Pepper Pad Player Gives Linux Place Among Handheld Media Gadgets

LinuxInsider.com writes about a the Pepper Pad 3, a two-pound device that runs on an AMD (AMD) Geode processor and Linux operating system, and "features a seven-inch screen, 20 GB hard drive, and the ability to browse regular Web pages and play video and music." The Pepper Pad 3 will cost US$699.

Michael Gartenberg at JupiterResearch said, "These devices in the past have been a tough sell to consumers. They're not super cheap, and they don't carry what consumers expect in PC functionality."

Gartenberg pointed out that The "Pepper Pad 3 is not the only such media player handheld in the market, as Nokia (NOK) offers its 770 Tablet, which is also Linux-based, and Samsung sells the Windows XP Tablet-based Q1 Ultra-Mobile PC." He said, "But at the end of the day, the problem has been consistently that consumers tend to prize the full PC functionality. So the price points on these things is going to have to come down, and they are going to need additional functionality. That's why, for the time being, we see it as a niche product."

Ira Brodsky at DataComm President agreed that pricing was an issue especially as handsets are getting more functionality at cheaper prices. He thought the Pepper Pad 3 would "be limited to early adopters,indicating the cost would have to come all the way down to $100 to $200 for mainstream consumers."