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Handhelds Software Hardware Linux

NEC Develops Linux Tablet/PDA Hybrid 128

Posted by timothy from the your-hot-little-hands dept.
zmcnulty writes "I've translated today's PC Watch article (Japanese) about a new tablet/PDA device from NEC - it has an 8.4" (640x480) touchscreen LCD, and a CD-ROM drive. It's also suprisingly affordable; about $645 USD. However, don't expect to be able to buy one soon, as production is limited to only 4,000 units for the first year. Still, this is an interesting prospect, and it's good to see major Japanese corporations interested in Linux."
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NEC Develops Linux Tablet/PDA Hybrid More

NEC Develops Linux Tablet/PDA Hybrid

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  • Handheld Linux (Score:3, Insightful)

    by brolewis ( 712511 ) on Tuesday March 30, 2004 @06:49PM (#8720398)
    Being an avid handheld user (T3) I think that Linux on the handheld is a largely untapped medium. I think that the power and flexibility of Linux on something as small and effecient as a handheld is an excellent combinaiton. I also think that the open nature of Linux would work to the handheld's advantage. There are numerous times I wish I could tweak settings or applicaions on my handheld but I am not able to do so. I hope this is the beginning of a long-term shift in the handheld market.

    • Truth (Score:2, Troll)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Thank you for your karma whore. You like this idea very much. You like PDAs very much. You wish you could tweak your PDA. You think the open nature of Linux would work to the PDA's advantage. Thank you for offering nothing of actual value that will be modded up. Speak in repeated short sentences that ends with a "I hope this is the beginning of..." statement that yet again doesn't actually say anything.

      • Re:Truth (Score:2, Insightful)

        by Anonymous Coward
        Thank you for offering nothing of actual value that will be modded up. Speak in repeated short sentences that ends with a "I hope this is the beginning of..." statement that yet again doesn't actually say anything.

        Where the hell have you been?

        You just described 90% of the posts here.
      • Thank you for your karma whore. You like this idea very much. You like PDAs very much. You wish you could tweak your PDA. You think the open nature of Linux would work to the PDA's advantage. Thank you for offering nothing of actual value that will be modded up. Speak in repeated short sentences that ends with a "I hope this is the beginning of..." statement that yet again doesn't actually say anything.

        Thank you for finally pointing this out. I like your post very much. We should point out Karma Whores. L
    • Being an avid (insert random technology here), I think Linux on the (insert random hardware plaform here) is a largely untapped medium. I think that the power and flexibility of Linux on something as small and effecient as a (insert random hardware plaform here) is an excellent combinaiton. I also think that the open nature of Linux would work to the (insert random hardware plaform here) advantage. There are numerous times I wish I could tweak settings or applicaions on my (insert random hardware plaform he

      • Re:Handheld Linux (Score:4, Insightful)

        by gl4ss ( 559668 ) on Tuesday March 30, 2004 @07:21PM (#8720674) Homepage Journal
        heheh. yeah especially when 'it runs linux' is not really the answer to everything on handheld systems with environment as limited as the manufacturer has chosen.. the question is: "will the programs of my choosing be able to run on it?" not "does it run linux underneath somewhere where I can't see?"

        I dont really care that much about if it runs linux/windowsCe/symbian/palmos as much I care about the ability to compile stuff that will run on it. just because 'it runs linux' doesn't mean it. a machine running linux can be quite effectively(as effectively as it matters) locked up from (unsigned or just from anything at all) 3rd party applications. Something people who are raving about 'it runs linux' phones & etc seem to be often forgetting.

      • And this is still modded insightful!
    • >Being an avid handheld user (T3) I think that Linux on the handheld is a largely untapped medium. Pray, do explain why you think it is a largely untapped medium. Don't you think that if there was commercial potential, it would've been tapped a long time ago? >I think that the power and flexibility of Linux on something as small and effecient as a handheld is an excellent combinaiton. Why do you think that? Do you do the same things you do on a PDA that you do on a PC? Do you need all the raw power
    • "I think that the power and flexibility of Linux on something as small and effecient as a handheld is an excellent combinaiton."

