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MSNBC Reviews the Sharp Zaurus
Khalid sent in a link to this review of the Sharp Zaurus. They only noted a few flaws, such as the synchronization being harder than necessary, and generally seemed to like it, at least better than the Wall Street Journal columnist did.
A nice sign, at least.
There's 10 types of people in this world, those who understand binary and those who don't.
I've been looking for a cellular wireless internet solution for a while (Palm VII didn't cut it) and the Zaurus seems very expandable. Does anyone have any experience with the Zaurus and/or Verizon 3G (or any other cellular internet service?).
the article was written by by a knowledgable techie and so obviosuly he would like a powerful handheld... the problem with this is that these are nice but a bit bulky and someone who doesn't want to run linux programs might not be so impressed... im not saying its a bad product but i am saying i hope that others find it to be just as useful or else we might never see another linux handheld again...
unzip; strip; touch; finger; mount; fsck; more; yes; unmount; sleep
I mean - c'mon. I only want a few things:
1) GBA type game functionality
2) An address book that synchs with my desktop and email system
3) Functional, worldwide, wireless broadband (this isn't really a part of the PDA itself, it just doesn't exist yet)
4) A way to input text that is private and equally fast to touch typing
#2 and 4 are already well past developed, 1 has no business implications, and 3 isn't going to happen until god knows when - but in all reality (and I mean wireless broadband scattered across Alasakan wilderness) I don't see it happening for another 20 years or more.
So it runs Linux. Great. That Samsung box that lets me remotely administer unix boxes looks even better - but until all my requirements are met, I'm not upgrading from my POS Palm III.
Really they aren't considering just the other month they reviewed Lycoris Desktop Linux as well with a favorable results.
Why bulky? (I have a Zaurus and have seen it together with Pocket PC's and Palms.) The Zaurus is about the same size.
Most people don't care if they run Linux or some other programs on their PDA as long as they get their work done.
*I*, however, *do* care because that means that I can use the same programs on the desktop and the handheld. My (Windows-using) techie collegues are amazed when they see that I can VNC into the Zaurus, or ssh into it and manage files with MC, or make backups with ssh+tar+bzip2.
You find lots of software. IPSEC kernel? Apache with PHP so you can develop wherever you are? Vim? Python? MC? mplayer? ogg player? Doom?
Everything there.
Computers. You can't live with them, you can't live without them.
Someone here doubted Walter Mossberg's inegrity. Sorry, it holds.
This is a brief excerpt from his previous review of StarOffice (also found at wsj):
"As for ease of use, the StarOffice interface is OK. There are customizable toolbars at both the top and side of the screen, and floating windows to help you navigate a long document or apply formatting styles. There's even a nice feature Word lacks that allows the program to automatically complete words you've used before.
But StarOffice is riddled with extra steps, complex techno-babble and odd behavior. When you first fire up the word processor, you're asked to select an "address data source," which means an address book the program can use to insert addresses -- hardly a daily function. And the choices include "LDAP," a techie term referring to network or online address databases.
Options screens include mind-boggling choices like "memory per object" and "Use OpenGL." My favorite: "size optimization for XML format (no pretty printing)." In my copy, the default settings were set to use centimeters and German, instead of inches and English.
Many things are unnecessarily complicated. For instance, in Microsoft Word, if you want to insert page numbers in a document, you just go to the "insert" menu, select "page numbers," choose where you want them on the page and how you want them aligned, and you're done. In StarOffice, you have to know a page number is a "field" and then, when you find the proper command in the insert menu under "fields," the program just inserts the phrase "page numbers" wherever your cursor is, unless you manually created a header or footer.
Some features worked erratically. Entire toolbars sometimes disappeared for reasons I couldn't deduce. The spell-checker sometimes didn't work."
It DOES run Linux. And it is prety nicely set up too.
I just bought mine last week at Best Buy, only $250 bucks!!!! They were on clearance and I got their demo model. Not a shabby deal. I absolutly love it. I am planning on flashing OpenZaurus this weekend. Its good to see the Linux PDA marekt getting a little pub!
peace...
"Always give your best, never get discouraged, never be petty..."
Maybe they are just operating on a more subtle level. I don't know about you, but reading that arcticle really made me want to eat Chee-tos(tm).
What good is a Linux PDA that doesn't sync with Linux desktops? Form the FAQ: What operating systems is the Zaurus SL-5500 synchronisation software compatible with? The Zaurus SL-5500 synchronisation software is compatible with Microsoft® Windows® 98, 98SE, Millennium, 2000 Professional, XP and NT 4.0 with SP6.
