PDAs/Handheld PCs and Linux

Differences between Mobile Computers

The borders between different types of portables, laptops/notebooks, sub/mini-notebooks, palmtops, PDAs/HPCs are rapidly changing. Weight is becoming less. Storage capacity increases.

Portables

Weight greater than 4.0 kg (9 lbs). Features like a PC, but in a smaller box and with LCD display. Examples: lunchbox or ruggedized laptops (e.g., BSI)

Laptops/Notebooks

Weight between 1.7 and 4.0 kg (4 to 9 lbs). Features custom hardware and usually a special CPU. Examples: HP OmniBook 3100, COMPAQ Armada 1592DT. The terms laptop and notebook seem equivalent to me.

Sub-Notebooks/Mini-Notebooks

Weight between 1.3 and 1.7 kg (3 to 4 lbs). Features: external floppy drive, external CD drive. Examples: HP OmniBook 800CT, Toshiba Libretto 100, COMPAQ Aero, SONY VAIO 505.

Palmtops

Weight between 0.7 and 1.3 kg (1.5 to 3 lbs). Features: proprietary commercial operating systems. Examples: HP200LX.

Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs)/Handheld PCs (HPCs)

Weight below 0.7 kg (1.5 lbs). Features: proprietary commercial operating systems and often non-Intel CPU with commercial operating systems like PalmOS, EPOC32, GEOS, Windows CE. Examples: Newton Message Pad, Palm III (former Pilot), Psion Series 3 and 5, CASIO Z-7000.

Cellular Phones, Pagers, Calculators, Digital Cameras, Wearable Computing

Though in my opinion related to the topic, these devices are not covered in this text, yet. For general information about Embedded Systems, see http://www.embedded.com . For Linux information, see ELKS and the uCLinux project. And my page about Linux with Infrared Devices.

CPU Types

see iX 7/1999 p. 63, Code Warrior

• MIPS: Linux ports available Warner's Mips based PDA info Center and Linux-VR
• SH-3: Linux ports partly available
• ARM/StrongARM: Linux ports probably available soon ARM-Linux
• PowerPC: Linux ports probably available soon
• Super-M: Linux ports probably available soon
• 68000: ??
• XScale: Linux for XScale CPU?

Commercial Operating Systems

• Windows CE
• Pocket PC 2002
• PalmOS
• EPOC32/Symbian
• GEOS

Resources Dedicated to Linux

• PalmOS-HOWTO (former Pilot-HOWTO) by David H. Silber at the LINUX DOCUMENTATION PROJECT - LDP
• Newton and Linux Mini-HOWTO.
• Unix based PalmPilot Tools by Michael Wiedmann
• Warner's Mips based PDA info Center
• LinuxCE.org
• newsgroups: comp.os.linux.portable, comp.sys.arm, comp.sys.handhelds, comp.sys.psion.programmer
• Portable Programs / Portable Devices : Java, Linux, EPOC, WinCE, Psion
• Kenneth E. Harker's page Linux on Laptops contains a section about Linux on different PDAs and handhelds.
• handhelds.org The mailing lists hosted at handhelds.org, including:
  <handhelds_at_handhelds.org>
  <linux_at_handhelds.org>
  <ipaq_at_handhelds.org>
  For discussions of generic open source software on handhelds, Linux, and iPAQ specific discussions.
• THE LINUX-PDA AND PDA-LINUX QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE - an overview of available and developing support for Linux on PDAs. Includes PDAs that use Linux as their internal operating system, Linux-based operating system packages that support multiple PDAs, and a list of relevant articles for further reading.

CodeWarrior Newgroups

• codewarrior.embedded
• codewarrior.games
• codewarrior.linux
• codewarrior.mac
• codewarrior.palm
• codewarrior.unix
• codewarrior.windows

Other Resources

• Palmtops/PDAs/Handheld PC/Palm Style PCs/Palm PC/Palm Pilot - Home Page
• German Magazin Notebook & Organizer
• Peter PDAntic: Palmtop and SmartPhone Guru!
• Handhelds
• PDAs and infrared remote control, see Hiromu Okada http://hp.vector.co.jp/authors/VA005810/remocon/remocone.htm
• For more information on Virtual Network Computing (VNC), see http://www.realvnc.com/.
• There is also Handheld Systems(TM) On-line Archives at http://www.cdpubs.com/hhsys/archives.html and a search engine about palmtop related topics at http://www.palmtop.net/.
• CEcity.
• MyHeld.com

Credits

Thanks to

• Kenneth E. Harker's page Linux on Laptops.
• Linux/IrDA Project and the members of the Linux/IrDA mailing list.
• Ben Attias <hfspc002_at_csun.edu>.
• Nathan Myers from Linux Laptops.
• Andreas Gohr
• Klaus Singvogel.
• Jim Gettys - Technology and Corporate Development Compaq Computer Corporation