Go for the 6000L or hold out for the 6000W?

[Ethereal]

When I first heard the word on the street about the 6000 series, I was determined to go first class and get a W, with double-barrelled connectivity and a CF slot to spare for...something else.  However, given that the \"bird in the hand\" for US consumers is the 6000L, I\'m contemplating just sticking a bluetooth card in the CF slot and calling it \"enough\"--especially since BT can provide internet connectivity, PAN, and GPS.

What\'s everyone\'s take?  How much more functionality does the W really bring with it?

[DrWowe]

How much more functionality does the W really bring with it?

That\'s an easy one.  Bluetooth.  

As far as I can tell from the FCC manuals, there\'s no other difference.  So, whether the W is worth it depends entirely on how badly you want built in bluetooth.  The advantages of having it built in, as you already noted, are that the CF slot stays free.  Another advantage is that its already there...  no need to worry about leaving the card at home, or finding a place to put it in your carry pouch.  And of course, you don\'t need to worry about buying a model that isn\'t compatible.  For me, I have two uses for bluetooth:  One is to connect to through the internet via my cell phone.  The other is (potentially) to connect a keyboard like device for use in landscape mode.  A lesser use might be to connect and exchange files with my laptop more easily.  

Right now i\'m holding out for a device thats a little more \"perfect\".   People say how much better the C series clamshells are, I\'m not a believer yet but perhaps I would become one if I saw one in person.  But I would still want a model with built in wireless.  Since the 6000W is already available in Japan, its not a big strech to believe they would put those features in a clamshell form factor in the next few months.

[Ethereal]

How much more functionality does the W really bring with it?

That\'s an easy one.  Bluetooth.  

OK, I guess I should have been more concrete:  given that adding BT to the 6000L (which I would do immediately if I were to get one) means filling the CF slot, how much potential expansibility is really lost by having a handheld with WiFi and BT, but no open CF slot, compared with having both wireless modes and an open CF slot?  Or, if you had an SL-6000W, what would you plug into the CF slot?  My candidates would be:

1.) GPS, which can also be done via BT;
2.) Camera, but I don\'t know how much the Sharp CF camera really adds to a Z\'s usefulness;
3.) 1xRTT card, which has the potential to turn the Z into the ultimate convergence device, but that would depend on the right software and the right support from Sprint\'s infrastructure.  (Sprint has already announced intentions to support wireless data via a CF card for the Z, but has not commented on voice functionality.)  This would definitely make the wait for the 6000W worthwhile, but given Sprint\'s rather...unimaginative attitude toward other precedent-setters like the T608, it feels like pie-in-the-sky.

As for the clamshells, I\'m happy for those who love them, but I have no interest in a handheld device that requires the full-time dedication of both hands to operate.  Although, of course, using the keyboard or stylus requires both hands, I can navigate around QTopia passably well with just the D-pad and buttons under one thumb.

[vishnja]

Ethereal, as far as I understand your post, you have two options without any significant tradeoffs:

a) buy a SL-6000W in Japan and put an English SL-6000L -Rom on it
 buy a SL-6000L and a nice BT-cf-card AND the sleeve (with the cf-slot) and decide on the cf-card issue later. The bt-card I have doesn\'t stick out of the Zaurus and you could just leave it in there. Only by actually using the device you can be sure, which options you\'ll need most.

For myself, I\'d be happy with a cf-card NOT sticking out of my C860 ;-)

cheers,
Kathrin

[nevarrie]

I have to say I really like the idea of getting SL-6000W just because I would like to start using bluetoooth since I can see lots of uses that it maybe worth having.  Though at the same time I look at the few things that are avalible bluetooth at this time and I wonder if any of the things I would like to have will every come into reality(bluetooth portable keyboard being on of the first things to come to mind).  The other things I would want to uses bluetooth for on the 6000 would be fore a bluetooth headset with a GSM cf card to turn my Z into my phone(If this is even possable).

Also has anyone seen a place you can by the sleeve at yet?  That maybe my answer to getting the 6000L till I have figured out if I really want to uses bluetooth and then seeing what is avalible then and upgrade.

[DrWowe]

will every come into reality(bluetooth portable keyboard being on of the first things to come to mind)

There are plenty of portable bluetooth keyboards in the pipeline for 2004.
See, for example: http://www.infosyncworld.com/news/n/4457.html

The bt-card I have doesn\'t stick out of the Zaurus

Which card is that?

[Codefire]

I\'m also looking to \"cell-phone\" my Z using a BT headset.

As for the 1xRTT I thought I read that using the Sprint service you can roam freely and seemlessly between W-LAN and W-WAN.?

[vishnja]

The bt-card I have doesn\'t stick out of the Zaurus

Which card is that?

The NOKIA Connectivity Card DTL-1 Bluetooth CF. Very cheap ;-)

[metal9966]

I think I will go for the 6000L, but I am going to wait a few months to decide, need to see the final pricing after the \"new\" wears off.

[nevarrie]

will every come into reality(bluetooth portable keyboard being on of the first things to come to mind)

There are plenty of portable bluetooth keyboards in the pipeline for 2004.
See, for example: http://www.infosyncworld.com/news/n/4457.html

That is one of the things I needed to see...Seeing this may help me wait for the 6000W(I am also still $200 away from having enough money saved)...I like my IR keyboard, but it is to much of a pain to keep it in the right place to make it work..

[Ethereal]

The bt-card I have doesn\'t stick out of the Zaurus

Which card is that?

The NOKIA Connectivity Card DTL-1 Bluetooth CF. Very cheap ;-)

Who has it for sale?

[Ethereal]

Ethereal, as far as I understand your post, you have two options without any significant tradeoffs:

a) buy a SL-6000W in Japan and put an English SL-6000L -Rom on it

Tradeoff: $$$ (It\'s about 1K  :shock:  USD to have one of the anglicising firms import a Japanese 6000W, and I have yet to find a Japanese retailer that will sell/ship overseas.)

buy a SL-6000L and a nice BT-cf-card AND the sleeve (with the cf-slot) and decide on the cf-card issue later.

Tradeoff: Although I haven\'t seen a photo of the anticipated expansion sleeve, it\'s going to make a fairly large (by handheld standards) device even larger, to some extent.

[ganoe]

I have basically decided to bail on getting a new Zaurus since they failed to come out with a Bluetooth model.  Between this and the development site going away, I am totally disappointed.  Just a few months ago, I was excited about the SL-6000W, the developer site was fairly active and there still seemed to be minor software updates in the works for my SL-5500.

If I bought the SL-6000L, I\'d be out another $130 for a Bluetooth card, for which there probably isn\'t software for yet on the 6000, and I\'d have to hack around just to get it to work.  In a few months, I\'ll probably be able to get two Palm OS 6 devices for the same price, with the features I want, from a company that supports their developer community.

Sorry to sound so pessimistic, but why buy a PDA from a company that is barely acknowledging the device\'s existance?

[ganoe]

Tradeoff: Although I haven\'t seen a photo of the anticipated expansion sleeve, it\'s going to make a fairly large (by handheld standards) device even larger, to some extent.

Yeah, but I believe it also includes a battery that effectively triples(?) the device\'s battery life.  Very nice, IMHO.

[ganoe]

3.) 1xRTT card, which has the potential to turn the Z into the ultimate convergence device

Maybe this not making the SL-6000W available is a gimmick to get people to buy the 1xRTT card.    Maybe someone like Sprint even paid Sharp off to go that route.

Using Bluetooth with a 1xRTT Bluetooth phone is a much more flexible solution.