O'Reilly: The Sharp Zaurus -- A Lovely Little Computer
May 30, 2002, 03:00 (9 Talkback[s])
(Other stories by Simson Garfinkel)
" With its GNU/Linux-based operating system and applications,
Sharp's new Zaurus SL-5500 palmtop computer is turning heads in the
open source community. Powered by the Qtopia desktop from Trolltech
(the makers of Qt), this is a handheld that's equally at home
viewing Web pages with its Opera Web browser, running enterprise
C++ and Java applications, or managing your contacts. For people
and companies who are used to programming desktop computers, the
SL-5500 provides an easy way to get those programs into your pocket
and on the road.
"But while it's tempting to focus on the SL-5500's open source
roots, doing so actually does a disservice to this machine. The
SL-5500 is completely usable by folks who don't care that they can
get at this computer's source code. For them, the real strength of
the SL-5500 is not its software, but its hardware.
"The SL-5500 is the sort of PDA that James Bond would use:
although it looks small and unassuming at first, each side opens
up, slides away, or unfolds to reveal capabilities that are both
unique and useful..."
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