One of the issues that concerns me when dealing with voice applications is that mainstream devices are overburdened with resources to deal with visual output.

My ideal machine to run voice stuff would be one which could load linux to a shell without getting into window managers. It would run HTK+Julius, Linux would have full control over the audio hardware both input and output, comes with WiFi and Bluetooth, and could run an eight hour shift on battery with occasional use at sufficient speed to run Julius efficiently.

Are there smartphones (Android?) that can run stuff like HTK & Julius? Perhaps a basic netbook might work. Preferably stripped of its screen and keyboard and repackaged for greater portability. Never used one - are there obvious problems? Also various non-standard linux devices exist, but I've yet to see one with a focus on audio rather than visual. Any experience here?