Dual-Booting PengPod Tablet Can Run Linux/Android

New submitter garbagechuteflyboy writes "The PengPod is the first dual-booting tablet; It's able to run both Linux and Android. Pengpod is now running the latest Plasma Active which gives this powerful Linux tablet features that were previously only available to iPad and Android tablets. PengPod is currently selling pre-orders on Indiegogo." garbagechuteflyboy adds links to articles about the dual-OS tablet at liliputing, at Ars Technica, and at PCWorld. "First dual-booting tablet" seems like a hard claim to back, but it's nice to see a tablet marketed with Plasma Active in mind.

Comments

Dual boot

[Anonymous Coward]

Dual boots linux and ... well ... linux.

Re:Dual boot

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, that's right. I heard you like Linux...

Re:Dual boot

[unixisc]

Which distro is the non-Android Linux?

Re:Dual boot

[craigminah]

This /. posting brought to you by the CEO of Pengpod (e.g. lame way to advertise a product for free).

Re:Dual boot

[RevWaldo]

~ Uh, what kind of music do you usually have here?

~ Oh, we've got both kinds. We've got Country and Western!

.

Re:Dual boot

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, but does it run linux?

First?

[Jethro]

Because I was dualbooting WebOS and Android on my touchpad a year ago.

Also, having never heard of this device before, I looked it up and... frankly... it seems pretty horrible.

Re:First?

[gmuslera]

In the N900 (the cellphone version of the Nokia Internet Tablet, i suppose it can count as a tablet) there were several linux versions available to install and choose at boot between them. Used to have the default Maemo with Meego and Android, but several more were available.

Re:First?

[Anonymous Coward]

Don't forget that the touchpad also runs ubuntu.

Re:First?

[Jethro]

I never got to try that. It died well before it's time... ):

Re:First?

[Boltronics]

"Used to"? I'm still rocking the N900, with Maemo and Debian GNU/Linux wheezy dual-boot.

There's also Arch, Ubuntu, etc. Many also run one of these distributions in a Maemo chroot. I bet it would have WebOS ported to it if only it had more power. Android is also ported via Nitdroid (although I hear newer versions such as ICS run too slowly).

Re:First?

[t0rkm3]

Yeah... Me and my Archos 101 were booting Angstrom and Android... 2 yrs ago... I think.

Stupid, stupid headline.

Re:First?

[rwise2112]

Yeah, and I remeber a dual boot tablet from Viewsonic a while back. I think it was Windows/Linux though.

Re:First?

[Anonymous Coward]

My N900 is triple-booting Maemo, Nemo and OpenSUSE.

Re:First?

[Karzz1]

Ditto on my Archos Internet 70 at about the same time....

Resistive Screen

[Nerdfest]

I was about to sign up for one of these earlier this week, but the specs seem to indicate a resistive screen. After trying one of the cheap Chinese made Android tabs with a resistive screen, no thanks. I could deal with a bit less speed or memory, but the screen's got to be capacitive.

Re:Resistive Screen

[Anonymous Coward]

I was about to sign up for one of these earlier this week, but the specs seem to indicate a resistive screen. After trying one of the cheap Chinese made Android tabs with a resistive screen, no thanks. I could deal with a bit less speed or memory, but the screen's got to be capacitive.

It has a capacitive screen

Re:Resistive Screen

[Anonymous Coward]

It's capacitive. http://www.indiegogo.com/pengpod?c=activity

Re:Resistive Screen

[drachensun]

Its in the updates on the site: Q: Do the PengPods use a capacitive touch screen? A: YES, no resistive touch screens, only capacitive. I think some confusion has been caused by the fact that the A10 chip has a built in resistive touch screen controller. We are not using it, we are using an ft5x capacitive touch screen controller chip with 5 point multi-touch.

Re:Resistive Screen

[hobarrera]

Damn that, I would have gotten on if it had a resistive screen. I can't stand capacitive screens and it seems the entire market is flooded with those!

