Any New Zaurii Upcoming?

[marshmn]

I've been holding off buying a C860 for a few months now, hoping that a new model will be released sometime... just wondered if anyone new something I didn't?

What I would ideally like is something like a C860 or C3000 but with builtin WiFi or Bluetooth (or both)...

I just know that the minute I order a C860, a new model will be announced :-)

Matt

[Mickeyl]

Understandable. I'm also still hoping for that C960 that never appeared yet. I wonder also if they're going to keep the microdrive approach or if they will come out with any more flash-only models.

[marshmn]

Do we know anything about what the C960 would supposedly contain? It's the first I've heard of it...

Thanks,
Matt

[loopy29]

If I am correct, new models are most often announced around october/november, unless it is just a minor update. I think you will be safe for a while...

[tumnus]

ashikase has found something that may hint at a SL-3100:

https://www.oesf.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=10787

[loopy29]

ashikase has found something that may hint at a SL-3100:

https://www.oesf.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=10787
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Wow, just when I ordered the sl-c3000. Probably the check for the sl-c3100 is included for future compatibility though, it says nothing about timing.

[bluedevils]

My guess based on the Z history books is that the 3100 would not have bluetooth/wifi, but will have a faster CPU (624mhz) and possibly a larger microdrive (5GB?) and/or memory (128MB?).  The 5500 -> 5600 and the 700 ->760/860 were mainly upgrades in storage and CPU.

BTW I believe the 3000 was the fabled 960.

[nathanwms]

Does anyone know whether wifi or BT use is increasing in Japan?  Since Sharp is only marketing to Japanese consumers, what they are adopting will be what Sharp includes in future Zaurus models.

I'm with Bluedevils, I bet the next model has more memory, faster processor or larger drive but nothing new added over the 3K.

And what are the chances of a 2.6 kernel?

Hopes, dreams and wishes.......

[tg]

Does anyone know whether wifi or BT use is increasing in Japan?  Since Sharp is only marketing to Japanese consumers, what they are adopting will be what Sharp includes in future Zaurus models.

I'm with Bluedevils, I bet the next model has more memory, faster processor or larger drive but nothing new added over the 3K.

And what are the chances of a 2.6 kernel?

Hopes, dreams and wishes.......
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If they do that (processor,memory,hard drive) and also improve battery and/or screen, to me that would count as a major update (even without any built in connectivity). I have 860 model and would certainly upgrade (where as the update to 3000 just did not seem big enough).

[bluedevils]

I doubt they would change the screen with a name like 3100 and the battery is new so I doubt they would introduce another battery.  I figure even the upgrades I mentioned earlier are best case scenarios.  Remember how the 860 was a software only upgrade from the 760?

Of course I could be wrong and they take all the features of the 6000w and pack it into a clamshell with 10GB hdd, but sharp's pattern tells me not to get my hopes up.

[marshmn]

So from what I can tell guys, there is not much point me waiting in the hope of a new model and should just get out my credit card now?

Matt

[bluedevils]

well it depends what you want.  If I had lost all hope, I wouldn't have bought a pocket PC (760 sound module damaged) to tie me over until the next gen Zs come out.

[Merardon]

Out of curiousity, how well are the Zaurii selling in Japan? Is it very popular? Only moderately popular? I've yet to discover the answer to that question, and I think it's a rather important one, as it's the factor determining how often the line is updated.

[iamasmith]

Understandable. I'm also still hoping for that C960 that never appeared yet. I wonder also if they're going to keep the microdrive approach or if they will come out with any more flash-only models.
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Interested in hearing your views on the use of Microdrive with the small NAND bootloader. Until I got a better picture of the architecture in my own mind I was still favouring the pure flash based OS models.

I recently discovered a posting that discussed a complete recovery process and revealed that the 3000 actually has a complete minimal NAND based Linux distro accessable by cold start with D+B held down so if the HDD does become totally unrecoverable and needs flattening then its possible to do the prep work from this boot environment (handily I now have a hdd1.tar.gz file containing the minimal stuff needed for the first partition too!).

Now that this element of the 3000 has been somewhat decloaked I can see that it is more desirable to have a hack at the environment and produce new ROMs for the 3000 so wasting no time I've ordered mine already - not heard anything back from the supplier yet though.

Personally that 4Gb storage without sacrificing the CF slot for Wifi was just too tempting... it does mean that I'll have to offload the SL-C860 to keep the missus happy that I'm not on a rampant gadget spree though.

It's interesting that the openbsd boys are strides ahead with their port for the 3000 compared to the 860, I guess with all that storage on board it's less of a show stopper to worry about getting that elusive SD driver nailed (yes I know you have that going for the 860 on the 2.6 Kernel - bravo!)

Anyway, apart from your dislike of Embeddix kernels Mickey what are your thoughts on the 3000.

[Mickeyl]

Since I am a fan of the clamshell design since the C700 appeared, there's not much I would dislike on the C3000. It's a nice machine, although I am worried about how the microdrive reliability works out in practice all-day usage and also I'm disappointed by the lack of built-in WiFi which is - for me personally - a very important feature to have.