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I want that Linux device!
By Vans Information <content@vansinfo.com>
AGENDA VR3 PORTABLE PC Agenda Computing Inc, a California-based company has launched a full function PDA, codenamed VR3, running on embedded Linux. The Developer Edition, priced at $249, measures 4.5"x3.0"x0.8" and weighs 4 oz. It comes equipped with a 66MHz 32 Bit NEC VR4181 MIPS processor, 8 MB of RAM and 16 MB of flash storage. It has a 240x160 pixel monochrome LCD touch screen display with 16-level gray scale and a viewable area of 2" x 2¼". The display also features back lit for viewing in low light conditions and has a digital contrast control. The user interface is highly enhanced by the presence of touch sensitive quick launch hard icons, push buttons for different actions, on-screen keyboard and handwriting recognition input as well as provision for an external keyboard. It also has an external headset with microphone and a buzzer. As far as the connectivity is concerned the device is enabled through an IrDA port for long-range Infra Red transfers, an RS-232 port, a 1.6 MHz clocked serial port for hooking up external keyboard, mass storage, wireless, etc. and a consumer IR port. If required, a 56 Kbps external modem can also be plugged. On the software side, the features are just as good. It boots on a Linux-based Linux VR operating system and provides a robust and flexible solution for personal information management. It allows sending and receiving of mails as well as faxes using the optional modem and a phone line. It facilitates wireless transfer of messages, memos and applications to other infrared-enabled PDAs as well as any OBEX-compliant device. While the electronic date book feature helps in scheduling, the to-do-list feature helps in managing, prioritizing and tracking completion of tasks. Users can maintain a contact list or take down notes or even find out the time across various time zones. Further, to make it complete, there is this bundled Quicksync software, which compares information stored on the PDA to desktop PC files, thus enabling the users remain updated. The Agenda VR3 software also allows defining multiple dialup connections and TCP/IP configurations. In fact, the network connection profiles can have all the normal settings which one generally has on his desktop PC including multiple user accounts and passwords, dynamic DNS and local IP numbers, header compression settings and parameters for data flow control. One can also create specific dialup Internet connections and set the modem initialization strings, modem speeds and define automated login scripts. Finally, for lighter moments one could always play some of the games on this handheld. The fact that Quicksync is compatible with any PC operating system that can run Outlook makes it a highly versatile device and lends a greater appeal to the prospective users. KERBANGO INTERNET RADIO Guess this: What is common between an alien beer in the novel “Battlefield Earth” and a radio…? Tough one isn’t it? Anyway, the common link between the beer and the radio is “Kerbango”. What is a Kerbango, you may ask. Well for all those who get the news late, Kerbango is the world’s first standalone Internet radio. And what is the beer connection? That is what the alien beer is known as in the novel “Battlefield Earth”. The reason why this unique radio gets a mention over here is because, like the Indrema game console and IBM’s prototype watch, even Kerbango runs on a Linux (sounds far-fetched… but its true). This radio, which works quite like the conventional radio, presently needs a broadband connection in order to get connected to thousands of online music stations. You have to simply select a music category of your choice and a list of stations streaming your kind of music is displayed. You can tune in to any of it and listen to music in the usual way. The Internet tuning is provided by the Kerbango Tuning Service (KTS), which is a sophisticated database of information about the music stations found on the Internet. KTS works in sync with special automated programs called StreamBots, which ensures the quality and reliability of the transmission. Talking of the technical specifics, the internal embedded computer is based on Motorola’s DigitalDNA technology with PowerPC system-on-chip 32-bit processor running at 81 MHz. It has 16 MB of SDRAM; 8 MB of flash memory and 4 MB ROM. Hard Hat Linux distributed by Montavista forms the embedded Linux operating system while Real Player distributed by the Real Networks takes care of the streaming part and supports any of the RealAudio codecs including G2 and MP3. It has got a high contrast, backlit LCD display with a display size of VGA (320x240 pixels) and 4-bit grayscale. The radio has full-range stereo speakers with an output of 2 watts per channel. It can connect to the Internet via a phone line, Ethernet or a USB-connected networking interface. And in addition to this it also contains a conventional FM radio receiver, a built-in AM/FM antenna and the standard clock function. Measuring 8”x10.5”x7.5”, this Internet radio weighs 3.75 lbs and is priced at $299. But that is not all to this radio. If Kerbango’s marketing director, Marc Auerbach, is to be believed they could well be on their way to evolve a wireless Kerbango, which would accompany you in your car or even while you are jogging!
Other articles by Vans Information
Current Rating: [ 7.75 / 10 ]
Number of Times Rated: [ 4 ]
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