X2 Computing announced a seven-inch tablet that runs Linux or various Windows flavors on a 1.6GHz Atom Z530 processor. The ruggedized X2372 has up to 2GB of RAM and 64GB of SSD (solid state disk) storage, a resistive touchscreen with 1024 x 600 pixels, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, plus options including an encrypted PIN pad and a three-track MSR (magnetic stripe reader), the company says.

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Portwell announced a Linux- and Android-compatible in-vehicle computer equipped with a 5.7- or seven-inch touchscreen and a 416MHz Marvell PXA270 processor. The PTH-1070A includes four serial ports and two USB ports, one or two CompactFlash slots, plus available non-volatile RAM and CAN bus options, according to the company.

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Samsung announced a replacement for its original seven-inch Galaxy Tab Android tablet, upgraded with a dual-core 1.2GHz processor. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus is faster, thinner, lighter, and adds HSPA+ service — plus, it should be inexpensive, considering the competition from Amazon's $200 Kindle Fire and HTC's Flyer (about to be slashed to $300).

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Amazon's Kindle Fire may not be an iPad killer or offer cutting-edge features, but it could prove to be a big headache for Android tablet and e-reader vendors, analysts agree. Meanwhile, others debate whether the Fire's customized UI represents a true fork of Android, and argue over whether its cloud-oriented Silk browser is a breakthrough in mobile multimedia or an unprecedented invasion of privacy.

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MSC Vertriebs announced a 2.75 x 2-inch SOM (system on module) packing a 1GHz Samsung S5PV210 processor, up to 1GB of RAM, and up to 4GB of flash storage. The nanoRISC-S5PV210 offers 10/100 Ethernet, USB 2.0 host and client ports, multiple serial ports, plus RGB, HDMI, and TV graphics interfaces, according to the company.

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Viewat announced a handheld computer for point-of-sale (POS) applications, complete with integral smart card and magnetic stripe readers. The EFT-POS VPOS53 has a 1GHz Texas Instruments AM3715 processor, 320 x 240-pixel touchscreen, 256MB of RAM and 512MB of flash storage, plus both a GPS receiver and a GSM/GPRS/EDGE/CDMA cellular modem, according to the company.

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ZTE is preparing two Android tablets, including a seven-inch “T98” model built on Nvidia's five-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor, code-named “Kal-El.” Meanwhile, Asus announced a rugged, Tegra 2-based seven-inch Asus Tough-ETBW11AA model with Android 3.2 and 1280 x 800 resolution on Japanese carrier KDDI, and the Motorola Xoom finally got its LTE 4G upgrade on Verizon.

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Timesys announced embedded Linux development support for two Logic PD embedded modules incorporating Texas Instruments' 1GHz DM3730 processor. The LinuxLink offering supports Logic PD's Torpedo System on Module (SOM) — which at under one square inch is billed the industry's smallest embedded module — as well as the larger, more feature-rich DM3730 SOM-LV module.

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Nokia is developing a new Linux-based “Meltemi” operating systems to replace Symbian on its feature phones, according to the Wall Street Journal. Meanwhile, more details have emerged on the Linux Foundation's MeeGo-derived Tizen project, which also gained a bit of industry support beyond co-sponsors Intel and Samsung.

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Ibase announced a Mini-ITX motherboard that supports AMD's G-Series T56N and T48N processors clocked at up to 1.65GHz. The MI958 supports up to 8GB DDR3 memory, offers PCI, PCIe, and mini-PCIe slots, provides dual display capability, and offers a variety of other internal and external ports, according to the company.

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Toshiba announced a seven-inch Android 3.2 tablet featuring an Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core processor and a 1280 x 800-pixel resolution typically found on 10.1-inch models. The Thrive 7″ Tablet offers 16GB or 32GB of storage, microSD and HDMI connections, five- and two-megapixel cameras, and a full complement of wireless features — except for cellular support.

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Microsoft has reeled in what could be its largest patent fish yet, now that Samsung has agreed to sign a cross-license agreement related to Android in a deal stressing the companies' partnership on Windows Phone. Microsoft will receive royalties for Samsung's Android-based mobile phones and tablets, such as the new Galaxy Tab 8.9 tablet scheduled for release on Oct. 2.

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The Linux Foundation (LF) and LiMo Foundation announced an HTML-focused open source embedded Linux project steered by Intel and Samsung that incorporates components from MeeGo, the smartphone-oriented LiMo spec, and the carrier-backed Wholesale Applications Community interoperability standard. The LF's MeeGo project promised to help transition developers to “Tizen,” which will span multiple device types when it debuts in 2012.

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[Updated, 10:55 a.m.] — Amazon was widely expected to announce a Kindle-branded tablet today, and it did — also revealing three additional Kindles, two breaking the magical $100 price barrier. The $200 Kindle Fire has a seven-inch color IPS (in-plane switching display), “cloud-accelerated” Silk browser, dual-core processor, and 8GB of flash storage, while the $150 Kindle Touch 3G, $99 Kindle Touch, and $79 Kindle all include six-inch E Ink screens and either 2GB or 4GB of flash.

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WinSystems announced a pair of EBX-format SBCs (single board computers) featuring dual-core Atom processors plus PC/104, PCI/104-Plus, and Mini PCI expansion connectors. The EBC-C384-D has a 1.8GHz D525 processor and up to 4GB of RAM, while the fanless EBC-C384-S has a 1.66GHz N455 and up to 2GB of RAM, according to the company.

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