Some Zaurus C860 Photos and Comments

[dh]

I know I'm not the only person here with an interest in the Zaurus from Sharp.
The C series Zaurus has probably the best hardware in the PDA world, but is so hard to get, unless you live in Japan.

Anyway, I recently took the plunge and bought one. I've only had it a few days, but here are a few pictures I took, mainly comparing it with my trusty Axim.

http://www.rfidnews.net/Zaurus/Pic%203.jpg
Here's the Z in it's PDAir case, next to my Axim with Sena case. Other than the taper on the Axim, they're about the same size. Even getting a case is a pain though, I ordered mine from Brando in Hong Kong.

http://www.rfidnews.net/Zaurus/Pic%202.jpg
Here's the 860 in tablet mode with the X5. Again you can see they are a similer size, but the Sharp has a slightly larger screen.

It's great how the Z screen changes orientation on the fly when changing from laptop to tablet. Hope the new WMSE edition is as good.

One thing that's not as good as PPC is the choice of input methods in tablet mode. There's a basic keyboard and a handwriting system rather like Letter Recognizer. What I really want is Calligrapher (no chance!) or Fitaly. There is an app called JumpX that mimics the Fitaly layout:

http://www.rfidnews.net/released.png

Trouble is it's sized for QVGA, too small to use on VGA. I've changed the jpgs to be the right size and now looking to find a way to make it work.

http://www.rfidnews.net/Zaurus/Pic%201.jpg
Here's the Z in "Barbie Laptop Mode". I wish I could take a good picture of the screen, it's outragous in quality. Good thing it can be enlarged though. First time I tried the word processor, I thought the fonts must be missing and it was just putting little dots on the screen. Closer inspection showed the "dots" were really tiny characters - might be time for that eye exam :lol:

The little keyboard works fine. I find the keys are spaced enough to be able to type easily. The are a couple of keys that are marked with Japanese characters. Haven't figuared out what they do yet.

http://www.rfidnews.net/Zaurus/Pic%205.jpg
Finally a pic to show that the Z is a bit thicker than the X.

All in all, this is really interesting device. I'm working hard on learing Linux, hopefuly I can get the best out of it. I wouldn't suggest getting one of these if you want a working PDA right out of the box, getting things to work can be challanging.

[CTSLICK]

Cool stuff!! Thanks for posting the pix. Funny that I have an X5 as well. I cant believe how close in size the 2 are.

I'm still on a quest for anyone who has gotten Citrix to work on one of these. As I have mentioned before its a must for me because of work (and its the ONLY thing that kept me from clicking the Buy It Now button...I mean the dang thing was local...I coulda had it the next day...sigh.) So many people have figured out so many things on the Z but not this. I am guessing that none of the true Linux geeks want anything to do with something that hooks you up to a Windows box. Oh well, my bank account is safe...for now.

[dh]

Cool stuff!! Thanks for posting the pix. Funny that I have an X5 as well. I cant believe how close in size the 2 are.

I'm still on a quest for anyone who has gotten Citrix to work on one of these. As I have mentioned before its a must for me because of work (and its the ONLY thing that kept me from clicking the Buy It Now button...I mean the dang thing was local...I coulda had it the next day...sigh.) So many people have figured out so many things on the Z but not this. I am guessing that none of the true Linux geeks want anything to do with something that hooks you up to a Windows box. Oh well, my bank account is safe...for now.
Here's the only thread I could find at Zaurus User Group that discusses Citrix clients: http://www.zaurususergroup.com/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=527&highlight=citrix

Looks as though it's possible, but someone needs to do it. Problem is there are so few Zaurus devices around, there's limited demand.

Of course Sharp's "anti-marketing" marketing group doesn't help.

[CTSLICK]

Here's the only thread I could find at Zaurus User Group that discusses Citrix clients: http://www.zaurususergroup.com/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=527&highlight=citrix

Looks as though it's possible, but someone needs to do it. Problem is there are so few Zaurus devices around, there's limited demand.

