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New Linux PDA Available
Jacob writes: "I just ran across an article about a new Linux-based PDA called the Powerplay III Linux PDA. The PDA is manufactured in Taiwan but is being sold by Canadian Linux company, Empower. This PDA is Palm IIIxe compatible (dragonball processor), is shipped with Empower's Linux DA O/S, and get this: its only $89! I'll be getting one..." We mentioned this operating system a few weeks ago. They now have some sort of source download available, which seems like a step in the right direction.
The web site says 6 to 8 weeks for delivery. The product documentation is sparse. I'm not sure if I'd be willing to order from these people just yet. I love the idea of it, but the lack of documentation on the product makes me wonder if it is real or not....
The Dragonball CPU used in here doesn't have an MMU, which means that you don't get all kinds of things like memory protection, demand paging, fixed address executables etc. Oh, no fork() either. No glibc, so porting gets harder too.
Don't get me wrong; ucLinux is still very cool, but it's not in the same league as the Agenda VR3, VTech Helio, or mono iPaq. Of course, they're all at least double the price....
Some specs are right on the site.
Manufactured by Linux DA O/S Licensee Embedded with Linux DA O/S for PowerPlay III
Palm IIIxe Compatible
2 MB Flash Upgradeable
8 MB RAM
Motorola Dragonball CPU
Battery Operated
Color Available - GALAXY GREY
15 Days Technical Support by Email
6 Month Linux DA O/S Software Upgrade
One Year Warranty
Includes: Carrying Case, 2 AAA Batteries, PC Sync Cable, CD with PC Sync Program, Quick-Start
Manual, Handwriting Guide, Warranty Card, Registration Card
..if you want a real Linux PDA, the Agenda VR3 is the way to go. It's designed from the ground up for Linux, and 100% open-source.
I just recieved mine a few days ago because I thought it would be a cool toy, not expecting it to to useful as a PDA. Fortunately it is useful for both, however. If you've read negative reviews of the VR3 indicating otherwise, keep in mind that the system has improved greatly since the initial release.
A few good and bad points to keep in mind if you're thinking of getting one:
The good:
The bad:
-Karl
Yup, I spoke with the people who started this company in Richmond, BC - Canada.
They are planning on not releasing all of the GPL'd software in source, and technically they are most definatly violating the GPL in many ways that people don't know yet. Hopefully someone will pick up, as I can't say myself at this point in time...
I really hate companies like this that lie, and illegally violate the GPL.
I just installed the LinuxDA demo on my Palm IIIxe. Here are some observations.
First off, The demo is very annoying. About every 15-20 seconds, a message that takes up the entire screen pops up and says, "LinuxDa... a demo copy for limited use... blah blah". I seriously don't think this stuff is GPL. Their license is on their site here.
Second, the UI sucks. I'm not sure why Linux UI implementations have to be so cumbersome. But this one is no different. The drop-down menus are hard-to-control. Often times, selecting a drop-down menu item requires several taps. The UI is 'Palm-like', but it fails horribly in a few key areas of navigability.
Third, I have sent an email off to LinuxDA asking them if they have a shell interface to the RAM filesystem. The demo doesn't have one. Their 'full' version doesn't appear to have one, either. I also asked about whether or not LinuxDA has a TCP/IP stack, or ethernet support. Again, I saw nothing like that in the demo or in the specs of their full version.
So far, my conclusion is thumbs down. I don't like it. Yeah, its Linux, but it sucks right now.
If they give me a shell. If they give me a TCP/IP stack, and ethernet support... then I'm on board. I'm not sure what good Linux on a handheld is without those three things.