Sharp's marketing seems to be broken in that despite the thriving user community and demand for a zaurus model with that form factor in us/europe they seem reluctant to actually release it over here. Companies such as dynamismor shirtpocket import them or better still get someone visiting japan to bring you one back. They can be easily re-flashed to remove the japanese software and instead start speaking english which I for one find a whole lot easier to deal with;-)
There is an iminent (nobody knows quite when due to the brokenness of sharp's marketing dept.) launch of a model in the states called the Sl-6000 which is a similar (well slightly improved) set of innards and screen to the sl-c860 but in a more conventional pda form factor, very like the sl-5600 as released in the US.
Companies such as dynamismor shirtpocket import them or better still get someone visiting japan to bring you one back.
Yep, I got my SL-C860 from Shirtpocket, and have been
very happy with it. It is far and away the best PDA
available for my needs, and the screen really does
have to be seen to be believed. It really is that
good. My only gripe is the lack of integrated
Bluetooth. They've fixed that with the Zarus SL-6000, but for some strange reason, they've
reverted back to the SL-5500 form factor. I have
both, and trust me, the clamshell design is much,
much better. Bluetooth via a CF card works well
enough, I'd just prefer to have it built in. But
I'd recommend anyone thinking of a PDA to take a
look.
-- "The invisible and the non-existent look very much alike." -- Delos B. McKown
To all naysayers...I own a Palm, a PocketPC (iPaq 5555), Zaurus 5600, and...ding-ding...Zaurus C760 (basically the exact same thing as a C860 with a different color).
Yeah...Sharp is real stupid for not marketing these bad boys in USA. For you Clie wannabe lovers, here is what you can do with a Zaurus C760:
Opera 7 browser...I mean a real browser with Java and Javascript. Not a "I wish I was a real IE on IPAQ" or Pal. This is the real deal...full 100% browser.
Bash shell/terminal. ssh into your favorite box.
GCC. Bored? Compile your favorite software and run it in that lamo meeting you are in.
VPNC - Need access to your corporate Cisco VPN? Use vpnc...its the freeware Cisco VPN client. Gets you right into your company. Yeah try that on a Palm or pay some $$ on the iPaq for that.
Email - All flavors...pop, IMAP, jeez...even notes.
Sniff? Wanna see who is using wireless? Use Kismet or Wellenreiter.. Talk about Warwalking/driving...this is the shit.
Do Windows? rdesktop baby! Pull your Windblowz box on this puppy. Yeah I know iPaq/PocketPC can do this...but can your Palm?
Apache/PHP/MySQL - Yeah this is not shit. Run a full web app on this PDA...yeah PDA. Get iPaq/PocketPC and Palm to play that game. Good luck.
This is just the beginning folks. All of this on a PDA. I invite any other PDA to do the above.
mplayer...yes...I said mplayer. I constantly carry around 2-3 full length feature films on my CF card plugged into the C760. I can watch a full movie with mplayer..this includes DIVX, MPEG4, OGG...you name it. Its the same proggy you use on your home Linux box.
Do that with your CLIE;-)
Its small for a laptop, but HUGE for a PDA
by
rufusdufus
·
· Score: 3, Troll
Look at the size of that thing! Its huge! Nobody I know who actually uses their PDA would carry around something so big.
Re:Its small for a laptop, but HUGE for a PDA
by
October_30th
·
· Score: 4, Funny
Look at the size of that thing!
You're right! "That's no a moon, it's a PDA!"
-- The owls are not what they seem
Re:Its small for a laptop, but HUGE for a PDA
by
Serious+Simon
·
· Score: 4, Insightful
Look at the size of that thing! Its huge!
You're nuts.
Given the VGA screen and the full keyboard it's amazing that it is only a bit thicker than a normal PDA.
It's
4.25" x 3.25" x 1.0" compared to e.g. Dell Axim X5: 5.04 x 3.21 x 0.71
Re:Its small for a laptop, but HUGE for a PDA
by
Michael+Spencer+Jr.
