that we have to rely on an alarm clock to show everyone else how it’s done. The only stumbling blocks are the lack of organization, slowness of the UI and the touchscreen, but even then its so easy to see why this makes an amazing gift. Just remember, in the wrong hands, anyone you give it to could suddenly disappear for days at a time, so be careful. Especially if that person is you.”