Sharp Brain - How to Unlock / Specifications

I recently got a Sharp Brain PW-AC900 on eBay so once I find a power adapter for it, I am happy to help test software and fill out missing info in English as I learn to use it.

This looks like the adapter. You can see the specs in the Yodobashi image. And you can confirm in the owners' manual

https://www.yodobashi.com/product/100000001002278090/
https://jp.sharp/support/dictionary/product/pw-ac900.html
https://jp.sharp/support/dictionary/doc/pwac900_eng.pdf

@C:Amie
Sorry I promise I’m not trying to annoy you. I just want to make sure I do this correctly when I do add it.
Thus I propose titling it “Sharp Brain” for the Devices listing and make it roughly similar to this listing : https://www.hpcfactor.com/hardware/devices/236/7in_Notebook_Windows_CE6
Thus only putting in specs that are identical to all modes and putting “Varies” in areas that are never identical?

Then later on we can make a cesd detailing the model differences and how to unlock them

What are the spec differences, are there really 2017, 2018, 2019 models with different meaningful spec's?

@C:Amie
I listed the specs at the post 185001 in this thread, if that helps. So for recent models they are quite similar if they are in the same generation. But older models are not always so, as some models even doesn't have a keyboard or a touch screen.

@C:Amie
I can always copy what was discussed before. I just wanted direction on where we draw the line for which models to add. Add all generations (but not the respective yearly ones where only little stuff differs ) or just add one that will be used for all of them.

C:Amie : I mean to add them like this exactly how watamario15 listed

Edited by torch 2023-03-18 5:52 PM

- 3rd & 4th gen have wonderful screen. It flips 360* and is big (~5.2" 800X480). So can be used like an HPC (with physical keyboard) or vertical "smart phone mode".

- 2nd gen forward have decent specs (CPU 454MHz, RAM 128 MB, ROM 8GB)

- Amazon.co.jp sells used 3rd gen (360* folding big screen models) starting around $60 (including international shipping!). Search for a Sharp model, then and in the "detailed" screen additional used models show up.

- I suspect none of the Sharp Brain keyboards are fantastic.

Below I try to simplify a lot of the CE line up "visually" into 4 major groups. I didn't look much at the 1st generation.

2ND GENERATION -

I ***HPC STYLE - 5" 480x320 screens open about 120*. Second small screen (for graphic display & stylus input) under the keyboard where track pad might reside for a laptop
G4200 - junior high school
G5200 - high school
A7200 - lifestyle
A9200 - business

---Release date examples
G5000 ~2011 (1st GENERATION)
G5100 ~2011 (1st GENERATION)
G5200 ~2012 (2nd GENERATION)
G5300 ~2013 (2nd GENERATION)

II ***COMPACT BLACKBERRY PHONE STYLE WITH KEYBOARD- 2.4" 320X240 screen
AC10 - general
AC20 - TOEIC test
AC30 - chinese language
AC40 - korean language
GC50 - high school

---Release date examples
AC10 ~2010
AC11 ~2012

III ***TABLET STYLE (no keyboard)
GX-500 ~2012

3RD GENERATION FORWARD -

IV ***BIG SCREEN WITH 360* HINGE - 5.2" 800X480 WVGA screens. These also fold back 360*, giving a vertical smart-phone form factor. With keyboard but NO second screen
SJ1 - junior high school
SH1 - high school
SB1 - college - business
SA1 - lifestyle

---Release date examples
S*1 ~2014 (3rd GENERATION)
S*2 ~2015 (3rd GENERATION)
S*3 ~2016 (3rd GENERATION)
S*4 ~2017 (4th GENERATION)

I HPC STYLE
G4200 high school ~2012


III TABLET STYLE
GX-500 ~2012


IV BIG SCREEN WITH 360* HINGE
SH3 high school ~2016



II COMPACT BLACKBERRY PHONE STYLE
***MODELS LIKE THE AC10 "BLACKBERRY" PICTURED BELOW ARE NOT ON BRAIN WIKI SO UNLIKELY "UPGRADABLE"***
AC10 general ~2010




Edited by AximUser 2023-03-19 2:58 AM

Sharp Brain devices that are not on Brain Wiki are not Windows CE or not unlockable, I suspect.

Fair enough, I didn't realise they were different devices. If they are a different device and a clamshell, sub-notebook are tablet, yes, by all means create a separate listing. SmartPhones, no.

I add up some matters here:

- Although Sharp Brain devices are known (or expected) to have 8 GB eMMC by chip analysis, it doesn't mean you can use it as a whole to put your data there. It's where internal system files and dictionary files sitting and read-only (thus ROM). User space is usually limited to 200 - 500 MB. But still you can use SD/microSD to save large data. I use a 64 GB microSDXC card on my PW-SH1.
- Keyboard is bare minimum for the dictionary use, in both means to the quality and the number of keys. Most people use ceOpener and/or Screen Keyboard to type missing symbols and Japanese characters.

@watamario15 I'm sorry for the delay, but I finally got around to finishing getting them into the Devices list. It's not perfect, there's more tweaks I have to do:
I still have to fix the CPU / Screen Resolutions, and add a picture to the Model 4.
In addition, because each "Model" seems to have different dimensions, I merely picked one (usually the largest) to use as the Model 1 specs.
For example: If Model 1 ABC-XYZ is 3.0 by 4.0 cm, but Model 1 ABC-XYZ222 is 3.5 by 4.5, I put the dimensions for Model 1 as 3.5 by 4.5
I know that's not perfect, but the alternative is having like 32 different Sharp Brain devices. I liked what you added about narrowing down to four different models.

If you have any thoughts, or further ideas, of course, I'm always open
but here ya go, they're ready to add to H/PC Census Data or SCL compatibility
https://www.hpcfactor.com/hardware/devices/256/Sharp/Brain_Model_1
https://www.hpcfactor.com/hardware/devices/257/Sharp/Brain_Model_2
https://www.hpcfactor.com/hardware/devices/258/Sharp/Brain_Model_3
https://www.hpcfactor.com/hardware/devices/259/Sharp/Brain_Model_4

As always thank you!

Nice, I finally got my device at my user profile page!

Does "Persistent Storage Area (PSA)" mean a storage area where an user can put any data they want and the data don't lost on a hard reset? Then it is usually either 200 MB or 500 MB, varying for each specific devices.

^Yay!

^Correct, for example, my 790
https://www.hpcfactor.com/hardware/devices/131/NEC/MobilePro_790
has 16MB of non volatile storage listed under "Persistent Storage Area (PSA)" of the specs page.

^I previously used "+ NOR Flash 32 MB (1st-gen) / 128 MB (2nd-gen and later) " for the PSA for the Brain models on the specs page
Should I change that field to be 200MB?