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New Linux PDA Announced At CES Today

Posted by timothy on from the the-field-gets-crowded dept.

It looks like the Royal Linux-PDA project has borne fruit. Bill Kendrick writes: "Linux Devices reports that Royal (makers of the DaVinci PDA) have announced yet another Linux-based PDA, called 'Lin@x' (how do you pronounce that!?). Unlike the DaVinci (and the Agenda VR3 -- Agenda Computing is owned by the same company as Royal), this PDA sports a 206MHz StrongARM, a color screen, and a CompactFlash slot. Planned price is about US$300." According to the PR, it will come bundled with software for Linux desktops as well as for Windows, which would be a nice touch.

3 of 161 comments (clear)

  1. Expandability??? by ctczar · · Score: 0, Troll

    All I hafta say is... Even my Handspring Visor Edge is more expandable than this new linux PDA!! Long live the VISOR!! Oh yeah... this is the first (rational) post...

  2. Okay, what's the goal for Linux use? by perdida · · Score: 2, Troll

    Linux: a thing that is used on a very few desktop computers.

    It is used on a lot of: servers and back-endy type things that very few consumers use.

    So here comes this Linux PDA. Okay, that's cool. Proof of concept, etc. But where do we go from here?

    Most people use their PDA with their desktops.

    If the Linux PDA bundles mostly Win software, it won't encourage puchase by Linux-desktop users (a small market).

    If the PDA bundles mostly Win software, it won't encourage purchase by Win desktop users (a huge market).

    It can do a combo, but it's a PDA. It has limited space, and if it wants to compete in the PDA market it had better have the same bells and whistles as your average Palm or Handspring with a proprietary OS on it. So, it can't have a 50/50 balance.

    It has to pick one, Linux or Windows?

    I think Linux PDA's need to be Win desktop compatible. This will introduce Linux by the back-door to many consumers, while maintaining a competitive product!

    The only worry is in the minds of Linux purists, who will feel underrepresented here. However, they are (from a marketing perspective) irrelevant.

    Anyone who actually wants to make money on Linux will be thrilled to see it in small appliances and PDAs like this one.

    --
    Goat sex free since 2001
  3. what i would use it for by quarter · · Score: 0, Troll

    is a very cheap development platform for strong arm embedded linux type stuff...

    which is what i did with my extremely sucky YOPY (which is now buried in the back of a drawer) but which cost >$700