Linux Cellular

Analyst Predicts Android Overtaking iPhone In 2012

2009-10-12T14:56:00.001-07:00

Market watcher Gartner is claiming that by Q4 2012 Google's Android smartphone OS will have overtaken Apple's iPhone. Currently only the sixth most popular phone OS, Android is set to rocket into second place behind Symbian if the predictions are to be believed. The reason for the changing of the guard is that "many handset makers are betting their futures on Android, while Apple is just one company." 2012 rankings place Symbian at the top followed by Android, iPhone, Windows Mobile, and Blackberry."

Video of HTC’s Sense UI running on G1

2009-07-16T13:25:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.androidauthority.com

Video of HTC’s Sense UI running on G1

Just to show you that it can be done, below is a video of the augmented Android user-interface, HTC’s Rosie/Sense, running on a plain old G1. Thanks to HDblog.it, we can see the full glory of HTC’s Sense on the G1. Although your ‘With Google’ device may not be able to automatically gain an upgrade to this new HTC user interface, it doesn’t mean that without a little hacking, it won’t.

Dell may release an Internet ‘tapping’ device this year

2009-07-16T13:23:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.androidauthority.com

Dell may release an Internet ‘tapping’ device this year

By James Tromans • June 30, 2009 • No Comments

According to the WSJ, engineers at Dell are working on a pocket device for ‘tapping into the internet’. The more interesting part is that this device is alleged to run Google’s Android and measure up a little larger than an iPod touch. What’s more, the device may become available as early as later this year, as opposed to a 2010 launch that would probably be expected. With that said, rumour has it that the device could die an earth death in Dell’s labs before making it out onto shop floors.

Archos IMT with Android coming September 15?

2009-07-16T12:57:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.androidauthority.com

Archos IMT with Android coming September 15?

We’ve already reported on the upcoming Android Archos internet media tablet, and in truth we still are awaiting official release date announcements and the full specification sheet. However, according to Register Hardware, Tony Limrick, Managing Director of Archos Northern Europe, advised those in attendance of their private London event held yesterday to keep 15 September free for an Archos IMT Android announcement. We can only presume this will be when everything is going public.

Other than that, there is little in the way to update you on. We still have no further word on specifications, so we can only guess as to whether the 500GB device will still fit into a 1cm think shell and offer 7.2Mb/s HSDPA with a 5-inch display. We sure hope so. Other specifications are said to include:

Russian Android phone boasts dual displays

2009-07-13T08:42:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxfordevices.com

Russian Android phone boasts dual displays —
Vobis Computers is readying what it bills as the first Russian-market Android phone. The Highscreen PP5420 appears to be an Android-converted version of the Windows Mobile-based Mobinnova ICE smartphone, and includes a 528MHz Qualcomm processor, HSDPA support, and a secondary OLED touchscreen, says the company. ...

Nokia's open source mobile stack gets Qt

2009-07-13T08:41:00.003-07:00

clipped from www.linuxfordevices.com

Nokia's open source mobile stack gets Qt —
Nokia's Maemo.org announced that with the upcoming "Harmattan" version of its Linux-based distribution, it will switch from the Gnome/GTK+ application framework to Qt, enabling both the use of KDE desktops and cross-platform development for Maemo and Symbian. Meanwhile, Nokia has dismissed a rumor that it's developing an Android-based netbook. ...

223 million open source smartphones by 2014?

2009-07-13T08:41:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxfordevices.com

223 million open source smartphones by 2014? —
Shipments of smartphones with open source operating systems (OSes) will jump from 106 million this year to 223 million by 2014, according to a Juniper Research report. Meanwhile, Research and Markets has released its own study on mobile open source OSes. ...

Android on ARM "very snappy," analysts say

2009-06-16T14:53:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Android on ARM "very snappy," analysts say — Android running on ARM-based "smartbooks" looks "very snappy" compared to Windows 7 on an Intel Atom, Gartner analysts are said to have declared. Meanwhile, according to another industry report, Garmin-Asus says it will ship an Android-based Nuvifone smartphone by year's end. ...

Middleware supplies VoIP/video telephony for ARM devices

2009-06-16T14:52:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Middleware supplies VoIP/video telephony for ARM devices — Trinity Convergence has extended its mobile VoIP/video middleware software to enable a wide range of embedded devices with IP telephony and video. The Linux-compatible VeriCall Communicator is available in voice-only and voice/video versions targeting ARM-based devices such as video doorbells and surveillance systems, says the company. ...

Palm's Linux phone "exceptional," says reviewer

2009-06-16T14:51:00.003-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Palm's Linux phone "exceptional," says reviewer — The reviews appear to be largely positive for the Palm Pre, with eWEEK lauding its "exceptional design, aesthetics and usability." Both the smartphone and the Linux-based WebOS stack live up to their billing for ease of use, but battery life is a problem, says eWEEK. ...

Tutorial explores GNU ARM toolchain for Android

2009-06-16T14:51:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Tutorial explores GNU ARM toolchain for Android — IBM DeveloperWorks has published an introductory tutorial on using the GNU ARM toolchain under Linux, using Android as the example. Author Bill Zimmerly provides an overview of the ARM architecture and toolchain, shows how to install the toolchain, and then describes how to write and test a simple ARM/Android program. ...

