OESF Portables Forum

General Forums => General Discussion => Topic started by: Foxdie on June 07, 2004, 02:07:50 am

Title: Zaurus as a... watch??
Post by: Foxdie on June 07, 2004, 02:07:50 am
Well this is probably going to attract the trolls, but I have an idea I want to try, I\'m going to turn my Z into a wrist-top computer.

At the weekend I invested in 2 velcro watch straps and I plan to glue them to the large battery cover of my 760, as well as take pictures. IF things go wrong or I\'m not satisfied I\'ll just buy myself a new battery cover from shirtpocket.

Hmm I wonder if this\'ll be the start of a new trend?
Title: Zaurus as a... watch??
Post by: padishah_emperor on June 07, 2004, 02:17:46 am
mmh, sounds interesting you crazy man, I like the idea, you\'re gonna have to post some pics. :-)
Wouldn\'t some kind of velcro band be better, looped through the battery cover? It may be stronger. I can imagine the glue giving out suddenly and the beloved Z tumbling to it\'s doom.

-Francis
Title: Zaurus as a... watch??
Post by: Foxdie on June 07, 2004, 02:19:16 am
Well I thought about using a dremel to cut 2 slits for each strap but there\'s only room to cut one like that, so I may cut one set of slits for the first strap and for the second I would glue it down, drill a series of holes through, and then sew it down with a needle and thread for a better hold.
Title: Zaurus as a... watch??
Post by: dz on June 07, 2004, 02:26:18 am
You know.. I watched Resident Evil today while I was doin some work and I saw the little wrist-top computers they had and I instantly thought of the Zaurus and how the clamshell would be perfect for that.

Weird you just thought of the same thing..  unless you\'ve been stalking me!  :evil:
Title: Zaurus as a... watch??
Post by: Foxdie on June 07, 2004, 02:29:13 am
You hit the nail on the head there dz, I love the RE film, and I\'m eagerly awaiting the second in Q3/4 2004  I just need to paint my Zaurus completely black now
Title: Zaurus as a... watch??
Post by: dz on June 07, 2004, 02:44:22 am
haha

now i really gotta get the clamshell.. i love my 5600, but the more i think about it the more i like the clamshell design
Title: Zaurus as a... watch??
Post by: lpotter on June 07, 2004, 03:34:40 am
well?!?!?!?! Where\'s the photos, man????
Title: Zaurus as a... watch??
Post by: doc on June 07, 2004, 07:29:04 am
Do you think the battery cover has enough \"stick\" to hold the computer on your wrist?

I mean what if the battery cover unsnapped and the battery cover and straps were still on your wrist and the Z was on the floor?  I\'ve tested a 20ft drop with the stylus...no joy.  I\'ve never tested it with my Z thank God.
Title: Zaurus as a... watch??
Post by: padishah_emperor on June 07, 2004, 08:35:04 am
Somewhere in Birmingham there is someone screaming \"Nooooooooo!!!\" as a Z tumbles from the wrist....
Title: Zaurus as a... watch??
Post by: Mitch on June 07, 2004, 08:53:06 am
How about modifying a leather case? Okay, your wrist/forearm will sweat a little bit, but they are normally securely fitted to the unit.
Remove the belt loop, either cut holes in for the straps or sew them on.
Title: Zaurus as a... watch??
Post by: Foxdie on June 07, 2004, 12:46:17 pm
First stage is complete, but because I have fat arms, the velcro strap further up my arm doesn\'t fit that well... I improvised by using a small piece of 2 loop (soft) velcro squares stuck to each other to bridge the 2 hook (rough) straps together. It works pretty well and feels safe for light usage. No doubt without drilling a hole and sewing it in it\'ll break.

You can find the first photos in http://foxdie.timduru.org/zaurus/WristtopZ/ (http://foxdie.timduru.org/zaurus/WristtopZ/)

I have faith that the battery back won\'t break off unless very excessive force is applied, for example if pulled hard between a door.

What does everyone think? I like it
Title: Zaurus as a... watch??
Post by: _Psycho on June 07, 2004, 12:50:30 pm
Too big for a watch

I would not go on the street with something like that ! hehe
Title: Zaurus as a... watch??
Post by: bluey on June 07, 2004, 01:33:16 pm
:shock:

/me drools...

