Sharp Zaurus SL-5500 Handheld

The Sharp Zaurus is a very good PDA. It has many of the features people want, such as a calendar, clock, an Office-like suite, MP3 player, MPEG player, and games. Since it's linux/java based open source, it can be very versatile.

A few more positives. Sharp did a good job of designing the Zaurus. The best feature has to be the built-in keyboard. You type on it with your thumbs. Very nifty feature. Also, the Zaurus comes with both a Compact Flash and an SD/MMC slot. Very good when one needs to expand storage or add hardware.

The downside is that it doesn't have a built-in microphone to take notes. It also doesn't have a built-in speaker. Another thing it lacks is compatibility. Although it is supposed to be compatible with Macs and PCs, it's sync software doesn't do a good job of sync-ing.

Battery life is decent and the programs on it are also decent. A second version of the Zaurus might clean up a few annoyances. The interface of the Zaurus is excellent and can be customized to personal preference.

All-in-all, the Zaurus is an excellent product. The thing that makes me skeptical of it is that no one will want one because PocketPCs are becoming the norm. Sharp decided to use a new way of thinking, and it could possibly be successful, but it doesn't seem probable.

Therefore, if you have money to spend, look elsewhere at the PocketPC world. Maybe even the new Dell Axims (which replaces my Zaurus).