Sharp Zaurus SL-C3000 Reviewed

Bill Kendrick writes "Sharp's hard-drive-packing SL-C3000 model Zaurus (available in the U.S. from Dynamism) has been reviewed by BargainPDA. They cover the differences between this one and earlier, similar models, and even go over some of the stuff interesting to Linux users."

Shipping?

[SuperDJ]

The Sharp Zaurus ships direct to you from Japan, arriving in about 3 business days. We do accept returns within 5 days. Well that gives me plenty of time to get it back in those 5 days, eh? Looks awesome, though. If I only wouldn't have bought that camera...Heh

Target audience?

[stratjakt]

This thing is neat-o, and all that, but for 819 bucks?

So it's, roughly, the size of a Nintendo DS? 4.9x3.4x1.0 inches.

I'm just wondering, for the price, what would make this a better buy than a really tiny laptop? I've seen ultra-mini laptops that aren't much more than 8" wide.

It's not small enough to fit in your pocket, but would you really want this zaurus, with it's HDD, bouncing around in your pocket?

Can this thing be a USB host, (Can't tell from TFA), so you could possibly plug in an external HDD or even a CD-R?

I guess what I'm wondering is, where's the line between a device like this, and a uber-small-footprint laptop?

Re:$820? Can we please stop advertising Ripoffism?

[Keith Russell]

Amazon.co.jp has the SL-C3000 listed for ¥74,800. [amazon.co.jp] At the latest US Dollar/Yen exchange rate, that's $729.01. Given the system's specs, that sounds like a fair price.

That leaves Dynamism $89.99 for:

• Per-unit tarriffs and shipping costs.
• Localization, including both translation and regression testing.
• Operating costs for a tech support department that, if they were just a grey-market box shifter, they wouldn't have to provide.

Only after all that do they get whatever profit the free market will bear.

Re:BargainPDA

[Luke-Jr]

Zaurii aren't PDAs, they're handheld computers. There *is* a difference.