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Parvus Corporation has announced a successful test flight for the Aurora Excalibur, an unmanned attack drone using two Linux-based DuraCOR 820 embedded PCs. Offering autonomous vehicle management and flight control, the Excalibur allows operators to focus on mission objectives, according to the company.
Nexcom has introduced a fanless PC that runs Linux on Intel Celeron or Pentium CPUs. The NISE 3100e includes a PCI expansion slot, dual gigabit Ethernet ports, four serial ports, and CompactFlash or hard disk storage, the company says.
Dell has released a new Android-based smartphone for the Chinese market, according to some reports. The relatively basic Mini 3i includes a three megapixel camera and Bluetooth, but doesn't offer WiFi or 3G, according to an eWEEK.com story by Michelle Maisto.
HTC has applied for a patent on a magnetic stylus that can be used with capacitive touchscreens. The device could allow future mobile phones to offer multi-touch, as found on Apple's iPhone, while also providing precise operation with legacy applications.
Berkeley, Calif.-based system integrator ZaReason is selling a netbook that includes Ubuntu, and even is available with a matching “mocha” case. The Terra A20 includes the usual Intel Atom N270 CPU, a 10-inch display, a 160GB hard disk drive, and an optional internal cellular modem, the company says.
Virginia-based Technology Advancement Group (TAG) announced a ruggedized UMPC (ultra-mobile PC) aimed at emergency services, military, and industrial applications. The TC-100 Commander includes a seven-inch display that comes in sunlight- or night vision-readable versions, the company says.
Ibase has announced an industrial PC claimed to run fanlessly even with a 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor on board. The AMI402 includes two PCI expansion slots, VGA and DVI video outputs, two gigabit Ethernet interfaces, plus IEEE 1394 and S/PDIF ports, the company says.
At this week's OpenSource World, a Dell executive reportedly said the company's Linux netbook returns are roughly equivalent to those for Windows-based netbooks. The remarks were in response to Microsoft's COO Kevin Turner, who gave a recent speech claiming Linux netbook returns were four or five times higher.
Embedded virtualization vendor Open Kernel Labs (OK Labs) announced the completion of a four-year research project aimed at developing a highly secure, “100 percent bug-free” hypervisor for mobile phones. The “seL4” project developed a formal mathematical proof of the correctness of the microkernel used by OK Labs' Linux-compatible OKL4, the company says.
When Hong Kong-based Eston Technology Limited lost its first-generation MID (mobile Internet device) prototype to theft, it created a new one that added Android support. The MID-02 reportedly includes a 624MHz Marvell PXA300 CPU, a 4.3-inch touchscreen display, WiFi, and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard.
O'Reilly has published two books about the Palm Pre and its Linux-based WebOS operating system. Palm CTO Mitch Allen's Palm webOS shows how to build native JavaScript applications for WebOS, while Ed Baig's Palm Pre: The Missing Manual offers a thorough tutorial on the smartphone itself.
Gartner estimates that overall mobile phone unit sales decreased 6.1 percent to 286.1 million units in the second quarter, but smartphone sales rose 27 percent year-to-year, to over 40 million units. Meanwhile, Frost & Sullivan projects that downloads from mobile app stores will reach 6.67 billion in 2014.
An Israeli Internet video search and classification vendor has announced an IPTV receiver based on Marvell's Linux-based SheevaPlug Plug Computer reference design. WebTView's compact, low-power WebTVPlug device connects to the company's WebTView service to enable Internet TV on any DLNA/UPnP-enabled home device, says the company.
SDG Systems is porting Linux to a rugged handheld computer that currently runs Windows Mobile. Aimed at applications including parcel delivery, Bluebird Soft's BIP-6000 offers a 3.5-inch VGA touchscreen, 3-megapixel camera, 1D/2D barcode scanner, RFID and IrDA readers, WiFi, GPS, and HDSPA.
Gigabyte says it is now shipping a netbook that offers a swiveling touchscreen and an Intel Atom N280 processor. The T1028X/G has a 10-inch, 1366 x 768 pixel display, an ExpressCard slot, a HSDPA (high speed downlink packet access) cellular modem, and optional WiMAX, the company says.