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Clamshell Sharp Zaurus Reviewed
Bill Kendrick writes "The Gadgeteer has a review of the new clamshell-style Sharp Zaurus SL-C700 Linux-based PDA. This new model, currently only officially available in Japan, sports a larger keyboard than the SL-5500 we have in the US, as well as a full 640x480 screen and 400MHz XScale CPU. The review mostly compares it against the HP200. The reviewer got his hands on an 'English version,' made available by Dynamism for a hefty pricetag of USD$700." (See this earlier story for more screenshots from the English conversion of this device.)
the C# Zaurus?
But can it play Tux Racer?
---
Hello, Slashdot user. My name is Dr. Sbaitso. I am here to help you.
And therefore is still the coolest PDA to date.
Work sucked, until it became unemployment, when it became slightly more tolerable. -Tet
This twisting action seems to be becoming standard in the PDA-world. In this case, though, it seems the keys might get accidentally pressed when you flip them around to the other side. Hopefully the keys are hindered inactive during the flipping process. But even if they are, it seems a lot of wear would come to the keys when the PDA is shoved in tiny places.
--sex
Very popular slashdot journal for adul
Until it comes down in price, the cons are (in my opinion) a big deal.
My advice is: pick a laptop or pick a PDA. Make sure that either of them does their respective job well. Don't expect your PDA to be a laptop, and don't expect your laptop to be small enough to put in your pocket (yet!).
On a side note, Fujitsu makes a killer laptop! I've seen it in action...perhaps one of the best laptops for its size...
A review that does not focus on the lack of English documentation (the most irrelevant thing when discussing a product that as of now, is only released in Japan) sums it up:
The Zaurus SL-C700 is an impressive PDA that departs from more traditional designs. The stellar display, mated with a comprehensive software suite, definitely impressed us and we look forward to production-level units of the C700. Pricing is estimated between $600 and $700, though that may change at the time of release.
What i really think is hurting PDAs today is un-inspired designs, and i love to see someone with a new twist on an old idea. But i think that they need to work on new user interface, alot more than they need to work on making them more powerful. A good user interface would make all the difference. There simply is no blueprint for an interface for such a device, but a "windows"ish interface is not the answer.
A Fatal OE Exception has occurred, Sig will now reboot.
I'm still using a palm IIIx, and it's more than adequate. The color screens and multimedia coolness are great though...
;)
I admit that my use of a PDA is basically as a mobile "black book" and scheduling device. Seriously, how many people honestly require all these awesome features? (I understand the "bragging rights" argument, but I work with a stable of non-geeks who could hardly appreciate this device... they don't even know how to rip/encode an MP3...)
Still, I do like the fact that it runs on Linux
Even if a man chops off your hand with a sword, you still have two nice, sharp bones to stick in his eyes.
This device could really be a breakthrough device with the cool form factor, great display, and mainstream Linux support. I urge anyone who is interested to write to Sharp and/or post on the above forum. Don't let Sharp fsck this opportunity up...
"I say we take off, nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure."
Isnt it time to change the PDA in that icon? I think we've got something better now.
-- 'The' Lord and Master Bitman On High, Master Of All
Sadly, the reviewer could only get his hands on a somewhat tarnished, 'Engrish' version. As such, I wouldn't put too much stock in review.
-- HG Pennypacker, wealthy industrialist and philanthropist
So we Psion users might of been forgot by Psion, but not by everyone.
Lets hope the Linux install is as easy to use, and well though out as EPOC (does anyone have one? or links to some screen shots of).
Well almost "The battery life is only estimated to be 3 ½ hours", bah my Psion lasts a lot longer.
And I don't like the look of the keyboard... But yummy big screen, but will not fit as snug in my coat pocket (Psio Revo, very small). Eap, I see a hard desion ahead of me...
Sharp C700 PDA
Stick with my Psion, save up for a 17" TiBook.
Eap.
Wow, I should not post when knackered.
I'm waiting for Apple to adopt this slogan.
That's when I stopped reading. That's not a PDA, that's an undersized, underpowered laptop. A PDA should have a battery that at the minimum lasts a full day, so that the appointments for the day are accessible without recharging.
that's my 2cents.
~ a low user id is no indication I have a clue what I'm talking about.
Is it just me or are cutting-edge electronics priced at about 2.5 to 3 times too much?
Does it run Linux?
oh, wait...........
