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Zaurus SL-6000 Review

Posted by timothy on from the bit-pricey-though dept.

Bill Kendrick writes "BargainPDA has done a full review of Sharp's Zaurus SL-6000L Linux-based PDA, which was recently released to consumers in the US. There are six pages of review, lots of pretty photos, and comparisons with previous Zaurus models."

7 of 230 comments (clear)

  1. My favorite thing about my Zaurus... by MarkWPiper · · Score: 5, Insightful
    ...is that it isn't instantly obselete. The open-source nature of the software gaurantees that people will always be tinkering, improving, and interested in any genuinely useful piece of hardware (which, with a WiFi card and a spacious sD card, it certainly is).

    I love being able to know that many of the advances people make for the new SL-6000 will be equally applicable to my SL-5500, because the source is open!

    In contrast, my roommate's older WinCE PDA, even though it has some nice hardware, is stuck with old software. There will never be anything new that he can do with it, because there is no upgrade path.

  2. Re:The screen! by Mr.+Darl+McBride · · Score: 4, Insightful
    640x480 (480x640) LCD. That is ALL that I needed to see. This is finally a PDA I want!
    I mean seriously -- that it's running Linux is an excellent plus. But for a pocketable display like that, I'd still have bought it if it ran Tandy Deskmate!

    I'd run this damned thing with Lindows^H^H^H^Hspire!!!

  3. what really matters by Kiro · · Score: 4, Insightful

    no Zaurus is complete without Zaurus Freeciv on it!

  4. I'll buy one by Daimaou · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I've owned several Zaurus machines (although only one of them ran Linux) and I've been quite pleased with all of them. They are well built and last a long time.

    The Linux based one was a solid machine PLUS it had the ability to satisfy my compulsive need to change things all the time. I also liked the fact that I could use it to SSH into my web server to make changes. Very cool in my opinion.

  5. Re:"Bargain"PDA by metlin · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Very true.

    This guy is a perfect example of that. Ofcourse, he does it because he's a geek and because he has the means. But more than that, its a status symbol for such folks to be carrying the latest coolest gadget around.

  6. Enough with the SCO jokes by bangular · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It's been a year now, guys. The completely unrelated SCO comments are old. The "wow, only 699 dollars" comments were funny for like a week. First post, GNAA, and other completely random stuff gets modded down quickly, so why doesn't this? There was a SCO story today. Make all the stupid comments there. They don't belong in every story.

  7. Re:"Bargain"PDA by stuffman64 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Hrm. I dropped about $850 on my SL-C860. And is sure isn't because I have the money (as I am currently paying my way through school with a part time job and many many loans). The functionality of this device approaches that of a laptop, but its form factor is what most strongly influenced my purchase. Not to mention laptops are still too expensive for ones that don't fall apart after a month's use.

    With the Zaurus, I can easily carry it in my pocket, use the campus' WiFi, and take notes in class (granted, a full keyboard would be optimal, but I can easily sketch notes on this thing). With a laptop you have to lug around a big bag that screams "steal me." Laptops also do not fit on univerity "desks." The battery life of a laptop would not last me through a day of class without recharging. I can go on, but I think my point is clear: laptops are bulky, especially if you are always on the move.

    Not to mention that I can easily pull it out of my pocket and play a few minutes of Final Fantasy III on the bus ride back to my apartment.

    --
    --- At my sig, unleash hell.