Re:Resistive Screen

[Psyborgue]

You kid, but my partner has fat fingers and constantly complains about not being able to use a pointed pen stylus on his Nexus S. Maybe i'll get him a galaxy note 2 for Christmas as it's both capacitive and has a nice (non-fluffy-ball) stylus.

Re:Resistive Screen

[serviscope_minor]

After trying one of the cheap Chinese made Android tabs with a resistive screen, no thanks.

Hm, you don't think that being cheap had anything to do with it as opposed to being resistive do you? I take it that you've never used a good resistive touce screen, then?

I had a Zaurus SLC3100 years ago, and it had an excellent resistive touch screen. The lag was low and the precision was high. I actually had a full OpenBSD install on it, and it was prefectly capable of running the GIMP, which was actually quite fun with a stylus. I actually miss the precision of that screen, it was really great.

The nastyness on nasty touch screens is due to them being cheap, not resistive.

Re:Resistive Screen

[hobarrera]

Actually, I wasn't kidding, I was being serious. I've a Nokia N900 which has a resistive screen, and can't stand capacitive screens.
It's actually funny that my serious comment was modded up funny.

Re:Resistive Screen

[Psyborgue]

Personally I hate them. It's basically a flexible plastic film with some sensors underneath that does wear out over time, unlike glass. If you scratch a resistive screen, good luck getting an accurate tap anywhere near the scratch, rendering it useless if you're trying to tap anything small like an on-screen key. I don't dispute that the n900 is a fantastic device for which a capacitive screen probably wouldn't be a good design choice (unless it had a precise stylus like the newer Samsung Notes), but for most phones that you just want to shove in your pocket, it's not a good choice.

My current phone has a capacitive screen made with gorilla glass. I've had it close to two years now and there's not a scratch anywhere on the screen despite taking no extraordinary care and regularly placing it in my pocket sans-case (granted I put my keys in another pocket, but still...). If it was a resistive screen, i'd have to take much more care of it to guard against scratches and pressure damage. I suppose it's a personal preference but now that there are decent stylus capable capacitive screens out there, there's really no reason to hand onto the technology anymore.

you mean GNU and Android

[davydagger]

because both of them use linux as the kernel. So in this case it would be not just appriopriate, but important to seperate between GNU/Linux and Android/Linux.

This tablet runs GNU/Linux AND Android/Linux.

What will really impress me is if you can get a hybrid userland where you can run GNU on android.

Re:you mean GNU and Android

[darkNeko]

It's important because it's target as you say it's not for consumers, but for geeks. The differences are significant if you want to develop for one or the other, specially if you want to use X vs whatever android uses. You can easily port thousands of apps that use X, but those same apps are a pain to port to android. I, as profesional could use a tablet with full linux, where I can use some software does the work I need, with a simple recompile, instead of having to port it to android with several different libraries and subsystems.

Re:you mean GNU and Android

[Anonymous Coward]

If it is targeted at geeks (who should know the difference), doesnt it make it all the more irrelevant.

Re:you mean GNU and Android

[cpicon92]

I think the point is really that the summary makes it sound like Android is not Linux. It is Linux, but it has a different userland from what people normally think of as Linux (GNU/Linux).

It's important to make the distinction because people have a tendency to forget that Android is Linux. As soon as it became popular many people accused it of not being "linuxy" enough.

Re:you mean GNU and Android

[squirrelthetire]

people have a tendency to forget that Android is Linux.

No, It's an OS that uses Linux for a kernel. That's an important distinction that people tend to forget, mostly because of the fact that until Android, just about any OS using Linux also used GNU. With that fact changing, people should realize that GNU/Linux and Android/Linux are different, and therefore incompatible.

Re:you mean GNU and Android

[Anonymous Coward]

This argument is moot. Userland is not important because it does not run on the hardware directly but on the OS. So the OS is the kernel, hence this is really a Linux tablet, end of story.

