Sharp Netwalker (Similar To The Pandora)


Clatapist

Still Fresh
Joined
May 7, 2009
Messages
9
Today I found a netbook that reminded me of the Pandora; palm-sized, keyboard, and a touch screen (it's held like the Pandora too :huh: ).

See for yourself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoOYdMtmZS0&feature=sub

Edit 1:It costs about 480 USD.
 
borgqueenx said:
nice, it comes close to the pandora. Exept for gaming controls and a touchscreen.

It has a touchscreen, or did you mean another thing?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
efegea said:
borgqueenx said:
nice, it comes close to the pandora. Exept for gaming controls and a touchscreen.

It has a touchscreen, or did you mean another thing?
oh my bad. I couldnt find a touchscreen when i was looking for specs. And i cant watch the video because im bored on the first school day of the season.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Its a bit bigger then the pandora and smaller then an eeepc.
The cpu is an i.MX51 which is a chip that mweston had been working with for a handheld before he switched to pandora and the more powerful omap 3.
Only one sdhc + 4GB nand mean less storage space.
It does have more memory but our SOC is an all around better package.
And like stated no gaming controls.
 
love the look of this thing. the keyboard looks great too. but i doubt it will see our shores here in the UK for some time.
lots of little plusses for that device tho
touch screen
4gb sdd
3 sec boot time
ubuntu
wide key layout
 
greendots said:
Its a bit bigger then the pandora and smaller then an eeepc.
The cpu is an i.MX51 which is a chip that mweston had been working with for a handheld before he switched to pandora and the more powerful omap 3.
Only one sdhc + 4GB nand mean less storage space.
It does have more memory but our SOC is an all around better package.
And like stated no gaming controls.
Wrong. It's the successor of the Freescale SoC MWeston intended to use for Pandora ;) i.MX515 is a beast. It's also used in Pegatron's upcoming ARM Netbook.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
its a nice machine, but i don't like the case design so much. dare i say it, but i think pandora is better designed than sharp has managed to come up with - though they are of course laboring under massive consumer culture heritage, it must be said.

the imx51: i have one in my lab at home (eval board), its a fantastic CPU, but OMAP simply kicks its ass, and to be honest the hassles with imx right now, apropos BGA patents and litigation, makes it not very useful in the short-term/hobbyist realm. OMAP has the lead, anyway.

still got my sl5500, i was really very happy to see linux being used in the first handheld devices, and it was a heady time, collie hacking.

but i'll be darned if this thread isn't making me absolutely *Desperate* for the pandora to arrive in my hands. that day will definitely be memorable for its anticipation.. i hope i'm able to do something good with the beast. :)
 
@torpor
Do you know which graphics processor the i.MX515 uses? Maciek guessed that it has an SGX, someone else said ATI. I don't find the thread any more. I think it was in Off Topic and got lost.
 
Wow, this one's pretty nice. The extra storage isn't too important -- two SD slots beat out one microSD slot and higher internal flash -- but 512MB is my memory sweet spot. Screen has much higher resolution than Pandora ([1024x600] / [800x480] = +60%). The actual killer for me is that Pandora will fit inside my pocket (sometimes awkwardly, in the case of tight jeans, but it'll fit), while this device might be just too wide to even fit in my work pants' pockets. The price hike is also a concern. It's basically $120 more expensive (I'm counting my bank's annoying $30 overseas wiring fee here) and will probably not be in the US by the time my birthday present arrives in the mail (first week of November is still a possibility, right?), or any time soon thereafter. Sharp's clamshell Linux embedded devices are usually Japan-only for the long haul, now that I think about it.


Still, the intro of this device makes it plain that big manufacturers will soon be able to match what the Pandora offers, save for analog nubs and soforth, which would be considered too niche to bother with.
 
That was the most soothing promotional video I have ever seen. Just... can't... stay... awa
 
:huh:
So it's another EEE clone that's too big to be pocket-sized yet too small to be powerful?

If you want a device that fits between a mobile phone and a PC, make it a pocket-sized UMPC. With this thing, I still have to carry it in my hand or in a bag (I guess if I had a purse that would work but I'm a dude, so)

Netbooks: WHAT THE FUCK ARE THEY THINKING.
 
I don't think it's competition for the Pandora. Other netbooks maybe, but not the Pandora.
 
[quote name='lulzfish' date='28 August 2009 - 06:05 PM'
Netbooks: WHAT THE **** ARE THEY THINKING.
[/quote]

Just because they don't suit you it doesn't mean they're a bad idea. Clearly the success of devices such as the EEE and the Aspire One, and the fact that nearly all manufacturers are jumping on board, shows that they suit a lot of people just perfectly.

The netbook movement completely took Microsoft unawares and must have had a big say in their push to get Windows 7 finished.
 
looks like just another netbook to me.

I don't care for the big tube screen joint thing either - looks dumb.

Pandora beats this thing hands down, not even worth comparing.
 
I guess this is the natural successor to the Sharp Zaurus line which also had Japanese dictionaries on-board. It appears that Japanese has so many characters that you really need a dictionary to master them all. Not convinced though that it will make a big splash overseas.
 
It's no competition. There's no gaming controls, and it's not pocket-sized. It's missing out on two of the major things that set the Pandora apart from netbooks.
 
Back
Top