A vendor of biometric face recognition systems has used Linux to build a smart camera claimed capable of identifying users without help from a networked server. L-1 Identify Solutions's VisionAccess 3D Face Reader is equipped with a Texas Instruments RISC/DSP SoC (system-on-chip) running MontaVista Linux. (more…)

TI is offering Linux camera application source code and free codecs with two new IP camera reference designs based on its RISC/DSP SoCs. The Wide Dynamic Range (WDR) model handles widely variable lighting, while a Video Content Analytics (VCA) model targets video analytics processing applications. (more…)

UK embedded software training firm Feabhas will host a pair of embedded Linux workshops at next month's Embedded Systems Show (ESS). Slated for Oct. 1-2 in Birmingham, UK, the event also features a “Build Your Own Embedded System” (BYOES) seminar using Linux and TI/DigiKey Beagle Boards. (more…)

Performance Technologies (PT) announced a faster version of its Intel Core 2 Duo-based AdvancedMC (AMC)-format single-board computer (SBC) for communications, security, data acquisition, and processing applications. (more…)

A startup company has announced a new virtual keyboard technology it claims will “change the way people input text on any screen.” Swype says its eponymous software permits text input at over 50 words per minute, via continuous finger or stylus motions. (more…)

LyngBox Media is shipping a Linux-powered set-top box (STB) designed for European satellite TV enthusiasts. The IP-ready LyngBox combines an HDTV receiver/recorder, dual DVB-S2/DVB-T tuners, and a 160GB hard drive, and offers daily updates to LyngSat Network's worldwide satellite programming guide, says the Swedish… (more…)

[Updated: Sept. 11, 2008] — Gartner reported a 15.7 percent rise in smartphone shipments in the second quarter compared to 2Q 2007. Linux, however, was alone among mobile operating systems to lose share from the previous year's 2Q, posting a 16.1 percent drop, says Gartner. (more…)

The Communications Research Center Canada (CRC) has created a prototype handset that can receive datacasting signals. Its Linux-based “Openmokast” phone is built atop OpenMoko's open-source Neo FreeRunner phone platform, and along with typical smartphone functions, supports reception of live digital radio, video,… (more…)

[Updated Sep. 15] — Azingo says it has integrated Adobe Flash Lite 3.1 web multimedia technology into the browser in its LiMo-compliant Linux stack for phones and mobile devices. (more…)

VersaLogic has modified one of its long-running single-board computers (SBCs) to operate fanlessly, using just eight Watts of power. The PC-104/Plus-based Cheetah EPM-32v runs Linux, targeting low-power embedded applications in medicine, avionics, or security, says the company. (more…)

No Starch Press is offering a free chapter of its book on using open source debugging tools. Written by Norman Matloff and Peter Jay Salzman, The Art of Debugging with GDB, DDD, and Eclipse offers readers advice and strategies for each tool, says No Starch. (more…)

The Bluetooth wireless spec will continue to prosper by piggybacking on higher-bandwidth technologies such as WiFi, says ABI Research. The firm forecasts Bluetooth radio shipments of 2.4 billion units annually by 2013, in part due to new “AMP” firmware that borrows radio time from WiFi and eventually, ultra-wideband (UWB). (more…)

[Updated: Sept. 9, 2008] — Bug Labs will ship its tiny, open-source ARM11-powered BugBase and three add-on modules in October, and will switch to Poky Linux. Meanwhile, a recent review finds the hackable Linux-based platform to be intriguing, but currently too “flaky” for typical consumers. (more…)

Ibase Technology has announced a mini-ITX single-board computer (SBC) with an Intel 945GC Express chipset. The MI940 is equipped with an LGA775 socket supporting Intel Core 2 Duo or Pentium processors, and it provides a gigabit Ethernet controller, USB and serial ports, and other interfaces. (more…)

Extreme Engineering Solutions (X-ES) started shipping a Linux-compatible single-board computer (SBC) that adheres to the VPX military/aerospace form-factor standard. The XPedite7170 is equipped with a 45nm Intel “Penryn” processor clocked up to 1.86GHz, and offers USB, gigabit Ethernet, serial, and SATA… (more…)