Re:you mean GNU and Android

[davydagger]

Its important to make the distinction for two reasons.

1. Android/linux has a diffrent userland than gnu/linux. android is in fact %100 linux, but its not the "linux" most geeks want to use. They want their typical "linux user experiance", which means they want the rest of the programs that are bundled by most "linux" distributions. This user experiance has a name. Its called "GNU". Most importantly I assume that most geeks would want gcc, GNU make, glibc, etc..., so they can start compiling standard GNU/linux applications they enjoy on other platforms.

GNU here is the big keystone, because once you have GNU, to include GCC, glibc, gnu make, bash, etc..., then even if the thing didn't come with X11, and a widely used desktop, which it does(KDE), it'd make it a lot easier to port. It'd make it easier to port and run standard libraries.

So I'm just calling "standard linux stuff" by its proper name. "GNU"

2. Regardless of what you think of the man, Richard Stallman, and the FSF did/does put a considerable amount of effort into GNU, I'd say as much as Linus, and the kernel team does. Especially since the fact that gcc/gmake/glibc get used in to test new platforms, and are the crux of a good deal of linux software, to include the kernel.

Linus, and his kernel team get all the credit, while Stallman and the FSF who did/do put work in, get next to none. While I do hold Linus in high regard, the FSF deserves credit for GNU. Give it where its due.

Re:you mean GNU and Android

[RyuuzakiTetsuya]

GNU sat on their hands and didnt bother with releasing a kernel, ever.

They don't get to piggy back on Linus' achievement of actually finishing on time.

Unless they think they should get credit for BSD, NeXT and OSX too.

Re:you mean GNU and Android

[unixisc]

What would GNU be doing on a tablet? In this case, it's Android/Linux and Plasma Active/Linux. Incidentally, does Plasma Active need X11 to run?

Re:you mean GNU and Android

[Provocateur]

Well, we GNU that, but thanks for pointing it out...

Re:you mean GNU and Android

[unixisc]

As far as tablets go, nobody uses bash, glibc, gnu make and those GNU utilities on them. I tried to find out whether Plasma Active requires X or not, but couldn't - anyone know? So it's gonna be a very different experience on Linux tablets than on Linux desktops.

Re:you mean GNU and Android

[Anonymous Coward]

This tablet runs GNU/Linux AND Android/Linux.

For most embedded applications it would be safer to assume something more efficient.
I find it more likely to be uClibc/BusyBox/Linux.

Re:you mean GNU and Android

[gagol]

1997 called, they want their meme back. See: www.debian.org/ports/hurd/

Re:you mean GNU and Android

[Anonymous Coward]

Doesnt just about any binary from C require glibc?

Re:you mean GNU and Android

[unixisc]

Maybe, but which end user interacts w/ glibc? It's only relevant if one is a programmer, and Android didn't become a hit w/ the market by aiming for programmers, and I doubt that that will be the case w/ Plasma active users. Maybe GNOME3 tablets could deliver the beauty of bash, glibc, sendmail, gnu make, gnu network, emacs, elvis, and all that to the public. Maybe every champion of 'Libre-Linux' could get one - libre, but not gratis.

Re:you mean GNU and Android

[Anonymous Coward]

I tried to find out whether Plasma Active requires X or not, but couldn't - anyone know?

Plasma Active so far only runs on X on GNU/Linux. Porting it to the other platforms where KDE runs (X on Mac OS X and GDI/native on Windows) is only a small effort. Which platform are you interested in running Plasma Active on?

Re:you mean GNU and Android

[Anonymous Coward]

2012 calling, we're still waiting for GNU to produce something usable. See any modern OS that isn't just a figment of Richard Stallman's egotistical imagination for examples.

Re:you mean GNU and Android

[RyuuzakiTetsuya]

Nothing changes the fact that Linus had something booting in the 1990s while the GNU/Hurd project was going nowhere.

