Ibase announced a microATX motherboard whose Intel G41 Express chipset supports Intel Core2 Quad/Duo and Intel Celeron processors. The MB941 offers up to 4GB of DDR3 RAM, PCI and PCI Express expansion, four SATA ports, dual gigabit Ethernet ports, an RS-232 port and three RS-232/422/485 ports, and eight USB 2.0 ports, says the company.

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Kontron announced a COM Express Compact module featuring Intel's dual-core Atom D525 processor and up to 4GB of DDR3 memory. The microETXexpress-PV features PCI and PCI Express expansion, gigabit Ethernet, LVDS and VGA video outputs, eight USB 2.0 ports, and three SATA ports.

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Kyobo Book Centre and Qualcomm MEMS Technologies (QMT) announced an Android 2.3-based e-reader, said to be the first device to use QMT's sunlight-readable Mirasol color display technology. Equipped with a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, the Kyobo E-Reader provides a 5.7-inch, 1024 x 768-pixel display and offers “weeks of reading” on a single charge, the companies say.

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Kontron announced a computer-on-module (COM) standard designed with ARM processors in mind, employing modules that are 82mm (3.23 inches) wide and use a MXM 3.0 connector. The unnamed format, which Adlink is also supporting, offers features such as LVDS output and dedicated camera interfaces, supports rugged designs, and comes in both full and half-sized versions.

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A startup called Romotive is readying a small, tank-tread “Romo” robot controlled by Android and iPhone smartphones that communicate to the robot via audio signals. Meanwhile, a prototype bartending robot called the iZac — based on a Motorola Xoom tablet and Arduino Mega controller board — has been created by developer Nick Johnson via the Android Open Accessory Development Kit.

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Adlink announced a ruggedized Android handheld computer with IP65 protection and and optional 1D scanning and 2D bar code imaging. The TIOT 2000 runs Android 2.3 on an ARM11-based 800MHz Qualcomm processor, and is further equipped with a 3.5-inch, 320 x 240-pixel resistive touchscreen, a five-megapixel camera, plus a full slate of wireless features including 3G and optional RFID.

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Intel released an update to its Linux-based, Intel Atom-focused Intel Embedded Software Development Tool Suite, adding support for the Yocto 1.1 embedded tookit. Version 2.3 supports the latest Intel Atom models and optimizations, and updates components including the compiler, performance libraries, and analysis and debug tools, says the company.

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BlueStacks announced that a free alpha version of its software allowing Windows XP users to run Android apps is now downloadable. The BlueStacks App Player comes with ten apps and allows an additional 26 to be installed, while a related Cloud Connect service allows pushing apps from a user's phone to his or her desktop PC, the company says.

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Via has upgraded its 5.7 x 3.9 x 2.0-inch DIY PC with a 1GHz, dual-core Via Eden X2 processor. The Via Artigo A1150 includes up to 4GB of RAM, HDMI and VGA video outputs, gigabit Ethernet and optional Wi-Fi networking, plus an SATA port and five USB ports, the company says.

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Aewin announced what it claims is the world's first fanless network security appliance built on AMD's G-series processors — in this case, the headless, dual-core 1GHz T24L or 1.4GHz T48L models. The SCB-6977 offers up to 4GB of DDR2 RAM, PCI Express and Mini PCI Express expansion, CompactFlash and 2.5-inch storage, four or six gigabit Ethernet ports, and dual USB 2.0 ports, says the company.

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Google announced that the Wi-Fi only version of the Samsung and Acer Chromebooks, including a newly announced black version of the Samsung Chromebook, will drop $50 in price to $300. Google also released updated firmware for the Chromebooks' Chrome operating system, featuring a new login page and a revamped New Tab page that offers new shortcuts.

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McAfee says malware targeting Android devices jumped nearly 37 percent in the third quarter compared to 2Q 2011. This report follows others regarding the growth in Android malware — including a Juniper Networks claim that there's been a 472 percent increase — but Google's Chris DiBona counters that the threat of serious viruses spreading between Android devices is overblown.

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Amazon is preparing a Kindle Phone for 4Q 2012, expected to sell for as low as $150 to $170, says Citigroup. Meanwhile, Foxconn, which is rumored to be building the smartphone, will help build an upcoming 8.9-inch version of the Kindle Fire, says a report, and Piper Jaffray has upgraded its Kindle Fire 4Q sales estimates from 2.5 million to four million units.

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[Updated, Nov. 21] — FXI Technologies announced a USB stick-sized computer that can run Android or Ubuntu on a 1.2GHz Samsung ARM Cortex-A9 processor. The “Cotton Candy” will include 1GB of RAM, a microSD slot, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and an HDMI port, the company says.

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Motorola Mobility shareholders have approved the sale of the company to Google. However, it will be federal regulators who have the final word on whether the deal will go through, and they have yet to make their decisions.

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