Embedded Linux is alive and well in Eastern Europe and Russia, says the CEO of a Belarus-based “full-service” device design startup. In a LinuxDevices interview, Promwad's Roman Pakholkov (pictured) describes his company's path to becoming an independent Linux product design… (more…)

[Updated Mar. 2] — Microsoft's lawsuit against Linux devicemaker TomTom is “clearly a provocation,” and the action will ultimately make the open source community stronger. So said Keith Bergelt, CEO of the Open Invention Network (OIN), in a brief interview with LinuxDevices a day after the suit came to light. (more…)

Open-Plug is working to integrate its Linux feature-phone telephony stack with the Intel-sponsored Moblin stack for mobile Internet devices (MIDs) running on Intel's “Moorestown” processor. Open-Plug's ELIPS Linux Telephony Stack will voice-enable Moblin- and Moorestown-based MIDs when they ship next year, says the French software vendor. (more…)

Timesys has upgraded its LinuxLink DIY embedded development service with a Linux update and Git-tree service. The LinuxLink Update Service alerts users about new and updated Linux components that apply to their projects, and then provides the tested updates via the Timesys Factory and Timesys Git tree, says the company. (more…)

Toradex is now sampling a credit card-sized COM Express module based on Intel's Z5xx Atom processor. Available in 1.6GHz Z530 and 1.1GHz Z510 models, the “Robin” board is equipped with seven USB 2.0 ports, gigabit Ethernet, an SATA port, and a microSD slot, the company says. (more…)

Foreword — Roman Pakholkov is founder and CEO of Promwad, a fast-growing independent product design center in Eastern Europe. In this fascinating interview, Pakholkov describes Promwad's history and early successes, with a special focus on the role of embedded Linux in the company's past and future. (more…)

Taiwanese network-attached storage (NAS) vendor Qnap Systems proudly announced the availability of Debian Lenny (version 5.0) for all of its ARM-based Turbo NAS models. Meanwhile, the company also tipped its hat toward x86 with a Linux-ready Intel Atom-based four-bay TS-439 Pro Turbo NAS for business users. (more…)

Armadeus Systems is shipping a low-cost system-on-module (SOM), available with a development board and a Linux community distribution. The “APF27” is built around an ARM9 Freescale i.MX27 system-on-chip (SoC) and a Xilinx Spartan3A FPGA, and offers a variety of I/O, says the French embedded firm. (more…)

Microsoft filed a patent infringement action against a vendor of Linux-based personal navigation devices (PNDs), and for the first time appears to target open-source Linux components. The company listed eight patent violations found in TomTom's Linux-based PNDs, three involving the device's use of the FAT filesystem. (more…)

LinuxDevices.com has launched its ninth-annual Embedded Linux Market Survey, and invites all readers to participate. Don't miss this opportunity to help shape the industry, by answering 22 quick questions about developer preferences and industry trends. (more…)

Italy-based Koan Software has revised its Linux distribution for embedded and industrial applications, and has joined the OpenEmbedded (OE) community. Version 4.0 of KaeilOS has adopted the OpenEmbedded (OE) build system, and for the first time the distro is offered as a free download. (more…)

SSV announced an x86-compatible computer-on-module (COM) that measures 3.2 by 1.1-inches (81 x 28mm), and targets TCP/IPv4-6 embedded networking applications. Attaching to custom I/O boards via “DIL” (dual in line) sockets, the DIL/NetPC DNP/2486 runs an IPv6-ready Debian Linux stack on a 300MHz Vortex86SX system-on-chip (SoC). (more…)

VMware has demonstrated Windows CE and Google's Linux-based Android stack running side by side on a single mobile device (left). The underlying “Mobile Virtualization Platform (MVP)” technology, which includes a “hypervisor” only about 20KB in size, is being evaluated by handset manufacturers, says the company. (more…)

[Updated: Feb. 26, 2009] — NthCode announced an embedded media player for IP-ready DVD players, TVs, and other Linux-based devices. NthCode Player automatically connects to home networks, and then catalogs available media, offering WebKit-browser access to media, plus feeds from BitTorrent and RSS, says the… (more…)

CellGuide has announced a GPS module that measures a scant 0.21 x 0.18 x 0.04 inches (5.4 x 4.6 x 1.1mm). Billed as the “world's smallest” GPS chip, the “Ramon” (left) includes a GPS processor and RF front end, and targets low-cost, high-volume devices. (more…)