November 06, 2001, 10:00 AM — Sharp Corp. has chosen the embedded Web browser Opera 5 for its new Linux/Java handheld Zaurus SL-5000D, the Norwegian web browser company Opera Software ASA announced Tuesday.
The browser will be installed as part of Lineo Inc.'s Embedix Plus PDA (personal digital assistant) operating system, Opera said in a statement.
The device, to be made available soon to developers, will feature an Intel StrongARM 206MHz processor, and will also run the embedded version of Trolltech AS's Qt, a development toolkit that enables rapid building of graphical user interface (GUI) applications and Insignia Solutions Inc.'s Jeode PDA Edition Java platform.
Sharp demonstrated a prototype of the PDA at the JavaOne trade show in June.
Opera has been positioning its Web browser as ideal for the embedded market, because it is "small, fast, and configurable while still full-featured." The company has also recently struck a deal with Canal Plus Technologies SA to provide an embedded browser for set-top boxes.
The SL-5000D is scheduled to be marketed globally by the end of this year. The hardware maker is currently taking pre-orders for the developers' version of the PDA. Interested developers can register at http://developer.sharpsec.com/.
Sharp Corp., in Osaka, can be contacted at +81-6-6621-1221 or found online at http://www.sharp.co.jp/. Opera, in Oslo, is at +47-24-16-40-00 or at http://www.opera.com/. Lineo, based in Lindon, Utah, is at +1-801-426-5001 or at http://www.lineo.com/. Trolltech, also in Oslo, is at +47-21-60-48-00 or http://www.trolltech.com/.
