ARM-based netbooks are coming soon, say two reports. PC World says that One Laptop per Child (OLPC) will likely move from an x86-based AMD Geode to an ARM processor in its XO-2, and Digitimes says that Freescale i.MX31 and Qualcomm Snapdragon-based netbooks will demo in June. (more…)

Debian hacker Martin Michlmayr plans to port Debian 5.0 to a new Qnap Systems TS-219 Pro (pictured) network-attached storage (NAS) device, as well as to Marvell's SheevaPlug Plug Computer reference design. (more…)

Altera is shipping a development kit for prototyping and developing FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays) for embedded systems. The Embedded Systems Development Kit, Cyclone III FPGA Edition is a tri-board kit that can program NIOS II softcore FPGAs capable of running Linux, says the company. (more…)

E-con Systems announced a price cut and a modular development baseboard for its SODIMM-sized Marvell PXA270 processor module. The Linux-compatible eSOM270, now costing around $50, fits onto the new “Regulus” baseboard (left), gaining LCD displays, three USB ports, an SD slot, and other interfaces, says E-con. (more…)

Eurotech announced a COM (computer-on-module) using Intel's new automotive Atom, the Z5xxx PT. Available with a PC/104 carrier board, the Catalyst XL operates fanlessly from -40 to 85 deg. (more…)

Wind River is shipping version 3.0 of its commercial embedded Linux distribution, which now integrates vertical distributions, including networking. Wind River Linux 3.0 upgrades to kernel 2.6.27 and GCC 4.3, speeds boot-time, adds 250 applications, upgrades real-time and multi-core support, and launches a Kernel-based Virtualization Machine (KVM), says the company. (more…)

Eltan announced BIOS extensions aimed at letting embedded devices based on Atom processors boot unattended from SD, SDHC, MMC, or eMMC (embedded multimedia card) storage. (more…)

This detailed, technical articles describes Linux's V4L2 (Video for Linux 2) interface, along with the first steps toward developing a device driver that uses it. The article was contributed by Vladimir Davydov, an engineer with Promwad, an embedded development services company located in Minsk, Belarus. (more…)

Google has launched an Android development team in Taiwan to provide support to Taiwan-based hardware manufacturers, says an industry report. Another story, meanwhile, reports that wireless carrier T-Mobile will release Android's “Cupcake” update for its HTC-manufactured G1 phones in April, adding a… (more…)

Arbor announced a Linux-compatible tablet PC targeting medical applications, with a sealed, easily sanitized case. The “M1255” has a 12.1-inch touchscreen display, Atom N270 processor, 60GB hard disk drive, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, two-megapixel camera, barcode scanner, fingerprint reader, and an RFID reader, the company says. (more…)

Via has announced a new core-logic chip promising 1080p video playback from a tiny, power-sipping package. Aimed at netbooks and other mobile devices, the “VX855” combines northbridge and southbridge functionality, uses just 2.3 Watts, and measures only 27 x 27mm, the company says. (more…)

A community effort to create a mainstream open-source Linux distribution for tablets based on the Nokia-specific Maemo 5.0 environment is gaining momentum, says LWN.net. The “Mer” project, which targets older Nokia tablets as well as generic devices, has already passed major milestones, says the story. (more…)

Devon IT announced a thin client that uses Intel's Atom N270 processor and supports dual HD displays. The “TC5X/XW” offers up to 2GB each of RAM and DOM, plus gigabit Ethernet and optional WiFi, and is available with Devon IT's DeTOS Linux distribution. (more…)

Linux smartphone shipments grew 19.4 percent year-over-year to a 8.4 percent share in 4Q 2008, according to the latest Gartner report. Meanwhile, IDC reports a sharp fall in general handset sales, and Informa Telecoms & Media predicts that Android will outsell the iPhone by 2012. (more…)

Via Technologies has quietly established a subsidiary called WonderMedia, which is readying a multimedia-capable ARM9-based system-on-chip (SoC). An early version of the “Prizm” SoC, called the VT8500, is available in a Linux-ready NorhTec MicroClient TC thin-client that costs $100, says the company. (more…)