Securtex International has used embedded Linux to build a rugged DVR (digital video recorder) targeting vehicle surveillance and operator management applications. The MDVR-4120 is optionally available with GPS, WiFi, and cellular networking, and besides surveilling passengers, can be used to “condition”… (more…)

An electronic engineering student in Brazil has published a design for a small SBC (single-board computer) that runs Linux. Flavio Ribeiro's SBC uses a 180MHz ARM processor, an Altera Cyclone FPGA, and a 3-megapixel Micron CMOS sensor. (more…)

A small database consulting firm that maintains an open source, embeddable database says it has partnered with MontaVista. ITTIA says its db.* database has been tested on MontaVista Linux Pro 3.1, and the company will present a Webinar tomorrow (Thursday) on using db.* with MontaVista Linux. (more…)

Analog Devices Inc. (ADI) is shipping a new version of its “Stamp” development board based on a single-core DSP processor running uClinux. The ADSP-BF537 has a 500MHz BlackFin processor, comes with uClinux 2.6.x, and targets telematics, “infotainment” devices, and set-top box applications. (more…)

Symbian's share of the smartphone OS market is declining, while Windows Mobile shipments are growing, says an ABI study expected to be published soon. The study also says that Palm-branded smartphones running on Linux will take market share from Symbian. (more…)

IBM has proposed a large contribution of “software process” tools to the Eclipse Foundation. The contribution comprises a subset of its Rational Unified Process (RUP) tools, which it says can help the software industry create, share, and reuse software development best practices. (more…)

WISchip is offering a pair of Linux 2.6-based reference designs for its Cypher 7108 streaming media encoder SoC (system-on-chip). A PVR (personal video recorder) design targets portable media player “filling stations,” while a camera design targets standalone IP (Internet protocol) cameras that stream video over… (more…)

A cordless VoIP phone using a PC running Skype as its base station will reach stores next week. The Linksys/Skype CIT200 supports Windows PCs initially, with Mac OS X support planned. Given that Skype runs on Linux, eventual Linux support seems likely as well. (more…)

The E680i is a pretty good phone with glaring problems, writes OS News editor Eugenia Loli-Queru in a detailed, information-rich review. Poor battery life and power-level indicator, lack of native applications, and poor camera/video playback are balanced by quick startup… (more…)

Embedded Toolsmiths says its hardware-assisted JTAG debugger now supports AMCC's entire portfolio of 400-series PowerPC processors. The company last week added support for two currently sampling AMCC SAN/RAID SoCs to its Guardian-SE JTAG ICE (in-circuit emulator) and… (more…)

Advantech is shipping a PCI-104 SBC (single-board-computer) with a 1.1 GHz or 1.6 GHz Pentium M or 600 MHz Celeron M processor. Low-power, fanless operation and a high-performance x86 processor make the PCM-3380 suitable for medical, military, transportation, and emergency services applications, according to the company. (more…)

Motorola may seek to acquire MontaVista and/or Trolltech, hints an article at Computer Business Review (CBR). Motorola recently purchased several companies involved in mobile phone design, but last month was spurned in a $300+ million offer for PalmSource. The number-two global mobile phone vendor uses both MontaVista and Trolltech software in its devices. (more…)

Contributions from embedded software hackers are improving the Gnome desktop, say Gnome Foundation directors Murray Cumming and Dave Neary, as quoted by ZDNet UK. Contributions include better touchscreen support, performance optimizations, and lower memory usage — all expected to improve Gnome for desktop users as well. (more…)

Indian mobile phone and carrier software vendor Jataayu is porting its Instant Messaging and Presence Service (IMPS) stack to Linux, along with several other device software stacks. It expects to ship several browsing and messaging clients for Linux devices in Q4, 2005, with initial support for MontaVista's Mobilinux OS. (more…)

Virtio says Texas Instruments (TI) has licensed its virtual platform technology for internal use in developing application processors, reference designs, and development systems. Additionally, TI will help promote VI's emulators to customers of TI products, including its 1510 and 1610 OMAP Innovator kits targeting phones and other mobile devices. (more…)