Author Topic: (bad) News From Sharp  (Read 3827 times)

matthis

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 217
    • View Profile
    • http://badaboum.bidibom.free.fr/mat/
(bad) News From Sharp
« on: March 13, 2008, 04:04:58 am »
Dear Zaurus community,

I am currently looking for a job in Japan, and this morning went to Sharp's job fair.
I was talking with one of the person responsible for the development of products like the zaurus, the electronic dictionaries etc...
Between talks about what his job consisted in, the atmosphere at Sharp etc... I asked him what they were planning to do with the Z. His answer was that their efforts with this type of device where now completely switched towards mobile-phones, and mobile phone-pda hybrids (like the em-one), and that the zaurus will be phased out by April.

Not that this really matters to our community always vibrant with new projects! But I wouldn't be waiting for something new  

pelrun

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 366
    • View Profile
    • http://
(bad) News From Sharp
« Reply #1 on: March 13, 2008, 04:55:54 am »
We've known Sharp has been completely disinterested in the Z for a couple of years now; people either stopped holding their breath long ago or they stopped needing to breathe
SL-C3100 with usb power mod running debian eabi
pdaXii13 still on the NAND for dualbooting
16GB SDHC! (a new one, after I sat on the old one and it went kaput)
D-Link 660 wifi, Socket Bluetooth rev H
External 9800mAh LiIon battery and slimline dvd drive
Homebrew microphone and remote

ZDevil

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1998
    • View Profile
    • http://
(bad) News From Sharp
« Reply #2 on: March 13, 2008, 04:57:28 am »
I'm not worried so much. I will just keep using my Z until an even nicer device appears.

Life is too precious for hacking *too much*
Visit my Z screencap gallery[/color]
My EeePC 701 Black = Debian (Lenny) on IceRocks + Transcend SDHC Class6 8GB + 2GB RAM
My Zaurus SL-C3200 = Debian EABI (kernel 2.6.24.3-yonggun) on a swapped internal Sandisk Extreme III CF 16gb
My Debian EABI feed: http://matrixmen.free.fr/zaurus/debian/
My OpenBSD/Zaurus feeds:  Link1, Link2
[/i][/font][/color][/size]

HoloVector

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 533
    • View Profile
    • http://
(bad) News From Sharp
« Reply #3 on: March 13, 2008, 12:57:42 pm »
Quote from: matthis
Dear Zaurus community,

I am currently looking for a job in Japan, and this morning went to Sharp's job fair.
I was talking with one of the person responsible for the development of products like the zaurus, the electronic dictionaries etc...
Between talks about what his job consisted in, the atmosphere at Sharp etc... I asked him what they were planning to do with the Z. His answer was that their efforts with this type of device where now completely switched towards mobile-phones, and mobile phone-pda hybrids (like the em-one), and that the zaurus will be phased out by April.

Not that this really matters to our community always vibrant with new projects! But I wouldn't be waiting for something new  
From Sharp Minds come Sharp Products (that are marketed by Weak Minds)TM  

I'm not surprised to hear this based on the fact we've known since last year that Sharp was pulling the plug on the Zaurus.  What does surprise me is that they are not going to chase after the lucrative eeePC plus clones market with an updated Zaurus variant with an updated OS, a higher res screen, more memory and built-in wireless comms like WiMax or whatever.  Oh well they will probably figure that out just before the bottom falls out of that market which pretty much their SOP.  

They did the same with the Sharp PC-3000 series, the Zaurus SL series, etc...

For multi-billion dollar company they sure have a rotten track record!  >:(
« Last Edit: March 13, 2008, 01:00:03 pm by HoloVector »
I think I'm coming down with what kahm's got!  I now have 3 Zaurii in house!  ;)
Current: Zaurus SL-C3200 -  Bobby (Configuring pdaXii13 Akita with Full 5.4.9 upgrade running IceWM)
Zaurus SL-C1000 - Hachiko (Configuring Cacko 1.23 with evilJazz's new kernel)
Zaurus SL-C860 - Fett (Customized Cacko 1.23 with handmade Boba Fett Theme)
Symbol WiFi CF card|Buffalo WiFi CF Card|Buffalo Ethernet CF Card|Red Piel Frama Case|PDAir Case|Black Pelican 1020 Case|Pentopia Stylii|SaruTek Protectors|Transcend SDs (4GB 150X, 1GB 80X, 256MB 45X, 128MB 45X)|2GB PNY SD|2GB SanDisk SD|Transcend CFs (1GB 80X, 512MB 80X)|Sandisk CFs (4GB, 512MB, 256MB)|256MB Netac USB-CF|RH-1 Remote
Check out the ScummVM@tyrannozaurus page if you are an "adventurer" type of person.