All About Linux-powered Devices

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LG's Android phone unleashed in Canada —

LG has launched its first Android phone, a QWERTY slider called the "Eve," on Rogers Wireless' network in Canada. In other Android news, LG is prepping a second Android phone, this time with a Snapdragon processor, for Korea, and Philips has launched a V808 oPhone handset in China. ...

OLPC switching to ARM, plans paper thin netbook —

One Laptop per Child chairman Nicholas Negroponte told Xconomy that OLPC is prepping an ARM-based version 1.75 of its XO netbook while planning to release a "paper-thin" version 3.0 in 2012. Meanwhile, the Internet Archive is providing OLPC users with 1.6 million e-books, says the nonprofit organization. ...

Moblin v2.1 goes beta, adds 3G support —

The Moblin project released the first beta version of Moblin 2.1, fixing numerous bugs while adding support for a 3G modem. Other touted improvements to the netbook-focused Linux distro include a faster browser with plugin support, Bluetooth discovery support, higher screen resolution support, and an enhanced connection manager, says the project. ...

10.4-inch HMI PC runs Linux on Atoms —

Kontron has added a compact Intel Atom-powered device to its range of thin-client HMI (human machine interface) subsystems. The fanless Nano Client 10.4 has a touchscreen display, features a sealed stainless steel housing, uses CompactFlash storage, and runs Linux, the company says. ...

ABI's Jeffrey Orr on rising Linux netbook sales —

After ABI Research projected that Linux will take a 32 percent share of netbooks in 2009 and wo;; overtake Windows in 2013, we spoke with ABI analyst Jeffrey Orr on the findings. Orr notes the rise of international consumers and ARM Cortex-A8-based netbooks, and discusses Ubuntu, Moblin, Android, and Chrome OS. ...

Verizon unveils Hero-like, $100 Android phone —

Verizon Wireless announced its second Android phone, the $100 Droid Eris, which is based closely on the HTC Hero and its Sense UI. In related news, HTC is upgrading the Hero to Android 2.0, and Motorola announced a Europe-destined multi-touch, GSM version of the Droid called the Milestone. ...

Tablet PC targets emergency responders —

Roper Mobile Technology (RMT) announced a 12.1-inch panel PC designed for police, security, EMS (emergency medical services) and fire applications. The Duros 1205-PS features an "ultra-thin" design, 1.66GHz Core Duo processor, sunlight-viewable touchscreen, and a variety of storage options, the company says. ...

Atom PC offers removable disk drive —

Stealth Computer announced a fanless mini PC whose hard disk drive and CompactFlash storage are both easily removable from the front panel. The LPC-395F features an Intel Atom N270 processor, two gigabit Ethernet ports, two serial ports, four USB 2.0 ports, and a DVI-I video output, the company says. ...

Wireless Cortex-A8 module supports Linux —

Digi International announced a Linux-compatible ARM Cortex-A8-based module that supports 802.11n WiFi. Built around a Freescale i.MX51 SoC (system on chip), the ConnectCore Wi-MX51 includes up to 1GB of RAM and 8GB of flash storage, wireless networking, touchscreen support, and a variety of other interfaces, the company says. ...

Linux owns 32 percent of netbook market, says study —

ABI Research is projecting that in 2009 Linux will represent 32 percent of netbook sales, far higher than the seven percent figure claimed by Microsoft, says a report. ABI also estimates that Linux will overtake Windows on netbooks by 2013, largely due to sales in less-developed countries, says the story. ...

Headmount computer design runs Linux —

Hardware hacker Pascal Brisset has unveiled a Linux-driven head-mounted computer based on a stereoscopic, 640 x 480 Vusix VR920 headmount display and the Gumstix Overo Fire module running the ARM Cortex-A8 OMAP3530 processor from Texas Instruments. The six-ounce WXHMD computer includes WiFi, Bluetooth, accelerometers, compass, and a custom-made DAC board. ...

Skype preps open source Linux VoIP UI —

Skype announced that it is working on an open source UI layer for its Linux VoIP client. Although apparently not fully open source, the upcoming version of the Skype client for Linux could enable more open development of client front ends, including those for mobile devices. ...

Vodafone and Samsung unveil second LiMo phone —

Vodafone and Samsung announced their second LiMo-compliant "360" smartphone, and is shipping the first, the 360 H1, to Vodafone's European customers. The "Vodafone 360 Samsung M1" is a scaled-down version of the H1, offering the same second-generation LiMo (Linux Mobile) stack and "360" social networking interface. ...

