Peek Presents Challenge: Linux on Peek
Peek presents the community a challenge to get Linux running on their small handhelds, without much fanfare.
Specifications for the challenge are few, just a blog entry from July 7 sent to the community asking "Which One of You Can Get Linux Working on the Peek?" After a few links to ARM and Linux, Dan Morel of the Peek team writes, "So armed with this new fountain of information I'm hoping one or more of you out there in the world can get Linux running on the Peek. Feel free to post here on how far you get." And further: "And here's the deal, if one of you does make it happen you can have a little mini-consulting gig with us to tell us how you did it and how we could build a Mobile Linux Peek."
In one of the blog responses, "Matt" writes, "The possibilities are indeed intriguing from a Linux point-of-view: This would be the cheapest Linux device I know about, and it has a screen, keyboard, and GSM." Another response came from a Pandora developer on the Gentoo project, although the issue has not yet been raised in the Pandora blogs.
At $20, the Peek Classic is a 3.8-ounce mobile mini-device with display and keyboard for emailing. The processor is an AMR7 from TI at 104 MHz, currently running on the homegrown Peekux OS. The Quarter Video Graphics Array (QVGA) display is 320 x 240 pixels and 8 MB of memory is standard. Data flow is by GPRS/GSM. The device is about as big as a normal mobile phone, but flatter and wider. The Peek Pronto enhanced edition costs $60, but can handle five instead of two email accounts. Pronto can also process PDF and DOC formats, although it's available only in black. The monthly email service cost is $15, with support for Gmail, Yahoo and others.
Not only does the New York firm present the challenge but also itself with a wink of the eye. Their Peekononics website offers some guidance on how to save mobile service costs over those of the popular providers. Their employees and testimonials are called "Peeksters." Simplicity is written all over the product: its birth came about when founder Amol Sarva needed a simple email device for his wife before the arrival of their first child.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you've found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Rocky Linux 9.3 is Available for Download
The latest version of the RHEL alternative is now available and brings back cloud and container images for ppc64le along with plenty of new features and fixes.
-
Ubuntu Budgie Shifts How to Tackle Wayland
Ubuntu Budgie has yet to make the switch to Wayland but with a change in approaches, they're finally on track to making it happen.
-
TUXEDO's New Ultraportable Linux Workstation Released
The TUXEDO Pulse 14 blends portability with power, thanks to the AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS CPU.
-
AlmaLinux Will No Longer Be "Just Another RHEL Clone"
With the release of AlmaLinux 9.3, the distribution will be built entirely from upstream sources.
-
elementary OS 8 Has a Big Surprise in Store
When elementary OS 8 finally arrives, it will not only be based on Ubuntu 24.04 but it will also default to Wayland for better performance and security.
-
OpenELA Releases Enterprise Linux Source Code
With Red Hat restricting the source for RHEL, it was only a matter of time before those who depended on that source struck out on their own.
-
StripedFly Malware Hiding in Plain Sight as a Cryptocurrency Miner
A rather deceptive piece of malware has infected 1 million Windows and Linux hosts since 2017.
-
Experimental Wayland Support Planned for Linux Mint 21.3
As with most Linux distributions, the migration to Wayland is in full force. While some distributions have already made the move, Linux Mint has been a bit slower to do so.
-
Window Maker Live 0.96.0-0 Released
If you're a fan of the Window Maker window manager, there's a new official release of the Linux distribution that champions the old-school user interface.
-
KDE Plasma 6 Sets Release Date
If you've been anxiously awaiting the release of the next big KDE Plasma milestone, you can rest assured it's sooner than you think.