Sharp Zaurus
Encyclopedia
Personal digital assistant
A personal digital assistant , also known as a palmtop computer, or personal data assistant, is a mobile device that functions as a personal information manager. Current PDAs often have the ability to connect to the Internet...
(PDA) made by Sharp Corporation
Sharp Corporation
is a Japanese multinational corporation that designs and manufactures electronic products. Headquartered in Abeno-ku, Osaka, Japan, Sharp employs more than 55,580 people worldwide as of June 2011. The company was founded in September 1912 and takes its name from one of its founder's first...
. The Zaurus was the most popular PDA during the 1990s in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and was based on a proprietary operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
. The first Sharp PDA to use the Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
operating system was the SL-5000D, running the Qtopia
Qtopia
Qt Extended is an application platform for embedded Linux-based mobile computing devices such as personal digital assistants, video projectors and mobile phones...
-based Embedix Plus. The name derives from the common suffix applied to the names of dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s, and was chosen to convey the idea of strength.
History
In September 1993, Sharp introduced the PI-3000, the first in the Zaurus line of PDAs, as a follow-on to Sharp's earlier Wizard line of PDAs (the Wizard also influenced Apple's NewtonNewton (platform)
The Newton platform was an early personal digital assistant and the first tablet platform developed by Apple, the second platform being iOS, used in the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. Development of the Newton platform started in 1987 and officially ended on February 27, 1998. Some electronic...
). Featuring a black and white LCD
Liquid crystal display
A liquid crystal display is a flat panel display, electronic visual display, or video display that uses the light modulating properties of liquid crystals . LCs do not emit light directly....
screen, handwriting recognition
Handwriting recognition
Handwriting recognition is the ability of a computer to receive and interpret intelligible handwritten input from sources such as paper documents, photographs, touch-screens and other devices. The image of the written text may be sensed "off line" from a piece of paper by optical scanning or...
, and optical communication capabilities among its features, the Zaurus soon became one of Sharp's flagship products.
The PI-4000, released in 1994, expanded the Zaurus' features with a built-in modem
Modem
A modem is a device that modulates an analog carrier signal to encode digital information, and also demodulates such a carrier signal to decode the transmitted information. The goal is to produce a signal that can be transmitted easily and decoded to reproduce the original digital data...
and facsimile
Fax
Fax , sometimes called telecopying, is the telephonic transmission of scanned printed material , normally to a telephone number connected to a printer or other output device...
functions. This was succeeded in 1995 by the PI-5000, which had e-mail
E-mail
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
and mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
interfaces, as well as PC linking capability. The Zaurus K-PDA was the first Zaurus to have a built-in keyboard in addition to handwriting recognition; the PI-6000 and PI-7000 brought in additional improvements.
In 1996 Sharp introduced the Sharp Zaurus ZR-5800. It used the same compact design, ports and pointing device as the previous Zaurus models. The changes were mostly in the ROM. It came with 2 MB RAM and a backlit 320x240 LCD display.http://www.pencomputing.com/archive/PCM_10/zaurus_review.html
During this time, Sharp was making significant advances in color LCD technology. In May 1996, the first color Zaurus was released; the MI-10 and MI-10DC were equipped with a five inch (12.7 cm) color thin-film transistor
Thin-film transistor
A thin-film transistor is a special kind of field-effect transistor made by depositing thin films of a semiconductor active layer as well as the dielectric layer and metallic contacts over a supporting substrate. A common substrate is glass, since the primary application of TFTs is in liquid...
(TFT) LCD screen. This model had the ability to connect to the internet, and had a built-in camera and audio recorder. Later that year, Sharp developed a forty inch (100 cm) TFT LCD screen, the world's largest at the time. In December, the MI-10/10DC Zaurus was chosen as the year's best product by Information Display Magazine in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Sharp continued to make advancements in display technology; the Zaurus gained additional multimedia capabilities, such as video playback, with the introduction of the MI-E1 in Japan in November 2000. The MI-E1 was also the first Zaurus to support both Secure Digital
Secure Digital card
Secure Digital is a non-volatile memory card format developed by the SD Card Association for use in portable devices. The SD technology is used by more than 400 brands across dozens of product categories and more than 8,000 models, and is considered the de-facto industry standard.Secure Digital...
and CompactFlash
CompactFlash
CompactFlash is a mass storage device format used in portable electronic devices. Most CompactFlash devices contain flash memory in a standardized enclosure. The format was first specified and produced by SanDisk in 1994...
memory cards, a feature which would become standard on future models as well.
