Foreword — 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 obstacles to adoption, as well as market opportunities and forces causing Linux to proliferate in devices. Enjoy . . . ! (more…)

Three developers have launched a project to bring Ubuntu, a popular Debian-based desktop Linux distribution, to embedded Linux devices. EmbeddedUbuntu aims to radically simplify device firmware creation, availing mobile phone, PDA, and web tablet owners of easier access to sophisticated open source desktop applications, such as multimedia streaming software. (more…)

LinuxDevices.com today launches its sixth-annual Embedded Linux Market Survey, and invites all readers to participate. The brief survey — just 22 questions — probes developer preferences and industry trends. (more…)

Samsung Electronics has released an open source driver for its “OneNAND” flash memory technology, positioned as a fusion between NAND and NOR flash storage devices. The company says it hopes the move will make its OneNAND products “sought after by designers using the new Linux 2.6 operating system.” (more…)

Mobile-Review and PDAExpertos have both published photos of a Haier smartphone running the Access Linux Platform (ALP) recently announced by Access and its subsidiary, PalmSource. (more…)

Panasonic is shipping a Linux-based mobile handset capable of receiving digital or analog television. The “P901iTV” features a pivoting 2.5-inch color LCD, and works with NTT DoCoMo's 3G network in Japan. (more…)

Datasound Laboratories (DSL) is shipping three compact SBCs (single-board computers) based on Via “Mark” Corefusion chipsets clocked at 533MHz. The company says its Mark-based PC/104, ISA-slot, and 3.5-inch form-factor SBCs offer an upgrade path for embedded designs based on Via's earlier C3 and Eden processors. (more…)

This whitepaper by Cliff Brake, an embedded systems consultant, offers practical advice about using Linux in embedded projects. Topics covered include determining Linux suitability, evaluating costs and risks, project scope calculations, scheduling and timeline estimations, and operating system and embedded product lifecycle management. (more…)

Kontron is readying a pair of SBCs (single board computers) based on Intel's new dual-processor Core Duo chips. The 986LCD-M mini-ITX motherboard is aimed at processor- and graphics-intensive applications such as gaming, medical technology, and high-end thin clients, while the ETXexpress-CD COM (computer on module) is… (more…)

TimeSys has announced a series of Webinars on topics of general interest to embedded Linux developers. The Webinars will highlight the company's LinuxLink embedded development services, and will cover basic and advanced topics, the company says. (more…)

The Free Software Foundation (FSF) has published video from a conference on version 3 of the GPL (GPLv3) held last month, and announced plans for another GPLv3 conference in Brazil this April. Additionally, FSF founder Richard M. Stallman is scheduled to speak in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and in Torino, Italy, in March. (more…)

Foreword: This whitepaper by Cliff Brake, an embedded systems consultant, offers practical advice about using Linux in embedded projects. Topics covered include determining Linux suitability, evaluating costs and risks, project scope calculations, scheduling and timeline estimations, and operating system and embedded product lifecycle management. (more…)

IBM researchers say they have found a way to shrink microprocessors and other silicon chips by more than two thirds without requiring fundamentally more expensive process technologies. The company claims it has created “the smallest, high-quality line patterns ever made,” with features measuring 29.9 nanometers, using a… (more…)

After announcing military/aerospace technology six months ago, Sysgo is growing. The Germany-based provider of embedded Linux distributions, tools, and services expects 50 percent revenue growth in 2006, and a 50 percent staffing increase. Sysgo is headquartered in Mainz, Germany, with subsidiaries in Ulm, Germany; Prague, Czechoslovakia; and Paris. (more…)

A vendor of Linux-based network security and intrusion detection devices has been acquired by a major Japanese MVNO (mobile virtual network operator). Japan Communications Incorporated says that Arxceo's devices will help protect mobile VoIP (voice-over-IP) phone users, including… (more…)