Sasken Communication Technologies says its multimedia application/codec stack was licensed by Wistron NeWeb Corp. (WNC) for several Linux mobile phones due in early 2007. The phones will run Sasken's “Multimedia Subsystem Solution” (MSS) stack on a MontaVista Linux kernel and TI OMAP application… (more…)

Trolltech has enhanced its dual-licensed software stack for mobile device UIs (user interfaces), and has moved more of it to GPLv2. Qtopia 4.2.0 features new VoIP (voice-over-IP) and WiFi capabilities, while the Open Source Edition now includes everything in the commercial version except DRM (digital rights management) and telephony components, the company says. (more…)

Eurotech says it will embed IBM's Lotus Mobile Connect software into its “NanoPC” range of devices, including embedded PCs, network appliances, and wearable PCs such as the Zypad wrist-worn PC (shown here). IBM's Lotus Mobile Connect enables devices to maintain application connectivity while roaming disparate networks, Eurotech says. (more…)

[Updated Dec. 20] — MontaVista and WLAN (wireless LAN) chipset maker Atheros have founded an open source project aimed at enabling Linux to more easily support a wide variety of SDIO peripherals, including WLAN cards, bluetooth radios, hard drives, modems, GPS receivers, DTV tuners, cameras, voice recorders, biometric fingerprint readers, and business card scanners. (more…)

Asian Linux distributor TurboLinux is readying an iPod-like like device that doubles as a Linux boot drive. The “Wizpy” media player, set to ship in Japan in February, enables users to take their Linux with them, for added convenience, security, and privacy, the company says. (more…)

Linux was shot into space Dec. 16, as part of a second-phase Air Force Research Laboratory program aimed at making space more “operationally responsive.” The TacSat-2 (tactical satellite) program aims to create “micro satellites” that can be launched quickly and cheaply, to support tactical military operations. (more…)

[Updated 5:20 PM] — DB4objects is shipping a new version of its flagship GPL-licensed object database for Java and .Net objects. Db4o 6.0 boasts reduced memory usage and greater determinism, and is said to eliminate performance constraints found in earlier versions. (more…)

Hosted VoIP (voice-over-IP) infrastructure provider Solegy is promoting its custom softphone development services by offering free downloads of a softphone (software phone). The Solegy Softphone is based on open-source software and codecs, is fully customizable, and can be integrated with Solegy's “ServicePDQ” hosted services framework, the company says. (more…)

Atmel is shipping a low-cost embedded processor claimed to offer more bandwidth than other ARM9 chips, thanks to parallel buses and distributed DMA. The AT91SAM9263 targets data- and graphics-intensive applications, and is available with an AT91SAM9263-EK evaluation board that supports Linux. (more…)

This whitepaper discusses telephony server middleware aimed at de-coupling cellular modems from mobile phone operating systems. It was written by Blane E. Rockafellow, who co-founded TapRoot Systems, a telephony server specialist that has partnered with Microsoft, MontaVista, Trolltech, and Symbian. (more…)

Smartphones are beginning to move out of their traditional business-user niche, and into the mainstream, reports market research firm Telephia. Additionally, Western Europeans are acquiring smartphones at twice the rate of their U.S. counterparts, a new report from the firm suggests. (more…)

Some Linux- and Samba-based network storage appliances may not work with Windows Vista, writes Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols over at Linux-Watch.com. The solution is to configure Vista to use NTLM instead of NTLMv2 authentication, or else update the storage appliance to Samba server 3.0.22 or higher. (more…)

Logic Product Development (LPD) is shipping a small, component-like board integrating a Freescale i.MX31 applications processor with memory and I/O functions. The i.MX31 SOM (system-on-module) and associated development kit will support Linux soon, the company says, and target medical, industrial, wireless, and consumer… (more…)

O'Reilly has published a book for Linux users interested in learning to build their own kernels. Linux Kernel in a Nutshell describes how to build and install Linux 2.6 kernels, starting with downloading the source. (more…)

Foreword: This whitepaper discusses telephony server middleware that aims to de-couple cellular modem functionality from mobile phone operating systems. It was written by Blane E. Rockafellow, who co-founded TapRoot Systems, a telephony server specialist that has partnered with Microsoft, MontaVista, Trolltech ((more…)