      Without a keyboard? Oh I don't think so.
    • You know, if you get it so that this has WIFI, can join up with your home computer, and set it as a second monitor, this could rock. What you would get is you could chug away at the computer, then grab the tablet and go lie down on couch or bed and sit and read web pages on your browser of the main computer. COOL. Then when you get up, you could transition back to the main computer without having to reopen everything.
    • I thought so too. Then I bought a Zaurus. It was beautiful for carrying around browsing, documents, pictures, games... but lousy for actual PDA software. The Sharp stuff was too simplistic, and the Linux stuff wouldn't run my 5+ years of data in the limited resources.

      It was so bad I started writing a calendar/todo application for it, but my wife bought me a Clie before I finished, then washed the Z. The market is so small I didn't have any other incentive to finish it.

  • Tablets (Score:5, Funny)

    by The_Mystic_For_Real ( 766020 ) on Tuesday March 30, 2004 @06:52PM (#8720431)
    It's good to see the idea that failed for Windows adopted by the Linux community.

    • Wait for it... (Score:1, Flamebait)

      by bonch ( 38532 )
      ...

      ........

      You must be new around here.
    • Yep. The site is slashdotted now so I can't really see how big this think is. I'm not quire sure I'd want to carry something around if it was bigger than a normal PDA.

      --
      Smack your momma good deals! [dealsites.net]

      • Re:Tablets (Score:3, Insightful)

        by ibbey ( 27873 ) *
        I'm not quire sure I'd want to carry something around if it was bigger than a normal PDA.

        But you're not the target market. You're problem is that you are only seeing the way you would use it.

        There are numerous people/industries who'd love something a bit more potent then a PDA, but don't need a full laptop. There are many similar products on the market already, and they do very well. They just aren't sold at retail. They are sold to vertical markets, often with custom software, and are usually sold at a

    • Re:Tablets (Score:4, Insightful)

      by ToadMan8 ( 521480 ) on Tuesday March 30, 2004 @07:06PM (#8720552)
      I wouldn't say failed... I am a Gentoo desktop user but I am writing this to you during class from my Compaq tablet running XP Tablet. Ony M$ft bothered getting the buttons, screen rotation and extras working and it does quite well. Just because they didn't replace laptops doesn't make them a failure.

    • Re:Tablets (Score:4, Interesting)

      by hak1du ( 761835 ) on Tuesday March 30, 2004 @07:43PM (#8720837) Journal
      At $2000 with a 3h battery life and 6 pounds of weight, TabletPC is a loser. At $650 with a 6h battery life and 3 pounds of weight, it could be a winner (this device has a 2h battery life and weighs 2 pounds; they should increase the battery capacity--they have the spare weight to do it).

    • I would like to see someone build a tablet that runs completely over WiFi. Why waste battery life and weight cramming in a hard drive, cd-rom, huge processor, etc when wireless networks are cheap and ubiquitous.

      Have a real computer somewhere run a small server app and handle the storage and let the tablet be just a dumb terminal. You would save weight and the batteries would last a whole day. Why the hell do I need a Pentium 4 processor in something that is basically just going to be used for display?

      I wo

      • Re:Tablets (Score:3, Informative)

        by mtnharo ( 523610 )
        MS tried something similar, but ended up with a poor execution. It was pretty much a remote display for a desktop that used the XP Pro Remote Desktop function. Due to their insistance that you need a license for each person using a machine, you could only use the tablet display or a regular monitor, but not both at the same time. Also, you couldn't do anything involving video or animation over it because the remote desktop protocol couldn't keep up.

        The only way to make something like this work is to use th

          • Yeah, that's one version of the MS remote display. A few companies made them, but few, if any, people bought into the concept due to the limitations.
            • IGEL [www.igel.de] and Neoware [neoware.com] (manufacturers of thin clients) have models [neoware.com] coming up that in plain words are a thin tablet client:
              They have I/O such as USB and touchscreen, of course a wireless NIC, but don't rely on harddisks and such.

