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New Sharp Zaurus SL-C760/C750 Linux PDAs 146

Posted by CmdrTaco from the get-your-lust-on dept.
i4u writes "Sharp announces new models of their Zaurus PDA line. The new models are the SL-C760 (launch date: June 21, 2003) and the SL-C750 (launch date: May 24, 2003). The new PDAs have a faster CPU, more memory and feature a bigger Screen (VGA 640x480) than the former SLC-700 model. The start speed of applications improved to about twice (compared to the SL-C700) by adopting the Intel XScaleTM PXA255 400MHz CPU. Connectivty is possible via Wireless Lan and FOMA broadband wireless phones. The installed software contains also an MP4 Player for Movies. Nice for business users is the ability to connect the Zaurus to a projector (800x600) and present MS PowerPoint Slides. Photos and English translation of Press-Release available on I4U.com"
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New Sharp Zaurus SL-C760/C750 Linux PDAs More

New Sharp Zaurus SL-C760/C750 Linux PDAs

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  • 640 x 480 (Score:3, Insightful)

    by moby ( 96858 ) on Sunday May 18, 2003 @09:33AM (#5985131) Homepage
    is very good, starting to come around in size finally.

  • Size (Score:4, Interesting)

    by bogie ( 31020 ) on Sunday May 18, 2003 @09:41AM (#5985141) Journal
    I didn't see where the size was listed, but after looking at these I have to question when do PDA's become subnotebooks? Or maybe its just the form factor thats throwing me off.

    • Re:Size (Score:4, Informative)

      by Realistic_Dragon ( 655151 ) on Sunday May 18, 2003 @09:46AM (#5985157) Homepage
      It's definatly PDA and not subnotebook size (smaller than the iPaq).

      • Size isn't everything (Score:3, Interesting)

        by fm6 ( 162816 )
        Forget size. To me, a PDA is something you can operate standing up, with the gadget itself in one hand, and a stylus in the other. Once you start making it difficult to use the stylus, you're moving into subnotebook territory, because you're probably going to have to sit down and cradle the device in your lap.

        (That's why I dislike PDAs with keyboards. They force you to continually switch between finger and stylus. Maybe some people are dextrous enough to multiplex their keyboard/stylus hand. I'm not. Not

        • You can fold and rotate them into iPaq-style format, they keyboard however is essential for SSH. The Z also has a decent stylus control system, great handriting recognition and an ok on screen keyboard.

          If you don't use SSH on a regular basis, then a Zaurus may not be for you anyway.
          • You can fold and rotate them into iPaq-style format, they keyboard however is essential for SSH. The Z also has a decent stylus control system, great handriting recognition and an ok on screen keyboard.

            The Zaurus has no handwriting recognition, let alone great handwriting recognition. It does have character recognition, although it is quite sucky. On the SL-5500 with the stock sharp v2.38 ROM, it takes a good 500-750 ms for it to recognize a letter. <shudder> If you've never used real HWR (e.g.

    • Re:Size (Score:2, Interesting)

      by Anonymous Coward
      It looks to me like these are heading to be iBook competitors. Cheap, white, small and even better looking than the iBook, but running Linux too.

      You just have to pick which Unix you like best!
      • As for the Sharp, I don't have the exact specs, but it has no spindle and it fits into your hand [dynamism.com]. It seems to be comparable to the big Sony Clies.

        What is this obsession with iBook size anyway? The iBook is 4.5 pounds, has two spindles, has a battery life of about 4h, and a 12" diagonal. That's a hefty, big, power-hungry laptop. In the PC world, you can get a 2.5 pound, 1 spindle laptop with an 8h battery life that is considerably smaller, too.

    • Re:Size (Score:4, Informative)

      by BJH ( 11355 ) on Sunday May 18, 2003 @10:11AM (#5985234)
      From the Japanese page...

