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Handhelds Hardware

Sharp Zaurus SL-C750 (P)reviewed 156

Posted by timothy from the note-built-in-drool-cup dept.
Bill Kendrick writes "Dynamism loaned the Japan-only 'C750' clamshell model Zaurus Linux PDA to the folks over at BargainPDA.com, and they've put up a mini-review, with the promise of a more in-depth review to come soon. The funniest part is they needed to scale down the screenshots to fit on their site."
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Sharp Zaurus SL-C750 (P)reviewed More

Sharp Zaurus SL-C750 (P)reviewed

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  • When... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Sir Haxalot ( 693401 ) on Tuesday July 29, 2003 @08:54PM (#6566868)
    do palms become laptops? If I got a palm, I'd get one because of its size, if I wanted something more powerful, I'd get a laptop. This just seems to me a cross between a palm and a laptop that has none of the benefits of either.
    • The glass isn't always half empty, and perhaps for others, it's half full..

      Doesn't seem so bad, if it weren't for the price, I'll snatch one myself!
    • " This just seems to me a cross between a palm and a laptop that has none of the benefits of either."

      In this case, it's more like a tablet PC.

      Frankly, I don't understand your beef here. The unit has a one-handed mode. .

    • Re:When... (Score:3, Informative)

      by dbarclay10 ( 70443 )

      do palms become laptops? If I got a palm, I'd get one because of its size, if I wanted something more powerful, I'd get a laptop. This just seems to me a cross between a palm and a laptop that has none of the benefits of either.

      Except that this is the size of a normal PDA. I believe it's somewhat smaller than an iPaq with its sleeve.

      Of course, even if it *was* bigger, that may still hit the sweet spot for many people. Or perhaps we're all your clones, and not only do we actually *CARE* about what you d

    • Re:When... (Score:3, Interesting)

      by IanGiblin ( 693622 )
      Some of the beauty of this device is that it's the *size* of a Palm and the *power* of a laptop (albeit a limited one). If you don't need the power, fair enough. But nobody can fault a 640x480 screen on a PDA. It makes a big difference (the screen is the same physical size as the Zaurus 5000 series, and it's the first Zaurus with a PXA255 instead of that nasty PXA250 chip.

      I wrote that preview and I have the PDA here; it somehow still surprises me how small it is when I put it down next to my regular Zaurus

      • Some of the beauty of this device is that it's the *size* of a Palm and the *power* of a laptop (albeit a limited one). If you don't need the power, fair enough. But nobody can fault a 640x480 screen on a PDA.

        Wow! That thing is adorable! But...

        • More pixels means more battery consumption, and frankly, I don't need more pixels than my Palm III.
        • Color means more pixels again. So 3x640x480 versus 160x160...
        • More processor power means more battery power...
        • More RAM means more battery power...
        • My Palm IIIxe
        • I'd love something the size of my existing Palm III series, with a built-in digital camera, MP3/Ogg playing capabilities, cellphone with integrated modem for Internet connectivity and HotSyncing. Basically, all the little gadgets built into one tiny package. But until I can have all that without having to worry about keeping spare batteries with me everywhere I go, I'll stick with my little Palm IIIxe.

          Have you looked at the newest model Palms?

          When I used a Palm III, I always worried about keeping spare

    • Re:When... (Score:5, Informative)

      by Michael Spencer Jr. ( 39538 ) * <spam@@@mspencer...net> on Tuesday July 29, 2003 @11:11PM (#6567736) Homepage
      I think there's another way to think about this.

      How much computing power does a device have? How much computing power does it take to enable some range of tasks?

      How portable is a device? How big/small does it have to be for it to be useful in various parts of your life?

