The Amstrad E3 is a cheap (£14.99 at the time of writing) videophone, which runs Linux.
More info:
E3_Getting_Started - how to get started running a recent Linux on your E3
E3_Buying_one - where to buy and how much they'll cost
E3_Status - where we are with our efforts
E3_Keymaps - how we intend to map all the keys on the E3
E3_Sound - work on getting sound fully supported
E3_Miscellanea - other information related to E3
E3_General_Information - information more generally related to our project
External links:
Simple Serial Cable:
In case other people are as useless as I am at building serial cables - here is the pin out I'm using to connect my E3 to a 9-Pin D serial port on my PC.
Pin2 -> Tip
Pin3 -> Ring
Pin5 -> Sleeve
Or you can use a level shifter, a universal (i.e. E2/E3) design is available here http://www.cambridgewargames.org.uk/members/andy/emailer/
Or, if you're handy with a soldering iron Serial_cable_for_the_paranoid provides some over-voltage protection for the E3.