640x480, 400mhz, 64mb ram... This thing is a lot faster than my first desktop PC was!!
;-(
Costs almost as much though
I'd rather be a conservative nutjob than a liberal with no nuts and no job.
---The Gadgeteer has a review of the new clamshell-style Sharp Zaurus SL-C700 Linux-based PDA.
Ohhhhh Ahhhhhh. It runs linux. Like I care. I want something that works, not something to make a political stand.
Still the political stuff aside, why is Linux (a server based OS) on something that should be totally embedded? Yes, I know LinuxEmbedded is a project too, but whats the point? You use/make what's best for the job. The Linux kernel just doesnt look best for the job.
---This new model, currently only officially available in Japan, sports a larger keyboard than the SL-5500 we have in the US,
It's got a larger everything. The fucker's just a mini-laptop.
---as well as a full 640x480 screen and 400MHz XScale CPU.
Whatever happened to crusoe? Wasnt that one supposed to be the lowest heat and energy intake for a cpu of that class?
---The review mostly compares it against the HP200. The reviewer got his hands on an 'English version,' made available by Dynamism for a hefty pricetag of USD$700."
Hell, my TI-86 with serial link cable (Z-80 and 90k rom) only cost a hundred. Yes, any PDA will beat the socks off it, but it can do all that math, and with asm programs downloaded for free, it can be a PDA and game player too. And my TI calc lasts for days on, and I can put it in my pocket.
I'm very tempted by this. My current PDA is the original 2MB Handspring Visor which my life has come to depend upon. I'm in the market for a replacement because I'm running out of room for my appointments, contacts, and notes.
My requirements for my new PDA are that it supports compact flash (I have tons of these cards for my and my wife's mp3 players, digital camera, and removable storage for her iBook), have more than 2MB memory (at least 8mb), have a battery life that will get me through an 8-5 workday (~3-4 hours of use before recharge), and have a usability that is at least close to that of the Palm platform (everything just works very quickly).
My wishlist items include built-in or available Wi-Fi, twice my required battery life, and a built-in MP3 player (one-less digital lifestyle device).
I think these are reasonable expectations for a modern PDA. I speculate many, many PDA owners and potential PDA owners would agree with these.
My choice up until I read this review was the Toshiba e740. It's tiny & light, accepts compact flash, has more than 2mb memory, has acceptable battery life, comes with built-in Wi-Fi (that can very easily be switched between my home and work setups), and can play MP3s.
This review made me think twice, but I'll still be buying the Toshiba when my company's next buying cycle comes around. Why?
The Zaurus gets some credentials for running on linux and having a sweet form-factor with a usable, built-on keyboard. The Pocket PC operating system is much closer to just working than the Linux version (though Pocket PC doesn't work well with my Linux & Mac desktops at home). I can get the Toshiba brand new for half the price of the Zaurus. The Zaurus doesn't offer anything to make up for the price difference. The cool form-factor is moot because the Toshiba is smaller and lighter.
Nothing else in the market comes close to the e740 except for this Zaurus. The e704 was released last June! I can't believe making a good PDA is so hard. Are there really that few EE's, embedded system programmers, and UI engineer's that it takes a company 3/4ths of a year to come up with a close, but ultimately inferior product?
Nice try Sharp. Try harder next time.
obviously no deficiencies vs. no obvious deficiencies
Does it support WiFi?
While we all wanna be the first geek on the block to go get the new and cool gadget (and have the privlage to shell our $700)
By wainting a little bit you can and will get the same device later on at a significant discount
If it doesn't have a PDA, phone, satellite communicator, and zabaglione beater on it, I ain't buying it.
Since it's a linux machine out of the box, and appears to have decent connectors on it for peripherals (like in the CF slot), wouldn't this be an idea candidate for 802.11a/b sniffing? I mean, it's small, so small that it fits in a coat pocket, and since it's a PDA, generally people won't think to look if it's attempting to wiggle into their network or not. It also looks more useful than an IPaq, by having a keyboard, and could probably make a helluva good network diagnostic tool if not used for malovelent purposes.
IBM had PL/1, with syntax worse than JOSS,
And everywhere the language went, it was a total loss...
I'd love one of these.
Heck, make two versions. A backlit for the moles and reflective for the people who still know what the sun looks like.
