Linus Torvalds will discuss Linux in mobile phones, GPL licensing issues, his focus on desktop Linux, and other topics of the day in a podcast to launch at 9AM PST/12PM EST. (more…)

Motorola has announced a personal media player (PMP) and related broadcast transmission equipment based on the emerging wireless TV broadcast standard, DVB-H (digital video broadcast, handhelds). (more…)

A Chinese firm will introduce a line of Linux-based ultra-mini PCs (UMPC), one of which is said to be the size of a pack of playing cards. LimePC says its self-named product suite will be based on Freescale Semiconductor's MPC5121e system-on-chip (SoC). (more…)

A semiconductor firm announced a satellite-friendly, high-definition (HD) set-top box (STB) decoder chip that runs Linux. STMicroelectronics's STi7111 SoC (system-on-chip) is said to combine a decoder, network interface, and an integrated demodulator, enabling it to handle satellite transmissions as well as IP network input. (more…)

A new Linux-based portable media player (PMP) is equipped with a 0.44-inch, head-mounted OLED microdisplay visor with 800 x 600 resolution. Dreamax's Indicube i-800 PMP offers an experience equivalent to sitting seven feet from a 54-inch screen, the vendor claims. (more…)

An embedded, object-oriented database management system (OODBMS) has been deemed compatible with the Android mobile device platform. McObject says its open source “Perst” OODBMS for Java objects was verified compliant by the Open Handset Alliance (OHA), the industry group overseeing the… (more…)

Future X Technology of Taiwan has announced a compact development platform based on Freescale Semiconductor's i.MX21 system-on-chip (SoC). Presently known only as the “Freescale i.MX21 3.5-inch TFT handheld,” the device allows creation of portable devices that run Linux, according to the company. (more…)

Ralink Technology says it is now sampling a pair of single-chip 802.11b/g/n wireless networking subsystems. The RT3080 targets mobile devices and offers Linux support, while the RT3070 interfaces via USB, and targets PCs, access points, and other devices, Ralink says. (more…)

[Updated Sep. 16] — A Sunnyvale, Calif.-based start-up announced a WiFi- and GPRS/GSM-equipped navigation device based on a newly upgraded Linux-based mobile phone platform. Dash Navigation's “Dash Express” borrows both hardware and software components from OpenMoko's forthcoming Neo FreeRunner mobile phone, and… (more…)

The personal robot market will be worth $15 billion annually by 2015, according to an ABI report. Most personal robots shipping today use proprietary OSes, although Linux is slowly migrating from the commercial to the consumer robot market, according to an ABI analyst. (more…)

Timesys's 24th and 25th podcast episodes explain how to port a Linux kernel to a new hardware platform. Focusing on ARM-based hardware supported by a reference board, hosts Gene Sally and Maciej Halasz explain how to choose kernels and cross-compilers, set up bootloaders and machine IDs, and map devices. (more…)

An online developer community that distributes alternative Linux-based firmware for a low-cost networked attached storage (NAS) device has announced five new firmware releases. (more…)

Open source phone company OpenMoko will ship a new version of its user-modifiable Linux-based mobile phone next year. The “Neo FreeRunner” resembles OpenMoko's original Neo1973 model, but with WiFi, 3D accelerometers, and a faster processor, as well as a consumer market focus, according to the… (more…)

As 2007 winds to a close, the editors of LinuxDevices.com have assembled a retrospective aimed at highlighting major trends and events in the world of embedded Linux. Of the approximately 1,200 stories we published this year, these were the most important, in our opinion. (more…)

Throughout 2007, IBM's DeveloperWorks site has published a series of articles describing how to work with db4o. Collectively known as “The Busy Java Developer's Guide to db4o,” written by Ted Neward, principal, Neward & Associates, the series has now been concluded via a new article on transaction security. (more…)