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Images and Screen Shots of Zaurus SL-A300
Ch_Omega writes "Sharps Linux-based Zaurus SL-5500 is a wonderfull PDA with lots of features, but it's also a bit on the large side. Unknown to most, Sharp also has a slim and sleek version available, namely the SL- A300. It's so far only available in Japan, but Infosync has screen shots!." And it weighs only 120 grams, imagine. A trip to Akihabara anyone?
That as long as they are switching to an XScale Processor, they should also increase the mhz at least 400mhz to compete with other devices...they actually lowered it 6 mhz instead! The chip has the capability, they just decided not to use it I guess.
This thing (the pics of the device) has been out and about in while. I almost got a Zaurus. Something about applications that are easily installable stopped me there. I do the tar ball compile thing for work....I don't want to do it for something I need to work to keep track of work if you know what I mean. I don't have time for that! ;)
Gorkman
Hi. Please read the article, that would be more interesting for both us and you then just posting as quickly as you can.
no sig.
Actually, using linux on a non-keyboard device could lead to some difficulties, If you, for an instance, run into problems on an ordinary PC, you simply CtrlAltF[123456] into terminal mode and kill the troubling application. But what if you run into this problem on a PDA? My opinion is that linux is not linux without a proper keyboard.
GAAH! MY PRINTER IS ON FIRE!!! PUT IT OUT! PUT IT OUT!
This Zaurus, and these other new PDAs look fancy and all, but as long as they do not have a quality mobile phone BUILT-IN atleast it is impossible to even consider buying one. Even though the Nokia Communicator is already dated, I still think it's the only real choice if you are looking for a combination of a phone & PDA (& mobile ssh client for me) - with emphasis on the phone side. Or, is there something else that works and which has a decent KEYBOARD built-in?
Rasterman, the main developer of The Enlightenment is already porting EVAS, the gfx engine of E17 to run on Zaurus LINUX. Here are some pics.
For those of you who were are Linux World last month Sharp had one at the Intel booth for anyone to see and play with. It is the smallest and thinest pda out there currently. Next week at the Intel developers converace there might be one also. (Don't know for sure, but I know for sure I will be there! Stop by the Sharp booth and say Hi!). For those of you who _really_ _really_ want the Documents tab that is on the A300 I can tell you right now that the A300 ROM is not compatible with the 5500 so don't try. If you do try you 5500 will die and will cost you $500 or however much you paid for it. (Although you could rip apart the rom, grab the launcher exe and get the english translations off the cd or course this isn't supported by sharp, probably wont work, use at your own risk, it might explode in a nuclear reaction and it wouldn't be there fault bla bla bla). BUT you can put Open Zaurus on your 5500. For those of you who hang out on IRC in the #Zaurus you will know that the A300 currently has no plans to come to the USA, but there is a different pda coming to the us. The only information known about it for _sure_ is that it has an xscale. Anything else that anyone tells you is just made up cr.. to make them seem like they know something they don't.
-Benjamin Meyer
P.S. You _HAVE_ to check out this game for the Zaurus.: Buzzword Bingo
I am thinking of bringing it with me to the Intel conference. hehe
Do you changes clothes while making the "chee-chee-cha-cha-choh" transformation sound?
Well previous units released in Japan were still using the original ZaurusOS as it has poplarity there. Indeed Sharp tried to steer app development to the Java engine in part because it would work on thier japanese units. The original expectations was a half million abroad and a half million in Japan. By releasing a Linux based unit in Japan (the SL-5500 does not apear to have been released in Japan) Sharp is bassically merging the sucesful lines into one unified OS, which means they will be more supportive of native Linux applications.
For more information regarding the lack of availibilty of the SL-5500 try out this unoffical FAQ
There wasn't much of an article to read now was there just some pictures that I didn't load at the time.
