If you're familiar with the original GP2X and GP2X Wiz, the Linux-based handhelds produced by Korean techno-alchemists Game Park Holdings, you'll be acutely aware of just how close they came to greatness; both consoles suffered from compromises that prevented them from truly fulfilling their potential. Interestingly, some of the guys in charge of distributing these two machines internationally felt the same way and back in 2008 they set about creating their own dream machine that would avoid the pitfalls that afflicted those two consoles. Read on to discover whether it was worth the effort.

In-depth comparison: We've looked at three Linux-based phones that give the iPhone a run for its money. There's the Palm Pre, running WebOS; Nokia's Maemo 5-based N900, and the HTC Legend, running Android. Each is a strong challenger to Apple's device, and they beat it today in significant areas. So, which is best for you?

We wanted to create a really nice April Fool's joke for you all, we really did. So we created Fake Linux: a simple app that makes it look like you've put Linux on your iPhone, with the idea being that you install the app, then show it to your geek friends and see how long it takes for them to figure out it's a hoax. Sadly, the app was rejected by Apple three times, so all we can do is show you pictures and videos of what might have been - click here to read the full story.

Everyone wants a Network Attached Storage (NAS) box - at least, everyone who wants somewhere to store swelling amounts of data. Whether you're a huge megacorp looking for an accessible and secure storage device, or you're a home user who needs something to serve your music and movies, NAS boxes are the solution. Now, you could go out and buy a special NAS box for oodles of cash, or you could covert an existing machine to do the job. And what better machine than something small, quiet and friendly with your electricity bill? Our friends at PC Plus show you how to turn your old netbook into a NAS device using the OS most perfectly suited to the job, Linux.

In our previous two tutorials (see here and here), we created a Simon-type game using the Arduino, a hardware platform for simple, and not so simple, electronics projects.

We placed three buttons and three LEDs on to something called a breadboard, and wrote a small program that would send a random sequence to the LEDs, which the player would then need to replicate by pressing the buttons in the same order. Each time you got the sequence correct, the sequence would be extended by one and repeated. The further into the random sequence you got, the higher you scored.

In this, part three, we're going to build on what we already created and add another important feature - sound! So, get the hardware out, make some coffee, and prepare for some hardware hacking fun...

Is it possible to cram a whole Linux server into something the size of a plug? Apparently it is - Marvell has combined gigabit Ethernet, flash storage and an ARM CPU with a full install of Ubuntu to produce the tiniest Linux server we've seen for some time. Can you resist the power of your geek hardware lust? If not, don't read on...

While Linux is rock-solid reliable in day-to-day usage, when you start poking around at the command line (especially as root) then things can get a bit hairy. Equally, if you're living life on the razor's edge, installing new kernels and boot scripts every other day, there's a chance you can make your system unbootable. However, Live CDs come to the rescue: PC Plus shows you how to fix drive problems using Linux, whether you need to restore the bootloader, fix the partition table or back up your data.

Netbooks may be on the cheaper side of computing, but as we're all watching our pennies now, making the right choice is essential. We've brought together all the netbooks we could get hold of - most of which are bundled with Linux - for a comprehensive test. We're looking at:

• Performance All but one of the netbooks are based on the Intel Atom 1.6GHz CPU and 945GME graphics chip. But other components come into play, especially the storage and the wireless reception strength, so we're putting particular focus on these aspects.
• Usability The most important aspect of a netbook. It doesn't matter if it looks wonderful if the keyboard is far too cramped, or the trackpad is rubbish.
• Build quality You shouldn't need to baby your netbook. You want to chuck it in your bag, use it everywhere and not worry about it taking a bump or two.

To find out how each of our eight netbooks fared, read on!

Here's a device that started out as a firewall and ended up as a powerful embedded development platform. It's based around an ARM CPU and includes an SDK to let you develop your own tools.

• Supplier: Yoggie Security Systems
• Web: www.yoggie.com
• Price: $79

An attractive price, but how good is it? Read on for our verdict...

Our GP2X Wiz finally arrived and, although we've literally only had this Linux-powered handheld in our grubby mitts for an hour, we wanted to give you our first impressions. You may recall the original GP2X, a Korean-manufactured portable media player and retro gaming box - well, the GP2X Wiz bumps it up a few notches in power and design.