Taiwanese Linux distributor Linpus Technologies has re-emerged with a new distro targeted at ultra-mini PCs (UMPCs), Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) and low-cost laptops. Linpus Linux Lite features a dual-mode user interface — one for newbies and the other for experienced Linux users. (more…)

Motorola launched its first Linux/Java phone five years ago today. To commemorate, we've compiled a special report recounting the strategic shifts, vendor partnerships, foundation alliances, and especially the new product launches that brought Linux from desktops and servers into Motorola's newest U9, RAZR2,… (more…)

Ottawa-based Tilcon Software has announced a new version of its embedded GUI (graphical user interface) toolkit for medical, industrial, defense, and automotive devices running Linux and other OSes. (more…)

Emerson Network Power (ENP) announced a dual-core VMEbus single-board computer (SBC) that runs Linux. The MVME7100 is based on a Freescale MPC8641D system-on-chip (SoC) with dual PowerPC e600 processor cores, and is ENP's highest performing VMEbus board to date, says the company. (more…)

The LiMo Foundation has announced it will release a series of application software development kits (SDKs) for its mobile phone specification in the second half of the year. (more…)

MontaVista has integrated a mobile office suite from DataViz in its Mobilinux 5.0 Linux distribution. Documents To Go is said to enable users to open and view Microsoft Office Word, Excel, and PowerPoint email attachments directly on Linux-based mobile devices such as phones. (more…)

Following up on its announcement that it would integrate Webkit HTML rendering technology into its Qtopia mobile phone platform, Trolltech licensed an open source, Webkit-based mobile browser. (more…)

Advantech has announced a fanless industrial computer that supports Linux on a 1GHz Celeron M processor. The 1U-high UNO-4678 is intended for industrial automation and control applications, and boasts eight isolated serial ports along with three LAN ports. (more…)

The Khronos Group formally released the OpenKODE 1.0 API, touted as a royalty-free, device-appropriate alternative to Microsoft's DirectX collection of multimedia APIs. Linux-compatible commercial implementations were announced by Ideaworks3D and Acrodea, while NVidia, Aplix, and Antix Labs have also announced… (more…)

Attesting to the primacy of devices in the computing world, GPU and desktop chipset vendor Nvidia is sampling its first-ever mobile applications processor. The ARM11-based APX 2500 boasts HD (720p) graphics, an HDMI interface, and a super-low power ULP GeForce core. (more…)

Samsung has announced an ARM-11 based application processor fabricated using the company's 65-nanometer technology. Targeting Linux, Symbian, and Windows Mobile devices with clock speeds up to 667MHz, the S3C6410 offers MPEG4 encoding/decoding, TV output and two-way videoconferencing capabilities, according to the… (more…)

[Updated Feb. 14] — Monotype Imaging announced that its iType scalable font engine is available as an open source plug-in for Linux. iType for Linux is compatible with other iType Connects plug-ins, and with the open source FreeType font engine used by Linux graphics libraries. (more…)

Freescale is touting the Linux-worthiness of its MXC line of “cellphone-on-module” chips. The Motorola spin-out says the Linux BSP (board support package) supplied with its MXC (“Mobile Extreme Convergence”) chips can support “any of the Linux application frameworks,” ranging from industry… (more…)

Access has released a suite of development tools and launched an online resource for mobile phone developers. Designed for its Access Linux Platform (ALP), the ALP Development Suite has already been used to develop applications for a new ALP-based phone to be manufactured by Samsung for the Orange mobile network, Access said. (more…)

Fabless networking semiconductor vendor Cavium announced faster Linux-compatible Octeon processors for entry- to mid-level networking, wireless base stations, and storage services applications. (more…)