Image Provided by Sharism.cc
Imagine not only building your own computer, but making the boards yourself. Yeah, it’s not something the common person would do, but Qi Hardware’s Ben NanoNote is open in a way most hardware isn’t. This is a similar model to the OpenMoko Freerunner and has been started by former members of the OpenMoko team.
Not only can you download the Linux operating system it runs, but you can also download the Creative Commons licensed schematics for having your own version made for you if you have those kinds of resources.
Image Provided by Sharism.cc
The Ben NanoNote has the following specs:
- 336 MHz XBurst Jz4720 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
- full qwerty keyboard
This reminds me a lot of the Sony Clie PEG-UX50 that Judie reviewed a LONG time ago.
Image Provided by Sharism.cc
If you are a militant Linux geek, this is the device for you.
This device can boot off of the internal flash or over the mini USB host port. Currently it has OpenWRT installed, but that’s just the start for this interesting device.
The best part of this is the price. The Qi Hardware Ben NanoNote is only $99 and it’s available from Sharism.cc. This device is heavily targeted at developers, but at this price point, I see developers quickly jumping on board to enhance the device. For more information, you can check out Qi Hardware Wiki.
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