·
· Score: 5, Interesting
The C860 is the same size as the C700 I've been carrying around in my pocket for the past year. Usually I'm carrying it with the network card sticking out the top, and I haven't had anything bad happen to the extra bit of plastic that sticks out. There's a noticable Zaurus-shaped rectangular outline where my pocket is, but nothing sticks out the top of my pocket and nothing gets bent or sheared off. Nobody notices my pocket -- I think that qualifies the Zaurus as pocket-sized.:) I think "small" or "HUGE" aren't really precise enough. Let's talk about whether it's too big for something or too small for something. Those statements are *useful* statements. My C700 is small enough to carry around in your pocket, everywhere you go. The AC adapter folds its prongs into the body and it's small enough to carry around in your other pocket.
The 640x480 screen apparently has led people to mistakenly conclude the screen is large. It's not -- it's just got unusually high dots-per-inch.
The screen is still pretty readable though. People always comment on how small the text is, but when they hold the unit closer (which is normal and natural with a small hand-held device) they can read it clearly. I've found people who need reading glasses to read small print on paper are the only people who have trouble with this screen.
I suppose some people are fashion-conscious enough that how small something looks matters. To me, it just needs to be small enough to comfortably hold in one hand, light enough to not tire that hand out, and small enough to carry in my pocket everywhere I go. That's precisely what it's been for me, for the past year.
Re:Its small for a laptop, but HUGE for a PDA
by
neonstz
·
· Score: 4, Informative
Look at the size of that thing!
Check here for a picture of the Zaurus in use (big thanks to Tom for letting me use his Zaurus while on vacation in Japan). I'm not sure which model it is.
(Notice the Air-H CF card on the side of the Zaurus, I was SSH'ing to my machine in Norway.
Being Swedish I can tell you that that isn't French. It is Norwegian or Danish and it says:
"It doesn't matter if you smell a little like this"
I don't have any moderator points right now, which is just as well, because I don't know if I should moderate this as funny or if I should moderate it down.
Sure this thing looks fairly nice and linux on a PDA would be nice. But after playing with a Sony UX50 for a little over $600 with integrated 802.11b and a little webcam, I just could never picture myself or any other mainstream business-type buying this thing. my Visor Edge is up for replacement with a non-MS PDA, and so Sony is going to get my $$ thing time around.
Isn't the Sony's resolution a mere 320x240? I know that's standard for PDAs now, but it's worth noting that this Zaurus has a 640x480 screen. I've also heard complaints that the Sony PDAs of this form factor have unreasonably small screens. If I had the money to blow, I'd certainly pick this Zaurus over the Sony.
No. In fact you would have a very, very hard time finding a Sony PDA with a 320x240 screen. 320x240 is the defacto standard on Windows PDAs at the moment, though Windows CE can actually support other resolutions quite easily, its just that most of the 3rd party software is hardcoded for that size. Sony makes Palm OS PDAs, which can use 160x160 (from the 1996 Palm Pilot 1000), the high resolution 320x320 first used by Sony (low res apps are easily scaled up, so no compatible problems) and also pioneered by Sony, 320x480 in portrait and landscape mode.
Tablet PC, anyone?
by
sbennett
·
· Score: 4, Insightful
Is it just me, or does this look like some wierd hybrid of a traditional PDA (a la Palm V) and Microsoft's Tablet PC idea? It's a PDA in size and processing power, but then it opens out into a laptop shape and has a qwerty keyboard. And then there's the screen. 640x480 is the largest screen resolution I've seen on a PDA, unless I'm missing something.
Re:Tablet PC, anyone?
by
DarkManaX
·
· Score: 4, Insightful
Um, its not a new innovation from microsoft. It's been around for quite a while.
Killer app for Zaurus
by
Andreas(R)
·
· Score: 5, Informative
Re:Killer app for Zaurus
by
Andreas(R)
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
By the way, the project's progress seems to have slowed down lately. This might be a good time to request help from developers to sync with current CVS and finish the project. That would be nice:)
Which is actually Danish and means "I don't think it matters if you smell a little of piss".
