Via is shipping an ultra-low-voltage processor claimed to have the highest performance-per-Watt, smallest packaging, and fastest cryptographic engine of any available x86-compatible processor. The “C7-M ULV” supports clock speeds from 1GHz to 1.5GHz, with power requirements between 3.5 and 7.5 Watts. (more…)

Korean consumer electronics vendor Cowon has released a Linux source code tree for its A2 PMP (portable media player). The A2 features a 1.8-inch, 20GB or 30GB hard drive, a 4-inch wide-aspect LCD, and a large 4300mAh battery for impressive claimed media playback times. (more…)

European insurance companies are eager to see emerging wireless M2M (machine-to-machine) technologies and location-based services be applied toward increasing both mobile and fixed-location security, according to telecom market researcher Berg Insight. Insurers now frequently advise customers to install security systems that make use of wireless networks and GPS, Berg says. (more…)

A multimedia networking specialist is demonstrating a media software suite for mobile devices, at the CeBIT trade show in Germany this week. Nero says its Nero Mobile software supports PDAs and phones based on embedded Linux, and lets users browse, play, and organize network-resident media files. (more…)

[Updated Mar. 15, 2006] — A fabless semiconductor company in Belgium has acquired a Belgian embedded Linux, eCos, and DSP software development house. Essensium says it acquired Mind because of the “ever-growing need for embedded software in the development of advanced and complex SoC systems.” (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…)

Acrosser will soon ship a single-board computer (SBC) in the 165 x 115 mm EPIC form-factor. The AR-B1631 is based on a low-power, AMD Geode x86 processor and is “fully compatible” with Linux and other embedded OSes, according to the… (more…)

Certicom says it will ship a security software suite specially tailored toward desktop and mobile VoIP (voice-over-IP) handsets this quarter. “Certicom Security for VoIP” will support Linux and other embedded OSes, and help protect signaling and media channels, as well as physical devices, including mobile phones with FMC (fixed-mobile convergence) capabilities, the company says. (more…)

The LinuxWorld Expo in Boston next month will feature a mobile Linux expo area and conference track aimed at helping attendees “evaluate their enterprise mobile device strategies,” according to organizer IDG. Set for the April 3-6, the event will also feature PalmSource as a platinum sponsor. (more…)

After three weeks of leaked videos and breathless website stripteasing, Microsoft has revealed its “Ultra Mobile PC” (UMPC) project. In conjunction with an event at the massive CeBIT trade show in Hannover, Germany, the software giant today unleashed corporate and community Websites devoted to the concept, formerly codenamed… (more…)

Via Technology unveiled a new high-integration core-logic chip for low-power, PC-like handheld mobile devices Thursday at CeBIT in Hannover, Germany. The VX700 integrates Via's VN800 northbridge and VT8237 southbridge chip features, plus other mobile-oriented functions. (more…)

No Starch Press is set to release the second volume in its Write Great Code series by Randall Hyde. According to the publisher, Write Great Code, Volume 2: Thinking Low-Level, Writing High-Level explains how compilers translate… (more…)

A top shipbuilding company has licensed a commercial, real-time embedded Linux operating system for use in three robotic manufacturing devices, including two currently in production. FSMLabs says its Korean partner, RealTimeWave, helped Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) develop the robotic shipbuilding devices, which are based… (more…)

Sharp is reportedly offering a version of its Linux-based clamshell PDA with a 6GB hard drive. Other than a larger drive, the SL-C3200 appears to add few new features, according to a brief but scathing write-up at Akihabara News that calls the Zaurus an “oversized dictionary.”

The new SL-C3200 closely resembles… (more…)

TimeSys reports that its “LinuxLink” service for embedded Linux developers has surpassed the 2,000-subscriber mark, among other milestone achievements. LinuxLink targets developers creating and maintaining their own customized Linux distributions — the largest group within the embedded Linux OS and tools market, according to the company. (more…)