If anything, the fact that in the wider media it's called Linux should be a sobering message to RMS that being truly free means never having to say, "GNU Slash" and being able to take from the community.

Re:you mean GNU and Android

[davydagger]

gcc, and the rest of the gnu compiler chain. most libre/Free software, to include the linux kernel uses them to compile, along with the userland.

GNU has produced a lot of usable shit, just not a kernel.

Re:you mean GNU and Android

[davydagger]

you should still at least honor him, because he did put lots of work into GNU which is widely used alongside Linux and more or less considered standard linux components.

Re:you mean GNU and Android

[davydagger]

X11, and just about any sort of GUI, command line, getty, or any user interface you'd want to run not android requires glibc and/or other GNU libraries at some point down the dependencie chain

and most of those, in addition are compiled with gcc, and gmake.

You don't have linux without the GNU userland.

Re:you mean GNU and Android

[davydagger]

BusyBux is still written for gcc C, and even though it doesn't require GNU directly at run time, its GNU compatible, and still based off GNU.

In fact, its mostly code taken from GNU source.

Re:you mean GNU and Android

[Johnny O]

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.icecoldapps.x11server&hl=en

True dat!

Re:you mean GNU and Android

[grumpy_old_grandpa]

We had the exact same discussion a week ago, so I'll repost what I quoted from RMS. As usual, he cuts right to the point, and clarifies where others gets confused:

"Android is very different from the GNU/Linux operating system because it contains very little of GNU. Indeed, just about the only component in common between Android and GNU/Linux is Linux, the kernel. People who erroneously think "Linux" refers to the entire GNU/Linux combination get tied in knots by these facts, and make paradoxical statements such as "Android contains Linux, but it isn't Linux". If we avoid starting from the confusion, the situation is simple: Android contains Linux, but not GNU; thus, Android and GNU/Linux are mostly different."

It's taken from his September 2011 essay "Android and Users' Freedom", written while the Android 3.x source was still withheld by Google.

Re:you mean GNU and Android

[gagol]

I consider HURD to be a very ambitious experiment that have the potential to benefit computing greatly in the long term. It is a very clean and extensible design, but very difficult to master.

Re:you mean GNU and Android

[RyuuzakiTetsuya]

But the argument that "Linux is just a kernel" is so crap though.

If I pull out all the GNU stuff and use Clang/LLVM, etc. would that shut people up about GNU/Linux?

Re:you mean GNU and Android

[RyuuzakiTetsuya]

The guy who gave the world emacs? no way.

Sure, he gave the world GNU, but he also did it under a very liberal license. Why should I give credit to a guy who doesn't understand that credit is the basis for IP law?

IP Law is very flawed, but, the notion that work and ideas are commodity products are his notion and if he doesn't like it, maybe he should rethink things.

The PengPod folks are vague

[bogaboga]

Our goal is to build a powerful, True Linux Tablet, one free of Android's restrictions, at a reasonable price.

Why won't they list the so called "Android's restrictions?"

They appear to have made up this statement...just for fun.

Re:The PengPod folks are vague

[ThatsMyNick]

I assumed they were referring to the restricted runtime environment. Your code runs on dalvik, uses the Android Window management system, network access is again limited by what the Android environment allows, and so on.

Re:The PengPod folks are vague

[Jartan]

For starters android doesn't support little things like a password file or a groups file. It's Linux but the devil is in the details.

Re:The PengPod folks are vague

[darkNeko]

Exactly, Android is-no-quite-linux(TM), libraries, runtimes, etc. Surely, with effort you could theorically port any software, but why port if it works at is?.

Re:The PengPod folks are vague

[NothingMore]

Couldn't you modify android to unrestrict this on some (or most) android tablets?

Re:The PengPod folks are vague

[Anonymous Coward]

Why won't they list the so called "Android's restrictions?"