      I have been carrying around a Zaurus SL-C700 for the past four months. (The SL-C700, 750, and 760 all use the same form factor but have different hardware features.) The size helps a lot. Every time my car keys go in my pocket, the Zaurus goes in my pocket. It's *always there*. When I sit down I can barely feel the rounded corners, but they don't poke. The hinge isn't flimsy or weak at all. The screen is closed up inside the case, so there's no danger of damage that way. (Caveat: it's possible for a coin to wedge itself up in there between the screen and keyboard, but that's very rare. It's only happened to me twice, and I haven't noticed any scratches on the screen.)

      The size is small enough that I have been allowed to use it on math tests at college. I showed the professor Maple on it, explained that I was using the 802.11b card to remotely control my home computer...even showed that I could switch from Maple to an internet browser. I was still allowed to use the machine on tests. It isn't big and bulky like a laptop -- it doesn't sprawl out and take up the whole desk.

      The battery life, for me, is inconvenient but not insurmountable. With a power-hungry CF card in there you do only get about 90 minutes of runtime. That sounds kinda bad, but think about your own lifestyle and your own use of this device. How long are you away from a power outlet for 90 minutes in a stretch, if you just go between home and work?

      I built a custom battery pack for my unit, and you should too. (We're slashdot readers -- this isn't mass market land.) http://mspencer.net/battery/ It's eight 9000 mAh capacity D cells (NiMH) in two four-D-cell holders, wired in parallel. In theory the numbers say I should have about 20 times the battery life of the internal battery pack. In practice I know I have to recharge the pack about every two to three weeks. It's about as heavy as a thick schoolbook, and sits in my backpack just fine, in a separate compartment that's too small for a full-size textbook but larger than the tiny pocket in back.

      OK, that's the size. It's pretty much go-anywhere, once you realize the limitations of the battery size. If you want that kind of computing power (see below) available anywhere (for 1 to 4 hour stretches) or available any time you're with your backpack (for weeks of power), it might be worth hacking together a battery pack for yourself.

      What computing power? The biggest feature is that beautiful screen and keyboard. The keyboard is better than most that size, but of course nowhere near the convenience of a full size keyboard. The screen is clean and bright -- on full battery-sucking brightness, it's brighter than my monitor. I can see some smudges when the screen is off, but they're completely invisible with the screen on. Slightly visible in direct sunlight (because it emits light, doesn't reflect) but it's useful as a flashlight in the dark. It's capable of truly tiny print. To see if you can tolerate text that small, take a screenshot, scale it to the correct size and print it out. Hold the paper out at various distances.

      RAM is very limited, but you can use a swapfile. It's good for a few things at once. For school I've run mysql for database classes (and wished I had postgresql). ALL of my unix C programs were written, compiled, tested and emailed in from the C700. And then there's VNC in to the desktop, running Maple.

      It's basically like a fiddly old resurrected linux PC, in your pocket. It has severe limitations, but they CAN be surmounted. Mount a swapfile. Close some programs. Stop that httpd you left running. It can do very impressive things, slowly and one at a time. It can do lots of little workstation things very w

      • Re:When... (Score:3, Funny)

        by pj737 ( 678471 )
        "The size is small enough that I have been allowed to use it on math tests at college"

        Is your professor a moron?

        • The class was "number theory and cryptography". It didn't really help that much. Mostly it did things like: "well, when I brute-force the problem with Maple I get the same answer, so my solution and proof is probably right." or "When I brute-forced it I got such-and-such answer...but I've got no CLUE how to get there from here in a proof. *leaves rest of question blank*" "Ooh, I got +2 out of 15 for the brute-force stuff..."

    • If anything it is a PDA that has some of the benfits of a laptop really. I am trying to come up with benefits of the Palm devices over these and fall short. Bigger software base? Maybe, but the Zaurus has a pretty good following of developers.

