Foreword: This whitepaper by Cliff Brake, an embedded systems consultant, offers practical advice about using Linux in embedded projects. Topics covered include determining Linux suitability, evaluating costs and risks, project scope calculations, scheduling and timeline estimations, and operating system and embedded product lifecycle management. (more…)

MooBella has put Linux to work making ice cream, in a vending machine that Wallace and Gromit would be proud of. The MooBella vending machine uses Linux 2.4 and a Red Hat filesystem to make 96 varieties of ice cream, on demand, in about 45 seconds per precisely-measured serving. (more…)

Foreword — This interview with Opera Software CEO and co-founder Jon S. von Tetzchner covers the Norwegian browser company's history, products, and roadmap. It sheds light on the growing importance of Linux in the embedded market, and the growing importance of the embedded market to Opera. (more…)

Modern CMOS image sensors provide high resolution digital output of 10 to 12 bits. When CCD sensors are used, the same (or higher) resolution is provided by separate ADC or integrated CCD signal processors. This resolution is significantly higher than that used in popular image and video formats. (more…)

Foreword: Open source project founder Cecil Watson provides some background on KnoppMyth in this brief project history. The project aims to create an easy-to-install-and-use Linux distribution for set-top boxes. (more…)

Foreword: This whitepaper from FSMLabs describes the use of the company's RTLinux real-time Linux operating system in three research and development projects involving ad hoc wireless networking technology for military and civil service applications. The projects involve software-defined radio, saving power with directional antennas, cellular/IPv6 network interoperation. (more…)

A company specializing in carrier-class WiFi network management software is shipping an appliance version of its flagship product. The Sputnik Server 1100 offers a way for wireless service providers, carriers, and businesses to buy Sputnik Control Center software pre-installed on a standard Intel-based server… (more…)

The “Device Software Optimization” (DSO) concept championed by Wind River has gained another proponent. In this brief interview, LinuxDevices.com speaks with Enea CEO Johan Wall about DSO as a potential antidote to exploding device software complexity, and the possible formation of a DSO industry group. (more…)

Buffalo Technology used embedded Linux to build a compact NAS (network attached storage) device with a capacity of 160 to 450 gigabytes. The LinkStation Home Server features gigabit Ethernet connectivity and the capability of streaming multimedia content to media players that comply with DLNA specifications. (more…)

In a Linuxdevices.com guest column back in 2002, I argued that without a major attitude change, digital rights management (DRM) technologies would cause software security failures and generate… (more…)

There is a curious lack in the Linux community — the number of community-led Linux distributions for commodity mobile phone hardware is zero. There are PDAs for which you can get a GSM/GPRS SD card; there are mobile phones, such as the Motorola A780, that are (more…)

The Linux-powered Nokia 770 Internet Tablet offers convenient Internet browsing and email through built-in WiFi, or via a Bluetooth connection to a compatible mobile phone. The device boasts a 4.3-inch, 800 x 480 pixel touch-screen, plus integrated WiFi, Bluetooth, and a reduced-size MMC (RS-MMC) card slot. (more…)

It's the end of Round Four in the Great Gadget Smack-Down — time to weigh the mighty blows wielded by both heavyweights. Overall, Linux has landed 51 percent of 715 blows, but Windows has connected plenty of haymakers, too. (more…)

Foreword: This high-level whitepaper from Datalight examines the role of NAND flash memory in embedded devices, and how that role is likely to evolve. The article examines emerging hardware and software trends driven by the explosive growth of high-capacity consumer electronic devices. (more…)

This is it, Round Four of the Great Gadget Smack-Down! The table below summarizes specific, finished-product devices in nine categories. Each device is featured at LinuxDevices.com or WindowsForDevices.com, two sister sites that maintain and frequently update Device… (more…)