Small handheld linux computer with WiFi
Yesterday I found myself stumbling around Amazon searching for Christmas gifts. Out of pure habit I checked the electronic gadgets section, and managed to find an interesting little device for around 50$ USD: The Zipit Z2.
It is marketed as a instant messaging device, but a quick Google search finds it capable of being flashed to run a basic copy of Debian. This makes it really cool, as it can then be used as a small, portable SSH terminal. And since by default an install of Debian has fairly little included the device can be fairly secure. This makes it suitable for running simple personal things, like alpine and irssi to keep in touch with people without giving up passwords to a possibly keylogged kiosk.
One thing to note though is that the device’s default firmware requires a subscription to use. Therefore when purchasing one of these you need to be sure to not select any subscription, else you will be charged around 150$ instead of 50$. If your tempted to use this as it is advertised consider flashing it to Debian, and installing a simple IM client. Even irssi connecting to a bitlbee server is more than sufficient for the average user.
