Messages

1

Zaurus - pdaXrom / Pdaxrom Link Not Working?

« on: June 08, 2006, 08:12:49 am »

yah! it's working - thx!!

2

Zaurus - pdaXrom / Pdaxrom Link Not Working?

« on: June 08, 2006, 07:31:43 am »

ummm, but will this beta 2 work for the 3200? like to be sure before flashing the rom.

3

Zaurus - pdaXrom / Pdaxrom Link Not Working?

« on: June 08, 2006, 06:43:45 am »

trying to find a download for the pdaxrom dor a Z 3200.

went to http://www.pdaxrom.org/index.php?showid=56&menuid=11

but all my links referred to page not found.

is this the same for others?

could someone point me to a link to a stable version of this rom?

thx
daryl

4

General Discussion / Convert Japanese Z To English Z

« on: June 05, 2006, 07:43:02 pm »

Thanks Meanie and Desertrat,

It all worked fine - phew! Sigh of relief that I didn't brick it!

5

General Discussion / Convert Japanese Z To English Z

« on: June 05, 2006, 03:49:54 am »

Hi all,

I just received my Zaurus 3200 via PriceJapan.

Put in order Friday afternoon - received in Australia Monday aft by DHL. Very fast!

I'm giving the battery a good charge but in the meantime I'm looking into converting it from Japanese to English.

Has anyone done this and could guide me through the process?

I have a TRIsoft manual in english (http://trisoft.de/pdf/c3000qse.pdf), and the Zaurus Users Guide from FigLabs in english as well (www.figlabs.com/catalog/ug.php). The steps are there but not quite clear, I would really like some reassurance that I am following the steps correctly, and would hate to make a disastrous muck-up of this neat little device.

Could anyone help or steer me in the right direction?

Thanks!
Daryl

6

Mac Issues / Linux Apps On Mac, Spreadsheets, & Rom!

« on: June 04, 2006, 05:51:58 am »

Ok,

There goes the weekend!

Spreadsheet bonanza:

Via the linux baptism by fire method i have discovered that

- NeoOffice was slow and sluggish

And with X11, installing gnumeric via fink that:

- gnumeric is smooth and fast, but the binary version available through fink is from 2004, and lacks print capabilities (and there are bugs there). This was a major turn off for me.

On aesthetics and a review (no source sorry):

- KSpred just didn't look developed enough so I skipped an install.

Via direct download that opens via X11

- the Open Office X11 version is fast to start up and smooth and feels great.

If I can easily run that on the Zaurus without having to lose a lot of other applications I'll be very happy.

Is it true it's a power hog? All considered that ranks currently as the best of the crop.

Any other thoughts on that before moving onto --

Investigating the ROMs...

o.k., maybe later this week..

Thanks Dave for your posts and messages. Things are starting to make sense now.

Regards,
D

7

Mac Issues / Linux Apps On Mac, Spreadsheets, & Rom!

« on: June 02, 2006, 08:37:51 am »

Thanks Dave,

Gnumeric, from all accounts, sounds like a choice application, but I've had trouble finding a package and/or porting the software. I installed Fink and the package seemed to have errors, and I did the same with Darwin Ports (http://gnumeric.darwinports.com/) and suffered a similar fate. In the meantime I'll keep digging trying to find a package that works. I'm not up to scratch just yet with building a package from the source  but getting there.

I really can't handle formatting issues - it's too time consuming correcting them on a daily basis - so I'm steering away from Hancom.

I opened Neo Office and it's not the most attractive program and seemed sluggish on my system. The trick seems to be to get Gnumeric installed on the mac.

Any tricks or tips?

And BTW, does Gnumeric need to run on the pdaXROM or can it run on a variety of Roms on the Zaurus?

8

Mac Issues / Linux Apps On Mac, Spreadsheets, & Rom!

« on: June 02, 2006, 06:43:06 am »

Part I - LINUX APPS ON MAC

For me, one use for the Zaurus that is a must have is a spreadsheet, that ideally I could also run on my Mac PowerPC G4. This would enable me to transfer files and open them directly on the mac, and edit, print and backup the files.

