Sharp Zaurus SL-5500 coming to a store near you

[Ed Hansberry]

<a href="http://computers.cnet.com/hardware/0-2709830-404-8407129.html?tag=st.co.1087.boxhl.2709830-404-8407129">http://computers.cnet.com/hardware/0-2709830-404-8407129.html?tag=st.co.1087.boxhl.2709830-404-8407129</a><br /><br />Finally, the first widely available Linux based PDA, nearly two years after people said iPAQ's would be flooding the street with Linux in the ROM. CNet has had it for a few days. "Sharp's new Linux-powered Zaurus SL-5500 may be one of the few PDAs that is able to challenge Pocket PC devices in terms of power, speed, and features. We've only just received a final production model for review and are deep in the midst of testing it. We'll have a complete review ready shortly, but here are our initial impressions. The SL-5500's hardware is similar to that of high-end Pocket PC devices. The 7.3-ounce device has a 206MHz Intel StrongARM processor, 64MB of RAM, and a very nice, 3.5-inch, 240x320-pixel color LCD. But the Zaurus has one unique feature that will surely earn it some fans: a thumb keyboard that's hidden under the device's thumb pad and application buttons."<br /><br /><img src="http://a.r.tv.com/cnet.1d/i/co/ps/200/8407129_200_1.gif" /><br /><br />"But why Linux? The open source OS has proven its mettle in Web servers, but it remains to be seen whether it is a better handheld solution than Palm or Pocket PC. The interface works much like Palm's, with tabbed pages that display lists of applications and documents."<br /><br />Here is my thing. I am not sure about the keyboard. You hear so much hype about those thumb keyboards, and I know there are people that love them. But RIMM came up with it first, and last sales figures I heard on those were under 250,000 units in total sold, ever. Now the Handspring Treo has a model with it, and one without it, which I think is smart. But the Zaurus has it regardless. As does the new Sony NR-70. I am not a big guy by any stretch of the imagination, but my thumbs are just too big for those little keys. I played with several thumb keyboards on both the iPAQ and Jornada when in Germany, and even those their that liked it and had used it a while could not keep up with me when I was using <a href="http://www.textware.com">Fitaly, a SIP replacement designed for stylus input.</a> And don't get me started on serious work, where the <a href="http://www.thinkoutside.com">Stowaway full sized keyboard is the only option for touch typing.</a> So for me, I wouldn't touch the Zaurus because of the hardware. Just my humble opinion, but these things should be options, as Compaq, HP and Handspring have made them for their devices. Not forced with single model as Sony and Sharp have done. Maybe it is just me. I really don't know where the keys are on my laptop's keyboard. Tell me to pick out a letter and I have to look for it, unless my hands are in the home position, then my fingers just find the keys themselves. With the thumb keyboard, it is all hunt and peck for me. :-(<br /><br />What do you think? Thanks to Mobile Bob for the link.

[dochall]

I thought the first widely available Linux based PDA was the Ipaq :P

[Scott R]

Ed, I agree with you completely about the thumbboard concept. Here's the thing: On the Blackberry it works for several reasons:
1) The orientation of the original Blackberry was landscape. As a result the thumbboard is wider (and, therefore, more usable) than the thumbboards that appear on Palm's, PPC's, the Treo, and this device.
2) The Blackberry OS was designed around the thumbboard and scroll wheel. Everything you need to do can be done with your fingers. You never need to pick up a stylus.
3) Again, because of the orientation of the device, it's comfortable to hold like this for extended periods of time. The device is not "top-heavy" (which is the case for add-ons to Palms/PPCs, etc.)

IMO, when you're dealing with a Palm or PPC (or this Zaurus device), incorporating a keyboard is troublesome for the reasons just defined. In the case of the Zaurus, they actually thought some of this through and added additional buttons to quickly access features which you would otherwise need a stylus for. Nevertheless, even this will be troublesome.

When dealing with these sorts of devices, I think the best method of input is Graffiti or FITALY (Graffiti having the edge in terms of "heads-up" ability - FITALY having an edge in speed). If you want to do extensive data input, you should supplement this with a stowaway keyboard.

