I recently purchased a Zipit Wireless Z2 messenger device and I have to say, I like it. This little guy is a vast improvement over the Z1; sporting a color, back-lit screen, a miniSD card slot for storing MP3s that you can play on the device, updated WiFi capability, and a much better keyboard than the older Z1. The device's purpose is use your favorite instant messenger without needing to take up time on them computer. This is great for families who have only one computer, since parents an kids can use their Z2s to chat with friends. While the box says you need to sign up for service, it only applies if you plan on sending/receiving text messages to/from cell phones. It certainly won't replace a laptop but if you're needing something for instant messaging the Z2 will fit the bill. My reason for purchasing the device was not the reason most people would buy the Z2. I purchased the Zipit Z2 for the sole purpose of tinkering with the device. The default software on the Z2 runs in a modified Linux kernel so, after reading up on linux.zipitwireless.com and checking out what others had done, I flashed a new kernel image to the device, allowing me to boot a small Debian Linux distro from the microSD card! (Thanks to the guys over at hunterdavis.com for all their work!!) With a 300mHz ARM processor under the hood this device runs quite a bit, even with fluxbox up and running.It's small size and WiFi capability make it perfect for an internet-enabled gaming device or a hand-held terminal console or even a mini video player. For most people, the Z2 is a great device to let you chat with your online friends away from the computer. It's compact size makes it perfect to throw in your book bag or backpack and go. For the hacker(tinkerer) crowd out there, the fact that the device runs Linux and the company is more open to developers about the device makes it a perfect starting point for anyone wanting to experiment with embedded systems. Overall, you can't really go wrong. 5/5Read full review
Around a month ago I saw the Zipit Z2 in a UMPC forum and its capability of running Debian-based linux. The qwerty backlit keyboard and the wireless are two of its best functions.It is a great little device, it can play music files, you can browse the Web, run an apache server (the linux comes with ssh and an ftpd),watch a 320x154 movie. The battery should last 8 hours tops but my device was a new one from 2010 so the battery had lost most of its capacity. If you want a hackable device at a low price, go for this one, just be sure to buy a new battery.
I bought the ZipIt for use as a note-taking device. Turns out that it has no internal storage, and seems to think it's main purpose is to connect to AIM. There's not anyone that I need to connect to that badly. Also, the first time I took it out in public, it bricked itself by downloading a huge update, noting that I did not bring my power cord, went into an unusable state until I brought it to a place that both had a spare electric socket and free wireless internet. This is a very stupid device and I'm very sorry that I bought it.
This device was my first purchase on eBay. ZipIt Z2 Wireless is pretty useless not inside US, I should say, but installing debian on it brings a new life to the device. Lightweight, wifi-enabled, hackable. What else do you want to get from a 50$ linux-capable gadget? :-)
Awesome.
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