Sharp and Willcom Introduce a VGA Pocket PC Phone Edition

[Darius Wey]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.willcom-inc.com/ja/lineup/ws/003sh/index.html' target='_blank'>http://www.willcom-inc.com/ja/lineu...03sh/index.html</a><br /><br /></div><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/wey-20051021-WZERO31.jpg" /><br /><br />Japan, rejoice! You now have a Windows Mobile 5.0-based Pocket PC Phone Edition that's so hot it probably won't even make it's way out of Japan. Touted as an HTC Universal killer, the W-ZERO3 has an Intel XScale 416MHz processor, 64MB RAM, 128MB ROM, a 3.7" VGA (480 x 640) colour screen, miniSD, mini-USB, a 1.33MP camera, 802.11b Wi-Fi, W-SIM support, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, and Windows Mobile 5.0. It's smaller than the Universal, weighing in at 220g and measuring in at 70mm x 130mm x 26mm. Can anyone lend me a drool bucket? :drool:<br /><br /><b>Online Translation:</b> <a href="http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/trurl_pagecontent?lp=ja_en&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.willcom-inc.com%2Fja%2Flineup%2Fws%2F003sh%2Findex.html">Japanese to English (Babel Fish)</a> <!><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/wey-20051021-WZERO32.jpg" />

[KTamas]

:drool: Universal? What is that? :P This one is way cooler ;)

[Jason Lee]

wow, very cool.

[Menneisyys]

Looks quite cool compared to the Universal, especially because of the the hardware buttons on the front.

I wish, however, it didn't have any kind of keyboard and it were an SD-equipped PDA, with a faster CPU and more ROM... the presence of only a mini-SD and a slowish 416 MHz CPU is definitely a showstopper for me.

I don;t understand why no PDA manufacturer is able to produce a PDA that is substantially better than a Pocket Loox 720 + BT phone + StowAway BT keyboard combo?!

[SteveHoward999]

I much prefer the cool tablet-style hinge of the Universal.

I don't like the inclusinn of MiniSD ... I'd rather be able to use my existing cards.

MiniUSB - is that a Host or connector?

If this this machine turns up in the US and is $500 instead of the $1000 plus of the Universal, I'd give it a second glance, but as has already been said. without a faster processor I see little attraction right now. I can combine my E830 with a keyboard and my phone and have the PDA I want.

Right now I'd feel like I was taking a retro step in PDA terms for the sake of a little cool phone with less power than my current PDA if I bought this or the Universal.

[huangzhinong]

I just can't understand why they put a mini-SD into this big monster (26mm thick and 220g). Even a CFII slot can fit in.

Otherwise, it is a good device.

I expect a VGA phone at DELL 51V size. Keyboard is not a must-have.

[jlp]

my thoughts exactly!!

It's a shame to put a sub-standard miniSD in such a (relatively) huge device!!

Can't they understand the values of standards and two-way compatibility!!

How can you put in there your SD card from your digicam, MP3 player, moviecam, etc.?

And DON'T tell me you can put a miniSD in an adapter, while it's true:
it does NOT provide two-way compatibility
miniSD are slower
miniSD are more expensive
miniSD come in much lower capacity
miniSD are much more difficult to find
miniSD have much lower technology capacity
one would have to throw away one's SD cards
in short miniSD have ALL THE WRONG "MORE" and ALL THE WRONG "LESS"


:evil: :evil: :evil:

[surur]

At least it has a control key on they keyboard....

Surur

[IpaqMan2]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*** YOU!!!!!!!!!

I just got a 2 year contract to get my 6700...
But that thing Rocks...
If that never leaves Japan I will be so disappointed!

[DaleReeck]

No bluetooth? Hmmm...

[155]

Mini-SD?

[mr_Ray]

Wells it looks promising at first glance, but then it starts to look like nothing special. It's essentially the same size as the Universal, noticably (but not significantly) lighter, but can't go into clamshell mode. Take away full SD, some MHz, BT, and having the same lack of 802.11g as the Universal and you end up with this.

Had this had similar specs but at the same size of the Wizard it'd be interesting, but it just seems like a slightly worse Universal. I do like the 8 front buttons, but that's not enough to save it.

[hiatus]

I want a PDA phone with VGA screen (smaller is better of course, I am using a X50v). I was so excited about this when I saw it. But no bluetooth will be a no go for me for sure. And I need a good battery life one too (doesn't look like they will have something like that anytime soon)

Guess I will have to wait...