I think someone has been having some fun with teaching Bender Unit 22 some bogus Danish phrases. Or he has gotten his hands on a Monty Python dictionary.
Is it really worth it?
by
dancedance
·
· Score: 5, Insightful
I have always liked the look and power of the zaurus line, and I really want a linux pda, however I don't think the cost of the imported zaurus is really worth it. For $850 you can get a laptop and install linux on that. I understand that there are size and usage differences, however if I were to choose between a zaurus, or a 12inch ibook (say off of ebay) I think I would have to go with the ibook. It seems that the laptop is much more useful than the pda for a similar price.
Re:Is it really worth it?
by
terzyva
·
· Score: 4, Informative
Keep in mind that Dynamism charges a hefty premium for the English conversion. If you're willing to do the conversion yourself, just get the Japanese version. Conics.net sells the SL-C860 for $725.
Also, one of the main features of the C860 is the fancy Japanese dictionary, and if you don't need that I recommend getting one of the older models which have the same screen, keyboard, RAM and CPU, but less flash ROM and a smaller battery. The SL-C750 is excellent (I own one), and IMHO a much better value than the C860. Just stick in a SD/MMC card if you need more storage, and get the larger battery separately if you want that (I prefer the smaller form factor).
A laptop computer is obviously the better choice for getting real work done, but there are other uses for a powerful PDA. It's shirt pocket sized, and suitable for taking almost everywhere without needing to lug around a notebook. I've gotten used to having an Internet connection available wherever I go when I need it (i.e. to research products while shopping).
-Klaus
Re:Is it really worth it?
by
jwr
·
· Score: 3, Informative
There is a very notable difference between a laptop (any size) and a Zaurus. You can take the Zaurus out of your pocket and be taking notes in about two seconds. Plus, you don't have to sit down. Try that with a laptop.
I have the SL-760 and I am very happy with it. I use it mostly for running XEmacs in a terminal window, though -- and taking notes. But it is unbelievably practical for this purpose. The built-in keyboard is surprisingly useful and you can take reasonable notes with it. And it is usable while you are standing (you type with your thumbs anyway).
BTW, I don't know where the $850 price tag comes from -- I bought mine in Japan for less than $600.
As to the other posts -- yes, it is true that the Zaurus software is lacking. The usability is simply not there, compared to Palm. There is the OPIE project, but it suffers from lack of developers (it is extremely difficult to set up an environment to program for OPIE) and the applications are really of the KDE-let's-copy-Windows-now-with-all-the-icons kind, not of the nice and simple Palm kind.
Still, even with the software not really being up to the hardware, the Zaurus is a beautiful machine.
Re:The Problem with the Zaurus
by
Makenai
·
· Score: 5, Informative
Also, unless you back up/sync your Zaurus religiously, when the battery power is gone, so is all your data, programs, etc.
Um.. sorry. That's absolutely wrong. NAND memory does not go away when you let the battery drain. It even mentions it in the review.
support for CE languages?
by
kyknos.org
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
can it handle central european languages? can it write in unicode or in iso latin-2? i would love an linux based pda like this but i need suipport for my native language (at least writing texts in it)
--
SHE does throw dice.
Re:support for CE languages?
by
zbychu900
·
· Score: 2, Informative
Of course it has. You may look at the discussions in country Zaurus usergroups (http://www.zaurususergroup.com).
I'm from Poland and all Polish national characters are supported (fonts and keyboard).
Poland ZUG:
http://www.zaurususergroup.com/index.php?name=PNph pBB2&file=viewforum&f=71
Slovakia ZUG:
http://www.zaurususergroup.com/index.php?name=PNph pBB2&file=viewforum&f=83&sid=d02307f05ed33c9927186 0307e714d75
You're presumably from Czech Republic, so you shouldn't have trouble reading either group;-)
"best keyboard"?
by
tverbeek
·
· Score: 3, Insightful
"It also has the best keyboard I've used on a PDA."
