Does anyone really want to let go of their old XDA? It was expensive, wasn't it? Sure, you might have purchased one of the new XDA II / i-mate Pocket PC Phones, but how are you going to offload the old one? eBay? Perhaps - but you probably won't get much money back, compared to what you paid for it. In many ways it's looking like some companies - O2 Asia for example - are hoping that the O2 XDA will slowly fade away and die out. It looks doubtful as to whether we'll see any further ROM updates from these particular companies, so it's possible that - in some regions at least - this could happen.

Enter XDA Developers with their latest project - Xanadux. The grand goal: port Linux to the HTC Wallaby (aka XDA / MDA / SX-56 / QTek 1010). Their ideal: to produce a working base system with full GSM / GPRS functionality, and to make it relatively easy to install for anyone.

In many ways, this project builds on everything that the guys at XDA Developers have learnt so far, and expands their ability (and incentive) to learn more by a huge factor. To this end, they've launched a wiki system which permits them take their already exceptional collaborative environment that's evolved in their forums to a new level. Research articles and documentation for previously developed tools have been moved to this system, and the Xanadux project is very much a major part.

This approach permits the community to get involved in the testing - and even development - of Xanadux. It seems at the moment that they are aiming to produce a dual-boot environment (at least initially), but it could well be that they may ultimately develop a ROM from this that will make the move to Linux as easy (ha!) as a normal ROM upgrade.

All very exciting, and hopefully we'll see big things soon. I for one would love to see a fully operational Linux-based XDA, especially to see just how much further the hardware and software of the original XDA could be taken. They also hope to port to the HTC Himalaya (aka XDA II / i-mate Pocket PC Phone / Orange SPV e1000 / MDA II). Imagine a Linux phone with Bluetooth, SDIO, GSM/GPRS, infrared, and an integrated camera: with this kind of flexibility, the possibilities would be endless!

So don't despair - your XDA or XDA II could be useful for some years to come yet, with community based support that rivals - and typically outperforms - the companies selling these devices! But please - no Olivia jokes!