Zaurus SL-C3000

[Xumbi]

Wow, lots of negative replies!  I have to say that I'm impressed with this new model.  Think about it, now you can have 4GB of storage to use while using a CF LAN/WiFi card.  The most storage you can get right now while having an internet connection, practically, is 1GB on SD.

Yeah, not having USB host sucks, but I think it's a nice looking model.

Having said that, I wouldn't get one to replace my 750 just yet.

Did anyone else see the EA-BL11 battery here?  I wonder how much better it is than the BL08, and if it would fit in the Cxx0 models...

[runixd]

It looks to me like Sharp is trying to target a very different audience. It has a huge dictionary, it has storage and has no features. Almost like the reason they put linux on it in the first place is to cut operating system expenses. With this new model it makes more sence why it is only offered in japan and not anywhere else.

[tumnus]

Almost like the reason they put linux on it in the first place is to cut operating system expenses.

Yet it is still more expensive than most Pocket PCs, but I think production/sales volumes have more to do with this.

[loopy29]

Sharp was _so_ close... yet they let it slip...

Now that the announcements have sunken in I am getting more and more dissapointed.

minus:
* the device has grown
* screen isn't improved
* the finish looks toy-ish (big letdown for me)
* no USB-host
* no keyboard backlight
* no integrated comms
* hardly any speed improvements
* No java (as a java programmer, this is a bummer although it probably isn't too hard to add later.)

plus:
* 4GB HD (although some seem to disagree, I think this is an important plus)

Dissapointing. They _indeed_ better not try to release it in the rest of the world. It would be a catastrophe...

If only HP/dell/Asus would release a clamshell with twisty screen...

[lardman]

From: http://www.techworld.com/mobility/news/index.cfm?NewsID=2429

The Zaurus is also designed to work with a wide range of devices. It has an SD memory card slot, USB and irDA infrared ports and wireless LAN capability. It also has a CompactFlash card slot.

Why would you say "wireless LAN capability" and then say that it also has a CF slot?


Si

[tg]

Wow, lots of negative replies!  I have to say that I'm impressed with this new model.  Think about it, now you can have 4GB of storage to use while using a CF LAN/WiFi card.  The most storage you can get right now while having an internet connection, practically, is 1GB on SD.

Yeah, not having USB host sucks, but I think it's a nice looking model.

Having said that, I wouldn't get one to replace my 750 just yet.

Did anyone else see the EA-BL11 battery here?  I wonder how much better it is than the BL08, and if it would fit in the Cxx0 models...

As far as hard drive, it just "feels" like SD cards of that size are around the corner (Sandidsk already has 2G if I remember correctly). But even if you accept that hard
drive makes sense how do you explain less memory? I can't believe Sharp did that unless this is really targeted to different audience (who don't want mini-laptop as well as pda in one package) - but if that's the case then why is this even a clamshell with a keyboard?
About the best I can see about this release is that at least they did not drop Linux.

[lardman]

* no USB-host

This is not confirmed, or is it? I was pretty sure that the PXA270 could act as a host, even if they've not taken advantage of this. Please correct me if I'm wrong.


Si

[tz]

I would just note that it has not been confirmed that it does not have USB host.  That may be possible - just requiring a hidden config or driver, but they might not have featured that or other capability (they would have to have drivers for many things and that support might be the problem).  I still don't know if it still has a serial port or not.

There still seems to be some debate on the screen.

Before we all say Sharp blew it, we should wait for the actual release and someone to take a look at what is under the hood, both in terms of hardware and the kernel, what it really does have and does not, and what can be added.

[ev1l]

Well, it's not much of an improvement, but at least it won't force me to drop another grand. Integrated Wifi/bluetooth + SD + CF instead of HDD + SD + CF and I would have.
Silly Sharp, using a 400mhz pa270 on a top end PDA  

[lardman]

Silly Sharp, using a 400mhz pa270 on a top end PDA

It's be interesting to see the power consumption figures for this vs. the 600Mhz version which I saw one of the Dell Axims is using (iirc). Actually it'd also be interesting to see this PXA270 vs the PXA255 as the spec sheet claims that the power saving features are improved.


