T-Mobile announced the Samsung Exhibit II 4G, a 3.7-inch Android 2.3 smartphone selling for just $30 with a two-year contract or $200 without, making it the first no-contract 4G smartphone to be sold at most Walmart stores. Meanwhile, eWEEK reviewed T-Mobile's version of the Samsung Galaxy S II, finding it to be on par with the Sprint and AT&T versions but priced $30 higher.

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Leader International announced two Android tablets, both with full-sized USB ports and microSD slots. The $179 Impression 7 (I7) runs Android 2.2 on a 1GHz processor, and provides a seven-inch 800 x 480 resistive touchscreen, while the $349 Impression 10 (I10) runs Android 2.3 on a 1GHz Samsung Hummingbird, adding a 9.7-inch, 1024 x 768 capacitive IPS touchscreen, an HDMI port, and a two-megapixel camera.

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The Linux Foundation announced Yocto Project Release 1.1, adding that it will host the Embedded GNU C Library (EGLIBC) and integrate it with Yocto. Based on Linux 3.0, Yocto 1.1 adds a GUI-based, customized image builder called “Hob,” plus layer tooling features, 3G cellular support, and small footprint, fast-boot layers.

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The Linux Foundation announced a Long Term Support Initiative (LTSI) project created by its Consumer Electronics (CE) workgroup, intended to reduce duplication of effort in maintaining private industry kernel trees. The LTSI project intends to deliver an annual release of a Linux kernel suitable for supporting the lifespan of consumer electronics products and regular updates of those releases for two to three years.

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IEI announced an Intel Atom-powered panel PC that includes two expansion slots and a “burglar-proof” internal USB 2.0 port. The PPC-5152-D525 has a 15-inch screen, a 1.3-megapixel webcam, a 2.5-inch drive bay and a CompactFlash slot, dual gigabit Ethernet ports, plus five serial ports, according to the company.

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Android is beating Apple's iOS in app downloads by 44 percent to 31 percent, according to ABI Research. Meanwhile, Millenial Media's latest figures show Android with 56 percent of total mobile ad impressions compared to 28 percent for iOS, and a trio of tablet studies finds that while the iPad's still dominating, Android's on the rise.

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Logic Supply announced two fanless, barebone “Neousys” industrial computers with extended temperature support, shock/vibration resistance, and support for Intel Core i5/i7 or Celeron processors. The Nuvo-1003B offers three gigabit Ethernet ports while the Nuvo-1005 supplies five, and both provide a variety of I/O, including six USB 2.0 ports, the company says.

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Freescale Semiconductor announced a system on chip (SoC) platform, combining a Linux-ready ARM Cortex-A5 application processor with a Cortex-M4 microcontroller intended to run a real-time operating system (RTOS). The company's unnamed “asymmetrical-multiprocessing-architecture” SoC features a wide range of peripherals, and is designed to enable simultaneous real-time control and graphics-rich application processing, primarily in industrial applications.

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ARM is set to provide an in-depth look at its recently announced Cortex-A7 processor this week at a Santa Clara, Calif.-based event. Other highlights of ARM TechCon 2011, scheduled for Oct. 25 to 27, will include a keynote by ARM CTO Mike Muller, and a demonstration of a $25 ARM11-based Ubuntu Linux computer from Raspberry Pi.

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OCZ Technology announced what it claims is the first 2.5-inch SSD (solid state drive) to include up to 1TB of storage, with a SATA 3.0 version delivering reads at up to 560MB/sec. Also released was a PCI Express-based hard disk/SSD combo that also packs 1TB, but revs performance to 910MB/sec., according to the company.

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ViewSonic has begun selling a $200, seven-inch tablet that runs Android 2.3. The ViewPad 7e is equipped with a 1GHz Cortex-A8 processor, 4GB internal storage, 800 x 600 pixel screen resolution, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, dual cameras, and a micro-HDMI port, says the company.

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Contec announced a fanless box PC intended for embedded applications, with a height of just 1.4 inches. The BX-956 includes an Intel Atom D510 processor, two CompactFlash slots, two gigabit Ethernet ports, four USB 2.0 ports, plus a VGA port and a serial port, according to the company.

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Microsoft has signed a patent agreement with $28 billion Taiwanese original device manufacturer (ODM) Compal Electronics. With this tenth Android agreement, over half of all Android devices are now being made by companies that have signed Android-related licensing pacts with Microsoft, claims the company.

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Released several weeks late due to malware attacks on kernel.org in August, the Linux 3.1 kernel is out now, with a variety of enhancements to performance, virtualization, and power management. It also includes support for near field communication (NFC), the OpenRISC open source CPU, Nintendo's Wii controller, and 3D acceleration with Nvidia GEForce graphics processor units (GPUs).

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Casio Computer announced an Android 2.2-based Point-of-Sale (POS) terminal built around a 533MHz dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor. The VX-100 business support terminal offers a 10.4-inch, 800 x 600 touchscreen, a secondary 2 x 20 subdisplay, a thermal printer, a sales management application, and the ability to be remotely controlled via email.

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