So, in short, the thumbboard is a well thought out and completely usable solution for the Blackberry but is more of a "grafted in" solution for a Palm or PPC.

Scott

[Brad Adrian]

Having used the Zaurus for a few days last month, I will say one thing in favor of the thumbboard. Because the lower portion of the PDA slides down to uncover the board, the balance of the device is actually enhanced. With the add-on thumbboards, the device (IMO) is thrown out of balance and it's fairly difficult to hold onto the thing while trying to type.

I've never used any other Linux-based PDA, but one other thing struck me about this one...It appeared to me as though the developers tried to get way too much stuff onto each screen. It's always been a challenge to balance screen usability and the desire to reduce the amount of scrolling needed, but the result on the Zaurus was a collection of very tiny buttons and icons that absolutely could not be selected except with a stylus. At least on my Pocket PC many of the buttons are large enough (like the alarm dismiss button) that I can use my fat fingers if need be.

[Jeff Kirvin]

I was under the impression that the Zaurus include some form of pen input as well, maybe not a Graffiti or Transcriber clone, but at least a pop up on screen keyboard. Surely the thumbboard isn't the only means of data input, right?

[Brad Adrian]

Right. It also has pen input, although I don't recall if it's true Grafitti or something else.

[Aceze]

Yes, it does have Graffiti style input - even to the point of allowing you to specify your own stroke pattern for every character (something people have been on about for the longest time for Transcriber/Calligrapher).

As far as user experiences (that I've seen from various webboards), the keyboard is quite good - with most people quite happy with it. In fact, there are a few cases where Fitaly users (to reference your original sentiment) have dropped it altogether for the thumbboard.

As for the RIM Blackberry numbers - where did you get this particular figure? I was of the impression that market penetration was far higher than that...

Also, Ed, I find it odd that you're so down on the Zaurus just because of the keyboard... a user doesnt _have_ to use it if he/she doesnt want to! And at a price point lower than a stock PPC2002 device, it's not like they're paying more for this extra input feature... I dunno Ed, the more I read your article, the more it looks like you're just looking for something to criticise about the Zaurus.

I do hope, however, that someone makes an external keyboard for this. The Hancom office suite seems to be everything Pocket Office should have been and then some!

Aceze

[Lotak]

Usable or not, I can't be alone in thinking it just looks really darn cool when the bottom part slides down to reveal the keyboard. :D

[Ed Hansberry]

Also, Ed, I find it odd that you're so down on the Zaurus just because of the keyboard... a user doesnt _have_ to use it if he/she doesnt want to! And at a price point lower than a stock PPC2002 device, it's not like they're paying more for this extra input feature... I dunno Ed, the more I read your article, the more it looks like you're just looking for something to criticise about the Zaurus.

No, not up or down on it. Thought it interesting, and used it as a springboard to express my opinions on the sudden proliferation of thumb keyboards.

[mrarkus]

... with Aceze.

I would bet $2 that if a keboard design like this showed up on a Jornada or an iPAQ, everybody would be regarding this as the greatest thing since sliced bread. OK, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but you know what I mean. Dual input methods, out of the way when you don't need it, and doesn't add any perceived cost, and Ed doesn't like it?

OK, enough of that. As I'm writing this I have both the SL-5500 and my HP 568 sitting side-by-side. I got the HP two weeks ago and the Sharp just arrived yesterday from Amazon. When I first read about the Sharp, I thought immediately about returning the HP. Now that I got the SL-5500 in my hands, I'm sorry to say that it will be going back. It is a nice start, but they still have ways to go. The PIM has as simplistic as the Palm but even less intuitive than the Pocket PCs, the total interface has a lot of inconsistencies, and like somebody said before, the screen looks very cluttered. I really dislike the screen (it is practically unusable without the sidelight on 100% in my office, where the Jornada is just fine with the sidelight turned off), very unevenly lit (I thought my Jornada was a bit unevenly lit...until I saw the Zaurus...) And the battery life is downright criminal. My old Casio E115 lasted twice as long as the Sharp. Constantly playing with it and with the sidelight on max the battery ran down in under 2 hours. 2 hours!!

