the bug is a linux based modular computing platform. you buy the bugbase and then you snap on various modules to add either a touch-screen lcd, gps, a camera, or an accelerometer…. and you can even mount the bug on a tripod!
there bug is set release in march, but early adopters can pre-order 01/21. the retail price for the bugbase is $349 and the modules range from $59-$120. bug also plans on releasing 16 new modules a year, 4 each quarter. so there will hopefully be a nice library of modules you can snap onto the bug.
it will be interesting to see what people will be doing with the bug and what kind of applications will evolve from the modular, standardized hardware. since applications development is done in eclipse you won’t even have to switch development environments if you’re dorking around with developing android apps.
linux might have some issues conquering the desktop market, but i can pretty much bet 2008 is going to be huge for diy’ers and linux.
i wonder how hard it would be to make a bug nas ( network attached storage) with a nice gui interface for the lcd module so i can check data/network stats w/out touching a pc… and toss on a few battery modules in case of a power outtage.
i thought of doing a mythtv frontend, but i didn’t see any dvi/vga/video output options at this point. it still might function as a mythtv backend… there’s a mpeg4 encoder/decoder standard on the bug, and i’m not sure how much of a pita it would be to compile mythtv.
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