              These devices are of course only meaningful in an area with wireless LAN and terminal server capacity available. Examples:
              hospitals, museums, (retail) stores, warehouses etc.

              I for one miss better performance on these battery dependent devices (at least compared to a fat Tablet), but
    • It's good to see the idea that failed for Windows adopted by the Linux community.

      I wouldn't say it failed. It just wasn't properly constructed. Tablets need to be true tablets. I don't need a keyboard, CD-Rom, floppy, hard drive, 64mb video (!!) and track pad on my tablet. I need a screen that uses a pen-tool, a phat wireless connection, and some good video with a low power processor. Make the screen 8.5" x 11" and 150dpi and you've got something.

  • only 640x480? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by ejaw5 ( 570071 ) on Tuesday March 30, 2004 @06:53PM (#8720441)
    Sure 8.4" diag isn't large, but at least 800x600 would have been nicer. What they have is fine for your command prompt, but I'm sure it's gonna get pretty cramped once you start running Gnome/KDE and GUI apps..even with virtual desktops. Hopefully the included GUI software will have slimed-down/iconified buttons and such.
    • Hopefully the included GUI software will have slimed-down/iconified buttons and such.

      Hey, buddy... keep your slime off my buttons!

    • Re:only 640x480? (Score:5, Informative)

      by davejenkins ( 99111 ) <slashdot@davejenki[ ]com ['ns.' in gap]> on Tuesday March 30, 2004 @07:26PM (#8720714) Homepage
      I would have to agree with this assessment, and add that JPY 68,000 is a lot to pay for something like this, especially when compared to the Sharp Zaurus C-760 PDA, which also "runs Linux", has 640x480, is Flash upgradable to a full open OS, and retails for JPY 45,000 (~$420).

      The only thing this has going for it is the 8-inch screen, which is not so much of an advantage if it cannot fit in your pocket, and therefore must be treated like a full notebook PC.
      • The only thing this has going for it is the 8-inch screen, which is not so much of an advantage if it cannot fit in your pocket, and therefore must be treated like a full notebook PC.

        Yeah; I remember back in the early days of the first Palm Pilots, when the original designer was quoted as saying "If it doesn't fit in your pocket, it won't be in your pocket."

        That seems to me to be a rather important point that PDA makers (including current Palm gadgets) keep forgetting.

        I have a couple-year-old Kyocera 60
    • I really, really would have hoped for an 800x600 screen as well. I've really been looking for sort of a faster version of the Siemens Simpad (www.opensimpad.org). I bought one last year with an 8.4" screen that's 800x600 and a 200mhz ARM processor. I paid close to $400 for it. It also has a full blown PCMCIA slot.

  • LookPal??? (Score:5, Funny)

    by ferrellcat ( 691126 ) on Tuesday March 30, 2004 @06:56PM (#8720469)
    Where do they get these names?

    Seems kind of intimidating!

  • $645 Affordable? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by puto ( 533470 ) on Tuesday March 30, 2004 @06:57PM (#8720477) Homepage
    Pardon me Antoine but you need to lay the crack pipe down and get a grip.

    I have had top of the line Palms and PPCs with all the fixings and nowhere near paid that much. And these devices have *Loads* of software free and purchased on the market.

    I use a Dell Axim supplied by work and am pretty happy with it.

    I am daily linux user, have been for years. But 645? There goes the TCO argument.

    I can get a laptop for 645. A 4 day trip to mexico.

    Puto

    • Re:$645 Affordable? (Score:3, Insightful)

      by egomaniac ( 105476 )
      I have had top of the line Palms and PPCs with all the fixings and nowhere near paid that much. And these devices have *Loads* of software free and purchased on the market.

      My top-of-the-line Sony Clie UX50 + 1GB memory stick cost nearly $1,000.

      Not sure what definition you are using for "top-of-the-line", since a top-of-the-line Palm is definitely in this price range. $645 for a cool electronic gadget may not be "affordable" to everybody, but there is obviously no shortage of people who are willing to fo
    • Those prices are also for the Japanese market. It might be less if produced for the US. Or not. It really depends. I also wouldn't suggest comparing the price of one type of device in one country with a high cost of living with that of a different kind of device sold in a different country with a much lower cost of living.

