MontaVista's Mobilinux 5.0 Linux implementation for mobile phones was named a finalist in EDN Magazine's 2008 “Innovation Awards” for the semiconductor business. One of four finalists in the software category, Mobilinux is joined by Linux-compatible hardware finalists from Altera, Tilera, and Xilinx, among others.

(Click for larger view of the Mobilinux-based Motorola RAZR2 V8)

Based on MontaVista Linux Professional Edition, Mobilinux powers “90 percent of Linux smartphones,” according to MontaVista. Mobilinux 5.0 offers new security, power, networking, and quick-boot capabilities, along with footprint reductions, real-time improvements, and lower build costs.

Other finalists well known to Linux developers include:

• National Instruments Labview 8.5 — Among the first development tools to use a graphical development model, LabView's interface lets users graphically model their application by assembling function block diagrams. LabView recently gained plugins for ADI Blackfin DSPs and Freescale's ColdFire MCUs.
• Altera Nios II Evaluation Kit (development kits) — The Altera kit includes a royalty-free, 32-bit RISC softcore capable of running uClinux. The Nios II targets FPGA (field programmable gate array) based software-intensive custom processor designs where ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits) are too costly and time-consuming to produce.
• Intel 45-nm innovation team (Innovator of the Year) — Intel's 45nm process innovation team is one of three Innovator of the Year runners-up along with Stream Processors and Linear Technologies. The 45nm technology uses new materials that reduce transistor leakage while increasing performance. This week, Intel will be revealing new information about Silverthorne, one of the first processors to use the 45nm process.
• Tilera Tile64 processor (multicore microprocessors) — Tilera's first highly scalable, Tile64 products include a 64-core Tile64 SoC (system-on-chip), a PCIe Express add-in board for networking and video-processing, multicore-optimized Linux libraries, and an Eclipse-based multicore development environment toolset.
• Xilinx EDK version 9.2 (development kits) — Xilinx's Embedded Development Kit (EDK) supports application development on both hard- and soft-core based Xilinx FPGAs. Its MicroBlaze softcore has an optional MMU (memory management unit), offering “full” Linux compatibility.

Stated Jim Ready, CTO and founder of MontaVista Software. “We are pleased that EDN has recognized the 'significant advance' that Mobilinux 5.0 has delivered to manufacturers of mobile devices.”

Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on April 14th in San Jose, Calif. More information on the contest is available here.

 
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