      One thing I see no one talking about is the handwriting recognizer, which to me is a bit wonky. It is fantastic for writing in Japanese as you can just write in entire kanji characters and have them recognized. For English you can write in standard non-cursive En
    • Yes but its size (120x80mm) is like any other PDA. So it's cool to have so much features in the same space as before.
      (But for the weight, it's twice other PDAs :-( )

  • They've had this at Yodobashi for a while (Score:3, Informative)

    by Dancin_Santa ( 265275 ) <DancinSanta@gmail.com> on Tuesday July 29, 2003 @08:55PM (#6566875) Journal
    Nothing new, and certainly nothing to write home about. It's a clamshell design which means that it's even less useful than the palm-top design. Chiclet keyboard, small screen, bad fonts.

    I guess it's nice that it runs QT which means development for it should be a breeze, but seeing as how the source kit for this is still under lock and key (it's not the same source as the palm-sized Zaurus), it's not yet Free.

    Other than that, it's pretty solidly built, although the salespeople don't like it when you "test drop" the demo devices.

    • Re:They've had this at Yodobashi for a while (Score:1, Interesting)

      by Anonymous Coward
      OpenZaurus (www.openzaurus.org) claim compatibility with the C750. I use OZ on the 5500 - very nice : )

      IMHO PDA screens are too small, this one looks just right for comfortable use.

    • The great thing about this is that it's not just a clamshell. Turn the screen around and close it and you have a regular PDA-style stylus-based device. It's the best of both worlds.

      A proud C760 owner (same as C750 with longer battery life and 128MB flash ram)
    • "It's a clamshell design which means that it's even less useful than the palm-top design."

      No, it's more useful than a palm-top design. It's like a tablet PC. The clamshell also rotates, allowing the keyboard to be tucked under the screen. In other words, you can use it with one hand just like your Palm Pilot, or you can unfold the kb and use it on a table.

    • You don't have a Zaurus, do you? (Score:4, Insightful)

      by twitter ( 104583 ) on Tuesday July 29, 2003 @10:53PM (#6567620) Homepage Journal
      Nothing new.... It's a clamshell design which means that it's even less useful than the palm-top design. Chiclet keyboard, small screen, bad fonts.

      Huh? That keyboard is like 5 times the size of the already very useful keyboard on the Zaurus or the wildly popular blackberry devices. I liked their little pointer device, but the new one's arrow keys look just as functional. Between that and tab complete and the very nice looking and very much big enough to be useful screen, this should be easier to use than the already easy to use Zaurus. It certianly kicks WinCE ass.

      I guess it's nice that it runs QT which means development for it should be a breeze, but seeing as how the source kit for this is still under lock and key (it's not the same source as the palm-sized Zaurus), it's not yet Free.

      Open Zaurus works on this. [openzaurus.org] The Debian style feed is about as free as it gets.

    • "Nothing new, and certainly nothing to write home about. It's a clamshell design which means that it's even less useful than the palm-top design." Well, ya it is kinda new as it hasn't even been out for 2 months now in Japan, and how the the clamshell design detract from its use as a palmtop? I think this poster isn't aware that the screen fold over the keyboard, making it like every other palmtop out there. I don't get what you mean I guess. "Chiclet keyboard, small screen, bad fonts." The keyboard i

    • Re:They've had this at Yodobashi for a while (Score:4, Insightful)

      by kanner ( 693703 ) on Wednesday July 30, 2003 @07:22AM (#6569575)
      You held it in your hands and failed to see anything special about it? You must have failed to notice that it has twice the resolution of any other PDA out there, including the recently announced devices from Sony [slashdot.org]. This means you can put a copy of the Tokyo subway map [tokyometro.go.jp] on it and be able to read it. You can also buy an electronic train schedule for about $10 (good for when you're out drinking near time for the last train). The high res display means the Zaurus is also good for keeping those little store maps that show you how to get to the shop from the nearest station. This device really can replace all those scraps of paper you bring with you and then loose.

      You probably haven't noticed that the new DoCoMo and J-Phone releases by Sharp, with equally stunning displays. They all have "CG Silicon" somewhere near the display. These displays are very bright and crisp, with very high resolution. Btw, you can zap contact information from those phones to the Zaurus using the IR ports built into both devices.