/me needs C model Z...

/me is having a seizure... please help /me...

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

*cof* *cof* *grhghh* *humpf*

10... inhale... 9 exhale... 8 inhale... 7 exhale... 6 inhale... 5 exhale... 4 inhale... 3 exhale... 2 inhale... 1 exhale... *pffffffffffffffffffffffff* and breath slowly...

Sorry... I\'m better now.

while( ! enoughMoney(Zaurus) )
    slowlyGatherMoney(piggybank);

Or something like that... *sigh*


Nice work Foxdie!
Title: Zaurus as a... watch??
Post by: nevarrie on June 07, 2004, 01:36:06 pm
The geek side of me likes it, but then again the geek side of me would love to own an e-holster (http://www.eholster.com/e-holster/index.html).   You will have to let us know how functional it is.  I can not see myself being able to uses it very well.   But then again it might work great after you get uses to it.
Title: Zaurus as a... watch??
Post by: dz on June 07, 2004, 01:46:20 pm
hey i like!
Title: Zaurus as a... watch??
Post by: tapjpa on June 07, 2004, 02:04:00 pm
Foxdie,

At first I had thought you had finally gone all the way off the deep end, but now that I\'ve seen the pics, thats pretty darn cool.
Title: Zaurus as a... watch??
Post by: Inuyasha on June 07, 2004, 02:19:28 pm
Ahhh...
*drool*

Wow, thats another great use for the clamshells.... My 5600 feels so outdated now...
Title: Zaurus as a... watch??
Post by: akpoff on June 07, 2004, 02:27:32 pm
Very geeky but with a utiltarian panache -- definitely more justifiable than some other ways I\'ve seen PDAs carried.

Question -- are you absolutely certain Shirtpocket can get you another battery cover -- have you spoken with them?  Did they quote a price for replacement?  I have my own machinations that involve fiddling with my battery cover and I\'d rather perform surgery with a spare on hand.

Cheers!
Title: Zaurus as a... watch??
Post by: Zazz on June 07, 2004, 02:33:24 pm
Been there, done that....
Title: Zaurus as a... watch??
Post by: Foxdie on June 07, 2004, 02:34:08 pm
Thanks for all the praise  nice watch too

akpoff, shirtpocket sell replacement batteries that come with a battery back.
Title: Zaurus as a... watch??
Post by: zmiq2 on June 07, 2004, 03:26:47 pm
Amazin, I\'m just rushing to buy some velcro ...

Ups, my wife has taken a look at those pics from behind my shoulders. She has vetoed me to wear that stuff.

I need advice: what\'s better, a divorce or to have my geek genes shut up?
Title: Zaurus as a... watch??
Post by: dz on June 07, 2004, 03:28:47 pm
Hey is that a Dell laptop there too?

I have a 3.2 ghz 5150.. running Slackware on it..
Title: Zaurus as a... watch??
Post by: Foxdie on June 07, 2004, 03:32:05 pm
Yeah I have a Dell Inspiron 9100, 3GHz P4 with 1GB RAM and 100GB Hard Disk, running Windows XP Pro *ducks!*
Title: Zaurus as a... watch??
Post by: dz on June 07, 2004, 04:12:48 pm
eee i really wish when i bought my laptop i would\'ve opted for a larger and faster hd.. i only have a 30 gig 4200 rpm.. i want the 7200, but dell charges out the butt for an upgrade and i\'m not sure which hard drives are compatible with my laptop
Title: Zaurus as a... watch??
Post by: lareya on June 07, 2004, 05:12:08 pm
OMG,
that is the geekiest thing I ever did see/hear    LOL    
if it works for you - great, but I doubt that I will ever wear something like that!  ha ha!
 

Lareya
Title: Zaurus as a... watch??
Post by: padishah_emperor on June 08, 2004, 08:32:35 am
Quote
Thanks for all the praise  nice watch too

akpoff, shirtpocket sell replacement batteries that come with a battery back.


You do know that it\'s £75 quid though?

