![[inline picture]](zaurus0.jpg)
(October 2003) A Linux-based PDA, currently available by import from Japan, and converted to English, from Dynamism, with:
I bought this PDA because I have basically outgrown the limitations of the PalmOS platform. I wanted more than a PDA, and this delivers: it's really a full-blown, general-purpose computer that you can carry in a coat pocket. It is roughly the size and weight of a clamshell Sony NX Clie PDA (and smaller than you might expect, given the screen resolution), and like all PDAs has instant-on operation, portability, and long battery life (8.5 hours with the large battery). But this is much more like a notebook than a PDA in function; in fact, it has most of the power that desktop machines had just a few years ago.
![[inline picture]](zaurus1.jpg)
The VGA screen and keyboard alone are compelling enough to put this
machine in a class of its own, but its real power comes from its
operating system: this PDA runs Linux, a popular desktop and server
operating system (though you don't have to care if you don't want to).
That means you get full multi-tasking, a real file system, a bash console
command-line, and stability. It also means that this PDA will run:
![[inline picture]](zaurus2.jpg)
By contrast, the PalmOS proprietary database model tends to foster a
closed applications model, which is not very conducive to end-user
scripting or customization. At the least, Palm devices tend to be
mass-market and somewhat closed devices. At the worst, the combination
of Zaurus hardware and Linux makes my PalmOS machines seem as limited
as simple calculators at times.
Here's an example. Because the Zaurus runs a general-purpose operating system, it allows me do things that are difficult on Palm PDAs (or outside their scope entirely). I can use the Zaurus to edit arbitrary HTLM and text files, stored anywhere on the device, to maintain a website--something the Palm memo app was never designed to do. The Palm memo database is mostly intended just for the memo app, and the memo app is limited to processing just the single memo database. (And I won't even mention those silly Palm memo size limits, except for this aside.)
In general, many other Palm apps tend to have a similarly closed and proprietary view of the world, due to the PalmOS architecture. They will only run on PalmOS, and do not easily integrate with other programs. Using a file-system on a memory card can help somewhat (if you can assume a card will be present). But the PalmOS per-application database paradigm seems inherently closed. In broader terms, these machines seem to have outgrown Palm's original conception of PDAs as simply viewers for data that lives on another machine (PalmOS was designed for devices like these). It's time for a less limiting operating system, to match the power of current PDA hardware. Linux seems ideal in this role.
Of course, you can also still do all the usual PDA tasks on the Zaurus: calendars, memos, spreadsheets, and multimedia (photos, mp3s, video), and its SD and CF slots allow for a combined 2G of removable storage space with current memory cards (update: 4G CF cards are now available). But there's nothing quite as powerful as being able to open a console window and run an arbitrary grep command to search all text files on the device. The Zaurus seems a much more open, and much more useful machine.
I'll post more photos of my own and more comments if/when I get a chance. Barring that, here are four great reviews, and dynamism's page:
Probably the biggest downside to the Zaurus is that it is only sold in Japan today, though Dynamism does a good job of selling and supporting it (and delivered mine in just under 2 days). Sharp does sell the prior Zaurus model in the US, and I hope they sell the new one here eventually too. The current rumors are that it (or a similar product) will be either sold in the US soon, or marketed as an enterprise solution (which seems to makes sense, given its support for open standards and customization, and raw horsepower).
I posted some information about using Python on the Zaurus, on this page. It includes information on Python GUI coding options, as well as a simple memo-to-textfile Python conversion script hacked together on a plane.
Some additional Zaurus screenshots and photos I took:
| Terminal console | here, here |
|---|---|
| Word files | here, here |
| Spreadsheets | here, here, here |
| Pdf viewer | here |
| Web browser | here, here, here, here |
| Image viewer | here, here |
| Qt start button | here |
| Next to a Clie NX70V pda | here, here |
| Next to Sony U1 and SRX77 subnotebooks | here, here |
| Playing MP3s through amplified speakers | here |
After getting the PDA, I picked up a CF modem card for traveling, and 1G CF and 512M SD memory cards; this device handles most types of media, and large collections of it. I have yet to connect this PDA to my laptop; because you don't have to synch to install programs, all you really need is a USB card reader for your laptop to transfer files back and forth. I haven't yet had a reason to telnet to/from the Zaurus.
