French Debian developer Aurelien Jarno has published a how-to about installing Debian (or another Linux distribution) on the open-source QEMU emulator. When run on newish AMD-based PCs, the setup can outperform actual hardware development targets, he says. (more…)

Avocent has announced a Linux-based media extender aimed at presentation and signage applications. The MPX1000 can extend audio and HD video content from one or more sources to up to eight synchronized display devices, over wired or wireless Ethernet, according to the company. (more…)

Foreword: msystems is migrating its newest flash chips to open-source drivers. In this technical whitepaper, msystems provides an overview of three generations of flash technology, outlines the reliability challenges presented by the latest flash technologies, describes software techniques aimed at maximizing flash reliability, and introduces the soon-to-be-released open-source Linux drivers. (more…)

Ampro unveiled a pair of PCI Express-powered single-board computers (SBCs) at the Embedded Systems Conference (ESC) in Boston on Sept. 26. The MightyBoard 821 and ReadyBoard 820, in mini-ITX and EPIC Express form-factors, respectively, are based on Celeron and Pentium processors and support Linux,… (more…)

Enea is readying the second major version of its high-availability middleware for heterogeneous telecommunications environments. Element 2.0, shipping now for Enea's OSE RTOS, is expected to gain Linux support in Q4, with initial support for MontaVista Carrier Grade Linux, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Fedora Core, and CentOS (Community ENTerprise OS). (more…)

Black Diamond Advanced Technology has unveiled what it calls the world's first rugged UMPC (ultra-mobile PC). The SwitchBack offers functional features similar to those of consumer UMPCs, but is designed to meet the environmental and expansion requirements of applications in field service, warehousing, and the military, according to… (more…)

LynuxWorks says it will commercially support uClinux on Xilinx FPGAs (field-programmable gate arrays) running MicroBlaze soft-cores. The addition means that LynuxWorks now supports all of Xilinx's 32-bit processors, LynuxWorks claims. (more…)

Jaluna has renamed itself as VirtualLogix, and rebranded its OSWare product porfolio as VLX, it announced Sept. 26. Additionally, the company has begun targeting specific market segments, beginning with three products aimed at helping companies lower costs and preserve legacy software investments while adopting Linux, including one targeting mobile phones. (more…)

FSMLabs is shipping a real-time Linux development kit for Freescale's first-ever MMU-equipped ColdFire microcontroller. RTLinuxPro 2.2 for the MCF5485 targets SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition), instrumentation, and non-traditional control applications, and is optionally available with Eclipse-based tools, according to the company. (more…)

[Updated 11:30] — Venture-funded Israeli startup Yoggie Security Systems is readying a tiny, Linux-based remote access device designed to protect Windows XP laptops. The credit-card-sized Yoggie Personal Security Gatekeeper has two Ethernet ports, and runs sophisticated firewall, VPN, and monitoring software on a… (more…)

Gurjot Singh (right) has been promoted from COO to CEO of LynuxWorks. Former CEO Dr. (more…)

MontaVista has upgraded its Linux-based software platform for mobile phones. Mobilinux 4.1 supports lower-cost hardware, the company says, thanks to footprint improvements aimed at lessening DRAM and flash memory requirements. The OS includes advanced real-time capabilities, and is suitable for use on single-chipset, mass market phones, according to the company. (more…)

Black Duck Software is readying a new version of its software license compliance management suite. ProtexIP 4.0, expected in November, will implement a more visual, more responsive UI, along with search engine improvements and a new SDK (software development kit) for easier integration with enterprise… (more…)

Worldwide shipments of dual-mode cellular/VoWiFi handsets are expected to top 300 million units by 2011, a new report from ABI Research suggests. However the expected arrival of “femtocell access points” toward the end of the report's forecast period may prove “disruptive for the market,” ABI says. (more…)

Embedded CPU/DSP core specialist ARC International is shipping a programmable multimedia subsystem consisting of a configurable 32-bit RISC core with an MPEG-4 decoder and various audio codecs, supported by a Linux stack. The ARC Player Subsystem targets portable audio players, electronic toys, and low-end mobile phones, according to the company. (more…)