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Sharp Netwalker PC-T1 unboxed, now available
There can be only one. Wait, wrong franchise -- this here is a Netwalker showdown. In the left corner, we have the Sharp Netwalker PC-Z1, a 5-inch Ubuntu smartbook powered by the 800MHz Freescale i.MX515 CPU, and at right, we have the Sharp Netwalker PC-T1, a 5-inch Ubuntu tablet with the exact same specs. Is the pen mightier than the keyboard? We won't find out today -- but Pocketables invite you to check out a bevy of fresh-squeezed T1 unboxing pics and comparison shots while they work on a review. See an EVO 4G make this tablet squirm at our source link, or check out our more coverage section if the juxtaposition of the words "Ubuntu" and "tablet" had you scrambling for your pocketbook three sentences ago.
Sharp's PC-Z1 NetWalker takes the inevitable unboxing journey
Sharp's PC-Z1 NetWalker conjured up all sorts of love and hate-filled emotions when we toyed with it earlier this month, but for fans of unorthodox handhelds, minor details like a wonky optical pad and frail keys aren't apt to put a damper on the excitement found in this moment. The cool kids over at Pocketables were able to procure a unit over the weekend from Japan (right on cue, might we add), and predictably, they've broken out the camera in order to let you relive the unboxing experience and see it side-by-side with a UMID mbook M1. The read link folks, that's where it's at.
Sharp PC-Z1 NetWalker hands-on: Ubuntu like you've never seen it before
We're having a hard time deciding whether Sharp's Ubuntu-running PC-Z1 NetWalker "smartbook" is a total tragedy or total triumph of technology. On one hand, it's running a full Ubuntu install at a relatively high resolution and a rather snappy pace. On the other hand it's nearly impossible to use, with a too small optical track pad and a too high pixel density -- combined they make hunting down just about everything in the OS a painful affair. The QWERTY keys are also astonishingly bad for their size, spongy and brittle all at the same time... but, somehow, we're still fond of this device. Perhaps it's just that unrequited Zaurus love rearing its long-repressed head. Video is after the break.
Sharp's 5-inch PC-Z1 NetWalker honors Zaurus legacy with touchscreen Ubuntu
Fanboys have been running Ubuntu on Sharp's deceased Zaurus lineup of PDAs for years. Now Sharp makes it official with the launch of this 5-inch, 1024 x600 TFT LCD touchscreen NetWalker smartbook, aka the PC-Z1. It's not a Zaurus per se, but the compact 161.4 x 108.7 x 19.7 ~ 24.8mm / 409g device certainly resurrects its ghost. Underpinning the device is an 800MHz Freescale i.MX515 CPU built around the ARM Cortex-A8 architecture, 512MB of memory, 4GB of on-board flash storage (with microSDHC expansion for another 16GB), 802.11b/g WiFi, 2x USB, and QWERTY keyboard going 68 percent of full-size. Sorry, no 3G data. The PC-Z1 features a 3-second quick launch, non-removable 10-hour battery, and is purposely positioned by Sharp as a taint -- it ain't quite a smartphone and 't ain't quite a laptop. Good luck with that Sharp. The device is expected to hit Japan on September 25th for ¥44,800. That's about $479 whenever it might come Stateside. It's worth noting that the current US ban on the import of BGA-packaged products like Freescale's i.MX processors should not affect the import of the PC-Z1 as Akihabara News contends. As we understand it, that ban affects the import of the chips, not the systems using them and assembled elsewhere. Otherwise, Amazon wouldn't be selling its Kindle, dig?[Via Akihabara News and Engadget Japanese]Read [warning: Japanese PDF]
