In case you're eager to read another review of the Sharp Zaurus 5600, here's one from PDA Buyer's Guide. The reviewer describes the unit thoroughly and points out some key strengths and weaknesses of the 5600 implementation. (more…)

Never one to have his thirst for “free beer” quenched, LinuxDevices.com contributing editor Kevin Dankwardt sets off on a quest to determine just how much freely downloadable embedded Linux software flows from the taps of commercial embedded Linux vendors' websites — and discovers that there's a lot more available than you might realize. (more…)

Writing at NewsFactor Network, Vincent Ryan notes that much secrecy often surrounds the technologies used in consumer devices, with the result that consumers may be unknowingly using gadgets containing embedded Linux. In an article titled “Where Are All the Cool Embedded-Linux Gadgets?,” Ryan examines some pros and cons of Linux relative to the resource and cost requirements of device designs, and… (more…)

Eagle Linux author and maintainer Michael P. Angelo announced the release of Eagle Linux 2.2, a Linux distribution which Angelo says can be useful for embedded Linux applications and educational purposes. The distribution is provided in the form of a freely available, open source document that includes detailed information on how to create a standalone floppy, CDROM, or embedded Linux system image, Angelo… (more…)

We last reviewed the availability of freely downloadable embedded Linux distributions (distros) over a year ago. In this update article we show that much is still available — some which is quite up-to-date, and some which is not. (more…)

Eason Technology recently introduced a family of Linux-based intelligent host-machine interfaces (HMIs) that are used in industrial automation applications requiring operator input and prompting, process monitoring, and connection to other control and process equipment. (more…)

The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Queue magazine interviewed Jim Ready, founder and CEO of MontaVista Software, to learn where Ready thinks the embedded market is heading, and what the likely role of Linux will be. Topics include: defining what embedded systems are; the characteristics, growing range of applications, and technical requrements of embedded systems and devices; the… (more…)

Eason Technology recently introduced a family of Linux-based “intelligent operator interfaces” that are used in industrial automation applications requiring operator input and prompting, process monitoring, and connection to other control and process equipment. The Eason 5000 HMI (human-machine interfaces) family currently includes… (more…)

The Data Storage Institute of Singapore has released the latest version of the open source (GPL) HyperSCSI network storage protocol client and server. The new version adds a Windows 2000 client driver which, although still considered to be under development, can be downloaded for evaluation purposes. (more…)

TimeSys Corp. (Pittsburgh, PA) announced that its embedded Linux and Java design wins nearly doubled between the first and second half of 2002, and continued to grow at that rate during the first quarter of 2003 (Q1 2003). Additionally, the company said that during Q1 2003 it significantly expanded its product line and grew the number and type of its strategic partnerships with hardware and system vendors… (more…)

Vytek Corp. has announced an engineering services program for companies wanting to accelerate development of smartphones, PDAs, web tablets, industrial controllers, and medical devices based on TI's OMAP system-on-chip processors. Vytek said its “Quick-to-Start” program offers design, development, and support services and supports embedded Linux, as well as several other embedded OSes. (more…)

CodeRally is a Java-based, real-time programming game based on the Eclipse platform that runs on many platforms including Linux and the Mac and is available for free download from IBM's alphaWorks developer website. According to IBM, CodeRally uses the Eclipse platform and a very simple API that allows users unfamiliar… (more…)

Avnet Cilicon announced a new development kit for designing embedded Linux based systems and devices using the Xilinx Virtex-II Pro FPGA, which includes built-in embedded PowerPC processor cores. The kit is said to target embedded applications in networking, storage area networks, high-speed serial interface and digital convergence applications. (more…)

In a bold move, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates unveiled a revised product structure and highly aggressive runtime pricing — as low as $3 — for the Windows CE .NET embedded operating system today, at the WinHEC (Windows Hardware Engineering Conference) in New Orleans. The revised pricing model is likely to make Windows CE much more competitive with alternatives such as Wind River's VxWorks, open source… (more…)

Following publication of his article about a high-res network camera based on a reconfigurable FPGA running Linux, it dawned on Andrey Filippov that there might be a significant — and mostly untapped — opportunity to combine Linux with reconfigurable FPGAs in a wide range of embedded systems and devices. (more…)