[Updated: Mar. 18, 2009] — Amid rumors that Sun may be acquired by IBM, Sun announced a port of Wind River's Carrier Grade Linux (CGL) to its multi-threading UltraSPARC T2 processor. Sun says Wind River Linux 3.0 is available on several Sun UltraSPARC-T2 systems. (more…)

NoMachine says its Linux-friendly X Window System compression technology will by tapped by virtual thin client management software specialist Leostream. The NX technology will reportedly enable Leostream's “Connection Broker” management software to better support Linux desktops, applications, and sessions in VMWare VDI… (more…)

CompuLab is readying a full-featured Ubuntu Linux PC that draws six Watts and costs $245-to-$400. The Fit-PC2 packs a 1.1GHz or 1.6GHz Atom processor, 160GB hard drive (or SSD), and DVI/HDMI video up to 1920×1080 into a passively cooled case smaller than three CD cases. (more…)

ARM-based netbooks are coming soon, say two reports. PC World says that One Laptop per Child (OLPC) will likely move from an x86-based AMD Geode to an ARM processor in its XO-2, and Digitimes says that Freescale i.MX31 and Qualcomm Snapdragon-based netbooks will demo in June. (more…)

Debian hacker Martin Michlmayr plans to port Debian 5.0 to a new Qnap Systems TS-219 Pro (pictured) network-attached storage (NAS) device, as well as to Marvell's SheevaPlug Plug Computer reference design. (more…)

Altera is shipping a development kit for prototyping and developing FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays) for embedded systems. The Embedded Systems Development Kit, Cyclone III FPGA Edition is a tri-board kit that can program NIOS II softcore FPGAs capable of running Linux, says the company. (more…)

E-con Systems announced a price cut and a modular development baseboard for its SODIMM-sized Marvell PXA270 processor module. The Linux-compatible eSOM270, now costing around $50, fits onto the new “Regulus” baseboard (left), gaining LCD displays, three USB ports, an SD slot, and other interfaces, says E-con. (more…)

Eurotech announced a COM (computer-on-module) using Intel's new automotive Atom, the Z5xxx PT. Available with a PC/104 carrier board, the Catalyst XL operates fanlessly from -40 to 85 deg. (more…)

Wind River is shipping version 3.0 of its commercial embedded Linux distribution, which now integrates vertical distributions, including networking. Wind River Linux 3.0 upgrades to kernel 2.6.27 and GCC 4.3, speeds boot-time, adds 250 applications, upgrades real-time and multi-core support, and launches a Kernel-based Virtualization Machine (KVM), says the company. (more…)

Eltan announced BIOS extensions aimed at letting embedded devices based on Atom processors boot unattended from SD, SDHC, MMC, or eMMC (embedded multimedia card) storage. (more…)

This detailed, technical articles describes Linux's V4L2 (Video for Linux 2) interface, along with the first steps toward developing a device driver that uses it. The article was contributed by Vladimir Davydov, an engineer with Promwad, an embedded development services company located in Minsk, Belarus. (more…)

Google has launched an Android development team in Taiwan to provide support to Taiwan-based hardware manufacturers, says an industry report. Another story, meanwhile, reports that wireless carrier T-Mobile will release Android's “Cupcake” update for its HTC-manufactured G1 phones in April, adding a… (more…)

Arbor announced a Linux-compatible tablet PC targeting medical applications, with a sealed, easily sanitized case. The “M1255” has a 12.1-inch touchscreen display, Atom N270 processor, 60GB hard disk drive, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, two-megapixel camera, barcode scanner, fingerprint reader, and an RFID reader, the company says. (more…)

Via has announced a new core-logic chip promising 1080p video playback from a tiny, power-sipping package. Aimed at netbooks and other mobile devices, the “VX855” combines northbridge and southbridge functionality, uses just 2.3 Watts, and measures only 27 x 27mm, the company says. (more…)

A community effort to create a mainstream open-source Linux distribution for tablets based on the Nokia-specific Maemo 5.0 environment is gaining momentum, says LWN.net. The “Mer” project, which targets older Nokia tablets as well as generic devices, has already passed major milestones, says the story. (more…)