      About the keyboard: when I first saw it, I wondered what the point of it was; now I can tell you. The point isn't to compete with a full sized keyboard, it's to compete with grafiti or other handwriting recognition techniques, and I'm grateful to have it.

      So the Zaurus doesn't have the Bluetooth (does anybody actually use this?) or wifi stuff built in (a touch unfortunate), nor a camera (but you already have one in your phone, don't you?). On the plus side, DoCoMo is coming out with a PHS/WiFi card [pocketpcjapan.com] so you can use WiFi at the office and get wireless PHS access from anywhere else (well, almost anywhere). It also doesn't have a built in mike (I think all the Pocket PC devices do have one), the speaker is not very good (but there's a headphone jack of course), the PIM software is not as good as the Palm PIM software is (IMHO).

      Of course there are three models out there - the older SL-C700, the SL-C750, and the SL-C760. The SL-C760 is the one to buy - comes with everything, including a large enough battery to feed the power hungry display. I haven't had any trouble running out of power, but I plug it in every day, and only use it away from power for a few hours each day. The power adapter is very small and light (like mobile phone power adapters), so it's not a problem to throw it in a bag and take it with you.

      About the price, yes, you can almost buy a cheap laptop or desktop, but for $500 neither one will be worth writing home about.

      If you are into computers, then you really need three devices. The Sharp Zaurus SL-C760 for pocket computing, the Sony Vaio TR-1 [dynamism.com] for mobile computing (has bluetooth and wifi), and your desktop machine.
    • Sweet. I had a Sidekick for a while. It was a neat piece of hardware, but the network it was running on (T-Mobile) had some really bad coverage issues.

      I'm still hoping for the "killer device" that will be as tough and small as a pager, have a keyboard (even a tiny one), a phone, and decent battery life. So far I haven't had much luck. (must.... resist... geek lust.....)

      But that Sharp PDA does look pretty cool.

  • Big deal (Score:1, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    I've owned a CZ-75 for years. It's a great handheld device:)

  • Bah. (Score:3, Funny)

    by JoeD ( 12073 ) on Tuesday July 29, 2003 @08:59PM (#6566892) Homepage
    Insert obligatory Beowulf cluster joke here.
    • With a pocketfull beowulf cluter of these, you'd probably be more popular with the ladies than with the super-computer cluster crowd. ;)

  • What could be better? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by kinzillah ( 662884 ) <douglas.price@nospAM.mail.rit.edu> on Tuesday July 29, 2003 @09:01PM (#6566918)
    I'm a big fan of the Zaurus. While I love my Palm III to death, you're kind of limited by the available software. It seems to me that the Zaurus is perfect for the admin on the go. What else gives you ssh in such a small package? :)

  • Users in Japan like this a lot (Score:5, Informative)

    by Bushcat ( 615449 ) on Tuesday July 29, 2003 @09:04PM (#6566945)
    The SL-C750 and C760 are selling well in Japan, especially the C760. 760 has 128MB flash RAM vs 64MB, 1700mAH battery vs 900mAH. Both support VPN over services such as YahooBB Mobile (Yahoo's hotspot adjunct to home ADSL service). With support for wireless and cellular data cards (up to 128k for cellular), it's probably much more of a connected mobile device in its home market that in the US.

    Street price of theC750 is about $375, and $500 for the C760.

    • The SLC-760 sucks. Sorry, but it sucks. I bought one at first sight, and got some use out of it, but it's battery life is horrendous (using a PHS device to use the 'net I get an hour and a half -- 1.5 hours on a PDA!), and usable memory is so small it's laughable. This problem was alleviated somewhat by getting a sdram card and adding a swapfile, but that makes things really slow. It was also really overpriced (cost me around 80,000 yen for the unit, a CF network card, a 256 Mb SDRAM chip, and a PHS wir
      • You bought it a couple of month ago ? That's difficult to believe since it went out only end of June...

        I pre-ordered one in person in Japan, and got it first week of July. I used it from that time, and I'm very satisfied with it.

