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Like this? http://shop.conics.net/libretto.html

Check out the Sharp NetWalker. It comes with Ubuntu Pre-installed. It's so small that people assume it's a texting phone or a Nintendo DS.

http://conics.net/catalog/product_info.php?currency=USD&products_id=572

I agree with all of what you said except:

The most expensive PDA on the market is about $400.

A brand new Sharp Zaurus SL-6000 runs about twice that. Here's why. (Good thing I snagged mine for ~$375 used on eBay. ^_^ )

Anyway, yeah, I agree (since most PDA's are $400 or less).

I agree with all of what you said except:

The most expensive PDA on the market is about $400.

A brand new Sharp Zaurus SL-6000 runs about twice that. Here's why. (Good thing I snagged mine for ~$375 used on eBay. ^_^ )

Anyway, yeah, I agree (since most PDA's are $400 or less).

My SL-C3000 came from conics.net for what I thought was a great price. Very fast service too!

Wish I had waited a month or two to get the 3100 but I'm still happy with the 3000.

I wanted to be able to go online anytime 24/7 from anywhere using a small device. In the US, the CDMA providers (Verizon, Sprint) won't sell you a device that can do 802.11[b|g] like the Nokia 9500. I go places where there's no GSM, and I wanted to use wifi where it is available, so no cell provider had a solution for me.

I already have a Verizon CDMA phone that does 1x data (LG 4500) over USB to my Linux laptop - I just wanted something smaller. So I got a Sharp Zaurus 3000. This is a Linux PDA sold only in Japan. It is a flip-open device with a 4G HDD. After much jacking around, this device does what I want. It supports CF expansion cards so I can do wifi and wired ethernet. It has a USB port so I can connect to the Verizon 1x data network. I just took a 4 day vacation and carried only this device, a wifi card, and my cell phone. I ran SSH, used a web browser, read email, etc.

Obviously, buying a $625 device from Japan isn't for everyone, but it worked for me, for now.

Like this: http://conics.net/shp/pda/zaurus-sl-c700/sl-c3100. html

USB Host controller is the biggest thing missing IMHO.

This is available on the new clamshell Z's - which, unfortunately, aren't directly available in the US. But there are distributors who export them.

Integrated wifi is #2. The plugin wifi cards suck all the power all the time.

Why would integrated wifi use less power than a CF card?

You guys are looking at the wrong model. The 6000 is ok if you are American but the model to look at is the SLC3000.

Try http://www.conics.net/ or http://www.dynamism.com/.

These are the two most popular sites for getting the latest models. Both provide warranty.

All these models are extrememly well supported through forums and the like. You can easily get an English ROM for these Japanese models.

They are infinitely hackable.

The folding clamshell zauruses, while somewhat awkward as a pda/pim have much better keyboards, and are much more usable as mini-pc. Only problem is: they're Japanese- so change the locale, or buy from a US reseller that will change it for you.

Your best bets are:

• Price Japan
  Cheapest prices for new Zaurus. Based in Japan. Minimal service.
• Streamline CPUs
  Decent prices, based in US.
• Trisoft
  Major importer/reseller in Deutscheland/EU
• Dynamism
  Most established US importer/retailer. Not cheap, but excellent service.
• Conics
  Excellent prices, new and used, but hasn't been responsive recently. Japan based.

I've been looking to buy one and I found this page with froogle: http://conics.net/shp/pda/zaurus-sl-c700/index.htm l

I hear Conics will have them :)
http://conics.net/shp/pda/zaurus-sl-c700/index.htm l

specs
http://conics.net/shp/pda/zaurus-sl-c700/sl-c3000/ index.html

We should have the full video coming soon.

regards,
-Brett

specs
http://conics.net/shp/pda/zaurus-sl-c700/sl-c3000/ index.html

We should have the full video coming soon.

regards,
-Brett

Have you looked at the Sharp Zaurus clamshell PDA's? They run a real OS (Linux). Unfortunately that rules out Outlook, but there are other options for email clients

The down side is you have to get them shipped from Japan, as they have not been released elswhere.
Try http://www.dynamism.com/zaurus/ or http://conics.net/shp/pda/zaurus-sl-c700/index.htm l

I plan on having in my hot little hands a U50 in 2 or 3 months. Up until recently, I was using a Sigmarion 3 handheld PC as my primary computer when at home. It was a sweet machine, but I had to sell it to make a school loan payment. Before that, it was a Jornada 720, equipped with a 2 GB PCMCIA hard drive, also great. A lot of people assumed since I was using what most folks consider a PDA as my main computer that I was nuts- after all, don't PDAs have a tiny screen, 160x160 or 240x320? Pfft. The Sig3 has a 800x480 screen- just like the new OQO- and the J720 has a 640x240 screen. Both are great for browsing the web, email, coding and many other types of work.

