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TrollTech's $10,000 Carrot For Zaurus PDA Apps

Posted by timothy on from the imagine-the-possibilities dept.

ILikeRed writes: "TrollTech is offering some big prizes, including $10,000 USD for coming up with a hot application for the new Sharp pda previously mentioned." The site says that "entries must function with the Sharp Zaurus SL-5000D and must be compiled with Qt/Embedded, version 2.3.2," but the rules make no demands one way or the other regarding licensing. How about making a GIMP-based ultra-mini photo studio tool?

5 of 12 comments (clear)

  1. They are going to have to give away more than 60 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Like the age old paradox of not being able to get a job with no experience and not being able to get experience without a job, so too has Sharp painted itself into a corner.

    Instead of continuing with Windows CE where all the smart money has recently gone, they strike out on their own with a device that has no apps.

    Without apps, users don't want a device. Without users, developers don't want to write apps. The vicious circle perpetuates itself!

  2. Re:They are going to have to give away more than 6 by baxissimo · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Well if you compare this to SHARP's previous policies concerning PDAs, this is a hell of a lot more open. Their previous ZAURUS PDAs (mostly only released in Japan) were completely closed. Only SHARP could develop new apps for them.

    At least now they've seen the light and realize that it might not be such a bad idea to allow other people to make apps for their hand helds.

    Incidentially I almost bought one of these new SHARPs over the summer when I saw it in Japan -- it's a beautiful little handheld -- then I found out it wasn't running CE.

  3. Re:They are going to have to give away more than 6 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Apps availiable

    address book GPL
    calculator GPL
    calender GPL
    city time GPL
    clock GPL
    media player GPL
    text editor GPL
    todo list GPL

    + a bunch of games + a few commercial apps

    No, I wouldn't say no apps. And $10,000 is a lot of money.

  4. Re:They are going to have to give away more than 6 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Plus there are 1000+ free Qt applications around on Linux alone. Most of those are easily portable to Qt/Embedded (the API is the same).

    Not every desktop app makes sense on a PDA, but some do.

  5. Got some... by WinterSolstice · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I've already got the first versions of two of my apps ready to test on a Zaurus. Now I just need to get one :)

    I have ported two "nifty" (but not "killer") apps, one being a system control utility called ALD; the other being a cycle training aid. I need to improve the graphics a bit, however.

    Anybody else got there Zaurus yet?
    -WS

    --
    An operating system should be like a light switch... simple, effective, easy to use, and designed for everyone.