Hillsboro, OR — (press release excerpt) — Intel Corporation today announced the Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) Forum's Internet Gateway Specification, which will enable PCs and smart appliances to communicate with others over the Web via a single Internet connection from the home. (more…)

San Francisco, CA; JavaOne — (press release excerpt) — ACCESS Co., Ltd. announced a new version of it's flagship NetFront Internet browser for Sharp's new Java/Linux based PDA. This new international version prototype of Sharp's Zaurus PDA, running the ACCESS Internet browser, will be demonstrated in Sharp's booth (#613) and at ACCESS' booth (#1316) at the JavaOne 2001 conference in San Francisco, CA. (more…)

San Jose, CA — (press release excerpt) — Hitachi Semiconductor (America) Inc. today announced the 32-bit RISC/DSP SH7727 microprocessor, a fast 160-megahertz (MHz), highly integrated SupErH-series processor with extensive integration that will simplify the design of many consumer and industrial embedded system products. (more…)

Sharp has just published a detailed Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document on its new Linux/Java PDA developer website. However, access to the FAQ is currently restricted to registered developers. For those who have not had an opportunity to (or do not wish to) register as a Sharp Linux/Java PDA developer, are a few excerpts from the Sharp FAQ . (more…)

As the saying goes, “everything you always wanted to know about Sharp's new Linux/Java PDA (but were afraid to ask)” is now available through the official Sharp Linux/Java PDA website. Here, you will find a summary of features of the new device, an overview of Sharp's Linux/Java PDA strategy and developer program, news relating to the device and its… (more…)

San Francisco; JavaOne — (press release excerpt) — Sharp Corporation today announced that it has entered into discussions for alliance and/or collaboration with software development companies Access, Pumatech, and Office Noa to develop applications software for its Java/Linux platform for Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs). (more…)

San Francisco, CA; JavaOne — (press release excerpt) — esmertec, inc. announced the support of its Jbed product line on MontaVista's Hard Hat Linux operating system for embedded systems. The new release of the Jbed Virtual Machine and Libraries for embedded Linux runs with the Yopy Linux PDA powered by the StrongARM SA-1110 microprocessor. (more…)

San Francisco, CA; JavaOne — (press release excerpt) — Lineo Inc. announced the creation of a new open standards platform based on Java and Linux with several key partners including Insignia Solutions, Trolltech AS, and Opera Software AS. The new software platform, “Embedix Plus for Smart Handheld Devices”, will incorporate Lineo Embedix SDK, Insignia Jeode Java Virtual Machine technologies, Trolltech… (more…)

Linus Torvalds is the featured guest today on National Public Radio's Fresh Air. Host Terry Gross is sure to provide an entertaining and enlightening interview, which is likely to include such topics as: the origins of Linux; Linus' role in the open source movement; the bursting of the Linux stock bubble; recent attacks on Linux and open source software by Microsoft; and Linus' recently published… (more…)

Where did Ripley come from?

The Ripley wearable computer project was born in 1999 with the purpose of allowing us to liberate ourselves from the desktop computer. (more…)

Matt Broersma of ZDNet UK writes . . .

Following high demand for Sony's Japanese release of Linux for the PlayStation2 game console, another company has leapt into the fray: the Czech firm Blokman Trading, which has released an alpha version of the Linux 2.4 kernel for the original PlayStation console. (more…)

The Nanozilla project now has a new name, Nxzilla, and also a new website, nxzilla.tuxia.org. Nxzilla is part of a family of open source software projects related to adapting Mozilla for use in embedded systems, Internet appliances, and mobile devices. (more…)

According to a well-placed source . . .

• The widely-anticipated prototype of Sharp's PDA device will be on display at Booth #613 of JavaOne in San Francisco next week to attract application development
• The new platform is based on Java Application environment language, running on top of an embedded Linux OS
• The exterior of the prototype will be of the Japan-market Zaurus but it… (more…)

This article, by wearable computing enthusiast Cliff Leong, describes the history, evolution, and future plans of the Ripley project, which has the goal of building “an anytime, anywhere general purpose computer that is efficient enough to run on consumer grade batteries for several hours, small and light enough to wear on the body, wirelessly connected to the Internet at all times, and easy to interact… (more…)