      SL-C760: W120mm x H23.2mm x D83mm
      SL-C750: W120 x H18.6 x D83mm

      Weights are 250g and 225g respectively.
      • http://www.excite.co.jp/world/url/body/?wb_url=htt p%3A%2F%2Fwww.sharp.co.jp%2Fcorporate%2Fnews%2Fslc 760.html&submit=%83E%83F%83u%83y%81%5B%83W%96%7C%9 6%F3&wb_lp=JAEN&wb_dis=3&wb_co=excitejapan
      • Nice. For comparison, if you use one of the older Wizard models (true, more of an "organizer" than a PDA), it's even smaller:

        SL-C760: 120mm(W) 23.2mm(H) 83mm(D) 250g
        SL-C750: 120mm(W) 18.6mm(H) 83mm(D) 225g
        OZ-650: 153mm(W) 20.8mm(H) 85mm(D) 210g
        OZ-770: 162mm(W) 19.9mm(H) 82mm(D) 220g

        So it weighs a little more but is otherwise generally smaller than the OZ wizard models. As soon as they hit our shores and can be found less than list price, I'd love to pick one up. I love my OZ-650 but w
    • The SL-C7x00 Zaurii are very small. Not much bigger than a Zaurus SL-5500... A little thicker and a little wider perhaps.

      As someone who uses a keyboarded PDA, the Jornada 720, as a real computer, I had some high hopes for the SL-C7x00 series of Zaurus. But then I finally saw one- the keyboard isn't really all that useful. I mean, it isn't something you can touch type on, like with a Psion keyboard or that on the Jornada 720 (...as I type even this post), but more of a slightly-bigger thumboard. Not a cr

  • Available in the US? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by niola ( 74324 ) <jon@niola.net> on Sunday May 18, 2003 @09:42AM (#5985144) Homepage
    Excuse me if I missed it, but no where in the translation did I see if these models were going to be available in the US. Are they going to be like the C700, only release in Japan, but re-sold through companies like Dynamism [dynamism.com]? --Jon
    • Yup, same deal... hopefully. It's too bad Sharp doesn't release them here. Perhaps down the line, when they work out all the bugs that seem to come with the current territory of running Linux on a PDA- the Japanese market seems to be a little bit more forgiving with these things.

  • Linux Journal (June '03) Review (Score:5, Informative)

    by The Oddity ( 537381 ) on Sunday May 18, 2003 @09:42AM (#5985146)
    Check out this month's Linux Journal for a review of this. It's currently only available [linuxjournal.com] online to subscribers

    Also, check out this site [dynamism.com] to buy one.
    • I hope you'll like my review. Expect new reviews for the new models soon :-)

      Meanwhile, if you are the happy owner of a C700 and need some help, go to http://externe.net/zaurus/forum

      I'll have to rename it to 7xx I guess - who knows what may come next !
    • Isn't the Linux Journal article a review of the C700, not either of these newer models? Granted, the C700 isn't all that much different from the C760 or C750, excepting the much faster processor in the latter. Although, given the slowness of stuff on the previous Sharp Linux PDAs (SL-5x00, C700, A300) compared to a WinCE or PalmOS PDA with the same CPU, that faster CPU and faster bus surely makes a big difference.

  • Too thick (Score:2, Informative)

    by mikelang ( 674146 )
    Would prefer A300 with Bluetooth and Lithium-Polymer batteries. These c7xx come close in features, but look how thick they are! (.9" or 23mm for the bigger model.)
    • The only thing the C7x0 really does better is that is has a higher res screen- the keyboard on the C7x0 isn't really that special. It is a little bigger than that of a SL-5x00, but it isn't anything you can touch type on, which leaves you really no better off than you were with a SL-5x00. But then again, the A300 doesn't have any keyboard. If Qtopia ever gets character recognition that isn't so shitty, the A300 may get away with not having a keyboard.

  • Wow.. (Score:4, Insightful)

    by nother_nix_hacker ( 596961 ) on Sunday May 18, 2003 @09:49AM (#5985168)
    ..that thing is really nice! I wonder how many people will buy on of those and not actually use it for anything productive atall. I know thats what would happen if I got one! :)

    • Not just a pretty face, er, display (Score:5, Informative)

      by tz ( 130773 ) on Sunday May 18, 2003 @10:33AM (#5985302)
      The C700 screen is better than most laptops. I can see it in the Sun. The 760 has the bigger battery (1700 v.s. 950 mAh) and they are claiming 8 hours battery life, and it doubles the memory.

      Basically think of most of a Linux laptop in your pocket (although it uses Qtopia, not X unless you add it). For network diagnosis it is hard to beat. Plus you get the standard WordProc/Spreadsheet/Present/etc.