On the other hand I think that the Zaurus is the first real alternative to the Pocket PCs for the power users.

In a way I think they are following in the footsteps of Microsoft. It took MS three tries before they got it (almost) right. The one positive is that Sharp will not artificially limit the functionality of the build-in apps, like MS is doing with Word and Excel. If all goes well, I'll be in the market for the SL-6000.

[Brad Adrian]

As for the RIM Blackberry numbers - where did you get this particular figure? I was of the impression that market penetration was far higher than that...

I wonder, too. I'm not sure what total placements by RIM are by now, but they sold nearly 400,000 devices in 2001 alone.

[burmashave]

I have a friend who went from an Ipaq to the Zaurus, and believes that the two simply do not compare. At the moment, the Zaurus seems somewhat of a geek's device; however, that will probably change -- and more rapidly than is true of Pocket PC. He, like myself, purchased his Ipaq about two years ago when Microsoft originally released Pocket PC.

The choice to me seems to be a PIM with cool multimedia applications (PPC) on one hand, and a full-fledged PC in your palm (Zaurus). It is my understanding that the consumer version of the Zaurus comes with Open Office installed along with a decent PIM. The device will run most programs that run on Linux desktop. Java 1.2 comes installed, and it will also run a number of languages, including Perl, Python, etc.

One thing to consider is that the average Linux application has a much smaller footprint than comparable Windows software. I believe that a user could install StarOffice on a decent sized memory card, not to mention the wealth of open source software currently available for Linux. It is also possible that open source developers may optimize Linux applications for handheld devices.

From the screen shots I've seen, the interfaces look pretty good, although these may improve quickly. The entire OS is open source, so I would expect to see variations and optimizations in short order. Sharp is now catering to developers who are working on improvements and applications.

I have been informed that most hardware that runs on Pocket PC should also run on the Zaurus. This was a big concern of mine; however, popular wifi and modem cards (Socket, Symbol, etc.) work with the Zaurus, and of course the SD and CF memory cards are compatible. Different flavors of *nix have a history of building these drivers into the OS, so this may be the case with the Zaurus.

As for text entry, the user has a number of choices. There is, of course, the built-in keypad, which I have heard is good for short messages, although the keyboard may have more in "coolness" factor than actual usability. The Zaurus also has a text recognition device, similar to Calligrapher, and the Zaurus recognition engine is customizable. There is also a pop-up on-screen keyboard in addition to a pop-up selection of text macros similar to the functionality in Resco Keyboard.

For me, the biggest question about jumping to a new device would be giving up some software, such as ListPro, CNetX SlideShow, Pocket Streets and the Palm eBook Reader, that I feel I cannot live without. This was the same deal when I jumped from Palm to PPC.

Microsoft sold PPC with the tag line, "Can your Palm do that?" I can imagine Zaurus users will soon be asking, "Can your Pocket PC do that?"

[leximaea]

Is it just me, or wouldn't it be cool if the "thumb-board" slid inside the unit so we had the choice to use it or not (or even see it...all that surface real estate wasted!) You could even have larger keys if it slid away out of site without sacrificing the small size. I tend to use transcriber for everything, but occassionally click on the keyboard to tap in a password or logon id. A Thumbboard would be perfect for this-- type and write at the same time.

Wishful thinking, I guess :^D
-lexi

[mrarkus]

Leximaea: You do know that the Sharp has exactly that, right? At the bottom of the display the cover slides down to reveal the keyboard. Closed, it is about the same size as an iPAQ.

Just wanted to make sure that you don't short change the Zaurus :)

[Timothy Rapson]

From what I have read, the onscreen keyboard on the Zaurus is customizable. Put any key anywhere. The PPC must do something like this as the Germans switch Zs and Ys from US locations, but I think you could remap all the keys to make it just like my much loved FITALY layout on my Ipaq.

Of course, you won't get FITALY's word completion features (I think the Zaurus has a version of that, too. Just like PPC). The Zaurus also has a camera coming, matching the Casio and HPs (say, is IPAQ ever going to ship theirs?). In fact, the Zaurus native OS model in Japan has a model with a camera built-in (no slot needed).