Although the MI series was extremely popular in Japan, it was never released in either the USA or Europe - probably largely due to the strictly Japanese UI, which was never translated into any other language. As a result, the machines released outside Japan were the Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
based SL series, the first of which was the SL-5000D "developer edition." This was shortly followed by the SL-5500; both used 'Embedix' - an embedded version of the Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
operating system developed by Lineo - combined with Qtopia
Qtopia
Qt Extended is an application platform for embedded Linux-based mobile computing devices such as personal digital assistants, video projectors and mobile phones...
, the Qt toolkit
Qt (toolkit)
Qt is a cross-platform application framework that is widely used for developing application software with a graphical user interface , and also used for developing non-GUI programs such as command-line tools and consoles for servers...
-based embedded application environment developed by Trolltech
Trolltech
Qt Development Frameworks is an Oslo, Norway-based software company best known for its Qt toolkit and application framework. Qt Development Frameworks is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nokia Corporation...
.
The development of the MI series in Japan was continued for a while, but the MI-E25DC has been officially declared to be the last MI-Series Zaurus.
Sharp has continued development of the SL series in Japan releasing the SL-C700, C750, C760 and C860 models which all feature 640x480 VGA
Video Graphics Array
Video Graphics Array refers specifically to the display hardware first introduced with the IBM PS/2 line of computers in 1987, but through its widespread adoption has also come to mean either an analog computer display standard, the 15-pin D-subminiature VGA connector or the 640×480 resolution...
screen resolution. They are all based on faster 400 MHz Intel XScale
Intel XScale
The XScale, a microprocessor core, is Intel's and Marvell's implementation of the ARMv5 architecture, and consists of several distinct families: IXP, IXC, IOP, PXA and CE . Intel sold the PXA family to Marvell Technology Group in June 2006....
technology, although the SL-C700 was flawed and the apparent speed was the same as the 206 MHz SL-5500. All four of the SL-C models are clamshell type devices with the unusual ability to rotate the screen. This allows the device to be used in 'landscape' mode with the keyboard, much like a miniature notebook PC, or in 'portrait' mode as a PDA.
Sharp introduced a very different device from the clamshells in the form of the SL-6000 in early 2004; the SL-6000L (Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi or Wifi, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point has a range of about 20...
only, no Bluetooth
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a proprietary open wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks with high levels of security...
) was sold in North America, the last and only device since the 5xxx series to be officially sold outside Japan. It returned to the slider form of the 5xxx, but with a VGA display; a slider with a few key buttons covered a thumbboard. It appears that there was a joint project with IBM, which sadly (but with no official news either way) failed; the 6000 did not gain mass popularity and Amazon sold off their remaindered stock cheaply.
In October 2004 Sharp announced the SL-C3000 - the world's first PDA with an integrated hard disk drive (preceding the Palm Life Drive which attempted to claim that crown). It featured a similar hardware and software specification to the earlier C860 model; the key differences were that it only had 16 MB of flash memory yet gained an internal 4 GB microdrive (Hitachi) instead, a USB Host port, and "lost" the serial port (in some cases the components were not fitted to the motherboard or were incapable of driving the regular serial adaptor cables). The keyboard feel and layout changed somewhat, and most owners preferred it over the 760/860.
In March 2005 the C3000 product was joined by the SL-C1000 which returned to the traditional 128 MB flash memory but lost the internal microdrive. The C1000 was cheaper, lighter, faster in execution due to running from flash memory, but of course would require the user to "waste" the SD or CF card slots to fit a memory card for mass storage; at the time the largest card supported was 1GB. Unfortunately, the C1000 cannot be upgraded to fit an internal microdrive because vital components are missing, but one intrepid Zaurus owner used the space to fit internal Bluetooth and Wi-Fi modules using the USB host facility.
In June 2005, Sharp released the SL-C3100, which had flash capacity of the C1000 yet also had the microdrive, and proved a very popular model indeed. The 1000, 3000 and 3100 models proved to be quite overclockable, boosting the device's ability to play back video more smoothly.
