Linux puts 10GB in your hand
Published: 01 Aug 2001 11:27 BST
The device, dubbed the Terapin Mine, measures 7in by 3.2in by 1in.
Consumers can dump their digital photos into it, back up their computer files and store digital audio. The Terapin Mine can also be connected to a corporate LAN (local area network) and used as a mini file server. A PC card slot allows the use of wireless network adapters.
The battery-operated device runs a stripped-down version of the open-source operating system, Linux.
Although the Terapin Mine is not what is usually dubbed a handheld computer, Linux recently has entered the realm of personal digital assistants as well.
Serial System, a Singapore-based components distributor and consumer electronics manufacturer, owns the Terapin brand.
The company announced the $599 Terapin Mine in the Europe, Japan, the United States and Singapore on Friday. The product will go on sale in late August.
Michael Anh Nguyen, vice president of business development at Serial System, asserts that the device fills a niche, despite the rising number of notebooks that cost only a few hundred dollars more.
"The Mine is more mobile, switches on instantly and is easier to use," he said.
Because of the use of Linux, he noted, developers won't have to pay Serial System licence fees. He added that there are plans to release kits for software developers soon.
Find out how the open-source movement is revolutionising the high-tech world at ZDNet UK's Linux Lounge.
Have your say instantly, and see what others have said. Click on the TalkBack button and go to the Linux lounge forum
Let the editors know what you think in the Mailroom. And read other letters.
Did you find this article useful?
39 out of 104 people found this useful
- Share this article:
