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Archive for February, 2009

From Minsk with love (and Linux BSPs)

February 27, 2009

Embedded Linux is alive and well in Eastern Europe and Russia, says the CEO of a Belarus-based “full-service” device design startup. In a LinuxDevices interview, Promwad's Roman Pakholkov (pictured) describes his company's path to becoming an independent Linux product design… (more…)

Microsoft suit “provocative,” legal eagle says

February 27, 2009

[Updated Mar. 2] — Microsoft's lawsuit against Linux devicemaker TomTom is “clearly a provocation,” and the action will ultimately make the open source community stronger. So said Keith Bergelt, CEO of the Open Invention Network (OIN), in a brief interview with LinuxDevices a day after the suit came to light. (more…)

Telephony stack ports to Moblin, Moorestown

February 27, 2009

Open-Plug is working to integrate its Linux feature-phone telephony stack with the Intel-sponsored Moblin stack for mobile Internet devices (MIDs) running on Intel's “Moorestown” processor. Open-Plug's ELIPS Linux Telephony Stack will voice-enable Moblin- and Moorestown-based MIDs when they ship next year, says the French software vendor. (more…)

Embedded Linux service adds patch updates and GIT tree

February 27, 2009

Timesys has upgraded its LinuxLink DIY embedded development service with a Linux update and Git-tree service. The LinuxLink Update Service alerts users about new and updated Linux components that apply to their projects, and then provides the tested updates via the Timesys Factory and Timesys Git tree, says the company. (more…)

Atom module shrinks to nano size

February 27, 2009

Toradex is now sampling a credit card-sized COM Express module based on Intel's Z5xx Atom processor. Available in 1.6GHz Z530 and 1.1GHz Z510 models, the “Robin” board is equipped with seven USB 2.0 ports, gigabit Ethernet, an SATA port, and a microSD slot, the company says. (more…)

CEO Interview: Roman Pakholkov of Promwad

February 27, 2009

Foreword — Roman Pakholkov is founder and CEO of Promwad, a fast-growing independent product design center in Eastern Europe. In this fascinating interview, Pakholkov describes Promwad's history and early successes, with a special focus on the role of embedded Linux in the company's past and future. (more…)

NAS vendor touts Lenny installs, new Atom-based system

February 26, 2009

Taiwanese network-attached storage (NAS) vendor Qnap Systems proudly announced the availability of Debian Lenny (version 5.0) for all of its ARM-based Turbo NAS models. Meanwhile, the company also tipped its hat toward x86 with a Linux-ready Intel Atom-based four-bay TS-439 Pro Turbo NAS for business users. (more…)

ARM9 SOM ships with Linux dev kit

February 26, 2009

Armadeus Systems is shipping a low-cost system-on-module (SOM), available with a development board and a Linux community distribution. The “APF27” is built around an ARM9 Freescale i.MX27 system-on-chip (SoC) and a Xilinx Spartan3A FPGA, and offers a variety of I/O, says the French embedded firm. (more…)

Microsoft sues PND vendor over FAT filesystem

February 26, 2009

Microsoft filed a patent infringement action against a vendor of Linux-based personal navigation devices (PNDs), and for the first time appears to target open-source Linux components. The company listed eight patent violations found in TomTom's Linux-based PNDs, three involving the device's use of the FAT filesystem. (more…)

Please vote in 2009 Embedded Linux survey

February 25, 2009

LinuxDevices.com has launched its ninth-annual Embedded Linux Market Survey, and invites all readers to participate. Don't miss this opportunity to help shape the industry, by answering 22 quick questions about developer preferences and industry trends. (more…)

Italian industrial distro goes OE

February 25, 2009

Italy-based Koan Software has revised its Linux distribution for embedded and industrial applications, and has joined the OpenEmbedded (OE) community. Version 4.0 of KaeilOS has adopted the OpenEmbedded (OE) build system, and for the first time the distro is offered as a free download. (more…)

Tiny X86 COM runs Debian, supports IPv6

February 25, 2009

SSV announced an x86-compatible computer-on-module (COM) that measures 3.2 by 1.1-inches (81 x 28mm), and targets TCP/IPv4-6 embedded networking applications. Attaching to custom I/O boards via “DIL” (dual in line) sockets, the DIL/NetPC DNP/2486 runs an IPv6-ready Debian Linux stack on a 300MHz Vortex86SX system-on-chip (SoC). (more…)

Mobile device runs Windows and Android simultaneously

February 25, 2009

VMware has demonstrated Windows CE and Google's Linux-based Android stack running side by side on a single mobile device (left). The underlying “Mobile Virtualization Platform (MVP)” technology, which includes a “hypervisor” only about 20KB in size, is being evaluated by handset manufacturers, says the company. (more…)

Media player targets embedded Linux devices

February 25, 2009

[Updated: Feb. 26, 2009] — NthCode announced an embedded media player for IP-ready DVD players, TVs, and other Linux-based devices. NthCode Player automatically connects to home networks, and then catalogs available media, offering WebKit-browser access to media, plus feeds from BitTorrent and RSS, says the… (more…)

Smallest GPS chip yet?

February 25, 2009

CellGuide has announced a GPS module that measures a scant 0.21 x 0.18 x 0.04 inches (5.4 x 4.6 x 1.1mm). Billed as the “world's smallest” GPS chip, the “Ramon” (left) includes a GPS processor and RF front end, and targets low-cost, high-volume devices. (more…)