Imagine pulling it out from my pocket, connect it with my client's PC and show a full-function website demo with MySQL, PHP, Apache, CRM, CMS, Sendmail, ....
with a 3.08GHz CPU, 1.0GB of ram, a 120 GB hard drive, 104-key keyboard, and 21-inch display?
I found the keyboard much better than Graffiti for inputting stuff but you're still not going to write a book on the thing. Your thumbs would eventually leap up of their own volition and gouge your eyes right out of their sockets. And believe me, that's a hard price to pay.
I'm currently pondering the Sony Clie, but the only models that seem to have keyboards on them are the $400 and up ones. And I don't need a voice recorder on my pilot.
I expect where the pocket PCs would really shine would be if you could attach 2 or 3 network interfaces to them. Then you could use them for corporate espionage. You could stash one of those suckers under a desk or in a comm closet, plugged in, for years. Take your choice; your competitor's network packets broadcast to WAP, or the slightly more dangerous option of scanning for interesting bits and forwarding them to an address out on the net (The latter also requires fairly extensive knowledge of his firewall setup.)
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
- The going price in Japan for the SL-C700 is a touch under US$500 (if you can get any, that is; it's still in short supply, two months after release). Dynamism is getting a hefty margin for their effort.
- Battery life is one of the biggest problems with this unit. The biggest battery drainers are the LCD backlight and the CF card. If you keep the backlight dim (which is adequate if you're indoors), and you don't have a WiFi card or a wireless modem running, you can easily exceed 3.5h in battery time. If you go full blast on both, the battery life can be as low as 1.5h. If you want better battery life, a better solution would be the SL-6000 (sold as the SL-B500 in Japan), which doesn't have the nice display, but whose battery lasts as much as 18 hours.
- Memory is the other big problem. Actually, you can get by with 32MB of RAM if you turn off "resident in RAM" flags for the commonly used programs, but then you have to wait a few seconds every time you want to use them. Many Japanese users have resorted to creating swap files on SD cards. For some reason, Sharp is refusing to acknowledge this as an issue.
- The machine does feel a bit unresponsive, especially when starting applications. This appears to be mostly due to the toolkit (Qt-Embedded) and the unaccelerated framebuffer. OTOH, profiling reveals that a lot of time is wasted opening and closing huge Japanese font files on startup, so maybe the English version runs much faster.
- Sharp does publish kernel code, in accordance with GPL (although the SD card driver is proprietary). However, the QtE code, as well as most of the PIM code, is proprietary, which means that the users can't do much about the above problem. (Sharp's engineer said in an interview that recompiling the stock QtE library from Trolltech will likely not work.)
- Sharp's decision to make 802.11b optional makes perfect sense in Japan, because hotspots aren't as ubiquitous or interoperable here as they are in the US. The most popular PDA wireless solution here is a cell phone modem in CF form, which works in almost all urban areas at 32kbps-128kbps. And if you do need WiFi, what's so hard about plugging a modem in?
- Yes, third party application support is pretty patchy--unless you can live with console applications, in which virtually every non-X applications in Debian is a recompile away from running on the C700! A lot of Japanese users who were fed up with the default mailer are now happily using emacs to read their mail, for example.
To me, switching from the Palm Vx to the SL-C700 was like trading in a middle-aged accountant for a teenage math genius. The Palm was clearly better at traditional PDA work, and doesn't drive you up the wall like the C700 does sometimes, but there is something unquantifiable that is truly exciting about the C700 that the Palm can't begin to copy.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.
/home/root/Settings/locale.conf.
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
As an owner of the latest p-2k I have nothing but praise for the p-2000 series. Integrated wireless, DVD/CDR, firewire, and a host of other features packed in to 3.5 pound form factor. The battery life is amazing especially with the little extended main battery I can get 6 hours. Here is a little review I wrote ahwile back,
tx
I currently have one C700 sitting on my desktop for a review. I also have a Sony Clié SJ20 (for old palm medical ebooks I can not read on the Zaurus due to DRM - no matter I *purchased* them I can't legally do what I want with them but that's another story) and a SL 5500. I also had a SL 5000d before, a Clié NR 70, a Clié 760 and various Visors.
...
