Messages

16

New products and alternatives / I Think I Found A Z Replacement- Clamshell

« on: July 09, 2007, 05:52:43 pm »

Losing the touchscreen is a big minus, although it's only a "rendering" so the hinge might be different.  Wifi & VGA out are great, but the keyboard looks flat, though.  I wonder how easy it is to type on (even more important if no touchscreen). 

Price point will also be important.  If it's <$1,000 and has a touchscreen, though, it'll be hard to pass up regardless of the flat keyboard.

scott
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My gut is telling me this will cost $1000 + with or without a touch screen, I want to be wrong!!!
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Gizmodo is reporting that the HTC Advantage (unlocked) is listed for pre-orders on Amazon for $850.  The Advantage is the bigger brother to the Omni.
Advantage specs:
624mhz cpu
256 ROM, 128 RAM
8gb hd, mini sd
5 inch lcd
gps
umts/hsdpa, quad band gsm/gprs/edge
wifi, bt
usb
3mp camera
TV/VGA out
Windows Mobile 6

I hope this means that the Omni with similar specs but only 4 inch lcd, no hard disk, and slower cpu will run $150-$200 less.  $600-$650 would not be a bad price for a device with these specs, especially seeing as the SL-C3200 is selling for $500 on Conics.

17

New products and alternatives / I Think I Found A Z Replacement- Clamshell

« on: July 07, 2007, 12:08:07 am »

Yes, some of these Windows Mobile smartphones/PDAs are nice, but they don't compare to the Zaurus, and it's basically because of Linux. It's not Linux itself that makes the Z great, it's the flexibility that Linux allows. With these WinMob devices, there's no way in heck you could flash an alternate ROM as easily as on the Z -- plus the Z is nearly idiot-proof (ie any software oopses can be corrected).

I love Linux, but if there was a PDA/smartphone that was as flexible as the Z running another OS, I'd probably get it. But there isn't. These WinMob devices have great hardware and can do tons of things -- but they're nowhere near as flexible as the Z (I was told by a prominent Palm hacker that Firefox could never run at a reasonable speed on such a slow processor. I'm currently typing this in a full [ie not crippled like minimo] version of Firefox on my Z, which uses the same processor as my Palm that would never run it. Plus there's a lot more going on in the background on my Z than ever goes on on my Palm.)

Nothing will ever replace the Z unless the system's internals are as open as the Z's. Period.
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Well said.  The Z is such a versatile and unique device that it is difficult finding just one device to replace it.  I for one will hold out for a Linux device because I love open source and the variety it affords me.  Plus there is some very exciting development taking place that I believe will really come together and satisfy many of our desires (Angstrom, OpneMoko, Midinux, and Ubuntu Mobile/Embedded).

With all the iPhone hype and news I find myself craving a new device or at least a software update.

18

New products and alternatives / I Think I Found A Z Replacement- Clamshell

« on: July 06, 2007, 11:21:34 am »

I saw this yesterday and I must admit a bit of drool formed in the corner of my mouth.  Very nice specs indeed and I especially like the clamshell form factor and 4 inch screen.

As for Linux, there is a strong possibility that the OpenMoko (Linux open-source) phone software will be ported to this device.  I read that some enterprising developers already had some of the OpenMoko software running on the HTC Universal and it looks like the Omni will be using the same Samsung chip as the OpenMoko Neo1973 phone that will go on sale in October.

Who needs an iPhone?  You can have an iPhone on steroids and HGH and still have the beloved keyboard we all love so much.  I definitely hope HTC produces this device and offers it at a decent price.  It really does look like the upgrade path many on this forum have been hoping for, me included.

19

General Discussion / Someone Trod On My Zaurus

« on: June 29, 2007, 01:13:56 pm »

I pledge $25.  Love Opie-Reader.

20

Angstrom & OpenZaurus / Angstrom Screenshots

« on: June 20, 2007, 06:31:20 pm »

Looks good, very good.  How is Angstrom's responsiveness on your C1000 (I assume that's what the pics are from by your sig)?  Can you compare this build of Angstrom to Cacko?

21

Software / Text Size Limit In Iqnotes 2.0.2?

« on: June 19, 2007, 04:29:59 pm »

Bump.  

Any idea?

22

New products and alternatives / Sharp Papyrus

« on: June 14, 2007, 01:14:13 pm »

I've personally met the VP of R&D who was in charge of the Z project. (He visited the university research institute where I was working at the time - that's where I got my 5000D)

An engineer friend of mine who was working with me at the time, and who is a fellow Z enthusiast, actually called him up late last year. He'd been moved to the W-Zero 3 project at the time, but the contents of the conversation were interesting.

1) Sharp considered the Z a dictionary. Full stop.

2) They more or less picked Linux as the OS at random.

3) They didn't know *anything* about the open source community. It was a total mystery to them. They couldn't understand why anyone would want access to the OS source code, or what they would do with it. I suspect they  licensed the closed branch of Qtopia totally without thinking - the concept of the source code being useful to us never even occurred to them.

Because who'd want the source code to a dictionary, anyway?