In March 2006 the latest model launched, predictably labelled as the SL-C3200. It is basically an SL-C3100 but with the newer 6 GB Hitachi microdrive and another tweak to the case colours. The Intel PXA270 CPU is a later variant, and some would regard as inferior because it cannot be overclocked so highly. The kernel gained a vital tweak to the Sharp proprietary SD/MMC module and allowed 4GB SD cards to be used (and this was quickly borrowed by 3000 and 3100 owners). The software package gained text to speech software from Nuance Communications
Nuance Communications
Nuance Communications is a multinational computer software technology corporation, headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts, USA, that provides speech and imaging applications...
and an upgraded dictionary.
While the SL series devices have long been sold only in Japan, there are companies in Japan who specialise in exporting them worldwide; they usually do so without modifying them at all, sometimes an English conversion is available and might be at extra cost. Not all Zaurus models came from Sharp with universal (100/110/240V) power supplies (the Zaurus takes a regulated 5V/1A supply), so either an additional or an exchanged power adaptor would be needed, and not all exporters provide this by default. Note that when buying directly from an exporter in Japan, the buyer is liable for import duties and taxes, and attempting to avoid them can be a criminal offense.
There are also companies in the US, UK and DE who are unofficial resellers; one notable example is Trisoft who prepare and certify the device to "CE" standard compliance.
Since there is no official export channel from Japan, Sharp offers no warranty or repair service outside Japan, so foreign buyers are dependent on their chosen reseller to handle repairs, usually by sending to their agent in Japan who acts as if the device was owned and used in Japan in order to have it repaired by Sharp, before sending it back to the owner. Whilst Zauruses are actually quite robust devices, due to their miniaturization they are not easily repairable by casual electronics hobbyists.
In January 2007, it was reported that Sharp would discontinue production of the Zaurus line after February 2007. http://www.geek.com/news/geeknews/2007Jan/bpd20070122001750.htm. Later, in March, a leading European supplier tried to buy a batch of Zauruses as demand was still strong and noticed that they were all manufactured after Sharp's original cut-off date, however, Sharp was not able to explain its plans, and fans of the Zaurus are still unsure of the fate of the device.
Without clarification from Sharp, it would seem their intention is to abandon the Linux powered devices, as their newest units are the WS003SH and WS004SH which, whilst adding wireless and cellular phone and data features, run the Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system/application suite.
Models
- Personal Information (PI) series
- Pi² T, proof of concept model presented in April 1992
- PI-3000, the first model, introduced to the Japanese market on October 1, 1993
- PI-4000/FX, second generation with ink and fax capabilities, on sale in Japan June 1994
- PI-5000/FX/DA, first model capable of syncing data to a personal computer, going on sale in November 1994.
- PI-4500, introduced in January 1995
- PI-6000/FX, featuring a new handwriting recognition software, on sale in Japan August 1995.
- PI-6000DA, adding a digital adapter for cellular phones, introduced on December 12, 1995
- PI-7000, dubbed AccessZaurus (アクセスザウルス) sports a built in modem, is introduced in February 1996.
- Note: Confusingly, Sharp made another unit called the "PI-7000 ExpertPad", which was a NewtonApple NewtonThe MessagePad was the first series of personal digital assistant devices developed by Apple for the Newton platform in 1993. Some electronic engineering and the manufacture of Apple's MessagePad devices was done in Japan by the Sharp Corporation...
based device, not a Zaurus.
- Note: Confusingly, Sharp made another unit called the "PI-7000 ExpertPad", which was a Newton
- PI-6500, was introduced to the Japanese market with a list price of 55,000 Yen on November 22, 1996. Measuring 147x87x17mm and weighting 195g including the batteries, it sports a 239x168 dot matrixDot matrixA dot matrix is a 2-dimensional array of LED used to represent characters, symbols and images.Typically the dot matrix is used in older computer printers and many digital display devices. In printers, the dots are usually the darkened areas of the paper...
display and 715KB of user addressable memory. - PI-8000, went on sale on January 24, 1997 with a list price of 80,000 Yen. It featured a 319x168 dot matrix display, 711KB user addressable memory, measuring 157 x 90 x 17 mm, and weighting 215 g including batteries.