The C700 is a killer - first it feels so cool! I can't remember being so impressed by a PDA except maybe by the Clié 760 which was really innovative for its time. The C700 can really hold in your shirt pocket - honnestly it's as small as the smallest clié available only a little wider. The screen is a pure marvel - forget the cliés or the ipaqs. I know I don't need color but when you see such a beautiful screen you realise can't live without it.. Just plug your CF in and show your digital pics to your friend on a real screen ! Or use the embedded web browser which can load real websites (no downgraded avantgo like stuff), uqtreader (http://www.timwentford.uklinux.net/) to read offline channels or P.Gutemberg ebooks,
The keyboard is big enought for real typing and the battery life is not a problem (~ 4h in a row? That's more than most color palms and pocket pcs!) since the charger is as big as a tic tac box. And I can afford a spare battery and an external charger if I really need ~8 h in a row.
The real problem is that most software written for the 5500 uses fixed sizes in pixels for a 240x340 screen - that does not scale well on a 640x480. Layouts *should* be used !!! And the emulation for 240x340 takes ~5 sec to load - forever if you need the application *now*. That's not a problem since most 5500 apps are GPL'ed so you can fix the code but if you are using poorly written commercial software on your 5500 forget it !
Moreover the memory is somehow limited : you can't launch many apps at the same time, especially memory hogs like java applications.
It is really promising once a) more software will be ported or cleanly coded and b) opie (http://www.opie.info) will be ported, allowing to put the root filesystem on a SD card thus keeping the while 64M of memory for the system.
If you have $700, if you don't mind replacing the pim by other software (PC syncs sucks - and for some reason they decided to drop the XML format from the PIM) do yourself a favor a get one. In some weeks you will be able to use Opie free software distribution and get the real power out of this baby!
Please check my C700 forum http://externe.net/zaurus/forum if you have one and need some help.
Guylhem
But, for that price, no I will wait 'till go down on price.
Then you would effectively have a lot more value for your money!
What we see depends on mainly what we look for. -- John Lubbock Now search for that bug slave!
There are a few Linux-based alternatives over on LinuxDevices.com (http://www.linuxdevices.com/articles/AT8728350077 .html). My only question about the Zaurus is "Where's the Bluetooth?". I couldn't consider pouring money into a PDA which was lacking BT.
Say, Jeff, you can prove that you paid for that copy of "King of the Pecos" that you're watching on your Zaurus, right?
:-)
Right?
Does anyone think it is likely to get Ethereal running on this little doohickey?
cat
+5 interesting
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
***Quis custodiet ipsos custodes***
Since my early 80's Amiga I try to keep in mind the rule "it's so dang sexy but is it compatibile?"
Alas, technolust overwhelms my sensibility every time.
Cheers,
Bill
PS Where's a Pocket PC (or whatever they're called now) with a keyboard? I won't buy another PDA w/o a keyboard.
bamph
... but it seems to be missing bluetooth, 802.11, gps, etc.. these things should be integrated already, so expansion ports can handle standards that don't exist today as well as larger storage (for video and music).. Also, how about a 720x480 camera that can shoot video? the 400mhz cpu (or a hardware mpeg4 codec) should be able to handle it..
:p
Oh well, not like I have a job to pay for it anyway
Also, is it just me or does the calculator look really clunky? Is it that Qtopia apps can't take over the entire root screen, or does the calc that was demo'd just suck? Why have a menubar, window borders etc. on a calculator? Maybe I was just spoiled by Newton..
For my PDA, I expect it's primary duties to be a notepad + address book + scheduler + RPN calculator. I want something that is small, nimble, quick to use, easy to backup, and will never crash on me. I'll live with a wait cursor on my computers but not on my PDA. I'll live with multiple clicks to perform one task on my computer but not on my PDA. If I want a portable MP3 player, I'll get a Zen or a iPod. And for my PDA needs, the PalmOS based ones are it. I currently use a Handera330 and have no complaints. I'd take a Tungsten T in a heartbeat. Not for its whizz bang features, but for its formfactor and screen. Oh, and I'd trade color for battery life anyday on a PDA.
The Sharp would be a cool laptop backup though. If I worked as a SysAdmin, I'd carry one with a CF ethernet adapter and a serial cable everywhere. However, I'm a code slinger and much prefer my Happy Hacking Keyboard to a thumbpad.
EnkiduEOT
There is no trap so deadly as the trap you set for yourself
-Raymond Chandler, The Long Goodbye
Did anyone else see the handheld linux server on the same page. Now that looks fun, 20 gig, wifi, linux server that fits in your hand, Sign me up for one.
