I've found many japanese websites claiming to sell the sl-6000w for around 82,000 yen. Amazon seems to indicate immediate availability, although there is also a disclaimer forbidding overseas shipment. (All this is using babelfish.altavista.com to translate the pages to engrish)

On the other hand, I can't find a single Japanese site where an actual user reports having any of the three models. I assume this is a prerequisite to US availability. Has anyone seen evidence of a private citizen in Japan with an SL-6000 of any type?

http://g0.gaiax.com/www/sst/y/_/yo_san/bbs.html

contains a diary of Tomoko's experiences with the SL-6000L, which Tomoko seems to have received on 19 January. Even with Babelfish, I am utterly mystified by many of Tomoko's pronouncements, but they seem to be mostly on the plus side, with only one that seems minus: + usb, + screen, + networking, - keyboard (especially position of the del key?), + 1 touch portrait/landscape change, + value, + comparison to Sigmarion. (I'm sure there is more to Tomoko's commentary, I just can't understand it.)

Tomoko seems to have successfully installed all but one SL-C7XX app, the unsuccessful one being a pdf viewer(?) that Tomoko admitted was an older version. In a later entry it seems that the pdf app works now but not very well(?).

I would still like to hear of any other end-user experiences with any sl-6000 model!

At last, a SL-6000W purchaser! Now if only Babelfish could help me understand what the hell he's saying!

http://digit.que.ne.jp/visit/index.cgi?RecentComments

It appears that /etc/cpuinfo contains "Sharp Tosa." He says that this is witty, and displays a picture of what looks like a cross between a bull mastiff and a shar-pei. Or maybe I clicked on the wrong language in Babelfish.

What the hell are they saying? We need an in-house japanese translator!

Sharp has been using dog breed names for the SL series, poodle, husky, corgi etc. The Tosa is a Japanese fighting dog, more commonly a kind of canine sumo these days than blood and gore fights. It is sometimes refered to as a Japanese Mastiff. So no you didn't choose the wrong language in babelfish.

You might want to try www.excite.co.jp/world/url to translate - it tends to do a better job with technical Japanese (but that's just my impression)

Stu

I'm a Japanese translator.

what are they saying?

I haven't been following the thread to be honest - I'm personally more interested in the sl-cxxx series rather than the sl-6000. As for translation, I'd be happy to look at specific passages from time to time to help out the group, but there's no way I'm going to read/summerize entire threads. I just don't have the time.

I was more interested in the article explaining how to upgrade a c700 to 128mb ram and replace the cpu with a pxa255.

Peter

Thanks for the excite link. That one seems to work pretty well. I can follow large portions of the thread. But, they seem to be discussing one particular accessory which keeps getting translated as "clay dollar"? Any ideas what that is? I don't think it's the extended battery or sled, because those are mentioned elsewhere.

lol

"clay dollar" = cradle
"those with port RIPURIKETA" = port replicator

Gotta love machine translation

I'm a Japanese translator to, but like the previous poster who is I'm not going to translate anything. I just though you should be aware that I am one

I, Mojo Jojo, have a brain powerful enough to translate anything, but like "Murahachibu" and "Guest," I do not have the time read/summarize entire threads. No. I do not. I do have time to read your request. Also, I have time to write a brief answer, not a lengthy one. But I can not be bothered reading / translating entire threads. Perhaps if you specified one word, such as "conquest," I could find time to translate it. Or perhaps an expression, like "world domination," that would also be possible. But do not ask me to read / translate entire threads about the antics of SL-6000 users in Japan, or in other countries for that matter. I do not have time for that. No.