Product Requirements:
Device:
Any corded mouse
Are you rolling your eyes thinking "oh boy, this is
the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard of"… Well, I don’t blame you, because I
thought the same thing when Directcase.com
sent me a sample and
asked if I wanted to do a review of the
Mouse Bungee. I looked at it, smirked at it, shrugged my shoulders at it,
and then said "oh well, what the heck".
What is the Mouse Bungee you ask? It is a plastic and metal device that keeps
the cord on your mouse free from dragging, and snagging which in turn makes it
easier for you to use the mouse. The base is made of plastic and comes in a
variety of colors including: Black, White, Red, Green, Orange, Purple and Blue.
The 4.5 x 3.5in base is weighted with a large silver ball bearing which keeps
the device from sliding around on your desktop. 3 rubber feet also help
accomplish this task.
The actual ‘bungee’ part of the device is comprised of 2 long springs which
extend out of the base. A plastic clip at the end holds the two springs
together. This clip also has the job of holding the actual mouse cord. You pinch
the ends of the clip so that you can slide the cord into the middle of the clip.
Next, you pull
about 12 inches or so of the cord thru the clip, place the Mouse Bungee in front
of your mouse pad, and you’re all set!
For an item which I thought was just going to be a novelty, I was very
surprised… This doo-dad is actually so useful that I don’t think I want to use
my mouse now without it! I’m serious! After I set this up, I now realize how
many times I used to pull the mouse cord because it was too tight or dragging
across my desk. With the mouse bungee, the cord is always slack and can’t get
snagged on anything. I know it’s crazy, but it feels like my mouse has lost
weight because it is so much easier to move around on the pad!
The Mouse Bungee is an inexpensive computer peripheral that makes a great gift
for anyone that uses a mouse. It’s one of those little things that looks silly,
but once you try it, you will wonder how you got along without it for so long!
Price: $12.95
Pros:
Ingenious device that makes mousing easier
Cons:
Takes up some room on your desktop
Product Information
| Price: | 12.95 |
| Manufacturer: | Mouse Bungee |
| Pros: |
|
| Cons: |
|
Gadgeteer Comment Policy - Please read before commenting
Hi Julie,
Hope you’re doing OK with your new C760.
Definitely, would like to see a review of the C760. As a C760 owner, would really like to get the word out about these great little mini-computers/PDA’s!
It also might spark more interest in the Z’s such that Sharp may finally start supplying English models to the USA as they’ve indicated they would…
Would be glad to help if needed.
Mark
Happy C760 Owner 😎
Yes! I was quite interested in this product (until I got my Acer Tablet PC).. :p
With the recent Sony entries into the Palm space (that horizontal flip clie is really neat looking), it just reminded me more of the Sharp Zaurus.
Please do a review on this product and show the world how Sharp really is a contender in the PDA universe.
Thanks!
David
http://www.nvmax.com/cgi-bin/community.pl?num=1058442266
They have some links on a download for a english conversion tool.
http://www.portablealternatives.com/downloads.html
is where the download is at.
Hi Jrpikachu,
Unfortunately, that download is for the C700 not the C750 or C760!
‘Lord Davon’ the creator of the conversion hasn’t released the C750/C760 file to the public yet….
Just wanted to clarify…
Mark
I’m supposed to get my Zaurus back today. I sent it to Dynamism to do the conversion. Yeah I took the lazy way out 😉
I guess that’s what I get for using such a big smiley.
Have you had any luck trying to use openzaurus or any other distro on it?
Hi Jrpikachu,
I haven’t tried openzaurus or opie, etc…
Only had my 760 for about a month…and this is my first Z. So it’s taken a while to get up to speed with it, with the English conversion stuff and other things…
Things are working great on my Z now. Have installed some very good 3rd party apps too. So don’t want to mess things up…
I got the Sharp CF camera card yesterday. Works great in the 760!
Not real high resolution but handy when you need to take a pic and don’t have a camera with you….