Cortex-A8 SoC family gains automotive, industrial members — Freescale added four members to its ARM Cortex-A8 based i.MX51 family of system-on-chips (SoCs), supported with a Linux BSP and evaluation kit. The SoCs, which range in speed from 600MHz to 800MHz, include the automotive-focused i.MX514 and i.MX516, as well as the i.MX512 and i.MX513, which target various industrial and consumer devices, says Freescale. ...

Nanos get higher speed, expanded instruction set —

Via Technologies has introduced new versions of its 64-bit Nano processors. The Nano 3000 series, available in speeds from 1.0 to 2.0GHz, offers up to 20 percent higher performance, and adds support for Intel's SSE4 (streaming SIMD extensions 4) instruction set, says Via. ...

Android phone sports 8.1-megapixel camera —

Sony Ericsson announced its first Android phone, along with a "UX" user interface targeting social networking. The Xperia X10 offers from 8 to 16GB of flash storage, a four-inch touchscreen, and an 8.1-megapixel camera with face recognition and geo-tagging, plus the usual 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS features. ...

E Ink taps second semi firm for Linux-ready SoCs —

Marvell Semiconductor announced a partnership with electronic paper display vendor E Ink, targeting joint development of processors for e-readers. Based on Marvell's new Armada SoCs (system on chips), the technology forms the basis of Android e-readers from Entourage Systems and Spring Designs and is also said to be available in turnkey platforms. ...

Touch-panel PCs ship with Python-GTK support —

Techsol announced it is now shipping its Linux-ready Medallion Touch Panel Computers (TPCs) with Python-GTK support. The new support enables developers to develop embedded GUIs using Python-GTK on a desktop PC and easily load it onto Techsol's TPC touch-panel systems, thereby accelerating proof-of-concept design, says the company. ...

Most touchscreen phone users wouldn't buy again, survey claims —

Most mobile-phone users crave touchscreens -- but of those who own them, fewer than half would choose the same interface again, says a Canalys survey. The research appears to bode well for slider devices such as the Android-driven Motorola Droid and Samsung Moment, which offer keyboard alternatives to touchscreen interaction. ...

MIPS32 core optimized for Linux, Android — MIPS Technologies announced two new MIPS32 cores, including one that's optimized for Linux. Both the M14K core and the M14Kc -- a superset that incorporates Android-ready, Linux/Java microcode -- support MIPS' microMIPS instruction set architecture, enabling 1.5 DMIPS/MHz performance and advanced code compression that can reduce code size by 35 percent, says the company. ...

MID runs Linux on dual-speed Atom —

Chinese manufacturer Soyea has begun taking orders for a mobile Internet device (MID) that runs Linux or Windows XP on Intel's dual-speed, MID-oriented Z515 Atom CPU. Soyea's Z5 is equipped with 1GB RAM, an 8GB SSD, a five-inch touchscreen, plus 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, and a three-megapixel webcam. ...

Network appliance supports Core 2 Quad —

Win Enterprises announced a 1U network appliance that runs Linux and supports Intel's Core 2 Quad processor. The PL-80140 accepts up to 4GB of DDR2 memory, has room for a 3.5-inch hard disk or CompactFlash storage, and includes six gigabit Ethernet ports with four-port bypass, the company says. ...

STB vendor spins $80 Netflix player —

Roku, Inc. announced two new models to join its $100 Linux-based Roku HD digital media player. The $80, DVD-quality Roku SD and the 802.11n-enabled $130 Roku HD-XR support streaming video playback from Netflix, Amazon Video On Demand, and MLB.TV, says the company. ...

CGL-ready ATCA system moves to 40Gbps —

RadiSys Corp. announced a fourth generation Carrier Grade Linux (CGL) platform for 4G wireless infrastructure that supports 40Gbps (40G) throughput. The RadiSys ATCA 4.0 initiative will offer an AdvancedTCA (ATCA) 40G chassis and 40G switch that are backward-compatible to its current 10G Promentum line of processing blades. ...

Mobile market, Mot earnings, show signs of recovery —

The mobile phone market suffered a six percent drop in shipments year to year, but saw a 5.6 percent improvement over the previous quarter, says IDC. Meanwhile, Motorola, which showed a 6.4 percent yearly drop, according to IDC, posted 3Q earnings that beat analyst predictions. ...

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Virtualizing Service Provider Networks with Vyatta
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High Availability Messaging Solution Using AXIGEN, Heartbeat and DRBD
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Data Management for Real-Time Distributed Systems
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