      Also it works as a SD and CF reader - it uses Samba to export the card mount points to your desktop. So you don't need another USB CF or SD reader. And it plays MP3s, and other formats (more than the iPod).

      I have a collection of map images which I serve using the Boa webserver, the usual collection of network tools like (t)ethereal, and I can even compile on it (I have a 512Mb SD). I can also plug it into my cell phone and turn it into a wireless access point - NAT - firewall (I recompiled the kernel to add iptables).

      It can replace a laptop if your eyes are reasonably good since the screen is sharp, clear, high-resolution, but still physically small (but there is the magnify button). I can't fully touch type (there is an external keyboard for that), but I can enter text reasonably fast.

      I suppose someone will get one because they are neat, but people buy sports cars and rarely drive them and then never go much over 55. But that is a terrible waste.
      • All the reviews I've seen for the Zaurus machines focus primarily on the hardware, which is nice, but it's telling.

        Telling because the stock applications are shite. The wordprocessor is shite, the spreadsheet is shite, the power point presenter is shite, the agenda is shite, the media player is shite and the todo list is shite.

        Oh, I have an SL-5500, and a Psion, so I know what could have been done with the hardware spec of the Zaurus and some half decent developers.

        It gets a low D from me. Could have don
        • All the reviews I've seen for the Zaurus machines focus primarily on the hardware, which is nice, but it's telling.

          Yup, it is. It also doesn't help that most of the people buying Zaurii in the US are already used to Linux cheerleading and the distorted reality that is second only to MacWorld. ;)

          And even then, the hardware isn't all that great in the SL-5x00. The bus speed is extraordinarily fast- 100 MHz as opposed to the 30-50 MHz often seen in most PDAs with the same 206 MHz SA-1100. The keyboard i
    • Oooohh, 640x480 VGA = Orgasmic DooM pleasure.

  • Like Sharp's old Mobilon... (Score:3, Informative)

    by twisty ( 179219 ) on Sunday May 18, 2003 @09:52AM (#5985176) Homepage Journal
    ...only better. More resolution, flipable display, and best of all, no WINCE.

    The Mobilon stopped production when Microsoft pulled support out from under it. Seems the MIPS processor was a part of the WINCE Tower of Babel that they figured was more dispensible than the SH series.

  • Worth the money! (Score:5, Informative)

    by Realistic_Dragon ( 655151 ) on Sunday May 18, 2003 @09:53AM (#5985177) Homepage
    The SL-C760 was one of the models I had a play with at CeBit, and the screen is so good that it cannot be described.

    They already had a working OZ build for it, so that should be available publicly soon if not already.

    The form factor is nice, it fits great in a hand just like a palm, but when you need a keyboard (ssh anyone?) this arrangement is much better than the pull out version on the 5500. They even remembered to put a | key on it this time :o)

    They were having a few speed problems with the XScale (it was running about the same as the Arm 206's in the 5500) but they may have fixed that.

    Build quality is fine, much more robust than the 5500, same good mix of CF and SD/MMC. Much better battery life as well. Not sure whatll happen with the arm-compiled packages that are in such surplus for the 5500 though - maybe someone will write an emulation layer.

    On the whole, definatly a winner, especially for Linux/UNIX admin types - go out and buy one now!
    • Thanks for the mini-review! Did you get any indication of the likely price of the thing?

      • Nope, CeBit is a massive marketing wank fest and very little of real substance gets done - you know, little details like 'price' and 'availability' aren't mentioned. They normally manage to keep the engineers away from it, but we conned ourselves some free tickets by using so many buzzwords our boss thought that were merketdroids :o)

    • Re:Worth the money! (Score:4, Informative)

      by mistered ( 28404 ) on Sunday May 18, 2003 @10:26AM (#5985276)
      Not sure whatll happen with the arm-compiled packages that are in such surplus for the 5500 though - maybe someone will write an emulation layer.

      No need to write an emulation layer; the Intel Xscale is still an ARM processor. It's just a rev or two later than the StrongARM; it'll still run the same binaries.