If you're wanting something like this, be it a Sig3 or a Zaurus, I highly reccomend Conics.net. A big difference between one of these new "handtops" and the Sig3 or the Jornada 72x is price: the Sig3 usually costs around $500, while these new guys all cost around $2000. Especially a consideration when you're not planning on dumping the laptop or desktop at home for one of these handtops.

I've been waiting for the OQO for years now, and I'm sure glad I didn't sell the iBook to generate funds back during the first pre-order.

But the new Sony U50/U70 machines look like to be my dream machine. A nice screen. All the ports.

The only thing that would be more perfect is to have a U70-like device, but with the built-in keyboard. Not in a fixed laptop mode like the Sig3, but with the abiliy to convert- think the Zaurus C7x0 or most of the tablet PCs. That would be the perfect machine for me.

The Tablet PCs out there seem fine, except they're all huge. I want something with a 5" to 6" screen, not 10"-14". Not only can I not fit that in my pocket, it's hard to fit in my hands/arms for more than 10 minutes. Then you need to sit down, get it onto your lap, or put it on a table. I have no idea what those Tablet PCs folks are thinking having huge and heavy devices. Nothing more than laptops with touchscreens.

Conics (Japanese based Aussie retailer) has the U-50 for $1,749, and the U-70 for $2450.

That's why I'd prefer a Sharp SL-Cxxx any day.

like the U1, U3 or U101. Right now I would rather get a PC-CV50F which has a great screen resolution and
the directHD feature which is very nice for synching or installing Linux.
Maybe if Sharp would turn the screen into a touchscreen, that would be the best of both worlds, the resolution of the Sony is just too low.

I think I spent about $700 when I imported my Zaurus SL-C750 and about $1000 by the time I bought memory cards, a case, a wireless card and a VGA-out card.

Sure I could have bought a cheap laptop for the same money with all these features and a better screen and keyboard, but I wanted a good PDA, not a bad laptop. I also have a laptop for other tasks.

You cannot really write code on a PDA, but you can carry it with you everywhere and use wireless and ssh to do an urgent bug fix. I only take my laptop somewhere if I am planning to do work.

Of course, six months after buying it, I got a telecommuting job and now rarely leave the house so don't really need a PDA let alone a $1000 PDA.

I don't think any of the Zaurus series are trying to compete with Palm Zires. They do not claim to be a low end "bargain" PDA. They are a very flexible, high end PDA.

if you only want calendar, address book and PIM functions and don't intend to take advantage of the opportunity to run Linux software on them, they are not even that good a PDA. Palms have better built in software, but you will not be able to impress your nerd buddies by running a complete LAMP stack on one.

PS. I still prefer the clamshell form factor of the Japanese models. I cannot see why they are not sold elsewhere, but at least the english speaking world finally gets a 640x480 model. YOu can get the Japanese ones at Conics and Dynamism.

Also, one of the main features of the C860 is the fancy Japanese dictionary, and if you don't need that I recommend getting one of the older models which have the same screen, keyboard, RAM and CPU, but less flash ROM and a smaller battery. The SL-C750 is excellent (I own one), and IMHO a much better value than the C860. Just stick in a SD/MMC card if you need more storage, and get the larger battery separately if you want that (I prefer the smaller form factor).

A laptop computer is obviously the better choice for getting real work done, but there are other uses for a powerful PDA. It's shirt pocket sized, and suitable for taking almost everywhere without needing to lug around a notebook. I've gotten used to having an Internet connection available wherever I go when I need it (i.e. to research products while shopping).

-Klaus

Well, it deals with compiling and debugging just well for its size. Unless you're talking Mozilla...

Ofcourse it would be nice if the device had a 3.0GHZ P4 instead of the 0.4GHZ XScale CPU.
Also I'd prefer 1GB ram over the 64MB that's included. But the fact alone that you can stick a small,
yet full featured (real keyboard!) linux box into your pocket (baggy) makes it attractive, doesn't it?
I really hardly ever do any coding-work when on the road. And if I wanted to I think the main limiting factor would still be the form factor (small screen) long before RAM/CPU become an issue...