      Comparing it to Palms and Pocket PCs doesn't jive well as the screen has over four times the visible screen area.
    • I have had top of the line Palms and PPCs with all the fixings and nowhere near paid that much. And these devices have *Loads* of software free and purchased on the market.

      RTFA. This isn't a PDA. What was the last PDA you bought that had a built in CD-ROM?

      This is a product aimed squarely at vertical markets. If you've ever priced vertical market hardware, you'll know that they don't intend to compete pricewise with consumer hardware. People who need the features will pay the premium.

      BTW, $645 may be a l

  • I was just thinking (Score:4, Insightful)

    by HappyCitizen ( 742844 ) on Tuesday March 30, 2004 @07:00PM (#8720501) Homepage Journal
    Whats the point of linux on a pda? I mean, Windows Mobile does it just fine. Its 100% designed for mobile, and even coming from microsoft, I never find it crashing. I was gonna install linux, but I didn't want to risk everything, and it was pointless I realized. Windows Mobile does everything just fine, I know your not used to hearing something good about Microsoft on /., but its true. Now, with a hybrid, it still sounds a little huge for a pda. I think once it gets that big, its really a tablet, in which case linux is a great idea. I think this is a whole new angle from which linux could attack the Mobile market, and in this case be worth it, and its advantages will be shown.

    • Re:I was just thinking (Score:4, Insightful)

      by UnknowingFool ( 672806 ) on Tuesday March 30, 2004 @07:30PM (#8720748)
      I mean, Windows Mobile does it just fine. Its 100% designed for mobile, and even coming from microsoft, I never find it crashing. I was gonna install linux, but I didn't want to risk everything, and it was pointless I realized.

      I would think the main reason would be would be cost. Companies either build their own OS (like Palm) or license from another company (Palm, MS, etc) or customize an open source OS like Linux. Cost wise adapting Linux may be cheaper in some cases than licensing. With PDA prices slipping, cutting every cost is important.

      For hobbyists,teh reason to install Linux is probably boredom, curiosity, etc. It's the same reason why people overclock or mod their cases.

    • RTFA (Score:5, Informative)

      by rokzy ( 687636 ) on Tuesday March 30, 2004 @07:32PM (#8720757)
      The operating system used is Linux. NEC has explained that "We were originally looking at TRON, but due to some problems with using the CD-ROM, we went with Linux." And about using Windows, "Apart from the cost being high, we wanted the ability to save the state of the device to memory immediately before powering off - and be able to resume work in that same position when the device is power on again. But since operating the device in this fashion made freezes very likely, we let Windows go."
      • "...we wanted the ability to save the state of the device to memory immediately before powering off - and be able to resume work in that same position when the device is power on again. But since operating the device in this fashion made freezes very likely, we let Windows go."

        Just curious - isn't this exactly what Windows allows you to do (i.e. Hibernate and/or Suspend in XP, or normal power down/resume in PocketPC/MobileOS)?

        I'm not sure I understand what NEC is trying to say here - clearly MS has as
    • A full OS (Linux or Windows) would be great on a PDA. I don't own a PDA type system because they don't do enough for me yet. I'm still waiting for the next generation which will basically be a full fledge computer the size of a PDA, or iPod. Think entire computer minus monitor, keyboard and mouse. I'll have a keyboard, mouse, and monitor wearever I go, and I'll just plug in my "PDA" wherever I am, and poof, I'll have all my stuff with me. I press a button and the machine goes into "standby" or "hibernat
  • Well, some colleagues and I investigated a Linux Tablet/PDA Hybrid a few months ago. The upshot was that we are somewhat unimpressed... there are more powerful solutions hitting the market soon, and less expensive to boot.

    Basically, we thought the Linux Tablet/PDA Hybrid was totally overrated and would recommend against it at this time.

    • Basically, we thought the Linux Tablet/PDA Hybrid was totally overrated and would recommend against it at this time.