I have a copy of Microsoft Office for Mac on the computer and I'm also running Excel.

I'd like to install some spreadsheet software to test it to decide what spreadsheet to use, and subesequently, what ROM to flash my Zaurus to (I am currently waiting to receive a Zaurus 3200 from PriceJapan).

Has anybody used fink to install linux apps on their mac? Is it safe to use? Is it reliable?

Part II - SOFTWARE

I have also come across a range of spreadsheet programs that run on a Zaurus.
- Hancom Sheet (Sharp ROM)
- Gnumeric (pdaXROM)
- Open Office Spreadsheet (Mac)

Can anyone point to reviews of this software, or suggest a spreadsheet based on their experience?

PART II - ROM
I understand that the range of ROMs are:

TRIsoft ROM
SGARP ROM
Open Zaurus / Open Embedded
Open BSD
Debian
pdaXROM
Cacko ROM

FINALE!
Some suggestions I have already received are to link up to the Mac some people have suggested running:
- Open Office on the Zaurus, with Neo Office on the Mac
- Gnumeric on the Zaurus and the Mac, (on a pdaXROM)

I'm at a bit of a loss however, trying to make a decision, because:
(a) I know very little about linux and this is all rather new to me, and
( I'd like to use the software before fiddling around with the Zaurus installing it.


I'm feeling paralysed by choice - could anyone else shed light on this issue?

Regards,
Daryl

9

General Discussion / Which Zaurus?

« on: May 31, 2006, 05:47:50 am »

So the conclusions thus far:

- good battery life.

well the battery life isn't great but I'm not using zaurus constantly, probably two hours a day without a charger maximum so I can deal with that. If need be I can add a battery pack later but that is an additional cost.

- screen visibility in daylight and night

This seems to be more of a problem. I'd read regarding the sunlight issue, that the Screen Protector for Sharp Zaurus SL-C3200 help reduced this problem.

Any second opinions on this?

It seems to make sense. If it is tinted then I should be able to see the screen in direct light. If things were really bad I could always get a weather writer ( http://www.wetwritesolutions.com/weatherwriter.htm ) and tint the cover so I could get shade from the sun! Or wait and find a shady spot.

- easy to use qwerty keyboard

Yep, the Psion keyboard is great.

Attached is a pic comparing the size of a Psion Series 5 with a Sharp ZQ-2700. The ZQ-2700 has similar dimensions to the Zaurus 3200 (124mm x 87mm x 25mm when main body is closed) but is much thinner.

It's the closest example I have to compare with a Zaurus 3200 so - using these models I compared:
- thumb typing speeds (nearly equal)
- touch typing (psion surpassed sharp)
- typing while standing up and resting the device on the inside of a binder (psion surpassed sharp)

I think however that I could get up to speed with practice. I also expect that the Zaurus 3200 keypad is better than the zQ-2700 so the comparison isn't really fair. The usb idea is good and maybe I could rig up a system to combine the two into mobile unit if necessary, although I'm aware of the potential extra battery drain that might cause. Is that what's called a hardware mod?

- portablity (carried in a case work on the hip)

Zaurus wins purely based on size alone.

- no boot-up time once running

From sleep mode the Zaurus sounds like it's smooth and staable in this regard.

- hardy enough to withstand the dusty conditions of the Australian outdoors.

I don't think any technology really likes the dust or rain, and unless is specifically deigned for this purpose, it's unrealistic to expect it to excel in these conditions. As far as I'm aware there a device that combines the features of the Zaurus with a rugged waterproff-casing and dust-proof-casing.

Regarding the ROM I guess I'll start with the Sharp ROM and the Hancom software, and move from there. Is the procedure of changing ROMs a long process or really simple?

Thanks again for the great advice!

Daryl

10

General Discussion / Which Zaurus?

« on: May 29, 2006, 11:19:18 pm »

So I guess the next question is where to buy?

I've heard excellent reports from PriceJapan, especially for their speed of shipping, but my only concern then is resetting the 3200 to english mode.

I've checked out Meanie's site that looks really helpful, but being a little bit plebian (but I can follow instructions!) maybe I should dig around and find a model converted to english, although this may be more expensive option.

