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Axiomtek announced a digital signage computer that adheres to Intel's signage-specific Open Pluggable Specification (OPS). Sold either separately or inside the 31.5-inch OFP320, the OPS860 module includes Intel's 2.1GHz “Sandy Bridge” Core i7 processor, 4GB DDR3 memory, gigabit Ethernet and PCIe, dual USB 2.0 ports, plus a VGA port.
The LinuxCon conference that ended Aug. 19 in Vancouver featured a 20th Anniversary Gala for Linux and plenty of discussions on a fast-changing industry. Highlights included a call for a long-term Linux kernel, keynotes from Red Hat CEO Jim Whitehurst and IBM Linux guru Irving Wladawsky-Berger, and fork-loving Linus Torvalds taking a mellow approach to the code rift with Android.
A DARPA-funded IBM Research “SyNAPSE” project has shown off prototypes of two cognitive computer processors that replicate the neural networks of the brain in silicon chips. Combining principles from supercomputing, nanotechnology, and neuroscience, the cognitive computing chips offer low power consumption and footprint and excel at multi-sensory applications, including playing “Pong,” checking inventory, or predicting the weather, says IBM.
HP announced it would discontinue its current WebOS operations, including the TouchPad tablet as well as the Pre 3 and Veer smartphones. The announcement came after reports of sluggish sales of the TouchPad, which has struggled in the market despite 20 percent price cuts.
Wind River has updated its Linux distro with a graphics stack based on GTK, X.Org, the Qt framework, and Wind River Tilcon Graphics Suite. Wind River Linux 4, Update Pack 2 offers Linux Standard Base (LSB) certification, Carrier Grade Linux 5.0 registration, and Intel Atom and Texas Instruments AM3x Sitara and OMAP35x processor optimization, the company says.
Samsung announced 2.5-inch solid state drives (SSDs) that feature 6Gb/sec. SATA interfaces, 500MB/sec. sequential read speeds, and 350MB/sec. sequential write speeds. Meanwhile, Intel said it will release new firmware for its SSD320 drives by the end of the month, fixing a bug that causes some to downsize themselves to a skimpy 8MB.
The WebOS-based HP Pre 3 smartphone is now available in Europe, and will “soon” be arriving in the U.S., says HP. Meanwhile, HP TouchPad sales are sluggish despite 20 percent price cuts on the tablets, and HP is now trying to push WebOS into cars and kitchen appliances, say two separate reports.
Portwell announced a Type 6 COM Express module that supports “Sandy Bridge” Core i5 and i7 processors and ECC (error-correcting code) memory. The PCOM-B217VG-VI-ECC offers up to 16GB of RAM, two 6Gb/sec. SATA ports and two 3Gb/sec. SATA ports, multiple PCI Express lanes, plus both eight USB 2.0 ports and two USB 3.0 ports, according to the company.
On the opening day of LinuxCon, the Linux Foundation's SPDX workgroup announced the first release of a standard for sharing open source license information. The Software Package Data Exchange (SPDX) 1.0 standard, which is part of the foundation's Open Compliance Program, provides a common format for sharing data about software licenses and copyrights, thereby streamlining and improving compliance.
Google has agreed to pay Motorola Mobility an unprecedented $2.5 billion in reverse break-up fees if its $12.5 billion acquisition fails to go through, says a report. Meanwhile, observers are debating the value of Motorola's patents vs. the baggage of its ongoing litigation, weighing the impact on other Android OEMs like Samsung and HTC, and glimpsing an opportunity for Microsoft.
ViewSonic says it's now shipping a Intel Atom-powered tablet that lets users run Android apps without leaving Windows 7. The ViewPad 10Pro has a 1.5GHz Atom Z670 processor, 16GB or 32GB of SSD (solid state disk) storage, a 10.1-inch touchscreen with 1024 x 600 pixel resolution, and up to eight hours of battery life, according to the company.
New details have emerged about the 28nm followups to AMD's successful E-Series and C-Series processors. The “Deccan” platform will reportedly include “Wichita” and “Krishna” chips that include quad cores, support for 1666MHz DDR3 memory, and a “secure asset management unit” that offloads DVD and Blu-ray decryption from the x86 cores.
The Genivi Alliance says the Linux Foundation's MeeGo In-Vehicle Infotainment (IVI) project is the fifth Linux distro that has been confirmed as Genivi compliant. Earlier this month, the open source automotive consortium announced a Genivi Compliance Program, listing Canonical's Ubuntu IVI Remix and Mentor Graphics' Embedded IVI Base Platform as compliant along with the more established MontaVista and Wind River IVI distributions.
Habey announced a mini PC that packs a 1.8GHz, dual-core Atom D525 processor and a Nvidia Ion 2 GPU (graphics processor unit). The EPC-6568S stands just 1.8 inches tall, but it has room for two 2.5-inch SATA hard disk drives, two Mini PCI Express slots, and up to 4GB of RAM, according to the company.
Eager as it might be to promote Ultrabooks, Intel has reportedly drawn the line at cutting the price of is Core processors in order to promote the devices. It's the latest in a tug of war between the chipmaker and Taiwanese vendors, according to ongoing DigiTimes reports.