Agenda Computing has manufactured a limited pre-production build of several hundred VR3 PDAs (see story) and is going to make them available at a highly discounted price to developers who want to be in the forefront of creating apps for the new Linux PDA. In preparation for this program, the company has created a dedicated developer website, where system documentation and source code will be available for download, and is “now inviting members of the Linux developer community to join the team by getting one of the pre-production units,” explains Jack Brantley, Agenda's Marketing VP. “Provided, that is, that they understand and agree to the fact that the device is not yet a 'finished product', along with all the obvious disclaimers that implies,” adds Brantley.

The special VR3 developer units, appropriately dubbed the “VR3 Developer Edition,” will come equipped with 16MB of internal Flash memory instead of the usual 2-8MB Flash, and will also have 8MB of RAM memory. The VR3 is based on a 66MHz 32-bit NEC VR4181 MIPS system-on-chip processor. For display, it has a 240 x 160 pixel monochrome LCD touch screen with 16-level gray-scale and a 3.25″ x 2.25″ viewable area.

The VR3 Developer Edition which, according to Brantley, is “a $249 value,” is being made available to Agenda Developer Program members for “just $179” (plus applicable tax and shipping). “Quantities of the special developer version will be limited,” adds Brantley, “so the units will be made available on a first-come-first-served basis.” Additional information about the Agenda Developer Program is found at the Agenda developer website.

“Full production of 'consumer-ready' VR3s will occur in early in 2001,” says Brantley.

 
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