Two tiny, heat-resistant Linux servers have become available in the U.S. for the first time. Japanese systems integrator Plat'Home's U.S. division has started shipping the OpenMicroServer and OpenBlockS, which come preinstalled with Linux and target server-room surveillance and other high-temperature… (more…)

ARM Ltd. and Intel are collaborating on a set of hardware and software technologies aimed at improving security in devices such as mobile phones, PDAs, and set-top boxes. The effort will integrate ARM's TrustZone hardware/software authentication with Intel's Authenticated Flash memory, targeting next-generation system-on-chip (SoC) designs, according to the companies. (more…)

By 2012, Linux will ship annually in 128 million mobile phones, or about 8.8 percent of all handsets sold, forecasts Informa in a new research report. The report also forecasts a bright outlook for other open source mobile technologies, including Java, WebKit, and others. (more…)

[Updated Oct. 15] — Wind River is set to kick off a multi-continent Carrier Grade Linux tour. The company will promote its “Platform for Network Equipment, Linux Edition” (PNE-LE) on multicore MIPS64-based ATCA hardware capable of 10Gbps Ethernet throughputs, in a free-to-attend roadshow that debuts at next week's ATCA Summit in Santa Clara, Calif. (more…)

TimeSys has extended its online embedded Linux customization service, adding support for the newest and fastest 32-bit processor core from MIPS Inc. “LinuxLink” support is available now for the MIPS 74K core, touted as the first synthesizable core capable of clocking over 1GHz, according to the company. (more…)

[Updated Oct. 12] — MontaVista launched an online evaluation system aimed at letting prospective customers easily evaluate its embedded Linux OS and development tools. The “TestDrive” system leverages Virtutech virtual platform technology and NoMachine network compression software to let users try MontaVista Linux and DevRocket tools remotely on several architectures. (more…)

The Mozilla Foundation will ship a mobile version of the popular Firefox browser in 2008, according to a blog post from Mike Schroepfer, VP of engineering. Schroepfer writes that “Mobile Firefox” (MoFi?) will be based on Gecko 1.9 with “significant changes” for improved performance and footprint. (more…)

X Media Research has announced a technology conference devoted to set-top boxes (STBs) and the “related technology ecosystem.” Set Top Box 2.0 will take place Dec. 6 in San Jose, Calif. (more…)

SANTA CLARA, CALIF. — Analysis — MontaVista's inaugural partner event this week attracted 400, including many long-time embedded industry vets. Well-run and successful, the “Vision” event nevertheless underscored the modest role embedded developers play in Linux development, despite an explosion in… (more…)

[Updated Oct. 16] — Qnap Systems has updated the firmware for its Linux-powered multifunction NAS (network-attached storage) devices, adding DLNA media-sharing capabilities usable with Sony's PlayStation3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360. (more…)

CCID Consulting, which claims to be one of China's leading market research providers, has released a report and forecast on the state of the country's embedded software industry. While the sector is growing rapidly, it still represents a minuscule portion of the nation's overall software industry, the analyst firm says. (more…)

CompuLab has introduced a tiny SBC (single-board computer) aimed at mobile device applications. The EM-X270 is based on a PXA270 processor, and integrates a touchscreen LCD controller, WAN, WLAN, and WPAN wireless, GPS, and an assortment of I/O ports, and is offered with a Linux OS. (more…)

A “significant portion” of development teams continue to use Linux as their primary embedded OS, a recent VDC survey finds. Additionally, the results suggest the trend will persist, “as the majority of current Linux users surveyed plan to use Linux again as their primary operating system on future [embedded] projects.” (more…)

Attendees of last month's Boston Embedded Systems Conference got a glimpse of where Microsoft thinks the device software market is heading. In his ESC keynote, Kevin Dallas, GM of Microsoft's Windows Embedded business unit, discussed four key trends that are influencing the evolution of next-generation devices. (more…)

Opera Software, Freescale, and NEC have collaborated on a port of Adobe's embedded Flash player plug-in to Opera's device-oriented browser on Freescale's i.MX31 multimedia applications processor. The port currently targets the Linux version of Opera for Devices, and will enable the viewing of “video websites” such as YouTube on handhelds, Opera said. (more…)