Sony has been pushing the handheld design envelope since it first introduced its Clié personal entertainment organizer three years ago. With the head-turning UX50, Sony has again raised the bar.

The UX50 is Sony's top-of-the-line model, and the first Palm OS PDA to offer both 802.11b and Bluetooth wireless networking built in. The sleek, lightweight (6.2 ounces) device resembles a miniature laptop, complete with a backlit QWERTY keyboard that's surprisingly comfortable to use. (You'll still have to type with your thumbs, but the keys are good-sized and very responsive.)

Like its NX series cousin, the UX50 features a "flip and rotate" display; you can swivel the screen around 180 degrees and fold it down over the keyboard to form a miniature tablet. The display is a sharp 65,000-color screen that is highly readable both indoors and out. Unfortunately, you can't switch from the standard landscape mode to portrait, which would be a nice option for when you're using the tablet form factor.

The Clié's signature Jog Dial is found on the bottom of the keyboard, along with three customizable quick launch buttons that by default take you to the device's Web browser, e-mail client and calendar application, respectively, as well as a Back button. An expandable stylus is tucked in the front-right corner.

Along the unit's left side, you'll find the power/hold button, an IR port, a mini-USB jack (for synching; you can also sync via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth), and a loop for the included wrist strap (at this price, a case would be nice); on the right is the Memory Stick slot and a headphone jack (headphones are not included).

When it comes to features, the UX50 is loaded. It runs Palm OS 5.2 and packs 104 MB of total memory, 29 of which is reserved for media storage. Another 16MB is available for files and programs, with an additional 16MB set aside for system backup. A low-resolution (310,000 pixels) digital camera -- built into the display's hinge -- takes still pictures as well as video. A voice recorder and audio player, which can play both MP3 and Sony's ATRAC3 files, are also included. The main attraction, though, is the Wi-Fi.

Connecting to a wireless LAN from the Clié is a breeze. I used the Auto Connect option in the Wireless LAN Setup (found in Preferences), which found my home network immediately. This also worked flawlessly at several free hotspots. If you're within range of multiple wireless networks, you can scan for all available access points (AP), and then select the one you want to connect to. You can also manually enter the SSID and WEP Key for a WLAN.