Arcom has announced a new single-board computer (SBC) based on a PXA270 processor and available with a Linux development kit. The PC/104 form-factor Titan features a “quick capture camera interface,” and is said to be ideal for “power-sensitive embedded communications and multimedia applications.”

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Kontron has unveiled a pair of modules implemented according to two versions of the ETXexpress computer-on-modules (COM) standard, and based on Via's C7 processor and CN896/VT8251 chipset. (more…)

This guest column posits six causes for Linux's meteoric rise in popularity among handset manufacturers. Author Andreas Constantinou, founder of a market research firm, discounts widely accepted truisms like customizability and developer preference for source code access, instead fingering pragmatic factors he says are unrelated to Linux's “free” qualities. (more…)

A design center in the South of France specializing in Linux mobile phone development has raised $14.5 million (10.5 Euros) in an initial funding round. The Series A round reportedly will enable Purple Labs to expand into a “one-stop” hardware/software Linux device design center. (more…)

Foreword: This guest column posits six causes for Linux's meteoric rise in popularity among handset manufacturers. Author Andreas Constantinou, founder of a market research firm, discounts widely accepted truisms like customizability and developer preference for source code access, instead fingering pragmatic factors he says are unrelated to Linux's “free” qualities. (more…)

National Instruments has updated two add-ons to its graphical toolsuite aimed at helping non-computer programmers such as engineers and scientists create design, control, and test applications. The two LabView 8.5 add-on updates bring support for uClinux on ADI's Blackfin DSPs (digital signal processors), and on Freescale's ColdFire MCUs (microcontroller units). (more…)

One Laptop Per Child's “XO” device — commonly referred to as the $100 Linux laptop — will be offered as part of a “Give 1, Get 1” promotional program in the U.S. and Canada beginning Nov. 12. Read this story at DesktopLinux.com, (more…)

Power.org has announced a new Linux development kit and reference implementation for a dual-processor PowerPC chip. The announcement was made at the first-ever Power.org Developer's Conference in Austin, Texas, where planned updates to several PowerPC standards were announced, along with a new online directory of embedded-oriented PowerPC products and services. (more…)

Cambridge Signal Processing (Camsig) is shipping a 1-inch-square “system-on-module” powered by an Analog Devices (ADI) Blackfin DSP (digital signal processor). The Minotaur BF537 and its simple two-layer break out board support uClinux, and target network cameras, network audio players, DVRs, PDAs, industrial… (more…)

The first U.S. GPL-related lawsuit appears to be headed for a quick out-of-court settlement. Monsoon Multimedia admitted today that it had violated the GPLv2 (GNU General Public License version 2), and said it will release its modified BusyBox code in full compliance with the license. (more…)

Kontron has announced a motherboard using the mini-ITX form factor along with embedded processors and chipsets from AMD. The KT690/mITX is said to be especially suited to markets that require “long life availability” and “increased graphics performance.” (more…)

Long-time kernel hacker Robert Love has authored a technical book on low-level system programming with Linux. Published by O'Reilly, Linux System Programming aims to provide a Linux-only version of the many available Unix system programming references. (more…)

The market for embedded Linux software, tools, and services grew significantly during 2006, surpassing the $100 million mark, reports Venture Development Corp. (VDC). However, growth has slowed since 2005, when the embedded Linux market grew a whopping 30 and 40 percent, according to the research firm. (more…)

A small Italian company specializing in gaming hardware is offering a Linux-friendly, SODIMM-sized processor module/baseboard combo. Duolabs's “Eskido” module has a 180MHz ARM9 processor and secure EEPROM, while the baseboard offers PCMCIA and Smartcard I/O, with programmability via a Xilinx… (more…)

A large embedded consulting house in Japan has started shipping a hardware reference design for handheld IP (Internet protocol) phones. Based on a Marvell PXA310 (“Monahans-LV”) processor clocked at 624MHz, Sophia Systems's Sandgate 3-P design runs Linux, including Trolltech's Qtopia Phone Edition, or Windows CE/Mobile 6. (more…)