Got a great deal on it from Copier Warehouse who sells Sharp accessory stuff at a great discount price…
Check it out at
http://www.stores.ebay.com/id=26894517&ssPageName=L2
If you’re interested in OpenZ, etc. Check out the Z forums on
externe.net
or
zaurus.com/devnet
HTH,
Mark
I got my 760 back from Dynamism yesterday. WOW! Much more fun with an English device 😉
Now, I wonder if there is a way to save an image. Just in case I goof up something, I’d like to get it back to the point it is now, OS and all.
Any ideas?
Hi Julie,
Glad to hear you got your Z back!
Nice isn’t it!! 😀
You should make several backups now before you muck around with it….this will make your life easy should you have a problem…
So…do the following:
A) Do a backup using the Sharp Zaurus BackupRestore app that you installed (I hope) on your PC.
This will give you a backup file that you can use if you have a major crash where you have to do a hard reset wiping out everything. This would result in the Z starting up in Japanese….
All you’d do in that case is connect your Z to your PC and use the BackupRestore app and do a restore and voila! You’ll be back in business in English…
B) Also, assuming you have a CF or SD card, do the same thing but using the BackupRestore appn on the Z and backup to the card.
As per above, if you need to restore your Z, you can do it from the card and be back in business quickly.
I highly recommend you do both for extra insurance…
Also, remember the if you start adding some 3rd party apps, you should do another backup after you add them and see that they work OK.
This way, if you have to do a restore they will be there too so you won’t have to reinstall all those apps again!
Anyway, works for me…;-)
Have fun….
Speaking of 3rd party stuff…check out:
theKompany.com/embedded (AddressBook, Calendar, ToDo, Explorer, Editor, etc)
http://www.handango.com/sharp/
http://www.killefiz.de/zaurus/
Some good stuff out there…but make those backups periodically and you’ll be a happy camper!
HTH,
Mark
Major envy here about the c760! I’ve been checking the Z out for a few weeks and opie looks sweet!
Have fun with it and an in-depth review would be great.
jkendrick
Please post a review!!
I love your great reviews and I am seriously considering buying the C750. I get a special disount at Dynamism so i can get the C750 for $629. Good deal, huh!;)
I’m working on the HP 2215 review today (for posting tomorrow). I’ll do my best to get the C760 review posted the following Monday.
That would be GREAT!!!:p
I’ve been thinking about getting my family out in Japan to send me one. I bet I could dump OpenZaurus on it, and run in English at all times with full OZ functionality.
http://www.openzaurus.org/oz_website/content/news
Open Zaurus isn’t yet available for the C750 and C760. It is probably working, but not available to the public, at least for now.
Boy, you could really get it for cheap if you have family over there. I would jump all over that. Converting it to English can’t be THAT bad.;)
nickster87,
According to the OZ website, it is working on the c760:
“Submitted on Jul 22 2003 by Chris Larson (kergoth) <kergoth>
Greetings all,
I’m finally getting settled in Texas, and recently finally got cable internet at the new apartment, so I can start doing some project work again. OpenZaurus is now known to work on the Poodle (5600/b500), Corgi (c700), Shepherd (c750), and Husky (c760) Zaurus models, in addition to the large number of previously supported devices, like Collie (5500/5000d), iPaq, Simpad, et cetera.”
I, too, am looking forward to a review. Specifically, I wonder about how good the c760 is as an ebook reader. The text is anti-aliased in all apps, right? Is there any easy way to turn pages when in portrait/view mode? I don’t think there’s a jog wheel, is there?
Thanks all,
Kieran
Hi Kieran,
>Specifically, I wonder about how good >the c760 is as an ebook reader. The >text is anti-aliased in all apps, right?
Seems like it on my C760….
> Is there any easy way to turn pages >when in portrait/view mode?
Yes, use the jog wheel….
> I don’t think there’s a jog wheel, is >there?
There is a jog wheel… 😀
Yes, I keep up on OZ stuff.
I don’t know is version 3.3.1 is working all that great on the C760, though. I knew if was knows to work. It was working on C700s as a beta when they first came out.
ArchiMark,
Thanks for the info! Very glad to know it has a jog wheel. Does it spin like the Sony Clie’s or is more of a toggle? Can you press it in to select or does it just scroll?
Nickster87,
Didn’t mean to tell you what you already knew. 😀 I’m looking forward to trying OZ if I get a c760. Hopefully, the c760 support will shape up quickly. Do you have any idea what’s not working well?