It can play Ogg Vorbis with tkcPlayer :) Wheeee!
--
GCP
Khalid.......isn't that the name of a Mooslim? Wow.
I've been using linux for approximately 3 years now, and I still can't find a reason why I want linux on my pda past the "cool" factor which really translates to "geek" factor in this case. I have a palm m505 which I can do just about anything on, including playing short video clips (Impressive considering how much slower these processors are compared to that of the PocketPC PDAs. Of course, those of us in the "know" can't wait for the next Palm to come out its going to totally rock the scale for multimedia ;)
Linux is good for servers folks, it makes an Ok desktop, and I can't see how it would be all that useful on a PDA!
You know, I have one simple request. And that is to have sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads!
1. You can run a gameboy emulator on the Zarus.
3. You don't really need wireless access in the Alaskan wilderness. There are providers who will definately cover you almost everywhere you'll really go.
What is it like to program this PDA and how well it functions alongside your workstation. It seems powerful and simple to use from the sounds of it but whats it like to extend its functionality?
Pixels keep you awake!
I think it was joke. you noy getting it is more funny then the joke maybe you need a sarcasm detector
The main problem I have with the Zarus is that it is FAR heavier than it competitors. I can't carry it around in my pocket, so what good is it?
Si hoc legere scis nimium eruditionis habes
is also VARY sharp!!1!
It would be very interesting to know what is the manufacturing cost per unit, when the Zaurus really enters mass production. Did the Linux choice make it significantly cheaper? And what kind of effect did the choice have on development costs. There must be some developers who participated in doing this out there, leak some info, please :))
If you don't understand why people are using Linux in embedded products then you don't really understand what's good about Linux.
Anyway, it's not just Linux on a PDA though, they have taken the core of the Linux OS and combined it with a custom PDA interface that supports Java.
Linux is open source which allows such things to be created without license fees. Can you imagine them trying to get hold of WinCE and alter that code base? the license costs would be in the millions or billions.
Why is everybody talking about syncing. Syncing sucks. With this linux PDA, i can use wireless lan att my work, school and home to acces my online calendars, todolists and email. NO SYNC! Real time information. It rocks!
Why sync? Why not just use wireless LAN / bluetooth->mobilephone->3G/GPRS->Internet , and access an online calendar, todolist, email, etc.. No need for sync in a perfect world!
And regarding games; Since it runs linux and is open source, lots of people have developed games for it. Ex: Doom, Quake, FreeCiv (Civilization clone), scummVM (enables you to run monkey island 1&2, fate of atlantis, day of the tentacle, full throttle, sam & max, etc), and many many more.
Check out: http://killefiz.de/zaurus/ (under ex. "Games" there are 75(!) games)
I would buy a Zaurus immediately if I could run PalmOS programs on it, because all my friends run PalmOS. Since it runs Linux, I recon it shouldn't be too hard to program a Palm emulator, should it?
The last time I felt this way about a piece of hardware (the Zaurus) was when I first purchased my Amiga 500.
They're relatively inexpensive. I wonder if anyone can write a way to cluster these babies... /. one of these babies?
well if ppl are already writing a webserver for it why not? how many req would it take to
"I guess that's why someone is porting the Apache server software to the platform. "
After browsing the replies here, I found that most slashdot users have little, or no, idea
:) Now the "future is truly here". ;)
of what the zaurus really can do.
1) It is cheaper than similar (hardware-wise) PDAs from compaq, etc
2) The sync application is not so good, but since being open source, lots of people are developing alternative versions. But IMOHO syncing is inecessary. I use a wireless-LAN CF card when I am in school/home/work, and I will get myself a bluetooth card later for wireless internet "on the go": Zaurus ("Z")->Bluetooth->Ericsson T39m->GPRS/3G->INTERNET. With Internetaccess I can use my central (web)calendar, todolists, and access email/IRC, without the need to sync or fiddle anything at all. The whole concept of syncing is
wrong; It is much better to have a central copy on a server (wich is backuped).
3) With the Zaurus you get an powerful Linux system right in your pocket. Possibilities to run apache, PHP, mysql, LOTS of games, LOTS of other programs (such as media players, etc), you can mount samba/NFS partitions and much more!!
