Quad Micro Works is prepping a second release of its Linux-based multipurpose home network, gateway, and server appliance. The new “Square One Personal Server” will integrate an 802.11g access point, along with a 4-port router and file, print, and Web servers. (more…)

Japan's largest embedded conference of the year reportedly featured a growing number of Linux-related demonstrations, compared to previous years. Linux appears to be making inroads among Japanese consumer electronics vendors, and to be gradually taking marketshare away from iTron, long the top Japanese embedded operating system. (more…)

A new book from Addison Wesley offers to demystify the design of effective user interfaces. In User Interface Design for Mere Mortals, author Eric Butow suggests that successful UIs are enjoyable to interact with, but also save time, eliminate frustration, and minimize user effort. (more…)

Embedian has upgraded the graphics capabilities of its ARM9-based single-board computer (SBCs) family. The APC-711x SBCs, which are powered by Samsung's S3C2440A SoC (system-on-chip) and include support for Linux, now incorporate Silicon Motion's latest graphics chip, resulting in enhanced 2D and video acceleration… (more…)

Stealth Computer is shipping a compact, rugged, PC-compatible system that supports Linux and other standard x86 OSes on a Core 2 Duo processor. The LPC-450 provides up to five times the performance of its predecessor, the LPC-401FS, in the same… (more…)

ARM Ltd.'s newest processor for mobile phones and other consumer devices has been licensed by Broadcom for use in unspecified SoCs (system-on-chip processors). Together with ARM's Cortex A8 core and associated IP (intellectual property), the SoCs will integrate 2D/3D graphics, imaging, and audiovisual processing IP from Broadcom's VideoCore product portfolio, ARM said. (more…)

Renesas is readying a high-end SoC (system-on-chip) for in-car navigation systems requiring accelerated 3D graphics. The SH7775 is based on a 600MHz SH-4a core, and integrates a GPS baseband from SiRF along with a 150MHz PowerVR MBX 3D graphics processor from Imagination Technologies, Renesas said. (more…)

Mobile Java specialist Aplix is helping Japanese wireless operator Softbank Mobile create a standard application environment for five mobile phone operating systems, including Linux. The “Portable Open Platform Initiative” (POP-i) aims to help Softbank improve the timeliness and consistency of multimedia services across its heterogeneous phone product lines. (more…)

Multi-Tech Systems has introduced its first PCI card to support high-speed EDGE wireless communications. The “MultiModem EDGE” can be used to add quad-band, high speed EDGE cellular communications to a wide range of systems and devices running Linux or Windows, according to the company. (more…)

3G wireless modules will capture only 30 percent of the M2M (machine-to-machine) communications market by 2012, a new report from ABI Research forecasts. The study predicts that 3G will only become the technology of choice when “bandwidth demands and economics” require it. (more…)

Recent processor branding efforts by major semiconductor vendors such as Intel and AMD have failed, according to a new report from In-Stat. The study showed, among other things, that product brands are often identified with the wrong manufacturer, In-Stat said. (more…)

PC chipset and board-maker Via Technologies today announced availability of the “world's smallest mainboard” — the first shipping board based on its recently unveiled, incredibly small (100 x 72mm) “pico-ITX” motherboard format. (more…)

A U.S. government- and industry-led coalition aiming to equip every car and roadside in America with wirelessly connected computers has tapped Linux for a prototype design. The Vehicle Infrastructure Integration Consortium (VII-C) hopes to lower driver death rates, reduce traffic jams, and media-enable cars before 2017. (more…)

A Swiss vendor of ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits) for consumer electronics products plans to contribute drivers to Linux. Micronas said it will release device drivers for its audio/video decoders and ATSC/DVB-T demodulators, to enable “time- and cost-sensitive development of Linux-based media center PCs and consumer electronics products.”

Affected products include… (more…)

Following the addition of PXE network booting to the ultra-lightweight Puppy Linux distribution, a group of enthusiasts offering Puppy customization and support services has revealed plans for a version of Puppy tuned to the needs of diskless mini-PCs. The “Minipup” project is aimed at diskless hardware such as sub-$100 PCs. (more…)