IP: WSJ pans SL5500 Says "it runs on Linux, the renegade operating system that many techies worship."

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

For a while at least I will disagree with Walter. RENEGADE INDEED. As to
size , has he tried the Palm with the Blackberry like keyboard? djf

Sharp's Zaurus Fails to Deliver On Its Performance Promises
 

By WALTER S.MOSSBERG
      

Sometimes a new technology product looks great when its maker demonstrates
it, but behaves poorly when you actually use it. And sometimes a new
technology product is touted for some underlying techie feature, but in
actual use that feature turns out to be either irrelevant or an actual
disadvantage to mainstream users.

Sharp's new $499 Zaurus SL-5500 hand-held computer, which I've been testing,
unfortunately fails both these tests. In demos, it looks great -- sleek,
silvery, with a large, bright color screen and a cleverly hidden keyboard
that appears when you slide down the lower part of the unit. And in some
techie circles, it has caused great excitement because it runs on Linux, the
renegade operating system that many techies worship.

Sharp's Zaurus SL-5500

However, I can't recommend the new Zaurus, because in my tests, it failed to
do the simple things well. It has a high price, a complicated user
interface, and hefty dimensions and weight. Even the cool-looking keyboard
turns out to be clumsy to use.

Worst of all, I couldn't get it to synchronize calendar and address-book
data with my PC, which is the cardinal task of a PDA. I used a new Dell
laptop running Windows XP. I installed the Sharp software successfully,
following the company's instructions to the letter, and set it all up to
synchronize with Microsoft Outlook. But, when I pressed the synchronize
button on the unit's cradle, or clicked on the synchronize command in the
synchronization software, nothing happened.

Synchronization isn't very important to Sharp, apparently. I combed the four
manuals that came with the product and couldn't find a single chapter or
section devoted to synchronizing the unit with a PC and Microsoft Outlook,
though that feature is touted in press releases and on the box.

The Zaurus has some good points. The screen is bright and vivid, as long as
you keep its backlight on. There is an abundance of applications, including
several that allow you to read Microsoft Office documents. It plays audio
and video, and can handle e-mail and the Web, with an optional wireless
modem. The battery is removable. And the keyboard features large,
well-spaced keys. It has two expansion slots.

But the user interface is dense and complex, like on a PC, with a
bewildering array of menus and icons. The screen is very dim without the
battery-killing light. Battery life is touted at up to 10 hours, but only if
the screen light is off and you are merely staring at the calendar. It
shrinks to as little as one hour if the screen is lit up and you're playing
music. And the keyboard is awkward to use because of its recessed design,
which puts it in sort of a pit.

The Zaurus is also bulky. It's 5.4 inches long, 2.9 inches wide, 0.8 inches
thick and weighs 7.5 ounces. That's much longer, thicker and heavier than
Palm's color m515 (which costs $100 less) or even Compaq's jumbo $499 iPAQ
3700. And when you use the slide-open keyboard, the unit stretches to about
6.75 inches in length, which makes it the Shaquille O'Neal of PDAs.

As for Linux, I have nothing against it. But in this case, it's actually a
disadvantage. There are thousands of programs written for the hand-held Palm
operating system, and plenty written for Microsoft's competing Windows CE
hand-held system. But a visit to Sharp's Web site showed only 28 programs
that could run on the Linux-based Zaurus, and the three most popular ones
reflected the techie roots of Linux. They were a scientific calculator, a
networking tool and an encryption program.

All in all, my advice is to stay away from the Zaurus SL-5500, unless you're
a hard-core Linux fan.

New Column: I'm pleased to announce that I'm launching a new column next
Wednesday, April 10. Called "The Mossberg Solution," it will be a feature of
the Journal's new Personal Journal section, which aims to help consumers
make decisions important to their pocketbooks and personal lives.

In "The Mossberg Solution," which will appear every Wednesday, I'll offer a
straightforward, capsule look at consumer-electronics products, to help
readers make quick, informed buying decisions.

How will this differ from Personal Technology? Well, the new column will be
shorter and more graphical, often based around comparison charts or photos.
Unlike Personal Technology, it won't necessarily strive to review the newest
or most cutting-edge products when they emerge, but instead will try to
provide buying information for what's in the stores, or sold online, even if
the products have been there awhile.

Some of the products featured will have already been covered in Personal
Technology, while others will be chosen from the many gadgets I see each
year that I just don't have room to cover in the larger column. And unlike
in Personal Technology, I'll mention some products I haven't tested yet.
Much of the reporting for "The Mossberg Solution" will be performed by my
ace researcher, Danielle Belopotosky.

I'll still be writing Personal Technology and Mossberg's Mailbox, which will
continue to appear on Thursdays in their familiar spots in the Marketplace
section of the Journal.

I hope you'll find "The Mossberg Solution" to be a welcome and useful
addition to your technology reading.

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http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/