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New Zaurus Prototype, Sony Palm OS 5 Devices, Yopy 3500
dnomla writes "There is an article on PC WORLD giving a few details on the next revision of the Sharp Zaurus PDA. Sounds like the display is wider now than the current longer display and folds up. Not a whole lot of information, but at least we know there's a new model on the way. I really like the current Zaurus, can't wait to find out all the details." Also in handheld news, Lee writes "Sony just announced the first Palm OS 5 devices, available later this month. These are the first Palm OS devices to include an ARM processor! Get the scoop at Palm Infocenter or see them at Sony Style." Reader Big Mike also points out the new model of Yopy (3500) being previewed at www.yopy.at.
Wanted to mention Opie, which is an open environment for handhelds (notably the Zaurus and the iPAQ)
:)
Check out the screenshots of opie in action... I was hooked at first sight
Cybie! aka Ralph Bonnell
No mention of processor (My guess is Xscale), because if they don't no one will be able to play back full screen video (mplayer has to frame drop on the 206MHz SA-1100 in the SL-5500 (current model)) either that or a real video device instead of the memory mapped framebuffer it has.
How much RAM? and if they are putting it in a notebook like design, PCMCIA, CF, SD, internal microdrive?
I personally don't like the idea of a fold out, but it might work.
Don't get me wrong: I love my zaurus, (shameless ego building: I even ported mplayer to it (mostly due to the wonderful other people working on mplayer), but I did it first :) ) This article on the other hand is not really worth actually reading the article (cept to find out where it will be previewed.)
I bought the Zaurus because it shared the single feature that I loved the most about my dear, departed Revo - a keyboard. Now that I've seen the new design, I'm salivating all over again. I LOVE this format, but history would indicate that I'm in the minority. Notice that there's no Revo MKII.
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 used a Psion Netbook as well for about 2 years. Thought it was the absolute bees knees .... I just wanted them to publish decent network drivers.
Two years later, I gave up all hope and went for an ebay purchased Zaurus. Yes I loved the full keyboard combo with the touchscreen of the netbook. Yes I thought the fact that it never needed a hard reset (apart from once) and that all the apps appeared automagically depending on what CF card you had in (and the fact that it had both a CF slot and PC slot - WOW !). But the bottom line for me was that it DIDN'T NETWORK !!
How ironic, of course, that when I finally gave up hope with Psion, they release "production" network drivers.
My lesson learnt ? If it doesn't ALREADY do what it says that it might be able to do, then don't buy it until it does.
Two wrongs may not make a right, but three