Perhaps the author needs to get out more. OK, so maybe it's better than it looks, and I'm sure it's better than the buttons on the Treo my employer issued to me. But I can't imagine it being better than the keyboards on the Psion Series5, Revo, or even the old Series3.
-- http://alternatives.rzero.com/
Re:The Problem with the Zaurus
by
terzyva
·
· Score: 5, Informative
Did you read the article? One of the main improvements in current models is that the user filesystem is in non-volatile flash ROM. This started with the SL-C700 and SL-5600 models, which were released about a year ago.
Only the old SL-5500 model used a RAM disk for storage.
"Jeg syntes ikke det gor noget hvis man lugter lidt af tis"
This is danish, meaning "it doesn't matter if you small a little like piss". - Really?!
PDA, Schmeeee-Deee-A
by
l0ungeb0y
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
The last PDA I bought was a,a href="http://shop.store.yahoo.com/letterfolders-of fice-equipment/palwitac.html">PalmVIIx in early 2001. I used it for maybe 6 months before it became too much of a hassle for me to deal with. It's been sitting in my closet collecting dust ever since August 2001.
While PDA's are handy, I'm not big on carrying around a whole bunch of gadgets. And besides, being a very mobile person who is often on foot (downtown SF), having to lug around a PDA on a sunny day can be a bit of a problem. And the Zaurus in the article looks gigantic! I already have a titanium powerbook, so some hybrid PDA/Palmtop has -5 appeal to me.
For those like me that are always looking for the smallest, most functional and utilitarian gadget to lighten the load with, check out the Kyocera 7100 series smartphone it's a Palm OS PDA with a color display, takes compact flash and is freakin tiny! Ohhh and yeah, it's a phone too.
For a lot less ($200-300), with a UX50, you get a US-waranteed system with wifi & bluetooth built-in. It'll run any PalmOS app under the sun and it's significantly smaller/lighter. Is the Zaurus cool? Sure it is. Is its utility great enough that it outweighs the negatives? I just don't think so.
Re:This vs UX50
by
DiGrassi
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
I'd say it's horses for courses. I'll bet the ux50 makes a far better PDA (I admit I haven't seen one), but the Zaurus (I have a C760) makes a far better linux pc for your pocket.
I find the PDA apps pretty weak and syncing can be a bit random too (that'll be the entertainment of japanese drivers/pc software!). If you start to look at it as a very small notebook running linux then it makes a lot more sense. Some very clever folks have got X windows running on it which opens up a whole different world of applications you can build and run. As more of the community gets behind it and more development is done, it gets better and better.
Things I personally find it useful for are as a GPS (with a CF gps card), watching films (divx) when trapped in waiting rooms/planes, mp3 player, occasional network security tool (nessus client, kismet etc.), surfing the web (not too bad on the 640x480), pop mail client, occasional games and just generally having a very portable terminal which can often save having a laptop with you.
If you want a pda that just works, get the sony, but if you want a very flexible miniature talking point, get a Zaurus.
Sharp is missing it...
by
Bodhammer
·
· Score: 4, Insightful
Sharp has missed the US boat. Though there was clearly a demand to release these clamshell units in the US, Sharp has had a cronic case of cranial-rectal insertion and has declined.
I thought I wanted one of these and I was willing to pay about $500 for it but I think now I will pass. Sony is now releaseing a new Clie that I think will serve most of my needs though it is not Linux. Check out the PEG TH-55 - big screen, WiFi, decent PIM apps and ~$320 street price.
Too bad Sharp that you couldn't figure out how to sell your hardware...
-- "I say we take off, nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure."
Too expensive? To thick?
by
Realistic_Dragon
·
· Score: 3, Informative
Then get a C750 model. It has half the memory (just throw in a $20 64mb SD card to even it out) but it's 20mm not 25mm (1 in ~= 25mm) and it's only $600.