Of course Sharp's "anti-marketing" marketing group doesn't help.


I saw that one too...it confirms what I thought. No one has bothered with this yet. Its really too bad since Citrix can really extend the power of your PDA. Oh well. I'm not giving up yet.

[CTSLICK]

Any comments on the built in pims and apps versus the MS built in stuff?

[dh]

Here's some quick notes on what I've found so far.

One of the cool things with the Zaurus is that there are a number of different Linux ROMs that are available for it. Mine is currently the default Sharp ROM, which is in Japanese with English translations. Each of the different ROMs has it’s own GUI with it’s own apps.

On the whole, the built in Sharp apps remind me very much of the PPC or POS apps. They are OK but nothing special. One advantage of the Sharp apps is that the PIM ones sync with Outlook. (After messing about with the Japanese CD that comes with the Z and downloading Intellisync from the SL5600 section of Sharp’s site).

Here are some of the apps that are included:

Calendar – just like the one included in Pocket Outlook.
Address Book – not as good as Pocket Outlook
To Do List – again, Pocket Outlook level. None of the PIM apps are even close to Pocket Informant of course.
Email Client – basic but seems OK
NetFront Browser – Z beats PPC here. Opera can also be used on the Z.
Music Player – fine on MP3. I haven’t tried it on my OGG files yet.
Video Player – not tried yet.

Hancom Office. Consists of Word, Excel and PowerPoint type apps. The Word and Excel apps are not bad, better than the PPC versions. I’ve checked Excel on some spreadsheets with multiple sheets and lots of linking and it seems fine so far.

Good news is that Textmaker and (hopefully) Planmaker are going to be available for Zaurus soon.

There’s also a Voice Recorder, Clock and an English/Japanese translator that I have not even looked at yet.

Of course there is a terminal program to be able to play with the Linux stuff.

I found that the Z works fine with my SD and CF cards. I don’t have my CF WiFi card working yet; I think I have to download a driver. Another little job to do.

So far, I haven’t installed many third party apps because I plan on reflashing with a new ROM and would lose everything anyway. There are third party replacements for all the built-in apps, so lots of new things to try. Most apps can be found for free, although there are some commercial ones as well.

One app I am using is called KO/PI. (K Organiser/Platform Independent). This is a replacement for the calendar and to-do apps and is just great. I’m hoping there will be an integrated address book as well because the existing parts are up there with PI. I'm really impressed with this app and it's caused me to use the Zaurus as my day to day device far more than I expected. The only problem is that (in the best Linux tradition) there isn’t a direct way to sync with Outlook. A lot of people want this so it might be done at some point.

As you can see, there’s a lot of work needed to get a Zaurus just as you’d want it. With multiple ROMs and different versions of the same apps to be found, there’s some trial and error to find things that work happily together. For someone looking to get a good “ready to use” PDA, I would still suggest a Pocket PC.

For someone looking for an interesting project, who knows, or wants to learn a bit about Linux, it might be close to perfect.

Of course the hardware is just stunning. :D

[dh]

Update:
I have a whole new Z now after re flashing with a new ROM inage called the Cacko Qtopia ROM. Muich faster now, with some nice new features.

THe new ROM still didn't work with my WiFi card. I discovered that a config file has to be edited. My first venture into the Linux file system. After much messing around, I made the change and the Z is now online. :D

One great thing is that the new ROM came with both Opera and NetFront browsers. Great!

[itreeye]

Wow! Does this sync with Outlook and do all that the other does? (I've just gotten my C860 and haven't synced yet. although I've downloaded the 5600 zip file)

[Janak Parekh]

dh,

Thanks for the mini-review. I wish Sharp sold these units here. :(

Re sharpness: I can believe it -- my e805 is amazing, and if I remember correctly, this is even more pixels.