      Well, that depends on what your needs are. At $650, this Linux "Tablet/PDA hybrid" would be great for our needs, and none of the current Palm, PocketPC, or TabletPC offerings satisfy our needs: their operating systems are too limited, they are too expensive, and/or their screens and hardware are too limited. A Linux tablet with a 640x480 screen and a CD-ROM would be great for our needs.

      If

  • translations (Score:5, Funny)

    by geeber ( 520231 ) on Tuesday March 30, 2004 @07:01PM (#8720514)
    Apparantly some phrases, such as "surprisingly affordable," translate better than others...

    $650 as surprisingly afforadble? Sheesh.
    • $650 as surprisingly afforadble? Sheesh.

      For the japanese market, yes, it is probably pretty affordable. Japan ranks among the top in terms of cost of living countries. If you think housing is expensive where you live, don't ever look at a condo in Tokyo.
    • As opposed to the $1600USD that the toshiba tablet PC costed (at my store we're finally getting around to selling the display model).

      That makes the Linux one just over 3/8 the cost of the Windows one.
    • The first paragraph of the English page is an opinion of the translater and not included in the origial Japanese article. No, I don't think any Japanese would consider $650 as "surprisingly affordable." We Japanese are crazy about those electric gadgets, I know, but we are not THAT crazy!

  • remove cdrom and add usb+wireless (Score:1, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward
    nice gadget though, my first thought was.. take out the clumsy cdrom and add wireless, so the translator also suggested.

    actually, leave out the wireless, just allow for usb, then you could add wireless through a usb plug-in.

    the tablet might(will) become the tv companion(client) laying around the couch in numbers for each or most family member. thanks to this tv companion with wireless network connection each tv viewer will engage more interactively with quiz shows, talk shows, movies, competitions, polls,

  • sleep/wake fails under Windows (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 30, 2004 @07:29PM (#8720744)
    And about using Windows, "Apart from the cost being high, we wanted the ability to save the state of the device to memory immediately before powering off - and be able to resume work in that same position when the device is power on again. But since operating the device in this fashion made freezes very likely, we let Windows go."

    This is the truth. All I need to do to lock up my Thinkpad is to close the lid, wait just long enough for Windows to *begin* going to sleep, and then open the lid again. At that point, the laptop is hung. Reliably. Works every time. It's probably one of the most reliable aspects of Windows...

  • So, this thing doesn't mention wireless. I don't think I would want one of these if it didn't have integrated wireless technology.
  • coz it looks like my old school lunchbox.

  • Wow, haven't we come far in 5 years? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Tarantismic Yak ( 599256 ) on Tuesday March 30, 2004 @07:42PM (#8720831)

    No, no we haven't :0) The Toshiba Portege 3010/3020 series, released in 1998, is smaller volumetrically, has 64MB from factory, probably a faster processor ( especially the 3020CT ) and is more than FIVE years old! Toshiba's brochures are still available:

    3010CT [203.56.127.51]
    3020CT [203.56.127.51]

    A bit more here:

    http://www.ids.org.au/~shaynest/articles/portege/

    The NEC is larger, volume wise. Yes, it has a CD drive built in, but who uses those things on the road anyway? Sheesh. How did this make NEWS?

  • Just buy a laptop (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Gothmolly ( 148874 ) on Tuesday March 30, 2004 @07:45PM (#8720845)
    For this price, get a used laptop or iBook off ebay and throw Linux on it. Then you'll get a real display, HD, expandibility, etc. No cramped screen, no expensive wifi cards, just a real system, but one that you can take with you. Like here [ebay.com]
    650 USD, done.

    • Re:Just buy a laptop (Score:3, Insightful)

      by zmcnulty ( 548454 )
      But would this be simple?
      Maybe for you, but for the market of this device, no.
      The article explains that there are only 4 icons that appear when the device is powered on, stuff does not need to be double clicked, etc...
      It uses England's Picsel Technologies browser, which opens 20 different file formats, right from said application.
      Sure, there may have been other devices in the past with the same functionality, and certainly cheaper options are available, but NEC's focus for this device is ease of operatio
    • Don't know whether you buy much on eBay, but the "Reserve Not Met" should be an indicator that it's not going to be selling for 650USD. My guess 750 at minimum.