- PI-6600, the last AccessZaurus with a 239 x 168 dot matrix display, measuring 147 x 87 x 17 mm and a weight of 195 g including batteries. It went on sale in Japan on September 25, 1997.
- K-PDA (ZR) series
- ZR-3000, 320x240 touch screen, 1 MB RAM.http://home.columbus.rr.com/mobileedge/szr3000.htm
- ZR-3500, similar to the ZR-3000, with new internal 14.4/9.6 kbit/s modem.http://home.columbus.rr.com/mobileedge/szr3500.htm
- ZR-5000/FX, a clam-shell model only sold outside of Japan, going on sale in January 1995.
- ZR-5700
- ZR-5800 Having a touch screen and 2 MB of RAM.
- MI series
- MI-10DC/10, nicknamed ColorZaurus, was the first model to have a color display. The DC model featured a digital cameraDigital cameraA digital camera is a camera that takes video or still photographs, or both, digitally by recording images via an electronic image sensor. It is the main device used in the field of digital photography...
and was initially priced 155,000 Yen. The MI-10 was listed as 120,000 Yen. Both models went on sale on June 25, 1996. - MI-506DC/506/504, PowerZaurus
- MI-110M/106M/106, ZaurusPocket
- MI-610/610DC, PowerZaurus
- MI-310, ZaurusColorPocket
- MI-10DC/10, nicknamed ColorZaurus, was the first model to have a color display. The DC model featured a digital camera
-
- MI-EX1, Zaurus iCRUISE - This was the first PDA with a 640x480 resolutionDisplay resolutionThe display resolution of a digital television or display device is the number of distinct pixels in each dimension that can be displayed. It can be an ambiguous term especially as the displayed resolution is controlled by all different factors in cathode ray tube , flat panel or projection...
display - MI-C1-A/S, PowerZaurus
- MI-P1-W/A/LA, Zaurus iGeti
- MI-P2-B, Zaurus iGeti - More internal software, more Flash
- MI-P10-S, Zaurus iGeti - Larger RAM and Flash than P1/P2
- MI-J1, Internet Dictionary Zaurus
- MI-E1, First vertical display model - mini keyboard
- MI-L1, Stripped down E1 - lacks display backlight
- MI-E21, Enhanced version of E1 - double RAM and ROM size
- MI-E25DC, a MI-E21 with an internal 640 x 480 digital camera
- MI-EX1, Zaurus iCRUISE - This was the first PDA with a 640x480 resolution
- Other MI Series related devices
- BI-L10, Business Zaurus - Mono screen, 4 Mb IRDA, Network Adapter
- MT-200, Communications pal - Keyboard input, limited I/O
- MT-300, Communications pal - 4 MB flash, restyled
- MT-300C, Communications pal - CDMAone version
- Browser Board, MT-300 with NTT DoCoMoNTT DoCoMois the predominant mobile phone operator in Japan. The name is officially an abbreviation of the phrase, "do communications over the mobile network", and is also from a compound word dokomo, meaning "everywhere" in Japanese. Docomo provides phone, video phone , i-mode , and mail services...
specific software
- Linux based SL series
- SL-5000D, a developerSoftware developerA software developer is a person concerned with facets of the software development process. Their work includes researching, designing, developing, and testing software. A software developer may take part in design, computer programming, or software project management...
edition of the SL-5500, containing 32 MBMegabyteThe megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission with two different values depending on context: bytes generally for computer memory; and one million bytes generally for computer storage. The IEEE Standards Board has decided that "Mega will mean 1 000...
of RAM. (2001) - SL-5500 (Collie), the first new Zaurus to be sold outside Japan, is based on the Intel SA-1110 StrongARMStrongARMThe StrongARM is a family of microprocessors that implemented the ARM V4 instruction set architecture . It was developed by Digital Equipment Corporation and later sold to Intel, who continued to manufacture it before replacing it with the XScale....
processor running at 206 MHz, has 64 MB of RAM and 16MB Flash, a built-in keyboard, CompactFlash (CF)CompactFlashCompactFlash is a mass storage device format used in portable electronic devices. Most CompactFlash devices contain flash memory in a standardized enclosure. The format was first specified and produced by SanDisk in 1994...
