Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic Linux PDA!
Review: I jumped on the Palm bandwagon back when they were still made by US Robotics.... went through a Palm Pilot Professional, then a Handspring Visor Deluxe..... they were nice devices, and did what I needed them to do at the time - Calendar, To Do, Memo, Contacts.The Sharp SL-5500 does all of this and more... This is not just a PDA, but a full fledged computer with a modern browser (Opera), and MP3/MPEG player, and all the PIM apps you need. Some of the PIM applications are not as refined as on the Palm, but they are very usable and I have no complaints. As a Palm Graffiti user, I was able to supplement the SL-5500's handwriting recognition with some of the graffiti gestures I'm used to.... and the built in keyboard is excellent.... once you read the Unofficial FAQ to find the undocumented chars: | { } [ ] etc.... The rechargeable battery is adequate, and the screen is excellent.... I can carry pictures of my son around with me! Best part is, it's a full Linux OS underneath, complete with shell access and all the tools you'd expect to find. I can take this to a data center, plug right into the network with a CF ethernet card, and bingo.... I can ssh or telnet to a unix machine. This is not just for the general consumer, but for serious sysadmins too!
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but watch out for Wi-Fi Support.
Review: I own a Z5500 and I think sharp has done a good job.
The kernel is quite stable, just as one would expect from a Linux system.
Once you can get the VNC service to run(which is very easy), you can do everything on the unit thru' the PC. The two expansion slot is good and comes handy if you want to access the files on SD while your cf network card is plugged in. Everything is cool, except that there are issues with Wi-Fi support with some Wireless cards. The Support people are quite clueless, and the only support they offer is send in the unit and we'll look at it, which kindda [stinks]. The news groups are filled with people's concern on this matter and there seems to be no resolution from sharp. But again if you are not looking to use a wire less n/w card, I think you could go for it. There is plenty of stuff you can download and insall from various sites(handango, zauruszone, etc)
Rating:
Summary: It's absolutely fantastic
Review: I have been given the developer's version of this PDA from JavaOne conference. First impression was excellent, Sharp was very smart about integrating a hidden keyboard, far better than plugging an external keyboard like Palm.. No mess very clean.. This is not just a cool gagdet but a very useful device, it acts just like all other current PDAs, got all the softwares that are necessary to perform the tasks for a PDA.. Although it's a new OS, but sooner than later, there will be lots of software floating around. Again, this is a good thing to encourage more people to develop software for Linux.. Secondly, keen software engineer could write codes on the move.. Thirdly, isn't this the only PDA that allows two types of external memory without those messy plug-in devices like iPAQ? Lastly, the GUI is just nicely done... Resolution and screen size are perfect. I have been looking around at the current market such as iPAQ, Sony Clie, Palm etc and I have to say, this has the best resolution and it's so crisp. This is my first PDA and I am a very proud owner of it!
Rating:
Summary: Best Value for money in the market..hands down!!!
Review: Let me give my background....I am a lifelong WINDOWS user. I have XP on my PC. I am not a professional programmer. I have almost no knowledge of Linux. Having said that...I found Zaurus to be the easiest and most intuitive PDA to use. The keyboard is awesome, especially if you can use your thumbs well. The PIM application are very adequate. My favorite feature is the MP3 player. the clarity is mind blowing. add a generous configuration with memory, games and applications....it does not hang your desktop (I have an P4) or lock up. battery life is good, i put it on the charger every night. i had the ipaq 3635 before and i liked it but Zaurus blows it off the water. you might have to wait a while to get an extensive software library going but the current applications out there should cover ALL your needs.....i am sure there will be better PDA's in the future..but currently this the best PDA out there...guaranteed.....
Rating:
Summary: Awesome
Review: This is a really neat PDA. Although it is my first, I have played with others (Palm, Windows). Not much difference in applications, but the little keyboard makes this PDA quite awesome; no fooling around with mistakes when using the pen. The Zaurus is fast, and I have made the transition from a paper-based organizer without any hassles. The Intellisync software sync'ed up to Windows 2000 on the first try, and I have successfully transfered files half-a-dozen times so far. I have even downloaded new applications which installed properly on the first try. This will give Palm and Windows-based PDA's a bit of competition.
Rating:
Summary: amazing utility
Review: The sharp zaurus is an amazing utility. It has just about every bell and whistle a gearhead could want to play with. It also functions well as a PDA. All of this and its linux based so you can always open a shell and get to every nook and crannie of this system.
Rating:
Summary: A great first release
Review: I just got my SL5500 today and am pretty impressed. The screen is excellent. Having a built-in keyboard is a godsend for someone like me. As much as I tried, I never mastered Grafitti. The sync program isn't perfect but it does work with outlook. Now I'm just sorting out how to get my dlink wireless card working so I can ssh from my couch. Linux on a handheld is cool.
Rating:
Summary: Sharp Zaurus is like a little computer!!
Review: I just received mine two days ago and after 'playing' with it I can tell you that it's an extremely powerful PDA. Im not a Linux user nor do I know Java. I simply needed a quick way to input data because I'm in grad school. It took about 15 minutes to get used to the keyboard, but after that I was away. It comes with a Word application that is compatible with MS Word. So while on the bus I was able to work on my research and simply sync it back to my main document on my PC. Also I purchased a wireless network card because my dorm is wired and Im able to surf the Internet at blazing speeds. I even cut and pasted a Map into my Word application with no problems! Truly this is a great little 'computer' and the price is good. I look forward to more applications in the future..
Rating: 
Summary: UPDATE to So Close and yet So Far... - PLEASE READ
Review: Well, anybody who read my 1st review, please read this one! After playing with the Zaurus over the weekend, I decided to not return it... I originally had two issues with it - the screen and the battery life. Screen: First of all, the screen takes a while to get "warmed up." When you first turn it on, it does seem dark, but after 5 - 7 seconds it brightens up considerably. Actually using it on daily basis it seems fine, and I would now give it an OK rating, especially not comparing it constantly to the HP Jornada screen. Battery: After a couple of full charges the battery seems to last considerably longer, and I can now go for a full day of really heavy use without needing a recharge. While it still could be better, it is good enough, and the extra batteries are very small so you can always bring an extra if needed. The main problem as I still see it is the PIM apps, which seem quite basic. But I feel confident that they will be updated on regular basis with the following that the unit seems to be getting from Linux folks. And the built-in keyboard is really great. I underestimated how much I would be using it. It allows fairly fast data entry, so the Zaurus can be treated as a nice stand-alone PC in many ways. The other positives is how snappy the system feels, with none of the frequent slowdowns that my wife's HP suffers from.
Rating:
Summary: A Great PDA
Review: I purchased the Zaurus from here and have to say it is great. It is a wonderfull PDA as well as a linux tool. Don't get too down from the reviews based on the developer models. Sharp did do some clean up and revision on the "consumer" models vs the developer models, and the double memory helps a great deal. But I will warn you that this PDA is not for the PDA newby. I would recommend that this PDA be for the power computer user who needs more than a simple PIM and Music player. There are some quirks with syncing that if you are careful can be easily worked around. I think this platform will be succesfull as more software is developed and the Zaurus bugs and quirks get worked out. Remember this is a new PDA, and it's a GREAT deal better than MS's first attempt (or second attempt for that matter), even better than some of the recent Palms in my opinion. I owned a Palm IIIx previously.
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