The device, originally a Lenovo X61T, has had its screen lopped off and replaced by a coin, which the user says acts as the WiFi antenna for the machine. As a perfect antithesis of the Ipad, it features merely a keyboard and the working gubbins of the X61T.
Underneath
one of the best laptop keyboards around, there lies an Intel Core 2 Duo
running at 1.6GHz coupled to 1GB RAM. The user has decided to keep
things pretty much standard on the specification front, opting to stick
with the 80GB hard drive, though he did add an "extended" battery which
gives around five hours of run time. The original stylus still remains,
though the lack of touchscreen has somewhat negated its usability.The system currently runs Debian Linux but the user claims that loading Ubuntu results in a slightly better battery life. Either way, the whole shebang with the extended battery, weighs around 800 grams. Unlike the Ipad, however, it has peripheral ports, including a working VGA output, which given the lack of screen is pretty important.
The user says that like the Ipad, WiFi connectivity is a bit dodgy and depends a lot on the coin used. Nevertheless given that the device features USB ports and a PC Card slot, external antennas can easily be attached.
Apparently the whole thing took around 30 minutes to whip up, which might not be all that far fetched given that no real modifications were made to the main chassis. The relatively lean requirements of the Linux operating system mean that even with the almost archaic Intel processor and low RAM the system feels pretty nippy, and unlike the version of the Iphone OS that ships with the Ipad, it does multitasking and seemingly isn't effected by the insecurities in Adobe's Flash either.
So those looking for a tablet device with real compute capabilities, an impressive keyboard and unrestricted operating system choice and application access should go back to 2005 and consider the Lenovo X61T.