slot, Secure Digital (SD)Secure Digital cardSecure Digital is a non-volatile memory card format developed by the SD Card Association for use in portable devices. The SD technology is used by more than 400 brands across dozens of product categories and more than 8,000 models, and is considered the de-facto industry standard.Secure Digital...
slot, and Infrared port. (2002) - SL-A300 (Discovery), an ultra-light PDA with no keyboard, sold only in Japan (2003)
- SL-5600 (Poodle), the successor to the SL-5500, with greater processing capability, increased RAM and an inbuilt speaker and microphone. Based on the Intel XScale 400 MHz processor. However some had a Cache bug on the PXA-250 processor (easily fixed!). Popular ROMs for the SL-5600 include Watapon, Synergy, and OpenZaurus. (2002)
- SL-B500, name of the SL-5600 in Japan
- SL-C700 (Corgi), a clam-shell model and the first PDA to use Sharp's "System LCD", sold only in Japan. (2003)
- SL-C750 (Shepherd), an improved version of the SL-C700 with longer battery life, a faster processor and updated software, sold only in Japan. (2003)
- SL-C760 (Husky), an improved version of the SL-C700 with double the internal flash storage of the SL-C750 and a larger battery, sold only in Japan. (2004)
- SL-C860 (Boxer), similar to SL-C760, it contains a software upgrade which allows it to be recognised as a USB storage device and has built in English-Japanese translation software, sold only in Japan. (2004)
- SL-6000 (Tosa) (2005) , the successor to the SL-5600, available in 3 versions:
- SL-6000N, 4" VGA display, Intel XScale PXA255 400 MHz processor, 64 MBMegabyteThe megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission with two different values depending on context: bytes generally for computer memory; and one million bytes generally for computer storage. The IEEE Standards Board has decided that "Mega will mean 1 000...
flash memory, 64 MBMegabyteThe megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission with two different values depending on context: bytes generally for computer memory; and one million bytes generally for computer storage. The IEEE Standards Board has decided that "Mega will mean 1 000...
SDRAMDynamic random access memoryDynamic random-access memory is a type of random-access memory that stores each bit of data in a separate capacitor within an integrated circuit. The capacitor can be either charged or discharged; these two states are taken to represent the two values of a bit, conventionally called 0 and 1...
, CFCompactFlashCompactFlash is a mass storage device format used in portable electronic devices. Most CompactFlash devices contain flash memory in a standardized enclosure. The format was first specified and produced by SanDisk in 1994...
and SDSecure Digital cardSecure Digital is a non-volatile memory card format developed by the SD Card Association for use in portable devices. The SD technology is used by more than 400 brands across dozens of product categories and more than 8,000 models, and is considered the de-facto industry standard.Secure Digital...
slots, and IRInfraredInfrared light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength longer than that of visible light, measured from the nominal edge of visible red light at 0.74 micrometres , and extending conventionally to 300 µm...
port. Built in microphone, speaker, USB host port.
There seems to be a version called HC-6000N equipped with MicrosoftMicrosoftMicrosoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition, and a handheld from HitachiHitachi, Ltd.is a Japanese multinational conglomerate headquartered in Marunouchi 1-chome, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The company is the parent of the Hitachi Group as part of the larger DKB Group companies...
called FLORA-ie MX1 with same hardware, both are only available in Japan. - SL-6000L, same as SL-6000N, also with built-in 802.11bIEEE 802.11IEEE 802.11 is a set of standards for implementing wireless local area network computer communication in the 2.4, 3.6 and 5 GHz frequency bands. They are created and maintained by the IEEE LAN/MAN Standards Committee . The base version of the standard IEEE 802.11-2007 has had subsequent...
Wi-Fi. - SL-6000W, same as SL-6000N, also with built-in 802.11bIEEE 802.11IEEE 802.11 is a set of standards for implementing wireless local area network computer communication in the 2.4, 3.6 and 5 GHz frequency bands. They are created and maintained by the IEEE LAN/MAN Standards Committee . The base version of the standard IEEE 802.11-2007 has had subsequent...
