Whoa! Hold it there. This is IBM’s Big Blue Linux Wristwatch. I mean this is a bomb. All this in a wristwatch? Talking of new technology, this is one particular innovation that stood out among all of the products showcased at the Bang!inux conference, the rest was the Linux Wristwatch from the research stables of IBM.  You might have heard about this stunning little gadget from the big blue, which weighs just a little more than 1.5 ounces (approx. 44 gms.) and runs Linux. You might have even read the press release on it.

The IBM or `Big Blue’, as it is passionately called, is not only a multi-billion dollar giant with a fascinating product line, but also the single largest company with the most number of patents in the world. And if such a company, which has all along banked upon it’s proprietary products for it’s revenue, were to suddenly turn to Open source it makes you wonder and a little skeptically too. And this is just what’s happening.
These are the technical specifications for the linux wristwatch:
The technical specifications for the wristwatch running Linux are as follows:

* Kernel: 2.2.1
* X11R6 for the GUI env.
* Size:
Watch:56mm wide x 48mm long x 12.25mm thick
(2.20 inches x 1.89 inches x 0.48 inches)
MotherBoard: 27.5 mm wide x 35.3 mm long
(1.08 inches x 39 inches)
* Weight: 44 Gms ( Approx. 1.5 ounces)
* Touch sensitive display
* 8MB Flash
* 8MB DRAM
* IrDA
* Radio Frequency Wireless connectivity
* Rechargeable Lithium Polymer battery

Seriously, it seems to be quite a miracle that the Big Blue research team has been able to pull this one off. On technical grounds this is a new milestone, which the world is going to remember for a long time. Putting together all those power-packed features into one small, tiny watch makes it the gadget of this millennium.
The Linux watch was conceptualized at IBM’s T. J. Watson research center where various groups are continuously exploring the various challenges that arise in the area of user interface design, power management, input devices, wireless communication, sensors and models for co-existences for pervasive devices and wearables. The story goes, that among them, a team of researchers with skills in hardware design, Operating Systems, displays, electronic and mechanical packaging, industrial design and user interface design, that was spread across multiple research IBM sites, worked together to develop the wrist watch that would eventually run Linux and X11. The team, which was led by Chandra Narayanaswami, worked relentlessly for about 18 months to accomplish this feat.

With the Linux wristwatch, IBM has demonstrated the viability of Linux across a wide spectrum of platforms, from large enterprise servers to medium sized and small servers, workstations, desktops, laptops and now a small intelligent device. Though the set of software and hardware developed by IBM has been presently packaged in a high-function wristwatch prototype, they can be utilized in several other small and wearable form factors. With Linux becoming an industry standard, it’s important that developers be able to create new applications across all platforms, including pervasive devices, and IBM’s research seeks to further that work. Future enhancements will include a high-resolution screen and applications that would allow the watch to be used as an access device for various internet-based services such as up-to-the-minute information about weather, traffic conditions, sports and etc.
The availability of a source code and a well understood, application-programming environment makes it easy for students, researchers and software companies to add new features and develop applications.

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