I hate to reply to such an old thread, but I figured it would be preferable to starting a new one about the exact same topic.
I actually went through the effort of e-mailing Unication regarding the price of a unit. They stated the following:
I can offer a sample price $299 to you for the Magpie PDA. Our suggest retail price will be target on $500. Please check if the features and specifications are that you are looking for (www.uni.com.tw ). I would also like to inform you that the PDA is currently under engineer run. The schedule to mass produce this product is in 2 months.
They responded quite quickly (next business day); I was fairly impressed. The pricing makes me think a bit, however; $299 is reasonable, $500 is not. I like the feature set (FM transmitter, for one), though the screen isn't the best. The processor makes me worry a bit, as well. I'll stay in touch with them and see what else I can find out (i.e. how fast they could get me one).
Edit: I have found out some more information about the device and its software. It uses Qtopia 1.6, customized by Unication in various ways to add functionality and, obviously, their branding. As far as Zaurus compatibility goes, I am not sure; I would have to get my hands on a device to try it. I plan on contacting them further to see if I could get a handful of units to distribute for a fair price; I'm sure that, given the right price, some visitors of this forum would be interested.
