MIPS Technologies is shipping “hard” versions of two processor cores it says have achieved rapid adoption over the past year as synthesizable, “soft” cores. The 24Kc and 4KEc hard cores target system OEMs, fabless semiconductor companies, and startups, and offer lower costs and risks than synthesizable IP cores, MIPS says. (more…)

ARM Ltd. has released a free API (application programming interface) to security extensions available for the ARM instruction set. The TrustZone Software API targets embedded device developers wishing to create secure, interoperable applications that work across multiple device categories, including mobile phones, portable media players, set-top boxes, and home gateways. (more…)

Opera Software has added a low-level graphics API to its user interface (UI) development toolkit for home media device developers. The addition of GOGI (generic Opera graphical interface) allows Opera's Home Media SDK to build interfaces for devices that lack Qt, X, or other relevant graphical libraries, the company says. (more…)

The Open Group has invited interested organizations to pilot a certification program for one of the IEEE's embedded real-time POSIX standards. Participants will beta test the Group's suite of software tests for compliance with IEEE Std 1003.13-2003 Profile 52, and receive special pricing on product certification in return. (more…)

TCL Mobile Communications (TMC) has used embedded Linux to build a high-end dual-band GSM/GPRS smartphone. The e787 features a 2MP camera, Bluetooth, multimedia players, an Internet phonebook feature, PC synchronization, and a document viewer from Picsel Technologies. (more…)

The five board-vendors behind the EPIC form-factor for compact, PC-compatible, embedded SBCs (single-board computers) today unveiled a next-generation spec that adds PCI Express. Dubbed “EPIC Express,” the new spec promises continued support for legacy PC/104 modules, and hints at a next-generation PCI Express-enabled version… (more…)

Jaluna has updated its platform virtualization product, adding features aimed at engineers building media-processing devices. OSware, Linux Edition for TI DSP v1.2 features support for C++ applications, among other new features, and is being used by customers to build IP-STBs and IP-videophones, the company says. (more…)

A company claiming to be the “world's largest independent design house for wireless devices” used embedded Linux to build its top-of-the-line smartphone platform. Cellon International says its C8000 mobile platform has already shipped in Europe under a major brandname — probably the Philips CT9688,… (more…)

MontaVista is shipping a new version of its flagship embedded Linux operating system. MontaVista Linux Professional Edition 4.0 (“Pro”) initially supports 25-30 processor families and a dozen reference boards — all from a “unified” 2.6 kernel source tree — and is the first commercial product offering “the latest real-time enhancements” for Linux, the company claims. (more…)

A Linux developer is organizing volunteers for a public “web station” project to assist Hurricane Katrina victims. The plan is to create numerous Linux-based public kiosks that boot directly into the Firefox browser and display a special home page with links to various services. In addition to offering disaster relief information and news, the kiosks will provide basic email capabilities via Yahoo!, Gmail,… (more…)

The Newisys NA-1400 is an inexpensive, “toaster-sized,” Linux-based Network Attached Storage (NAS) appliance with up to 2 terabytes of storage. It features a low-power XScale processor running a custom embedded Linux operating system, RAID, and room for four hot-swap drives. (more…)

Recent survey data from Parks Associates indicates that 13 percent of portable device users want their gadgets to have integrated live TV functionality. Parks dubs this “small but dedicated segment” of the market “Mobile Aficionados,” and suggests it may consist of more than 40 million Internet users. (more…)

The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) has approved Nokia's Linux-powered 770 Internet Tablet, suggesting the much-anticipated device could become available in the US soon. The 770 provides browsing, email, media players, and other basic Web tablet functions, and can connect via 802.11b or Bluetooth to a cellphone. (more…)

The market for mobile content and entertainment services in Western Europe could grow to 32 billion Euros by 2012, according to a new report from Berg Insight. Although 15 percent of mobile subscribers regularly access mobile content and services today, usage is not expected to reach 50 percent until 2012, primarily due to the lack of broadcast-quality transmission. (more…)

MiniMo (mini-Mozilla) developer Doug Turner has posted a mini-roadmap outlining four dot-releases culminating on Dec. 22 with MiniMo 0.012. The MiniMo project, rumored to be sponsored by Nokia, aims to build a version of Mozilla for small-display embedded systems with 64MB or more of RAM, running Linux or Windows CE. (more…)