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General Discussion / Convince Me...please...
« on: May 09, 2005, 06:18:08 pm »
A few comments...
The only difference between the C760 and C860 is software and I think the color of the case. Apparently the C860 has some Japanese<-->English translation software that bumps up the price around 10,000 yen, otherwise the hardware is identical, so go for the C760 (which still comes with a decent Japanese/English dictionary).
The differences between the C760 and the C1000 as I understand it is that the C1000 has a slightly newer CPU, the same keyboard/casing as the C3000 (more on that in a second), a USB host controller (yay!) and the Sharp ROM uses a 2.6 kernel instead of the old 2.4.18 kernel.
The C760 and C1000 both have 64MB of RAM and 128 MB of flash for memory, presumably both partitioned 64 MB for applications / 64 MB for user data.
Best place in the world to buy a cheap Zaurus retail: Softmap 5 in the heart of Akihabara, Tokyo. This particular outlet specializes in PDAs and accessories, and in particular has used PDAs for cheap. When I was there last fall I bought a used but in pristine condition C760 for about 35,000 yen (they were 50,000 new). Since the C1000 is now out at the 50,000 yen price point, it's probably pushed the price of a C760 down even further.
When you get it, must-have accessories are a case (obviously), more storage (1 GB SD cards are cheap, go 2 GB if you can afford it) and if you can find it (try the "Sharp" retail store) the Zaurus headphone remote control. This thing is sweet, and I've seen no mention of it anywhere -- it's a headphone pass-thru that gives you volume, play/stop and next/back controls via a 3rd lead in the Zaurus headphone jack. You can clip it on your shirt, stick the Zaurus in your pocket and not have to haul out the Zaurus and fiddle with it just to change the volume or skip to the next song.
For a case, a found a "Dict." brand electronic dictionary case that fits the Zaurus perfectly, and is only like 1,200 yen.
Ok, about the C3000 form factor: while I haven't actually used it extensively, I did get a chance to play with a C3000 and there were several things I didn't like about the physical styling of it. For one, it is distinctly heavier than the C760. Not in a "more solid" sort of way, in a "more bricklike and more likely to be dropped" sort of way. Also, instead of the shortcut buttons (which unsuspend the unit and open the selected application in a single button press) being big and friendly as on the C760, they are small and hard to press on the C3000. The same goes for the Ok and Cancel buttons. Instead of the arrows being the usual upside-down "T" as on the C760, the C3000 has a circular D-pad with the "Ok" button in the middle. Finally, I don't recall exactly but I want to say that they also changed the external rocker switches on the spine for the worse, but I can't find any pictures of that particular area of the C3000 to say exactly how.
Quibbling aside, the biggest factor in deciding between the C760 and C1000 will probably be your budget -- keep in mind that in addition to buying the Zaurus itself, expect to spend at least another $100-$200 pimping it out with accessories :-)
The only difference between the C760 and C860 is software and I think the color of the case. Apparently the C860 has some Japanese<-->English translation software that bumps up the price around 10,000 yen, otherwise the hardware is identical, so go for the C760 (which still comes with a decent Japanese/English dictionary).
The differences between the C760 and the C1000 as I understand it is that the C1000 has a slightly newer CPU, the same keyboard/casing as the C3000 (more on that in a second), a USB host controller (yay!) and the Sharp ROM uses a 2.6 kernel instead of the old 2.4.18 kernel.
The C760 and C1000 both have 64MB of RAM and 128 MB of flash for memory, presumably both partitioned 64 MB for applications / 64 MB for user data.
Best place in the world to buy a cheap Zaurus retail: Softmap 5 in the heart of Akihabara, Tokyo. This particular outlet specializes in PDAs and accessories, and in particular has used PDAs for cheap. When I was there last fall I bought a used but in pristine condition C760 for about 35,000 yen (they were 50,000 new). Since the C1000 is now out at the 50,000 yen price point, it's probably pushed the price of a C760 down even further.
When you get it, must-have accessories are a case (obviously), more storage (1 GB SD cards are cheap, go 2 GB if you can afford it) and if you can find it (try the "Sharp" retail store) the Zaurus headphone remote control. This thing is sweet, and I've seen no mention of it anywhere -- it's a headphone pass-thru that gives you volume, play/stop and next/back controls via a 3rd lead in the Zaurus headphone jack. You can clip it on your shirt, stick the Zaurus in your pocket and not have to haul out the Zaurus and fiddle with it just to change the volume or skip to the next song.
For a case, a found a "Dict." brand electronic dictionary case that fits the Zaurus perfectly, and is only like 1,200 yen.
Ok, about the C3000 form factor: while I haven't actually used it extensively, I did get a chance to play with a C3000 and there were several things I didn't like about the physical styling of it. For one, it is distinctly heavier than the C760. Not in a "more solid" sort of way, in a "more bricklike and more likely to be dropped" sort of way. Also, instead of the shortcut buttons (which unsuspend the unit and open the selected application in a single button press) being big and friendly as on the C760, they are small and hard to press on the C3000. The same goes for the Ok and Cancel buttons. Instead of the arrows being the usual upside-down "T" as on the C760, the C3000 has a circular D-pad with the "Ok" button in the middle. Finally, I don't recall exactly but I want to say that they also changed the external rocker switches on the spine for the worse, but I can't find any pictures of that particular area of the C3000 to say exactly how.
Quibbling aside, the biggest factor in deciding between the C760 and C1000 will probably be your budget -- keep in mind that in addition to buying the Zaurus itself, expect to spend at least another $100-$200 pimping it out with accessories :-)