      That said, I do think there is a market for "larger" sized PDA/readers. So does NEC come to think of it. Personally I'm waiting for something I can use soley to read reference/technical documentation, maybe something along the lines of those gadgets we saw used on StarTrek episodes.

  • my linux handheld costs even more at $699 (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 30, 2004 @08:11PM (#8721049)
    I just got a linux handheld with a 640x480 4" screen, the Sharp Zaurus SL-6000L, from PC Connection for $699.

    It was quite inexpensive compared to a Dell Axim, in the sense that the Dell Axim costs ALMOST NOTHING TO PRODUCE, so more of your money can go to wiping out Linux when you purchase the Axim.

    Yes, you who purchase the Axim and put Linux on it could, if you would follow your few dollars, find them wending their way to Redmond, and thence to SCO, or wherever the people who are threatened by Linux wish to apply it.

    Your total cost of ownership is quite a bit higher than your initial outlay because of this. Also, MY total cost of ownership is higher because you do this, so I am asking you to stop! Buy something with Linux pre-installed for a change!

    p.s. The display on the SL-6000L is magnificent! I think a lot of my extra cash went into that.

  • Lose the CD.. (Score:5, Interesting)

    by -tji ( 139690 ) on Tuesday March 30, 2004 @08:39PM (#8721218) Journal
    I think there is, or at least will be, a market for tablet devices. But the options thus far have been crap. A desktop OS, like XP, on a tablet form factor, just doesn't work.

    First, portability is important. No, it doesn't need to fit in a shirt pocket. But, a two inch thick brick is not ganna work either. Lose the CD drive, it's not useful enough to waste the space for. Get the thickness down to that of a Palm V, while being lightweight and durable, and you've got something.

    Even the hard drive is questionable.. Put enought flash memory in it to hold the OS and Apps. Include a could SD slots for expansion/removable media. Of course, Wifi and bluetooth are needed, along with a USB 2.0 port or two.
    • You've hit the nail on the head. That is exactly the device I want. 0.5" thick, Flash Memory, 8" LCD with very little border, maybe a scroll wheel and 1 button on the right side of it (lefties can flip it upside down and reset the screen), WiFi, SD or CF slot, USB for charging, docking, periferials. 800x600 though, loose the 640 res its just going to cause headaches on the net. hate to say it but 800x600 seems to be a "web standard" for the time being.

      Hell if this thing ran LCARS I'd be toting it from Mai

  • Monitor (Score:1, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward
    What I want to know is, if I connect it to my computer, will it work as a 2nd monitor/sketchpad.

    THAT would make it worth the money. It's nearest competition from Wacom (admittedly higher-end) is over 2k. And you'd be able to take it with you if you want to draw on location.

  • good! (Score:4, Funny)

    by Sarin ( 112173 ) on Tuesday March 30, 2004 @09:01PM (#8721346) Homepage Journal
    - step 1: make 4000 tablet pc's
    - step 2: NEC30CD-ROM LOOKCLUB68,250()
    - step 3: profit!
  • I can't think of any reason why anyone would own one.
  • I'm sorry, if you can't grip it in one hand easily and write on it, then it ends up being a three-hand affair, two to hold the tablet steady and one to draw/write/type. Personally, I think the Apple Newton was the perfect "Super-PDA/Tablet" form factor. Not something you want to carry in your shirt pocket, but something you carry around at work or as a PC replacement on the go. The Newton [everymac.com]'s screen was just under 6" (480x320), but one could conceivably fit a wide/tall screen of 8" diagonal, perhaps (768x5
    • I sympathise and agree for the most part. Still haul out my Newton MP 100 occasionally for the odd jaunt.