Like I posted below in the welcome to Jeff K. with the Jornado 567, Ipaq 3800, Zaurus SL5500, and Clie NR70 all selling for $500, (+/- $20) the race is going to be real hot for the next 60 days.

[Aceze]

The Zaurus also has a camera coming, matching the Casio and HPs (say, is IPAQ ever going to ship theirs?). In fact, the Zaurus native OS model in Japan has a model with a camera built-in (no slot needed).


The Zaurus camera card is already out and selling for $169:
http://www.myzaurus.com/acc_Comm.asp

They also have a CDPD card (amongst others)...

BTW, the "native OS model" isnt, it's just a new model (the 5500 is sold there as well) that just came out.

Aceze

[Take1]

... with Aceze.

I would bet $2 that if a keboard design like this showed up on a Jornada or an iPAQ, everybody would be regarding this as the greatest thing since sliced bread. OK, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but you know what I mean. Dual input methods, out of the way when you don't need it, and doesn't add any perceived cost, and Ed doesn't like it?



It add a perceived increase in size though. The Zaurus look freaking huge and the keyboard probably contributes to this. I'd rather stick to the stylus and keep the form factor small. Innovative idea, however. Sony apparently like it so much... they copied the idea.

[Take1]

Leximaea: You do know that the Sharp has exactly that, right? At the bottom of the display the cover slides down to reveal the keyboard. Closed, it is about the same size as an iPAQ.

Just wanted to make sure that you don't short change the Zaurus :)


If the Zaurus is the same size as the iPAQ (width, height, etc.).. is the screen tiny? the bottom portion of the device (with the keyboard closed) beneath the screen is HUGE. Gives the impression that it's rather bulky.

[Sanjay Srikonda]

I have a question, I have a Casio Cassiopeia E-125, I was really debating getting a Ipaq 3835, now, I'm debating getting a Zaurus, I've been a linux user for years, since the days I used to download and burn my own images from the RedHat site before they went "commercial."

I have a 1Gigabtye IBM Microdrive that works great with my E-125, my question is, checking on the Sharp site, for the accessories, I see they only offer cards up to 320Mb. i don't want to have to not be able to use my existing 1Gigabyte Microdrive, the thing is great.

Anyone know?

[burmashave]

In response to some of the questions above, here are some good links for the Zaurus.

The Gadgeteer did a review with some excellent pics that give an idea of the Zaurus size and how its hidable keyboard works: http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/zaurus-sl-5000d-review.html. The Gadgeteer includes specs for the Zaurus:
=>Roughly same size and weight as the Ipaq
=>Standard 320x240 screen with 64k+ colors
=>SD and CF (I/II) slots
=>Built-in screen cover
=>Removable battery pack
=>USB and IR connectivityNote that the Gadgeteer specs are the for the developer version released a few months ago. The consumer version has 64MB SDRAM.

The Zaurus uses the Qtopia GUI for its embedded Linux. Trolltech has some good screenshots of the GUI, PIM and bundled applications: http://www.trolltech.com/products/qtopia/screenshots.html.

The Sharp site is currently designed primarily for developers; however, it contains a list of all the software and applications built into the developer version of the Zaurus: http://more.sbc.co.jp/slj/apps.asp. Of interest to PPC users is the fact that the Zaurus contains native OS support for dynamic screen rotation.

[Rob Alexander]

If the Zaurus is the same size as the iPAQ (width, height, etc.).. is the screen tiny? the bottom portion of the device (with the keyboard closed) beneath the screen is HUGE. Gives the impression that it's rather bulky.


It's not the same size as the iPaq. People who say that are being very forgiving because all PDAs are generally small. If you look at the Gadgeteer review (http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/zaurus-sl-5000d-review.html), you'll see photos of the Zaurus, an HP 565 and an iPaq compared. You'll see that the Zaurus and the iPaq are about the same width, but the Zaurus is both longer and thicker than the iPaq. I haven't seen the weights compared, but I bet it's heavier too.

