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Sharp Zaurus

hunterjwizzard

hunterjwizzard

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2020
Messages
2,260
Anybody remember these?

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In a sense this is the predecessor to all your android smartphones.

I got this for my high school graduation in 2003. I don't recall what happened to it back then but I never got the use out of it that I wanted. I'm really happy I found it again and that the battery hadn't leaked and destroyed it. I even had a compatible battery from another device I'm rehabbing.

Now if I could only remember how to turn it on...
 
Hey thanks! I still have my paper manual somewhere. It turns up a couple times a decade. So glad I found the device finally.

It would be great for editing my novel on the couch or in bed.
 
I have both the SL-5500 (the early-release developer's version) and the SL-5600 (the commercial version). It's been a while since I ever used them. I should dig them out and see if they still work.
 
D'ya happen to remember offhand how to turn it on? pushing and holding "cancel" doesn't seem to do anything, and that's the only button near the on/off.
 
I don't know if the battery I'm using is necessarily compatible. When I plug it in the amber charge light just sits there and blinks.
 
hunterjwizzard said:
I don't know if the battery I'm using is necessarily compatible. When I plug it in the amber charge light just sits there and blinks.
Click to expand...
Blinking light indicates an error in charging. So sounds like you might have something wrong. To turn on, you just press the ON/OFF key, which is the same as cancel key.

I used one back in the day with the wireless card (and still have it in a box somewhere). That was a great time to be involved in Linux.
 
I'd say that confirms it. THe original battery is bulging, its not going back in. The battery I tried is just one I had for another device. Some searching revealed they do still make the batteries for these things. So I'll try one of those.
 
Did you try running it without the battery with the charger? This seems to indicate that is safe.

The rechargeable back-up battery will be charged to its full capacity in 30
hours using the AC adapter or a fully charged “EA-BL06” operating battery.
If you want to replace the operating battery before the rechargeable back-up
battery is fully charged, be sure to connect the AC adapter.
 
Did not know there was a backup battery.

When I plug the charger in without a battery, the yellow light still blinks(indicating a charging error). I'm wondering if the backup battery has gone off and destroyed the thing. Either that or its just profoundly dead as well.
 
I still have the NEC Travelmate somewhere around tho the screen is broken.
Had a fair amount of "smartphones" before it was a thing, from Nokia 9000 to Symbian to Windows phones. I liked all of them more than I like the slate shit.
 
Zare said:
I liked all of them more than I like the slate shit.
Click to expand...
I today use a Unihertz Titan because it has a physical keyboard. The stupid slate phones are so boring. They're identicle. Can't tell from another.

That's part of why I'd really like to get my Zaurus working again. Its a charismatic little device.
 
I miss PDAs. I kind of hate the direction smartphones took and that they've utterly supplanted so many more interesting devices.
 
Paralel said:
The acronym you are looking for is PDA.
Click to expand...

Err..no. I had both smartphones and PDA, singular, only Nec Travelmate.

hunterjwizzard said:
I miss PDAs. I kind of hate the direction smartphones took and that they've utterly supplanted so many more interesting devices.
Click to expand...

There is some stuff I miss from the last non-Android non-Apple phone I had, which was an HP Windows smartphone with full keyboard and touchscreen for fingers and stylus, with a cursor pad on the keyboard, and with a Sony-style jog on the side. It had every proven input method on there. The keyboard cursor was great for games, the jog was great for settings and menus, touchscreen for everything else, stylus if you need to be precise.
 
Zare said:
which was an HP Windows smartphone with full keyboard and touchscreen
Click to expand...
I never saw that one! I had 2 windows phones, both by Nokia, and still love the interface better than straight android. Even if they were dull slates it just had a better UI. If I'd have had the one you're describing I don't think I'd ever have given it up.
 
Tried mine. Without the battery it blinks also and won't turn on. Battery looked ok so I put it back in and after a little bit got solid light. Wouldn't power up immediately when I hit the button but within 30 seconds button worked. Hopefully good battery will get it running.
 
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