Multimedia Linux device

It's an MP3 player, FM radio, video and photo display device, an e-book reader and a sound recorder "� all bundled in one.

What more, it's a Linux-based personal computer ready for web, email and office use. Touted as the Swiss army knife of handheld gadgets, Wizpy, has now been launched in India by Japan-based Turbolinux.

The nifty tool which is a multimedia media player that contains a PC-bootable version of the Linux operating system is priced at Rs 11,995.

"This palm sized mobile device enables the user to have their own personal computer environment through which they can access documents, e-mails and the internet, keeping their data secure and confidential," said Deepak Wassan, president, Turbolinux.

Pegged as a 'PC 2.0' product, Turbolinux has partnered with eSys Technologies and online portal cafegadgets in for distribution in India. "Early adopters who are curious about using Linux but either don't want to or can't install the operating system are our target customers," he said.

Bouyed by its success in universities of Vietnam, the company is aiming to gain foothold in the education sector moving on to the corporate sector before targeting the home users.

The pocket-sized device, that can play audio and video files, is really a Linux carrot of sorts, allowing users to store a complete Linux desktop in its memory. "You can plug the Wizpy into a PC's USB port and boot up the Linux system with all its user settings, passwords, bookmarks, etc," added Wassan.

Turbolinux will ship 50,000 units of Wizpy to India by the end of this fiscal and also plans to introduce products in the middleware and applications areas.