[ipaq_wannabe]

maybe - i have found a worthy replacement for my X50V...

hehehehe... FINALLY!!!!...

im getting sick that all the "smartphones" here in japan are symbian-powered....

[Phoenix]

This is a nice device (very nice looking, too), but a Universal "killer"??? HARDLY! I mean, how on Earth do they figure that?

It has a slower processor, the same amount of memory, no BT (at least according to these specs), a Mini SD slot (instead of a standard SD slot (which is clearly better) like we find on the Universal), and the other specs beyond this are no better than what's on the Universal. Not to mention, the Universal has a built in way to protect the screen, and probably other specs that are better as well.

Nooooope, sorry, but Confucious say, "Universal MUCH, MUCH better than W-ZERO3!"

[ipaq_wannabe]

by the way, just to let you guys know - this is NOT GSM-compatible... also, it does not have any BT...

[Duncan]

Even more of a disappointment than the Universal. Sure - it has the buttons missing from that model, and is lighter - but mini-SD? Absurdly slow processor in a VGA unit? No BT in a high end unit? Keyboard that hardly looks like it has any advantages over a smaller thumbboard? Yet stiil big and heavy? Just how much of the 128MB ROM will get swallowed up on this one too?

This could have been a Universal killer - and the ideal converegnce unit - but yet again is crippled by some baffling design decisions.

[IpaqMan2]

Wells it looks promising at first glance, but then it starts to look like nothing special. It's essentially the same size as the Universal, noticably (but not significantly) lighter, but can't go into clamshell mode. Take away full SD, some MHz, BT, and having the same lack of 802.11g as the Universal and you end up with this.

Had this had similar specs but at the same size of the Wizard it'd be interesting, but it just seems like a slightly worse Universal. I do like the 8 front buttons, but that's not enough to save it.

Apples and water melons...
I don't think this is geared towards the folks looking to buy the HTC Universal. That phone is in a class by itself.

But this phone could sway people who are looking at the PPC6700 or even the other brand being sold by Tmobile. If I had a choice I'd get this over the 6700 just because of the VGA and larger screen

[Duncan]

Apples and water melons...
I don't think this is geared towards the folks looking to buy the HTC Universal. That phone is in a class by itself.

Yes - the remedial class...

[Darius Wey]

This is a nice device (very nice looking, too), but a Universal "killer"??? HARDLY! I mean, how on Earth do they figure that?

Maybe a killer in size? 8) The lack of Bluetooth and the inclusion of miniSD is a little ho-hum, but at least it has a VGA screen (rather rare finding one in a Pocket PC Phone Edition these days).

[Menneisyys]

Right now I'd feel like I was taking a retro step in PDA terms for the sake of a little cool phone with less power than my current PDA if I bought this or the Universal.

Exactly my sentiments. No converged device seem to have nearly as good as current hi-end VGA Pocket PC's.

[Fishie]

Oh come on people, stop the negativity.
Its about the size of an Axim x50v, has a faster processor then the Imate Jam AND a keyboard, a large VGA screen and WiFi.
And best of all, the price.
It will cost under 50k yen.
50,000.00 JPY
Japan Yen = 433.712 USD
United States Dollars

This IS a killer package for that price and anyone who disagrees mustve taken a few nasty falls on the head as a child.

[Menneisyys]

And best of all, the price.
It will cost under 50k yen.

50,000.00 JPY
Japan Yen = 433.712 USD
United States Dollars

That's not bad. It'll become, though, at least 550-600 euros here in Europe...

[Fishie]

And best of all, the price.
It will cost under 50k yen.

50,000.00 JPY
Japan Yen = 433.712 USD
United States Dollars

That's not bad. It'll become, though, at least 550-600 euros here in Europe...

Sorry man, when you quoted me my post was not complete, had to edit it.

[Darius Wey]

This IS a killer package for that price and anyone who disagrees mustve taken a few nasty falls on the head as a child.

Besides, given all the Windows Mobile-based Pocket PC Phone Edition devices available (or rather, not available ;)) in Japan, this is really awesome.

[jlp]

And best of all, the price.
It will cost under 50k yen.

50,000.00 JPY
Japan Yen = 433.712 USD
United States Dollars

That's not bad. It'll become, though, at least 550-600 euros here in Europe...

Sorry man, when you quoted me my post was not complete, had to edit it.

I'll believe it when I'll see it.