To all the c7x0 owners here, where are the best forums for them? http://externe.net/zaurus/forum/ seems the best I’ve found for general users but maybe there’s something I’m missing.
Kieran
Don’t worry about it. No problem here!:cool:
As for other Zaurus sites, you can also visit:
http://www.zaurususergroup.com
http://www.zaurus.com/dev/board/
Hope this helps!!!
Can’t wait to see the review!:D
Hi krhysling,
Well, you can roll it back and forth….you can press it in slightly but i don’t think it will select things that way..
HTH,
Mark
>ArchiMark,
>Thanks for the info! Very glad to know it >has a jog wheel. Does it spin like the >Sony Clie’s or is more of a toggle? Can >you press it in to select or does it just >scroll?
Hey,
I have a question about Open Zaurus and Opie. I have followed up and read about OZ and Opie, but still have questions.
When one installs OZ, is Opie already installed automatically? (Open Zaurus is Opie?)
If not where do you download Opie?
I have seen the screenshots of the C7x0 series with Opie 1.0, and I am really thinking about ordering the C750 from Dynamism. I have more than enough saved, just still deciding.:cool:
Thanks!!!;)
It looks like OZ is the operating system ROM image and Opie is the GUI and assorted apps.
From the OZ site (http://www.openzaurus.org/oz_website/content/overview): “The GUI included in OpenZaurus is Opie.” So, it doesn’t sound like you have to install it seperately.
However, I think you can replace the qtopia GUI in the Sharp ROM with Opie without installing OZ. See the bottom of http://opie.handhelds.org/feed.php
HTH,
Kieran
Hi again,
Realized I should clarify more about the jog wheel….
Right next to the jog wheel is a rocker switch marked OK at one end and Cancel at the other end. So you scroll through things with the jog wheel and when you get to something you want to select you can slide your thumb over and click OK to select it….
HTH,
Mark
Happy C760 Owner
The only thing with that is how do you upgrade Opie then? There isn’t a new release of OZ everytime there is an update to Opie.
I’m sure OZ 3.2 doesn’t include Opie 1.0.
Thanks!!
P.S. How bout some pictures of your unit?
You can download it from the opie link in my previous message. That has downloads for iPaq, opie with OZ, and opie with standard Sharp rom.
I’d be delighted to post pictures if I had one! 😀 I’m in the same place as you: thinking real hard about getting one. Hopefully, Julie’s review will have lots of good pictures!
ArchiMark, thanks for the specifics on the jog wheel. That’s not something I’ve ever seen pictures of before.
Kieran
I see that, but when I go there, I see craploads of different downloads. Isn’t there one download for everything?
I *think* those feeds are for use with the package manager on the c760 itself.
I’m definitely guessing here, though, since I don’t have one. But I’m sure we can figure it out if we buy them. 😀
Kieran
Tomorrow is the big day for the review!! I’m so excited.:wow:
I found out that OZ is still experimental on the C750 and C760. You can test it, but the developers don’t support anything experimental. Looks like it is going to be a little while until something stable comes out for the C7x0 series in terms of another ROM.
Oh well….:rolleyes:
nickster87:
I’m afraid it’s going to be a few more days before I post the review. I wasn’t able to devote much time to writing this weekend. Had to spend most of it outside working on my yard.
My will post the review before the end of the week, my not sure which day.
Sorry…
Aww shucks!:(
That’s OK, though. I (reluctantly) understand.;)
It’s okay Julie we still love you.
But you better be careful or Archimark will have given away all the secrets of the c760
Hey Jrpikachu!
A magician never tells all of his secrets…
😎
Mark
The magician has actually taken me up on an offer to write the review. I’m short on available time at the moment and haven’t been able to devote any to the review myself. I know he’ll do a much better job than I could as he’s been using the c760 for weeks now. 😀 Thanks ArchiMark!
So you’re saying that there won’t be a Fox Special called “C760’s most Dangerous Secrets Revealed?”
Hi Jrpikachu,
Actually, it will be a pay-per-view special, in negotiations as I post…. 😉
But first the review right?? 😉
It’s coming along….
Mark