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TOKYO -- Sharp unveiled a Zaurus PDA on Monday that runs Linux and Java. Targeted at business users on the move, the company claims the device is the world's lightest color PDA.

The SL-A300 Zaurus features the "Zaurus Shot" function that allows a PC screen shot, such as a Web page, an Excel file, or a PDF document, to be transferred to the PDA in a second via a USB cable, simply by pressing the print screen key on the PC, the Osaka, Japan, company said in a press conference here.

This means when going on a business trip or to a meeting, instead of carrying a 500-page paper document or a notebook PC containing the information, everything can be packed in the SL-A300 and put in a shirt pocket, says Toshiaki Fujiwara, product marketing manager at Sharp's Mobile Systems Division.

The device measures 2.7 inches by 4.4 inches by .5 inches and weighs 4.2 ounces.

Full of Features

When connected to a PC by a USB cable, the device can work like an external hard drive. Data can be copied to the Zaurus by a drag and drop operation from the PC. Microsoft's Word and Excel application formats, and JPEG, BMP, GIF, and PNG image formats are compatible with the Zaurus applications.

The SL-A300 contains a 200-MHz Intel XScale processor, 64MB of synchronous dynamic RAM, a 3.5-inch TFT LCD showing 65,536 colors, and a Secure Digital card slot. The battery lasts up to 12 hours if the screen illumination is not used. An additional adaptor and a data or a wireless LAN card will allow Internet access or a wireless LAN connectivity.

Adopting the open-source Linux as an operating system is part of Sharp's overseas expansion strategy for its Zaurus PDAs, says Hiroshi Uno, general manager of Sharp's Mobile Systems Division.

Looking to Linux

Sharp released its first Linux PDA, the SL-5500 Zaurus, in North America and Europe in March this year. In April and May, the company shipped 20,000 units and formed a community for Linux developers, which currently has 30,000 registered members and has developed 335 software applications so far for Zaurus, according to Uno.

Sharp, which has been one of the top PDA vendors in the Japanese market since 1993, equipped all the Japanese Zaurus products with its proprietary Zaurus operating system, but will gradually be replacing it with Linux, Uno says. The SL-A300 will be the first Linux-based Zaurus introduced in Japan, he says.

The SL-A300 will be rolled out on July 12 in Japan at around $404. The company plans to release the product overseas this year with slightly different specifications, Uno says.

While the SL-5500 was sold as an entry-level model for entertainment, the SL-A300 is aimed at business users, he says.

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