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
- SL-6000N, 4" VGA display, Intel XScale PXA255 400 MHz processor, 64 MB
- SL-C3000 (Spitz), similar to SL-C860, the SL-C3000 contains a USB host port to allow the connection of USB devices such as keyboards and mice. It also features an Intel Xscale PXA270 416 MHz CPU. While that model features only 16 MBMegabyteThe megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission with two different values depending on context: bytes generally for computer memory; and one million bytes generally for computer storage. The IEEE Standards Board has decided that "Mega will mean 1 000...
flash storage it has a 4 GBGigabyteThe gigabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage. The prefix giga means 109 in the International System of Units , therefore 1 gigabyte is...
Hitachi HDDHard diskA hard disk drive is a non-volatile, random access digital magnetic data storage device. It features rotating rigid platters on a motor-driven spindle within a protective enclosure. Data is magnetically read from and written to the platter by read/write heads that float on a film of air above the...
and was the first PDA to feature a hard disk. It is sold only in Japan. - SL-C1000 (Akita), similar to SL-C3000, but with 128 MBMegabyteThe megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission with two different values depending on context: bytes generally for computer memory; and one million bytes generally for computer storage. The IEEE Standards Board has decided that "Mega will mean 1 000...
Flash ROM instead of HDD. - SL-C3100 (Borzoi), similar to SL-C3000, Flash ROM has been increased 128 MBMegabyteThe megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission with two different values depending on context: bytes generally for computer memory; and one million bytes generally for computer storage. The IEEE Standards Board has decided that "Mega will mean 1 000...
, still has 4 GBGigabyteThe gigabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage. The prefix giga means 109 in the International System of Units , therefore 1 gigabyte is...
HDD. - SL-C3200 (Terrier), latest clam-shell model, released on March 17, 2006, similar to SL-C3100. HDD has been increased to 6 GBGigabyteThe gigabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage. The prefix giga means 109 in the International System of Units , therefore 1 gigabyte is...
, comes with updated dictionary, text to speech software from Nuance CommunicationsNuance CommunicationsNuance Communications is a multinational computer software technology corporation, headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts, USA, that provides speech and imaging applications...
and TOEICTOEICThe Test of English for International Communication measures the ability of non-native English-speaking examinees to use English in everyday workplace activities.-Overview:...
(Test of English for International Communication) test.
- SL-5000D, a developer
Linux distributions
These are frequently called 'ROMs' in the community because the Zaurus' OS is usually stored in embedded flash memory, and are installed using a flashing tool. There's also a special "rescue" mode NOR flash (or P2ROM in newer models) in all Zauruses since the 5xxx series which allowsrecovery from a corrupted OS.
- OpenZaurusOpenZaurusOpenZaurus is a defunct embedded operating system for the Sharp Zaurus personal mobile tool PDA.- History :In its original form, the project was a repackaging of the SharpROM, the Zaurus's factory supplied kernel and root filesystem image...
, which uses the OPIE or GPEGPE Palmtop EnvironmentGPE is a graphical user interface environment for handheld computers, such as palmtops and personal digital assistants , running the Linux operating system...
graphical user interfaceGraphical user interfaceIn computing, a graphical user interface is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices with images rather than text commands. GUIs can be used in computers, hand-held devices such as MP3 players, portable media players or gaming devices, household appliances and...
s and is designed for the power userPower userA power user is a user of a personal computer who has the ability to use advanced features of programs which are beyond the abilities of "normal" users, but is not necessarily capable of programming and system administration...
. OpenZaurus does not include the proprietary software that comes with Sharp's distribution. OpenZaurus development has been dropped in favour of Ångström which is also based on the OpenEmbeddedOpenEmbeddedOpenEmbedded is a software framework to create Linux distributions aimed for, but not restricted to, embedded devices. The build system is based on BitBake recipes, which behave similar to Gentoo's ebuilds....
build environment, but supports a larger range of devices, not limited to Zauri. - Ångström distributionÅngström distributionThe Ångström distribution is a Linux distribution for a variety of embedded devices. The distribution is the result of a unification of developers from the OpenZaurus, OpenEmbedded, and OpenSIMpad projects...
, the replacement for OpenZaurus. OpenZaurus no longer is being developed for, as its developers now work on Ångström distribution. Ångström is an OpenEmbedded build system based Zaurus distribution with its current images being console and an X11 GPE based ROM. - pdaXrom, a distribution based on the X graphics system and the matchbox/openbox user interface.
- Cacko, an alternative to the original Sharp ROM, it is based on the same Qt graphics system with as many underlying parts of the OS upgraded as possible yet still maintains full compatibility and allows the proprietary Sharp applications to be run.
- In August 2007 a port of Gentoo LinuxGentoo LinuxGentoo Linux is a computer operating system built on top of the Linux kernel and based on the Portage package management system. It is distributed as free and open source software. Unlike a conventional software distribution, the user compiles the source code locally according to their chosen...
was started which offers some promise. - Zubuntu, based on the ARM port of UbuntuUbuntu (operating system)Ubuntu is a computer operating system based on the Debian Linux distribution and distributed as free and open source software. It is named after the Southern African philosophy of Ubuntu...
for the clam-shell models C3x00 et al., SL-6000 was started in 2008.
For the Sharp and Cacko ROMs, there are third party and somewhat experimental kernels such as "Tetsu's" (a Japanese Zaurus expert) which offer interesting optimisations and drivers for unusual hardware. It is possible to replace only the Linux kernel which can give better performance while maintaining compatibility and retaining installed software that comes with a "stock" ROM.
As well as the choice of GUI (qt/qtopia, X11 + matchbox, X11 + E17 etc.), one key difference is the choice of whether the kernel was built with using ARM standard EABI or not, and whether it uses software or hardware floating point (code using hardware floating point is actually slower because the hardware doesn't support it, so those instructions cause an exception which then has to be handled by the kernel, with noticeable overhead).
Non-Linux OSes
There is a port of OpenBSDOpenBSD
OpenBSD is a Unix-like computer operating system descended from Berkeley Software Distribution , a Unix derivative developed at the University of California, Berkeley. It was forked from NetBSD by project leader Theo de Raadt in late 1995...
for several Zaurus models. The port is available on the SL-C3000, SL-C3100, and SL-C3200 with development continuing in order to expand support to the C860 and C1000. This port of OpenBSD does not however replace the original operating system entirely, nor is it made available as a ROM image, instead it uses the original Linux install as a bootloader and installs the same as OpenBSD would on any other platform. There is also a NetBSD
NetBSD
NetBSD is a freely available open source version of the Berkeley Software Distribution Unix operating system. It was the second open source BSD descendant to be formally released, after 386BSD, and continues to be actively developed. The NetBSD project is primarily focused on high quality design,...
port is in development, based on the work from OpenBSD.
Software
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
software, including web and FTP
File Transfer Protocol
File Transfer Protocol is a standard network protocol used to transfer files from one host to another host over a TCP-based network, such as the Internet. FTP is built on a client-server architecture and utilizes separate control and data connections between the client and server...
servers, database
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
s, and compiler
Compiler
A compiler is a computer program that transforms source code written in a programming language into another computer language...
s. Developers have created several replacement Linux distributions for the Zaurus.
Software provided by Sharp
Sharp Corporation
is a Japanese multinational corporation that designs and manufactures electronic products. Headquartered in Abeno-ku, Osaka, Japan, Sharp employs more than 55,580 people worldwide as of June 2011. The company was founded in September 1912 and takes its name from one of its founder's first...
includes basic PDA
Personal digital assistant
A personal digital assistant , also known as a palmtop computer, or personal data assistant, is a mobile device that functions as a personal information manager. Current PDAs often have the ability to connect to the Internet...
packages such as a datebook, addressbook, and todo list. These PIM
Platform-independent model
A Platform-Independent Model in software engineering is a model of a software system or business system, that is independent of the specific technological platform used to implement it...
applications are fairly unsophisticated, and a number of individuals and groups have developed alternatives. One popular - and free - alternative that runs on the Sharp
Sharp Corporation
is a Japanese multinational corporation that designs and manufactures electronic products. Headquartered in Abeno-ku, Osaka, Japan, Sharp employs more than 55,580 people worldwide as of June 2011. The company was founded in September 1912 and takes its name from one of its founder's first...
