Sharps New Pda

[Da_Blitz]

http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000723064261/
http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/t...sh%2findex.html

From engadget:
Take one dash HTC Wizard / Apache, a heaping spoonful of HTC Universal, a pinch of Zaurus, mix liberally with Japanese engineering, bake at 375°, and you’ve got Sharp’s new Universal killer, the W-ZERO3 / WS003SH being released on Willcom. Hm, “Universal killer,” didn’t think we’d be saying those words so soon, eh? But this sucker runs Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC, and has a 3.7-inch VGA touchscreen, 416MHz Xscale processor, 128MB of flash, 64MB of RAM, a MiniSD slot, mini-USB, 802.11b, W-SIM, and a 1.33 megapixel camera. Ah, this fickle heart, how easily swayed we are. Oh, and if you thought the Universal was hugemongous, well, the W-ZERO3 is still freaking ginormous at 70 x 130 x 26mm (2.75 x 5.1 x 1.0-inches) and 220g (7.75oz), but that’s a bit less than the 127 x 81 x 25mm/285g size n’ weight on the HTC, so chew on that.

very nice, btw the W-SIM is basiacalyy a removable phone module , only problem is it runs windows mobile

[bam]

form factor is nice, no-linux, no-sale.

[Da_Blitz]

Aparently at the same expo there was going to be an anouncment of a new zaurus, or the translation software is broken and this is it,  all this was in another thread but i felt it warrented its own topic so you dont have to dig

[Cresho]

NO ZAURUS!!! no sale...

good try though.

[qx773]

This is an interesting development.  The operating system can be replaced with Linux, probably.  Someone, somewhere, is going to figure out how to get Linux running on it.

[Cresho]

yes but by purchasing one of these devices, you are paying them for license if ................windows!

something i want to avoid myself.

[ZDevil]

Just out of curiosity:

If somethiing like W-ZERO3 / WS003SH does have a Linux breed and people are to tweak it, what about the telecommunication safety and security regulations, as debated over in the thread on motorola E680?

Then again, some people do use CF cards to make phone calls, what about these cases?  Have there ever been issues of certification and the like?  

[stbrock]

To save folks some trouble, I've attached below the Babelfish translation of the spects below. Not only does this device come with Windows Mobile rather than Linux, it lacks a hard drive, CF or SD slot (it has only a mini-sd slot). The USB port seems to be a step  back to slave-only (is this correct?). The device is basically a smartphone designed  to work with a Japanese 3g wireless network -- a consumer device that our numerous Linux OS gurus may have a very hard time turning into anything useful for the international Zaurus/Linux community.  Hopefully, Sharp will continue beyond the 3100 with Linux handhelds and this device is simply a consumer side-road, not a change of direction overall.

Here is the info:


Specification main specification summary

Manufacturer    Sharp

Type turn    WS003SH (B)

Size (W×D×H) mm    Approximately 70×130×26mm (at the time of substance closing, projection ones you exclude)

Mass    Approximately 220g (the touch pen, the charge pond it includes)

Continuation 待 it receives, time    Approximately 200 hours (at the time of radio wave state lamp going out)

Continual telephone call time    Approximately 5 hours

OS    Windows Mobile 5.0 for PocketPC Japanese edition

CPU    Intel PXA270 processor 416MHz

Main LCD    Size/dot    3.7inch/640×480 (VGA)

Memory    Flash128MB (the substance system area it includes)/

SDRAM64MB (work area)

Card slot    MiniSD card slot ×1 and W-SIM slot ×1

Connected terminal    USB port (miniB), headphone terminal (flat type)

Built-in camera    Approximately 133 ten thousand pixels

Power source    Lithium ion charge pond (EA-BL12), AC adapter (EA75)

Audio telephone call function    -

Mail    E-mail (Will COM)    -

E-mail (POP/SMTP)    -

Light/write mail    -

Communication facility    PHS (W-SIM)/wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11b conformity)

Corresponding communication method    8x packet system    Ã—
4x packet system    -
1x packet system    -
Flex change    -
64kPIAFS
(Best effort)    -
32kPIAFS    -

Wireless LAN
(IEEE 802.11b conformity)    -

WEB browser    Microsoft Internet Explorer Mobile

Main application    Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft Office Mobile
(Word Mobile/Excel Mobile/PowerPoint Mobile)
Windows Media Player 10.0 Mobile for Pocket PC
Picsel PDF Viewer
JAVA platform "Jblend"

Main accessory    W-SIM, USB cable, Getting START CD, AC adapter, instruction manual, software case

[nilch]

This is an interesting development.  The operating system can be replaced with Linux, probably.  Someone, somewhere, is going to figure out how to get Linux running on it.
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Just having Linux run on the thing is not good enough. It has to function well (and really well) as a communication mobile device. That need further software to make it work. (and I don't mean a cooked up application to dial numbers and enable a voice call, but good integration with PIM software, good intuitive voice call, voice mail checking interface, call reciev, forwarding features etc and of course the integration with the W-SIM interface that they have now, though I understand most of the call related functions will be a part of the W-SIM itself).

I guess the reason Sharp went with Windows Mobile is that Linux (or embedded Linux) still seems to be missing good OPEN time-tested communication modules which can be used to make/receive calls and all the other phone features. (correct me if I am wrong).

They cant afford to realease yet another device with a half-blown software for communications like the initial Zaurus 5500 realease and expect the dev community to take it up yet again (when they don't really have any coordination with the dev community in the first place) and lose money on that like the Zaurus in the US.

I understand the rationale behind going with what works, has exisitng support infrastructure, a large company (MS) to take care of the dev and support logistics of the software and they concentrate on the marketing and hardware side. Its too bad we still dont have a good linux based communicator with an open software stack (the Motorola A780 etc are closed Motorola prorietary platforms, and the Qtopia phone still doesnt have any presence or a tested platform).

Maybe once the dev community ports linux on the W-Zero and starts building up a decent communications mobile software stack on top of it, Sharp might consider switching, but right now, Sharp's software division can't be relied on to create a from-scratch stable software stack.
Remember the first Zaurus and its broken and half-blown PIM software stack ?

[adf]

then..what..?
We implore the pepperpad guys to make a handheld?
Switch to nokia eventually?

[nilch]

The new device that Sharp made - the W-ZERO is not just a handheld (a PDA) but a communicator.

So we ask Motorola to open up their software for communications on their smartphones,
We bombast TT to release their Qtopia phone edition as open source,
We cajole Sharp to work with Trolltech to further their Qtopia phone and make enhancements if necessary before using on their Sharp (Zaurus ?) communicators,
We look for other good communication software and port to Linux if possible,
We wait for Palmsource to port thier Smartphone software to Linux,
We fund development of such software ourselves to take it to the next level
etc etc, instead of cribbing that Sharp betrayed us by moving away from Linux to WM.

Just my 2 cents

[lpotter]

We bombast TT to release their Qtopia phone edition as open source,

How is this going to help bring a Linux Qtopia Phone to you guys? This would actually hinder the process greatly, which is one reason why we haven't released Qtopia Phone Edition as GPL. Phone operators are very paranoid about their networks and security, and most 3rd party applications are restricted to java apps.

[Cresho]

HACK HACK HACK!!!!!!  

[adf]

HACK HACK HACK!!!!!! 
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the MIT $100 laptop says it has cell (presumably data) networking.
it runs linux.
Maybe there is something there that is helpful.
Personally I'd be fine with wireless & bt on a handheld....and a small companion phone.
but that clearly is not the direction handhelds are headed.