OESF Portables Forum

General Forums => General Discussion => Topic started by: craigtyson on April 10, 2005, 05:48:12 am

Title: Food For Thought
Post by: craigtyson on April 10, 2005, 05:48:12 am
Might be a dumb Idea (or not) But there are a number of laptop port replicators around that plug into the usb port.  In most cases they provide a USB hub, serial, paralel and Rj45 10/100 Ethernet.  Anyone thought of using one with a Zaurus?  If so did it work?  Im looking for a possable sulution for a dissabled user who cannt carry a laptop everywhere they go and a tablet is too heavy. (being about the same as a laptop)
Title: Food For Thought
Post by: kahm on April 10, 2005, 01:08:00 pm
Quote
Might be a dumb Idea (or not) But there are a number of laptop port replicators around that plug into the usb port.  In most cases they provide a USB hub, serial, paralel and Rj45 10/100 Ethernet.  Anyone thought of using one with a Zaurus?  If so did it work?  Im looking for a possable sulution for a dissabled user who cannt carry a laptop everywhere they go and a tablet is too heavy. (being about the same as a laptop)
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There is only one real answer to these kinds of "Does X USB device work on the Zaurus" -

Does it have linux drivers, and will they compile for ARM...

In the case of these replicators, they are just a bunch of different USB devices in the same box. Parallel is probably useless, given the state of printing. (Unless you were running PDXRom, maybe). A better bet would be a portable hub with a supported USB NIC and serial adaptor. Not quite as pretty, but just as portable. You'd probably want one of those USB->PS/2 adaptors as well - USB keyboards not being *all* that common yet.
Title: Food For Thought
Post by: Gondola on April 10, 2005, 04:15:11 pm
It would depend on the disability and needs of the particular individual in question.  What kind of computing needs do they have?  Do they really need wifi, rj45, rj11, keyboard, etc. etc.  everywhere they go?  How long are they away from a desk at a time? (battery life) What programs do they need to run?  Obviously if a Zaurus can be considered a solution for them, they don't need 3d processing and 3ghz cpu.

An ultraportable laptop might be lighter overall than a Zaurus + usb hub, keyboard, mouse, nic, etc., or might not... depends what all stuff they'd need.

Quote
Might be a dumb Idea (or not) But there are a number of laptop port replicators around that plug into the usb port.  In most cases they provide a USB hub, serial, paralel and Rj45 10/100 Ethernet.  Anyone thought of using one with a Zaurus?  If so did it work?  Im looking for a possable sulution for a dissabled user who cannt carry a laptop everywhere they go and a tablet is too heavy. (being about the same as a laptop)
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Title: Food For Thought
Post by: craigtyson on April 11, 2005, 01:35:42 pm
No My Idea was they would leave all the big stuff behind and just use the Zarus when on the move.  I've tried them with a Ipaq but they dont like having no keyboard and dont have the dexterity to use a foldout one.  A zaurus whch can be quickly docked and used as a PC would have been ideal.