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 IO Ports"]
• ["E3 Buying one"] - where to buy and how much they'll cost
• ["E3 Hardware"]
• ["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

External links:

• http://www.earth.li/~noodles/hardware-e3.html

• http://www.earth.li/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/e3-hacking

• http://inputplus.co.uk/ralph/emailer/

• http://focus.ti.com/docs/prod/folders/print/omap5910.html

• http://www.pavier.co.uk/e3_index.html

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.