Si

[_Psycho]

* no USB-host

This is not confirmed, or is it? I was pretty sure that the PXA270 could act as a host, even if they've not taken advantage of this. Please correct me if I'm wrong.


Si

Hmm i thought i saw in a review that you can use it as a portable hard drive storage, that you can just drag and drop file from windows on your zaurus. It has to be USB host somehow. I forgot which article thought.

I wonder why they said Wireless LAN integrated too.

Its weird. I hope they will just do like 2-3 models like the c7x0
more rams, wifi BT in etc, within like 3 months thats would be nice.

[technojunkie]

Seeing as how I am still using a 5500 This looks to me to be a pretty fair upgrade, I am cringing though at what the price may be.

The only dissapointments for me are:
64MB RAM-  I know that with SD and a hard drive there is absolutely no need for ramdisk, but I would like to see 128MB plus.(Maybe someone will provide a memory upgrade service)

Possibly no USB host - again with that kind of storage there isn't much need for that as I would have used it primarily for usb memory sticks, with a 4GB HDD tho it will likely replace my memory stick AND my 4GB usb hard drive.(provided it still does mass storage like the 860)

I would like to see built in WiFi as much as the next guy,but I'll settle for a CF WiFi card.

A VGA screen would have been awesome as I love my ebooks, but I am already in the habit of reflowing all of my books anyway.

[albertr]

About the best I can see about this release is that at least they did not drop Linux.

It still has 2.4 kernel. They haven;t moved up to 2.6, and since 2.4 is dead for awhile already, IMHO it's the SAME as to drop linux. I'm not even starting talking about getting their patches cleaned up and submitted into official ARM kernel tree...
-albertr

[lardman]

@_Psycho:

Hmm i thought i saw in a review that you can use it as a portable hard drive storage, that you can just drag and drop file from windows on your zaurus. It has to be USB host somehow. I forgot which article thought.

This implies that it's a USB client rather than a host; however I still reckon it'll be a host too (otherwise, as was mentioned above, why have both a usb and the Sharp IO sockets).

@albertr:

It still has 2.4 kernel. They haven;t moved up to 2.6, and since 2.4 is dead for awhile already, IMHO it's the SAME as to drop linux. I'm not even starting talking about getting their patches cleaned up and submitted into official ARM kernel tree...

Come help with the OZ effort to port 2.6.x, the new model will be added in to OE as soon as possible (the addition of the 6000 happened pretty quickly, though I'm not sure how far the kernel efforts have progressed).

@technojunkie:

64MB RAM- I know that with SD and a hard drive there is absolutely no need for ramdisk, but I would like to see 128MB plus.

Do people really need that much memory (okay, I do, but I'm not reason enough for them to change their spec, unfortunately ;-))? It would be nice occasionally, but in truth for most apps it's a waste of power (keeping the unused/cached memory refreshed).

Si

[uczmeg]

This is the spec I wanted from a just released, new PDA:

Powered by the Intel® XScaleTM  PXA270 Processor at 624MHz
Brilliant 3.7" color TFT VGA display with 640x480 resolution
Integrated Intel®  2700G multimedia accelerator with 16MB video memory
Integrated 802.11b and BluetoothTM  Wireless Technologies
Packed with 64MB SDRAM and 128MB Intel StrataFlash®  ROM
Integrated CompactFlash Type II and Secure Digital / SDIO Now! / MMC card slots provide flexible expansion
VGA-Out Support with optional VGA Presentation Bundle
Removable Primary Battery with optional High Capacity Battery
3.5mm Headphone / Headset Jack for Headsets to support VoIP and voice recognition applications
Built-in microphone and speaker for easy recording on the go
USB Cradle including Battery Charging Slot
Sleek, stylish design

All available for $499 in the new Dell Axim x50v.

Okay, I'm lying, I'd want the 4" screen of the iPAQ 7400, but otherwise it looks amazing.

Cheers
Marc