Besides how can you call a killer device when it has neither a CF nor an SD slot??? :roll:

Just like saying bikes are car killers because they are smaller and cost less :roll:

[Duncan]

Oh come on people, stop the negativity.
Its about the size of an Axim x50v, has a faster processor then the Imate Jam AND a keyboard, a large VGA screen and WiFi.
And best of all, the price.
It will cost under 50k yen.
50,000.00 JPY
Japan Yen = 433.712 USD
United States Dollars

This IS a killer package for that price and anyone who disagrees mustve taken a few nasty falls on the head as a child.

No nasty falls as a child here.

Mini-SD - lack of ability to use SDIO or bigger and cheaper memory cards;
No BT - no ability to use BT headset - a necessity with a phone device this size and weight;
Slow processor - poor choice in a high end device when both the slower WM 5.0 and VGA need to be pushed;
Keyboard that is basically just an over-sized thumbboard - so all that extra size and weght for little actual gain in terms of a keyboard.

Also - how exactly do you make it out to be 'about the size of an Axim x50v'? It is is 11 mm longer, 3 mm wider, 9 mm deeper and 45g heavier.

Perhaps you are prepared to ignore these failings because it has a VGA screen and WiFi (ho-hum) and is cheap - but others of us are not dumb or brain-damaged or overly negative for pointing out that this is not a killer package.

[gibson042]

Maybe a killer in size? 8) The lack of Bluetooth and the inclusion of miniSD is a little ho-hum, but at least it has a VGA screen (rather rare finding one in a Pocket PC Phone Edition these days).
At more than an inch thick, the W-ZERO3 won't be winning any miniaturization contests. I'm happy to see another VGA Phone Edition, but I hate the lack of SD and the sluggish processor. A Universal killer this is not.

Just like saying bikes are car killers because they are smaller and cost less :roll:
Well put.

I'm sure it will have Bluetooth (how could it not?), but even so this is not a very compelling device except in Japan and Korea (where, IIRC, CDMA2000 is by far the dominant standard and GSM has only recently been introduced) and maybe a few other places. Does someone more knowledgeable than I know if this phone would be compatible with, say, Verizon Wireless in the United States?

[Darius Wey]

At more than an inch thick, the W-ZERO3 won't be winning any miniaturization contests. I'm happy to see another VGA Phone Edition, but I hate the lack of SD and the sluggish processor. A Universal killer this is not.

Agreed, though I still think it's an awesome device. To be honest, I don't think it's fair comparing it with the Universal. They're clearly targeting two totally different markets, and each device happens to have their fair share of ups and downs.

Does someone more knowledgeable than I know if this phone would be compatible with, say, Verizon Wireless in the United States?

Most probably not. This device has been designed for the Japanese cellular market, and ignoring a select few of their 3G networks, their PDC network is in a world of its own.

[koil]

I don't think this device would be sold outside of japan.
This works as a phone only when the w-sim card is inserted.This w-sim card is a totally different thing from the gsm or w-cdma sim cards.This card itself has all the radio circuits inside.And is only compatible with the Japanese PHS network.(PHS is different from PDC or GSM or 3G)So if it were to be sold outside of Japan, it would probably sold as
a normal PDA with the w-sim card slot taken off, since it does not have the radio circuits in itself.In other words, this device can't be sold outside of Japan.

[IpaqMan2]

The whole argument about the mini-sd thing... Just get over it. It's here and it's going to stay, like it or not.

Anyone remember Compact Flash?, how about the iPaq 3650?? Compact Flash had every accessory imaginable for it way before WiFi and Bluetooth, meaning they had CF cards with cables that could connect to anything. And to be honest when SD came out I was sorely disappointed. Compact Flash was already established, way cheaper, and had a heck of a lot more accessories to it...Well who really uses them now besides the few (like maybe 2) PDAs that can take them and than it's usually only for a micro hard drive.

Mini SDs are here.. You're gonna see them on more and more PDAs phones, and probably cameras too. Get use to it.

So to say this PDA or any other isn't as good as it can be because it has a Mini-SD slot, I'd say just get over it and change with the times.

[GaryK]

I would like to see more info on this device. NONE of the new HTC's work for me. The Unerversal is missing 850 band and EDGE. The K-Jam is a 2.8" screen - way to small for this older guy. I'm stuck with a 6315 :cry:

Can this device handle Cingular 850 and edge?
Or is it just another phone that does not work for me?

