Sharp's new Linux-based Zaurus PDA is expected to begin hitting retail shelves this March for a list price $549, a company source told LinuxDevices.com. The model name will be “Zaurus SL-5500”, and it will include 64MB of RAM memory and 16MB of built-in Flash storage memory (in contrast to pre-production devices… which had 32MB of RAM).

Sharp began delivering limited quantities of a developer version (the Zaurus SL-5000D) several months ago which contains 32MB of system RAM and is provided with a minnimal set of application software, in order to foster development of applications for the device.

The Zaurus SL-5500 features an embedded Linux OS supplemented by both Qt and Java application environments. The device is based on a 206 MHz Intel StrongARM processor with 64MB system RAM and 16MB built-in flash storage. It has a full-color 320 x 240 pixel TFT LCD with touch panel, plus a built-in QWERTY keyboard (located behind a slide cover), and is equipped with CompactFlash and SD-card slots, IrDA, and USB interfaces. The device's software stack is based on Embedix Plus PDA, which includes Lineo's Embedix embedded Linux, Trolltech's Qt/Embedded GUI application framework, Opera's Opera 5 for Linux web browser, Insignia's Jeode PDA Edition (a Sun-authorized Virtual Machine that is compatible with the PersonalJava specification), and Trolltech's Qtopia user interface and application suite.

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