      • Re:Worth the money! (Score:1, Informative)

        by Anonymous Coward
        They do run the current apps. I purchased mine in Tokyo, and did some work on making it english. The default localization for english is pretty good until you get into the proggies. Also the pre-loaded mpeg player is a bit jerky in the video. I loved my 5500, but when I saw one of these on the trains, I knew I was destined for an upgrade. It only cost me about $400, but then again I'm living here. If you want to take advantage of the wide screen view, you have to go back and edit the desktop files for
    • The screen is nice? Was it bright, and crisp? The resolution is definately a plus.

      I owned a SL-5500... for about 5 weeks. Sold it last week. I have never seen a shittier screen on a PDA before, I'd be embarassed if I were Sharp.

      Oddly enough, one week after buying the Zaurus SL-5500, I won a Dell Axim X5 at a conference I was presenting Dynapad. After doing various research after getting the Axim, I was surprised to find out that Sharp makes the both the screens in the Zaurus as well that in the Axim..

    • Pipe Symbol on Zaurus keyboard (Score:1, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      There is a pipe ("|") symbol on the Zaurus keyboard - just try using Shift Spacebar, and there it is.

  • Re: (Score:1, Insightful)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 )
    Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • These devices are not PDAs. They are notebook computers with inadequate screen resolution (640x480)


      What makes you say that? FYI: These PDA's are about the same size as Ipaq is for example. Only difference is the form-factor.

    • Re:These things are not PDAs. (Score:5, Insightful)

      by alienw ( 585907 ) <alienw.slashdot@ ... inus threevowels> on Sunday May 18, 2003 @10:13AM (#5985236)
      You are an idiot. These are perfect for anyone who needs a truly portable computer. No, laptops aren't really portable. They have to sit on something flat, have a power connection (most have an under-2-hours battery life, thus rendering the battery useless for those of us who actually USE computers) , and not be moved around. They also weigh several pounds, and are very uncomfortable to carry around.

      With one of these PDAs, I can use it an entire day. For example, they are perfect for students (take notes on the touchscreen or the keyboard, put it back in your pocket when you are done). They have some very cool games available. They can do 99% of the things I need to do when I don't have access to a real computer.

      Besides, comparing the Sharp devices to the Libretto is just ludicrous. The Libretto was huge, heavy, and had a short battery life. It had all the shortcomings of a notebook with none of its benefits. You couldn't put it in your pocket, could you?

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by account_deleted ( 4530225 )
        Comment removed based on user account deletion
        • Use Bluetooth in the Zaurus then. WiFi is a power hog but Bluetooth allows for various output power ranges( 2m, 10m 100m ) and therefore varying power drainage. WiFi is fixed at 100m(~150mA) while a 10m Bluetooth setup will drain at less than 40mA.

          Ive run a SL-5600 for ~6h straight with the frontlight at 50%( using 'ping' to keep the connection alive ). A Socket WiFi card only lasts about 3h doing the same.

          And with Bluetooth you also get mobile internet via a Bluetooth enabled mobile phone/service. Use a
          • You DO know that an 'm' by itself means meter, right? And that 2m, 10m, and 100m can be interpreted in that context as wavelengths.

            Roughly converted to frequencies:
            2m: 144MHz
            10m: 28.8 MHz
            100m: 2.88 MHz

            You probably meant mW, not just m.

            Now, as for the rest of your comment, that's pretty cool. I wouldn't have expected a device to last that long using Bluetooth. It must have a pretty good battery to start with and a fairly efficent Bluetooth transciever to boot! I might actually get a Zaurus now.
        • True about the battery.

          Still, you can make an external battery pack that takes AAs for about $7, or get one on ebay [ebay.com] for between eight and ten bucks. I can get about 11 hours with the initial charge + 4 AAs.

      • You are an idiot. These are perfect for anyone who needs a truly portable computer. No, laptops aren't really portable. They have to sit on something flat, have a power connection (most have an under-2-hours battery life, thus rendering the battery useless for those of us who actually USE computers) , and not be moved around. They also weigh several pounds, and are very uncomfortable to carry around.

        Besides, comparing the Sharp devices to the Libretto is just ludicrous. The Libretto was huge, heavy, an

    • 1.8lbs in civilised units is 816g. These things weigh less than one-third that.

      I've used the 1998 Libretto, and believe me, it's nothing like these.