Here's a short list:

Restriction 1: The user is the enemy

Re:The PengPod folks are vague

[ldobehardcore]

The only way to do that effectively is to root the device and flash a custom ROM that may have any number of problems itself, and if you're unlucky might even brick the device altogether. Some devices aren't developed for very much. For instance most of the custom ROMs for my Droid Bionic have broken HDMI output, and don't implement USB-OTG, both of which I use regularly with the WebTop that it docks into.

Re:The PengPod folks are vague

[Noughmad]

The user is the enemy

Surely you jest. But if you ever had to fix a computer for an average person, you know this is true.

Re:The PengPod folks are vague

[Anonymous Coward]

The only way to do that effectively is to root the device and flash a custom ROM that may have any number of problems itself, and if you're unlucky might even brick the device altogether. Some devices aren't developed for very much. For instance most of the custom ROMs for my Droid Bionic have broken HDMI output, and don't implement USB-OTG, both of which I use regularly with the WebTop that it docks into.

But given that they are the producer of the tablet, I don't believe that should be an issue to them.

Re:The PengPod folks are vague

[Anonymous Coward]

Technically yes. The point of those restrictions isn't to prevent people from being able to flash their own ROM onto the thing completely, it's to make it just difficult enough for _most_ people not to bother (i.e. people without a great deal of technical expertise or knowledge, people with a lack of familiarity with computers, etc).

It's the same reason that some Linux distributions are now having to essentially shuffle to Microsoft's doorstep and beg for permission to run on a Windows 8 certified computer without the user calling up their manufacturer, in the hopes they might be able to get the keys they need that way. If someone looks up Ubuntu and thinks "wow, that looks great," then when they put the live CD in and they get an error message about secure boot they don't understand...what are they going to blame it on? Certainly not Microsoft, they just left Windows 8 and that was working...about as well as expected. Granted, Ubuntu will boot on those machines, but only because (whether they care to admit it or not) Microsoft has essentially given them "permission" to. Permission that they could easily take away in the future if secure boot becomes more deeply entrenched.

Nexus 7 boots Ubuntu or Android

[hamjudo]

It wasn't that long ago that we saw that someone had ported Ubuntu to the Nexus 7.

Re:Nexus 7 boots Ubuntu or Android

[realityimpaired]

That was a chroot and then SSH with X forwarding, which is a different animal entirely from actually *booting* Ubuntu.

Re:Nexus 7 boots Ubuntu or Android

[mellon]

Arguably more useful, since you don't have to dual-boot!

Dupe

[Narishma]

garbagechuteflyboy adds links to articles about the dual-OS tablet at liliputing, at Ars Technica, and at PCWorld.

How about a link to Slashdot's story a week ago.

Screw pre-orders!

[RocketRabbit]

After the OpenPandora debacle, people should be wary about pre-ordering anything. I know the theory of the idea, the company typically uses pre-orders to fund the design and construction of the thing, but with so many other tablets out there, why gamble?

Re:Screw pre-orders!

[Anonymous Coward]

Be happy that you did not preorder Doom Nukem forever. Some of my friends waited for 8-9 years to receive it.

Re:Screw pre-orders!

[Anonymous Coward]

Duke, not Doom. Bloody swype.

Re:Screw pre-orders!

[Anonymous Coward]

And it sucked balls.

Re:Screw pre-orders!

[unixisc]

It was probably waiting for HURD to go into production release

Re:Screw pre-orders!

[jx100]

Given that I actually have my Pandora, I'd be pretty happy with that particular result, even if it took an extended period of time.

SmartQ V7

[IvanCruz]

My now out of production and almost 3 years old SmartQ V7 triple boots to Ubuntu, Android and Windows CE: http://en.smartdevice.com.cn/products/v7/200912/04-40.html

binary kernel blobs vs. aosp

[kc8tbe]

I'm not really sure what they mean either. Why is it running Android 4.0 when the latest is 4.1? What flavor of Android will it be running? Vanilla Android Open Source Project (AOSP)? Cyanogenmod? Will either the Linux or Android kernels require binary driver blobs for full functionality, or will this thing be totally open? What distribution of GNU/Linux will it run -- Plasma Active on Mer? Can it run Debian or Ubuntu? Is it easy to hack on or upgrade after it ships?