Vastly more usable than the Sony models, with a better screen and more power.
As for battery life, I get 5 hours out of mine or ~4 hrs with Bluetooth and ~2.5 hrs with WiFi. Spare batteries are about $100 for the high capacity (8.5 hour) ones.
-- Beep beep.
old news, the Zaurus 6000 is the hot thing now
by
fuck_this_shit
·
· Score: 3, Informative
The 860 is not the latest and greatest. As far as Zaurus' goes the SL 6000 is the newest addition supposedly to be released shortly including models with Wifi and BLuetooth integrated. It's also back to the old formfactor with slideout keyboard. I want one.
http://www.bargainpda.com/default.asp?newsID=1749
I'd love to get a Zaurus, but Sharp's regional distribution policies have me really puzzled. It might simply boil down to "only sells good enough in Japan", but it sure looks more like Sharp is randomly releasing/not releasing certain Sharp models in certain countries: no clamshell models in the US, but the new SL-6000 (with built-in WiFi and Bluetooth) apparently to be released there real soon. Old SL-5000 models discontinued in Europe (but still available in stores in e.g. Germany) and no new models planned for release there, either. No Zaurus at all in Canada. Does anybody have an insight on why they are doing this?
Also, before I ask some Japanese friends to bring me a Zaurus from Japan, I'd rather hold out for a clamshell model with built-in WiFi and Bluetooth. Given that the new SL-6000 has both (*and* the VGA screen), does anybody know if that means they are switching away from the clamshell idea for future models, or are they planning to release an updated clamshell model as well?
some additional things
by
gullevek
·
· Score: 5, Informative
well I also own a C860, but there are some things which should be noticed:
- display: thought it is amazing, and 640x480 is something you never want to trade away, especially if you read and write japanese, the display itself is horrible in daylight. You can't read anything unless you have at least 50-60% backlight running, and still it looks dark.
- weight. Something you should never underestimate for a PDA. It it is at least 2/3s more heave then the Toshiba PDA Pocket PC eGenious. If you hold the Zaurus only in one hand, eg in train rides, it can get a little bit heavy.
- no built in WLAN. Thought this is dismissable, there are a lot of CF WLAN cards, but they stick out a bit and then are a little bit blocky when typing on the keyborad.
- western on screen writing is a bit bad in recognition. Yeah, but it is developted for japanese;) so its okay. and with the keyboard you are 10 times faster anyway.
- the PIM software is nice, but might not kick ass for business people. Especially that the ToDos are not completly included into the Calendar is a mystery to me... but at the end, for me it is enought.
- actually no games, except Mah Jong (2 versions, the "real" Mah Jong, and the Solitair Mah Jong) and both are "shareware"
But enought negavite, this thing rocks.
- login via ssh to servers and fix things:) This is just WOW and yeah if you can do this on a train ride (geek thing perhaps)
- easy to install other distros.
- SD & CF slot and they work great.
- The Display, thought I ranted about it, it still rocks, because if you watch you digital camera pictures on that display, it is just wow, especially because the image viewer software can fullscreen & slideshow.
- Battery life. Even if you use the WLAN/dialupcard and have 40% backlight on, you can use it quite long, at least two days. I use it most time in the morning and evening on my train ride to office and back. Takes me one hour each, and then during day, but then without WLAN most.
- Keyboard. It is really very good and you can type extremly fast with only two fingers. The only thing that comes to my mind is a missing Alt-key... but might be that the terminal is not transmitting the Alt key or so... (another geek thing).
- supergreat dictionary and japanese translator. For me as a japanese learner I love that dictionary and...
- great kanji writing system. Yeah thats another cool thing, when you can write the kanji right on the display and they get recognized. helps me a lot if I see something but can't read it.
- easy to connect in linux. Just plugin USB, have the Zaurus net connect in USB part compiled in and set up the usb network, bingo, thats it and you can login via ssh (if sshd is running on the zaurus) or mount the zaurus via samba...
