Linux PDA From China

hama writes "There is a new Linux PDA from China from a Beijing Firm Golden Global View who has been in the PDA/Digital Dictionary Market in China/Hong Kong/Taiwan for some time. The model is WalkPad GP1288 with a SRP of RMB1288 in China. Use the fish if you cannot read Chinese." My favorite fishism in here is the "The whole world is in sole possession of the Chinese Linux operating system, steadily beats a drum to announce the start of a watch the freedom."

Comments

Fish.

[Oily Tuna]

My favorite fishism in here is the "The whole world is in sole possession of the Chinese Linux operating system, steadily beats a drum to announce the start of a watch the freedom."

Let's hope it doesn't flounder.

Re:Fish.

[rseuhs]

"The whole world is in sole possession of the [..] Linux operating system [..]"

Finally! World domination! ;-)

not cool...

[digitalsushi]

My favorite fishism in here is the "The whole world is in sole possession of the Chinese Linux operating system, steadily beats a drum to announce the start of a watch the freedom."

Now now, remember when you laugh at a person for not getting your native tounge just right, its because they bothered to learn *your* lanaguage. Most Americans dont speak more than English, so it's not fair to make fun of this Mr. Fish. To Mr. Fish, we're sorry!

Re:not cool...

[ceejayoz]

Not if was coded by a Slashdotter...

Where did the "grammer" misspelling come from, anyhoo?

Re:not cool...

[Jonavin]

OK, my Chinese is very limited but it looks like it's trying to say:

"The world standard Chinese Language Linux Operating System. More stable, More freedom."

Although, that's not as funny as the fish translation.

Unfortunately...

[NanoGator]

Unfortunately... the 10,000 button Chinese keyboard won't ship until next year. They're still developing a way to make a stylus on the molecular level.

Re:Unfortunately...

[carlos_benj]

I lost 5 karma points over mentioning I had a gf.

Your wife moderating again?

Re:Unfortunately...

[NanoGator]

"This is not funny. You (and those moderators) are just ignorant.

Actually the joke was about the ignorance that most people have about chinese keyboards. Very few non-asians have any idea what they're like. That's why my comment was funny. Chinese using 10,000 key keyboard isn't the joke, the joke is people not knowing any better.

The clue that I was being sarcastic was here: "the 10,000 button Chinese keyboard won't ship until next year.

It's kind of like in the South Park Movie when the Americans were laughing at the Canadians about saying 'aboot' instead of about. That scene really wasn't making fun of the Canadians, but the American's silly reaction to a different pronounciation of a word. It was rather amusing watching a Canadian friend of mine get all upset about it because he didn't pay attention to what was really happening. He thought South Park was anti-Canadian.

You kind of remind me of that guy. Pity, my sarcastic comment was expressing your view about people's ignorance of asian culture. I kinda thought you of all people would find it funny.

Re:Unfortunately...

[ashitaka]

Your friend is probably unique in that respect. South Park the Movie was obviously pointing out what moronic idiots Americans are.

That Americans ACTUALLY think that most Canadians say "aboot" is adequate proof.

Re:Unfortunately...

[hey!]

Actually, it's really convenient to input chinese text on a PDA. I know people who use their Chinese Palm Pilots to send e-mail because of its convenience.

that's about $156 according to xe.com

[caffeineboy]

1,288.00 CNY = 156.744 USD
1 China Yuan Renminbi = 0.121695 USD
1 United States Dollars = 8.21724 CNY

also:
1,288.00 CNY = 159.042 EUR

Since I don't have that currency conversion in my head.

Another page for the same device?

[JUSTONEMORELATTE]

Elsewhere on the page, there's a link with "Linux" in the text, which brings up this page (with even more amusing Fish-isms) which appears to be the same device with better pictures.
Anyone have any well-translated info on this?

My translation attempt

[scotty]

It goes something like this...

[Specification]
* Model: Retail Price: 1498 Yun (~ USD$181)
* CPU: Toshiba TX3911 (MIPS Architecture) 58MHZ 32bits
* ROM: 32M NANDFlash
* RAM: 16M SDRAM
* Screen: 160*240 STN16 Grey Scale, Hand writing recognition
* IrDA: 115200bps max
* Backlite: EL Backlite (??)
* Battery: Lithium Battery, 680mAh, 8 hours, stand-by 1 month

[Main Functions]
* Linux System: Chinese Linux system first in the world! More stable and more free (in the liberal sense)
* Infrared: International standard infrared transmission for short distance communication.
* Networking: Portable Internet access allows you to send emails from your palm (literally).
* Usb: High speed USB transmission. (It sounds like that it can be recharged from the USB cable, hmmm...)
* eXpandable: Highly expandable that give you space for upgrade.
* 32Mb Flash memory, 16Mb RAM, usable space up to 8.4 million Chinese character.
* MP3 play-back ability. Digital recording.
* Portable detachable (??) keyboard.
* Digital (??) library.
* Powerful dictionary with 110,000 English -> Chinese and 60,000 Chinese -> English dictionary. Other dictionaries are available for download.
* Personalised reminder/notification in voice, vibration and flashing lights (or something like that).

