Messages

1

6000 - Tosa / Should I Open My New Sl-6000l?

« on: October 29, 2005, 02:55:33 am »

Thank you all for your input.  The trade offer is an interesting one, but at this point I'm still on the fence.

I've had a chance to charge up the 5600 and get re-acquainted, and my original gripes are coming back.  The screen is certainly the deliciously tempting part of the SL-6000L.  It's not the quality of the 5600's screen that I mind as much as the size.  However, my biggest reservations about the SL-6000L is the usability of the keyboard.  With this unit being larger in size than the 5600, is "thumb typing" any easier or faster?  

I guess an external keyboard is a possible solution too, but that seems a little inelegant.  I tend to use my Zaurus in a spontaneous way, yanking it out of my bag on the bus, in a coffee shop, or at the couch when I get the urge to bang out a piece of code.  I fear that the external keyboard route runs contrary to this whimsical usage pattern.  Is my intuition right here, or am I overstating the hassle of always needing to lug a keyboard around and getting it setup before I can dig in?

2

6000 - Tosa / Should I Open My New Sl-6000l?

« on: October 26, 2005, 03:07:09 pm »

I've got a brand new SL-6000L sitting here on my desk and need help deciding if it's worth keeping.  I ordered this back in December in advance of traveling to India, where I've been living and studying until this last weekend.  Originally, it was supposed to make the trip with me, but instead it's been sitting at a friends place with the rest of my mail.

Here is some background.  I'm a satisfied SL-5600 owner (Watapon ROM user) and a long time Linux user.  My first experience with ultraportable Linux was an old Toshiba Libretto 110CT running Slackware.  A couple of years ago I purchased the SL-5600 looking for more portability and better battery life than my Libretto could offer.  While I'm annoyed by Sharp's numerous miscues in the non-Asian PDA market, my SL-5600 has served me well.  I use it mainly to edit text files with "vi".  Occasionally, I use it to listen to MP3s, and I really only use it to browse the web when my 110CT is out of reach or re-charging.

I originally ordered the SL-6000L because I needed a good travel companion for managing my digital pictures and getting on-line while in India. I wanted something more laptop-like than the SL-5600 but less bulky than the 110CT.  From the accounts that I had read, the SL-6000L seemed the obvious choice in this respect (or at the very least I had found an excuse to justify buying a new toy).  Unfortunately, between my procrastinating the decision to order and the relentless Holiday shipping crunch, the SL-6000L showed up to my apartment a few days after I left for India.  I was pretty disappointed, but the ever-faithful 110CT stepped up and took its place.  In retrospect, this was a blessing because I underestimated just how much computer I needed to have available during my travels (I shudder to think about pecking and scratching at the SL-6000L for 10 months).

Now that I'm back and trying to adjust to being home, digging through all of this mail is like opening up a time capsule.  As stated above, my new SL-6000L is sitting here waiting to be unsealed, and I can't figure out if I should keep it around or sell it off to a buddy of mine who's been looking to pick me up (of course, he thinks that I shouldn't keep it).  From what I can tell, the SL-6000L is a natural upgrade from the SL-5600.  The problem is that my original intention for the purchase has now passed, and I don't honestly need an upgrade.  In fact, I think that my "vi"-lifestyle would be better suited by an old Psion (can you use that word around here?) or something of that ilk.  At the same time, the SL-6000L is already here and I'm more than happy to give it a try if it'll seems like a good fit.

So, can anybody compel me to open up and savor the SL-6000L?  Does it seem like a good fit for me, or should I move on and keep looking?  Thanks.