[blu.org] Sharp Zaurus Deal Discovered!!!!!

[Mark J. Dulcey]

Duane Morin wrote:
> I would be seriously leery of that deal.  Note that it does not say that 
> they're referring to the 5600 anyplace, and the one in the picture looks 
> almost exactly like a 5500 with some sort of adapter on the bottom.  The 
> only distinguishing feature that I could tell is when they kept saying 
> 64M memory -- but you could argue that the original Zaurus had 64, too, 
> it was just partitioned differently.
> 
> I think the 5600 runs significantly faster than the 5500, but there's no 
> mention of that selling point on the page.

So far as I can tell, the 5500 and the 5600 look exactly alike - the changes are all internal. The 5600 has the new 400 MHz XScale processor in place of the 206 MHz StrongARM in the 5500, so it should be about twice as fast. You can't tell which model HSN is offering just by looking at the picture.

On the other hand, $200 is a good price even for the older model, which is probably what they're selling, helping to get them out of the channel in anticipation of the 5600. No, it won't be as fast as the new one, but it's a lot cheaper. For comparison, mobileplanet.com lists the 5500 at $400, and the 5600 for preorders at $500. So if you want Linux to go, but the price has been holding you off, this might be your toy.

Other comments:

The amount of memory isn't all that important, since the thing has CF and SD memory slots. Flash memory is cheap; you can buy a 256MB CF card for $50 (after rebate) from Tiger right now. The 5500 specs claim 64MB SDRAM and 16MB flash ROM. The 5600 claims 32MB SDRAM and 64MB "protected flash".

The "adapter" in the picture on HSN appears to be the docking cradle. They show it with the keyboard closed.