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New ten-cubic-inch ‘Mobile Computer Core’ will run Linux

May 23, 2002 — by LinuxDevices Staff — from the LinuxDevices Archive — views

Denver, CO — (press release excerpt) — Antelope Technologies Corp. (Denver, CO) has signed a licensing agreement with IBM for 'Meta Pad', a research prototype portable computing device that transforms in seconds into a personal digital assistant (PDA), desktop, laptop, tablet, or wearable computer… without having to be rebooted. The company will manufacture and market its own version of the device, the Mobile Computer Core (MCC), using Meta Pad, developed by IBM researchers to better understand how humans interact with computers and test new technologies for future handheld computing devices. First production models of Antelope's Mobile Computer Core, which will support operation under both Windows and Linux operating systems, will be available this September.

The power supply, display, and I/O connectors have been removed — leaving processor, memory, data, and applications. Components removed from the MCC become accessories, allowing the device to be transformed into a handheld, desktop, laptop, tablet, or wearable computer in seconds, without rebooting or synching. It can run a variety of operating systems that share the same data, including full Windows XP, Windows 2000 or Linux, allowing users to run any application that runs on those operating systems.

Antelope Mobile Computer Core Specifications:

  • Hard drive: 10 GB
  • Memory: 256MB SDRAM; future expansion to 512MB
  • Processor: 300-800 MHz Transmeta Crusoe 5800
  • Video Adapter: Silicon Motion Lynx 721 8Mb 3D graphics chipset
  • Display: 5.8″ 800×600 backlit active matrix with touchscreen
  • I/O signals on docking connector:
    • PC Card
    • 3x USB
    • DVI Digital Video
    • VGA Analog Video
    • PS2 Mouse/Keyboard
    • Microphone In
    • Amp Out Stereo
    • Line Out Stereo
    • DC In
    • 2.5V, 3.3V, 5V power to accessories
    • Control signals

  • Dimensions: 3 x 5 x 0.75 in.
  • Weight: 9.1 ounces
  • Operating Systems: Windows XP, Windows 2000, or Linux

“Antelope will focus on the industrial, commercial and military applications and with an eye on the consumer market for 2003,” says Kenneth Geyer, president of Antelope Technologies. “The cost of the MCC will be far less than the combination of a PDA, laptop and desktop, resulting in a reduction of 30 to 40 percent in the total cost of ownership.”

“People today have too many devices, with data spread out all over the place,” says Randy Moulic, IBM senior manager of client systems. “This unit is unique from today's handheld devices because all of a user's data and applications remain inside the core, eliminating the need for `synching' among multiple devices. The concept of true personal computing is brought closer to reality by permitting the user's data and computing environments to be with them at all times and available in many different forms or configurations.”

“Industry studies show this technology can save about $16,000 per employee per year in time spent transferring information from field computers to desktops,” says Geyer. “Or, in terms of productivity, it translates into a savings of about 48 employee days per year.”



 
This article was originally published on LinuxDevices.com and has been donated to the open source community by QuinStreet Inc. Please visit LinuxToday.com for up-to-date news and articles about Linux and open source.



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