Belgian electronic payments specialist Banksys is shipping a Linux-powered secure payment terminal with cellular networking capabilities. The Xentissimo is a portable, battery-powered device based on an SoC (system-on-chip) with dual ARM cores, the company says. (more…)

An embedded software specialist has ported Linux to a rugged PDA targeting military, transportation, industrial, and public service applications. SDG Systems will resell the Tripod Data Systems “Recon” PDA pre-installed with Linux. (more…)

A top provider of “firmware over-the-air” (FOTA) upgrade technology has joined a vendor alliance aimed at creating highly integrated Linux mobile phone software stacks. Red Bend Software has joined MontaVista's Mobilinux Open Framework partner program, and will optimize its FOTA product for deployment on Linux-based mobile phones, it says. (more…)

The Nokia 770 is buggy, but offers more web-surfing and mail-reading convenience than any other device, writes PC Magazine's Sascha Sagan, in a review of the once-more-delayed Linux web pad. (more…)

TimeSys has added support for a pair of Freescale processors to its online service product for embedded Linux developers. LinuxLink now supports the MCF547x and MCF548x processor families, the first ColdFire chips equipped with MMUs (memory management units). The chips target network-connected control applications. (more…)

Sleepycat Software has released a new version of its popular database, adding high-availability (HA) features, along with capabilities aimed at providing more developer control. Berkeley DB 4.4 adds in-memory replication, client-to-client replication, controls for throttling and delaying synchronization, and master election speed-ups. (more…)

OSNews has reviewed a small, inexpensive uClinux-based multimedia server that adds a hard drive-equipped multimedia jukebox to TVs and other displays. The MacPower TVisto Series 3.5 houses a 3.5-inch hard drive, and features an infrared remote control, and support for a wide variety of media files. (more…)

Texas Instruments is sampling a high-integration, high-performance OMAP 2-based SoC (system-on-chip) processor claimed to boost video performance up to 4X and imaging performance up to 1.5X, compared with currently available mobile phone chipsets. (more…)

Four software vendors will demonstrate an integrated Linux mobile phone stack in San Diego this week. MontaVista, Digital Airways, Sky MobileMedia, and stealth-mode startup Bluefin Mobile will show their combined offering running on a Texas Instruments OMAP smarphone reference platform at Sky's “World Handset Forum” event. (more…)

Trolltech has updated its software suite for Linux-based mobile phones. Qtopia Phone Edition (QPE) version 2.2 adds VoIP (voice-over-IP) capabilities targeting dual-mode and “converged” devices, among other enhancements. (more…)

An Australian government-sponsored research agency has developed an open source embedded microkernel and real-time OS that it says can provide a virtual machine environment for Linux. The NICTA (National Information/Communication Technology, Australia) L4 microkernel and Iguana OS will be adopted by Qualcomm for some mobile phone chipsets, making them the first NICTA technology to achieve… (more…)

A small embedded developer's conference has issued a call for papers for its second annual event, set for Jan. 23-24th in Dunedin, near the southern end of New Zealand's pristine South Island. “Embedded Miniconf” is part of Linux Conference Australia (LCA). (more…)

Kontron is sampling an evaluation kit for a tiny SBC (single-board computer) implemented in the company's PCI- and LPC-compatible CoM (computer-on-module) form-factor. (more…)

PMC-Sierra is shipping four highly integrated ARM-based system-on-chip (SoC) processors targeting sub-$70 (without drives) network storage and media server devices. The MSP220x SoCs are supplied with a Linux 2.4.18 BSP (board support package) and NAS stack, with media server software from Mediabolic optionally available. (more…)

LynuxWorks says its embedded OSes were used by industrial computing specialist B&B Electronics in a new line of wireless Ethernet serial servers. B&B's wireless Vlinx devices can run BlueCat Linux or LynxOS, and target harsh-environment applications such as factory floors where fragile wiring is not practical. (more…)