You must see it to appreciate how small it really is...

I know I sound like an ad.
Disclaimer: not affiliated with anyone

Well, it deals with compiling and debugging just well for its size. Unless you're talking Mozilla...

Ofcourse it would be nice if the device had a 3.0GHZ P4 instead of the 0.4GHZ XScale CPU.
Also I'd prefer 1GB ram over the 64MB that's included. But the fact alone that you can stick a small,
yet full featured (real keyboard!) linux box into your pocket (baggy) makes it attractive, doesn't it?
I really hardly ever do any coding-work when on the road. And if I wanted to I think the main limiting factor would still be the form factor (small screen) long before RAM/CPU become an issue...

You must see it to appreciate how small it really is...

I know I sound like an ad.
Disclaimer: not affiliated with anyone

Well, it deals with compiling and debugging just well for its size. Unless you're talking Mozilla...

Ofcourse it would be nice if the device had a 3.0GHZ P4 instead of the 0.4GHZ XScale CPU.
Also I'd prefer 1GB ram over the 64MB that's included. But the fact alone that you can stick a small,
yet full featured (real keyboard!) linux box into your pocket (baggy) makes it attractive, doesn't it?
I really hardly ever do any coding-work when on the road. And if I wanted to I think the main limiting factor would still be the form factor (small screen) long before RAM/CPU become an issue...

You must see it to appreciate how small it really is...

I know I sound like an ad.
Disclaimer: not affiliated with anyone

Check this out.
Good enough for posting to slashdot from the backseat of a car (over GSM)!

Shameless plug.

Have you seen these?

They're not tablet, more a cross of a PDA and a mini-notebook (touchscreen w/ swivel).
But they're "instant-on". Oh, and it's running linux.
IMHO pretty close to what you were asking for but see for yourself.

Have you seen these?

They're not tablet, more a cross of a PDA and a mini-notebook (touchscreen w/ swivel).
But they're "instant-on". Oh, and it's running linux.
IMHO pretty close to what you were asking for but see for yourself.

Such a beast exists, although it runs WinCE. My main machine has an 800x480 screen, though only 5" in size. Touch typable keyboard, etc too. sigmarion III. Fits in my pocket though, unlike a clamshell with a 7" screen. $500, which is very cheap compared to the handful of contenders.

Buuut, there is a similar beast with a bigger screen and very similar stats. The Zupera Smartbook. Has a slower CPU though- 206 MHz StrongARM. (XGA = 800x480)

Now all someone has to do is port Linux, NetBSD, whatver. Shouldn't be that bad, though I don't know what support chips it uses, which really is where the work comes in with these PDAs.

DOS- a viable OS. Heh.

That said, I used to be a DOS die hard, until I discovered linux at 14. But it was the family computer, so I couldn't wipe Windows and put on Linux, especially back then (94). DOS was swell- I never had touched Win9x until I was given a Win98 machine at work when I started college. :P

That said, WinCE is a lot more of a "real OS" than DOS ever was. No, all of your crusty old DOS apps don't run without an emulator, but for the most part there is something better to replace them with on WinCE, provided you're willing to take the time to learn. Except Lotus Agenda. No replacement for that. And yes, I've a clam shell device myself which I cling to- it's my primary computer.

Dynamism sounds like a good company, but if anybody wants to save $100 (and forgo the free shipping if something goes bad) you can get your Zaurus from conics.net. Check the forums for recommendations and localization instructions.

It's silly to compare it to the Dell Axim, since the C750 has four times the screen resolution (640x480), twice the RAM (64MB), and twice the flash ROM (64 MB, half available for user storage). An external keyboard isn't the same thing, since that would make the Axim much larger than the C750 which already has a good keyboard built in.

If you want a laptop instead, by all means get one, but don't complain if it won't fit in your shirt pocket...

-Klaus

If you don't need a full English conversion, you can buy the units a lot cheaper at conics.net. Then, you can change one line in a config file to set the default locale to English (which changes most of the text, but isn't nearly as complete as the dynamism conversion), or install Debian on it (see my web page at www.w-m-p.com/pocketworkstation/).

I'm not being paid by Dynamism or Conics (or Sharp for that matter), but have bought from and can recommend both suppliers.

