Qi Ben Nanonote (fall 2009)

[mars]

http://www.qi-hardware.com/products/ben-nanonote/

From some of the people who worked OpenMoko comes a venture to make copyleft handheld hardware.

Technical Specifications for initial version:

    * 336 MHz MIPS-compatible CPU
    * display: 3.0” color TFT
    * resolution: 320 x 240, 16.7M color
    * dimension (mm): 99 x 75 x 17.5 (lid closed)
    * weight: 126 g (incl. battery)
    * DRAM: 32MB Synchronous DRAM
    * headphone jack (3.5 mm)
    * SDHC microSD
    * 850mAh Li-ion battery
    * 2GB NAND flash memory
    * mini-USB: USB 2.0 High-Speed Device
    * speaker and microphone

[teh.sean]

Looks good, but USB client only and no wifi connectivity makes this dead on the water for me.

The idea of a completely opensource hardware platform is great though! I hope that they can add a few features for a little extra cash. Buying a completely standalone linux machine for $100 US is a tough sell. The zipit is a similar platform with Wifi for less than $50, and those aren't exactly flying off the shelves, even though the platform is (mostly) open now.

It's got a way to go, but I'll be watching it!

Kinda makes me wonder what ever happened to the iKit thingy.

[Mickeyl]

Indeed we all hope that Qi will produce more connected devices eventually... I for one can't wait for a decent free SmartPhone platform...