Texas Instruments (TI) announced a low-cost Wi-Fi chipset for consumer devices such as exercise bikes, dishwashers, refrigerators, and much more. The SimpleLink Wi-Fi CC3000 is operating system-independent, can work with only a microcontroller, and “integrates within hours … with any embedded application,” the chipmaker says.

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HP Labs has demonstrated a prototype of a Linux-based set-top box (STB) designed to bring the Internet to the Indian masses, according to the Times of India. The Vayu Internet Device (VInD) is equipped with 1GB of RAM, 8GB of flash storage and an optional hard drive, HDMI, USB, and Ethernet ports, plus a range of wireless features that includes ZigBee.

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LG announced its first tablet equipped with LTE 4G capability, heading first to Korea. Running Android 3.2 on a dual-core, 1.5GHz processor, the Optimus Pad LTE has an 8.9-inch, 1280 x 720-pixel display, an SD slot, plus both eight- and two-megapixel cameras — and it's just 0.37 inches thick, says the company.

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Ideum announced a “multitouch wall” that responds to as many as 32 simultaneous touches and will support Linux in March. The MT65 Presenter has a 65-inch screen with 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution, a 2.2GHz Core i7-2720QM processor, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD (solid state disk), and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 460 graphics card, according to the company.

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IEI announced a fanless embedded computer with a dual-core Intel Atom D525 processor and redundant dual DC power input. The TANK-800-D525 is equipped with up to 2GB of DDR3 memory, offers two options for PCI and PCI Express expansion, provides gigabit Ethernet, USB 2.0, and serial connectivity, and offers both CompactFlash and 2.5-inch SATA storage.

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Portwell announced an in-vehicle telematics computer for fleet management operations, equipped with a 1.1GHz Intel Atom Z510 processor. The PTH-2080A features an eight-inch, 800 x 480-pixel resistive touchscreen, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, 4GB of CompactFlash storage, a full range of wireless radios, plus I/O that includes an OBD-II port.

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Adlink announced a rugged, extended-temperature computer that allows purchasers to “optimize” wireless performance, gaining greater Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 3.0 range. The Matrix MXE-5300 runs on “Sandy Bridge” Intel Core i7/i5/i3 processors, supports up to 16GB of DDR3 RAM, has Mini PCI Express and CompactFlash slots, and includes SATA, gigabit Ethernet, USB 2.0/3.0, and serial connections.

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Kontron announced two rugged 6U CompactPCI boards with Intel's “Sandy Bridge” processors. Compliant with PICMG 2.16, the air-cooled Kontron CP6003-RA and even more rugged, conduction-cooled Kontron CP6003-RC, support up to 16GB of soldered DDR3 memory, up to 32GB of ruggedized NAND flash memory, and a wide range of I/O from gigabit Ethernet to HDMI.

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Samsung plans to combine the emerging MeeGo Linux-based Tizen operating system with its own home-grown Bada OS in a new Linux-based platform, a Samsung executive told Forbes. This year, however, it appears the platforms will stay separate — as many as two Samsung devices will likely ship with the HTML5-focused Tizen this year, says the report.

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GarrettCom announced a ruggedized industrial computer that has been “hardened” for use at power substations, featuring compliance with IEC 61850 and IEEE 1613 standards. The Magnum 10C Substation Computer is equipped with a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM, dual hot-swappable power supplies, gigabit Ethernet, USB 2.0, CompactFlash, plus optional serial and SATA ports.

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Google is planning a new version of Google TV that will integrate personalized recommendations based on user preferences, says a report. Meanwhile, Google TV 2.0 was reviewed by DeviceGuru, which praised the Android 3.1-based interface and Chrome browser, but dinged the poor Flash performance and continuing lack of Android apps.

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IBM Research demonstrated what it claims is the world's smallest memory bit, using only 12 atoms. IBM's “atomic memory” prototype, by tapping the alternating magnetic spin of antiferromagnetic atoms, is said to achieve storage that is 100 times denser than today's hard disk drives and solid state memory chips.

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Axiomtek announced a rugged, fanless DIN-rail computer with dual CAN 2.0 A/B interfaces, redundant components, and SNMP-based “AXView” remote management software. The rBOX103 is equipped with the extended-temperature Intel Atom Z510PT and Z520PT processors, dual isolated Ethernet ports, and dual power paths accepting from 12 to 48VDC, says the company.

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MEN Micro announced a rugged, PowerPC-based “XM51” computer-on-module (COM) featuring Freescale QorIQ processors — including the eight-core, 1.5GHz P4080 — and up to 16GB of DDR3 SDRAM. In other QorIQ news, Freescale and Mentor Graphics will jointly deliver high-speed simulation platforms for QorIQ based on Mentor's Vista virtual prototyping package.

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TI (Texas Instruments) used this week's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) to demonstrate its freshly minted OMAP 5 processor, which it claims will be the first ARM Cortex-A15 product on the market. Shown off on an Android 4.0 smartphone reference platform, the SoC (system on chip) will support both tablets and thin-and-light notebooks, the chipmaker promised.

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