I\'m a newbie with newbie questions...

[smack!]

Hi there,

I\'ve been a developer/network admin in the Microsoft / IBM AS/400 world for about 15 years, and I\'ve decided to leap into the world of Linux, which I know virtually nothing about.

I have a few ideas for some PDA applications that I was originally considering writing for Palm OS, but due to several hardware limitations, it appears that I\'ll have better luck with a Zaurus.  So I\'m going to pick up a C760 and setup a Linux PC to cut my teeth on...

I have some questions regarding how the Zaurus compares to other PDA\'s.  I know these are very basic, but unlike most PDA\'s, I can\'t run down to my local computer store to put one in my hands, so I\'ll pose these questions to current Zaurus owners:

1.  Does it turn on instantly, the way a Palm OS PDA does?
2.  Can I turn it off and turn it back on right where I left off?
3.  If so, will it reestablish a wifi connection after \"waking up\"
4.  Can it automatically establish a wifi connection to a \'preferred\' preconfigured wifi network once it detects one (the way WinXP does)?
4.  Does the C760 have a built in microphone, or support for an external one?  Is the Bluetooth Headset Profile supported?
5.  Can I move files between an SD memory card and a CF memory card?
6.  Could I \'stream\' an MP3 from a network attached drive over wifi and listen to it? video?


Sorry, I know these are dumb questions, but these are basic issues that will affect my decision to purchase this pricey little gadget or not...

I am bummed that the SD slot doesn\'t support SDIO, do you think the next C7XX will support SDIO, and/or do you think it will have Bluetooth and wifi built in?  What has been Sharp\'s typical time frame for releasing new Zaurus models?

Thanks in advance,


Scott McCoskery
Technical Director
Choice Medical Supplies
Bellevue, WA

[Anonymous]

1. Does it turn on instantly, the way a Palm OS PDA does?

Yes, it turns on instantly after being in \"suspend mode\"

2. Can I turn it off and turn it back on right where I left off?

Yes, you can put in \"suspend mode\", wake it up, and continue your work

3. If so, will it reestablish a wifi connection after \"waking up\"

Don\'t know

4. Can it automatically establish a wifi connection to a \'preferred\' preconfigured wifi network once it detects one (the way WinXP does)?

Don\'t know

4. Does the C760 have a built in microphone, or support for an external one?

No built in microphone, but an external can be plugged in the headphone jack.

Is the Bluetooth Headset Profile supported?

Don\'t know

5. Can I move files between an SD memory card and a CF memory card?

Yes

6. Could I \'stream\' an MP3 from a network attached drive over wifi and listen to it? video?

Don\'t know

[Anonymous]

Is the Bluetooth Headset Profile supported?

I think both the BlueZ and Affix Bluetooth stacks support this profile as long as the Bluetooth CF card supports it. The real problem is making use of it, unless you are thinking of writing something yourself.

6.  Could I \'stream\' an MP3 from a network attached drive over wifi and listen to it? video?

Yes: http://www.zaurususergroup.com/modules.php...parent_id=0#224

What has been Sharp\'s typical time frame for releasing new Zaurus models?

They are supposed to be releasing something new with IBM at CITA in Las Vega this month. The first developer model (the SL-5000D) came out about 2 years ago and have been coming out fairly steadily since: http://www.zaurususergroup.com/modules.php...parent_id=0#212

[Anonymous]

3. If so, will it reestablish a wifi connection after \"waking up\"

Yes it does

4. Can it automatically establish a wifi connection to a \'preferred\' preconfigured wifi network once it detects one (the way WinXP does)?

You can set different connection profiles (ie. SSID, IP, WEP..etc)  and you have to click connect to be able to connect it wont automatically connect, unless you plug in the wifi card. I\'m not sure if that\'s the same as what you\'re looking for..

[jchung]

last post was me! forgot to sign in..

[smack!]

Thanks, everyone for the replies.  I am looking to write my own application which would utilize audio Input and Output, which is the purpose for all the audio questions.  That\'s great that you can plug a mic into the heaphone jack, and from reading the Audio FAQ from the link above it appears that the left stereo output is used for the mic input.  Does this mean you can\'t use an RCA 3-Way adapter to allow you to use the mic and heaphones at the same time?

Thanks again,
Scott

[ScottYelich]

the box is basicall,y a linux box.  Yes, you scn stream to it.  look around for zradio and/or
tkcradio, etc.  You could probably also stream video to it, but I haven\'t tried it so I can not
comment on the performance.

Scott
c700/c760

[nontrivial]

I\'m pretty darned sure my C750 has a microphone. A crappy one, just like the built in speaker, but it does have one.