        I installed Perl to be able to play with it, installed a few games dowloaded for free, use its 'ebook-like' mode to read Project Gutenberg files when travelling by train (very easy to read 640x480 screen, back-lighted).

        The Clie series was fine too, but it wasn't clear for me if t
      • Does that Panasonic W2 really get anywhere near 7.5 hours batter life? I would be awfully impressed with 4 hours of DVD playback.
        • I haven't ran out yet, but I easily got over 4, doing lots of disk activity (installing crap under Linux), reading a bunch of web sites over a PHS card (which sucks power). I think 7.5 is really pushing it, but the battery life is really damned decent. I am crazy about this Panasonic. I kind of got fucked on the Windows XP cd, though -- it's a "recovery cd", and when I tried to install it in a vmware virtual machine on top of Linux, it gave me a cock and bull story about my configuration not being suppor
      • Jesus Christ, a TROLL!?!?!? I posted my honest opinion of the SLC-760 after evaluating it seriously for several weeks, and slashbots mod me down.

        Well fine. I hope you don't mind when you buy one, try to use it in the park, and find the battery life is only 90 minutes. Or try and load Slashdot and have it run out of memory.
    • Where do you get that price? On the dynamism site, they are selling the C760 for $800 and that's not including the large-capacity battery (one of the reasons for purchase of the 760 over the 750, I believe?) or the voltage adapter (for those of us not living in Japan) or wireless LAN card.

  • Mirror here - Site /.ed (Score:5, Informative)

    by nacs ( 658138 ) on Tuesday July 29, 2003 @09:09PM (#6566970) Journal
    The review site looks to be /.ed so I've uploaded a mirror here:

    Mirror [bellsouth.net]

  • Looking Sharp (Score:5, Insightful)

    by dark-br ( 473115 ) on Tuesday July 29, 2003 @09:11PM (#6566987) Homepage
    TrollTech has done a fantastic job with the Qt embedded GUI lib. It's superfast.

    That said, I don't like these small widgets. Try typing
    c.t[j] 1) ? sft[i-1] : sft[i]
    on it.

    It hurts.

  • YES BUT (Score:1, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    DOES IT RUN LINUX

  • Psion (Score:5, Interesting)

    by solanum ( 80810 ) on Tuesday July 29, 2003 @09:22PM (#6567046)
    Why do you people complain about the clamshell design and compare it to a laptop? Psion practically invented the PDA and many Psion 5's/Revo's (including mine) are still in use because no one has yet made a better PDA. Possibly excepting this Zaurus (can't afford one so not about to find out).
    It's not like a laptop it's virtually the same size as a palm. But more useful because you can type on it.
    I can't believe how people were brainwashed into thinking that the Palm design IS a PDA. Even the article talks about generic PDA when they mean a palm type design.
    • Sorry, that should have said palm design is THE PDA, I wasn't inplying that the Palm isn't a PDA! Huh, preview is for wusses.

    • Re:Psion (Score:4, Insightful)

      by release7 ( 545012 ) on Tuesday July 29, 2003 @10:01PM (#6567289) Homepage Journal
      Agreed. I had the Psion 5 until the screen went dead (and Psion went out of business). Loved it. Then I bought the HP Jornada 728 (now discontinued). A little bulkier and a lot buggier, but I still loved having a keyboard you could touch type on.

      I just sold the Jornada, however, (the number of crashes and Microsoft software bugs were a bit too much), for $800 on eBay and am exchanging it for the more "traditional" PDA form factor with the Zaurus 5600 for a street price of $440. I'm not going to be able to touch type on it but it still has a keyboard to enter data.

      But when I see people clumsily tapping away on their PDA screens to enter data, I just scratch my head and wonder why the clamshell designs never took off.

    • Re:Psion (Score:5, Interesting)

      by podperson ( 592944 ) on Tuesday July 29, 2003 @11:52PM (#6567929) Homepage
      Surely Apple not only virtually but actually invented the PDA including coining the term.

