“Sharp’s new Linux-powered Zaurus SL-5500 may be one of the few
PDAs that is able to challenge Pocket PC devices in terms of power,
speed, and features. We’ve only just received a final production
model for review and are deep in the midst of testing it. We’ll
have a complete review ready shortly, but here are our initial
impressions.“The SL-5500’s hardware is similar to that of high-end Pocket PC
devices. The 7.3-ounce device has a 206MHz Intel StrongARM
processor, 64MB of RAM, and a very nice, 3.5-inch, 240×320-pixel
color LCD. But the Zaurus has one unique feature that will surely
earn it some fans: a thumb keyboard that’s hidden under the
device’s thumb pad and application buttons.“But why Linux? The open source OS has proven its mettle in Web
servers, but it remains to be seen whether it is a better handheld
solution than Palm or Pocket PC. The interface works much like
Palm’s, with tabbed pages that display lists of applications and
documents…”