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VMware is refining technology that will allow mobile phones to run two operating systems — Android and Windows Mobile, for example — simultaneously. With the company's Mobile Virtualization Platform (MVP), both OSes would be live, and could coexist in as little as 256MB of RAM, an executive reportedly told Computerworld Australia.
Techsol is shipping a low carbon-footprint touch-panel PC, targeting building automation and factory HMI. The Linux-ready Medallion TPC-43C “Green Tech” Touch Panel Computer is equipped with Techsol's ARM-based Medallion module, plus a 4.3-inch, WQVGA touchscreen, and an enclosure made of recycled steel, which is “greener” than plastics, says the company.
Google is working on a mobile application that enables Android smartphone users to take a photo and run an image search to bring up additional information, says eWEEK. The Google Visual Search technology could also be used to drive mobile advertising based on taking photographs of billboards, says the story.
Taiwanese vendors wanted to launch their netbooks featuring Intel's next-generation Atom N450 (“Pineview”) this month, but have put them on hold following pressure from the chipmaker, Digitimes reports. The device will instead go on sale Jan. 11, following a formal launch of the new CPU and chipset, the publication adds.
Motorola venture capital arm Motorola Ventures has made an investment in multi-touch technology firm Sensitive Object. The French touchscreen technology company has developed patent-protected technology that uses acoustics to analyze sound waves caused by touching any surface of a device.
PsiXpda announced a UMPC (ultra-mobile PC) with a five-inch touchscreen display, an Intel Atom Z510, and a 16GB SSD (solid state disk). The “PsiXpda” includes WiFi, Bluetooth, and optional 3G, and weighs under a pound, and although it pre-installs Windows XP, the company says it will help customers load Android.
Pika Technologies announced a new FreePBX image for its Linux-based Pika Warp IP-PBX appliance, which offers both VoIP and PSTN functionality. The Warp Enterprise distribution combines the previous open source Asterisk PBX software stack with an image based on the FreePBX GUI for Asterisk, the company says.
Linus Torvalds announced the release of a stable Linux 2.6.32 kernel. Major new features include the implementation of kernel-based mode setting (KMS) plus 3D graphics support for new Radeon cards, plus new kernel shared memory (KSM) technology for KVM virtualization, power-saving and performance improvements, and a faster “Devtmpfs” boot technology.
Libelium announced a ZigBee-enabled wireless mote-sensor platform with open source code and a Linux-compatible IDE. The Waspmote runs on an Atmel microcontroller, boasts low 0.7uA power consumption, provides 2.4GHz, 900MHz, and 868MHz radios, and offers add-ons for GPS, GPRS, and SD, as well as gas, events, and prototyping sensors.
Direct Insight is readying a SODIMM-sized computer-on-module (COM) based on Freescale's ARM Cortex-A8 i.MX51 system-on-chip. The 800MHz, 2.7 x 1.0-inch Triton-TX51 module offers extensive I/O, including Ethernet and USB 2.0 On-The-Go and host, plus an available “StarterKit-5” baseboard with a Linux BSP, says the company.
Best known for its monitors, ViewSonic has announced two 17-inch touchscreen PCs designed for medical applications. The MPC1700 and MPC1701 include anti-bacterial coating, Intel Core 2 Duo processors, bootable CompactFlash slots and 2.5-inch drive bays, plus PCI, PCMCIA, and Mini-PCI expansion slots, according to the company.
Viosoft Corp. is shipping an Android development kit for MIPS-based digital multimedia designs, with a special focus on IP set-top boxes (STBs). The Android Adoption Kit combines Sigma Designs' SMP8654-based Vantage 8654 Development Platform with a version of Viosoft's Arriba IDE/Debugger optimized for Android on MIPS, says the company.
Kontron announced its first in-vehicle PC with longtime availability, developed by recently acquired Digital-Logic AG and already sold by Advanced Digital Logic. The Microspace MPCX28 Box PC is based on an Intel Atom Z530 and Intel US15W controller hub, and provides CompactFlash, SATA, PCI/104, and PCIe expansion, says the company.
Intel has launched a beta version of its Intel Atom Developer Program Software Development Kit (SDK) for both Windows and the Linux-based Moblin, says an eWEEK story. The SDK is said to help developers create and submit applications for Intel-based netbooks that can be sold in application stores next year.
Google has announced the winners of the Android Developer Challenge (ADC) 2, including an application to help smartphone users sleep better, an online multiplayer game, and a mobile security solution, says eWEEK. Meanwhile, two other eWEEK stories examine the “Google Phone” rumors and portend problems for Google if the phone is real.