| News Archive (1999-2012) | | | 2013-current at LinuxGizmos | | | Current Tech News Portal | | | About |
In two reports filed from this week's OSCON conference, The Register says that Google will open Android's internal development kit to contributors, and that Linux maintainers are holding tough in negotiating with the search giant regarding Android's readmission to the kernel. Meanwhile, Linux 2.6.35 RC6 was released, featuring enhancements to network scalability, memory management, and sleep-wait detection.
The Genivi Alliance has chosen the Linux Foundation's Intel- and Nokia-backed MeeGo operating system as the basis of its next “Apollo” reference release for open source Linux-based In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI) systems. Meanwhile, the Genivi Alliance announced Hyundai as a new core member, and said it was planning an ARM reference platform for IVI.
The Indian government has unveiled a prototype of a Linux-based touchscreen tablet it hopes to sell next year for $35, with hopes to eventually lower the price to $10, according to several reports. Aimed at university students in India, the tablet is equipped with 2GB of memory, a memory card slot, Wi-Fi, camera, USB ports, and a web browser, say reports.
HP has confirmed it plans to release multiple tablets, including some running Microsoft's Windows 7 and others running the Linux-based WebOS it acquired along with Palm. The announcement follows sightings on the web earlier this week of HP's “Slate 500,” a Windows tablet with an 8.9-inch touchscreen, dual cameras, and a 1.6GHz Atom processor.
Aaeon announced a 3.5-inch single board computer (SBC) with a Socket-P slot that can accept an Intel Core 2 Duo or Celeron M processor. The 5.75 x 4.0-inch GENE-9655 is further equipped with up to 2GB of DDR2 memory, Mini-PCI and Mini-PCIe expansion, as well as interfaces for gigabit Ethernet, serial, and USB 2.0, says the company.
The team behind the cloud-based Peppermint variant of Ubuntu Linux released a scaled-down, site-specific browser (SSB) version that is said to boot in under 10 seconds. The “Peppermint Ice” distro uses Google's Chromium as the default browser, and while still offering support for native apps, is even more focused on web-based apps than is Peppermint.
ARM and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) announced a long-term agreement that, the companies say, will provide the silicon foundry with access to ARM IP, and ultimately result in tiny Cortex processors created via a 20-nanometer process. Separately, ARM linked up with electronic design firm Cadence to develop “an optimized System Realization solution for ARM processors.”
MontaVista Software announced a new version of its Eclipse-based integrated development environment (IDE) for embedded Linux. DevRocket 6.1 has been upgraded to better support the MontaVista Linux 6 commercial embedded Linux development platform, adding tight integration and a graphical interface to the new MontaVista Integration Platform build platform, plus enhanced analysis and debugging tools, says MontaVista.
Barnes & Noble released a Nook for Android application, competing with a similar Android app released for the Kindle, and Amazon announced that its Kindle e-books are outselling its hardcover books by almost two to one. Meanwhile, Entourage Systems, which makes the Entourage Edge dual-screen Android e-reader, announced several e-book content partnerships.
Lanner announced a compact embedded PC designed for high-definition video applications, sporting an HDMI port, two VGA ports, and a DVI-D port. The LEC-7900D offers two gigabit Ethernet ports, a Type I/II CompactFlash slot, and room for a 2.5-inch hard disk, the company says.
Men Micro is taking orders for a rugged, display-oriented single board computer (SBC) for vehicles equipped with Intel's heat-resistant Intel Atom XL Z520PT processor. The SC21 offers 1GB of soldered SDRAM, two Ethernet ports, two USB 2.0 ports, and supports a wide temperature range, plus display features including backlight control and touch interfaces.
System76 has updated its Linux-based netbook to the Atom N455 processor as well as making it thinner and lighter. The Ubuntu 10.04 version of the 10.1-inch Starling NetBook offers more memory (2GB), a larger standard hard drive (250GB), faster Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n), and is available in a school-focused “EduBook” version.
Tattu Mobile is prepping an Android-based tablet based on ZiiLabs' ZMS-05 SoC, with the help of Intrinsyc's RapidRIL telephony technology, says Intrinsyc. Meanwhile, CNET reviewed the Dell Streak Android tablet (pictured) and dubbed it “the best Android-based tablet we've seen so far.”
Advanced Micro Peripherals announced a rugged, Linux-compatible single board computer (SBC) using the 4.0 x 3.7-inch PCI-104 form factor. Powered by a 500MHz AMD Geode LX800 CPU, the video-ready Tiny-LX board offers a 32 bit PCI expansion bus, interfaces including Ethernet, USB, and E-IDE, plus fanless operation even in extended temperatures.
Synology America is shipping two network-attached storage (NAS) devices running its Linux-based Synology DiskStation Manager 2.3 software. The desktop DiskStation DS411+ and rack-mount RackStation RS810+ are both equipped with dual-core Intel Atom D510 processors, as well as four bays supporting up to 8TB each, with the RS810+ expandable to 16TB via Synology's RX410 add-on unit.