This device sounds cool, and $185 for a 10" capacitive touchscreen with expansion options ain't bad, but it would be nice if the specifications were a little bit more nailed down.

Re:binary kernel blobs vs. aosp

[Anonymous Coward]

The latest Android version is 4.2

I like Ubuntu's idea better

[caseih]

I'd rather run both Android and a Linux desktop at the same time. They both use a Linux kernel after all, so dual-booting seems a bit redundant. Why not run an android system (if not individual apps) as an app within, say, KDE plasma.

Actually, I'm surprised that MS and others haven't just implemented Android-compatible subsystems within their OS's and run Android apps natively. Need windows apps *and* Android apps? no problem. We support them both! Android isn't actually Linux after all; it's a Java environment and the kernel is irrelevant. I think BB 10 wanted to do this (QNX kernel), but I don't know if they ever did.

Re:I like Ubuntu's idea better

[Jartan]

Android isn't a Java environment at all. The code for Dalvik apps is written in java then compiled to java bytecode. That bytecode is then compiled to Dalvik bytecode. The actual systems/api of the two have nothing in common either.

It's possible to port it but it's fairly reliant on Posix to work. Far easier to just use an emulator. Dalvik is a register based runtime though so I'm unclear about it's performance on an x86 system.

Re:I like Ubuntu's idea better

[caseih]

Saying it's not a Java environment is strictly true, but really just a detail. The fact that the engine is called Dalvik and that it's internal structure and bytecodes are different from the JVM is not really relevant to my point.

I see no reason why it is reliant on posix to work. That's just an implementation detail. Dalvik certainly could be ported to, or implemented on other kernels and libc's. Would take work, but MS has a lot of smart people. They shouldn't tout android compatibility as the main feature (IBM, OS/2 and Windows 3.1 come to mind), but as a secondary feature (have your cake and eat it too).

Emulation being easier? Maybe, but not viable. But I repeat. There's no technical reason Android need only run on a Linux kernel. All Android needs is a dalvik implementation and a supporting layer (which happens to be provided by linux and a libc).

Re:I like Ubuntu's idea better

[Tapewolf]

There's no technical reason Android need only run on a Linux kernel. All Android needs is a dalvik implementation and a supporting layer (which happens to be provided by linux and a libc).

You might have fun with games and other things which use the NDK. If they have an x86 version of the .so then you might be able to use something like WINE to get Windows to load it in and run it, but if there's only an ARM version you'll have to emulate that CPU and it will not be fast.

Re:I like Ubuntu's idea better

[Jartan]

You are fundamentally misunderstanding the difference between a bytecode virtual machine and what Java does. Java isn't just a language. It's an entire computer with an entire operating system. The Java language is a small subset of that. Android uses that small subset (language + language libraries) and uses entirely different systems for the rest. Saying Android is Java is like saying Windows is C#.

So to run Android on windows. You need Dalvik. You need Android systems. You need the Android security model. You need the Android API. You need the Android windowing system. Dalvik is a very small part of it all.

ALL of that is written on posix. Porting it to Windows is not a simple compiler flag.

Re:I like Ubuntu's idea better

[caseih]

Talk about pedantic. Look, I'm merely speaking in general terms. No I am not fundamentally misunderstanding the difference between a bytecode virtual machine and what Java does. I understand it very well. Everything you spout is tied to linux only as a matter of implementation.

I'll try again a third time here. What I'm saying is that (and that wasn't even my main point! -- see ubuntu on android), contrary to your assertions, "Android" (the dalvik engine, the runtimes, etc) do not *have* to depend on Linux or anything posix. That is simply a matter of implementation. Of course I know the *code* as Google has released is not portable. And of course there is no compiler flag.

