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New Linux-based PDA due September

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the and-it-fits-in-the-palm-of-your-hand dept.

Bill Kendrick writes "LinuxDevices.com has a preview of a new Linux-based PDA due out next month. Some of you might recognize the form-factor; it's from Softfield, the folks who ended up with the rights to the first commercial Linux-based PDA, the black-and-white, MIPs-based Agenda VR3. Softfield's new model, the MX-7, sports a 200MHz CPU, full-color 240x320 display, 32MB Flash and 64MB RAM, an SD card slot, and Trolltech's Qtopia environment. All for $299 USD."

4 of 182 comments (clear)

  1. My new plan by SirLantos · · Score: 5, Funny

    Hmmmm....
    1. Find something non-Linux based
    2. Make a linux version.
    3. ???
    4. Profit


    SirLantos

    --
    The flying hamster of DOOM rains coconuts on your pitiful city.
  2. As a recent pocket pc purchaser..... by clifgriffin · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This thing would never have caught my eye when I was searching for a PDA.

    It looks atrocious (at this point) and doesn't have near the specs dell offers for the same price.

    The fact that it's "linux based" doesn't send me into "I want one!" orgasms.

    --
    clifgriffin > blog
  3. Too expensive... by thefoobar · · Score: 5, Funny

    $299 + SCO license = Too expensive!

    --
    ------------------ D. A. Davenport: http://www.firebin.net
  4. Qtopia doesn't cut it by penguin7of9 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I have a Sharp Zaurus, and I think Qtopia just doesn't cut it.

    Sure, it looks pretty nice and it has most of the functionality you might want in a PDA, but it is still significantly worse than either Palm or PPC. Some of the problems include badly thought out user interaction, wasteful use of the limited screen real estate (probably a result of being based on an adaptation of a desktop toolkit), and pretty excessive resource consumption by Qt/Embedded. And there is far less software available for Qtopia than for either Palm or PPC. If you want good PDA functionality, get a Palm.

    On the other hand, as a Linux PDA for vertical apps, Qtopia-based PDAs also fall short: you are limited to the Qt toolkit and all the graphics and UI code from existing Linux apps require complete rewrites. You can't use any of the open source GUI tools you are likely used to (Tcl/Tk, Python/Gtk+, etc.). And if you want to write commercial apps, it's going to cost you (you can do commercial Palm development for free).

    Linux PDAs will keep failing until their makers recognize that it is futile to compete with Palm and PPC head-on. Linux PDAs can thrive in the niche of providing portable little Linux machines, but that means not limiting the machines to running just a single GUI toolkit.