Review of the Sharp SL-C760

I've been to Japan twice, spending a
month in the land of the rising sun over the past two years. On
both occasions, I've been amazed at the ubiquity of cool
technology. The tiniest cell phones, smallest DVD players, lightest
laptops all seem to be available in Japan long before they cross
the marketing ocean of the Pacific to the shores of the US. It's
truly a country of tech-savvy early adopters and is perhaps the
perfect testing ground for the latest and greatest in cool devices.
If you want to know what's ahead for technology in the next few
years in the US, you have to look to Japan.Few devices sit farther out on the cutting edge than does
Sharp's latest update
to the Personal Mobile Tool product line, the SL-C760. The SL-C760
upgrades the SL-C700, reviewed in depth by Guylhem Aznar in the
June 2003 issue of
Linux Journal. The review below addresses
multiple significant upgrades and changes in the SL-C760 model.
Those changes push the Sharp line even farther into the future than
its Microsoft and Palm-based competitors. After a rigorous two-week
round of testing, in which my SL-5600 sat idly in its cradle, I
have some additional thoughts to share on the changes to the
SL-C760.True to form, the SL-C760 officially is available only in
Japan. Fortunately for western-world customers, this stout little
Linux-based PDA is available in the US and North America through
Dynamism. Sharp's
reputation for tight inventory control is, by the way,
well-earned--supply of the SL-C760 is far less than demand. It took
some tough negotiation to convince Dynamism to part with a review
unit for a short two-week loaner period. However short the review
period and tough the negotiation, the SL-C760 was well worth
it.
Side View of Sharp's SL-C760 with a Quarter for Reference
DesignThe physical design of this new Zaurus is much the same as
its predecessor: unique, extremely functional and, in the end,
quite sexy even to a mainstream PDA user. The 760 is 5mm thicker
and 25g heavier than the 700, primarily due to a new extended life
8-hour battery. The display operates in both landscape and portrait
modes, swiveling from one position to another with an effortless
twist. The desktop display layout follows this change seamlessly,
activated by a tiny switch in the pivot hinge. The screen continues
to function with touch capability in either mode.
Figure 2. The SL-C760 in Landscape Mode
The touch screen, however, becomes almost irrelevant in
landscape mode. With the screen oriented horizontally, the SL-C760
looks much more like a highly miniaturized laptop than a PDA.
Changing to landscape mode uncovers a full QWERTY keyboard complete
with number and arrow keys, plus hot buttons for calendar,
contacts, mail and home. The tactile response on these buttons is
very satisfying, producing a noticeable click at the bottom of
travel. The keyboard provides an extremely usable input alternative
for the stylus-impaired. Put to real-world use in my favorite Wi-Fi
coffee shop, the rotating display and hidden keyboard left
mainstream PDA users staring, mouth agape. Much like the hidden
keyboard of the SL-5500 and SL-5600, Sharp has hit a design home
run with the form of the SL-C760.
Figure 3. In landscape mode, the SL-C760 looks much like other
PDAs.
Let's look at the improvements to the SL-C760 since the
release of the SL-C700 in June. These upgrades primarily come in
the form of changes to the hardware, expansion of both user and
flash memory and upgrades to the OS.HardwareProcessor: In its original release, the
SL-C700 utilized a 255MHz Intel XScale processor. Later releases
upgraded the processor to Sharp's current PDA standard, the 400MHz
XScale. The SL-C760 utilizes the 400MHz version of this
cutting-edge Intel PDA processor. Applications launch quickly, and
there is no significant speed decrease when launching multiple
applications.Memory: The 700 shipped on release with
32MB user-available RAM and 64MB system flash memory. Sharp's
intermediate SL-C750 upped the memory ante, shipping with 64MB of
both user RAM and flash. It's interesting to note that system flash
in any Sharp Zaurus exists primarily for applications and data
storage, providing a rock-solid means of preserving applications
and data in the event of a power loss. The SL-C760 steps up memory
significantly. With 64MB user RAM and 128MB flash, the 760 has more
than enough room for additional third-party applications.
Furthermore, the Qtopia's desktop required 16MB of the installed
32MB user RAM on the 700, leaving little for the user. With 64MB,
the 760 runs the desktop and other applications with ease.System/OSPrior to the SL-C760, the standard Zaurus embedded Linux
version was Embeddix. With the release of the 760, Sharp has moved
its OS platform to
Metrowerks' OpenPDA.