XP Laptop eh?  I\'ll make my way down to Birmingham to upgrade it for you free.  A nice Debian will cure all that ails you.
Title: Zaurus as a... watch??
Post by: padishah_emperor on June 08, 2004, 08:57:11 am
Quote
:shock:

/me drools...

/me needs C model Z...

/me is having a seizure... please help /me...

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

*cof* *cof* *grhghh* *humpf*

10... inhale... 9 exhale... 8 inhale... 7 exhale... 6 inhale... 5 exhale... 4 inhale... 3 exhale... 2 inhale... 1 exhale... *pffffffffffffffffffffffff* and breath slowly...

Sorry... I\'m better now.

while( ! enoughMoney(Zaurus) )
    slowlyGatherMoney(piggybank);

Or something like that... *sigh*


Nice work Foxdie!


I recommend a daily dose of Vitamin Z, good for all things.
Title: Zaurus as a... watch??
Post by: TonyOlsen on June 08, 2004, 09:15:04 am
Awesome!!  

Pros:
* Looks REALLY COOL!! (Wives just don\'t understand this stuff  )
* Zaurus is more instantly accessible
* You don\'t have to hold it while typing which sort-of freeze up the other hand

Cons:
* During the course of a normal day we bang into and bump things all the time.  Our bodies don\'t mind... but I\'m sure the expose Zaurus might.
* I touch-type with 2 hands which I wouldn\'t be able to do here.

Bottom line:
I would probably do this myself if the Zaurus were more rugged and could withstand the bumps and bruises of holding it that way.

...but this is definetely something to wear at the next convention.  

Thanks, FoxDie!
Title: Zaurus as a... watch??
Post by: bluey on June 08, 2004, 11:58:39 am
Quote
I recommend a daily dose of Vitamin Z, good for all things.


My current dose of SL-5X00 is not enough... and the farmacist doesn\'t exchange it for a pack of SL-CXX0...

I\'ll have to keep dreaming of one day Sharp releasing the SL-CXX0 vitamin on the European market at reasonable prices with extra Wi-Fi composite in it\'s composition. Or that eventually I get rich for some reason.  (I still have a couple of years till I graduate in university, so...)

I appreciate my Z more every day, though.  

Where I work we have an IPAQ 5550, with WiFi and BT. Even though the ipaq has a better CPU, my Z is a lot sexier than it. It does everything, has a keyboard, it is easy to configure (I can even do it on the command line easily).
PPC simply sucks, and it is way slow. The \"Start\" menu takes too much time to show up on a fast machine like that. But everyone knows that already, I don\'t need to say it all again. (Some people may even like it, but even with a 5500, I wouldn\'t want to exchange it for an IPAQ)

I had a nightmare this night, and it was that I left my Z in my school bag inside the car for a couple of minutes, and when I returned, someone had broke my window and just took the Z, and left a note talking about it, but I can\'t remember what it said... I need a doctor! ehehe
Title: Zaurus as a... watch??
Post by: TonyOlsen on June 08, 2004, 01:45:16 pm
lol!
Title: Zaurus as a... watch??
Post by: offroadgeek on June 08, 2004, 01:56:08 pm
Quote
You can find the first photos in http://foxdie.timduru.org/zaurus/WristtopZ/ (http://foxdie.timduru.org/zaurus/WristtopZ/)

I have faith that the battery back won\'t break off unless very excessive force is applied, for example if pulled hard between a door.

What does everyone think? I like it


I like it!  Though since I\'m left handed, can you make a model that fit\'s on the right hand?
Title: Zaurus as a... watch??
Post by: zbones on June 08, 2004, 04:30:49 pm
Great !  

but don\'t forget to remove it before you attempt to put your coat on  :oops:

I also think it may fall foul of the uk police if you are caught \"wearing\" it while driving, It\'s ok if it\'s \"in a cradle\".  

Mind you, if you claimed it was a watch then you would probably get away with it.  Calculator watches and game watches have been arond for more than 15 years now.

In fact, that may get rou out of the £30 fine for using a mobile phone while driving, just tape it to your arm before you set off.