      That said, I've pretty much given up on w small device as a constant companion, switched to black leather Palm Notes Pad from Levenger (www.levenger.com) which holds business cards and 2.5" x 3.5" note cards or paper folded to similiar sizes (a legal sheet cut a few times and then folded fits in it quite nicely making a very elegant accordion book). I've a slightly larger Circa notebook I carry when I'm
  • What I need is something bigger than a pda, smaller than the tablets I've looked at, purpose is to be carried around by non-techies to fill out forms with vital statistics and brief jargon-laden notes which are then dumped to a processing script on a server.

    The optimal solution must be light and physically robust, be very very easy to use. The users are absolutely uninterested in the technology/gee whiz factor; they're busy doing something else and charting/notes are the biggest time cost in their lives.

    A

  • 'interesting' that japanese are interested... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by BlueboyX ( 322884 ) on Tuesday March 30, 2004 @10:54PM (#8722013)
    Um, they are more 'interested' in Linux than we are! Well, kind of... When I visited Kyoto, all the university nerds wanted to learn was Windows because all the universities tought was Linux. In my university in the US we wanted to learn Linux while all that the university (Columbus State University) tought was windows. :P

    Well, my point is to not be too suprised when you see a Japanese product runing Linux because a LOT of Japanese students are being tought how to use it and program for it.
  • I think tablets do have a potential future in the student/business market, and Linux has an opportunity to dominate if more developers jump on the wagon. Microsoft is taking huge software leaps with Journal, OneNote, etc., and the Linux community needs to catch up. Personally, I won't buy a tablet until it can have 100% handwriting recognition + streaming TV + 100% voice recognition + video recording of some sort built-in. Now, that I see as a good product!

    Only dreams...
  • There have been some very nice "book" sized computers over the years. My favourite was the Olivetti M10 (try Google for lots of links, I don't want to pick one!).

    I am talking computers with just enougth keyboard and display to be able to write or use a spreadsheet comfortably, and precious little else.

    In the past many of these kept thier software in ROM, data in RAM, and had no aspirations to mimick a desktop or server OS. Better still, they did not bother with fancy graphics or WySIWIG.

    Battery life w

  • I've always said I wanted a wireless enabled device thats bigger than a PDA and smaller than a tablet like the pads they use on Star Trek. One of these babies running an ARM processor with WiFi and thinner (no CDROM) would kick major butt. And since it runs linux I asume there is some way I could whip it up to look like LCARS. (LCARS Linux distribution anyone? Please? Linky?!)

    Ok, maybe this is just another one of my geek fantasies (like having 24" touch-lcd screens mounted on my walls for quick home aut

  • More Linux Tablet PCs (Score:4, Informative)

    by wehe ( 135130 ) <wehe@tuxmobRASPil.org minus berry> on Wednesday March 31, 2004 @06:34AM (#8723918) Homepage Journal
    There are more Tablet PCs, which come pre-installed with Linux [tuxmobil.org]. But almost none of them has made it into the market yet.
  • Isn't it an Etch A Sketch?
  • This COBY 7" DVD player [portabledvdstore.com] with built in screen is more compact than the flip up screen models, it looks like a tablet. It plays Audio CDs, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD=R, DVD+RW, and MP3 or JPEG files recorded to CD-R/CD-RW discs. It also comes with a large set of accesories for $399. I bought this for my kids for xmas to watch on road trips.
  • Looks like they're following suit with Linux PDA companies and staying about $100-200 above the competition.
  • I'd like something simple. Why all the extra baggage when they make these? Tablet PC's, PDA/tablet hybrids, palmtop, they all try to aim too high. I just want a modern day PDA (or pocket PC) with a bigger screen. Is that hard to do? Is there a design problems I'm not getting?
    My ideal version would be the zaurus 5500 with a big screen. No other changes PERIOD. Sharp? Are you listening? anyone started a hardware hack for that? I guess it's need a bigger battery too, but that's it.

  • Japan (Score:1)

    by naChoZ ( 61273 )
    it's good to see major Japanese corporations interested in Linux.
    Having just recently picked up a zaurus and started delving into locating online resources, I can say it doesn't surprise me to see Japanese corporations interested in Linux. There's a truckload of japanese Zaurus resources. ezaurus.com [ezaurus.com] for one.

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