Before you say "Zaurus runt linux, so what, it sux", go and have a read at: http://killefiz.de/zaurus/
4) The support is, since being opensource, GREAT, Just headover to www.zauruszone.com and ask whatever you want. The community is often more competent than the average support personel, and you WILL gett answers to your problems and a solution (please contribute and answer to other peoples questions later when you have knowledge).
(Like in communism - From each according to his ability, to each according to his need)
IHMOHO the "Z" is the best thing that has happend since, I dont know what, color graphics?.
Linux has ?failed? as a desktop alternative to either Microsoft's Windows or Apple's Macintosh operating system, and last year, according to a study by the International Data Corporation, Linux sales actually slumped.
sales? slumped? linus works fine (albeit for "free" as in dependable) on ALL of our desktops/laptops/servers, etc..... what in the fud is the NYT saying?
in our household, we have a zaurus, running linux (bought last week) and two cassiopeia e-125's (bought several months ago) ...
... why? well, you've got more options.
... just don't.)
... you're all set (how did they not get sued?) You can also shrug off the help of a GUI, and use your favorite gcc, with cross-compilation support. You can also install all sorts of interpreters on it. You can install a webserver and php, for example. Python, perl ... whatever. Recompile, and push to the pda. Or even better, install gcc on the pda, and compile there! (okay, maybe not -- it's not the fastest thing around.)
... how many of you actually -love- win32api calls that are broken, the ability to develop -only- under nt/w2k/xp (yes, we're running it, but c'mon ... choices?) and the fact that you pretty much have to use eMbedded Visual Studio to do your work? It's a pain ... but it does work. You just don't have many options. The VB thing is easy to use, but for those of us who hate VB, there's still C++ ... only ... it's really not helpful. At all. It would help if we had a bit more experience with visual studio ... but as we use it only for command-line apps, and run to builder for anything window-y ... well ... we've already got a bias against it.
... insert into CF card reader, mount it (in my case, it thinks it's sda1) and have fun that way.
we're all programmers. each of us with a pda. but i can tell you, if you wanna program on the damn things, linux beats windows
for the casio's, we've got:
-python 1.x interpreter (hey, it's amusing, okay?)
-the microsoft SDK (3.0 and 4.0, more on that later.)
-vb (don't
for the zaurus, we've got:
-everything you could imagine.
let me expand on that -- because the linux pda runs Qt natively, you can use the Qt-[Borland-Builder-esque] designer to build applications. it's great. it's c++, and the framework doesn't suck. didn't take long, and if you're used to Borland Builder
Now, for windows
Okay, so maybe we suck at visual studio. But at least the Zaurus offers a -lot- of options for creating your own programs. No, you won't be able to just port your X apps to it directly (it -is- Qt, not X.)
Did i mention it was cool to just ftp to your zaurus, etc.? Cassiopeia support under linux is this: take the CF card out
The problem with the Zaurus for many people is that Sharp is blatantly trying to rip them off.
The Sharp is reasonably priced at $380, but for us ( Europeans ) it costs $580 ! ( ex tax )
This is not free-market economics - it is exploitation by cartels, and the EU has just legislated on car pricing.
It is time they did likewise with electronics.
Until then we can simply refuse to buy clearly overpriced goods.
I have always found MSNBC Tech reporting to appear free from MS bias, and I read it daily.
Cites of counter-examples would make for an interesting Slashdot post though...
Because only a fool lets the phonebook with the tech support number for the worldwide broadband be stored remotely?
I'm glad to see that the Zaurus is getting some positive press. I've been working with one (developer version) since last November and it has come a long way. It still suffers from the OSS development process, i.e. there is some wicked cool stuff out there, but there are also gaping holes in functionality (like syncing).
Sharp has done a pretty good job, but it is companies like The Kompany that are really making the Zaurus a quality pda.
It hasn't been smooth, but it has been moving forward.
So far I find my Zaurus to be really useful. When out and about I use it as an mp3 player, play games on it, and my new hobby -- searching for wireless networks. At home I SSH into it and use it as if it was just another headless linux box. It will be even better once the Debian port is complete and there is easy access to all of the Debian Arm packages.
I sync my Zaurus with linux box everyday via my 802.11 card. It works well.
However, that is not the syncing issues that people have been complaining about. The problems are poor syncing software in terms of its intelligence. The protocol does not support enough variations and causes data to be lost because it can't figure out what has changed in all cases.
based on the familiar distribution (which also runs on other devices such as an Ipaq)
that runs the open source Open Palmtop Integated Environment environment. (which also runs on other devices such as an Ipaq)
I've had no problems syncing. OpenZaurus does contain security patches not in the official Sharp rom, so syncing might not work, untill the sync software catches up.
