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The Linux Mint team released the final Linux Mint 10 (“Julia”), based on Ubuntu 10.10. the popular desktop Linux distribution adds one-click upgrades to the DVD edition, as well as a new Mint-X theme, performance improvements, improved software and update managers, GTK support, and revised menus that highlight new apps.
PocketBook USA has launched both a $150 color e-reader tablet based on Android 2.0 and a $180, Linux-based monochrome e-reader tablet. The PocketBook IQ is a seven-inch, 800 x 600 tablet with Wi-Fi and 2GB of memory, while the PocketBook Pro 602 is a six-inch E Ink e-reader with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, says the company.
Intel has cut the price of its 2.5-inch SSDs (solid state disks), aimed primarily at PC enthusiasts but also applicable to embedded devices. The company has also added a new version of the X25-M, which — at a list price of $250 for 120GB — is said to offer consumers the best dollar-per-gigabyte value.
MSC Vertriebs announced a Qseven module sporting three of Intel's recently announced Atom E6xx processors, plus up to 2GB of soldered-on DDR2 memory and an optional bootable, 4GB or 8GB SSD (solid state disk). The MSC Q7-TCTC-FD features operating ranges as wide as -40 to 185 deg. F, seven USB 2.0 ports, three PCI Express x1 lanes, CAN bus, plus LVDS and SDVO video outputs.
Red Hat announced a major new Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 6 release, adding cloud support, performance improvements, and energy savings. Meanwhile, Red Hat also released a RHEL 5.6 upgrade to its 5x platform, adding support for BIND 9.7, improved DNSsec, and PHP 5.3.
Samsung's seven-inch, Android 2.2 Galaxy Tab tablet is now available on T-Mobile for $399 with a two-year plan or $599 without, says the carrier. Meanwhile, a 10.1-inch Samsung tablet has been spotted at a Chinese trade show.
[Updated: Nov. 12] — ISEE began shipping a computer-on-module (COM) that offers extended-temperature support and a choice of TI Cortex-A8 SoCs: the OMAP35xx or the newer 1GHz DM37xx. The Linux-ready, 2.68 x 0.71-inch IGEP Module features built-in 802.11b/g and Bluetooth 2.0, as well as an onboard microSD slot and USB On-The-Go port that enable the module to act as a standalone computer.
Freescale Semiconductor announced two new single-core members of its PowerPC-based QorIQ family of system-on-chips (SoCs). The QorIQ P1010 and less-feature-rich P1014 clock to 800MHz and can run on as little as 1.1 Watts, and the P1010 model is the first QorIQ SoC to integrate multiple FlexCAN controllers for industrial automation, says the company.
Google's Android Market is having major download and installation problems, leading to a growing protest from users. Meanwhile, Verizon announced tomorrow's release of Motorola's Citrus Android phone for $50, and Google released a beta version of its “YouTube Remote” Android app for the YouTube Leanback push-content service available on Google TV.
AMD used an annual event for analysts to demonstrate its combination of CPU and GPU (graphics processing unit) technologies on a single die, touting availability to OEMs for early 2011. Observers were impressed, but professed themselves skeptical about the company's ability to gain market share from Intel.
Not-for-profit engineering firm Linaro has released a 10.11 version of its open source Linux code and tools for ARM Cortex processors. Meanwhile, Samsung, ST-Ericsson, and Texas Instruments are showcasing multiple Linux distros — including MeeGo and Ubuntu, running on Cortex-A9 SoCs — using Linaro-related code or tools.
ARM announced a new Mali graphics processing unit (GPU) and related interconnect IP, designed to work with its recently announced 2.5GHz Cortex-A15 MPCore processor design. The Mali-T604 delivers up to five times the performance of current Mali GPUs, and the CoreLink 400 interconnect offers high-speed cache sharing between the Cortex-A15 and the Mali-T604, says the company.
Startup Greenliant Systems has announced a range of SSDs (solid state disks) for the embedded market. Based on the company's own SATA controllers, the NANDrive GLS85LS comes in 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64GB of storage, according to the company.
Congatec announced a COM Express module that offers ECC (error correction code) memory and a choice of Intel Celeron or Core i7 processors. The Conga-BE57 supports up to 8GB of RAM, provides two independent video channels, and delivers expansion including five PCI Express lanes, eight USB ports, and three SATA ports, the company says.
Android 2.3, or “Gingerbread,” is headed to Nexus One smartphones in “the next few days,” according to a tweet from an Open Handset Alliance member. The release is rumored to offer an overhauled UI and new video chat functionality.