The only caveat I've found after nearly a month of use is that the provided software is not always as useful as I'd like. I've so far installed third-party pdf viewers, movie viewers, calculators, an alternative file explorer for multiple selections, and an alternative terminal console with multi-session support. Since this is Linux, all of these were either free or very inexpensive.
On the upside, I've found that this PDA can do things outside the scope of any other PDA I've used. It can easily run a 5-second delay fullscreen jpeg image file slideshow, while playing MP3s at the same time, and without skipping a beat in either. Moreover, the photos and music can be played from any directory on the Zaurus; my prior PalmOS PDA's software required using special directories for photos, and special directories and filenames for videos, and could not handle as large a collection of media files.
In fact, the Zaurus tends to make you rethink what a PDA is for. Really, its design makes it more a laptop replacement, with PDA functionality. This PDA weans you away from copying things from your laptop to your PDA, and towards putting them on the PDA in the first place. That is, it seems to want to be more peer than accessory; it's quickly becoming my primary machine for spreadsheets, website maintenance, Python programming, multimedia, and more. It's still not a full replacement for a PC, but it's getting very close.
It appears that Sharp will release a much-improved model of their non-clamshell Zaurus in the US, in January '04. This model, the SL6000, has a 4 inch VGA screen (same technology as in the C760), and built-in wi-fi and bluetooth; it was shown at a convention in late October, and is apparently ruggidized for the enterprise market. Its screen can be rotated to portrait or landcape (vertical or horizontal) like the C760; unlike the C760, the keyboard is much smaller, and oriented towards portrait use, not landscape. Given that landscape is better for most documents, the clamshell design of the C760 still seems an advantage. Read more here.
A new version of the clamshell model, the C860, is also on the way. It will be released in late November '04, as the successor to the C760. The C860 is a very minor upgrade to the C760, and in fact is almost identical--same hardware, all silver color, and minor software upgrades (English-Japanese text translation, USB drive support without installing drivers, and support for a Japan-only cellular connection system). The C860 may or may not be sold in the US, but should be available from importers. More: a blurb on linuxDevices.com, Sharp Japan's announcement, and an English translation with specs.
Update: as of mid 2005, there have been 3 additional clamshell models of the Zaurus (c1000, c3000, and c3100), the latter 2 of which come with 4G hard drives. Sony has gotten out of the PDA market since I last updated this page. More on the c3100 on this page.
I considered the new Sony UX50 480x320 landscape machine too (the other big clamshell PDA innovation this year), but decided to move to a Linux PDA, for a few reasons. The operating system issue discussed above was the main factor, but the UX50 also:
I hope Sony comes out with an improved version of the UX50. It's small and light, and could be a nice device. I also wish they would consider replacing some of their marginally-useful features with a real operating system, to make the device more general purpose. For instance, I never used the camera on my NX70V for anything but a toy, and the bluetooth and wi-fi support of the UX50 is not a big factor to me. I can snap lots of very poor pictures with a Clie, but I cannot edit my web pages, write general and portable scripts to manage my memos, or view a reasonably-sized spreadsheet or Word document without becoming a compulsive scroller.
I've also found the software that Sony ships to be sometimes frustrating. My prior Clie, for instance, came with a Clie Viewer, which was much-touted as a single interface to all multimedia on the device, but was so slow and poorly designed as to be totally useless for any non-trivially sized media collection. (On the Zaurus, you can easily navigate through arbitrarily-large directories of photos, music, and the like). I've heard similar usability concerns about Sony's MovieShaker package, needed for the MicroMV tape format in some contexts. In some cases, Sony seems more adept at hyping the gee-whiz factor of their products, than exercising basic quality control. It seems as if some products are either rushed out by the marketing department, or not tested for usability on end-users at all. Sony's practice of not supporting anything but their own memory stick media is also less than ideal; down that path lies monopoly.
Ultimately, though, these machines can be much more than they are today, and PalmOS seems to be the main limiting factor going forward. Comparing the Zaurus to the Clie is very much like comparing a laptop to a PDA. Given the choice between a useful device and a toy, technology consumers may be more discerning than some companies give them credit for. We need usability, not flashing lights. But you be the judge; here are two nice UX50 reviews:
My prior handhelds: here, here, here, here, and here.
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