-- "Perceptions create reality. By changing your perceptions you change your reality."
QNX is working on porting their OS to the Zaurus.
b oo t.jpg
http://qnx.wox.org/qnx/screenshots/eQip/zaurus-
Comment removed based on user account deletion
This journalist is nothing like the guy from the WSJ who gave the device such a bad rap. This guy mentions vi and ping in his review. He also tries it with 802.11b, which is where I believe this device really becomes a killer app.
He claims 4-5 hours with 802.11b, which I thought was more than I remember hearing.
Being a Java programmer, lots of options really open up for making this device do useful things. There are lots of really cool projects you could do, from controlling your server remotely, managing, and may be streaming your MP3's, run remote X sessions, etc. The thing is basically, as he says, a handheld computer which is not in the same league as most PDA's.
Amazon has them for $439 and change: Sharp Zaurus SL-5500 (affiliate link, so ya know)
This device is on the list of toys, or tools, I want to get. It is good to see the prices are coming down toward a point I may consider purchasing one, even though I (as of yet) don't have a real useful purpose for it. It's still over $500 equipped with 802.11.
-Pete
Soccer Goal Plans
If a zaurus had a hard drive, I'd buy it.
...
... perhaps a separate iPod-sized add on which is mostly battery? :)
Yes, I know, it's a PDA, that flash memory is sufficient for many things, that I don't need to carry around the library of congress, etc, but still. I would like to be able to carry around a large collection of music, perhaps a movie in VCD or DivX format, many books, a small Linux image like the Progeny Net (debian) Installer
This would have been a silly complaint not that long ago, but the iPod shows that it wouldn't take *that* much more space to do this
timothy
jrnl: http://tinyurl.com/c2l8yr / foes: http://tinyurl.com/ckjno5
I agree. I'm very tempted to get a Zaurus so I can do Perl development under Apache... You could even do mod_perl in your pocket - a far cry from the Palm where only mickey-mouse web servers are available, and no Perl.
Even if you have great wireless LAN/WAN (802.11b/Bluetooth/3G/GPRS) connectivity, there will always be times when the wireless link is down, or simply too congested to be used (happens a lot at peak times and in busy cells with GPRS at present, since it competes with profitable voice calls).
The ideal wireless app, IMO, does background syncing, so that at any time you can (check email/check calendar/find contacts/etc). Vindigo and AvantGo for the Palm work like this (except you need to tell them to sync), meaning you always have Vindigo's database of restaurants/bars/movies (including local cinemas), and Avantgo's news/magazine pages. Very convenient...
RIM's Blackberry email device works like this, meaning you can write emails when out of coverage and it will then send/receive emails as soon as it gets into coverage. I think this is one reason it is so successful - the wireless connection is automatic and it essentially hides any coverage issues from the user.
Over the years, Sharp never joined the Palm or Windows CE/Pocket PC bandwagons -- opting for a proprietary operating system
From reading this is sounds like Sharp usually goes with proprietory operating systems, as opposed to the free and open Windows CE/PocketPC and PalmOS? I'm pretty sure Windows CE/Pocket PC and PalmOS are proprietory.
Get em while they last! Make sure to get to the booth EARLY, cause at JavaOne this year we had 3-4 hour lines going around the BLOCK at Moscone.
Apparently the problems with synching using Intellisync are in that software itself. The harrasment is also experienced by Sony Clie users, so I would assume all other PDAs using it.
This isn't a Wizard, it's Willard! hehehe
Mike
Intel transfer the difficult from Hadware to software, for get more power, programmer need more technology. -- chinaitn
My iPAQ does much the same with it's CF sleeve, and Linux installed on it, except with a MUCH shorter battery life (45 minutes with an Ambicom 802.11b card... ! ) and no keyboard. I'm thinking of selling my iPAQ and seeing what I can get off of eBay....
--j
I'd love running Linux on my handheld - having the same apps in my hand that run on my desk would rock! But I'm WAY too attached to my Kyocera Smartphone. I will never carry two (or more) devices again. Please Sharp - CDMA Module. Or better, put them together in the next version and leave the slots for an 802.11 card.
"Smile, listen, agree, and then do whatever the fuck you wanted to do anyway." ~Robert Downey Jr.
I am completely uneducated about Linux, or any of it's variations. All I know that it is customizable, programmable, reliable, and FREE.