The C750 is an excellent machine, it's a Linux workstation you can put in your shirt pocket. The landscape form factor along with the 640x480 screen can display 80x30 characters in a well-legible font, with a full keyboard that's easy to type on despite the small size. With 64 MB RAM and a 512 MB SD card for storage, along with a 400 MHz XScale CPU, its performance is equivalent to desktop PCs a couple of years ago.

The C750 finally has a PXA255 with a 200 MHz memory clock, which is the main reason for the improved speed compared to the older C700, along with the doubled RAM.

Note that the display is flippable 180 degrees, so you can also use the system with a portrait display and no keyboard if you prefer that.

-Klaus

does it fold completely open so you can use just the touch screen like on a traditional pda?

Yup, take a gander here

... because Sharp actually did issue the news in a language more comprehensible to this audience either:
Linux "clamshell" PDAs with an Intel Xscale PXA255@400MHz, 64 megs of RAM and up to 128 megs of built-in flash are only some of the mouth-watering specs for the new SL-C760 and C750, just released in English to make geeks world-wide wish they were in Japan - the only place, again, for which Sharp has announced to market the new models. The predecessor, widely acclaimed for its excellent "Continuous Grain Silicon" VGA LCD, has been made available by third parties in the USA, Germany, and directly from Japan, but if you're looking to replace e.g. your aging Psion with the latest and greatest Linux PDA from a local vendor, you may want to get Sharp to change their mind and make it available world-wide this time.
In other news, in India the Simputer is expected to be shipping below US$200 (10000 rupies) soon.
Wouldn't both of these be rather compelling items for ThinkGeek to carry as well (just in case the current vendors get overwhelmed by Slashdotters buying up the equivalent of a monthly production - BTW, what's the discount at 30000 units) ?

conics will probably ship them. Just ask them.

$700 for an english translated version at Dynamism

$550 for a japanese version at conics but it's really easy to change the locale to english!)

A review at the gadgeteer

Then set the locale to English and modify the fonts as described at this site . This gives you English Menues and English and Japanese input and gets rid of any mojibake in the Japanese applications. The Zaurus has the same handwriting recognition as all its predecessors which is the best I have ever seen for Kana, Kanji and various alphabets all at the same time.

with its 640x480 super crisp display and its morphing ability. I hope they will sell it outside of Japan. Sharp had a lot of them at CeBIT, not a single SL-5600. They know it's much nicer.
Here are some links:
My Zaurus Info page
Conics Shop for ordering outside of Japan
Sharp's Japanese Zaurus Page

Considering that you can get the SL-C700 for about 55000 yen in Japan and for $569 at conics.net
and switching to English is just editing one file dynamism seems abit steep in their pricing.
I am waiting for my shipment from conics right now.
In Euros it's even cheaper :).

Considering that you can get the SL-C700 for about 55000 yen in Japan and for $569 at conics.net
and switching to English is just editing one file dynamism seems abit steep in their pricing.
I am waiting for my shipment from conics right now.
In Euros it's even cheaper :).

The prices at Dynamism are a bit on the high side in my opinion. I purchased my SL-C700 in Japan at Yodobashi Camera for about 55000 JPY which at the current spot rate is about 460.00 USD.

Presumably part of that is to recoup shipping and some of the translation costs but a lot of what you are paying is for the after-purchase Fedex replacement service should you ever break the unit.

Short of hopping on the next plane to Tokyo, one alternative is to order one from Conics for 569USD. You may then switch to SL-C700 (mostly) to English yourself by adding the line:

Language = en

to /home/root/Settings/locale.conf.

I have a Rex 6000 for the PDA side of things, and an old but good Libretto 100CT for the PC side of things. It's the size of a video casette (remember them? ;-) ) and does everything I need. It'd be cool if I could play movies, but hey you can't have everything, and besides, do I really need it? :-)

The Sony U1 (see conics.net for an importer) looks far more use. It's a PC that's small enough to challenge the libretto but way more powerful. The new JVC mininotes look interesting too, or the Fujitsu P-series.

I think this is technology looking for a niche that just plain isn't there.

I'd rather get a Sony Vaio U with Transmeta CPU.
Have a look at these specs.

With a base price of $2199....umm...yyeeeaaaahhhh

So buy it for USD $1329 from here, instead. Looks like a shop in Japan that ship direct to you (as opposed to Dynamism's ship to them then to you)