If you have a generic Linux question, like shell scripting or somesuch, feel free to post in Off-Topic and I or others who might know something will try to help you out. (Although, I've noticed that there's already a close-knit community around the Zaurii... :))

--janak

[dh]

Wow! Does this sync with Outlook and do all that the other does? (I've just gotten my C860 and haven't synced yet. although I've downloaded the 5600 zip file)
You'l find that the built-in apps sync with Outlook without a problem. One thing you must do, when you install the English software on your PC (the 5600 stuff you downloaded) don't install the USB drivers. When prompted for drivers insert the Japanese disc that you got with the 860.

Some of the third party apps like KO/Pi seem to be more difficult to sync. I know there are ways but I've not had time to get to grips with it yet.

dh,

Thanks for the mini-review. I wish Sharp sold these units here. :(

Re sharpness: I can believe it -- my e805 is amazing, and if I remember correctly, this is even more pixels.

If you have a generic Linux question, like shell scripting or somesuch, feel free to post in Off-Topic and I or others who might know something will try to help you out. (Although, I've noticed that there's already a close-knit community around the Zaurii... :))

--janak
Thanks Janak. I must say, after a few more weeks I'm still really impressed with the 860. The overall design and build quality is just fantastic.

And yes, there is a very nice Zaurus community at Zaurus User Group. Of course some are out and out Linux people, but also a lot of beginners like me. For some reason, I seem to hang out at PPCT just as much as before, even without using my Axim at the moment :D

[Fishie]

dh,

Thanks for the mini-review. I wish Sharp sold these units here. :(

Re sharpness: I can believe it -- my e805 is amazing, and if I remember correctly, this is even more pixels.

If you have a generic Linux question, like shell scripting or somesuch, feel free to post in Off-Topic and I or others who might know something will try to help you out. (Although, I've noticed that there's already a close-knit community around the Zaurii... :))

--janak

Nah, same amount of pixels, the screen however is a lil smaller then on the e800/805.

They arent that far apart screen quality wise.

[Janak Parekh]

Nah, same amount of pixels, the screen however is a lil smaller then on the e800/805.
Ah, you're right - I thought it was 800x600.

--janak

[Fishie]

Nah, same amount of pixels, the screen however is a lil smaller then on the e800/805.
Ah, you're right - I thought it was 800x600.

--janak

Nope.

You really should see the picture quality on a Sigmarion3(800by480 on a 5.1 inch screen).

Its positively drool worthy.

Oh and VGA res screens were first introduced with WindowsCE, not with the Zaurus.

NTT DoCoMo as far as a couple of years ago had a machine out with a 4/3 screen ratio that had VGA and was 3.5 inches big.

Awesome lil machine.

[Janak Parekh]

Oh and VGA res screens were first introduced with WindowsCE, not with the Zaurus.
As was as 800x600 -- Samsung had a unit (the NEXiO) that had a similarly eye-popping 5" 800x600 screen.

--janak

[Fishie]

Oh and VGA res screens were first introduced with WindowsCE, not with the Zaurus.
As was as 800x600 -- Samsung had a unit (the NEXiO) that had a similarly eye-popping 5" 800x600 screen.

--janak

Ah yes, true true.

[dh]

Oh and VGA res screens were first introduced with WindowsCE, not with the Zaurus.
As was as 800x600 -- Samsung had a unit (the NEXiO) that had a similarly eye-popping 5" 800x600 screen.

--janak
I thought about a Nexio as well. Dynamism were recently selling their demo one at a really good price, including the optional keyboard.

There seems to be a lack of software for CE devices though, so I thought I'd be better off with Linux. The Nexio is still on their site for $999.00 - maybe it wasn't as good a price as I remembered. You can see it here: http://www.dynamism.com/nexio/

And yes, Fishie is quite right. The 860 screen is a bit smaller than the e805 one. It's about 3.75 inches, probably a similar size to the Asus A730. Super bright, brighter than I'll ever use it on the high settings.