On Thu, 20 Jul 2006 19:01:56 +0900
"Shannon Jacobs" <shanen@gmx.co.uk> wrote:
> [I think this may be of some interest here, since the device was discussed
> at some length a while ago (and even though a new model has appeared). I
> hope I didn't miss answers to any of the issues I comment on here. This is
> actually a copy of email sent to the guy in Akihabara who sold it to me.
> Actually a nice guy--and I give him extra credit since he did NOT recommend
> that I buy this WS003SH device, AKA 003. He actually cautioned me about it,
> but I'm stubborn, so... I'm publicly posting it here (and elsewhere) mostly
> because I'm furious at Microsoft. However, if you can correct some of my
> misperceptions or provide constructive solutions, of course I will be
> grateful.]
I can say that zero3 (as it is called by japanese users) is not for
common people, it's more of a gadget for geeks. It's difficult to use
for voice communication and buggy.
> First, USB charging is apparently impossible. I hope you haven't sold any of
> those big USB chargers for this device, since that will not work. I think
> the problem is that the AC adapter for this device puts out 1,000 mA, but
> the USB specification is only 500 mA for one USB port. I believe the
> voltages are the same, so this is something that I tried to discuss with
> Sharp, but I wasn't able to get a clear answer from them. It would seem to
> be possible to make an adapter cable to take the 5 V from the USB port and
> put it on a plug like the 003 uses for charging. Since the other USB port
> would not be drawing any current, then the two ports averaged together would
> (at least in theory) be below the 500 mA of the spec. Perhaps this is a
> danger to the computer? However, I'd be willing to risk it with a USB hub.
> (A 4-port powered hub is supposed to have a 2,000 mA power supply...)
I don't really get what you are trying to say, but my zero3 is charging
well via my notebook's USB port as far as I am concerned. I got the
cable from Willcom's online store:
https://store.willcom-inc.com/ec/faces/lstlsht000783/cmdprde001238/
Btw, it's the best selling peripheral at Willcom's online store now.
> Anyway, the bottom line is that the power consumption is bad, as you noted.
> Suggestions or solutions apart from carrying the AC adapter everywhere? (But
> that's what you said you do.)
I thought the power consumption was very bad, but I found out that it is
not that bad if you:
-don't use WiFi
-don't set mail reception to automatic and
receive 100 or so mails each day on it
I stopped using pocket outlook for my main mails (100+ each day) and
used "qmail" (a 3rd party freeware mail client ) to manually get them.
> Next issue is Opera. When I went to the WillCom shop to ask about this, they
> recommended against it, saying it makes the machine flaky. However, there is
> a newer version of Opera available, and the IE browser is pretty terrible.
> Recommendations? And do I have to pay for Opera if I do install it?
Opera for WM5 is not free, so you need to pay. But you are free to
install a trial version.
> Minor annoyance regarding incoming email. Sometimes it receives it, but
> other times it just indicates the email is there and I have to manually
> force it to finish the download. I have not been able to figure out any
> pattern on this.
This is an annoyance I am experiencing too. Zero3 will try to download
the email next time, but sometimes it keeps failing. And what's more
frustrating is that sometimes even force download could not get the
mails when there are so many mails (like 100+) to be downloaded. In that
case I resort to qmail mentioned above.
> Next question regards firmware updates. How can I tell what's installed on
> the machine and whether or not I should update? (I think that I confirmed
> that I had the latest firmware as of a month ago.)
Sharp instructs users to run "DispVersion" inside "Windows" folder to
check firmware version. I always do this to decide if my zero3 needsupdate.
Arnold P. Siboro (asiboro@maltech.jp)
Technology is dominated by two types of people:
Those who understand what they do not manage.
Those who manage what they do not understand.
-- Putt's Law
Work is the greatest thing in the world, so save some for tomorrow.
Received on Fri Jul 21 04:02:29 2006