[Jason Lee]

It is not possible for this phone to work outside of Japan.. Ever. I don't know why everyone is even bothering to compair and complain. It will never leave 日本.

[jlp]

The whole argument about the mini-sd thing... Just get over it. It's here and it's going to stay, like it or not.

Anyone remember Compact Flash?, how about the iPaq 3650?? Compact Flash had every accessory imaginable for it way before WiFi and Bluetooth, meaning they had CF cards with cables that could connect to anything. And to be honest when SD came out I was sorely disappointed. Compact Flash was already established, way cheaper, and had a heck of a lot more accessories to it...Well who really uses them now besides the few (like maybe 2) PDAs that can take them and than it's usually only for a micro hard drive.

Mini SDs are here.. You're gonna see them on more and more PDAs phones, and probably cameras too. Get use to it.

So to say this PDA or any other isn't as good as it can be because it has a Mini-SD slot, I'd say just get over it and change with the times.

I understand your point of view.

HOWEVER, the situation is much different now.

According to my guestimates, a CF slot including rails and connectors take approximately 12.5 ccm, while an SD slot is only 2.5 ccm.

So when you save a huge 10 ccm (compared to around the 100 ccm of a cell phone) going from CF to SD, you could only save 1 to 1.5 ccm going from SD to miniSD or smaller.

That's really negligible while giving serious problems (incompatibility) and yielding all kind of disadvantages listed somewhere else on this thread.

So how good is a technological achievement (smaller cards than SD) if it yields more problems than it solves: 1 tiny advantage (barely smaller) and ALL the inconvenients you could imagine, the worst being in-com-pa-ti-bi-li-ty

[Fishie]

Oh come on people, stop the negativity.
Its about the size of an Axim x50v, has a faster processor then the Imate Jam AND a keyboard, a large VGA screen and WiFi.
And best of all, the price.
It will cost under 50k yen.
50,000.00 JPY
Japan Yen = 433.712 USD
United States Dollars

This IS a killer package for that price and anyone who disagrees mustve taken a few nasty falls on the head as a child.

No nasty falls as a child here.

Mini-SD - lack of ability to use SDIO or bigger and cheaper memory cards;
No BT - no ability to use BT headset - a necessity with a phone device this size and weight;
Slow processor - poor choice in a high end device when both the slower WM 5.0 and VGA need to be pushed;
Keyboard that is basically just an over-sized thumbboard - so all that extra size and weght for little actual gain in terms of a keyboard.

Also - how exactly do you make it out to be 'about the size of an Axim x50v'? It is is 11 mm longer, 3 mm wider, 9 mm deeper and 45g heavier.

Perhaps you are prepared to ignore these failings because it has a VGA screen and WiFi (ho-hum) and is cheap - but others of us are not dumb or brain-damaged or overly negative for pointing out that this is not a killer package.

I have been OWNED, serves me right for posting in a half sleeping state.

[Duncan]

I have been OWNED, serves me right for posting in a half sleeping state.

Pah! I posted in a semi-drunken state (now progressed to the fully sloshed) - poor excuse...! :D

[Fishie]

I have been OWNED, serves me right for posting in a half sleeping state.

Pah! I posted in a semi-drunken state (now progressed to the fully sloshed) - poor excuse...! :D

Hahahaha

[jlp]

Further information about memory card standards can be found here. (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=43882)

.

[gibson042]

Compact Flash was already established, way cheaper, and had a heck of a lot more accessories to it...Well who really uses them now besides the few (like maybe 2) PDAs that can take them and than it's usually only for a micro hard drive.
CompactFlash still has many accessories that aren't available in other other form, like multimeters and TV/FM tuners.

So to say this PDA or any other isn't as good as it can be because it has a Mini-SD slot, I'd say just get over it and change with the times.
I won't give all of my arguments against mini-SD here, but I will give one (and I only need four letters to do it): SDIO. A PDA with SD is better than one without.

[skuban]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*** YOU!!!!!!!!!

I just got a 2 year contract to get my 6700...
But that thing Rocks...
If that never leaves Japan I will be so disappointed!

I just got the 6700 myself...

But don't feel bad this things pretty big compared to our new device...

6700
4.25" x 2.3" x 1.0"
6.1 oz

Zero3
5.12" x 2.75" x 1.0"
7.7 oz

Don't really miss my built in WiFi with internet access everywhere I have cell service, but the VGA screen would be nice. :)

Scott