Sparkpad has begun selling customizable display computers at sizes ranging from eight to 15 inches, complete with a touch-ready, Lua-based Linux SDK and promised Android support. Sparkpad's Wi-Fi enabled tablets and panel PCs run on ARM11-based Telechips 8902 processors, and are touted as enabling customers to develop and deploy their own touch panels, digital signage systems, and tablets quickly.

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Axiomtek announced a 3.5-inch single board computer equipped with a 1.1GHz Intel Atom Z510PT processor and an operating range of -40 to 185 deg. F. The SBC84826 can use up to 2GB DDR2 memory, and offers Mini PCI Express expansion, gigabit and fast Ethernet, four USB 2.0 ports, and four serial ports, says the company.

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The Linux Foundation has announced keynote speakers for the Embedded Linux Conference (ELC) 2011, running April 11-13 in San Francisco, and the co-located Android Builders Summit on April 13-14. The Android Builders Summit features a keynote from Motorola's Christy Wyatt, who will no doubt be grilled about the rumor that Motorola is building its own mobile operating system.

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Inflight telephony vendor Aircell announced its first Android-based phone, designed specifically for business aircraft. Due later this year, the Aircell Smartphone offers a 3.8-inch screen, said to be the largest available in the aviation telephony market.

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Kontron announced two fanless box PCs that offer a range of industrial interfaces. The CB 511 includes a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, CompactFlash storage, and a Mini PCI Express expansion slot, while the CB 753 offers a 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, two 2.5-inch drive bays, plus both a Mini PCI Express slot and another slot that can support either PCI Express x16 or PCI slots, according to the company.

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Foremay is shipping a NAND solid state drive (SSD) claimed to be the world's smallest SSD “disk-on-chip.” Its OC177 DOC chip measures only 0.87 x 0.87 x 0.07 inches (22 x 22 x 1.8mm), supports standard IDE or SATA host interfaces, and is available in 32GB capacities, with a read/write speed of up to 70/40MB/sec, says the company.

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Amazon.com opened its Appstore for Android, providing a service not offered by Google's Android Market: allowing users to sample apps before they pay for them. The Appstore launches with exclusive free downloads of “Angry Birds Rio,” and offers additional benefits such as its recommendation engine, but it already faces a lawsuit from Apple over its name.

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AT&T announced it will offer the 10-inch Acer Iconia Tab A501 tablet beginning this summer, featuring Android 3.0 running on a dual-core 1GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 processor. The Iconia Tab A501 will provide 4G cellular networking, offer five- and two-megapixel cameras, plus Android Market support, says AT&T.

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The Linux Foundation launched a MeeGo Smart TV Working Group with partners including Intel, MIPS, Sigma Designs, Nokia, Amino, MIPS, and Nokia. Meanwhile, Amino, the maker of the first MeeGo IPTV set-top box, has published a white paper on MeeGo IPTV security, and Linpus says it developed a MeeGo stack for the new Fujitsu LifeBook MH330 netbook.

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A growing number of Linux insiders have said that allegations about Google violating GPL licensing related to its use of Linux header files in Android are incorrect, with Linus Torvalds saying the claims “seem bogus.” Meanwhile, it has been reported that the chief legal scholar making the claims had formerly represented Microsoft, leading some to hint at a Redmond FUD ploy.

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Sprint used the CTIA Wireless show in Orlando, Florida to announce two HTC products that are 4G-ready and run Android 2.3. The HTC Evo 3D phone is equipped with a 1.2GHz Snapdragon processor, a glasses-free 4.3-inch qHD display, and stereoscopic five-megapixel cameras, while the HTC Evo View 4G tablet features a 1.5GHz Snapdragon, a seven-inch, 1024 x 600 display, and pen support, says the carrier.

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T-Mobile and LG announced a HSPA+ 4G smartphone running a stock version of Android 2.2, and also tipped a $530 price for LG's Honeycomb-based G-Slate tablet, said to be “coming soon.” The “T-Mobile G2x with Google by LG” includes a dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, a four-inch display, an eight-megapixel camera, and a front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera, says the company.

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The LiMo Foundation says it has approved four mobile device class specifications for the LiMo 4 mobile Linux stack. Citing first-time tablet support plus three different smartphone specs, the Foundation projects commercial releases within multiple LiMo classes starting in the second half of this year.

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[Updated: 9:40 AM] — Sprint announced a WiMAX version of the Samsung Nexus S phone, and according to one report, will soon unveil a seven-inch Evo View 4G tablet and a 4.3-inch HTC Evo 3D smartphone, both running Android 2.3. Meanwhile, the carrier criticized AT&T's intentions to merge with T-Mobile, which would leave Sprint at a disadvantage in a market dominated by AT&T and Verizon.

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AT&T announced a version of the LG Optimus 3D “glasses-free 3D” Android 2.2 phone optimized for its HSPA+ “4G” network. The LG Thrill 4G features a dual-core 1GHz processor, a 4.3-inch display, a five-megapixel stereoscopic camera, 16GB of flash memory, HDMI output, and access to an “LG 3D Space” content repository, says the carrier.

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