Bah. Bitter memories.
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This explains a lot.  I guess I can finally give up hope on a next gen Zaurus given the number of "dictionaries" Sharp has put out in Korea since they stopped production of the Zaurus.  My hope now shifts to hoping Sharp wants to get into the UMPC, MID market and show everyone how to build a quality clamshell device.

23

General Discussion / 4.8 Lcd, Wifi, Bt, Linux, Gps

« on: June 08, 2007, 10:32:13 am »

With the number of new devices being announced on an almost daily basis, I'm sure there will be several that produce form factors in a size that appeals to just about everyone.

Though form factor is important to me (I like the sliding screen but prefer clamshell), software is more important.  That is why I like the direction of the Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) and the modified Linux that is to run on them.  RedFlag's Midinux should be out any day now, which is what the above device was running as well as Windows.  And I'm looking forward to what Ubuntu will bring to the table with their mobile/embedded project.

Who knows, these may even be adapted for the Zaurus and breathe new life into an old but well designed platform.

24

General Discussion / 4.8 Lcd, Wifi, Bt, Linux, Gps

« on: June 07, 2007, 05:43:44 pm »

Yes I know, yet another Z killer and only a reference design, but man is this sexy.  Well, calling a device sexy might be a bit much, but it is a nice design.  Not the clamshell that many may desire but I'd take it.  And pocketable too!

Everything depends on the pricing. Any ideas?

-- hns
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I believe with the MIDs they are aiming at a $500 price point.  I've not seen anything mentioned about a price on this particular device.

25

General Discussion / 4.8 Lcd, Wifi, Bt, Linux, Gps

« on: June 07, 2007, 01:53:00 pm »

Yes I know, yet another Z killer and only a reference design, but man is this sexy.  Well, calling a device sexy might be a bit much, but it is a nice design.  Not the clamshell that many may desire but I'd take it.  And pocketable too!


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http://www.elektrobit.com/file.php?333

26

New products and alternatives / A Business Card-sized Motherboard From Via

« on: June 07, 2007, 12:41:09 pm »

This seems like the very thing the PocketPenguin developers could possibly run with and create the ultimate Zaurus Killer.  Via is definitely making things easier for the do-it-yourselfers to create compact and powerful devices.

Build your own UMPC --> http://www.umpcportal.com/modules/news/art...php?storyid=513

27

General Discussion / How I Think Linux Will Succeed

« on: June 05, 2007, 03:30:35 pm »

Interesting thread, and I do believe Linux will succeed.  Defining success [ofels :-)] as 30% market penetration as a desktop OS (pulled number out of air, but I believe possible in the future) and 50% or better as the OS of choice for handheld devices such as the MIDs, UMPCs, highend PDAs.

Linux is proven and getting better in the server market and gaining a foothold in phones, handhelds, and now even desktops (Dell).  It appears that Linux is here to stay, but I don't see it driving MS out of business.

Real success for Linux, in my opinion, will be when business software makers are forced to develop a Linux version of their product in order to be competitive or risk alienating a large customer base.  That is obviously not the case today, but I believe that day is coming and sooner than some may think.

28

New products and alternatives / New Zaurus Successor?

« on: June 05, 2007, 10:03:11 am »

Interesting newcomer indeed.  I love the options that are starting to appear on the market.  In another few months I'm going to have a hard time choosing which platform will replace my C1000.

29

New products and alternatives / Palm's Secret Third Business To Be Revealed!

« on: May 30, 2007, 02:47:05 pm »

Hawkins just demoed the Foleo and here's the link to the Palm site that gives all the info and video overview.

http://www.palm.com/us/products/mobilecompanion/foleo/

I can't say I'm impressed at all.  10 inch screen, wifi and BT and cellular connectivity through your phone.  Best thing I see is one-touch syncing of email with your mobile phone (Treo of course) and syncing with many other phones to come.

At $499 with $100 mail in rebate, I think it might be worth waiting on the Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) coupled with Red Flag's Midinux that are targeting the sub-$500 price range.  These devices will have better features and capabilities and with BT you will be able to sync with your phone, though not with one touch.

Demo on you tube of a device running Midinux:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IALqu7EKUTw

30

New products and alternatives / Palm's Secret Third Business To Be Revealed!

« on: May 30, 2007, 12:03:09 pm »

got my mojo working, and it tells me this...

http://www.palminfocenter.com/comments/9433/#132422
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Speculatrix, your moho is indeed working.

It seems that Palm is moving toward turning the smart phone into a personal media server and using the Foleo device more as a type of network computing terminal.  Excerpt from an Intel site on [a href=\"http://www.intel.com/research/exploratory/personal_server.htm]personal media servers[/url], where Intel demoed this concept in 2005, “The demo showed how easy it can be for users to wirelessly upload and download documents, and to stream audio and video files stored on the cell phone to a nearby laptop computer, over a standard Bluetooth wireless technology connection (Fig. 3).”

I like the direction Palm is headed in, but I can’t say that it is all that revolutionary.  The hope is that they produce a polished solution that makes it easy for the user to sync and share info.