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General Discussion / O2 XDA IIs vs Zaurus SL-C3000

« on: November 03, 2004, 10:48:57 am »

SL-C3000

PROS
* 4GB built-in storage (handy for files such as MP3s, movies, office documents, I would use it as an organiser/jukebox/notebook all-in-one device).

The sign of a good PDA is that it can keep you organized and you can still have some fun with it, just like if you had a real human as an assistant.

* Seems to play MP3s and movie files (though movie files will need to be re-encoded to fit the screen and the processor).

That was one issue I had with other PDAs.  I'd have to run movies through software to convert them to play on a handheld.  I want to play mpg files, not a conversion of an mpg file.  When I had my SL-6000 I just put a music video on a CF card as a test and it worked fine.  I'd probably recommend converting longer movies, and if you go with the PPC you'll have to convert anyway.

* I believe it will allow you to view photos like the way the new iPod photo would.

I haven't seen the iPod photo yet, but on my computer I have my pictures organized in different folders (work, personal, etc) and just copied the directory structure to a CF or SD card and the Z can view all pictures in a directory.  No more requiring specific software programs to view collections!

* Big resolution screen of 640x480, but are there enough applications out there to take advantage of it? Browsing the internet should be a nice experience though.

Yes.

CONS
* No built-in WIFI. Japan is plagued with WIFI networks (well our offices are) and most users are using CF WIFI cards. Buying a CF card is no problem just a hassle when a lot of PPCs out there already has WIFI built in.

Not having been to Japan, from what I've read it is plagued with multiple wireless possibilities and didn't want to have the user stuck with one method on the Z so they let the user get a CF card for the wireless options that they need.  You're gonna hear it either way "They don't have WiFi" or "They have WiFi, but I don't use that, I use x"

* OS doesn't look as extensive as PPC (may be on par with Palm), been reading this forum about people's problem getting programs to work and so on, seems like a HIT and MISS kind of thing.

I laughed so hard when I read that one (nothing bad against the poster).  Getting programs to work on the Z that are hit and miss would be, oh, a WEB SERVER or wireless network sniffer.  You don't even get those options on PPC.  The OS is extensive, the issue is that it's the same OS people run on their desktop and all they want to do is port it to the Z.  I run Firefox on my desktop, and by golly when I'm on the road I want to surf the net using Firefox on my Z.  I can do that.  The only software that works on Windows that's ported to PPC would be Microsoft programs, and if anyone else has done it, more than likely they're not doing it for free.  That's why I love the Z so much compared to Palm or PPC: it's more flexible as to what it can do and the majority of the software is FREE.

* Movies may not play, due to their VIEWING SIZE and huge PROCESSING requirements. I have a lot of anime videos which would be great to watch, but if I have to convert all of them to play on the Zaurus then I probably won't do it (I have like 400 episodes of this and that).

A buddy of mine with a PPC had some 8-10 minute movie clips that he had to reencode to put on his PPC.  Same for full length movies.  You're probably looking to cut it down to about 15-20 frames per second (which was slightly noticeable when watching movies on his PPC).

* Speakers on the older Zaurus were apparently weak, alarms were barely audible. I want to be able to playback sound, only way to find out about the SLC3000 is to test it for myself when it comes out on Nov 10th.

It was nice when I was cleaning the warehouse with my 6000 in the back pocket, playing MP3s.  Could hear it just fine and the quality was good.

O2 XDA IIs.

PROS
* Plays everything multimedia such as MP3s, WMA, AVI, MPG, DIVX etc, I believe problem is with storage rather than playability (with Zaurus you have to resize the videos and maybe convert them to play). Music and viewing photos would be more important for me, but if I can play any video on the PDA without converting them then that would be great too.

Like I said earlier, you'll have to convert your movies, but mp3 and wma should be just fine.

* Extensive software available including some nice looking games out there, not that important to me except for a language dictionary and learning software for Japanese which is the reason why I am so interested in the Zaurus. I'm not sure if PPC has such software (still trying to find out).

Not sure about the Japanese software on PPC, but all of that extensive software is either shareware or about 20 bucks a pop.  My main reason for getting away from Palm in the first place.  Sure, it did great with the apps it came with, but if you wanted anything else, you're paying for it, and why would I want to pay for PDA software when I run a free desktop?

* As an organiser and time manager, I think the PPC is better and probably syncs better with the PC.

The first half of your statement has no merit, but PPC is easier to sync with Windows (just plug it in and an application that runs all the time syncs the info).  You need the full version of Outlook to really appreciate the sync for PIM features though.

* Due to its smaller and lighter size, it is a lot more portable than the Zaurus.

Don't forget to add all of those memory cards you'll be carrying around for your PPC.

* Speakers should be better than the Zaurus.

Pure speculation and has no merit.


I'm not going to address the cons of this PPC because you pretty much nailed them.

I'm really interested in the SL-C3000, using the Linux system is not totally new to me as I had to learn how to use Palm on my Clie.

What makes Palm and PPC so easy to learn is that they don't let you do a lot of things other than tapping an icon to start an application.  There are very strict boundaries.  This is not the case with a Zaurus.  You can get a terminal and then you have access to the entire disk.  If all you want to do is keep track of your appointments and play a few MP3s, I'd go with the PPC as there will be little to no learning curve.  If you want to truly harness the power of a PDA, I'd try out the Zaurus.

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General Discussion / What happened to my topic?

« on: October 23, 2004, 08:43:55 am »

Since there is nothing new offered in this thread, can it be deleted yet?    

