Berkeley, Calif.-based system integrator ZaReason is selling what appears to be the first Linux-based nettop equipped with both an Intel Atom 230 and Nvidia's Ion companion chip. The HD-capable Ion Breeze 3770 significantly outperforms a system running Intel's 82945GC graphics chipset, according to a Phoronix… (more…)

Positron Telecommunication Systems is shipping a PBX PCI adapter with telephony and Ethernet ports, based on the open source Asterisk telephony engine. The Linux-based V-114 is an “Asterisk PBX on a card,” complete with hardware echo cancellation, and supports any desktop OS, says Positron. (more…)

A kernel hacker from Intel has posted a Linux driver for USB 3.0, making Linux the first operating system (OS) to support the new connectivity standard. Sarah Sharp (left) announced that her xHCI-compliant driver for USB 3.0 will be supported in Linux 2.6.31 in September. (more…)

[Updated: Jun. 11] — New details have emerged today regarding Intel's next-generation Atom platform for netbooks, code-named “Pine Trail.” The new CPUs — known as the Intel Atom N450, D410, and D510 — will deliver faster graphics and nearly double netbook battery life, among other advantages cited by Taiwanese sources. (more…)

Linus Torvalds (pictured) announced Linux kernel 2.6.30, adding several new filesystems, including the NILFS2 log-structured filesystem. Linux 2.6.30 enhancements include a local caching layer for NFS data, the RDS server cluster communications protocol, the Tomoyo security module, and support… (more…)

SiRF Technology is shipping a Linux-compatible navigation system-on-chip (SoC) that integrates a application processor and a “location engine” equipped with both GPS and Galileo satellite tracking. The “SiRFatlasIV” is billed as a lower-cost version of SiRF's SiRFprima SoC, offering the same 500MHz ARM11 core and hardware-accelerated 3D graphics, says SiRF. (more…)

MEN Micro has announced a new COM (computer-on-module) format and an Intel Atom-based module to go with it. The ESMini format, MM1 module (left), and available XC4 carrier board target “aggressive designs” for commercial vehicles, railways, avionics, and industrial automation, the company says. (more…)

MIPS Technologies announced that source code for the Android port to MIPS released by Embedded Alley last week would be made publicly available within 60 days. MIPS also joined the Open Embedded Software Foundation consortium supporting Android, and announced that VioSoft will support the MIPS/Android platform with its Arriba tools. (more…)

Atmel is sampling a faster version of its low-power ARM926EJ-S-based processor, offered with a free Linux BSP. The SAM9G10 ramps up to a 266MHz clock rate compared to the SAM9261-S's 188MHz, boosts bus frequency to 133MHz, up from 94MHz, and consumes only 100mW in full-power mode, claims the company. (more…)

Automotive instrumentation provider Yazaki North America announced an instrument cluster display based on embedded Linux, designed for reconfigurable dashboard TFT/LCD displays. The instrument cluster prototype is built around a PowerPC-based Freescale MPC5121e system-on-chip (SoC), and offers 3D effects, says… (more…)

The Embedded Microprocessor Benchmark Consortium (EEMBC) has released its first free, openly-available embedded systems benchmark. Based on EEMBC's various benchmarks targeting different embedded segments, CoreMark 1.0 offers a generic benchmark for processor cores that is more reliable than the Dhrystone test and less susceptible to manipulation, says the group. (more…)

BenQ is readying a netbook boasting an 11.6-inch display, optional HSPA, “eight hour” battery, and the largest (500GB) HDD (hard disk drive) we've heard of. In addition to offering the “Joybook Lite U121 Eco” for Linux and Windows XP, BenQ also announced an upcoming Android netbook. (more…)

Elektrobit Corp. (EB) demonstrated a cellular-voice-enabled mobile Internet device (MID) reference design that will run Intel's next-generation Moorestown mobile processor on the “Moblin v2 for MIDs” stack sometime next year. (more…)

As promised, Palm's Linux-based smartphone went on sale Saturday, available exclusively for Sprint networks, says eWEEK. Early reviews have been favorable, although analysts worry about the lack of software and the ability of Sprint to effectively market the Palm Pre (pictured), says the story. (more…)

Acrosser is shipping a fanless, 3.5-inch single-board computer (SBC) that supports Linux. The AR-B5250 ships in versions supporting different Pentium and Celeron CPUs, all of which offer Intel 910GMLE chipsets with GMA900 graphics, and provide dual gigabit Ethernet ports and multiple I/O, says the company. (more…)