Note that I've removed some marketing terms 'coz I have no idea how to translate them, and they are nothing useful than praising how good/great/powerful it is.

actually useful

[johnjones]

maybe this will be actually useful but I dont see what they are useing as the windowing system

also they use the Toshiba TX3911 a MIPS but they clock it real low

(the tx39XX was the part done for sony EE was it not ?)

and anyone who has actually tried to use a sharp zarus when away from the office knows its not much use as the power dies because of the LCD the same is true of fancy CE machines
(when will people learn that haveing your contacts in colour is pointless if you cant see it better to go with greyscale and have a couple of extra hours of use)

they claim USB & networking is this built in ?
(I dont remember tosh doing a mips part with eth MAC on chip)

my hopes are high that this will work I am curious to how they get input and what they use to display CJK chars

regards

john jones

What is the benifit?

[pagercam2]

With linux for the iPaQ do we really need to discuss a platform with less memory, slower processor, less polished Linux port and (wait for it, wait for it) documentation in English (assuming most /.ers don't read chinese). Just buy the iPaQ and be happy.

Re:What is the benifit?

[Jay Carlson]

If that price analysis above is correct, you can buy three of these devices at $160 for the price of a single Zaurus.

I still think there's a niche for low-end Linux PDAs. Of course, Softfield is selling their improved 16M, battery-charging Agenda VR3 hardware for ~$130 as well...

You know, Babelfish translations...

[Wakko Warner]

...usually turn out only slightly more grammatically incorrect than the write-ups some of the editors here on Slashdot do.

- A.P.

Re:so what's so new?

[thelexx]

OMG. The PDA is new, the company is not. How hard was that? I suggest staying inside today...

LEXX

Dodge Saves

[fm6]

OK, inquiring minds want to know: what's this Chinese text that you translate as "ROM" and BabelFish translates as "Dodge Saves"?!

Re:so what's so new?

[unformed]

So what's so new about this gadget?
/. just heard about it.

Cool!

[fm6]

Uh, you do know that Babelfish isn't a person, right? It's software. Always cool to make fun of software!

Re:Splendid

[Kphrak]

Though I agree that the internet is splendid and it sometimes makes me grasp.
Thus above transmits mean I can only use AboveNet?


You know...the parent post, which requests an English version, looks a lot like someone translated it from Chinese in the Fish. The REALLY sad thing is that AVee seems to be a native English speaker. ;)

I've often been startled by how easily foreigners can pick up the insane babbling that is English (no flames please, I love our language but it is a hodgepodge of about ten other languages)...and how horribly people can speak it who have it as a first language.

Fishism

[Wrexen]

I think the /. editors are probably the last people that should be making quips about grammar, especially aimed at a system that can spell correctly

(-1, Flamebait)
(-1, Troll)

No! Chinese!

[fm6]

I've always wanted a Chinese PDA. Good way to learn the language.

Re:Splendid

[Kphrak]

Whoops...the guy was quoting. My fault; sorry AVee. ;)

And People Raves

[fm6]

Thanks for the explanation.

Since a Chinese character can be a noun or a verb depending on context (just like English)...

Well, yes, that's the way we use English. But there are a zillion prescriptive grammar books that insist that nouns are nouns and verbs are verbs, and never the twain shall meet. This is linguistic nonsense (hello! English and Latin do not have the same grammar!) but that doesn't prevent Grammar Fundamentalists from flamming you whenever you noun a verb. Say, "A Good Read" on certain newsgroups, and you'll see what I mean.

Re:And People Raves

[rodentia]

Uh, rave.

In fact, there is a perfectly grammatical means of nouning a verb, its called a gerund: The umpteenth running of the Great Deerwood Woodtick Races.

And, um, flaming.

The Flaming Grammarians are all wet here. Modern grammar recognizes usage as paramount and grammar neither more nor less normative than spelling or the convention of the signifier itself. Which is not to say that some verbification should not be challenged: *deplane* is just plain misguided. Its construction follows no known rule but that of laziness.

The very idea of a *prescriptive* grammar outside the domain of synthetic (as opposed to natural, unfortunate distinction that) language is laughable.

Re:And People Raves

[Arker]

Prescriptive grammarians tend to slavishly expect English to follow Latin. In reality, English is closer to Chinese than Latin in structure (though not, of course, in vocabulary.) 'Verbing' is a common zero-transform in Germanic languages generally, and that tendency is most pronounced in English.