But that doesn't change the fact that to run android apps on another platform, you simply need the android system (VM, supporting libraries, pick your pedantic terms... anything above posx) implemented on the other platform. And guess what? It's already being done. Whether or not it will be viable I am not saying. But yes, Android (dalvik + android system) is in fact ported to and running on Windows right now (not Windows Mobile or Windows Phone). And it's not in an emulator. It's a native port of the VM (and, since you keep being pedantic, the entire android system). The result is similar to running in an emulator, but a whole lot faster. Blackberry was planning on doing this as well, though the port would be easier as QNX is posix.

Re:I like Ubuntu's idea better

[caseih]

Looks like BlackBerry 10 is well on their way to supporting Android apps as I talked about. Probably won't save them, but it might keep their current customers who are tempted to leave for Android:

http://developer.blackberry.com/android/tools

Re:I like Ubuntu's idea better

[Richy_T]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_POSIX_subsystem

It may not be everything needed but it'd go quite a ways.

Re:I like Ubuntu's idea better

[ArhcAngel]

Actually if you are running Windows or MacOS you just need Bluestacks.

Re:I like Ubuntu's idea better

[Anonymous Coward]

Link?

Re:I like Ubuntu's idea better

[nazsco]

So, wine for Android.

Re:I like Ubuntu's idea better

[ourlovecanlastforeve]

There's so much wrong here that I don't know where to begin.

So I won't.

Re:I like Ubuntu's idea better

[Jartan]

I'm hardly being pendantic. My statement has always been that it's easier to just emulate. Googles code as you agree is dependent on posix.

The idea of porting all those systems is ludicrous. Running an emulator is far easier. The only hicup is ARM vs x86. That is a lot simpler to solve.

When you see "native" dalvik that is what they mean. x86 dalvik running on an emulated posix layer.

What do you have against an emulator in the first place? A proper vm is only going to be a very small performance hit. People run linux in vm boxes all the time.

Slashdot doing advertorials now?

[BenJeremy]

Chinese tablets have been doing this for ages. I have a 7" tablet I bought a few years ago that ...GASP... boots THREE Operating Systems!! Android, Windows CE, and Linux.

This is absolutely nothing new or unique. Quite frankly, I'm astonished this is being covered by Slashdot like this, unless they are getting advertising revenues from the HK vendor that sells it.

Re:Slashdot doing advertorials now?

[Anonymous Coward]

Slashdot is just too stupid to realize its advertising for some HK vendor.

Re:Slashdot doing advertorials now?

[future assassin]

Why not post the name of your table?

Re:Slashdot doing advertorials now?

[aNonnyMouseCowered]

I think the news here is that some software developers are begging Slashdot readers to pledge some money for their Kickstarter project. Any self-respecting "hacker" who can root an Android phone and install an ARM version of GNU/Linux can do the same.

I'm sure the actual hardware would be a "whitebox" or generic 7" tablet that you can order wholesale from one of the smaller Chinese manufacturers. The Kickstarter money would probably go toward purchasing a certain number of minimum units.

Re:Slashdot doing advertorials now?

[Noughmad]

Why not post the name of your table?

Bobby. Aren't all tables named Bobby?

Re:Slashdot doing advertorials now?

[gl4ss]

why are you surprised? slashdot posted the same thing a week or two ago too!

Re:Slashdot doing advertorials now?

[Anonymous Coward]

The table's name is James Hetfield.

Re:Slashdot doing advertorials now?

[BenJeremy]

Why not post the name of your table?

It was the SmartQ V7, as some others have mentioned above.

Is that really important, though? The Peng Pod tablet is just another HK knockoff tablet - certainly not worthy of special attention from Slashdot.

android is linux

[Anonymous Coward]

wow.

