New Linux-based PDA due September

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."

Wondering

[stratjakt]

Could linux based PDAs be the toe-in-the-door for some real commercial game development for linux? Or productivity and other such apps?

I mean I see major commercial titles hitting Palms and WinCE, if some ported to linux based PDAs, it might snowball into linux, well (get ready to mod me down, zealots), doing something useful for me besides routing packets to my Windows machines and Xbox.

The agenda was nice but the Zaurus is useful

[SWroclawski]

I had an Agenda and I have a Zarus.

The key to the Zaurus are the two expansion slots, the keyboard, and the fact it runs OpenZaurus.

It looks like the new Softfield PDA will have the SD slot (less useful than CompactFlash) and MAY in time be able to run OpenZaurs.

If it does, it will be a useful device, but you can already pick up a Sharp Zaurus 5500 for less than $300 (I paid about $280 for mine)

- Serge Wroclawski

Needs two slots...

[chill]

One for data storage expansion, one for peripherals.

Think: camera & place to store pictures; WiFi card & place to store downloaded files.

Other than that, seems like YALP (yet another Linux PDA). Not that we couldn't use more of them...

As a recent pocket pc purchaser.....

[clifgriffin]

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.

FPU?

[OutRigged]

Can anyone tell me why none of these mobile ARM processors, such as the StrongARM, Xscale, etc, never seem to have floating point processing capabilities? Is it due to power contraints, or is it something else?

why are people willing to use a proprietary gui?

[Anonymous Coward]

i dont get it, why get a "linux" pda only to have a proprietary gui environment, this utterly missed the real power and freedom of linux. honestly, until these suckers run a nice free software gui i see no compelling reason to stop using palmos devices.

Re:My new plan

[jargoone]

More like:
1. Find something non-Linux based.
2. Make an overpriced Linux version.
3. Watch everybody rave about it on /.
4. ???
5. Watch as established competitors outsell new Linux version.

Sad but true, at least at the beginning. Any PDA costing over $200 has a color screen and an mp3 player these days.

Can we say dork?

[Anonymous Coward]

And you thought you couldn't get laid when you showed of your "regular" PDA. Just wait until you flash your Linux PDA.

I guess it doesn't matter....

[greymond]

but does anyone else find the design monsterously ugly. It seems like a decent device - although I'll stick with my Zaurus, but unlike any of the other PDA's on the market this one just LOOKS ugly. I know that this could seem like a troll post, but honestly i'm sure there is others like me who don't like using ugly things - similar to my complaint with the Xbox Giganta controller - which was quickly replaced with a smaller one.

A day late and a dollar short

[Anonymous Coward]

What could they be thinking?

My Tungsten C has a 320x320 screen. This "new" PDA has the "old" Zaurus screen.

At least they could have used the Zaurus SL-C700 640x480 screen.

Re:My question

[prostoalex]

There are differences between the full re-install process on PC and Zaurus, but to answer your question - yes. You will have to build your own image on PC first, check http://docs.zaurus.com/ [zaurus.com] for more details, then have the zImage and the filesystem in place, after which you "reflash" your Zaurus with the help of a CompactFlash card and a certin key combination. Everything in the image is pre-compiled on PC (gotta make sure you're compiling for ARM target) and then packed into the image.

If you screw up your Zaurus badly, Sharp and OpenZaurus provide ready-to-go images. Sharp's is the official image that you get when you buy your Zaurus. Any data you created yourself would be lost after reflash, unless backed up.

Bored with my Zaurus

[Randy Rathbun]

I have a 5500. At first it was a major cool toy. I mean, it is so easy to impress your geek friends by running a webserver in your pocket. But then what?

Once the gee-whiz factor wore off, I was left with just that. A gee-whiz toy. I have yet to actually do anything with it.

When I had a Palm I used it daily. When I had a PocketPC, I got to reboot it every fifteen minutes and quickly dumped it. The Zaurus never has crashed on me, but I find myself leaving it at home more often than not.

I am going to get rid of the Zaurus soon and go back to the Palm platform. I got a lot more use out of their stuff. Sure, it might crash at the drop of a hat (though nothing like PPC2002 does) but at least Palm thought out the thing from the start instead of trying to be like everyone else.

Linux in a handheld is probably going to be very cool one day. Just not right now.