Isn't This What Sharp Should Be Doing?, Perfect PDA from Sony? Options

[BarryW]

Given enough time, linux will load on damn near anything. Though it is a Sony. It's hard enough finding some drivers for their stuff for windows.

[Cresho]

I think the design is a piece of crap!

it has a sticking antena and there is no screen cover.

and support for holding the device while typing is almost none existant!

[Meanie]

I think the design is a piece of crap!

it has a sticking antena and there is no screen cover.

and support for holding the device while typing is almost none existant!

it looks huge! and the antenna is definately pathetic. looks like it has to be placed on a table to be used. i hope it doesnt get as hot as the oqo, but that currently is an advantage in this damn cold weather. at least it keeps my hands warm

[xotica]

When I went to LaOX I compared the UX50 to my c3000. In terms of width, the zaurus and the UX50 are about the same. The UX is about half an inch to an inch longer than the c3000. I know that there have been reports of the UX not being very pocketable but I think that if you have been pocketing your zaurus the UX should be no problem. I wouldn't feel comfortable sticking a UX in my pocket though because the screen is facing outwards =p. As for the heat. Although I didn't play with the unit for very long it was not hot at all.

I am actually thinking of picking one of these things up tomorrow...maybe. They are actually quite reasonable if you are in Tokyo for vacation =). (159000 yen-tax)/114 (yen/dollar).

[gr8ful]

When I went to LaOX I compared the UX50 to my c3000.  In terms of width, the zaurus and the UX50 are about the same.  The UX is about half an inch to an inch longer than the c3000.  I know that there have been reports of the UX not being very pocketable but I think that if you have been pocketing your zaurus the UX should be no problem.  I wouldn't feel comfortable sticking a UX in my pocket though because the screen is facing outwards =p.  As for the heat.  Although I didn't play with the unit for very long it was not hot at all.

I am actually thinking of picking one of these things up tomorrow...maybe.  They are actually quite reasonable if you are in Tokyo for vacation =).  (159000 yen-tax)/114 (yen/dollar).

If you do get one please let us know. I would love to see a full comparison of the UX50 to your C3000. The UX50 is definitely an intriguing device, but I struggle at paying that much for it.

[Ragnorok]

- I wouldn't take one of these Sony things for hundred dollars, much less eighteen hundred (or 1400-ish if i happen to be in japan already). Definitely designed for that crowd with significantly more money than sense. Even if it ran Linux, the usablity looks right about nil. It's got a serious Rube Goldberg look to it, that's for sure. Unusual for the Sony hardware I usually see.
- And it's got Memory Stick. I wish Sony would get off their high horse and follow standard spec for a change. They tend to design better hardware, imho, then they put all of their proprietary bull into it. I wouldn't touch MS with a hundred-foot pole; over-priced niche item that should go the way of the dinosaur.
- No thanks. If I got one for free I'd sell it and get a DLP projector. (wolfish grin) My old LCD is getting long in the tooth and could stand a res improvement.

[adf]

for the price I could buy another zaurus, some accessories, build a decent workstation/gamebox, buy a ps2 and have dinner out. Or I could build a pretty nice lumenlab projector and a pretty nice workstation/gamebox/mediabox to attach to it, and keep my 2 current Zs. It seems excessive. What, actually does (that one might want to do with a portable) it do that my Z won't? It what way would it be a better companion on the road, or at work?

[rebski]

You can get a good idea as to size and shape from this video

http://jkontherun.blogs.com/jkotr_audio_ed...herun_audi.html

The presentation is a bit drawn out as he takes his time over it but you get to see it in action and being held. The other videos I have seen only focus on the display and o/s.

The big issue for me is whether or not it fits in my cargo pants pocket. The beaty of the Zaurus is that it is with me at all times, whether or not I have a bag.

[jrsjkd]

It would seem the newer version UX90 sports a 1.2 Ghz cpu along with a CF card slot and english querty keyboard.

The CF slot definately helps make it more attractive. Aside from the fact that its so expensive, has a crappy intel wireless chipset, and that its from Sony.... Id love one.

[rebski]

Actually there are 3 versions, 2 Japan VGN-UX50, VGN-UX90/S and 1 US VGN-UX180P

See this Dynamism link for further info.

http://dynamism.com/ux/pricing.shtml

[Snappy]

...
Windows xp on the other hand has a real penchant for committing suicide between shutdown and startup. Frequently essential system files are corrupted which entails a complete reinstall.
On a system without a built in cdrom - this becomes a major pain. And on a system that's touted as being pda-portable it's positively crazy to use such an unstable os.

Win98se on something like this would be superb, as it pretty much never truly dies.
But xp - nope I'll stay with my zaurus, there's nothing I want to do portably that it won't do. And clamshell with a twist has to be the way to go on an ultra portable.
This slide out keyboard crap just gives you a bad shape for typing/reading with it on a flat surface. I never have my z flat, even if holding it to read clamshell wide, it's still always bent at the hinge.
Plus the fact that you've got a permantly exposed touch screen - truly bad idea.

...

I agree with you that having such a device with Windows (98 or XP) can be crazy when you think of recovery. The thing I like about Zaurus and/or PPCs, HPCs and Palms are the fact that its OS is in rom and a hard reset 'restores' it back to factory condition (according to what is in rom). On a Windows device (non Wince), restoring takes just too long, though some system restoration software restores to factory default in 20mins flat via a hidden partition. Granted, its still moot if the hdd goes dead, but that's like saying "What if the ROM in my Akita goes dead?" ...

Dunno what machine you are running on ... but I cannot recall the last time I had a blue screen or essential system files being corrupted. I hibernate my notebook between uses and sometimes leave it on the whole night and it works just fine.

Win98, while being lighter on resources, had poor driver support until 98se, especially for USB devices and still its not as good as USB support on XP.

[speculatrix]

it's a real shame that the Sharp Muramasa Mebius CV50F was both outrageously expensive (both to buy, and for extra memory & batteries), lacked bluetooth, and was discontinued... because it had a v hires screen for its size (better than the lifebook P7120 or P7010 and far better than the Flybook). They're pretty rare too, the only place which has them is Conics, and 2nd hand only!

[tg]

Another review - confirms what most here have been discussing which to me sounds like it's a somewhat interesting device but overall no thanks.

http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/review/sony_v...rsonal_computer

[bluedevils]

There's a new version of it with flash instead of a hard drive. 1.5s startup as opposed to a 9s startup and ~ 1/5th lighter.

[amrein]

Do you realize that this Sony UPC has enough ram to run pdaXrom in ram with a ramdisk like the old Psion Series 5mx pro? What is the battery life of this device if you don't use nor the flash nor the harddrive? Does it support hibernation and fast wake up?

With the same specification but with the Zaurus or HTC universal design it will be a real killer. It's my dream since 1991, after my firstt purchase of a Psion Series 3. At last, I will perhaps see this coming true in a few months or a few years.

Anecdote : A wall life with PDA. I like pda... because the first time a saw an Amstrad CPC, I asked : "Isn't there a portable version running with battery?" and everybody had fun with me. Well

I'm ready for a HTC universal with the Sony specification. Are you listening Sharp? Sony? HTC?