- the browser. Hey it has TABBED views. Okay, even IE on windows doesn't get that. Did I mention TABBED views. Yeah:) and it views frame pages very well. Zoom in and Out, etc. This is a powerful little browser: NetFront 3.0
- the Hancom Word and Spreadsheet programs are really great. They work very well, thought the word sometimes feels a bit sluggiesh, but hey, this aint no P4 3Ghz...
- very small Charger, can easily be taken anywhere.
- smart placemnt of outside "scrollwheel". Very usefull to scroll through webpages if you have to hold the Zaurus with only one hand.
Well, thats all. I hope I didn't miss anything...
-- "Freiheit ist immer auch die Freiheit des Andersdenkenden"
- Rosa Luxemburg, 1871 - 1919
Get the PIM software right first!
by
Yeechang+Lee
·
· Score: 2, Informative
I've said it before on Slashdot, and I'll say it again: Sharp absolutely, positively needs to have Palm-quality, easily-syncable PIM software on its products before I, a eight-year 100% Linux-at-home user, will buy one to use as my primary PDA. The lack of same is the main reason why I chose to go for a Sony Clie UX50 as my fourth Palm OS PDA in seven years.
My Clie has, thanks to Palm OS's consistent data formats, the entirety of my life for those seven years--college, my first job, and now my second, in two places 2,500 miles apart--within it. I'd have happily migrated the data over to Sharp if the software was equivalent. But it isn't, and so I didn't.
Judd Montgomery has complained on the jpilot (NB - the terrific GPL Palm Desktop replacement I use to sync my PDA with my Linux box) mailing list that he's asked Sharp USA more than once for development units with no success. This is a disgrace.
Slashdot Mirror
Cool. When/is it coming to the States?
-NC
Look at the size of that thing! Its huge! Nobody I know who actually uses their PDA would carry around something so big.
Well,
Being Swedish I can tell you that that isn't French. It is Norwegian or Danish and it says:
"It doesn't matter if you smell a little like this"
I don't have any moderator points right now, which is just as well, because I don't know if I should moderate this as funny or if I should moderate it down.
The Internet is full. Go Away!!!
Sure this thing looks fairly nice and linux on a PDA would be nice. But after playing with a Sony UX50 for a little over $600 with integrated 802.11b and a little webcam, I just could never picture myself or any other mainstream business-type buying this thing. my Visor Edge is up for replacement with a non-MS PDA, and so Sony is going to get my $$ thing time around.
Is it just me, or does this look like some wierd hybrid of a traditional PDA (a la Palm V) and Microsoft's Tablet PC idea? It's a PDA in size and processing power, but then it opens out into a laptop shape and has a qwerty keyboard. And then there's the screen. 640x480 is the largest screen resolution I've seen on a PDA, unless I'm missing something.
My favorite use of this device is this :)
Which is actually Danish and means "I don't think it matters if you smell a little of piss".
I think someone has been having some fun with teaching Bender Unit 22 some bogus Danish phrases. Or he has gotten his hands on a Monty Python dictionary.
I have always liked the look and power of the zaurus line, and I really want a linux pda, however I don't think the cost of the imported zaurus is really worth it. For $850 you can get a laptop and install linux on that. I understand that there are size and usage differences, however if I were to choose between a zaurus, or a 12inch ibook (say off of ebay) I think I would have to go with the ibook. It seems that the laptop is much more useful than the pda for a similar price.
Also, unless you back up/sync your Zaurus religiously, when the battery power is gone, so is all your data, programs, etc. Um.. sorry. That's absolutely wrong. NAND memory does not go away when you let the battery drain. It even mentions it in the review.
can it handle central european languages? can it write in unicode or in iso latin-2? i would love an linux based pda like this but i need suipport for my native language (at least writing texts in it)
SHE does throw dice.