    • Re:These things are not PDAs. (Score:1, Interesting)

      by Anonymous Coward
      These devices are not PDAs...[SNIP]

      The are BOTH - they are a full computer that can do the functions of a server (SSHD, GCC, Apache, DHCP, Samba) and the funcitons of a PDA (Apointments, Address...).

      Size wise:

      The're arount a quarter of the size of the Libretto. The're about a sixth of the size of the Fujistsu P Series.

      It's smaller that a Dell Axiom.

      Lookin at the pictures, and seeing the resolution of the scree - I was very suprised at how small the device is. Think of 1.75 sets of playing cards.

      The
    • PDA is something the size of a calculator that you can put into a shirt pocket.

      These are, dumbass. Just because it looks like a laptop, doesn't mean it's as big as one. Sheesh.

      You give up the convenience of a full-sized screen and keyboard and a fast CPU so that it fits in your pocket and runs for days between battery changes/charges.

      WTF are you talking about? The SL-C760 is spec'ed at 8 hours continuous battery life.

      This is right up there with 1998 Toshiba technology.

      It's been five years si
      • regarding spec'ed battery life: Be careful, I've seen some spec'ed at over 8hr BUT with the frontlight OFF. Anything with the frontlight intensity at less than about 50% is useless indoors. IMHO

        I've measured the SL-5000/5500 frontlight pulling around 80-90mA per 25% increment with the device itself pulling about 80mA idling( frontlight off, w/CF card, w/SD card ). So, that's alot of power from such small/portable batteries.

        I don't know, yet, what the SL-7xx series pulls for the frontlight( or running ) so
      • Comment removed based on user account deletion
        • Learn to read.

          Hehe. Yeah, because 8 hours just isn't that much battery life. Try not being such an asshat. Read your own post:
          You give up the convenience of a full-sized screen and keyboard and a fast CPU so that it fits in your pocket and runs for days between battery changes/charges.

          Even at 4hrs/day, it does run for days between charges. You were wrong.

          Maybe you have room for something that size in the pockets of oversized Hawaiian shirts you wear to cover you man titties, but most of us hav
          • Comment removed based on user account deletion

    • I own a Zaurus 5500 (Score:5, Informative)

      by rkuris ( 541364 ) <rk@uOPENBSDnify.com minus bsd> on Sunday May 18, 2003 @11:20AM (#5985513) Homepage
      I can assure you these are no desktop computers. Here's what they do GREAT:

      - Play MP3's, ogg files, and even video -- particularly with OpenZaurus (OZ).
      - Let you reference your contacts, appointments, to-do lists

      Here's what they're GOOD at:

      - Enter new appointments, to-do list items. Data entry is slower than on a laptop or desktop.
      - Synchronize with your desktop. Setup is tricky on these units, especially if you go with a pure Linux solution, but doable.

      And here's where mine is not-so-good:
      - Trying to store any good size software package (like a compiler). Yes you CAN add a 256MB SD card or a 1G hard disk, but the hard disk eats your battery..
      - Trying to do software development. Data entry is too slow without a full size keyboard (yes, I know you CAN hook one up, but that's difficult too). You have to build on a PC and deploy to the Zaurus. QT development is nice, though!
      - Surfing the web. It works, but the small screen size and zooming and whatnot makes it tricky.
      - Entering a long document. Without a full sized keyboard, it's slow.

      And, the impossible:
      - Trying to do something requiring a lot of CPU. You can try running xmame, for example, but most of the games won't work because the CPU is not good enough.

      Sounds like a typical PDA if you ask me.
      • Good post. In case you do not know there is a new ROM out for the 5500, bringing on par with the 5600. It was posted two days ago V3.1 Get it here [zaurus.com] but make sure you you do a backup. I am still having sync problems and my SD card is still "missing"
      • If you're carrying around a full-size keyboard, you might as well have a laptop. These are good for when you're in a situation where you don't have a surface to put the device on, so you're limited to holding it with one hand and writing with the other, or holding it with both hands and using your thumbs.