I would dearly love to get my Archos Jukebox USB drive running on the PDA, as it requires no external power from the USB port, it shouldn't drain batteries too much.
It'd be so ultra cool to be able to carry a BSD handheld around.
I know I don't need color
:^)
;^)
One of the few arguments I have FOR color screens on handhelds is that maps (and similar data) can be easier to read when in color.
This isn't saying that full-color JPEG photos and MPEG videos, and 3D 3rd-person shooters don't need color... they just aren't the best argument for it.
Short battery life, on a Palm PC. Huh?
I just changed the two rechargeables in my Handspring Visor. I last charged them, ummm, three months ago. I use this thing a fair bit.
Where's that short battery life problem? Certainly not on any PalmOS computer I've ever worked with.
Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
You're a cheap bastard living in fantasy land.
I don't need color because I could live with a B&W pda but colors makes the "experience" better!
: vbitrate=100:vqcomp=0.6 -vop scale=304:176,eq=15 -ofps 20 -zoom -sws 2 -lameopts cbr:br=32:aq=0:mode=3 -o zaurus-movie.avi
;-) Even in that case you can turn off the backlight. The battery problem is not a real problem. There are power outlets everywhere, and with a charger the size of a tic tac box you can carry it around with you and charge when you get a change. Or get a 2nd battery (you can cought up $50 more if you got a $700 device)
Why?
- pim : the humand mind seems hardwired to look for colors. Put your important meetings and events in red and you won't miss them (unless the interface sucks and uses red everywhere of course but there's no cure for bad design)
- digital pics - check my website (no I'm not proud of every picture I made but I just don't delete them so there's everything I take). I can just take some pics and show them to my friends so they can see their faces after the party !
- ebooks, online and offline browsing : most websites do use colors now
- movies : yes you can now watch a dvd on a Z. putting a divx file on the compact flash. Just run:
mencoder $1 -oac mp3lame -ovc lavc -lavcopts vcodec=mpeg4:vhq:vqmin=2:vqmax=20:vmax_b_frames=2
get a decent video player on the Z and voila! You can watch movies in the subway, etc.
- there is no real justification for B&W now, unless you live in AZ and need to use your device outside my noon on a bright sunny day
The only thing I really miss is a datebk5 like agenda application and the ability to sync to standard palm desktop software. There's a project (google kitchensync) and jpilot maintainer just told me he would be happy to include compatibility functions but that's still not here for a while.
I really wonder why someone at sharp thought dropping xml pim formats in the new zaurus was a brilliant idea (!) - yes the PIM sucks and commercial PIM don't do a better than the free software (check korganizer embedded)
Anyway if you are interested in Z applications, just check killefiz.de, externe.net/zaurus/applications and these 2 articles http://www.linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=5902 and http://www.linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=6184
I reject your advice. I carry a Psion 5MX everywhere with me. It's like a PDA, only it's got a proper keyboard. Which means I can take notes and write documents on it. This is a most valuable feature, since it means I can leave my Laptop behind for nearly all meetings etc.
The fact that it's got perl5, email connectivity, a Spectrum emulator, web browser, etc also is just a complete bonus. The 20hr battery life isn't bad either. However, it is 3 years old and I'm worried about the clamshell screen giving in again so I'm looking for a replacement.
So, to refute your advice: I am looking for a device with a keyboard that I can put in a shirt pocket (and I don't mind looking like a nerd with a kingsize pocket protector to do so), that I can take notes on, and that ideally has a 2 day (~4-5 hrs) battery life. Running Linux isn't a necessary (I've gotten used to EPOC too), but definitely a plus.
--
I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy
Quite cool, check it out here!
...
But if you don't like weired looks of your neighbours, don't play it in the subway
Bye egghat.
-- "As a human being I claim the right to be widely inconsistent", John Peel
for some reason they decided to drop the XML format from the PIM
If this is really so, this means they lost me as a prospective customer. I don't want a Linux PDA to play the same old games with proprietary formats.
At least, until SyncML synchronization is unavailable for C700, there is little reason for me to prefer it over Pocket PC. Heck, there are SyncML add-ons for Pocket PC already.
My exception safety is -fno-exceptions.
Don't click on the link, the picuture is hardcore pr0n, which make me feel like throwing up.
I think thats what he said.
