Extreme Engineering Solutions is shipping a PrPMC (Processor PMC) module targeting HPC (high-performance computing) and telecom applications. The XPedite6200 module is available with dual Freescale MPC7448 processors, and up to four modules can be installed in a single AdvancedTCA slot, the company says. (more…)

One of the largest electronics design magazines has published an extensive, detailed primer on Linux in consumer electronics (CE). Written by Technical Editor Warren Webb, and published in EDN magazine, the well-written article presents an extensive list of advantages driving CE Linux adoption, along with a few lingering concerns. (more…)

Acme Systems is shipping a Penguin-shaped case for a tiny SBC (single-board computer) powered by an innovative MCM (multi-chip module) that runs Linux. The 6.7-inch tall, 30-Euro “Tux Case” houses the company's “Acme Fox,” a 2.6 x 2.8-inch, 100-Euro, RISC-based board with Ethernet and dual-USB interfaces, and surface-mount… (more…)

Smartphones will advance beyond early adopters and into the mainstream in 2006, doubling their shipment volumes to around 123 million units, and attaining 15 percent of the worldwide mobile phone market, ABI Research forecasts. Additionally, while Symbian continues to be the market leader, Linux and Windows Mobile are gaining ground, the analyst firm says. (more…)

US Robotics (USR) publishes source code for a variety of network devices based on Linux, including wireless access points, combo router/NAS servers, and DSL broadband routers. Downloads for its USR5461 wireless access point suggest the device runs Linux 2.4.20, and fits a uClibc-based filesystem within 2MB. (more…)

Embedded PC pioneer Ampro Computers Inc. has added another arrow to its form-factor quiver, with the introduction of its first module in XTX format, an extension to the popular ETX computer-on-module (COM) standard. (more…)

Linux PDA specialist Empower says it will demonstrate a hardware/software reference design for handheld devices, at a Texas Instruments (TI) development conference in Dallas this week. The LDK5912 development kit includes TI's OMAP5912 development board, along with Empower's Linux implementation for PDAs, with example code and documentation. (more…)

LinuxWorld Boston, set for April 3-6, includes lots of presentations and panels of potential interest to embedded Linux developers. The event features tracks on “Mobile and Embedded Linux” and “Kernel and Driver Development,” along with sessions on SELinux, DRM, LTSP, out-of-band management, networking, Linux media performance, and real-time Linux. (more…)

Technologic Systems will ship a new ARM9- and FPGA-powered SBC (single-board computer) next quarter, targeting high-security applications such as gaming, building security, and network gateways/firewalls. (more…)

A free application environment for Linux-based handheld and mobile devices may support lots more devices in the future, including Linux mobile phones. The GPE (GPE palmtop environment) project is planning a “device abstraction” layer aimed at simplying new device ports, according to maintainer Florian Boor. (more…)

IBM has published the following new technical articles, tutorials, and downloads on its DeveloperWorks website. They cover a range of interesting (though not necessarily embedded) technical topics, primarily related to Linux and open source system development. Some require free registration. Enjoy . . . ! (more…)

The Access/PalmSource Linux platform (ALP) will feature a native GTK+ environment, a Dragonball 68K emulator, and other interesting technologies, according to an article at ComputingUnplugged. (more…)

This whitepaper by OSDL Analyst/Strategist Bill Weinberg examines the growing role of Linux and open source software in the device industry, with a particular emphasis on mobile phones. It examines Linux's rise to prominence, obstacles to even wider adoption, and efforts underway to make Linux even more ubiquitous. (more…)

IBM's DeveloperWorks Website has published a detailed, technical article about the Linux memory model. The article covers memory fundamentals, as well as specific approaches used in Linux. It focuses mainly on x86 architecture, but much material applies to other processor architectures as well. (more…)

A Swiss company has published a datasheet for a dual-mode Linux smartphone that also integrates a GPS (global positioning system) receiver, WiFi, and Bluetooth. ImCoSys says its smartphone, a quad-band GSM design with a PDA-like form-factor, will be showcased next month at CeBIT in Hannover, Germany. (more…)