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Deals and Great Z Buys / Lexar 1GB SD for $32.49 (US) shipped

« on: October 09, 2004, 01:50:20 pm »

I just ordered one too.  We'll see how it goes...  A great deal if I don't get screwed over.

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General Discussion / I'm returning my SL-6000

« on: September 23, 2004, 09:59:16 am »

D'oh!    And we sell those cables at work too.  The port on the cradle looked so similiar to the one on the Z.  Silly me for expecting Sharp to do something easy and use the same port on both.  

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General Discussion / I'm returning my SL-6000

« on: September 19, 2004, 09:14:44 pm »

So my quest for the Ultimate PDA continues.  My 6000 got shipped with a mini USB port that wouldn't bend back to fit the USB cable in, so I'm returning it to amazon.com.  My question is what should I go after next?

I loved the screen that the 6000 had.  Unfortunately, because there aren't any good cases with a belt clip, I've had to use the plastic protector that comes with the PDA which is getting scratched and smuged now.  I want to pay the same as my 6000 or less, have some great hardware, have accessories like a case with belt clip available, be able to sync with Linux via USB port, and use standards like pdf or text files and not Palm Database or anything like that.  What would you recommend (it doesn't even have to be a Z)?  I think on the Zaurus line, the C860 would be my choice, and I believe there's sync options for Linux too.  I don't care for wireless/bluetooth or the USB host that the 6000 provided.  I really like a nice screen, fast processor, and lots of memory.   Any suggestions?

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Cxx0 General discussions / Carrying case for the C860

« on: September 19, 2004, 03:49:34 pm »

It looks like all of these don't have a belt loop.  Anything out there with a belt loop, or better yet since the cases wrap around the PDA itself, a belt clip?

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General Discussion / serious help

« on: September 19, 2004, 12:14:55 am »

Maybe you could post a step-by-step guide so the other SL-6000 owners don't have to go through the trial and error that you had to?

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6000 - Tosa / OpenZaurus, OZ on the 6000

« on: September 17, 2004, 10:59:07 pm »

With OE/OZ on the 6000, what kind of sync options are we looking at for LInux computers?

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6000 - Tosa / OpenZaurus, OZ on the 6000

« on: September 17, 2004, 09:48:20 pm »

Let us know how it goes rospahr.

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General Discussion / New SL-6000L User/Owner With Many Questions

« on: September 16, 2004, 09:44:55 pm »

I've had my 6000 for about two weeks now, and I think I'm gonna Ebay it and get an 860.  I was disappointed with it as well.  Here is this excellent piece of hardware, but in the end it's a piece of junk because there's no support for it.  At least I can get a case and screen protector for an 860.  I like the way pdaXrom looks on the 860, and it feels good knowing that the apps I run on my Linux desktop I can also run on my PDA.

As far as backing up information, I've been copying files to my CF card and hooking it up to my desktop.  It's easy to backup your notes, but I haven't looked around a lot to see where my contacts and to-do list are (wouldn't be nice to lose those).

Probably the feature I use the most on the 6000 is the keyboard.  It feels so easy walking and typing notes at the same time.  Is it easy to walk and type with the clamshell style 860?  I like that PDAs can be more like laptop replacements, but I don't want to be sitting somewhere just to input information.

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6000 - Tosa / Root Password For SL-6000

« on: September 16, 2004, 09:36:36 pm »

My last PDA got stolen with some sensitive information on it, so I made sure to put a passcode on it.  Sure enough, that's my root password.  Thanks, I have control over my own PDA now.

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6000 - Tosa / Root Password For SL-6000

« on: September 16, 2004, 12:24:40 am »

I installed a screenshot utility recently.  After playing around with it, I uninstalled it.  The utility creates an image folder to store the screen captures and this folder is owned by root.  I have a console app installed, but can't remove this folder as a normal user (naturally).  However, I don't have the default root password to remove this directory.  I tried "root" and a blank password, with no luck.  I also tried running the console app as root, which works, but I'm still a normal user that can't delete the directory.  Does anyone know the default root password for the Sharp ROM on the 6000 series?  Thanks.

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6000 - Tosa / OpenZaurus, OZ on the 6000

« on: September 11, 2004, 10:57:34 pm »

Maybe they were posting from their Zaurus and turned it into a brick.  The only reason I don't mess with mine.  I don't mine botching up something in Linux on my computer cause I can always format the drive and reinstall if it's that bad, but a device that cost me big bucks that even the manufacturer will stop supporting is a different story.

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General Discussion / Would you be ready to pay for a Linux Palmtop OS

« on: September 10, 2004, 04:37:46 pm »

I've had a few PalmOS devices in the past, and the one thing that made me not go with Palm again is that while PalmOS has a zillion applications, the majority of them are commercial or some kind of shareware.  I like my Linux desktop because it's build on free software and standards that don't benefit any one organization commercially.  So I thought what would go better with my Linux desktop than a Linux PDA?  I don't pay for PDA software because I know somewhere out there someone else once desired a program that did the same thing I'm looking to do and decided to write one.  That's why I don't mind if free software doesn't look as polished as a commercial application, because if you're not paying anything for it, you'd better not complain about it.

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General Discussion / Installing Opie From Packages

« on: September 07, 2004, 12:12:34 pm »

OR... I could backup my info to my CF card and transfer it to the computer for regular backups.  I feel like I spent all this money on a great PDA that can't do a whol e lot.  YaY Sharp.  I guess I'll keep using the Sharp supplied programs until OZ or another ROM is available for the 6000.