Overall, I think it's a very clever design and offers the kind of innovation that we once associated with the original iPaq. I don't find the software compelling, but the device itself looks very well-designed. I wouldn't personally be all that comfortable with a thumb keyboard, but I'm reminded of the article that was linked to here about a week ago about how a whole new generation of young people are growing up using their thumbs for things like this. I'll stick with Fitaly, but this may well be the future.

[mrarkus]

Here are the dimmensions for both, taken from their respective web sites:


(H x W x D x Weight)

iPAQ: 5.11 x 3.28 x 0.62 x 6.7 oz.
Zaurus: 5.4 x 2.9 x 0.7 x 6.63 oz.

I would certainly call them comparable, with the Z being longer and narrower, at about the same weight.

[yup]

And don't get me started on serious work, where the Stowaway full sized keyboard is the only option for touch typing. (http://www.thinkoutside.com)


[...]


I really don't know where the keys are on my laptop's keyboard


Ok, a hint: GET A F$#!@G CLUE !! :idea: And in the future refrain from idiotic opinions about keyboards. You're talking about "serious work", "touch typing" but you don't know where your keys are ? Jeezus !!

What you should have done instead is that you should have admit it clearly and in the open: "Like any other sheep following the M$ shepard I simply loath any other alternatives to my PocketCrap which I love and worship. Amen"

You would have saved clueful readers a lot of "BS cut-trough"

[Kilmerr]

Tinkering with a friends 'advance' one on a loan, a few things struck me, great hardware, got used to thumbing around, works great here. But the UI is all over the place, a re-design team needs to think about overall form. Here there and everywhere. I think their Office Suite, is far more powerful than the limited Pocket PC apps. Didn't notice any dust, but didn't have it for long enough either. RICH bright beautiful colors, no dark 38xx series like colors. The killer? This thing drinks battery worse than anything I have ever seen. Shore up the UI, add more battery life and a winner. I'd get one myself if battery life wasn't such a concern. Battery pack and some UI hackings and some development time and in a few months, hey, maybe. But taking on Pocket PC 2002? Nah, not yet. Geek tool, but the core is solid, fix battery and tweak UI and it be there.

[Jonathan1]

I have been informed that most hardware that runs on Pocket PC should also run on the Zaurus. This was a big concern of mine; however, popular wifi and modem cards (Socket, Symbol, etc.) work with the Zaurus, and of course the SD and CF memory cards are compatible. Different flavors of *nix have a history of building these drivers into the OS, so this may be the case with the Zaurus.


Anyone knoew if this includes wireless modems such as the Aircard series? I would very much love to go broadband on this sucker as soon as possible.

[burmashave]

The killer? This thing drinks battery worse than anything I have ever seen. Shore up the UI, add more battery life and a winner. I'd get one myself if battery life wasn't such a concern. Battery pack and some UI hackings and some development time and in a few months, hey, maybe. But taking on Pocket PC 2002? Nah, not yet. Geek tool, but the core is solid, fix battery and tweak UI and it be there.


I'll check into the battery life issue. That would be a problem for a lot of users. On the other hand, the battery is removable like the one on my Casio. I've come to rely on the fact that I can put in a fresh battery when one is almost dead.

I'm sure the UI needs work; however, I have a feeling that it will not be long before Zaurus users have a number of GUI options, given that the OS is open source.

It's definitely a geek's device, but I think that it may not remain that way for long. I also think it stands a good chance for enterprise deployment. Corporate purchasers could customize the ROM to include only the applications they want to support, and the keyboard shortens the PDA learning curve.

[Aceze]

Remember everyone, that ROM upgrades from Sharp have been fairly forthcoming - therefore, it would stand to reason that anyone interested in GUI rewrites or modifications could easily get one out. Unlike the Microsoft camp, modifications and upgrades should be FAR more forthcoming for whatever issues come up in the coming months - of course, contingent on popularity of the units.

Already the unit is barely out for consumers (a few months for devs) and the unit has a full Office suite, PDF reader, working financial software, image/multimedia viewer, messaging client, etc. Speed of app pickup seems VERY good. Especially since developers should never be worried about huge companies creating apps that will render their efforts worthless (hint hint :) ).