A10 Platform is very closed

[Anonymous Coward]

Allwinner has so far been very uncooperative with the open source community. The only reason we even have the modified linux kernel source is because some manufacturers have finally released it, and it is horrible!

In addition, their implementation of a driver for the CedarX video decoder is totally closed and not tied into android's standard video decoding APIs, meaning that the only way to utilize that portion of the SoC is to use closed-source video players that are tied into Allwinner's horrible proprietary libraries.

Unless these PengPod people have written a bunch of code to fix this, this thing is a piece of garbage.

Nook Color

[xlsior]

If you have an old Nook Color (the eReader model, not the Nook Tablet) you can easily triple-boot into the stock B&N Android build, cyanogenmod Gingerbread, and cyanogenmod ICS simply by inserting a microSD card with the respective OSes. Either built it yourself, or pick up one of the countless pre-built memorycards from ebay.
Sure, It's three different android builds, but it's multi-boot nonetheless

In addition to that, the HP Touchpad has been able to dual boot between WebOS and Android for a long time now.

Re:Nook Color

[Predius]

There is a port of Ubuntu for the Nook Color as well, but it hasn't seen any development since the initial proof of concept was released, and it's VERY unpolished.

SmartQ tablets did this years ago.

[Anonymous Coward]

I have a SmartQ v7 - triple boots Android, WinCE and Linux.

A Cortex-A8 ?

[Anonymous Coward]

What total fucking garbage. Why are we wasting our time picking up obsolete scraps? The team that designed the A8 were a bunch of idiots. The A9 was a good design, and the A15 is already showing some serious potential.

Picking up a Cortex-A8 is like getting excited that Ubuntu can run on your Mom's old eMachines Celeron.

user experience

[Anonymous Coward]

I'd buy this if the linux distro offered a decent user experience.

I'd LOVE a tablet computer but I can't stomach paying €500 for an ipad. I went into my local electronics shop the other day to test drive android tablets- I can't believe that anybody would buy one. The frame rate of the user interface is appalling- the way it works is just cringeworthy. I believe there is a performace bottleneck with android graphics drivers or something?

Will linux get decent UI performace out of these tablets?

Is it really "open"?

[dpilot]

I run Gentoo on my desktops, so I'm used to building it all.

On this, or on any other tablet, can I do the same? (Obviously I'd cross-compile on one of my desktops and move the code over.)

I'd like a tablet where there's not an arms/obsolescence race, where getting true ownership (root) isn't an escalating battle until the maker decides its obsolete and not worth the trouble any more. I'd like to not have my ebooks disappear on me when the company goes, "Oops!"

AFAIK, that leaves the Vivaldi, the zTablet from zaReason, and this PengPod. I've had indications that the hardware is lackluster on all 3 and perhaps downright shoddy on the PengPod. Furthermore the zTablet is the only one that might be on the market, now.

Imma buy one just to support OS Freedom

[Anonymous Coward]

Really, why is are hardware locked to android only? Cellphones used to be totally locked down, Iphone comes along and gives people apps, android does it better (in my opinion) with more free apps , but we are still not there yet. I should be able to install gentoo on these machines if I have the right kernel for the hardware.

The real question

[fa2k]

Can the PengPod play Pong?

The only one of a kind brilliant tablet this

[Anonymous Coward]

Did everyone miss a vital point? - While everyone can only buy Android, these guys are selling the only one of a kind anywhere in the world working Linux tablet that carries a mainstream desktop Linux with option to have it inside the flash. Vivaldi isn't out yet, so this be it until someone figures out who is going to be second company to be on the market with a 'true' Linux desktop tablet.

Read all about it..

[Anonymous Coward]

Just my 2cents.. I've been able to select from webOS, CM9, and ubuntu on my HP touchpad for at least the last year... Dual-and-a-half boot?

while this article is a repost,

[Anonymous Coward]

i'm still wondering how to invest in pengpod. i don't want to give them money, but can't find a link to buy stock/whatever