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Linux for Devices - RSS Feeds
Linux for Devices - RSS Feeds

PC sales to grow more slowly, IDC concurs
IDC analysts say consumer purchases of PCs will slow in the second half of the year, but that strong commercial sales will help offset some of the weakness. PC shipments will be up by 17 percent year-over-year, the research firm added, lowering its previous prediction of a 19.8 percent gain over 2009....

Cortex-A8 SODIMM module supports Linux, Android
Direct Insight announced a SODIMM-sized COM (computer on module) based on TI's Sitara AM3703 or DM3730, with ARM Cortex-A8 cores clocked at up to 1GHz. The SwiftModule-DM offers up to 256MB of RAM and 256MB of flash storage, and a touchscreen interface supporting up to 2048 x 2048 pixels, and is compatible with both Linux and Android....

Media players offer 3.2-inch displays, Android 2.1
Philips and Samsung have both announced Android 2.1-based, 3.2-inch portable media players (PMPs), primed to compete with Apple's newly upgraded iPod Touch. Philips' GoGear Connect reportedly includes Wi-Fi, GPS, and Android Market access, while Samsung's Galaxy Player 50 offers both a videocam and two-megapixel camera in addition to its multimedia capabilities....

Ubuntu's Maverick Meerkat sees beta release
The Canonical-backed Ubuntu project announced the beta release of Ubuntu 10.10 (& Maverick Meerkat& ). This latest version of the popular Linux distribution features Linux kernel 2.6.35, GNOME 2.31, and Evolution 2.30.2, among other updates, and also offers an enhanced Software Centre, a new sound app, and a Netbook Edition revamped with Canonical's & Unity& UI stack....

Module supports new COM Express Revision 2.0 spec
The PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group (PICMG) has announced formal adoption of the COM Express Revision 2.0 spec, ratifying the 3.75 by 3.75-inch COM Express Compact module size and adding Digital Display Interfaces. Concurrently, Kontron announced a revised version of its ETXexpress-AI COM (computer on module), adopting the new COM Express Type 6 pinout....

Strong early sales of $140 Android tablet surprise retailer
Beijing-based international online reseller LightInTheBox.com announced it has had two months of surprisingly strong sales of a seven-inch, $140 Android tablet. The aPad Android Tablet runs Android 1.6 -- with Android Market support -- on Samsung's ARM11-based 667MHz S3C6410, and offers 1GB of flash, an SD slot, Wi-Fi, and an 800 x 480-pixel screen, says the company....

Toshiba shows off 10.1 inch Android tablet
Toshiba Europe announced a 10.1-inch Android 2.2 media tablet, due for a fourth quarter release in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The Folio 100 runs Android 2.2 on an Nvidia Tegra 2 processor and offers a 10.1-inch, WSVGA display, but it lacks both GPS and Android Market access....

ARM Cortex-A9 processors get smaller, as 2.5GHz versions are tipped
Globalfoundries says it has reached a & significant milestone& in its production of 28-nanometer ARM Cortex-A9 processors, with silicon expected in late 2010. While initial clock speeds could reach an Intel Atom-beating 2.5GHz, the company said further performance boosts for 28nm are in the works, and also provided its first timeline for the introduction of 22nm and 20nm manufacturing....

Samsung unveils Android tablet with 3G telephony
Samsung Electronics announced its much-anticipated Android consumer tablet, due to ship in Europe in mid-September. The Samsung Galaxy Tab runs Android 2.2 on a 1GHz Cortex-A8 processor, and offers a seven-inch, 1024 x 600 capacitive touchscreen, a three-megapixel camera, a front-facing videocam, 802.11n, GPS, Bluetooth 3.0, and 3G with voice telephony, says the company....

HP and Hynix team up on ReRAM
HP and Hynix Semiconductor announced they've entered into a joint development agreement on a memristor technology called ReRAM, claimed to be up to 100 times faster than flash memory while using 1/10th the energy. ReRAM devices could start replacing random access memory (RAM) and flash within three years, and may eventually replace CPUs, too, say the companies....

Haptic technology targets Android tablets
Immersion Corp. announced technology designed to enable touch feedback effects for tablets and other devices running either Android or Windows 7. The & TouchSense 2500& solution has already been built into Toshiba's dual-screen tablet, the Libretto W100, the company adds....

HP netbooks get dual-core Atoms
HP has revamped two of its 10.1-inch netbooks to include Intel's recently announced, dual-core Atom N550 processor, along with optional Broadcom video accelerator chips. Both netbooks are available with Windows 7, but the Mini 210 also offers a Linux-based & QuickWeb& fast boot option, and the Mini 5103 is available with a full SUSE Linux installation....

Motorola spins rugged Android phone and a new Milestone
Motorola announced two new 3.7-inch Android phones, set for a fourth-quarter release in Europe. The Defy is a ruggedized dust- and water-resistant smartphone that runs Android 2.1 and MotoBlur, and the Milestone 2, available with Android 2.2 and a slider keyboard, is almost identical to the Verizon-destined Droid 2, but adds 720p video recording....

Daughtercards expand I/O for TI's programmable ARM9 SoCs
Mistral announced two Linux-ready daughtercards for Texas Instruments (TI) evaluation modules (EVMs), the latter already available with the chipmaker's ARM9-based Sitara AM1x and OMAP-L1x SoCs (system-on-chips) on board. The UART Expansion Module offers interfaces for soft UART, hard UART, and soft DIR, while the CAN Expansion Module provides soft CAN, and hard CAN bus interfaces....

Froyo tablet touted for Tegra 2, eight-hour battery
Hannspree announced a 10.1-inch, Nvidia Tegra 2-based tablet running Android 2.2, aimed at a European audience. The Hannspree Tablet offers 16GB of flash, HDMI output, 802.11/b/g/n, and claimed eight-hour battery life, and also supplies one key feature so far missing from many Android tablets: Android Market access....