Sharp Leaves Pda Market In USA

[zaurusgeek]

They'll sell for a few more months then discontinue the product in the US.  How does that make us recent 6000 purchasers feel?

[Miami_Bob]

Got anything supporting this claim, ZG?

[zaurusgeek]

see my response in the general forum

[cradlinski]

Assuming this is true (and I have no reason to disbelieve our source from SDG), I'm not surprised.  Here's why:

• I've never seen the Sharp Zaurus advertised anywhere.  Most people don't know it exists.  It's not carried at CompUSA, Best Buy, OfficeMax, or Office Depot.
  
• Aside from the folks in these forums, I don't know of anybody else who owns a Zaurus.  None of my family, none of my friends, none of my acquaintances.  Nobody.
  
• I'm the kiss of death to any cool tech product.  As soon as I bought a Zaurus, you all should have known it was bound for oblivion.  Look what I did to the Sega Dreamcast.

I'll continue to carry my Zaurus until some key part breaks or wears out (most likely the battery) and then I'll downgrade to an iPaq.  The future of Linux on PDAs is here.

[lardman]

The future of Linux on PDAs is here .

Actually here: http://openembedded.org

Si

[iamasmith]

• I'm the kiss of death to any cool tech product.  As soon as I bought a Zaurus, you all should have known it was bound for oblivion.  Look what I did to the Sega Dreamcast.

Right, somebody tell someone at Sharp it's 'cradlinski's fault.

*LOL*  

[AsLan^]

well, seeings as how Sharp hasnt really given us anything in the way of support for our 6000's yet, I really dont mind. Im lucky I got my Z and Ill continue playing with it.

ZUG has been my only source of support, thanks guys.

[AsLan^]

I am curious though, do any of the "corporate" or "enterprise" customers that sharp was targeting with the 6000 frequent ZUG ?

If so... what do you use your Z's for...

do you use specialised software or receive any kind of special customer support ?

[dh]

I am curious though, do any of the "corporate" or "enterprise" customers that sharp was targeting with the 6000 frequent ZUG ?

If so... what do you use your Z's for...

do you use specialised software or receive any kind of special customer support ?

The only Linux based mobile computers I've ever seen in enterprise applications are the AML ones.

[img]http://www.amltd.com/images/the-works_25.jpg\" border=\"0\" class=\"linked-image\" /]

These compete with Symbol, HHP and the like, where they do a pretty good job. They have laser scanners, WiFi and all that fun stuff.

Can't imagine what applications the Zaurus would be used for, maybe a mobile terminal for Linux sys admins?

[cradlinski]

Sharp has an enterprise Zaurus case-study on their website.  I wonder if CSX is as unhappy with Sharp as we are.

[AsLan^]

I wonder what kind of awsome data entry CSX was doing that couldnt be dne with any other pda that has a modem, come to thin of it... my sharp pocketmail device could have easily handled the load given the right software.

[Timelord.]

Wait... you mean they had a US program going? <sarcasm>

They had no sales team, no support, and basically no information easily available.  I bought the hardware with the understanding that SharpUSA was a myth.

---

What is sad though, is that their idiocy with this mess made them lose out on several dozen sales here alone.

[zaurusgeek]

In terms of "enterprise" apps, I was in the early stages of planning a voip phone based on the Sharp.  This was for a specialized market that required very specific parameters.  This news has certainly killed any consideration of the Z, but I'm not very enthusiastic about develping for iPaqs/Windows either.  Luckily the news came at a point where all it cost me was a Z and accessories.  The only support I was ever looking for from Sharp was a stable, available product.

[elvis]

Wow makes me feel happy I didn't lay $700 down for the 6000L like I was thinking. This is truly sad :-(. At this point, I've given up and I am thinking of getting a Dell Axim instead.

[cradlinski]

I have a 6000 and I really like it.  I'm very sorry to hear that there won't be any follow-ons.  Plus, I expect the supply of 6000 accessories to drop off rapidly.

When my 6000 dies--as all such things eventually do--what are the odds that I'll be able to get a Japanese Z here in the States?  I see that Dynamism sells Japanese Zaurii.  Can we expect them to continue doing so or will they drop the Zaurus, too?  What about developer effort?  The elimination of the Zaurus from the U.S. market will surely cut down on the demand for OpenZaurus.  Can the OpenZaurus developers really sustain their efforts with a very small user base willing to shell out $850US for a C860?

On the upside, perhaps this will result in greater support for the Familiar project as disgruntled ex-Zaurus users migrate to other platforms.  I got the Z because I wanted an ultra portable computer, not an electronic organizer.  That's why I can't see myself ever getting a Palm device.  I hate Windows so I don't want a Pocket PC, either.  I would be willing to get an iPaq if I knew I could replace the software with Familiar+Opie or gpe.  However, Familiar seems to be a generation behind HP/Compaq's offerings.  They have great support for the iPaq 39xx line which isn't sold anymore.  Development for current offerings is in various stages of maturity but none appear really ready for primetime.  I'm interested in helping out on development but I need to read a few more books on embedded Linux and spend many hours wrestling with toolchains before I could be productive.

Damn you, Sharp!!!

Chris Radlinski
Plymouth, MN