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Today's PDA market has two main camps: the Palm camp and Pocket PC camp. When purchasing a PDA, most people consider devices with either a Palm OS or a Microsoft OS. But what about the rest? There actually are some devices out there that don't run Palm or Pocket PC software. Some devices run embedded Linux. Now that has to be music to somebody's ears.  Agenda Computing is the company that provides the Linux-based VR3. It is a compact device, that comes in colors like Shark (blue), H20 (clear), and Matrix (black), and runs Agenda's Linux operating system. On top of the OS, you'll be able to use Contacts, To-Do, Schedule, Notes, Calculator, QuickSync, Games, E-mail, and Utilities. And to prove that Agenda has no platform-prejudice, the VR3 comes with a CD-ROM of QuickSync software for both Linux and Windows PCs. As for computing power and memory, the VR3 is much more like a Palm device than a Pocket PC device, but that's because it doesn't necessarily need 32 MB of RAM to operate. Instead, you'll get 8 MB of RAM and 16 MB of flash memory. Processing power comes from a 66 MHz 32-bit NEC VR4181 MIPS processor. Two AAA batteries will be needed to generate enough power not only to support the processor, but to power-up the 160 x 240 resolution monochrome LCD screen. Total viewable area is 2 1/8 by 3 inches, and is rendered in 16 grayscale colors. A backlight and digital contrast control will help to ensure that you can see what's on the screen properly at all times. The connectivity of this device includes an IrDA port, RS-232 port, consumer IR port, and Agenda peripheral port. Optional accessories include a 56 Kbps external modem, an RS-232 serial cable, and a USB cable. Without the add-ons, the device weighs 4 oz and measures 4.5 x 3.0 x 0.8 inches. Pricing and Availability The Agenda VR3 is currently available for $249. (For access to more than 4,500 other hands-on product reviews on all variety of wired and wireless appliance and consumer devices, go to the iAppliance Web Portal Page. )
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