SmartQ 5
| Manufacturer | Smart Devices |
|---|---|
| Type | Mobile Internet device / Portable media player |
| Released | 11 February 2009 |
| Ubuntu Linux (LXDE); Windows CE 6.0 | |
| CPU | Samsung S3C6410 (ARM11) at 667/800 MHz[1] |
| Memory | 128 MB DDR SDRAM (133 MHz, overclockable to 333 MHz) |
| Storage | 1 GB NAND flash (256 MB usable); SDHC up to 32 GB[2] |
| Display | 4.3 in, 800×480 resistive touchscreen, 16.7 million colors[2] |
| Graphics | SoC graphics, OpenGL ES 1.1/2.0 |
| Sound | AC97 codec, 24-bit PCM; 40 mW headphone output, 20 Hz to 20 kHz, 94 dB SNR[2] |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, USB 2.0 OTG |
| Power | 2000 mAh lithium-polymer battery[2] |
| Dimensions | 120 × 74 × 14 mm |
| Weight | 160 g |
| Website | www |
The SmartQ 5 was a budget mobile Internet device and portable media player made by the Hefei-based Chinese company Smart Devices (Chinese: 智器; pinyin: Zhìqì). Announced on 11 February 2009, it shipped with a touch-adapted build of Ubuntu Linux and sold in China for 899 yuan (about US$132), a low price for its class.[3][4][5] The device stood out for running a full desktop Linux distribution on handheld hardware. Users could replace that system with community builds of Android, the Mer Linux distribution, and Windows CE.
Software
[edit]The SmartQ 5 shipped with a version of ARM Ubuntu Linux adapted for its resistive touchscreen, running the lightweight LXDE desktop environment.[4] It ran Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala).[6] Therefore, the device ran a complete Linux distribution, it used the apt package manager and could install ARM binaries built for Debian, Slackware and other distributions.[6]
Pre-installed software covered a broad of desktop applications: the Midori browser, the FBReader e-book reader, the Claws Mail client, the AbiWord word processor with the Gnumeric spreadsheet program, the StarDict dictionary, and media tools including SMPlayer, Transmission, Pidgin and Evince.[6]
The device could also boot other operating systems. Images of a Covia-ported Android and the Mer distribution were available for download.[6][7] Smart Devices released an official Windows CE 6.0 image as well, which was acquired by Smart Devices through an official license.[8]
Hardware
[edit]Processor and memory
[edit]The SmartQ 5 was built around a Samsung S3C6410 application processor with an ARM11 core, clocked at 667 or 800 MHz.[1] It carried 128 MB of DDR SDRAM, which could be overclocked from 133 to 333 MHz, and 1 GB of NAND flash, of which only 256 MB was available to the user.[2] An SDHC slot took cards up to 32 GB.[5]
Display
[edit]The front carried a 4.3-inch resistive touchscreen at 800×480 (WVGA), rendering 16.7 million colors.[2] The panel had no multi-touch, and the shipped Linux interface often needed the stylus for accurate input.[6]
Connectivity
[edit]Wireless support ran to Wi-Fi 802.11b/g and Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR. A USB 2.0 OTG port worked in host mode at 480 Mbit/s, which let the device drive peripherals such as EDGE modems directly.[5] The SD slot and the mini-USB port could not be used at the same time.[6]
Audio and battery
[edit]Audio used an AC97 codec with 24-bit PCM output. The headphone amplifier was rated at 40 mW, with a frequency response of 20 Hz to 20 kHz and a 94 dB signal-to-noise ratio.[2] A 2000 mAh lithium-polymer battery powered the unit, good for roughly five hours of video playback in one review's testing.[5][6] The device measured 120 × 74 × 14 mm and weighed 160 g.
Reception
[edit]Launch coverage focused on the low price. SlashGear called the SmartQ 5 a bargain for its capabilities despite the limited usable storage.[5] Engadget highlighted the pairing of an ARM Ubuntu build with a sub-US$150 price.[4]
Anton Borisov, reviewing the device for Open Source For You, called running a full desktop Ubuntu on handheld hardware its "biggest attraction" and predicted it would "enthrall Linux geeks", since it could run any ARM Linux distribution, including Ubuntu, Debian and Slackware.[6] He was less taken with the interface, faulting a resistive touchscreen that needed the stylus for almost every action.[6]
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Samsung Application Processor S3C6410". Samsung. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "SmartQ 5 Specifications". Smart Devices. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ "Official Smart Devices site". Smart Devices. Archived from the original on 16 March 2009. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
- 1 2 3 "SmartQ 5 MID scores itself Ubuntu, a ridiculously low price tag". Engadget. 18 March 2009. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "SmartQ 5 MID Specs & Photos Emerge: Just $132". SlashGear. 26 March 2009. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Borisov, Anton (5 April 2010). "An Ubuntu-powered MID". Open Source For You. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
- ↑ "Mer". maemo.org. Archived from the original on 7 October 2009. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
- ↑ "Smartdevices will release WinCE operating system". Smart Devices. Archived from the original on 2 July 2009. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
External links
[edit]- Official English Smart Devices site (archived)