:)
I am a medical student, and for our school, we have to have a palm PDA with a palm OS on it. I am very close to buying a sony clie since all my school apps are written for palm os. I came across some palm emulators for linux, and was curious to know how well do they actually funcion, and how fast do they run on a PDA such as Sharp's.
Also, has anyone had a chance to check out the POCKETEC (20, 30, or 40 GB usb external HD's that run with linux). www.pocketec.net
I was curious to know that if I could use such device with the linux PDA. They say that it supports Linux Kernel 2.4+, and all it needs is a USB connection.
If the HD would work with the PDA, and I could run palm OS emulator with some decent speed on it, I think that it would the best thing out there. (40GB on a PDA, I am drooling as I type
Please let me know if what I talked about makes any sense. As soon as I find some time, I would love to learn to program Linux, but until then, I hope that I could get by being able to use this sharp pda with minimal Linux knowledge.
Look forward to your responses.
Thanks.
I've been looking for a audio recording device and on the verge of going back to minidisc.
However, I, out of sheer idleness, would like to keep the process as digital as possible, hence the search for a digital recorder that would upload via USB (recording iPod would be ideal, Archos' box didn't really do it for me)...
If this device could use a USB Audio-In device (say, iMic) then share the music via the wireless network at the office it would be a new breed of big and clever.
Anyone with a better grasp on the Z and Linux audio help?
tia
How exactly does one run Apache and mySQL on a PDA? What would be the applications of it in the real world?
There sure are a lot of geeks that do Linux development. Imagine being able to take your whole development environment, with exactly the same tools you use on a PC, stick it in your pocket and take it wherever you go. Remember the Zaurus even has a small, but perfectly-formed keyboard. Why bother with a laptop?
As for how to run Apache and MySQL, it's simple: just install the packages, like you would on any other Linux system. You wouldn't get much space for the database with the Zaurus' memory, but it would be plenty for most development and testing.
For developing custom applications very quickly, the zaurus kicks booty, but it would be irresponsible to suggest to someone the zaurus as something you could use for phone numbers or schedules, no matter how many other cool features it has.
Note: Right now, the linux community is in hardcore denial about usability problems in general, and any attempt to deny the truth of this post only further proves the truth of it.
Ergonomica Auctorita Illico!
I don't have a zaurus, but I want to get one so I tracked down the ogg123 port to the zaurus: http://killefiz.de/zaurus/showdetail.php?app=201 . I don't know if it actually works, so I guess someone with a Zaurus should try it and tell all of us if it really works (please?).
HAL 7000, fewer features than the HAL 9000, but just as homicidal!
Microsofts opposition to Linux is more philosofical than compeditive and visa versa.
Linux is "Free speach" philosophy and Microsoft is "Intelectual property" philosophy.
At the extream "Free Speach" and IP can not co-exist..
The copyright clame on the "I have a dream" speach makes makes it difficult to have a sereous and relivent debate on the details and meaning of the speach.
At the core IP sillences speach.
however free speach makes it difficult to impossable to make a proffit on intectual works.
It's hard to have a relivent discussion of the ideas presented in Gean Rodenburys work with out clips of Star Trek and scripts of his other works.
Yet... the same matereal being distributed would result in a loss. Actually when he was alive he alowed unoffical merchandice by fans to be created and it's quite likely he did lose money as a result.
So it's an issue of those who wish to learn understand discuss and educate themselfs vs people who wish to make a living on what they know.
Microsoft on the side of making a living and Linux on the side of learning.
That's actually pritty logical considering Linux was made as a project to learn something and Microsoft came into being to pay bills.
So anywho on to a Linux PDA.
Well the PDA is a bit diffrent from a desktop or server. It's much harder to violate IP laws with. You need to compile your code on your desktop or server. It folows the Microsoft philosophy of making money with what you know quite nicely while firmly imbeded in the idea of free speach.
So Microsoft is more inclined to welcome a Linux PDA.
Additionally Microsoft plays a nasty game in compeating of using a third party to wedge. Linux is not going to be an effective compeditor in the PDA market. It dosen't sereously satisfy the wants and needs of an avrage PDA user (For that reason I have a Palm Os PDA).
The user friendly thing is mostly a farce from what I've seen of users. They'll jump at the cheapest price and complain how hard it is AFTER they have it. They don't care when it costs them money.
For that reason Macintosh dosen't sell as well as Windows. The PC hardware simply costs less. Once they have Windows and the money is paid Linux isn't cheaper than already paid for Windows.