Aceze

[Aceze]

Tinkering with a friends 'advance' one on a loan...
The killer? This thing drinks battery worse than anything I have ever seen...


Hmm, you sure you werent tinkering with the Dev version (which did have issues with battery life)? If so, some of those concerns were addressed by the commercial unit (the dev unit charger was not completely charging the battery apparently)... If not, I remember initial Ipaqs (and other units) had/have terrible charge times until quite a few charge cycles.

Aceze

[Take1]

O.K. reading the review at the Gadgeteer was very enlightening. The thing IS huge, but there's a lot inside, so it's a toss-up between functionality vs. size.

This device wil fail in the marketplace, as usual, because of the same elements that made CE fail the first two times it was tried. This device will be worth watching upon it's second coming when xScale and a credible software library has arrived. Right now you're VERY limited on what you can run on this thing (unless you use Linux, port over programs, etc....)

The hardware looks great. Size needs to come down and battery life increased. Next year should be interesting when the next generation of this device is released (if Sharp hasn't been discouraged by it initial failure).

[Ed Hansberry]

I am requoting the article here because this link is only valid for 6 days and then gets changed to an archive link. Sort of amused at the Jumbo iPAQ comment. :lol:

http://ptech.wsj.com/ptech.html

Sharp's Zaurus Fails to Deliver On Its Performance Promises
By WALTER S.MOSSBERG

Sometimes a new technology product looks great when its maker demonstrates it, but behaves poorly when you actually use it. And sometimes a new technology product is touted for some underlying techie feature, but in actual use that feature turns out to be either irrelevant or an actual disadvantage to mainstream users.

Sharp's new $499 Zaurus SL-5500 hand-held computer, which I've been testing, unfortunately fails both these tests. In demos, it looks great -- sleek, silvery, with a large, bright color screen and a cleverly hidden keyboard that appears when you slide down the lower part of the unit. And in some techie circles, it has caused great excitement because it runs on Linux, the renegade operating system that many techies worship.

However, I can't recommend the new Zaurus, because in my tests, it failed to do the simple things well. It has a high price, a complicated user interface, and hefty dimensions and weight. Even the cool-looking keyboard turns out to be clumsy to use.

Worst of all, I couldn't get it to synchronize calendar and address-book data with my PC, which is the cardinal task of a PDA. I used a new Dell laptop running Windows XP. I installed the Sharp software successfully, following the company's instructions to the letter, and set it all up to synchronize with Microsoft Outlook. But, when I pressed the synchronize button on the unit's cradle, or clicked on the synchronize command in the synchronization software, nothing happened.

Synchronization isn't very important to Sharp, apparently. I combed the four manuals that came with the product and couldn't find a single chapter or section devoted to synchronizing the unit with a PC and Microsoft Outlook, though that feature is touted in press releases and on the box.

The Zaurus has some good points. The screen is bright and vivid, as long as you keep its backlight on. There is an abundance of applications, including several that allow you to read Microsoft Office documents. It plays audio and video, and can handle e-mail and the Web, with an optional wireless modem. The battery is removable. And the keyboard features large, well-spaced keys. It has two expansion slots.

But the user interface is dense and complex, like on a PC, with a bewildering array of menus and icons. The screen is very dim without the battery-killing light. Battery life is touted at up to 10 hours, but only if the screen light is off and you are merely staring at the calendar. It shrinks to as little as one hour if the screen is lit up and you're playing music. And the keyboard is awkward to use because of its recessed design, which puts it in sort of a pit.

The Zaurus is also bulky. It's 5.4 inches long, 2.9 inches wide, 0.8 inches thick and weighs 7.5 ounces. That's much longer, thicker and heavier than Palm's color m515 (which costs $100 less) or even Compaq's jumbo $499 iPAQ 3700. And when you use the slide-open keyboard, the unit stretches to about 6.75 inches in length, which makes it the Shaquille O'Neal of PDAs.