I'd do something interesting, but my server can't handle a slashdotting.
recent linuxdevices.com article
I think this is exciting news for those of us interested in the linux pda market. I have zaurus sl5500 and loving it. The zaurus is by far the pda with the most geek potential out there. Try finding another pda with an SD slot, CF slot and a qwerty keyboard built in, all in a reasonable size and price( contrary to the article, the zaurus is not big at all ).
Based on upvotes, Ageism is the only "-ism" Slashdotters care about and think isn't SJW
I'll put it in perspective for you... if it was cocaine, that's enough coke to have a kick ass good time!
I saw one of these at Linux World. I own a 5500 and like it (it works for me, not sure about for others, but then this was for me). The 3000 would remove all of the reasons why I like mine. No CF means no wireless and I love the keyboard. The keyboard makes mine very useful for me.
This looks like a step backwards to me.
You can't grep a dead tree.
Just in case nobody knows what / where Akihabara is, here's the official Akihabara home page as well as a nice shopping guide in English.
Come to the University of Mars! Classes starting soon!
And since I've used the Newton OS 2.1 and WinCE with CalliGrapher 6, I can easily win in a typing contest with a veteran Graf user *and* a old-timer Blackberry or similar thumboard user. :)
Working toward a usable PDA environment in the spirit of Newton OS: Dynapad
This new hardware|software is great, but unless it has feature ____, and implemented exactly the way I want it, it is ABSOULTELY worthless. I don't know why they even bother.
"so far" only in Japan might mean "never" in the
USA. I wonder why there aren't numerous outlets
for graymarket items like this. There is *LOTS* of electronic stuff in Japan that we don't see in the US. But it's not actually *illegal* to import, so why is it so hard to get something like this?
I personally would like to be able to acquire the SCMS-free minidics and DAT's that they get over there (but not here).
-fb Everything not expressly forbidden is now mandatory.
Indeed, as the engine of your car is so ugly, it can't possibly be any better than, say, a lava lamp. Clearly, as an engine is ugly, it sucks, so it should be replaced with a lava lamp, which isn't ugly, so it doesn't suck. Please tell me how you get on when you've replaced your car engine with a lava lamp.
Of course, my biggest problem with either model of the SL-whatever is the $#%$@@@@~ proprietary connector, which cannot be had for love or money in lots of less than 1,000 outside of Japan. Would it have hurt Sharp too much to use the same connector as the Palm V or Clie? As it is, no-one can build a peripheral for it without hacking apart the horrifically expensive cradle ($50 USD) or serial cable (also $50!).
I have owned several Sharp Zaurus PDAs starting back in the 80's (and yes, I traveled to Akihabara to get all but one of them; the 5500.) Of course they weren't Linux based until recently, but they were all great. I used to like the little cards you could buy for the older ones; they had some great games on them.
This new model lacks some of the things I like about the 5500, but I think it still looks pretty good. By the way, does TheKompany make localized apps? TheKompany's applications are really what put my 5500 over the top.
English Menus on the SL-A300
If you have an SL-5x00 series, and want to have japanese support (menus, IM, handwriting recoginition), you may want to go here:
Japanese Language support on the SL-5x00 series
Alea jacta est!
Lets define technical merit basing our opinions in something objective like aesthetic beauty.
Well, after all, beauty is truth.
This, of course, is the fundamental difference between people who like Linux and related open source software and people who don't. The people who use open source software-- and who don't understand why it's not taking the world by storm-- don't seem to grasp the idea that in order for something, be it a device or merely software, to be "good," in any meaningful sense, it must not be unpleasant to use. Linux is unpleasant to use, which is why hardly anybody (as a proportion of all computer users) uses it. This PDA looks unpleasant, so it's clear that it will be unpleasant to use. Hell, it's unpleasant to even be around. So this PDA can't possibly be considered "good" by any sensible criteria.
this is a tiny device. Mhz has no meaning. You think the CPU actually runs at a constant speed?
Long battery life so that you can use the thing without ever worrying if you've got enouch juice to hold you until you're near your charger is much more important.
I seriously hope people aren't being as stupid as they are with computers and buying PDAs based on the processor speed rather than the features.