      And frankly, the Newton MP2000 / 2100 kicks the ass of any PDA ever shipped (so far) except for its size.

      • Re:Psion (Score:1, Informative)

        by solanum ( 80810 )
        Hardly, although apple coined the term PDA the first psion palmtops predated apple's newton by almost TEN years.
        • apple coined the term PDA the first psion palmtops predated apple's newton by almost TEN years

          Thanks for mentioning that. Before posting I tried (not very hard) to find out when the first Psion came out. A second search today revealed the answer -- 1984.

          I think that certainly shows that the first Psion came out before the first Newton. Whether the psion was a "PDA" or an electronic organiser is another question -- the Newton was designed as a "PDA" (whatever that means) and its functionality has yet to b
          • Yeah, it's a moot point as to what is an organiser and a PDA, but even the mid-eighties Psions had a programing language and the Series 3 was in every respect a PDA and it also came out before the Newton.
      • Surely Apple not only virtually but actually invented the PDA including coining the term.

        Ever heard of the Casio Boss? These were out at least several years before newton. I agree that newton was a big step forward, but there where other products before it. Frankly I think PDA's are just starting to get to the "cool" stage. We finally are getting small computers, instead of just email, calendar, etc. I hope Zarus grows so we get more and more apps to run on it.

      • We all know he invented the PDA, among other famous things...
    • I had a 5mx, and I switched to SL-5500 last year. Psion has a more usable keyboard (dunno about C-7x0, it would be too much of a hassle to import one in Italy), but Z is workable. I like Zaurus because I have a real PC in my pocket!

  • Keyboard devices are cool (Score:1, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward
    I still use my Psion Series 5mx, simply because I can type on it. Forget stylus devices for data entry. For meetings and note taking it is the best - I can type very nearly as fast as I can on a normal keyboard and its just perfect for long flights. Its also only slightly larger than a palm and fits in a jacket pocket. Much more convienient for many uses than a full laptop, not to mention it is up and working within 0.1 seconds of opening it. Of course running for 20 hours on a set of AA batteries....
    • We've had both a Psion 3a and a Psion 5 because you could use them by holding in both hands and typing with thumbs. Plus, because the software was just so intuitive. I even suggested that my Dad, a technophobe, should have one and he bought a 3c. For some years he wouldn't be without it.

      Last year I was looking for a value for money PDA with a keyboard. After trying several models I opted for the Sharp Zaurus SL5500 just because I can use it in the same way. I find the software pretty usable (although
  • You are welcome to read my review a couple weeks ago posted over at www.newmobilecomputing.com [newmobilecomputing.com]
    • Not to nitpick, but you certainly don't need Windows in order to install .ipk files. Simply ftp them to your "/home/zaurus/Documents/application/ipkg/" directory and they will show up in the software installer. And there is IP over USB software available to accomplish this in lieu of a WiFi card. I just went for a WiFi card for C760. No sweat. This is a Linux device. The last thing I want to hear is "Windows Required". No way!
  • here [216.239.39.104]
    As I noticed slashdot has taken it's toll on the server :)
  • So when is Sharp going to make models like this for the US?

  • Discontinued (Score:3, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 29, 2003 @09:58PM (#6567265)
    Just wanted to let you know that the 5000 and 5500 have reached their end of life here in the USA and Sharp USA has no plans to release any new ROMS for those devices. In fact there are only three people still at Sharp USA who are working on the project (managers can't seem to fire other managers...) Yay for Anonymous Coward. P.S. Ask around and I know that you can confirm this.
  • I have to post. I feel it is my duty as a burned customer. Give me my -1 I don't care....if even one person reads this and doesn't buy a sharp product because of it it worked. Karma be damned:

    Sharp Electronics: Buyer Beware [dropcore.com]
    • So, two repair centers tried to screw you. Sharp paid for the TV, court fees, and an extra $275 for your trouble. I'd blame the repair centers before I made it my duty to waste my life booing Sharp.