Perhaps the author needs to get out more. OK, so maybe it's better than it looks, and I'm sure it's better than the buttons on the Treo my employer issued to me. But I can't imagine it being better than the keyboards on the Psion Series5, Revo, or even the old Series3.
http://alternatives.rzero.com/
Did you read the article? One of the main improvements in current models is that the user filesystem is in non-volatile flash ROM. This started with the SL-C700 and SL-5600 models, which were released about a year ago.
Only the old SL-5500 model used a RAM disk for storage.
-Klaus
"Jeg syntes ikke det gor noget hvis man lugter lidt af tis"
This is danish, meaning "it doesn't matter if you small a little like piss". - Really?!
The last PDA I bought was a ,a href="http://shop.store.yahoo.com/letterfolders-of fice-equipment/palwitac.html">PalmVIIx in early 2001. I used it for maybe 6 months before it became too much of a hassle for me to deal with. It's been sitting in my closet collecting dust ever since August 2001.
While PDA's are handy, I'm not big on carrying around a whole bunch of gadgets. And besides, being a very mobile person who is often on foot (downtown SF), having to lug around a PDA on a sunny day can be a bit of a problem. And the Zaurus in the article looks gigantic! I already have a titanium powerbook, so some hybrid PDA/Palmtop has -5 appeal to me.
For those like me that are always looking for the smallest, most functional and utilitarian gadget to lighten the load with, check out the Kyocera 7100 series smartphone it's a Palm OS PDA with a color display, takes compact flash and is freakin tiny! Ohhh and yeah, it's a phone too.
For a lot less ($200-300), with a UX50, you get a US-waranteed system with wifi & bluetooth built-in. It'll run any PalmOS app under the sun and it's significantly smaller/lighter. Is the Zaurus cool? Sure it is. Is its utility great enough that it outweighs the negatives? I just don't think so.
I thought I wanted one of these and I was willing to pay about $500 for it but I think now I will pass. Sony is now releaseing a new Clie that I think will serve most of my needs though it is not Linux. Check out the PEG TH-55 - big screen, WiFi, decent PIM apps and ~$320 street price.
Too bad Sharp that you couldn't figure out how to sell your hardware...
"I say we take off, nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure."
Then get a C750 model. It has half the memory (just throw in a $20 64mb SD card to even it out) but it's 20mm not 25mm (1 in ~= 25mm) and it's only $600.
Vastly more usable than the Sony models, with a better screen and more power.
As for battery life, I get 5 hours out of mine or ~4 hrs with Bluetooth and ~2.5 hrs with WiFi. Spare batteries are about $100 for the high capacity (8.5 hour) ones.
Beep beep.
The 860 is not the latest and greatest. As far as Zaurus' goes the SL 6000 is the newest addition supposedly to be released shortly including models with Wifi and BLuetooth integrated. It's also back to the old formfactor with slideout keyboard. I want one. http://www.bargainpda.com/default.asp?newsID=1749
I'd love to get a Zaurus, but Sharp's regional distribution policies have me really puzzled. It might simply boil down to "only sells good enough in Japan", but it sure looks more like Sharp is randomly releasing/not releasing certain Sharp models in certain countries: no clamshell models in the US, but the new SL-6000 (with built-in WiFi and Bluetooth) apparently to be released there real soon. Old SL-5000 models discontinued in Europe (but still available in stores in e.g. Germany) and no new models planned for release there, either. No Zaurus at all in Canada. Does anybody have an insight on why they are doing this?
Also, before I ask some Japanese friends to bring me a Zaurus from Japan, I'd rather hold out for a clamshell model with built-in WiFi and Bluetooth. Given that the new SL-6000 has both (*and* the VGA screen), does anybody know if that means they are switching away from the clamshell idea for future models, or are they planning to release an updated clamshell model as well?
Here is a photo of the screen of the C700 model running ssh (to a computer running irssi).
You may get an international survey of Linux Laptop and PDA resellers at TuxMobil. For example there is an entry for Xtops.DE - Linux, Laptops, PDAs, which is located in Germany but sells to France, Italy, the United Kingdom and other European countries. Xtops.DE provides an English GUI and a German or English manual for the SHARP Zaurus Linux PDAs.
well I also own a C860, but there are some things which should be noticed:
;) so its okay. and with the keyboard you are 10 times faster anyway.