I have had this question for a long time. A unit this powerful would seem to be able to at least have the speed to run it well. Does the Zaurus run a "standard brew of Linux" that regular Linux programs can be added? If not, how could it be recompiled to do so. Think about a PDA with Photoshop (3.0 would run great) - Mac OS 8.1 with Kaleidoscope to make it look like X.
Also if such an implementation was made, would the stylus work? Is it recognized as a mouse?
I run Linux PPC on my Apple Network Server (originally could only run AIX on these) Not Mac OS. I then run mac on Linux VERY FAST, faster than a 200Mhz 604e machine NORMALLY runs it. Although my other machines don't have 3 -15K RPM 16MB cache SCSI Drives and 1 gig of interleaved memory. Still, I would think that flash based memory would give a great "interaction" boost as well.
Thanks for anyone's input.
Yell & scream & rant & rave... it's no use... you need a shaaaave ~ Bugs Bunny
Now if they'd put a real USB port on one of those Palm PC type devices and the package distribution got better, you could make it almost a laptop with a decent USB keyboard.
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
Re: not installing to CF.
Format your CF as ext2 and most everything should install fine. VFAT filesystems can't do everything a Unix filesystem can.
I saw this thing in BIC Camera in Shinjuku this weekend. The screen is as beautiful as people say it is. I think its clearer and brigher than the screens on the new Sony Clie's. I actually couldn't even see any pixels.
One reviewer said that response seems a little slow, especially when opening applications. I have to say that I can vouch for this, at least for the few apps I tried to open (including a basic image viewer).
The Zaurus features fantastic hardware with a built in thumbboard that's surprisingly responsive, compact flash and SD slots, an excellent screen, fast processor, etc etc. I have no complaints about the hardware, topnotch stuff.
The software is an entirely different story. It ranges from quite good to abysmal. The "OS" itself is nice and intuitive, modelled quite straight from standard KDE (if you're not familiar with KDE, it's very Windows like). And although things like a "start menu" don't translate well to the tiny size, the OS is still quite navagable and usable. The Opera web browser is great, the Jeode java virtual machine produces no complaints, media player is great, the to do list, contacts, etc are just fine.
But the calendar application is awful. It's very buggy. Trying to change an appointment from within the PDA often leads to disaster, with the calendar app left in an unstable state (hard to explain). Attempting to fix the situation usually just leads to appointments being deleted. I've been reduced to only adjusting appointments from my desktop and resyncing, which removes a significant reason for having a PDA in the first place. Just horrible, and the biggest strike against the machine as I feel the calendar app is the most important of the bunch.
The desktop syncing software is also unfortunately pretty raw. The version that ships with the Zaurus is pretty crippled and old. Newer versions lead to more features (such as the ability to install software), but they have their own unique bugs (such as sometimes the syncing process ignoring your overriding preferences and doing what it wants at times).
If you're looking for a neat gadget to have some fun with or experiment with, look no further. Unix in your pocket is pretty cool. If you want a solid PDA you can depend on, keep looking. Or at least wait, I suspect a revision or two of the core ROM should change things dramatically. After all, rather small bugs are holding the show back, easily squashed.
Agreed Zaurus is not for the average Joe, but if you read Slashdot, you definitely need one! :)
I was not really looking actively for a PDA, but when a good one showed up for a reasonable price on this site, I decided to go with Sharp Zaurus. Before that I have read quite a few positive reviews, and decided that Zaurus seemed to be a good choice.
While it seemed that Zaurus was a nice little gadget, it's usability as a tool has not met expectations. I travel, I write, I program Java and Perl occasionally, I read email and browse, read books, listen to the music, and that's what I expected to do with this PDA.
Battery life. Battery life was perhaps the biggest disappointment. Three hours is ok to get you through the day just checking up phone numbers and going back into the hybernate mode, but when I am up for reading a good book on the road trip, the battery life is quite disappointing, especially since newer models from Dell and Compaq boast 7-8 hours for the same kind of color screen.
Keyboard. While Zaurus features quite an innovative design with built-in keyboard, if your plan is to type a journal entry, extensive email, or a 2-page paper, this PDA won't be of much use. I am a male, which besides some strong points brings in such indispensable attribute as large hands with large fingers, meaning that Zaurus experience was quite a nuisance for me. To be fair, that's probably true for all PDAs, not just this one specifically. But next time I will shop for one that has an external keyboard, Zaurus built-in one was good enough maybe to type two lines of text, not more.