Honest officer, it\'s my watch, not a phone, look that\'s the time there in the bottom corner.
Title: Zaurus as a... watch??
Post by: Foxdie on June 08, 2004, 04:33:25 pm
Quote
Quote
You can find the first photos in http://foxdie.timduru.org/zaurus/WristtopZ/ (http://foxdie.timduru.org/zaurus/WristtopZ/)

I have faith that the battery back won\'t break off unless very excessive force is applied, for example if pulled hard between a door.

What does everyone think? I like it


I like it!  Though since I\'m left handed, can you make a model that fit\'s on the right hand?


Well it is ambidextrous in nature, I\'m a lefty as well but for some reason my right hand is quicker at typing one handed. It probably got more practice
Title: Zaurus as a... watch??
Post by: grey_moon on June 08, 2004, 05:09:23 pm
hoohoo i love it, i wish i had a clamshell so i could have a go... can\'t fork out on a clamshell atm, got to save up for a holiday with the gf... sniffle... althro she is as bad as i am when it comes to gadgets....
didnt someone already spray their z black, i remember a sexy bit of kit sitting in a car on this forum somewhere
on the point of geekyness, don\'t go for the eholster, if u buy the largest pda case it doesnt fit with a cf card in it, and if u are brave and decide to chop a whole in one end, the material is made from nylon stuck onto some sticky foamy stuff so its hard to make it neat.
also since the holsters are horizontal, u need one deep chest to be able to conceal it, all in all i was really disapointed... hmmm should i send in pictures... {disclaimer - I don\'t have one \'onest guv!}
Title: Zaurus as a... watch??
Post by: mussi on June 08, 2004, 06:05:06 pm
Do you mean you\'d need something like Sidetalking (http://www.sidetalking.com/) with a Z?
Title: Zaurus as a... watch??
Post by: nevarrie on June 09, 2004, 10:42:10 am
Quote
on the point of geekyness, don\'t go for the eholster, if u buy the largest pda case it doesnt fit with a cf card in it, and if u are brave and decide to chop a whole in one end, the material is made from nylon stuck onto some sticky foamy stuff so its hard to make it neat.


So which model does not fit with a CF card?(I can\'t believe I am asking this)

Quote
also since the holsters are horizontal, u need one deep chest to be able to conceal it, all in all i was really disapointed... hmmm should i send in pictures... {disclaimer - I don\'t have one \'onest guv!}


Though even if you don\'t have one it sounds like you have access to one.
Pictures would be interesting to decided if I should find a way to turn a 6000 into s wrist watch or go gangster and doing the e-holster.  I do have to say I had not thought about the fact it might be to deep for my chest.
Title: Zaurus as a... watch??
Post by: padishah_emperor on June 09, 2004, 10:52:37 am
Quote
Do you mean you\'d need something like Sidetalking (http://www.sidetalking.com/) with a Z?


Now thats funny, I think I\'ll submit a few pics.
Title: Zaurus as a... watch??
Post by: grey_moon on June 09, 2004, 01:52:31 pm
my z is a 5600, I wont be able to do the pics of it until the weekend
Title: Zaurus as a... watch??
Post by: V-Man on June 09, 2004, 10:21:40 pm
They make some elastic/velcro straps that are very long (could cut to length).  I found some at the Lowes hardware store.  I am using them for camping gear and for radio stuff.  They would work great for something like your project.  I don\'t remember the brand name or what the product name was though.  Might check out your local camping or hardware store for better straps.

I wanna clamshell (OK, I\'ll shutup for now).

V-Man
Title: Zaurus as a... watch??
Post by: waalkman on June 12, 2004, 06:26:02 am
Speaking of which...

Has anybody figured out how to get the Z to keep proper time?


John
Title: Zaurus as a... watch??
Post by: Foxdie on June 12, 2004, 06:29:05 am
I\'m sure there\'s an automatic NTP client around somewhere
Title: Zaurus as a... watch??
Post by: waalkman on June 13, 2004, 12:50:02 am
Quote
I\'m sure there\'s an automatic NTP client around somewhere


So what, are you going to hack a cradle for the other arm? *grin*


John