However the Macintosh is easyer than Windows and more powerful.
On the PDA the user wants cheap. They don't want a full power computer they want a simple interpreter of data.. a web browser, e-mail, and something to carry databases and speadsheat files.
The Palm Os PDAs do this perfictly. With some additional games and other neat applications a Palm Os PDA is everything a business user would need.
The stuff that's missing is movie and music players.. enteratinment. Entertainment is not the purpous of a PDA. Personal Digital Assistant... a PDA that plays music is a secretary that dose strip tease. It would be cool to have but would you really honnestly want to pay extra for it?
Ok some of you said yes.. I know you did.. pick up your Zaurus and go..
But for me a PDA is a simple effecent business tool. Not a video game system or a movie player. Those are nice extras that I would not want to pay for.
A lot of you will use a Linux PDA becouse it runs the same software that runs on your Linux workstation. That's the same reason people bought WinCE systems.. but those units didn't sell very well and there are fewer Linux users to want the same advantage.
When Apple made the Newtion they could have just made a MacOs PDA. It was the populare thing to do.. with PenTops running Dos, Windows 3.11 and the Zoomer to run Geoworks. But apple knew they needed something specal. Sadly the kinda goofed on the price..
A Linux PDA is a very compact cheap portable computer. Neat. But it isn't the portable business tool that Palm Os is.
Microsoft can use Linux PDAs to pull users away from Palm Os. They know some won't switch to Pocket PCs but most would.
I think the persons who made the first Linux to run on a PDA were right when they said it's great for the coolness factor and improvements to Linux but it's douptful a Linux PDA would be very useful.
Linux TiVO yes, Linux kits yes, Linux in car yes, Linux on a PDA... ummm no...
The needed processing power to make Linux useful is waisted on a PDA.
But I guess untill perl is ported to the Palm... it's not a total waist.
I don't actually exist.
MS Office compatibility was not mentioned in the review and I think one of the biggest advantages of the Zaurus over much of the competition. I can enter my Excel spreadsheets and Word docs and have FULL functionality.
But the real kicker for me is the micro keyboard. AFAIK only the Handsprings have such a keyboard and the screens are MUCH smaller. I can enter info 3 times faster with the keyboard and I have been using the Grafitti since the Palm came out. I use this thing much, much more just because when entering data I not longer feel like I have a learning disability. (:-{)}
On the size issue I'll take the extra weight if the trade-off is the larger screen and IO options. 'sides the darn thing fits in my pants pocket. How much smaller does it need to be?
Cheers,
Beal
bamph
Also, Network World ran a "gearhead" review of the Sharp Zaurus in which they rated it with a 10 out of 10, and said it was one of the "coolest toys, er, tools" they'd ever "played with, er, evauluated." The review is available online here.
The keyboard alone makes it infinitly more usable than a Palm. Throw in MS Office compability and the Palm runs off to suck an exhaust pipe (anyone want to buy my IIIx?).
The only UI gripes the review mentioned is a cumbersome synch proggie. The flipside is that while sync'ing one can pick and choose which fields to accept from either PC or Zaurus. The Palm just blindly duplicates to both devices any records found to be different. Hell, one can choose 5 default actions:
1. Duplicate (dumb Palm only option)
2. Ignore conflits
3. Notify operator (and let them chose at field granularity) default
4. Zaurus wins
5. Outlook wins
In fact these can be set seperately for each app sync'd!
Perhaps if Sharp had defaulted to "duplicate" the reviewer might not have felt burdened by the extra power.
Cheers,
Beal
bamph
SO what you're saying is:
Oh my god! OpenGL! My mind is boggled! LDAP!! Don't confuse me with thuose techie terms! Computers are REALLY SCARY to me even though I depend on one for my job!! Don't make me learn anything!! I'm too stupid!!
I just bought one of these fine units (Best Buy - $284, open box / $25 rebate) and am loving it. I almost ended up buying a Jornada 568 but am very glad I didn't!
:) From init.d, to ssh'ing into your PDA to running Debian on the unit!!! :) Anybody want dpkg on their PDA??? http://people.debian.org/~mdz/zaurus/
This unit is polished from OS to physical fit and finish. The Zaurus feels great in the hand, very sturdy and the hidden keyboard just plain rocks. Two thumb typing is easier than one would think!
