Getting a Zaurus

[joeyg2477]

I am probably going to buy a zaurus for about 60$us , but the audio on it doesn\'t work.....i wanted to ask you guys if you think this is a good buy and will i really be missing out on much...

[joeyg2477]

forgot to mention this is a 5500

[DrWowe]

It\'s a pretty good buy.  You\'ll also be missing out on the improvements in the other models, like longer battery life, 640x480 screen, USB host, built-in wireless, etc.  You\'ll also be missing out on audio, but you already knew that.  I guess it depends on what do you want to use it for, really.

[dmilligan]

I think its a good deal to get you familiar with what the Zaurus is like and may save you money if you turn out not liking it.   The thing to keep in mind is what DrWowe mentioned and that the new models have better screens and potentially better features.

[rikiya]

but wouldn\'t that also be adding a couple 100 bucks?

[offroadgeek]

but wouldn\'t that also be adding a couple 100 bucks?

absolutely right... I don\'t know how much one could get a C700, but a C750/760/860 or a 6000 is easily ]$500.

$60 for a 5500, I say buy it immediately!

[DrWowe]

$60 for a 5500, I say buy it immediately!

I wouldn\'t be so hasty to recommend it unconditionally.  It really depends what you want to do with it.  If it\'s useful, then definately $60 is a good buy for a 5500.  If not, then $60 is a pretty expensive paperweight.

[padishah_emperor]

I couldn\'t have imagined my old beloved 5500 without audio, makes a cool music player, as well as a good handheld Linux solution.  But first impressions count, you could end up with a jaded view of Linux handhelds with a partly working machine.

Then again, if $60 is disposable.. give it a try for a week or two, you could always pass it on to someone and get a fully functional/newer one.

[lardman]

Is the audio problem hardware related? Wire fallen off, etc.? Or software related (it won\'t play my vbr ogg files ;-)). It may be fixable in the first case, and is certainly in the second by using different software.

Si

[CoreyC]

What exactly is wrong with the audio?  Is the speaker just broken?  Does the headphone jack work?  Or is audio dead all together?

I\'m gonna tell you this... if you get this Zaurus and like it, you\'ll want a newer one.  I had my 5600 for only 1 week before I started hunting down a c760.  Now my 5600 sits in the wife\'s purse

I would buy it.  You have allot of options with the 5500.  You can run a stable OpenZaurus, a debian pocketworkshop, even run gentoo over nfs.

[padishah_emperor]

What exactly is wrong with the audio?  Is the speaker just broken?  Does the headphone jack work?  Or is audio dead all together?

I\'m gonna tell you this... if you get this Zaurus and like it, you\'ll want a newer one.  I had my 5600 for only 1 week before I started hunting down a c760.  Now my 5600 sits in the wife\'s purse

I would buy it.  You have allot of options with the 5500.  You can run a stable OpenZaurus, a debian pocketworkshop, even run gentoo over nfs.

I second that, I gave my Sony Clie NX70V the treatment it deserved (] /dev/null) and got a SL-5500, it blew my socks off, I then saved for a C series, I got a C860. Now, my bro who got my 5500, is saving for his 860 too, HIS 5500 will eventually end up in his \'missus\' handbag. If you like it, you\'ll LOVE it and will want more.

$60, I\'m in Europe so I don\'t know if that\'s a lot of money for you, but on reflection, go for it, give it a try, it may be an enriching experience for you as it has been for a great many of us. I\'ve read life-changing books, listened to great music and watched cool movies on it, and that\'s just for starters.

Join us! :-)