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Sharp Adds Video Player to PDA

Zaurus, shipping first in Japan, supports MPEG-4 video and MP3 playback.

Martyn Williams, IDG News Service

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TOKYO -- Sharp has unveiled its next-generation Zaurus, which comes the closest yet to bridging the gap between the PDA and the entertainment PC.

Like several other personal digital assistants on the market, the new Zaurus MI-E1 includes an MP3 player. But Sharp has gone one step further by also including an MPEG-4 video player in the device.

The Zaurus MI-E1 will go on sale in Japan on December 15 priced at about $455. Sharp is considering plans to sell the PDA outside Japan, representatives say.

A companion digital video recorder lets you store up to two hours of MPEG-4 video onto a 64MB memory card. After recording, you remove the card and insert it into the Zaurus for viewing. The technology is still in its early days--at ten frames per second the picture will appear jerky, and the maximum resolution supported is only a quarter of the resolution of conventional television. Still, this application provides a tantalizing glimpse into what future PDAs may offer.

The companion digital video recorder will be available in Japan also in mid-December, priced at about $350.

Tiny Keyboard Slides Out

The new Zaurus is also the first in Sharp's line to include a keyboard. It's hidden under a sliding panel beneath the machine's 3.5-inch LCD. The QWERTY keyboard is around 2.8 inches wide, which means it needs a little practice and small fingers to be truly useful.

The keyboard is included to make typing e-mail messages easier, Sharp representatives say. Another addition to the PDA for e-mail use is a timer that lets you receive e-mail messages automatically when the main power is switched off. An audible tone and an indicator light let you know when new messages have arrived.

The device also includes dual memory card slots--a Secure Digital card slot for video and music data files and a CompactFlash card slot for adapters such as those needed to connect to a mobile phone. It features a 3.5-inch reflective LCD with 240-by-320-pixel resolution and support for 65,536 colors.

Sharp says the built-in battery provides enough power for 10 hours of normal use or 1 hour, 40 minutes of video playback when the display front light is switched off. That falls to around 4 hours of normal use and 85 minutes of video playback when the front light is switched on. The front light is necessary to illuminate the LCD when ambient lighting is insufficient.

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