Unveiled at Linux World 2003, OpenPDA carries less code overhead
than Embeddix and handles I/O even more quickly and smoothly. In
fact, after working with OpenPDA during the two-week review period,
I went searching for a downloadable version with which to upgrade
my SL-5600 workhorse. To my chagrin, OpenPDA is unavailable as a
standalone download. This fundamental system change clearly
represents a significant leap forward for the Zaurus line.The Good and the Less GoodThe SL-C760 is fully equipped for life on the road, at work,
at home and anywhere else you might have a need for mobile
computing. With its quick processor and ample memory, the 760
performs more like a miniature laptop or desktop than a PDA. The
installed applications include Hancom's Word, Presenter and Sheet.
Qtopia also includes the terminal application in the default
installation, a problematic oversight in previous Zaurus models.
Although the contact manager and calendar are a bit less than
attractive, they're both full featured and easy to use.Significant improvements also have been made to the
multimedia applications. These include an interface that's much
easier to read when on the go and the ability to view the music
playlist with the player active. Both the sound and video quality
produced by these applications are top notch.The SL-C760 features both Compact Flash and Secure
Digital/Multi-Media Card slots, creating more external storage
capabilities than most users are likely to need. Now that the
screen occupies the full height of the 760 in portrait mode, the OK
and Cancel buttons have been moved to the side. There's also a
smooth-action jog wheel similar in functionality to the touch ring
on earlier Zaurus models. The power button has been moved to the
side, as well. The 760 also has removed one of my personal
annoyances from the SL-5x00 models, the requirement to hold the
power button to move into standby mode.For all the advances these features represent over earlier
Zaurus models, they don't describe the biggest and most visible
enhancement. With the SL-C7xx series, Sharp has incorporated the CG
Silicon display. Developed by Sharp and manufactured by CG Silicon,
this hands-down is the cleanest, brightest display in the PDA
space. Regardless of the brightness level, this display shows
virtually zero pixillation. Fonts are rendered with the clean
smooth lines of a CRT. During my review period, I was able to run
the display at half brightness quite easily. At full bright, the
display could serve as the headlamp for a coal miner. In short,
this is the display that all PDAs should aspire to have.The SL-C760 does have a few drawbacks. As it officially is
available only in Japan, the device has been localized from
Japanese to English. Some menus remain in the Japanese character
set, resulting in unreadable blocks in several of the configuration
screens. Further, the reticence of Sharp in releasing the SL-C760
to the US market means the included user manual is in
Japanese.From a design perspective, I found only small flaws. The
first is the placement of the CF card when the PDA is used in
landscape mode. Although a small card may remain unnoticed so long
as the 760 is sitting on a firm surface, it feels awkward when
holding the PDA and using the keyboard. I had some fear of damaging
the card with my right hand. As a result, I refrained from
landscape mode when the network card was in place.The second flaw is the full travel of the screen when moving
from landscape to portrait mode. It is possible, when in a hurry,
to rake the corner of the display across the keyboard when twisting
from one mode to the other. A quick close of the PDA in the
airport, for example, easily could damage the keyboard.
Figure 4. A View of the SL-C760 QWERTY Keyboard
Unfortunately, the SL-C760 has yet to resolve two other
issues from both the SL-C700 and the SL-5x00 models. Although the
sound quality of the audio player is superb, the software still
does not support saving playlists. With the available storage on
these devices, this seems like a trivial problem to solve. In
addition, like the 700, the 760 lacks an internal microphone for
voice memos. This was a prominent addition to the SL-5600 and would
clearly close the loop on necessary features for the 760.ConclusionThe Sharp SL-C760 represents a significant upgrade from both
the SL-5x00 series and the SL-C700. Rather than throwing the
upgrade book at this new model, Sharp has devoted clear-headed
resources to closing the loop on the minimal deficiencies of
previous models. Out of the box, the 760 represents a logical
evolution in both the Personal Mobile Tool and larger PDA spaces.
At $799, it's not for everyone. If your needs include the full
range of current PDA capabilities, however, the SL-C760 stands
farther along the development curve than any other mobile device on
the market. If those changes are the result of spot-marketing in
tech-savvy Japan, then an official US release is well worth the
wait.Tony Steidler-Dennison is a
PHP programmer, Linux system administrator, project manager,
paralegal, spin doctor and rabid mobile Linux user. He maintains
the poli-tech blog Frankly, I'd
Rather Not and is the founder and co-author of the Linux
site uptime. Tony
currently is working on his first book, Practical Linux
Administration and breathlessly awaits your comments on
all things Linux-related at
tony@steidler.net.

email: steidler@gmail.com