A new 64-bit Linux CD can instantly turn an AMD Athlon 64-based PC into the ultimate gaming console, according to Super Computer Inc. (SCI). The company has created a distribution of the popular America's Army multi-player strategy game on a bootable Linux CD, that it says was developed in partnership with AMD, nVidia, and the US Army. (more…)

A tiny network security device running embedded Linux has earned Innominate the Wolfsburg AG Competence Prize, this year awarded for the IT category in the field of “Network Embedded Systems.” Judges in the 25,000 Euro annual prize for industry co-sponsored by Volkswagon and the city of Wolfsburg praised Innominate for… (more…)

InfoSync World has posted a mostly favorable review of an English-language version of the Sharp Zaurus SL-C760 clamshell PDA. The detailed report praises the device's full VGA display, which features excellent color depth and sharpness (no pun intended). (more…)

VIA CEO Wenchi Chen unveiled a prototype of the next evolution of his company's continually shrinking motherboard form-factor at the VIA Technology Forum last week in Taipei, Taiwan. VIA's Nano-ITX form-factor measures just 4.7 x 4.7 in. (more…)

McObject has released the latest version of its its eXtremeDB embedded in-memory database system (IMDS) which supports embedded Linux based systems. Additions in eXtremeDB version 2.2 include performance enhancements and features that add to developers' flexibility in building reliable, real-time data management for embedded applications, the company says. (more…)

Updated Sep. 30, 2003 — Real-time Linux vendor FSMLabs reports that it has created a version of Linux that radically speeds up system boot time — to less than 200 milliseconds (ms) from power-up to application code startup. The techniques are processor independent, and boot times of under 100 ms are expected in the future. (more…)

Version 3.0 of SnapGear Embedded Linux, based on Linux kernel 2.6, is now available for free download. The latest SnapGear security-oriented embedded Linux distribution is claimed to be the “world's first production Linux system powered by the 2.6 kernel” — but is also a watershed release in that for the first time, commercial developers can use a stable mainstream Linux kernel distribution, without… (more…)

Zentek Technology Group says its new multimedia home platform (MHP) product family uses Linux and open standards to cut total development costs for set-top box (STB) manufacturers. Zentek's MediaStack-MHP is interoperable with products from development partners ATI and Skelmir, minimizing costs while delivering state-of-the-art STBs for digital television, Zentec claims. (more…)

IBM Business Consulting Services has released its annual Retail CIO Survey for 2003, with findings that suggest a growing opportunity for Linux in point of sale (POS) and other retail systems. According to the report, Linux as an in-store operating environment grew from 0% in 2002 to 5% in 2003, while more than a quarter of respondents expected to implement Linux-based in-store operating environments… (more…)

IBM has published the following 10 technical articles, tutorials, and downloads, on its DeveloperWorks and AlphaWorks websites. They cover a range of interesting (though not necessarily embedded) technical topics. Some require free registration. Enjoy . . .

• WebSphere Studio Device Developer for Linux (more…)

A technical article on IBM's DeveloperWorks site characterizes the pending new stable Linux kernel as “a big step for Linux on enterprise servers as well as for embedded systems,” and reviews some of the reasons. And yes, discussion suggests the new kernel could arrive with a major release number. (more…)

Nomachine.com is working on software it hopes will enable remote computer use from embedded devices with slow Internet connections such as GSM modems. The company claims its NX software compresses the X protocol by 50 times, making graphical applications usable over connections as slow as a 9.6Kbps modem. (more…)

Antelope Technologies announced that production has commenced on its Modular Computing Core (MCC), a bare-bones computer module that measures 3 x 5 x 1 in., weighs approximately 9.1 ounces, and packs the functions of a full PC based on a 1GHz processor running Linux — minus the power supply, display, and I/O connectors. (more…)

German digital TV specialist Galaxis will soon ship the first set-top box (STB) based on LinuxTV 2.0, a software stack from Convergence that supports the Multimedia Home Platform (MHP) interface. (more…)

RTnet, an open source hard real-time network protocol stack for deterministic data transmission over standard Ethernet, has reached an important milestone: version 0.5.0 has been released today, with non real-time tunneling, easier installation, support for more NICs, and more. (more…)