O'Reilly Media and open source IT services company SpikeSource have teamed up on a new online source code repository that includes mobile device software. The just-launched “CodeZoo” site offers downloads and descriptions, reviews, comments, and material drawn from O'Reilly books, articles, blogs, and conference presentations, the publisher says. (more…)

VA Linux Systems of Japan will launch a Linux kernel failure analysis program this month. The “VA Quest” program includes code auditing, fault analysis, and professional services, and targets customers in telecommunications and other industries. (more…)

A global research community devoted to advancing Linux on Intel's 64-bit Itanium processor has formulated a plan to optimize the GNU Compiler Collection for Itanium. The Gelato Federation hashed out the plan at a January meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, attended by representatives of HP, Intel, and the GCC community. (more…)

Radvision has improved the API for real-time multimedia over 3G networks in its toolkit for handset developers, it says. The improvements to the “3G-324M” module of Radvision's Ensemble tools will hasten the arrival of high-quality, interoperable 3G-capable handsets, the company says, including those based on embedded Linux. (more…)

Motorola will re-launch its multimedia-oriented tri-band Linux smartphone in the Asia Pacific this month. The E680i offers 2GB of file storage, a VGA camera with 8x zoom, a QVGA touchscreen, and support for bluetooth headphones and other peripherals. (more…)

An extremely rugged military-grade PDA will soon gain a Linux port, thanks to a company specializing in vertical market software for the railroad industry. 10East has contracted SDG Systems to port Linux to TDS's “Recon” PDA, which meets MIL-STD-810F standards for drops, vibration, and temperature extremes. (more…)

A maker of trucks for the military market has used embedded Linux and an embedded database in a heavy truck's fault-reporting system. The Oshkosh A3 HEMTT (heavy expanded mobility tactical truck) runs Linux on an ARM 9E processor, along with the db.* database from ITTIA. (more…)

IBM has published the following technical articles, tutorials, and downloads on its developerWorks and AlphaWorks Websites. They cover a range of interesting (though not necessarily embedded) technical topics, primarily related to Linux and open source system development. Some require free registration. Enjoy . . . ! (more…)

Another extremely small embedded Linux system based on Digi's RJ-45 jack-sized ConnectME has surfaced. Atmark-Techno's miniscule Armidillo-J, available now in Japan, runs a little-endian uCLinux 2.4.22 kernel, and is available with several carrier board, case, and firmware image options. (more…)

Finland-based First Technology is offering a Linux-based network media player for signage and advertising applications in the transportation, hospitality, and corporate markets. The FXA-50 features a depth of less than 2 inches, LCD display options from 3.9 to 10.4 inches, and central management software supporting a variety of network transports. (more…)

Embedded networking and security software vendor TeamF1 says it is porting all its products to embedded Linux. It expects to release an embedded IPsec/IKE/IKEv2 stack and secure Wi-Fi stack in six weeks, followed in three months by a PPP/MP/MCMP/PPPoE stack, network address translator, packet-filtering firewall, and queue-based traffic shaper. (more…)

PC Magazine has reviewed a freely downloadable edition of Sun Solaris 10 for x86/AMD64. The release could have implications for Sun's ongoing viability in the telecommunications market, where x86 and Linux are proliferating. For the small business market, though, Solaris is still too complex, reviewer Robert Lipshutz finds. (more…)

An embedded software startup in Chennai, India, has launched two products targeting Linux-based devices. EmbWise's SDIOWorx is a framework for SD/MMC memory cards and SDIO peripherals, while WiSe-Zeroconf implements the IETF's draft Zeroconf standard — branded “Rendezvous” by Apple — for self-configuring printers, wireless access devices, and other peripherals. (more…)

This whitepaper by FSMLabs product manager Matt Sherer looks at “VxIT,” a VxWorks emulation layer that aims to provide developers with a strategy for transitioning VxWorks applications to real-time Linux. In particular, it shows how real-time VxWorks applications running under VxIT can transparently access the Linux filesystem. (more…)

Red Hat netted more money selling subscriptions for embedded products than from retail sales, during its most recent quarter, according to its fourth quarter and annual report for fiscal year 2005, filed today. However, both retail and embedded subscriptions were down, generally, while enterprise subscriptions doubled year-over-year. (more…)