NEC is the latest vendor to announce a laptop with a built-in embedded Linux based media player option. The NEC Versa S3000 will use InterVideo's InstantOn technology to enable users to listen to music, watch DVDs, and more without having to wait for Windows to load. (more…)

A few days remain to propose papers for presentation at the 2005 Embedded Systems Conference, and the Consumer Systems Design Seminar still hopes to add papers on the use of Linux in consumer electronic devices, according Program Chair Rick Merritt. (more…)

Three companies are demonstrating a secure on-demand digital content distribution system that uses tiny set-top boxes (STBs) based on embedded Linux, streaming media servers based on FreeBSD and custom Xilinx FPGAs, and digital rights management software based on patent-pending technology. (more…)

The worldwide market for Wi-Fi infrastructure and adapters surpassed $1.0 billion in quarterly revenue for the first time in Q4 2003, according to In-Stat/MDR. Additionally, the Wi-Fi client market is seeing a 66.2 percent CAGR (compound annual growth rate), and is shifting from removable add-on cards to embedded Mini-PCI cards. (more…)

Executives from Broadcom Corp., Dolby Labs, and the Fabless Semiconductor Association (FSA) will deliver the keynote presentations at the first-ever ARM Developers' Conference to be held in Santa Clara, Calif., Oct. 19-21. According to ARM, the conference will host over 180 classes, labs, workshops, and panel discussions “addressing design challenges and the future of the industry.”

ARM provided… (more…)

IBM developerWorks has published a brief article about Kprobes, described as a “lightweight, non-disruptive” debugging tool that can be used to dynamically insert breakpoints into a running Linux kernel, freeing hackers from constant kernel rebuilds and reboots, among other advantages. (more…)

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

eSoft is shipping a software reference design for IADs (integrated access devices) and SOHO PBXs (small office home office private branch exchanges) running Linux or VxWorks. The design was developed using Radvision tools, and can be ported easily to VoIP products based on Intel XScale IXP425 network processors, eSoft says. (more…)

DigiTimes is reporting that Motorola launched two Linux-based smartphones in Japan today, and one based on Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003. Motorola expects two percent growth in the smartphone market before 2005, when smartphones will represent 10 percent of the total market, the article says. (more…)

[Updated Aug. 20, 2004] — CyberGuard has added to the top of its range of enterprise security appliances powered by SnapGear Linux. The CyberGuard SG710 provides firewall, VPN, and IDS capabilities, and targets mid-market enterprises with 50 to 1,000 employees and branch offices of larger companies. (more…)

The Open Source Development Labs (OSDL) has revised its Scalable Test Platform (STP), an “enterprise-grade” testing service for the Linux kernel that is used to test mainstream Linux kernel releases and which is also freely available to qualifying developers through the OSDL's website. (more…)

IBM has turned the tables on SCO in a maneuver that could provide the first major legal test of the GNU General Public License (GPL), and which could leave SCO all but unable to continue selling and supporting products based on Linux and Unix. (more…)

Carrier Grade Linux stands among Linux's greatest success stories, proving that industry groups can work together effectively on open source projects that broadly benefit entire markets. This LinuxDevices.com “hot topic” article follows Carrier Grade Linux from concept to specification releases, and provides a brief introduction to Carrier Grade Linux followed by an extensive… (more…)

The handheld multimedia player market is poised to grow rapidly over the next five years, according to a report from In-Stat/MDR. The report projects 700 percent growth in 2004, and a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 179 percent through 2008. (more…)

Jim Buzbee, who led the efforts to create a mini-Linux distribution for the Linksys WRT54G router, has now published a series of articles at Tom's Hardware about hacking the Linksys NSLU2, a uCLinux-based network storage server that works with external hard drives. (more…)