The Free Software Foundation (FSF) has launched a campaign claiming that Windows 8-certified PCs might prevent users from booting into Linux. The mandatory “secure boot” facility in the systems' Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) might better be called “restricted boot,” the organization claims.

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Google has opened up the SingleTap payment system in its Google Wallet service, allowing consumers to pay for goods and redeem discounts and rewards in a single near field communication (NFC) transaction. Meanwhile, ABI Research forecasts that 78 percent of NFC-enabled handsets will ship with an embedded secure solution in 2016, and almost half will offer multiple secure elements.

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Advantech announced an industrial-grade Mini-ITX motherboard supporting AMD G-Series processors including the dual-core 1.65GHz T56N. The AIMB-223 board is equipped with up to 4GB of DDR3 SDRAM, plus PCI and PCI Express expansion, four SATA III interfaces with RAID support, and the usual mix of I/O including gigabit Ethernet, USB 2.0, and serial connections.

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Axiomtek announced a rackmountable, 1U network appliance that uses Intel Atom D425 or D525 processors and provides ten gigabit Ethernet ports. The NA-330 includes both hard disk and CompactFlash storage, accepts up to 4GB of RAM, and has a PCI Express Mini Card expansion slot, the company says.

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Motorola Mobility announced the Droid Razr, a high-end Android phone whose Kevlar-reinforced case is just 0.28 inches thick. Aimed at Verizon's 4G LTE network, it features a dual-core, 1.2GHz processor, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of flash storage, a 4.3-inch screen packing 960 x 540 pixels, dual cameras, and accessories including a new 14-inch Lapdock 500 Pro.

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MEN Micro announced a ruggedized single board computer (SBC) using AMD's Embedded G-Series processors. The SC24 SBC offers up to 4GB DDR3 memory, 2×2 DisplayPort interfaces, and PCIe expansion, while the available AE51 extension board adds real-world I/O including gigabit Ethernet, SATA, and USB, says the company.

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T-Mobile's HTC Amaze 4G is worth considering by serious shutterbugs who want a phone that can replace their everyday point-and-shoot, according to this eWEEK review. But, reviewer Nicholas Kolawkowski adds, don't expect its battery to hold out all day.

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Avalue announced an 18.5-inch panel PC with capacitive multitouch capabilities and a dual-core, 1.8GHz Intel Atom D525 processor. The APC-18W5 is equipped with 1 to 4GB of DDR3 SDRAM, features IP55 liquid protection plus a operating range, and offers SATA, CompactFlash, mini-PCIe, gigabit Ethernet, USB 2.0, and serial connectivity, says the company.

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The HTC Jetstream lives up to its name with a fast, dual-core 1.5GHz processor, 4G LTE/HSPA service, a responsive, eight-megapixel camera, and a Scribe pen accessory. Yet with its $700 price, thick 0.51-inch profile, 25-ounce weight, and relative lack of ports, this tablet's a tough purchase to justify compared to several other 10.1-inch Honeycomb devices, says this eWEEK review.

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The Puppy Linux project announced version 5.2 of the legacy-PC friendly “Wary” version of its small-footprint Linux distribution. Puppy Linux 5.2 (“Wary”) features an SMP-optimized version of the Linux 2.6.32.45 kernel, an upgrade path to Xorg 7.6, an updated PuppyPhone 1.1 VoIP app, and a new PupCamera app for automatically detecting digital cameras, says the project.

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T-Mobile and LG announced an oddball Android 2.3 phone that features both a 3.5-inch display and a secondary two-inch screen embedded in the middle of a split-QWERTY keypad. Designed for texting and social networking, the 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon-equipped LG DoublePlay will be featured in the fifth annual LG U.S. National Texting Championship on Oct. 26.

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Zotac announced a mini-PC built around Via's 1.2GHz, dual-core Nano X2 U4025 processor. The 5 x 5 x 1.7-inch Zbox Nano VD01 includes 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth networking, HDMI and DisplayPort video outputs, 7:1 audio, an infrared remote and receiver, plus an available 2GB of RAM and 320GB of hard disk storage.

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Nexvision announced a Linux-based network video camera reference design with remote access and analytics based on the Texas Instruments 1GHz, DSP-enabled DM8148 DaVinci processor. The CAMSMOOV also integrates an FPGA, as well as a camera with up to four camera processing boards supporting up to [email protected] H.264 video at up to 12 megapixels, plus sensors and a variety of wired and wireless I/O.

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Advantech announced a full-size PICMG 1.0 single board computer (SBC) that's available with Intel Atom N455 or D525 processors. The PCA-6012 supports ISA and PCI expansion, includes VGA and optional LVDS video, has dual gigabit Ethernet ports, and offers up to nine USB 2.0 ports.

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Velocity Cruz has begun shipping two Android 3.2 tablets, dropping the price of the eight-inch, 800 x 600 Cruz T408 by $40 to $200 and selling the 10.1-inch, 1024 x 600 Cruz T410 for $300. Both the T408 and T410 are equipped with a 1GHz, Cortex-A8 processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage, capacitive touchscreens, and front-facing cameras, says the company.

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