Alternative operating systems on your PDA

by Ernest Khoo | 23 July 2002 3:45pm SGT

If you're using a PDA, most probably you'd be using a Palm- or a Pocket PC-powered handheld. A few of you may even be using an EPOC machine like the Revo. But did you know that your handheld can actually run other operating systems? In fact, various developers are working on alternatives to the Palm and Pocket PC OS, and the best thing is they can run on your Palm and Compaq iPaq!

However, getting these alternative OSes to work on your Palm or iPaq is not as simple as installing Windows on your PC (although that may sometimes be a harrowing experience). To get your PDAs to run a different OS, you need to get under the hood (sometimes literally) of your PDA. In other words, unless you're a self-profess "hacker", you may not want to tinker with your handheld.

But for those willing to try something new and who have the technical know-how, there's a whole new world of other OSes you can load onto your Palm or iPaq.

Put the Penguin on your Palm

As an open-source OS, Linux is popular among those who love to tinker with their systems. It's therefore no wonder that developers are building their alternative PDA OSes on the Linux code. Although Linux is not for the average user, it is powerful and flexible enough to be tailored for PDAs.

In fact, in March, Agenda Computing Inc. became possibly the first company to ship a Linux PDA called the VR3. Bradley LaRonde, CEO of the company and a staunch open-source advocate, even boldly proclaimed that Palm is stuck with an OS technology that was out-of-date when the company wrote it. Japan's Sharp is also expected to launch a Java/Linux PDA in the US this October.

For those who love D.I.Y. or "Do-it-Yourself", a US-based company called Empower Technologies Inc. has released a Linux-based OS for the Palm called the Linux DA OS. Who'd be interested in such an OS? Well, you'd be surprise! When the company offered the trial version of the OS for download in July, the whole server went down in just a few seconds.

Essentially, Linux DA replaces the Palm OS and is currently compatible with the Palm IIIx, IIIxe, and Vx. Empower also claims that the OS is faster, more powerful and robust than the original Palm OS. The OS features PIM applications, games, input via a virtual keyboard or stylus, support for third-party apps and also desktop components.

Packing Linux on an iPaq

The most popular Pocket PC device at the moment has to be Compaq's iPaq. Running on a 206MHz Intel StrongARM processor, the iPaq has more raw processing power than the Palm. So if a Palm can run Linux, why not the iPaq?

On the Web site, Handhelds.org, we found pictures of folks opening up their H3600 series iPaq and turning this into a Linux-powered handheld. From the pictures, it seems you need to have a certain amount of technical expertise to carry out this process. The result? An iPaq with advance features like X Windows, networking tools, and even an audio and video player.

A Norwegian company called Trolltech has come up with something called the Qt Palmtop Environment. To use it, you first have to install something called Familiar Linux on your iPaq. For those with the technical expertise, you can load the Qt Palmtop Environment using the given instructions on the Web site. Doing so, you'll get a complete system with file manager, input method using virtual keyboard or handwriting recognition, standard PIM features, MPEG video and audio player, and various other apps.

I want my QNX
Another OS that developers have loaded on their iPaqs is the QNX (pronounced "queue nicks"). QNX is a powerful OS that, according to the QNX FAQ, is a real-time, multitasking, fault tolerant OS. QNX is developed by QNX Software Systems Limited based in Canada. Apparently, someone has managed to get this OS running on the iPaq and has posted screenshots of it on the Web. At a glance, the OS looks beautiful and reminds you of the BeOS. The screen captures show OS with a Launcher interface, Web browser, audio/video player, Paint program, and even a game!

If you've heard of other OS running on Palm or Pocket PC, or of PDAs powered by other OSes, drop us a mail.