The computer giant IBM has unveiled an open Linux based PDA reference design in New York. The IBM PowerPC is based on the 405LP embedded processor. The following is the configuration for the PDA:
- Host with USB 1.1
- 10/100 Mbps Ethernet
- Serial port
- An 8-bit or 16-bit PCMCIA slot
- JTAG port for debugging
- Flash port
The IBM PowerPC 405LP PDA reference design also known as eLAP or Embedded Linux Application Platform is a handheld design created to demonstrate the capabilities of the CPU’s handheld capabilities.
This eLAP is designed to boot from flash memory. This device is created to support Linux as its OS. Although it’s not fully functional, the kernel support now exists for most hardware and features of the device.
Some of the hardware drivers still do not exist though, the device is functional for daily use.