To celebrate its 100th anniversary IBM threw itself a party and, oh, what a bash it was. It's IBM's culture that has kept it going, CEO Sam Palmisano told an audience of thousands.

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Oracle disclosed that it's asking for damages running in the billions of dollars in its patent lawsuit against Google regarding the use of Java patents in Android. The damage figure is based in part on Oracle's estimation that Google makes $3.35 a year per Android device via mobile ads.

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T-Mobile and LG are reportedly prepping a novel Android phone that offers a secondary display — apparently dedicated to app shortcuts — embedded in the middle of a split-QWERTY keypad. The slider phone may well be the “Flip II” phone that appeared in a recently leaked T-Mobile product roadmap, says the Pocket-Lint website.

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T-Mobile launched a “More for Me” local deals aggregation service on Android Market, letting Android users on any carrier pick and choose from Groupon and Living Social deals. The carrier also announced it has doubled the speed of its 4G network to HSPA+ 42 service in 41 additional markets, offering up to 27Mbps peak download speeds and bringing the total to 96.

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Team Tiny Core announced a new version of its small-footprint, in-memory Linux desktop distro. Tiny Core 3.7 now allows read access to NTFS partitions, includes new icons for Editor and Run, and introduces “starter packs” that simplify downloading tools, among other enhancements.

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Panasonic announced it will release a ruggedized, “enterprise-grade” Android tablet in the fourth quarter of this year. The Toughbook-branded device will have a daylight-viewable, 10.1-inch touchscreen with active stylus, a GPS receiver, “full-shift” battery life, and an optional 3G/4G cellular modem, the company says.

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Cybernet announced a “zero footprint” computer built into a keyboard, featuring a dual-core Atom processor and a multi-touch trackpad. The Linux-ready ZPC-D45 is under one inch thick, but it provides features such as a CD/DVD drive, both VGA and HDMI outputs, stereo speakers, and dual Mini PCI Express slots, the company says.

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Starbucks has introduced an application that lets users pay for coffee and other treats from the java chain via their Android smartphones. Available free, the software works at nearly 9,000 locations, according to the company.

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Adink announced a fanless embedded computer with a dual-core Core i7 processor and a cable-free design. The MXC-6000 offers up to 4GB of RAM, two CompactFlash slots, and room for two 2.5-inch hard drives, plus dual expansion slots — two PCI, or one PCI and one PCI Express x4, according to the company.

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Imagination Technologies announced it is licensing a new version of its Meta core IP for Linux- and Android-based mobile devices. The Metaflow family of processors combines the Linux-ready Meta Series2 processor IP with the company's Ensigma UCCP IP for Wi-Fi, mobile TV, and analog and digital TV and radio, says the company.

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Kontron announced a machine-to-machine (M2M) development kit that ships with Wind River Linux 4.1. The Kontron M2M Smart Services Developer Kit incorporates Kontron's nanoETXexpress-TT computer-on-module — which includes a 1GHz Intel Atom E640T — and offers not only gigabit Ethernet but also wireless interfaces including Wi-Fi, ZigBee, and optional 3G/4G cellular.

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IHS iSuppli published the results of a teardown of the 3G version of Samsung's Chrome OS-based Series 5 Chromebook — which began shipping today for $500 — and estimates the solidly-built notebook cost $334.32 to build. Meanwhile, an eWEEK review of the Wi-Fi only Series 5 was similarly impressed with the hardware, but questioned whether Chrome OS would find many takers.

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The Linux Foundation announced the final program for LinuxCon North America in Vancouver, B.C. August 17-19, 2011. Events include the 20th anniversary of Linux gala celebration, a discussion between Linus Torvalds and Greg Kroah-Hartman, a keynote by IBM's Irving Wladawsky-Berger, and a “20 Years of Linux” panel featuring Jon “maddog” Hall and Eben Moglen.

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Luxoft and Elektrobit Corp. (EB) announced a jointly developed, Linux-based reference platform for a DLNA-ready in-car media server, and also demonstrated Luxoft's Linux-based DashCore and Android-based DroidBuzz IVI software. The “wallet sized” In-Car Media Server and Internet Hotspot is based on a 456MHz ARM9 processor, and offers 64MB SDRAM and 128MB flash, plus Ethernet, USB, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and 3G connectivity, says Luxoft.

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[Updated, 8:30 p.m.] — AMD has formally launched the first seven entries in its A-Series “Llano” processor line. The A4, A6, and A8 devices target notebook computers — 11 of them already announced by HP, including two SUSE Linux-ready models — with dual or quad cores, and TDPs of either 35 or 45 Watts.

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