        That's how you can really identify a PDA, I think. If you can use it while holding it, it's a PDA.
    • I don't care that the Sharp units run Linux either

      I don't know what you would use one of these for, but I have a iPAQ H3900 running linux that has wireless, Apache, Grass, SSH, nmap, and a host of other usefull packages. I can stick it in my bag/cargo pants, and forget about it, unlike a notebook. Truth be told, I played with WinCE for about 3 minutes when I got the thing, but I have a hard time beliving it could come close to this level of functionality.

      Of course, if I actually wanted to use it to keep

  • The Zaurus Sucks (Score:1, Redundant)

    by boxhead609 ( 671383 )
    I was at Java One in 2002 and got sucked into buying one of these things. I haven't used it since. I did some wardriving with its wireless card and Kismet, but found that the wireless card was unstable... and I would have to reboot Kismet every 5 minutes. Thus, the wardriving option was out. After that, I never found a good use for it. I would prefer a full fledged laptop compared to something marginally functional as this.
  • Too bad it's not available here (Finland). At least the earlier Zauruses weren't

    • You can still buy it! (Score:3, Informative)

      by mikelang ( 674146 )
      Stuff like this can be bought from at least three sites: http://www.dynamism.com/ http://www.japan-direct.com/ http://www.conics.net/ If it's not yet there, you can always mail them, and ask when it will be available...

  • Options (Score:5, Informative)

    by BJH ( 11355 ) on Sunday May 18, 2003 @10:07AM (#5985224)

    The English article's slashdotted, so I don't know what it said, but the poster's comment about the 800x600 video output failed to mention that it requires an additional expansion card to do this.

    From the Japanese page, the other options are:

    Large lithium battery: 10,000 yen (same as supplied with SL-C760)
    Lithium battery: 5,500 yen (same as supplied with SL-C750)
    Battery recharger: 5,500 yen (only supports SL-C750's battery)
    Digital camera card: 24,000 yen (fits in CF slot; 350,000 pixels)
    Voice recorder kit: 5,000 yen

    Also, they've tested it with a variety of CD cards. The selection available includes:
    PHS wireless cards (PHS is a form of mobile phone in use in Japan)
    802.11b wireless cards
    Modem cards
    LAN cards (10baseT only, it seems)
    Graphic card (this is the one I mentioned above; I think it's the first CF-slot video card I've heard of)
    The usual CF memory cards

    According to the page, the SL-C760 gets 8.5 hours use on battery. The SL-C750 gets 5 hours.

    The software includes the usual Hancom apps, an MPEG-4 player, an MP3 player, presentation software, audio recorder, and a Java environment.
    • Ugh... obviously, I meant CF cards, not CD cards.

    • Re:Options (Score:3, Interesting)

      by RevAaron ( 125240 )
      Graphic card (this is the one I mentioned above; I think it's the first CF-slot video card I've heard of)

      It may have just been the first CF-slot video card you've heard of for Linux PDAs rather than any and all platforms... But in any case, WinCE PDAs/PocketPCs have supported a number of VGA out CF cards for quite a while, some proving some pretty badass resolutions.

      According to the page, the SL-C760 gets 8.5 hours use on battery. The SL-C750 gets 5 hours.

      Damn, it's about time. Boy was it a shock whe
      • I don't know why they use captive batteries; the Psion uses AA cells. When you're out & about you can 1) buy replacements from any 7-11 or petrol station. 2) carry spares, limited only by the strength of your back

        A built in battery restricts your range to within one charge of a power socket.

        • The battery is internal (but so are AAs in a Psion), but it is removable. That is, if you're willing to spend $50 on a new battery, you can have more than one- but the point about buying AAs still holds. I use rechargables in anything like this that uses AAs- why can't someone release a PDA that has AA batteries which are rechargable in the unit?
  • Where can I order one on the net?
  • ... to have the goddamn video iPod I've been whining about for a year now...
  • whats always bugged me is for two years PDA's were faster then my P200 box that i used and only used.. Even though i've built a better one now, should i be afraid one day we are going to have 3GHz PDA's? lol

  • its the software stupid (Score:1, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Doesn't matter how cool the device is, the software is junk. I have worked with the software quite a bit while trying to develop some applications and can list off many issues with it. First off the software isn't even compiled for the XScale chip, but for the arm. Sharp is _still_ using a pre-beta fork of qtopia 1.4 and refuses to incorperate bug fixes that have been fixed by Troll Tech into their software. Anyone here have the new wc12 linksys wifi card like me? (the only cf wifi card linksys makes an

  • Why (Score:1, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward
    I don't really have any use for a PDA in general. I know it's all about what you need when it comes to computers. I just was curious exactly why do people need this. What can you do with it that you can't with gameboy SP and a cell phone? I don't need to read .doc or ebooks while driving to work. Why do you have a PDA?