Applications. There's a wealth of applications for Zaurus out there and I did not feel that I was missing anything important. I discovered that I could not play WMV videos, but that's proprietary Windows format, so it's expectable. Zaurus did a good job playing MPEGs and MP3s, which is what most of my collection is anyway.
Large documents. You would imagine that a PDA with 200 MHz, 64MB of RAM and about 512 MB total of added Flash card memory would cope with a text file of size 1-2 MB. After all, if you download a book off the Internet, that's the size that is quite common, especially if it's a PDF file with illustrations or some weird page formatting. My old laptop has a Pentium 90Mhz with 16 MB of RAM (don't laugh) and I had no problem dealing with large (larger than 1 MB) Word documents, PDF files or plain TXT documents. On Zaurus this experience proved to be quite painful. The documents sometimes would take 20 minutes (I am not kidding) to load and even then I would get an error about insufficient memory. Small documents under 50K load quickly, but then you can read them in couple of minutes anyway.
I sold my Zaurus and am on the market for a new PDA. I am OS-agnostic, thus I don't care whether it's Palm, Windows or Linux based device. Now that I have had experience with a pocket computer, I know what to look for.
I had a Palm with my previous employer, but had to give it back when I took my current position. They gave me an iPaq 3600 that I installed Linux on and I tried both Opie and Qtopia. While I liked all the apps, and the fact I could use Perl (even Perl/Tk), the PIM apps sucked. I struggled with syncing with Evolution, which I need to stay connected with our Corp. Exchange server.
I really missed the ease of use of my Palm, so I finally gave up and bought a Palm Pilot off ebay for $30. Instead of mucking around with a paritally useful iPaq I have what I want...Palm OS based device that just works.
Yes, I tried to get used to WindowsCE, but I think the apps suck on that platform too. Another strick against the iPaq was the battery life. It spent more time in the cradle than working for me.
Quicker
So, what exactly does this get me beyond my SL5500 + Pocketop (www.pocketop.net) keyboard?
+++ BASELINE REALITY FAILURE+++ +++ PLEASE REBOOT UNIVERSE +++
Funniest thing I've read today. ;-)
and the po-lice.
Jews suck nuts.
Really funny. It's not enough that there are already two Stephen King trolls in this discussion, but now you're trying to perpetrate a Ron Ziegler troll?!? Grow up, troll!
This is an obvious (and old) troll, but there was a celebrity who died recently in whom the Slashdot community might be interested: I just read on CNN.com [cnn.com] that veteran character actor Vincent Price, star of countless horror movies, has succumbed to lung cancer at the age of 82. Also an accomplished writer and chef, Price starred in over a hundred films during his illustrious career, including "The House of Usher," "The Pit and the Pendulum," and "The Abominable Dr. Phibes," though Slashdot readers may perhaps remember him best for providing the "rap" for the title song of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" album. Survived by third wife Coral Browne, Price's ashes will be scattered at sea according to his wishes in a ceremony next week. Truly an American icon, and a great loss to cinema.
Uh, you really confused me when you excluded the set of devices that run PalmOS from your PalmPC "category".
Ummm, my bad?
Note that some of Sony's Clie models have mini-USB connections, and the foldable keyboards vary from awful good to spectacular in performance.
Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
It is a reflective colour screen!
, 10 58,698,00.html
"The SL-5500 has a 3.5" 65,536 Color Reflective TFT Front-Lit Screen with 240 x 320 resolution for outstanding graphics and clarity, indoors or out."
http://www.sharpusa.com/products/ModelLanding/0
The C700 is also reflective but i can't quote the specs cause they are in japanese...
The C700 is perfectly readable in my office under flourecent lighting with the light completely off. To read it in sunlight you will need the frontlight on though.
Well, actually, no. First of all _OPIE_ has nothing to do with that (the project formerly known as OpenZaurus, now OpenEmbedded does). However the C700, B500 and upcoming US version of the B500 (5600) already uses (internal) flash for storage. There is no "memory" being used for this - i.e these PDA's have 32 MB of memory and the only way to get more is to use a swap file (or I suppose perform hardware hacks, adding more memory).
You are never given a wish without also being given the
power to make it true. You may have to work for it, however.
-- R. Bach, "Messiah's Handbook : Reminders for
the Advanced Soul"
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