Re:And People Raves

[fm6]

Prescriptive grammarians tend to slavishly expect English to follow Latin. In reality, English is closer to Chinese than Latin in structure (though not, of course, in vocabulary.) 'Verbing' is a common zero-transform in Germanic languages generally, and that tendency is most pronounced in English.

Reproduced without permisssion!!!!

Well, that might have been true when English was a dialect of German. But after a few centuries of people trying to use English as if it were a corrupt form of Latin, we've got all kinds of inflectional structures we're basically stuck with. I still hesitate to split an infinitive!

Re:And People Raves

[Arker]

Well, that might have been true when English was a dialect of German. But after a few centuries of people trying to use English as if it were a corrupt form of Latin, we've got all kinds of inflectional structures we're basically stuck with. I still hesitate to split an infinitive!

Actually, despite all of those years of prescription against it, the language has nonetheless been shedding inflectional structures at record pace. ESI (English sin infleción) is actually understandable in most cases, though it sounds funny. Try that even in Chaucers day and it would have been total gibberish.

"When I split an infinitive, I split it so it goddamn-well stays split." - Raymond Chandler.

Regulation turtle?

[fm6]

I'm almost afraid to ask!

Re:Regulation turtle?

[Skirwan]

Regulation turtle?

I'm almost afraid to ask!

A regulation turtle is a turtle that is sized and weighted in accordance with National Turtle League (NTL) specifications. To play a regulation game of turtle one must use a regulation turtle inflated to optimal pressure on a regulation field.

Note that this is entirely distinct from a regulation sea turtle, which is used exclusively for sea turtle polo.

--
Damn the Emperor!

Re:Regulation turtle?

[fm6]

And I thought it was the turtle in charge of regulation, as opposed to the Rave Dance Turtle. My mistake.

Obviously not

[fm6]

I'm too retarded! Duh!

wonderful 'fishisms'

[interstellar_donkey]

Has the MP3 broadcast function, ultra long time digital sound recording

Not to enforce any negative cultural stereotypes, but for some reason this gave me the image of the Vietnamese prostitute (yes I know, wrong country) standing on a street corner from 'Full Metal Jacket' holding a PDA.

'Hey G.I., you like PDA?'

'You like PDA? You like MP3'

(holds out PDA)

'Play mp3, ultra long time. You record ultra looong time. Yeah baby... digital. It play digital all night long, ultra looooong time'.

"Linux" in Chinese?

[PeterClark]

So I'm curious: what would be the characters for "Linux"? I checked out the web site for RedFlag Linux, but as far as I can tell, all references to "Linux" are in latin letters. Although now I know how "Red Flag" looks like in GB. :)

:Peter

Re:Chinese are Godless Commies

[ceejayoz]

We are, once again, godless, at least in the 9th Circuit.

Thank God for that... ;-)

Super Karate Monkey Death Car

[iamabot]

The original title of this book was 'Jimmy James, Capitalist Lion Tamer' but I see now that it's... 'Jimmy James, Macho Business Donkey Wrestler'... you know what it is... I had the book translated in to Japanese then back in again into English.

Macho Business Donkey Wrestler... well there you go... it's got kind of a ring to it don't it? Anyway, I wanted to read from chapter three... which is the story of my first rise to financial prominence... I had a small house of brokerage on Wall Street... many days no business come to my hut... my hut... but Jimmy has fear? A thousand times no. I never doubted myself for a minute for I knew that my monkey strong bowels were girded with strength like the loins of a dragon ribboned with fat and the opulence of buffalo... dung. ...Glorious sunset of my heart was fading.

Soon the super karate monkey death car would park in my space. But Jimmy has fancy plans... and pants to match. The monkey clown horrible karate round and yummy like cute small baby chick would beat the donkey.

Well, you know... it's LIKE when a clown is making like a car... racer... it's sorta... like... the FCC. The CLOWN... the clown is like the FCC... and I was opposed to the FCC at the time, right? So it was like I was declaring War. WARRRR!

What did you mean when you said, "Feel my skills, donkey donkey donkey, donkey donkey?

--News Radio -- Episode #57

My favorite was this one, actually

[PCM2]

The formidable dictionary function, inside sets at the specialized dictionary which 110000 English to Chinese, 60000 Chineses England dictionary and is multitudinous may supply to download;

Kinda says it all, doesn't it?

Re:Chinese are Godless Commies

[MAXOMENOS]

Thank God for that... ;-)

AMEN brother!

Re:Unfortunately... *lol*

[ashitaka]

Sorry, wrong.

Read the history of the simplification of Chinese characters here.

"In 1955 1,053 variant characters were eliminated."

Traditional characters are making a comeback though, as they are easier to recognize for meaning and pronunciation than the simplfified equivalent.

Yikes!

[fm6]

Only US$28! Designed to run on top of an English PalmOS. That's better than having a Chinese PDA. Finally something to do with all that extra memory in my M515! Thanks!

As long as you're on a roll, how about recommending a good book on learning written Chinese?