      Next time, just return the damn thing to Best Buy. The only reason to buy from a big chain is the return policy.

      On your webpage, your 05/30/2003 10:30 AM update stated "I consider this matter closed," but clearly you don't. Still bitter? It's just a damn TV. Why would anyone agree to take time off to get
      • Two repair companies screwed me and so did Sharp. First by producing a defective product and then by not replacing it for a full year and then by not giving me a refund until I took them to court. This is much more the fault of Sharp than the repair companies since if they produced a product worth selling I'd never have had the chance to meet anyone from the repair shops.

        I could not return it to Best Buy since it was 33 days after I purchased it. Maybe some stores are better but I DID call and was told tha

  • ONE SIMPLE QUESTION (Score:1, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Has anyone, anywhere been able to get one of these darn-fangled Linux PDAs to sync against LINUX??

    Now to be fair, I know the 5500 supposedly works using the linux qtopia software. Kind of.

    But 6500 or better? Not that I have seen. And certainly none of them will sync against anything useful like say Evolution.

    Having a Linux PDA is neat and all, but if all you can sync against is Windows and Outlook, WTF?
  • Cos as a day to day PDA, the applications and user environment on the SL5500 and SL5600 are almost criminally bad.

    Hmm, I notice the review doesn't mention the agenda, todo list, word processor, contacts list or spreadsheet. I guess we can therefore assume that they are the same abysmal versions which have previously been installed on the sl5500 and sl5600.

    Before you mod me as a troll, consider this. I have had and used all of the major PDAs, wince, sharp, palm and psion and the installed sharp application
    • _I_ put decent software on it. If 'decent' means "something other than the Sharp-supplied applets", then just put OpenZaurus on it. OpenZaurus has superior management and (arguably) better wireless and networking support. The stock Sharp ROM apps seem to run better - the builtin Opera browser stomps the tough-to-install-and-fiddly Konqueror.
      Oh wait, this was a Psion troll, and I bit. Oh well, it doesn't make what I say less true.
      • I have to say I support the poster's underlying point here. I'm a Psion user of some 17 years duration (I still have a Organiser II from 86) and have been spoilt by the set of inbuilt apps. that the Psions included.

        I've recently been looking round at PDAs because the screen on my Series 5 packed up and I was thinking it might be time to change now that Psions aren't made any more. All I can say is that the current crop of Palm and Pocket PC based units made me suffer the loss of my Psion while it goes to

  • Screen Sizre (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Richard_J_N ( 631241 ) on Wednesday July 30, 2003 @05:34AM (#6569211)
    One thing I wonder - why is there so much wasted space on the top half? They could make the screen 40% wider (and still have space for the backlight).
  • A lot of the discussion focusses on target market. With a little lateral thinking, Samsung as well as the resellers like Dynamism could widen this significantly. An example could be to use it as a home entertainment controller through LIRC [lirc.org] combined with a funky custom interface. c.f. this expensive S.O.B., the Philips Pronto. [amazon.co.uk]

    With this example of course the battery life is not right. I'd like to hear other people's example uses, demonstrating the value of the new Zauruses.

    (btw, this is an example that
  • Yet another review of a product that few will ever see has been performed!? WOW! I can't wait to never be able to by this one! >
  • Anyone notice the Ogg and MP3 player that you can get with the Zaurus?

    tkcPlayer- Easy to use Ogg and MP3 player with advanced filtering and playlist management features.

  • All I want... (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Sloppy ( 14984 ) *
    Is a device that can double as a phone, runs any sort of Unix or Unixalike (Linux and NetBSD are fine), lasts 12 hours on a battery charge, has built-in networking so that the CF slot is still free, can be used in one hand while standing, has a keyboard at least as usable as a PS/2 keyboard from 1987, has a display that an unfold to 21-inch widescreen, and has the processing power of a dual-Opteron. And it should cost about $99. Is that too much to ask?

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