IRVINE, Calif. – June 3, 2005 – ARCHOS®, Inc., the pioneer and innovator in portable entertainment products, introduced today the release of a Software Development Kit (SDK) for the Pocket Media Assistant PMA400. The PMA400 is a 30-gigabyte pocket-sized device and the most versatile portable video recorder and player on the market today, combining full video and audio capabilities with wireless connectivity and a new Linux® platform. The PMA400 SDK and product information is available online today at http://www.archos.com/ .

Chris Tom writes "We have posted up a review of a cool product from FIC. It is a web pad that runs Midori Linux, and with a supported 802.11b card can give you good internet access on a nice 8.4" TFT screen." This is something I hadn't seen yet and AMDZone has done a great job of covering it with plenty of pictures. All I would need is a USB keyboard, nice headphones, and a microdrive to be in portable bliss.

Avatar writes "Another new review posted today at Evil3D. Today's fun covers the VR3 PDA from Agenda Computing, its ups and downs, and the community surrounding it. Here is a short blurb:

"While Linux has been making its way into the server market and trying to claw into the desktop market for some time, it has also slipped into the embedded market. As each day passes, more and more devices using Linux are announced. Some of the most notable are TiVo which has been on the market for some time, Nokia's upcoming Multimedia Terminal, and a soon to be released PDA from Sharp. Developers claim the choice is obvious. Small footprint, open code, free availability, efficiency, and stability all help give Linux the upper hand in embedded development."

The new review can be found here." Great coverage from the evil ones. Further info can be found in our preview done back in March here.

ZDNet has a great report on the entrance of Linux into the handheld market. Covered in the article is what Linux is up against and what Linux has to offer over alternatives such as Microsoft and Palm. A couple of great quotes from the article:

"Michael Mace, Palm's chief competitive officer, says he began tracking the makers of Linux devices more carefully last year. The Linux machines are "still pretty crude, but so was Palm at one time," he says, adding that Sharp's support for Linux is especially worrisome. "Sharp has really deep pockets," he notes.

Microsoft executives are a bit more dismissive. "From what I've seen of these Linux gadgets, the jury is still out on them," says Ed Suwanjindar, a product manager in Microsoft's mobile devices division."

It's so easy to dismiss a "gadget". Remember though that Linux for servers and desktops was also once just a "toy".

Brighthand has just posted a review of the now released Agenda VR3 and to say that the review is less than shinning would be an understatement. Just for example, "...as the old saying goes: You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. And my friends, after a few days using the Agenda VR3 I can safely say that it is definitely a sow's ear." This is just the beginning. If you've been thinking of getting one, read this review. Remember that these guys are handheld folks and not Linux advocates. Things are sure different when you don't plan on using your handheld as a telnet client.

I realize this is a couple of days late but... Agenda Computing has officially launched the Agenda VR3 to the general population. Once again, if you missed our preview, the VR3 is the first Pure Linux PDA to hit the market. It remains to be seen who this product will actually appeal to, but finally seeing a Linux PDA in production is the first step to Linux domination in the PDA market.