As for Linux, I have nothing against it. But in this case, it's actually a disadvantage. There are thousands of programs written for the hand-held Palm operating system, and plenty written for Microsoft's competing Windows CE hand-held system. But a visit to Sharp's Web site showed only 28 programs that could run on the Linux-based Zaurus, and the three most popular ones reflected the techie roots of Linux. They were a scientific calculator, a networking tool and an encryption program.

All in all, my advice is to stay away from the Zaurus SL-5500, unless you're a hard-core Linux fan.

[burmashave]

Thanks for the scoop, Ed.

Walter Mossberg essentially points out the obvious: the Zaurus is not ready for users beyond the techno-geek community.


Sharp's Zaurus Fails to Deliver On Its Performance Promises
By WALTER S. MOSSBERG

And sometimes a new technology product is touted for some underlying techie feature, but in actual use that feature turns out to be either irrelevant or an actual disadvantage to mainstream users.

If you ask Zaurus users, they would admit that the device is not ready for the non-geek world. Sharp's strategy is clearly to get it in the hands of geeks and developers who will save Sharp the cost of polishing it for the consumer market.


...it has caused great excitement because it runs on Linux, the renegade operating system that many techies worship.

The techies I know do not worship Linux. The promise of a Linux powered device is comparable to a PDA that runs a desktop version of Windows -- same environment, same tools, same applications.


However, I can't recommend the new Zaurus, because in my tests, it failed to do the simple things well. It has a high price, a complicated user interface, and hefty dimensions and weight. Even the cool-looking keyboard turns out to be clumsy to use.

I am not surprised that the Zaurus does not perform essential tasks smoothly. When I purchased my PPC two years ago, I expected hurdles associated with the bleeding edge. I would not write off Linux on the PDA platform unless developers cannot fix these essentials within a couple of years.

I fail to understand the negative press that the keyboard gets. Users who find it clumsy can hide it. On the other hand, clip on keyboards are now available for Pocket PC's, so some consumers must find them useful. Personally, I like to use Calligrapher; however, there are times when I need to use the pop-up keyboard for a few symbols or a word, such as a password. I think the Zaurus keyboard would be good for this.


Battery life is touted at up to 10 hours, but only if the screen light is off and you are merely staring at the calendar. It shrinks to as little as one hour if the screen is lit up and you're playing music.

He is absolutely right. Sharp will have to fix the battery life issue.


The Zaurus is also bulky....That's much longer, thicker and heavier than Palm's color m515...or even Compaq's jumbo $499 Ipaq 3700. And when you use the slide-open keyboard, the unit stretches to about 6.75 inches in length, which makes it the Shaquille O'Neal of PDAs.

Yes, the Zaurus is bulky compared to Palm devices; however, it is comparable in size to pocket PC's. The comment about size with the keyboard extended is irrelevant.


As for Linux, I have nothing against it. But in this case, it's actually a disadvantage. There are thousands of programs written for the hand-held Palm operating system, and plenty written for Microsoft's competing Windows CE hand-held system. But a visit to Sharp's Web site showed only 28 programs that could run on the Linux-based Zaurus...

Mossberg completely misses it here. The Zaurus runs nearly all of the software available for the Linux platform. Again, for someone like Mossberg this may be irrelevant because the user has to be able to compile the software source code for the Zaurus, or the user would have to find someone who has already done that for them. Compiling software is not a difficult task in the Linux world, but it is not a task for users who do not use Linux.

From my perspective, this means that I would not be stuck with PIE. A full-featured version of Opera comes loaded with the Zaurus. If that does not suit, the user can select from an array of Linux-based browsers. The same is true for all other software categories -- email, office suites, image viewers, etc.

Mossberg writes a consumer technology column, and I think his consumer focus causes him to miss a factor that would be very important to corporate deployment. Powering a PDA with Linux means that developers would have complete control over the OS and software. This would be extremely valuable to enterprise deployments in which a company wishes to limit device use (and associated support costs) to specific applications. In other words, corporate developers could strip out anything they do not want to support and prevent users from installing software or changing device configuration. That capability is an administrator's dream.