Alternative Architectures

To an experienced hardware hacker, making a wearable computer from scratch is relatively easy. Usually the process takes about a month. Fixing the kinks to make an every-day-use system takes a bit longer...there is no substitute for actually wearing one.

However, for those (like myself) who are less experience with hardware, the process can be painful. The Lizzy design was created to minimize the financial risk and to allow people interested in the software, applications, and human factors issues to get up to speed as quickly as possible.

Even so, the Lizzy design does not represent what a hardware guru can do. Below are starting points for making systems that may be cheaper, more powerful, or smaller than Lizzy.

• SBX/386 from ZF Microsystems. 40Mhz 386 full computer in about 2x3 inches and for ~ 100$
• Credit card sized computers from SMOS and Oki
• Microprocessors
  • StrongARM microprocessor from Digital and ARM. Linux being/is ported. Serious computation in a small, low-power package (same crunch as Pentium line, 1/10th power requirements).
  • Motorola's ColdFire
  • Hitachi's SH-3