Two complaints that aren't even much to complain about. The synch software doesn't do justice to how the unit was built. However, it is VERY usable and works flawlessly. It doesn't however have that polished feel of the unit. Point 2 is handwriting recognition. The default recognition is rather picky just because the software controlling it has you draw out the whole letter. This, however, is customizable and I plan on copying the Grafitti style from Palm as this is much more useable!!!
G33k factor is definitely up there...
Some of my fellow coworkers, I think, wish they would have gotten the Zaurus over their Palm models. I am quite glad I'm not in their shoes on this occasion, and am very impressed / happy with the unit all in all... Any geek should love one of these!!!
My local Best Buy had the SL-5500 on clearance for $325. I don't see it on their website so you'll have to go look for it.
I think Sharp has the best PDA hardware out there. It's a great package if you're the kind of person who would want a CF slot on your PDA (size comparisons with the iPaq usually ignore the "sleeve" required for CF). The PIM software, on the other hand, sucks. Someone described it as looking like the result of a class project, and I have to agree. Others in this thread have covered the "hackability" aspect thoroughly, and I agree that it appeals to geeks. But I'm afraid there will be no next gen Linux Zaurus because this one is going to tank in the market. No one buys a PDA for the sexy hardware expecting to install all new software later.
I've played with a few of them in different stores. About half were stuck at the 'lock' screen because someone figured out how to set a code and left it that way. Most are trapped in a anti-theft cage which doesn't allow the keyboard cover to open all the way. The keyboard is inactive until the cover is in the "open" detent, so it appears to be broken. Office Depot appears to have all the accessories out but no *units*. This is a disaster when you can play with 5+ palm devices and 5+ WinCE devices in any store.
I am very new to anything Linux. My medschool is requiring us to buy Palm for their crap PalmOS software...
I just found out that I can run a palm emulator on this pda. Can I also run this USB connected harddrive (40GB pocketec)
WWW.pocketec.net
Also, as a linux novice user, would I have difficulty being able to learn/use this sharp pda?
Thanks,
Maz
On the zaurus' datebook, in the single day view I can't click on the lines to immediately start entering the time. And in fact, they're not even lines, they're thinly disguised Windows/KDE text fields (Which is stupid, because the palm's use of lined text fields makes the whole interface feel more natural, like paper. Paper is the most vicious and ruthless ane efficient competitor of any PDA, but I digress).
In order to create the new appointment on the Zaurus I have to go upward (BTW, did I mention people in western cultures read from up to down), to the document icon to create a new date entry, which only further proves that trolltech tried to carbon copy a desktop interface into a PDA one. This is far less intuitive then merely placing your stylus on the line and starting to write like on the Palm. I'll admit the palm does have a button that brings up a time entry dialog (if you choose to do it that way. But you're not forced to, like on the Zaurus), but the button on the palm to do this is not some ambiguous-looking unlabled icon like on the Zaurus but a run of the mill button with the labell "new".. No guessing or risk-taking required. And the "new" button on the Palm is located under the time slots, not above like on the Zaurus, so the Palm keeps in step with the way people read things.
Guess what happens once I get the Zaurus' modal dialog for a entering a new date? The text fields for 'Description' and 'Location' are already filled with "(None)" and "(Unknown)". Why are they already filled? I haven't even decided to write anything in them yet! And if a field is left blank, isn't it already obvious that the value is unknown? What's worse, I have to erase the crap in these text fields in order to write my own stuff in them. Users always expect text fields to only contain stuff that they have actively written in them, and Trolltech has greatly violated that expectation by automatically stuff into them.
To focus the "Description" text field for a Zaurus event I have to tap on it yet again, whereas the palm focused the description field when I selected the time.
To finish off entering a date on the Zaurus I have to go up to the right hand corner of the titlebar (again, the bizarre 'down to up' fetish) and hit "Ok". On a palm, there is no hitting "Ok". You don't need to confirm an entry, the entry is merely just as you left it. The PalmOS UI is stateless, which is the direction that many of the foremost HCI professionals say we should be going in. And stateless UI lends itself very well to devices where everything in stored in ram.
Oh, I almost forgot, on the Zaurus' datebook, not everything fits within the width of the screen (including the widgets). I have to scroll horizontally to manipulate widgets on the edge. On the palm, no horizontal scrolling required. Every single widget fits precisely on the screen.
Tap summary:
Total minimum # of taps requred: 1
Total minimum # of taps required: 4.
I can understand why you like the Zaurus' keyboard--it doesn't handle the stylus half as efficiently as the Palm does.
