The reviews are streaming are in. Three weeks after shipping, Nokia's second generation Linux-based Internet tablet, the N800, is being characterized as a flawed jewel by dozens of reviews in publications as diverse as BusinessWeek, OSNews, and MobileBurn. (more…)

Freescale has teamed up with Indesign on a hardware/software industrial POS (point-of-sales) device reference design. The design is based on 8- and 32-bit Freescale ColdFire processors, runs uClinux and other open source software, and targets high-security industrial system designs. (more…)

Ask Linux users what they find most annoying about Linux, and many will complain about device drivers — while the vast majority of PC components and peripherals work with Linux, some don't work at all, and others are marginal. A leading Linux kernel developer has proposed a solution, Linux-Watch.com reports. (more…)

Linux is among 15 featured technical tracks at this year's Embedded Systems Conference (ESC), Silicon Valley edition. Billed as “the world's largest international embedded technical conference and exhibition,” the event is set for Apr. 1-5 in San Jose, Calif. (more…)

Embedded Linux specialist TimeSys is among the sponsors of a Pittsburgh conference exploring the strategies and economics of open source software. The “Open Source Summit” will feature discussions of corporate open source initiatives, adoption, licensing, and business models, and will be held the evening of Thurs., Feb. 15. (more…)

An Italian electric power system manufacturer used embedded Linux as a key component of a system that performs remote sensing, data acquisition, and routing functions. RGM's AT91UL94 system runs Koan's KaeilOS on an ARM-based Atmel processor, and took six months to develop, according to Koan. (more…)

A well-illustrated technical paper comparing RTLinux, RTAI, and VRTXsa has been published by two Italian computer science students. Emanuele Mattei and Andrea Ludiciani conclude that the RTOSes offer comparable predictability, while RTLinux is the least variable and RTAI the most efficient. (more…)

A provider of high-availability (HA) middleware for distributed telecommunications systems will integrate and market third-party XML-based network management software. Enea says Tail-f's ConfD suite will improve reliability for customers of its Element HA middleware, by automating “tedious, time-consuming, and failure-prone” tasks involved in configuring complex distributed equipment. (more…)

American Arium is shipping a dot-revision to its hardware-assisted, Linux-aware debugging software for ARM, x86, and AMD64 processors. SourcePoint 6.3.1 adds better multi-threaded application debugging under Linux, a new project wizard, and faster load speed times for XScale processors, among other improvements. (more…)

WiFi software specialist Devicescape has broadened its business model, launching a service around a patented networking technique claimed to eliminate the complexities of end-user WiFi logins. The service is free to the public, but earns the company commissions from operators and royalties from device makers. (more…)

A self-described “world famous celebrity hacker” has managed to boot uClinux on Sony's MIPS-based PSP (Playstation Portable). Chris Mulhearn's port so far lacks support for key PSP peripherals such as the screen, but could interest hackers able to connect serially to the PSP's “remote headphones” port. (more…)

Labeling it “one of the biggest advancements in fundamental transistor design,” Intel on Jan. 27 said it is utilizing two “dramatically new” materials to build the insulating walls and switching gates for 45nm (nanometer) transistors. The company also said that five early-version 45nm processors are up and running. (more…)

In what appears to be a twist on the conventional wisdom that Windows systems are more vulnerable to viruses than Linux systems, some of TomTom's GPS navigation gadgets appear to have infected Windows PCs with a “low risk” virus. (more…)

Denx Software Engineering has updated its free embedded Linux distribution and development tool suite. “Embedded Linux Development Kit” (ELDK) Release 4.1 is based on a 2.6.19.2 Linux kernel and Denx's freely licensed U-Boot 1.2 bootloader, and features support for the Xenomai 2.3 real-time extensions. (more…)

The Open Source Development Labs (OSDL) and Free Standard Group (FSG) merged on Jan. 21, creating the Linux Foundation, a single entity aiming to take responsibility for Linux standardization, promotion, and protection. (more…)