Win Enterprises is readying a 1U rackmount networking appliance that supports a variety of Intel processors up to a Core 2 Quad. The PL-80230 supports up to 4GB of DDR3 memory, and offers CompactFlash and SATA storage, six to 14 gigabit Ethernet ports, USB and serial ports, and PCIe, mini-PCI, and PCI expansion, says the company.

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Merimobiles has begun selling a seven-inch tablet for $200 that dual boots Android 2.1 and Windows CE 6.0. The Witstech A81-E is based on an unnamed ARM Cortex-A8-based processor clocked to 600MHz, and is equipped with 256MB RAM, 2GB flash, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and an optional GPS receiver, says the online retailer.

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Advantech announced a 3.8 x 3.5-inch single board computer (SBC) that offers dual display capability. Built around a DM&P Vortex86DX processor clocked at 1GHz, the PCM-3343 board is equipped with CompactFlash and IDE storage interfaces, and offers dual Fast Ethernet ports, four USB ports, and interfaces including serial, I2C, and GPIO, says the company.

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Gartner has trimmed its worldwide IT spending forecast for 2010 to 3.9 percent growth, down from 5.3 percent, due to the European debt crisis, and the Conference Board reports that U.S. online job postings are flat, with declines in technology jobs in June. On a more positive note, the global telephony market is rebounding significantly, says Frost & Sullivan.

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Amazon.com announced an updated version of its large-screen. Linux-based Kindle DX e-reader, with the price dropped from $489 to $379. The Kindle DX maintains its 9.7-inch screen, but moves to a new E Ink technology claimed to offer 50 percent better contrast, says the company.

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Cisco announced an Intel Atom-based, tabletop Home Energy Controller (HEC) device based on OpenPeak's Home Energy Manager (HEM) design. Running Ubuntu Linux on a 1.1GHz Intel Atom, the HEC offers a seven-inch screen, networks via cellular, 802.11n, ZigBee, and ERT wireless, and works with back-end services enabling consumers to monitor and control energy use.

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The MeeGo project has released preview source code for the MeeGo Handset environment, including the first touchscreen support. Meanwhile, Intel has released a video demonstrating a pre-alpha version of MeeGo's tablet environment, showing off five-finger multitouch support.

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Android 3.0 “Gingerbread” will be a high-end format supporting 1280 × 760 resolution and requiring a 1GHz processor, essentially splitting the operating system into two platforms, says UnwiredView. Meanwhile, HTC and Sprint are readying an Android smartphone with a 2GHz processor and 1080p video recording, says OzcarGuide, while TmoNews says HTC is prepping an Android phone for T-Mobile with dual 800MHz processors.

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Microsoft announced a hardware solution that will allow users of portable devices — digital cameras, flashlights, remote controls, toys, you name it — to insert their batteries in any direction. Compatible with AA and AAA cells, among others, the patented “InstaLoad” technology does not require special electronics or circuitry, the company claims.

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The U.K. firm Netvoyager announced a thin client that runs Linux and provides dual-display support, with both VGA and DVI outputs. The Neterm LX1032, as well as the similar Windows-based XP1032, offer Via C7 or Eden processors respectively, as well as 1GB of DDR2 RAM. 1GB of flash, a gigabit Ethernet port, four USB 2.0 ports, plus smart-card reader and Wi-Fi options, the company says.

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Rhomobile announced a new version of its cross-platform smartphone app development framework, supporting BlackBerry, Android, Windows Mobile, Symbian, WebOS, the iPhone, and the iPad. Now available for free under the open source MIT license, Rhodes 2.0 adds native mapping across devices, a metadata framework for applications with changing underlying schema, and faster sync, says the company.

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Amazon released its Kindle app for Android, while announcing a multimedia version for the iPhone and dropping the price of the Kindle, says eWEEK. Meanwhile, Android 2.2 rolled out to Nexus One users, but Sprint suspended its own rollout to the Evo 4G, says eWEEK, and Samsung announced plans for a Froyo update to its Galaxy S.

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Lanner announced a new version of a high-end, 2U rack-mount networking appliance with an Intel 5520 chipset and dual Intel Xeon 5600 processors. The “refreshed” FW-8892 appliance is equipped with a dozen DDR3 memory sockets, an optional Cavium security accelerator chip, up to 24 Ethernet ports, PCIe expansion, and four bays for SATA II hard drives, the company says.

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U.K.-based Anders Electronics announced two fanless PCs measuring just 4.5 x 4 x 1.05 inches. The fit-PC2 and fit-PC2i include 1.1GHz or 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z-series processors, bootable miniSD slots, 2.5-inch drive bays, built-in wireless networking, and HD-capable DVI video outputs, the company says.

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Else Mobile announced that its collaboration with Sharp and Access to develop its LiMo (Linux Mobile) compliant First Else smartphone has been canceled, says Engadget. The Israeli company's subsidiary, Else Ltd. (formerly Emblaze Mobile) will cancel the phone project, but will work to license the innovative Else Intuition UI platform and technology to interested buyers.

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