Linux PDA has Wi-Fi, camera and phone
Published: 28 Apr 2003 09:23 BST
A Japanese firm is launching a Linux-based handheld computer sporting Wi-Fi, a mobile phone and a camera, the result of collaboration between China, Korea and Japan. The device is aimed at manufacturers and vendors who may wish to include customised hardware and services.
According to Japanese newspaper The Nihon Keizai Shimbun, the new PDA (personal digital assistant), launched by Yokohama-based PalmNet, measures 13cm by 7cm by 2cm and comes with a wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) card.
The hardware for the new handheld has been developed by Korea-based PDA maker IMRI while the Linux operating system (OS) is the result of a joint effort between PalmNet and the Beijing University of Technology, the report said.
PalmNet hopes to sell the new gadget to other Japanese PDA makers this September at around 70,000 yen (£365).
The firm is aiming to ship 150,000 units of the product by the next March and is also looking the possibility of bringing the product to Korea and China, the reported added.
A similar product, Sony's NZ90 handheld, also features a built-in camera and currently retails for about 79,800 yen (£416). The device, however, does not come with an integrated wireless card or telephony.
To spur content and application development for the new PDA, PalmNet will also set up a non-profit organisation to publicly disclose the source code for the PDA's operating system.
PalmNet has attributed the lack of content as a reason for lacklustre PDA sales in the country. High handheld prices brought about by Windows PocketPC and Windows CE license fees have also stifled demand, the company added.
Outside Japan, handheld sales have also been slipping. Global shipments were down more than 21 percent, to 2.45 million units in the first quarter 2003 compared with 3.1 million units in 2002, according to market research firm IDC.
Bryan Ma, an analyst with research firm IDC Asia-Pacific, said that while global sales of pure handhelds are shrinking, shipments of converged PDA-telephony devices are rising.
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