Power of the Zaurus SL-5500: My findings

[RobyG]

Well, I have spent many hours learning the Zaurus SL-5500. I must say that it is one POWERFUL animal. Here are some of my findings and also warnings:

Apache, PHP, MySQL:
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Yesterday I installed Apache+PHP and also MySQL so I now have the Z running as a webserver (performance is good). This allows me to write quick/small scripts in PHP without worrying much about storage overheads where Java apps and Qt apps would have produce bigger apps. I am even thinking of writing my own web interface to the native Calendar and Address books and access it through its Opera browser.

I am able to store the mySQL databases on a Compact Flash card or even a SD card (secure digital) so storage is not a major problem. I strongly recommend 128 Meg cards and greater.
I have not yet gotten a LAN card (wireless or regular) so I am curently using USB cradle connection.

I also have telenet enabled so I can actually telenet into my Z from my Windows machine and do my usual command-liners. For the time being I can only do this on the Windows machine that the Z is connected to (via USB) but when I get a LAN card I can do this from anywhere on my network. Maybe there is a way to do that now (I am no expert).

SD and CF cards:
-----------------------
Now here's my warning: When I purchased my Z from amazon.com I also bought with it a 128 Meg Sandisk Secure Digital (SD) card (0207LQ). Unforntunately I didn't know that there are several SD cards that are incompatible with the Zaurus. After fdisking the card several times I couldn't get it to work. The Zaurus recognized and even mounted the card but only mounted it as read-only. It was not until I came across a great site that I realized the problem. Before purchasing a SD card for your Zaurus first check the following sites to view a list of compatible/non-compatible CF/SD Memory cards:

http://enrage.dhs.org/~knight/cf_sd-brand.html

and

http://www.zauruszone.com

I ended up buying a 64Meg Kingston CF card which works great. As a matter of fact there doesn't seem to be any major problems with CF cards.

Syncronization Software:
--------------------------------
The Zaurus comes with a CD containing lots of goodies including 2 sync softwares:

1. Qtopia Desktop
2. Intellisync (sync with MS Outlook or Palm Desktop)

I used Qtopia desktop for days and found it to be solid but lacking in areas such as searching and presenting my Contact numbers and appointments in user-friendly formats. I then uninstalled and switched to Intellisync to sync with Outlook. No problem at all - the syncronization is smooth, fast and error free. The field mappings are very tight and you don't have to worry about orphaned fields, etc.
So I recommend Intellisync over Qtopia (for now). Plus Qtopia lacks e-mail unlike Outlook.

Third-party apps:
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I have found that the PIM apps lack creativity and could learn alot from the PalmOS and PocketPC. I am not saying that it fails in managing your personal information but I am coming from the Palm III environment that had a neat app named "Today" that would give me a bird's eye view of my to-do's and daily appointments.
The good side is that many companies/individuals are working on it. Many persons are however satisfied.

The games are fast, attractive, mature and well supported. The Z comes with a scabble-like word game, Patience, asteroids, Mindbreaker, Snake and Go. I downloaded Chess, Pacman and Tetris although I am not really a gamester.

There are lots of utility, system and programming tools for techies.
I was surprised that I could actually fdisk my memory card to Win16, fat32, linux, etc

Pros:
------
Integrated keyboard;
Unit is sturdy and tough - mine fell out of my pocket and is still kicking;
Sharp TFT screen;
great sound quality (I only tested mp3's);
Can sync with Outlook;
Can use MS Word, Excel and Powerpoint files;
Has 2 expansion slots: CF and SD (you get the best of both worlds);
truly programmable (techie's dream)

Cons:
--------
No external speaker;
no built in mic (have to purchase external mic)


My regrets in purchasing the Zaurus:
-----------------------------------------------
-none (and to think that I almost purchased the newest IPAQ) ;D

[RobyG]

Another good place to see which SD/CF cards are compatible with Zaurus:

http://zaurus.knightfire.com/

[RobyG]

Here's an update on CF/SD card compatibility:

The new Sandisk 128 Meg card that I bought is in fact compatible with the Zaurus SL-5500. I got it working after upgrading my bios from 2.37 to 2.38. All this time I thought that I had the latest bios but after going to zaurus.knightfire.com I realized that I didn't and also found out that people with the latest bios were using the new Sandisk SD cards.

I got the latest bios upgrade from www.myzaurus.com

[CKnight]

Break down the costs for me. I have to seriously consider getting one.

[donavon_campbell]

Your article was well appreciated, but you didn't mention cost. How much...?

T-Mobile has just released the first commercial verson of Danger's PDA/Phone.."Sidekick"..... I'm hoping to get one that will work with Digicel's GSM.

-donavon

[Collin]

Donavon..

The sidekick is a beautiful tool.. but lets not put it in the tread of an obviously masterful product as the Zaurus.. ;D We can start a tread for it all by itself (so it does not pale in comparison) 8)

[RobyG]

I bought my Zaurus from amazon.com

Sharp Zaurus SL-5500 PDA = US$400
Sandisk 128 MB Secure Digital Memory Card = US$64
shipping to US was free (special offer)

[shampionnaux]

Hey RobyG,

Way to go I wouldn’t mind getting one of those. It’s amazing you can run Apache+php on a handheld computer.

I brought a Psion Series 5MX Palm Computer in 1999. This is also an incredible device. Unfortunately a small yellow cable that connects the display to the mainboard broke. It’s been inactive now for a year. Coincidentally I know a fellow that as one that developed the same cable problem. I can therefore conclude that this is major design flaw with this product.

I really need to replace the cable but there is no one in Jamaica that supports PSION devices. I am not good at finding sites like you that can give specifics on particular products. So can you or any one else help me out? Is it possible for you to find a compatible cable online and purchase it and I repay you with a profit?

Device:-

Psion Series 5MX

16MB Ram
33.6 MHz CPU
Compaq Flash Slot
Monochrome
Touch Screen + Stylus

Operating System is called EPOC developed by a company called Symbian.

EPOC is nice OS that as a UNIX/Linux twist to it. This is the best handheld that I have ever seen. Not only was it decked out with an office suite, it had a browser, and Email client, and a very good PIM

The Serial # is MA102D74102NS

[RobyG]

Sounds like a tall order. Is it a cable that can easiliy be detached from the device? If not then you may have to bite the bullet and buy a new device. Secondly, it might be too hard to get a replacement cable.

I did some research on the Psion 5MX series and it looks good. It would be even better if it had a color screen.

To find sites related to the cable go to www.google.com and enter search text "psion cable"

[shampionnaux]

Thanks for your reply RobyG.

I will try the search in google as you said.

If fact I went and bought a PalmV six Months after the Psion went.
I gave the palm away last month. I am hoping to get a IPaq or better yet the one you have.

Kacey Crooks