The USUS$299 device, set for launch in the US by the middle of this year, will be one of the cheapest colour handhelds on the market, and also promises to bring Linux to a wider potential market. New colour devices from Palm, for example, cost about US$100 more than Royal's handheld.
The PDA, called Royal Lin@x, shares many features with far more expensive devices from HP and Compaq, including a 206MHz Intel StrongARM processor, a colour display, a CompactFlash Type II slot and an MP3 player. It also includes a serial port and a USB port for expansion.
Users can connect to the Internet via a CF card wireless dial-up modem or a wireless LAN card. The device includes Internet and information management software from Century Embedded technologies and synchronises with Windows and Linux desktop software.
"This launch makes Royal the first and only consumer device manufacturer to break a significant price/performance barrier and puts us at an advantage for offering a complete, stable Linux-powered PDA," said Todd Althoff, vice-president of marketing and new development for Royal.
The embedded hardware is supplied by Applied Data Systems.
If the device succeeds, it could be a boost to Linux's acceptance as an operating system for consumer devices. Linux costs far less than competing operating systems because it is free from licensing fees.
Other companies have announced plans for a Linux PDA, notably Sharp, but are aiming for the high end of the market.
