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Synology America Corp. is shipping a two-bay network-attached storage (NAS) device, offering up to 4TB of sharable storage for home and entry-level business users. The Linux-based DS210j is equipped with an 800MHz processor, a gigabit Ethernet port, two USB ports, and version 2.2 of Synology's DNLA-compliant Disk Station Manager software.
Semiconductor firm Cavium Networks announced the completion of its acquisition of embedded Linux software firm MontaVista Software, and named former MontaVista EVP Art Landro as the new MontaVista president. Meanwhile, LinuxDevices talked with MontaVista marketing VP Dan Cauchy about where he sees the embedded Linux industry going in 2010.
While Intel is not expected to launch its new “Pine Trail” Atoms until January, two Mini-ITX motherboards featuring the chipset have already been revealed online by multiple resellers. However, Intel's D410PT and D510MO motherboards could disappoint those who'd hoped the next-generation products would offer breakthroughs in graphics performance and power consumption, suggest benchmarks published by Cartft.com.
On the heels of a recent lawsuit over GPLv2 violations filed against 14 companies by the Software Freedom Law Center (SFLC), open source software service provider OpenLogic has launched a service that helps companies ensure compliance with GPL licenses. The Open Source Fulfillment Center offers services including consulting, application audits, license analysis, and fulfillment support.
Barnes & Noble's Android-based Nook e-reader device was rooted by a site called NookDevs. Meanwhile, Intrinsyc revealed that it led the systems integration of the delayed Nook, which has has suffered from some early negative reviews, and Spring Design's lawsuit against Barnes & Noble over the Nook is moving forward.
The Novell-backed Moonlight project released the final Moonlight 2, an open source Linux/Unix clone of Microsoft's Silverlight framework that offers improved media streaming via open source media codecs. Novell and Microsoft also announced they will continue their Moonlight collaboration, and extend Microsoft's patent covenant to Moonlight distributors other than Novell.
Thailand-based NorhTec announced a device touted as “the world's most energy-efficient desktop computer,” offered for only $99 with the Linux version. Built into a standard-sized keyboard, the “Gecko Surfboard” runs on a 1GHz x86 SoC (system on chip), operates fanlessly, and uses just five Watts, the company says.
Lanner announced a Linux-ready network appliance that sports up to 8GB of RAM and seven Ethernet ports. Featuring LAN bypass on two of its ports, the FW-7580 supports a variety of Intel CPUs, has a 40-character front panel display, and offers both hard disk and CompactFlash storage, the company says.
Diamond Systems announced software development kits (SDKs) that include solid-state IDE flashdisk modules. Preloaded with Linux 2.6.23, the bootable modules plug directly into Diamond's boards, supplying all required drivers, the company says.
Via announced two motherboards using its Nano processors and VX800 northbridge/southbridge. The mini-ITX Epia M800 and nano-ITX Epia N800 both support HD video and offer a wide variety of I/O connections, according to the company.
Cisco announced a Linux-based WiFi router touted as the first 802.11n dual-band clustering access point for small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs). The Cisco AP 541N Wireless Access Point includes 802.11n, gigabit Ethernet, “robust” security, voice roaming, and clustering technology, enabling a single point of administration for multiple access points.
[Updated, Dec. 17] — Cherrypal has released a device touted as the “world's first $99 laptop” and announced an upgrade to a previously released netbook. The “Africa” has a seven-inch display and runs Linux on a 400MHz ARM or MIPS processor, while the “Bing” has an Atom N280 and offers five hours of battery life.
Gumstix announced four product packs for its Texas Instruments OMAP3530-based Overo computer-on-modules (COMs). The packages, which include EVM, Wireless, Network, and Breakout packs, combine different versions of the Linux-ready Overo COM with various expansion boards, cables, and other peripherals to meet a wide range of design requirements, says the company.
On behalf of the developers of the BusyBox embedded utilities collection, the Software Freedom Law Center (SFLC) filed suit against 14 consumer electronics companies for violating GPLv2 licensing requirements. The lawsuit covers almost 20 Linux-based products, from companies including Best Buy, Samsung, Westinghouse, and JVC, says the SFLC.
The call for papers to the eighth annual Southern California Linux Expo (SCALE 8x) has been extended to Dec. 24. Scheduled to be held at the Westin LAX on Feb. 19-21, the event offers presentations covering embedded topics, such as netbooks, Moblin, and improving embedded start-up time, say the organizers.