Horizon Semiconductors has announced a system-on-chip (SoC) targeting “low-cost” universal high-definition DVD players/recorders. The “Hz7220 HD-DVD/Blu-Ray” features a built-in Linux-capable applications processor, and is touted as the first DVD player/recorder SoC to enable true 1080/60p decoding of HD-DVD and Blu-Ray formats, along with legacy red laser DVD format. (more…)

[Updated Oct. 11] — An embedded Linux vendor that helped pioneer Carrier Grade Linux has joined a group of network equipment providers (NEP). MontaVista claims its six years of experience integrating highly reliable Linux OSes will help the Scope Alliance promote the interoperability of COTS (commercial off-the-shelf) hardware and software for infrastructure equipment. (more…)

Via Technologies has announced a computer that attaches, piggyback-fashion to the VESA mounting holes on any VESA flat-panel display, turning it into a complete PC. Aimed at signage, kiosk, and other intelligent display applications, the vm7700 runs Linux, among other OSes. (more…)

Fabless chipmaker Cavium is readying a pair of low-power networking SoCs (system-on-chip processors) targeting passive optical networking and fiber-to-the-home/office (“xPON/FTTx) gateway devices. The single-core CN5010 and dual-core CN5020 will sample in Q4, while Linux development kits and simulators are on demo at the Broadband World Forum in Berlin this week. (more…)

A startup funded by some of the world's largest PC makers is reportedly set to unveil an interesting virtual Linux environment on Oct. 9. DeviceVM's “Splashtop” will reportedly let desktop and notebook PC users instantly and securely browse the Web, play MP3s, and watch DVDs without booting Windows. (more…)

The program has been announced for this month's Embedded Systems Technical Conference, set for Oct. 17 and 18 in Birmingham, England. Said to be the U.K.'s largest forum for the embedded system design community, the event is co-located with the Embedded Systems Show (ESS) 2007. (more…)

German mobile security specialist IICS has announced what it claims is the world's first Smart Card that fits into a microSD slot. Supporting Linux-based mobile and embedded devices, the “Certgate” incorporates 2048-bit RSA encryption and 512 MB or 1 GB of user-accessible memory, the company says. (more…)

Intel has launched an open source project focused on lowering power consumption in Linux-based systems and devices. The project, dubbed “LessWatts.org,” aims to “meet the growing demands for increased energy efficiency across the computing spectrum spanning servers in data centers to personal mobile devices.” (more…)

Sensoray has introduced a framegrabber module suitable for use in embedded devices running Linux or Windows. The 2251 framegrabber converts NTSC or PAL composite analog video into compressed MPEG and JPEG digital formats, and interfaces to the host system via high-speed USB, the company said. (more…)

Market analyst firm Evans Data Corp. (EDC) will discuss recent embedded market research data in a free webinar on Oct. 18. The presentation, by EDC President and CEO John F. Andrews, will present highlights and insights from a just-completed survey of 500 embedded system developers, according to EDC. (more…)

WiFi positioning system (WPS) technology provider Skyhook Wireless has announced a “major upgrade” to its WPS software development kit (SDK). The update improves positioning accuracy, supports a broader range of WiFi devices, adds compatibility with a wide variety of GPS software, and now targets Linux devices. (more…)

ARM Ltd. has unveiled a sweeping project designed to ensure that its processors support a modern Web browsing experience on mobile devices running Linux. Spearheaded by embedded Linux service provider Movial, ARM and unnamed partners will port GNOME, Firefox, and associated browser plugins to specific hardware based on ARMv5/6/7 architectures. (more…)

This article introduces the Origyn Web Browser (OWB), an open-source browser based on Apple's Webkit rendering engine and targeting consumer devices such as phones, portable media players, and set-top boxes. (more…)

Austrian hardware tools vendor Ronetix has released a new firmware update for its combo JTAG/BDM emulator and flash programmer. The update brings support for “all DaVinci CPUs with an ARM926 core” to the company's PEEDI (“powerful embedded Ethernet debugging interface”) device. (more…)

Trango is demonstrating its virtual processor technology running on multicore ARM11 processors, this week at ARM's developer conference in Santa Clara. The Trango Hypervisor will ship for ARM11 MPCore multiprocessors early next year, followed in Q2 2008 by support for ARM's new multiprocessor-enabled Cortex A9… (more…)