ROM and OpenZaurus
OpenZaurus
OpenZaurus is a defunct embedded operating system for the Sharp Zaurus personal mobile tool PDA.- History :In its original form, the project was a repackaging of the SharpROM, the Zaurus's factory supplied kernel and root filesystem image...
as well as Windows and Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
is the KDE PIM/Platform-independent set of applications. KDE PIM/PI is based on PIM
Platform-independent model
A Platform-Independent Model in software engineering is a model of a software system or business system, that is independent of the specific technological platform used to implement it...
applications from the KDE
KDE
KDE is an international free software community producing an integrated set of cross-platform applications designed to run on Linux, FreeBSD, Microsoft Windows, Solaris and Mac OS X systems...
desktop suite for Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
. KDE PIM/PI includes KOrganizer/Platform-independent (or KOPI
Kopi
Kopi may refer to*The Indonesian and Malay word for coffee*Kopi Luwak, a specially processed coffee*Kopi tiam, a restaurant style typical of Southeast Asia*Kopi compiler, free-license Java compiler written in Java*An alternate name for Karaka...
), KAddressbook/Platform-independent (or KAPI), K-OpieMail/pi (or OMPI), K-Phone/pi (kppi) and PwM/PI, a password manager with strong encryption.
In addition to standard PDA applications there are many programs available that are more commonly associated with desktop and laptop computers. Among these are a selection of office programs, web browsers, media applications and many others.
General resources
- Official Japan Zaurus Site
- OESF Unofficial wiki and forums for all the models and ROMRead-only memoryRead-only memory is a class of storage medium used in computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be modified, or can be modified only slowly or with difficulty, so it is mainly used to distribute firmware .In its strictest sense, ROM refers only...
s - tyrannozaurus.com Zaurus related blogs, wiki and forums
- wiki2zaurus, Download all of Wikipedia for use on the Zaurus
- Repair4PDA (Sharp Zaurus) - Repair, upgrade and take apart instructions.
- Zaurus.org.uk - a site aimed at UK owners but of general interest, with pictures of disassembled 6000 and information about OpenTom.
- Zaurusian - Korean Zaurus user community site.
- Linuxontour Zaurus community (German)
- Zauripedia Zaurus Wiki (German)
Application software
- Zaurus Software Index (archive only - reborn as elsi (below))
- elsi - embedded linux software index
- SafeDee Password Safe or Password Manager for the Zaurus
- Zaurus-Archive Zaurus Software Archive (German)
ROMs and distributions
- Cacko alternative ROM
- pdaXrom alternative ROM
- OpenZaurus, an open-source alternative to the ROMRead-only memoryRead-only memory is a class of storage medium used in computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be modified, or can be modified only slowly or with difficulty, so it is mainly used to distribute firmware .In its strictest sense, ROM refers only...
distributed with the Zaurus - Ångström, the successor to OpenZaurus
- Hentges ROM, a preconfigured OpenZaurus-ROM
- DebianDebianDebian is a computer operating system composed of software packages released as free and open source software primarily under the GNU General Public License along with other free software licenses. Debian GNU/Linux, which includes the GNU OS tools and Linux kernel, is a popular and influential...
: (see also the Debian ARM port)- http://www.eleves.ens.fr/home/leurent/zaurus.html
- http://people.debian.org/~mdz/zaurus/
- http://pocketworkstation.org/
- Gentoo LinuxGentoo LinuxGentoo Linux is a computer operating system built on top of the Linux kernel and based on the Portage package management system. It is distributed as free and open source software. Unlike a conventional software distribution, the user compiles the source code locally according to their chosen...
: http://gentooforzaurus.opensistemas.com - OpenBSDOpenBSDOpenBSD is a Unix-like computer operating system descended from Berkeley Software Distribution , a Unix derivative developed at the University of California, Berkeley. It was forked from NetBSD by project leader Theo de Raadt in late 1995...
: http://www.openbsd.org/zaurus.html - MacMac OSMac OS is a series of graphical user interface-based operating systems developed by Apple Inc. for their Macintosh line of computer systems. The Macintosh user experience is credited with popularizing the graphical user interface...
-like: QuantumSTEP - TheKompany.rom http://www.zaurususergroup.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=UpDownload&file=index&req=viewsdownload&sid=31
- Watapon 5600
- Zynergy