Getting closer...any thoughts?

p.s. I live in Australia.

Regards,
Daryl

11

General Discussion / Which Zaurus?

« on: May 29, 2006, 07:07:56 pm »

Wow, thanks everyone for the great advice.

So I'm leaning closer to the 3200, and see that I have several options to solve my needs,
but when compared to other models the psion still stacks up remarkably well!

I have a couple of other concerns  about the 3200.

One attribute I forgot to add is that the psion never crashes (maybe once in all the time I used it) and I've never lost data on the machine.

I've been looking at the forums, and maybe it's because people generally post with a problem, but it appears as though zaurus is a machine prone to all kinds of hiccups!

Is the Zaurus reliable? Does it crash often? Has anyone suddenly lost data on these machines due to mulfunction? (I don't see myself altering the set-up too much once I have it working).

Secondly, when I used the psion I had to open and close the case frequently, this stressed the ribbon, but I had little choice. So when I came across a site that suggested opening the zaurus 3200 very carefully, it made me wonder: how fragile is the neck of this model? Do you think it can withstand being open and closed frequently? Is it strong or is it prone to breakage?

Thanks for the input!

Regards,
Daryl

12

General Discussion / Which Zaurus?

« on: May 29, 2006, 04:23:53 am »

thanks, I'm finding out a bit more scouring the web as well.

the usb support on the 3200 would be great, esp for dumping and tagging digital photographs from my camera, and reviewing them on the larger screen, as well as plugging directly into the mac.

also does anyone have a hancom sheet file they could send me? or a file from a similar spread-sheet program that can run on a zaurus? if i have an example i can try to open it on the mac and see how far I get - or is this just a crazy approach?

btw - i'm a total newbie to linux, so i might be missing some basic concepts (like i won't be able to open these files under mac osx)!

6000 is a "brick" has best visibility in daylight, slightly larger screen.
3200 is a clamshell has a usb port
860 is the basic clamshell..very nice, no usb
  I think somone got printing going from pdaxrom. look for stuff on cups (common unix printing system) on zaurus.
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13

Sydney / Zaurus dealers?

« on: May 29, 2006, 01:24:30 am »

Did they ship the item with the English OS?

I went to the site and it was very Japanese.

I'm in Australia and went through http://www.pricejapan.com

Shipped quickly, and the cost was very good (compared to ebay prices, who probably bought it from pricejapan themselves).

I got a C860, but I see they sell the SL-6000W

 - Bundabrg
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14

General Discussion / Which Zaurus?

« on: May 29, 2006, 01:18:44 am »

I have a very naive query:

I've been working on film-sets, often outdoors, where my job involves taking down notes on the shots filmed and varous takes etc. to be used by the editors. I'm on the move constantly, and use the small moments of time between set-ups to type the notes.

To solve the mobility problem (and legibility due to poor handwriting), I've been entering the data using a Psion series 5mx, with has served me well. It has:
- good battery life,
- screen visibility in daylight and night
- easy to use qwerty keyboard
- portablity (carried in a case work on the hip)
- no boot-up time once running
- hardy enough to withstand the dusty conditions of the Australian outdoors.

The screen however has faded and is causing eye-strain. A second problem is that I switched to a Mac powerPC G4 (running OS X 10.4.3), and the process of converting the psion files to excel is not as simple as it was on my pc (not that it was really that simple). I need to copy the files, convert them (where I lose the file formatting) then reformat the files. At the end of a long day the last thing you need is a drawn out process to get your files printed and finally wrap up.

I need to update to a newer handheld computer that has the same or similar attributes, but additionally, is simpler to use with the mac. Ideally if I could plug it in, open the file so that it appears on the Zaurus as it does on the Mac, and print it to .pdf that would be perfect.

The Zaurus series looks great, and if it has similar usability plus a few extras I'd be happy to pay the extra money.

I'm considering either the 860 or the 3200 models.

Could anyone tell me whether these models share the attributes described?
And whether these models go the extra distance - and would be able to simplify the problem of printing my documents through my mac at the end of the day (to both .pdf and my paper printer). Are there other benefits also?

Thanks alot for any advice on this matter!

Regards,
Daryl