Zipit Z2

The Zipit Z2 hand held hits two tech sweet spots. First, it's a budget instant messaging device for families with many teens and too few computers, and second, it's a fully hackable Linux hand held for geeks. Better still, the two functions work well together to create a very useful device.

Too big for a pocket, it's a hand held clamshell style device with a QWERTY keyboard fitted with hard, clicky, backlit keys and a dim 320 by 240 pixel color screen. On the front of the Z2 there's a mini-SD card slot for music and photos; my 4GB card worked just fine.

You'll also find a few ports that the company claims are there for future expansion.

Specifically, there's a wired remote control jack next to the headphone port, and a strange port on the back that will one day allow for some sort of USB and A/V connectivity.

Out of the box, the Z2 connects to Wi-Fi networks so that it can instant message on the AIM, MSN, and Yahoo! networks and accomplish text messaging through a Zipit provided gateway.

The Z2 is designed to be used at home or on a college campus, not while you're wandering around town, since there's no way to connect the gadget to a cellular network. That's okay by me, since it helps keep the Z2 cheap. Unless you send SMS text messages, there are no monthly fees. During testing, quite easily connected to both open and WPA2 protected 802.11g networks.

The included IM clients are basic but functional. They're text only and don't support viewing friends' profiles or away messages, but they do aggregate all your buddies into one convenient list and let you step through multiple conversations quickly.