The Zaurus ROCKS!
I just acquired the wicked-cool Zaurus from Sharp - one of the many objects of my techno-lust. And you're saying, "Yeah... so?". That just means you're probably in love with your iPaq and PocketPC 2002. When's the last time you had to flash it? A week... a few days? Sorry, don't mind me. I had an iPaq and won't be going back (tried getting Linux on it too). So I won't stomp on your parade. I'm just going to continue extolling the virtues of the Zaurus.
First, you need to understand I'm a Linux (Unix) geek from way back when. I learned Unix when it was on a 386 and took 20 floppies to load (Anyone remember SCO Unix?). So I've had the command line running in my blood for years now. So when I found out the Zaurus ran Linux... WHOO-HOO! (Needless to say I wanted one). Budget constraints prevented me from buying one for quite a while, but let's just say it's good to have friends that like to help ya out (and vice versa). So, now that I've got one, let me talk about it.
Features
-Strong Arm CPU, 206 MHz
-16MB Flash, 64MB SDRAM
-Reflective TFT LCD w/front light, 3.5" with 240x320, 65,536 colors
-Retractable keyboard (well...its got a sliding cover)
-CF slot, SD slot, IrDA, serial/USB
-(CF - Compact Flash, SD - Secure Digital)
Basically, just about everything a growing geek needs!
What Does This Thing Run?
What exactly does this thing run? A version of the Linux kernel (2.4 series) and what's known as "Embedix". Basically, it's just a specific version of the kernel for embedded devices, as well as apps and all to go along with it. If you're a true Linux hax0r and you want to run the really cool stuff on it, download the OpenZaurus image and tweak to your heart's content! Sitting on top of all this is Qtopia. This was designed by the cool people at TrollTech. This makes the Zaurus look just as cool and slick as all those other PDAs out there.
Setup and Initial Impressions The first thing I did when I received mine out of the box was pop in my 802.11b CF card. I installed it and sure enough I was online just like that (this does take into account being on my home network and having DHCP and all the proper wireless equipment already up and running). I had to check the network settings, but that was about it. After playing around online with Opera (the web browser for Qtopia) for a bit, I decided to go ahead and start learning how to sync the Zaurus. I headed over to the folks at TrollTech to download the latest version of the Qtopia desktop client. Once I had the RPM package, I installed it on my Redhat box, and there it was. On the Zaurus I had to change the IP address and tell it where the Linux box was located, but once that was done...SYYYYYYYYYYNC! Although it was empty right now, it did show that everything was up and working. More Apps! Next, I needed more apps. The Zaurus is real vague about how to install software over the network. And since I was without any sort of card to stick in there, I needed some way to load apps. I found out I could load them via the Qtopia desktop, but that just seemed to lack in coolness. A few of them I tried to download using Opera just seemed to disappear after I downloaded them. After scouting out a few web pages, I found the key was to add a 'feed'. Under the install apps, you could click on the "Install Apps from network" and add your feed in there. Poof! APPS! So there I was, downloading apps, happy as a cow in clover. Since one of my goals for this Zaurus was to be a replacement for my laptop, I needed a few things. First, I needed to be able to chat on AIM. I also needed SSH so I could get to the machines I needed. Some MP3s would be nice, and oh yeah, the contacts and calendar features might come in handy, too. Browsing the apps, the first thing I came up with was Kinkatta-lite, a nifty little app that allowed me chat on AIM. After installing it, I was able to run the program, put in my info, and I was on AIM, thumbing my way through chats like it was nothing! Still More Apps! At this point I needed SSH. Like any good Linux app, it's going to need 50 other apps it is dependent on. In this case, all I needed was a decent terminal program. Everyone seemed to recommend embeddedkonsole-tabs, so that is what I acquired next. Then I acquired the Open-SSH package and I was ready to go. After this, I could open up the terminal window, slide off the keyboard cover, and there it is: the terminal screen. The command line, my valhalla (angels sing, ravers dance, planets collide... wait... nevermind). The thumb keyboard takes a little getting used to, but it's quite easy to type on it once you've figured it out. It's not quite as fast as the big one, but fast enough. Soon I was on my remote machine checking e-mail with Pine, doing df's, and just reveling in the fact I had all this power now in the palm of my hand. Of course, I also had to try actually running an SSH session into the Zaurus itself. This made it very easy to configure things for which you might need to do a lot of typing. I could see myself using this a lot in the future since you can make sym-links, mounts, and all that other uber-Linux geek command line stuff. I remember how hard it was to find and edit the hosts file with an iPaq. Never again....... Networking Also needed were a few wireless apps. The Zaurus came with a network configuration tool, but I really wanted to see the cool stuff, like signal strength, signal quality, etc. So of course there was a Wireless LAN applet that actually shows you all of that. Needless to say, it's easy to hop on any wireless networks that are around. Thus far I've no need to actually plug this into a wired network. If I do, there are two options. The first and easiest is the USB cable. I have not experimented with trying to get this to work under Linux since I don't need it right now, but I've heard it's not too difficult. There are also several CF ethernet cards available as well that can be popped in and used. I'm sure someone has even figured out how to get it online using the IrDA interface (or maybe I will!). - Conclusion Now that I'm starting to integrate it into my day to day life, I'm getting a little more into the features of the calendar, and the contacts list. So far I don't know a whole lot about them but from what I've added so far, it seems pretty easy and intuitive. I leave the Qtopia desktop running and just add my appointments or contacts there, and just click the "sync" button. Since I leave the Zaurus on and always running, it syncs up with no problems at all. How will you use the Zaurus? I guess that depends on why you bought one (or had it given to you!). For me, it was about having the command line in a size that I could take anywhere, and not just a laptop to lug around. Being a Unix admin means you never want a Windows machine if you don't require one. And for me, this is the perfect solution.
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