... but at the end, for me it is enought.
:) This is just WOW and yeah if you can do this on a train ride (geek thing perhaps)
... but might be that the terminal is not transmitting the Alt key or so ... (another geek thing).
...
...
:) and it views frame pages very well. Zoom in and Out, etc. This is a powerful little browser: NetFront 3.0
...
- display: thought it is amazing, and 640x480 is something you never want to trade away, especially if you read and write japanese, the display itself is horrible in daylight. You can't read anything unless you have at least 50-60% backlight running, and still it looks dark.
- weight. Something you should never underestimate for a PDA. It it is at least 2/3s more heave then the Toshiba PDA Pocket PC eGenious. If you hold the Zaurus only in one hand, eg in train rides, it can get a little bit heavy.
- no built in WLAN. Thought this is dismissable, there are a lot of CF WLAN cards, but they stick out a bit and then are a little bit blocky when typing on the keyborad.
- western on screen writing is a bit bad in recognition. Yeah, but it is developted for japanese
- the PIM software is nice, but might not kick ass for business people. Especially that the ToDos are not completly included into the Calendar is a mystery to me
- actually no games, except Mah Jong (2 versions, the "real" Mah Jong, and the Solitair Mah Jong) and both are "shareware"
But enought negavite, this thing rocks.
- login via ssh to servers and fix things
- easy to install other distros.
- SD & CF slot and they work great.
- The Display, thought I ranted about it, it still rocks, because if you watch you digital camera pictures on that display, it is just wow, especially because the image viewer software can fullscreen & slideshow.
- Battery life. Even if you use the WLAN/dialupcard and have 40% backlight on, you can use it quite long, at least two days. I use it most time in the morning and evening on my train ride to office and back. Takes me one hour each, and then during day, but then without WLAN most.
- Keyboard. It is really very good and you can type extremly fast with only two fingers. The only thing that comes to my mind is a missing Alt-key
- supergreat dictionary and japanese translator. For me as a japanese learner I love that dictionary and
- great kanji writing system. Yeah thats another cool thing, when you can write the kanji right on the display and they get recognized. helps me a lot if I see something but can't read it.
- easy to connect in linux. Just plugin USB, have the Zaurus net connect in USB part compiled in and set up the usb network, bingo, thats it and you can login via ssh (if sshd is running on the zaurus) or mount the zaurus via samba
- the browser. Hey it has TABBED views. Okay, even IE on windows doesn't get that. Did I mention TABBED views. Yeah
- the Hancom Word and Spreadsheet programs are really great. They work very well, thought the word sometimes feels a bit sluggiesh, but hey, this aint no P4 3Ghz
- very small Charger, can easily be taken anywhere.
- smart placemnt of outside "scrollwheel". Very usefull to scroll through webpages if you have to hold the Zaurus with only one hand.
Well, thats all. I hope I didn't miss anything...
"Freiheit ist immer auch die Freiheit des Andersdenkenden" - Rosa Luxemburg, 1871 - 1919
I've said it before on Slashdot, and I'll say it again: Sharp absolutely, positively needs to have Palm-quality, easily-syncable PIM software on its products before I, a eight-year 100% Linux-at-home user, will buy one to use as my primary PDA. The lack of same is the main reason why I chose to go for a Sony Clie UX50 as my fourth Palm OS PDA in seven years.
My Clie has, thanks to Palm OS's consistent data formats, the entirety of my life for those seven years--college, my first job, and now my second, in two places 2,500 miles apart--within it. I'd have happily migrated the data over to Sharp if the software was equivalent. But it isn't, and so I didn't.
Judd Montgomery has complained on the jpilot (NB - the terrific GPL Palm Desktop replacement I use to sync my PDA with my Linux box) mailing list that he's asked Sharp USA more than once for development units with no success. This is a disgrace.