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Tiny Linux PDA: Filewalker

Posted by michael on from the doubles-as-grip-exerciser dept.

senseimoron writes: "Check out the Filewalker, a new Linux-based handheld, with a very unique (one-handed) means of inputting characters. It is too difficult to explain, just checkout the site. I'd be interested to see how well the interface works." The English link may be more useful. From the price listed on the site, it would sell for US$560.

7 of 140 comments (clear)

  1. hmmm.... by fcrick · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Seems like my thumb would fall off in a week if I had to turn a wheel for every character I typed. Does this input method have any advantages other than it being one-handed?

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    1. Re:hmmm.... by Snard · · Score: 2, Interesting

      From the pictures on their site, the input method reminds me of several bits in the 'movie' "A Brief History of Time", where they showed the system used by Stephen Hawking for entering text or "talking". His system doesn't use a thumbwheel, the highlight bar moves over the row or column while he holds down a lever. Anyway, this method is certainly slow, but I recall that he and his staff researched various methods, and this was the quickest they could come up with, at least at that time.

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      - Mike
  2. price by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    ???
    no way, that's more than the zaurus
    which has a faster cpu ,
    a real kbd
    ans a nice color display.
    etc.

  3. Hmm... by PetzoldC · · Score: 1, Interesting

    I know i will get modded down for this....

    but does linux really belong in the PDA market?

    PalmOS and WindowsCE are already very established, and people trust/use them. Also, these OSes were MADE for PDAs, instead of being ported.

    Is it the fact that it is open source, although windows ce is already open source?

    I know you can run more applications with linux on the pda, but how many applications do you actually need for your pda that are not availible for windows ce and palmos?

    I am sure that hackers will enjoy it, but is there really a market for linux pdas?

  4. A bit expensive by jeti · · Score: 3, Interesting

    With 649,- EUR, I think it's a bit on the expensive
    side. Especially since I'm perfectly content with a
    paper address book.

    But if I can install my own sowftware easily, it
    could still be a neat toy.

  5. Does it sync to a Linux desktop? by Davoid · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I mean it is all very nice and all that they have Linux running a PDA but what use is it to me if it can only sync to a Windows desktop.

    All the Linux based PDAs seem to have the same problem... Windows desktop only. I can understand that it requires a Windows desktop for economic reasons. I already have a PalmVx that has several Linux desktop environments to choose from and they work fine.
    -DU-...etc...

    --
    "Don't sweat the technique."
  6. Lefties? by blkros · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Do they make one for lefties? Or is it just like everything else in this right-hand centric world?

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