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hß · HardwareCurated

Web pad with Crusoe CPU and Linux

Summary

At IFA 2001 Hitachi showed the Flora-ie 55mi web pad with a Transmeta Crusoe processor and Midori Linux. The 1.25 kilogram device had a 10.4 inch touchscreen, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, two USB ports and a modem. It was to run for three and a half hours with the standard battery and seven hours with an additional battery.

Ideas

  • A power-saving processor was meant to allow long battery life.
  • Linux served as a lean operating system for a surfing device.
  • The tablet combined wireless operation with wired connections.

Insights

  • Web pads anticipated the idea of the tablet but failed because of weight, price and battery life.
  • Early Linux devices showed that Linux could be used beyond servers.

Facts

  • The display had a resolution of 600 × 800 pixels.
  • The processor was a 400 MHz Crusoe TM-3000.
  • The browser was a Java-capable Netscape 4.76.

References

Critique

  • The price had not been set at the presentation, even though it is the decisive figure for classifying it as a mass-market device.

Recommendations

  • Assess mobile devices by weight, battery life and price together, not by individual specifications.
  • With devices running their own Linux variant, check how long security updates will be provided.

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