  • Sigh... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by claes ( 25551 ) on Sunday May 18, 2003 @11:35AM (#5985574)
    Well these may be excellent, but I refuse to buy a PDA with qwerty keyboard if the keyboard layout can not be changed to accomodate my language. And from the pictures, I doubt it since there is no room for extra keys to the right of 'L'. I wonder how many customers PDA manufacturers lose worldwide because their keyboards can not be localized according to local markets.

    One manufacturer that gets it (the first one?) is Nokia. If you take a look a their 6800 phone [nokia.com] you will see that the keyboard layout leaves room for scandinavian characters, and I am sure many others too.
  • 1) Are they ytoo big to be usable. I know they fold up, but do they fold up smalle enough.
    2) How's the keyboard
    3) does it fold completely open so you can use just the touch screen like on a traditional pda?
  • Can someone explain what FOMA is with regards to the connectivity? What sort of connection would it be to the PDA? What kind of speeds?

  • Nice thing is... (Score:3, Informative)

    by kotj.mf ( 645325 ) on Sunday May 18, 2003 @12:27PM (#5985827)
    ...Sharp is continuing to support the old models very well.

    I got the 5500 I'm typing this on from the HSN deal, and I don't think I've ever blown a better 200 bucks.

    Sharp released a new version of the ROM a couple of days ago:

    http://community.zaurus.com

    It's got Opera Embedded v6, which is just amazing.

    Between Sharp and OZ, these things should remain useful for quite awhile.

  • Some more info, in case you don't speak Japanese;) (Score:3, Informative)

    by D4C5CE ( 578304 ) on Sunday May 18, 2003 @02:19PM (#5986525)
    ... because Sharp actually did issue the news in a language more comprehensible to this audience either:
    Linux "clamshell" PDAs with an Intel Xscale PXA255@400MHz, 64 megs of RAM and up to 128 megs of built-in flash are only some of the mouth-watering specs [sharp-world.com] for the new SL-C760 and C750, just released in English to make geeks world-wide wish they were in Japan - the only place, again, for which Sharp has announced to market the new models. The predecessor [sharp-world.com], widely acclaimed for its excellent "Continuous Grain Silicon" VGA LCD, has been made available by third parties in the USA [dynamism.com], Germany [t-online.de], and directly from Japan [conics.net], but if you're looking to replace e.g. your aging Psion [investorrelations.co.uk] with the latest and greatest Linux PDA from a local vendor, you may want to get Sharp [sharp-world.com] to change their mind and make it available world-wide this time.
    In other news, in India the Simputer [simputer.org] is expected to be shipping [heise.de] below US$200 (10000 rupies) soon.
    Wouldn't both of these be rather compelling items for ThinkGeek [thinkgeek.com] to carry as well (just in case the current vendors get overwhelmed by Slashdotters buying up the equivalent of a monthly production - BTW, what's the discount at 30000 units) ?

  • Sorry, but (Score:1, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    I'm not buying a PDA until the screens are at least 1024x768. I also want to have a hard drive, 3D acceleration, and have the ability to multitask in different windows. And until you give me a keyboard and mouse, it just won't be a real PDA.

  • It's come a long way from when I first got my Zaurus SL-5000 a few years ago. Should shape up to a pretty cool product.
  • http://www.sharpusa.com/products/ModelLanding/1,10 58,1016,00.html

  • Much as I like the idea of a PDA running a free kernel, it's not much use to me unless the rest of the software is free, or I can run my own software on it. What's the free/non-free status of the bundled software? And can I easily install my favourite free software, XFree86, etc.?

  • Keyboards (Score:2, Interesting)

    by rbook ( 409739 )
    It looks from the pictures like the new models (C750, C760) have flat "membrane" keyboards, and the the C700 has actual keys.
    Is that true?

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