About my disclaimer:
The first step in solving a problem is to admit that you have one. My point: Right Now, most of the linux community absolutely refuses to admit that they have usability problems. According to them, we don't have usability problems, we just have people spreading FUD about linux being hard to use. If anyone with any interface design background points out these problems, they are immediately met with incredulity and some really nasty denials.
When I say "this product has severe usability problems because we've got so many linux zealots denying that there is a usability problem" and then some linux zealot starts screaming "Bullsh*t, there is no usability problems!", the linux zealot has effectively proven my point far better than I ever could.
Ergonomica Auctorita Illico!
Go see a doctor or something. Maybe wear a belt...
Come on, I have one (with a CF 802) and it's about twice the weight of my palm.
Up to 1 gig of data...
With wireless access and the ability to write/run whatever software you like. Would this possibly be a great wardialing platform. Anybody tried?
If it WAS a joke then why did it get modded as Troll? :)
What UI Guru thinks it a good idea for me to learn how to write letters all over again?
I have been writing legibly for almost forty years now but for the life of me I can't write the letter "V" on a Palm. I usually end up with a "U" and think "OK I'll just know that is a "V" when I read it again later". Or I can stop what I'm doing, bring up the software keyboard, enter a "V", lower the software keyboard, and then get back to the task at hand.
UI experts everywhere are vomiting in their trashcans.
Can't enter a "V" by drawing it on the Zaurus? Teach the Zaurus your own handwriting! Reconfigure the whole darn alphabet to the way you've been writing all your life...
or use the sweet-ass keyboard...
or the pickboard...
or you're some Old Timer V7 admin, how about Unicode?
or really love poking things with that stylus? You've got a software keyboard here too! Only this time candidate words are suggested speeding up your efforts!
Do you have some oddball character that you find yourself entering over and over again? Teach it to the Zaurus and enter it with one keystroke instead of having to navigate the infernal maze of Pilot pop-up windows.
Sharp gives you FIVE alternatives to far and away the worst UI gaffe on the Palm, Graffiti.
On the issue of software UI (excluding data entry) I will agree with you that the Sharp has a bit of catching up to do. Guess what? It's being updated all the time and I can download improvements! Not so with the Palm. Save for minor revision levels a Palm is stuck with the OS it shipped with.
Throw in the hardware though and the overall UI goodness tilts the other way. I mentioned the sweet-ass keyboard before. How about being able to reprogram the hard buttons? That's a nice UI plus.
Office compatibility is another usability draw the Palm will never have.
I know all this because I've owned three Pilots and I have found myself using my Zaraus more than I ever used those Pilots. It is purely the User Interface Goodness has pushed it's usefulness head and shoulders above the Pilot crowd.
Your hysterical slight "It's people like you who keep Linux unusable" begs to be addressed
Over the years I have purchased and installed five linux distos. Because the experience "sucked" I have switched back to windows each time (next I am going to try Ximian Gnome on my laptop). Your broad brushstrokes of people that disagree with your minor positions alienate compatriots in what is obviously your larger war.
Cheers!
Beal
bamph
So your main complaint about the Zaurus is that it's not a copy of the PalmOS interface you're comfortable with. Gotcha.
But of course, Palm devices and the Zaurus/iPaq class of devices are completely separate in terms of design intent. Palm is meant to replace paper. Zaurus/iPaq is meant to make it less necessary to carry that laptop everywhere you go, so their apps and interfaces are designed more like the desktop model.
I'd be interested in your comparison between the Zaurus datebook and Pocket Outlook, for example, and in the amount of time it takes for someone who uses desktop machines regularly to adjust to using a Palm device's byzantine Graffiti system versus a thumb keyboard or the Pocket PC's own handwriting recognition system. I know a few people who opted for a Sharp Wizard (a much cheaper device with a larger thumb board and no stylus at all) rather than a Palm-type device because they couldn't be bothered to learn a bizarre new written language. I doubt they would have gone for the Zaurus as they really were looking for a paper replacement, but Graffiti is Palm's biggest weakness where non-PDA-users are concerned.
Before you start talking about non-intuitive user interfaces maybe you ought to look at the issue through the eyes of someone who doesn't use these things at all rather than your own clearly Palm-biased experience. For what it's worth, I don't use any PDA myself as I find them all lacking. I certainly don't want to use their minimalist interfaces on the desktop, and the designs that are fawned over by usability experts (like Aqua) would seem to bear this instinct out.