Pages

Feb 2, 2012

The Tablet That Every Linux Lover Has Been Waiting For

While most people just want their devices towork so that they can do stuff, some people love tinkering with operating systems. Until now, the tablet sector's been ripe for hacking, but there hasn't been anything that's truly open-source and easy to fiddle with from the get-go. This Spark tablet puts that straight.

It runs Plasma Active UX, an open-source OS based on the Linux kernel. It's not, I think it's fair to say, designed to be a Kindle Fire or iPad competitor. Indeed, it's aimed at "those who love writing great software... using the typical Linux tools". That kind of rules me out, but it will get plenty of people excited, I'm sure.

In terms of specs, it fairs modestly: a 1GHz AMLogic ARM processor, 512 MB RAM, 4GB internal storage plus SD card slot, a 7" capacitive multi-touch screen and wifi connectivity. It's slated to cost around $260 when it ships, though at the moment it's not clear when that will be. More here. 

8 comments:

Outcast said...

Amazing stuff. Like you say it's good to finally achieve a proper Linux system for a tablet.

Gryt said...

That seems like a really good deal for just $260. I love the Linux family of OS's, I bet they'd mesh really nice with a tablet

Adam said...

It's good to see a more Linux Linux-based OS on a tablet.

Bargain Hunter said...

Whoa sweet! And a bargain at that ;)

NayNaySIXX said...

Looks sweet!

Atley said...

I'm too dumb to use linux. But if the open source people are happy about it that means it will make my life better by extension.

Buff Drinklots said...

Probably useful for travelling.

Zyu said...

Looks cool, but I don't see much point in a tablet.