Manufacturer: Sharp Model#: SL-55 Weight: 0..4lbs Height: 5..4"     Width: 2..9" Length: " Average Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars	Retail Price: $399.99 Online Sale Price:
Features: Linux/Java-powered handheld computer with 64 MB RAM, 206 Mhz Intel processor, and organization and productivity software High-resolution color reflective TFT screen with support for over 65,000 colors Integrated QWERTY keyboard that slides out from bottom of handheld Listen to MP3 or watch MPEG video; includes stereo headphone jack What's in the box: Zaurus SL-5500, EA-70 AC Adaptor, Docking Station (USB), AC Adapter and Power Cord, Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery, Stylus, Display Protection Cover, CF Slot Protection Card

User Submitted Sharp Zaurus SL-5500 PDA Reviews (cont...)

The sharp zaurus really is the best kept secret among PDAs. I've had my Zaurus for almost 9 months, and have had no problems with it. It's simply the best... And here's why:

Operating System: Running on the Linux kernel, with embedex (Lineo) and sporting the QTopia desktop interface (which can be replaced by other Gnome and Opie interface), the Zaurus is a powerful mobile tool. While the Pocket PC interface (2000 and 2002) are decent, the QTopia interface out-does the Pocket PC by a long shot. The Pocket PC's interface has a more clunky feel, while the QT GUI makes use of the Zaurus' high-rez screen. Did I mention Java? It's got a built in "Jeode" JVM for Java developers. If you don't wanna take a crash course in C++, you can write programs for the Zaurus in Java.

It's open source, just like it's desktop counterpart, so if you know what you're doing, you can easilly modify it to your taste. Pocket PC just can't match this kind of open source power. It's also incredibly stable. I can count the number of times it's crashed on my hand (and when it did crash it was with unstable 3rd party apps).

IMHO, this is what the Pocket PC should've been. It's got the same task-bar/desktop look that the windows desktop OS has.

Software: I'm not trying to turn this into a Pocket PC bash-athon, it just seems to be turning out that way. As an HTML and web programming enthusiast, the Opera browser has Pocket IE beat 10 to 1. While Microsoft boasts "Pocket IE supports WAP, XHTML and most JavaScript", Opera supports all of these and then some. And it supports ALL JScript objects (Prompt boxes, alerts, arrays etc...). And Opera promises to have applet and Flash plug-ins in the near future. In short, as pdageek.com put it, "The Zaurus version [of Opera] is just like the full version: Fast, small, and to the point".

The other apps are great too. Hancom Word, Sheet and Presenter are great. I haven't used Pocket Word or Excel enough to say that Hancom is better, but I can definitally say that the Zaurus version matches the Pocket PC office suit. Pocket PC doesn't even come with a PowerPoint viewer. The media player supports both high bandwidth MP3s (352 kbps) and low bandwidth (16 kbps). It also comes with a built in MPEG-1 player. However, theKompany.com has an excellent video player that supports AVIs,MPEGs, Quicktime movies etc... that you will want to upgrade to for serious movie watching. The games are fun too ^_^.

Hardware: The Zaurus again matches the Pocket PC, with 206 MHZ intel strong ARM CPU, 64 MB RAM and a 240 x 320 screen. The only other Pocket PC that outdoes this is the Toshiba e710 with a 400 MHZ CPU, but if you want something of that caliber, check out the Zaurus SL-5600 (with 96 MB RAM and 400 MHZ). Yet another place where the Zaurus wins is support for both CompactFlash and SecureDigital built in. You can take a picture with your CF digital camera, pop out the CF from it and view the images on your Zaurus. It also has a built in QWERTY key board built in (which I'm typing on) and an IR port.

Wi-Fi and Internet: While it doesn't have a wi-fi card built in, it's very easy to add one. Just pop in a wireless LAN card or Wi-Fi compatible card, and your ready to go. No drivers to load. Nothing. I popped my D-Link 650w CF card and started using the router. Browsing FTPs and surfing the net is fast and easy. I do alot of my internet browsing on my zaurus. I surf using Opera or Konqeror, I use Opie FTP to browse servers, and I use KMerling to Instant Message. The E-Mail app is good too, supporting attachments and scripted e-mails.

Syncing: Intellisync is very good. I run it on Windows XP and I've synced it with Outlook 2000 and 2002. The Task List, Calender, and Datebook apps are good, but not as good as the Franklin Covey apps available for Pocket PC and Palm. I've had no problems syncing. You can even sync wirelessly (if you know what you're doing).

Overall, the Zaurus is a great choice for anyone. Developers, Novices,and Experts.

Date: 2002-11-15
Only for anti-socials
If 60% of PDA users use Palm and 35% use Pocket PC/WinCE, why be the last 5% that use something nobody really cares about? As a Mac user I learned the pains of living on the fringe, and my advice to any potential Zaurus shopper is, stick with a mainstream device, i.e., Pocket PC or Palm.

The Zaurus sports a nice hardware design, something you'd expect from a Japanese company. The software, while stable, is very unpolished and VERY confusing. There's also a lack of clear integration as on the Palm and also Pocket PC. Free software? You get what you pay for...

In short, not quite worth the money and the label of an anti-social.

Date: 2002-11-10
I love it!
This was my first PDA ... but I had been looking hard at the Palm and Handspring PDA's before I got this one. It's really feature rich and I have no problem synching with my laptop and my desktop. I also like the fact that there are two card slots, one compactflash (CF) and one secure digital SD slot. So there's tons of room to store all kinds of stuff. Aside from the calendar, to do list and word/excel spreadsheet uses, I also use my zaurus as an MP3 player.. works great with MP3's running off one of the cards. If you want a great PDA, this is the one to get! .. oh, did I mention the mini keyboard that is only a click away under the navigation buttons???

Date: 2002-10-28
Looked promising...
...but no Mac support? Bummer. It seemed promising as an alternative to all the new Windows-based devices, but then I see the only OS's supported for syncing are Windows-based!

If there had been Mac support, this would have been my Christmas gift to my hubby! Guess we're back to Palm.