Encore Software's Simputer

The Simputer looks like a cool platform for REBOL Portable, costs US$200, runs Linux, has a built-in modem, and smart-card reader Too bad it's not available outside of India http://www.ncoretech.com/simputer/simputer/resellers.html ________________________________________ http://www.ncoretech.com/simputer/index.html The Simputer is a low-cost Personal Computer with multiple connectivity options. It is designed to be modular and extensible, and based entirely on free software from the Open Source Initiative. Its primary input is a touch-sensitive overlay on the LCD display panel. The Simputer is not a Personal Computer in the conventional "PC" sense. The "Win-tel" architecture of the de facto standard PC is quite unsuitable for deployment in the low-cost mass market in any developing country. The entry barrier due to software licensing of proprietary, though de facto standard, software is just too high. While the Wintel PC provides a de facto level of standardisation, it is clearly not an open architecture. The Simputer, on the other hand, is based on GNU/Linux software technology that is open and modular. The Linux Kernel version 2.4 has been ported to the Simputer. The initial version of the Simputer is based on Intel's StrongARM CPU, which is a Reduced Instruction-set (RISC) microprocessor designed for embedded applications. The StrongARM has a high level of integration and performance at a relatively low level of power consumption. To enable rapid development and deployment of application software, the basic development platform uses GTK. A Java Virtual Machine can also be provided for those application developers that want to benefit from platform independence for their applications. _____________________________ http://www.ncoretech.com/simputer/simputer/specs.html Hardware CPU Intel's StrongARM SA-1110 CPU @ 206 MHz Memory 32-64 MB of SDRAM 16-32 MB Flash for non-volatile storage Display Options 240 x 320 Monochrome LCD Display Panel with backlight or 240 x 320 Colour LCD Display Panel with backlight Input Device Touch-panel Overlay on LCD Display with a plastic stylus (Pen) Direction and Selection Keys Audio Interface Audio Codec with built-in speaker & microphone Support for external head-set SmartCard Interface SmartCard Reader/Writer USB Interface USB Port Connectivity V.90 Data Modem IrDA Interface Connectors in Basic Unit Speaker and MIC Jacks SmartCard Connector IrDA Transceiver RJ-11 Telephone Jack USB Type-A (Master) Connector AC Adapter Input Docking Cradle Connector Power Supply 2 x AA-sized NiMH batteries Internal charge management Operates with external AC Adapter System Software Operating System Linux Kernel 2.4.18 Network Protocols TCP/IP, FTP, Telnet, PPP, HTTP etc. Application Libraries GTK+, glibc Application Software Internet Access Browser, Email, File-Transfer Music MP3 Player PIM Applications Notepad, Address Book, Calculator Accessories Optional Expansion Cradle with Compact Flash [CF-II] Slot Development Tools Software Development Kit [SDK] consisting of a.. ARM Cross-compilation Tool-chain b.. Glibc, GTK+ Libraries c.. Utilities

On 06-Aug-02, chaz wrote:

> The Simputer looks like a cool platform for REBOL Portable, costs > US$200, runs Linux, has a built-in modem, and smart-card reader > Too bad it's not available outside of India > http://www.ncoretech.com/simputer/simputer/resellers.html