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$300 Linux PDA from Royal to feature Qtopia
An anonymous reader writes "According to a Linux Devices news item, Royal is preparing to release a Linux PDA before the end of this year with a price point of under $300. The device will use Trolltech's Qtopia, so it will share a common operating environment and application platform with the Sharp Zaurus Linux PDAs. Royal announced a Linux PDA in January 2002, but apparently discontinued that project and embarked on a new design. The Linux Devices story includes a photo of the earlier version."
Technology amazes me. One of my computers that I still actively use is actually slower than that PDA there that is a couple of orders of magnitude smaller than it. Wow.
It's cool having a PDA with VNC, Samba, Apache/PHP, MySQL, GCC, SSH, on it. This Royal model has lower hardware specs and costs more than the Sharp Zaurus SL-5500 model, however. So I can't way I'd consider this Royal entry as a strong candidate.
It seems lots of companies are jumping on the Linxu PDA wagon these days (Powerplay V, Softfield VR3, Zaurus, etc). This is great for those of use that use Linux, but the the main problem I see with all of these devices is that they only Sync with Windows out of the box.
Empower Tech, Softfield, Sharp, and now Royal should all be providing software to Sync with Linux (as well as Windows for the Other 95% of the population).
Why is this this so important? Well what has annoyed me the most about linux PDAs is that all the dev tools are in Linux, then you have to transfer your apps over to a Windows Partition to use there Windows transfer software load it (or use Wine).
No Linux PDA will be successful until it Syncs (and Syncs well) with Linux. Heck, some Palm PDAs are easily to sync to with Linux then the current Linux PDA offerings.
The market already has successful PDA platforms that Sync with Windows (Palm, Pocket PC, Psion). Why not finally make one that Syncs with Linux out of the box?
Somehow I doubt Royal will step up to the plate in this regard.
(void) signal(SIGALRM, (alarm_fired=1)); if (alarm_fired) printf("Revoke is clueless!\n");
Furthermore, you don't *need* the commercial version - that's how the Zaurii replacement ROMs were built in the first place. Furthermore, for a new device I'd expect a lot more work to be required in the kernel than in the user interface.
The Raven
The advantage I appreciate about having a Linux-based PDA is that I can put the same software on it I have on my desktop, I can use the same development tools (eg Perl, Python, Tcl, gcc, Gtk) to develop for it as I use to develop for my desktop, and when I'm at my desk I can ssh in to it and run the X-based apps on it using my 19" monitor and ergonomic keyboard. However, I really want to use it as a portable PC. If I just wanted a personal information manager (addressbook, calendar, etc.), I'm sure I'd be a lot happier with a PalmOS device.
My question is, is there really any benefit to owning a Linux PDA on the pure OS technical terms? Or is this for sheer geek factor? Take for example the PC market. Linux caters to people interested in 1. reliability, 2. cost, 3. anti-Microsofties, and 4. coders. And for a great number of people, Linux is for users who want to remain in the x86 shop and not pay what they perceive as the fortune it costs to go the Apple route. But now, in the PDA market, you have all the operating systems using the same common harware: they all pretty much run on Intel or TI chips based upon ARM designs. So when you have the Microsoft offering and its competitor Palm on the same platform, is there any practical reason to choose a Linux PDA? I'm interested to hear the reasoning, especially when it only shaves $10 off the price of the unit in terms of licensing...
"Right now, somewhere in this world, Scott Baio is plowing a woman he doesn't love," - Peter Griffin, *Family Guy*
Not to be a troll, but how exactly can Dell and HP come out with Pocket PC handhelds for $200, while every Palm and Linux handheld out there is $300+ (most typically $500-600)? I don't get it. These guys have to pay Microsoft a license fee for Pocket PC 2003, right? So how come the Linux handhelds cost so much more?
I really don't want to pump money into Microsoft, but until Palm or any Linux company can give me a decent quality color handheld for under $250, I ain't buying.