Sputnik is shipping a new Linux-based wireless access point (AP) that works with its carrier-class wireless network management software. The AP 220 is based on a Gemtek AP, flashed with uClinux and Sputnik's “Agent” software. It targets WISPs (wireless Internet service providers) with hotspots in motels, restaurants, and other public places. (more…)

Foreword: PalmSource Inc. stunned the mobile device world today by annoucing that it has acquired Chinese mobile Linux vendor China MobileSoft (CMS), a leading Chinese mobile phone software company with business operations headquartered in Nanjing, China. (more…)

Foreword: This whitepaper from TimeSys discusses Carrier Grade Linux (CGL), and changes in the CGL 2.0 requirements document released last fall. It also discusses CGL 2.0's self-registration process for vendor compliance, which TimeSys (more…)

This whitepaper from a senior developer with Squirrel Systems discusses how Squirrel used Linux in its highly successful POS (point-of-sales/service) system. It focuses on the advantages and challenges of choosing embedded Linux, and may be of interest to other companies considering embedded Linux. Enjoy . . . ! (more…)

A German company has used embedded Linux to build an in-car navigation system with route-planning, traffic avoidance, and spoken direction features. NaviFlash's NaviFlash device comes pre-installed with detailed maps of Germany, and the main roads of Europe, with maps of 17 other European countries also available. (more…)

The Siemens Speedstream 8xxx set-top box for home entertainment, V2.0, is an all-in-one Linux-based device providing a wide range of home gateway and entertainment functions. It targets “triple play” (voice, data, video) television network operators, who can choose from several processors and DSP types, depending on their application. (more…)

D-Link has released source code, under the GNU GPL license, for a MIPS-based ADSL router with a built-in four-port switch and wireless 802.11g/b radio. The DSL-G604T supports “all major ISPs,” D-Link says, and has been marketed primarily in Australia, Great Britain, and Russia. (more…)

[Updated Dec. 22, 2004] — Foreword: This study compares the real-time capabilities of various Linux kernels. It was part of a project to upgrade the control software in water-wave generators at research institutions around the world. The results of the study were used by Akamina for the selection of a new RTOS for the control system upgrade of Canada's largest hydraulics and coastal… (more…)

The world's tenth-largest company, and second-largest oil company, chose a Linux-based PIN-pad entry device (PED) for its UK and Ireland gas stations. Shell selected Trintech's Smart 5000 PED because the hybrid card reader supports both magnetic swipe/signature authentication and the new generation of chip-and-PIN smart cards. (more…)

The Voipac Net Phone (NP) 210 is an H323.v4-compatible IP phone. It was created by Voipac, formerly Levi Systems, an eight-year-old company based in Slovakia that also sells USB phones, softphones and softswitches, VoIP servers, and IP phones, as well as CPU modules. (more…)

LinuxDevices.com is pleased to publish the proceedings from the Sixth Real-Time Linux Workshop held in Asia for the first time, November 3-5, 2004, at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. The papers span a broad range of topics ranging from fundamental real-time technologies, to applications, to hardware, to tools. (more…)

Foreword: Scratchbox, an open source project to simplify cross-platform software compilation, has recently made several advances that may interest embedded device developers. This whitepaper describes how Scratchbox — which was originated by Movial and is being sponsored by Nokia — is helping Debian ARM strive for parity with Debian x86 by enabling package maintainers to build native ARM… (more…)

Foreword: New PCs and servers are beginning to emerge with expansion slots that look different from the PCI slots we've come to know and love over the past decade. The change signals the arrival of PCI Express — an interface that may well become the next decade's I/O expansion solution of choice in a wide range of client and server systems. (more…)

The TomTom Go is a Linux-based in-car GPS navigation system available with or without preloaded maps. The device mounts to the dashboard or windshield, providing a 3D view of the road ahead, as well as text-based and spoken driving directions. TomTom claims it is the smallest car navigation device available. (more…)

Fluke Networks has used embedded Linux to build a handheld network analyzer intended to help network technicians and administrators install, maintain, and troubleshoot 10/100/gigabit enterprise networks. The EtherScope can quickly map, scan, and test live copper-based Ethernet LANs for configuration, wiring, and other problems. (more…)