MIPS to release Android source code by August

2009-06-16T14:50:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

MIPS to release Android source code by August — MIPS Technologies announced that source code for the Android port to MIPS released by Embedded Alley last week would be made publicly available within 60 days. MIPS also joined the Open Embedded Software Foundation consortium supporting Android, and announced that VioSoft will support the MIPS/Android platform with its Arriba tools. ...

Palm's Linux smartphone debuts

2009-06-16T14:49:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Palm's Linux smartphone debuts — As promised, Palm's Linux-based smartphone went on sale Saturday, available exclusively for Sprint networks, says eWEEK. Early reviews have been favorable, although analysts worry about the lack of software and the ability of Sprint to effectively market the Palm Pre (pictured), says the story. ...

Hypervisor spins virtual Android

2009-06-16T14:40:00.003-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Hypervisor spins virtual Android —
Jun. 04, 2009 —
Open Kernel Labs (OK Labs) is shipping an Android version of its Linux-compatible OKL4 hypervisor. "OK:Android" is an off-the-shelf, paravirtualized version of Android that enables Android to run as a guest operating system (OS) in a secure "hypercell" alongside another phone OS, says the company.

Android invades more netbooks, smartphones, and -- Moblin?

2009-06-16T14:40:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Android invades more netbooks, smartphones, and -- Moblin? —
Jun. 04, 2009 —
At this week's Computex show, Intel demonstrated Moblin running Android apps in a simulator. Meanwhile, Android phones were confirmed by Acer and Garmin-Asus, Acer announced an Android version of its Aspire One netbook (pictured), and Asus provided a brief glimpse of an Android netbook, reports say. ...

Google unveils Android 2.0

2009-06-16T14:39:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Google unveils Android 2.0 —
Jun. 03, 2009 —
Google demonstrated an early version of Android 2.0, codenamed "Donut," at the Google I/O developer conference, and handed out free unlocked Android Dev Phones (pictured), says eWEEK. Android 2.0 adds integrated local and web search, handwriting gesture UI, Google Translate, and text-to-speech features, says the story. ...

App stores to rule smartphone roost

2009-06-16T14:38:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

App stores to rule smartphone roost —
Jun. 03, 2009 —
Application stores and services will drive the smartphone market in the coming years, say reports from Ovum and In-Stat. According to Ovum, mobile apps will help make the Linux/Java-based Android the fastest growing smartphone OS by 2014, giving it an 18 percent share of a $406.7 million market. ...

Android port to MIPS completed

2009-06-16T14:37:00.005-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Android port to MIPS completed —
Jun. 02, 2009 —
Embedded Alley (EA) announced it is has completed its port of the Linux/Java-based Android platform to the MIPS architecture. The Embedded Alley Development System for Android-based Devices initially targets devices ranging from set-top boxes (STBs) to industrial equipment running the MIPS-based RMI Au1250 processor.

Qualcomm spins 1.3GHz Snapdragon

2009-06-16T14:37:00.003-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Qualcomm spins 1.3GHz Snapdragon —
Jun. 01, 2009 —
Qualcomm has announced a new 45-nm fabricated entry in its "Snapdragon" family of chipsets, targeting smartphones and a newly announced category of small-scale netbooks called "smartbooks." The QSD8650A includes an ARM-based, 1.3GHz applications processor, 2D/3D graphics accelerators, and "up to 30 percent lower" power consumption, the company says. ...

Qualcomm snaps to with "smartbook" push

2009-06-16T14:37:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Qualcomm snaps to with "smartbook" push —
Jun. 01, 2009 —
Several companies will announce low-power netbooks this week incorporating Qualcomm's ARM-based, Linux-compatible Snapdragon processor, which is being upgraded to a 45nm, 1.3GHz "QSD8650A" version. Qualcomm and rival Freescale, which manufactures the netbook-ready i.MX515, are both branding netbooks based on their ARM-based SoCs as "smartbooks."

Google predicts 18 Android phones this year

2009-06-16T14:36:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Google predicts 18 Android phones this year —
May 28, 2009 —
At the Google I/O Developer Conference yesterday, the company announced that it expects at least 18 Android phones to ship in 2009, according to an industry report. Google also announced that it will launch part two of its Android Developer Challenge contest in early August. ...

Android leaps to rugged handheld, and more phones

2009-06-16T14:35:00.003-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Android leaps to rugged handheld, and more phones —
May 26, 2009 —
SDG Systems is shipping a version of its ruggedized Trimble Nomad PDA that runs Android 1.5. In other Android news, photos of an Android-based, AT&T-destined HTC "Lancaster" smartphone have appeared on the web, and another report says that China Mobile will soon sell HTC's Magic phone. ...

Simulator runs Android apps on Ubuntu

2009-06-16T14:35:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Simulator runs Android apps on Ubuntu —
May 26, 2009 —
Canonical demonstrated a prototype version of an execution environment for Ubuntu that lets it run Android apps, says an industry report. The environment acts like a simulator, and is based on the Xorg X Window environment, says the story. ...

Modular open source phone runs OMAP3x SoC

2009-06-16T14:34:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Modular open source phone runs OMAP3x SoC —
May 20, 2009 —
Open source hacker community GizmoForYou is shipping a Linux hardware/software kit for building a modular touchcreen smartphone. Based on the OMAP35x-based Gumstix Overo Earth single-board computer (SBC), the Flow phone offers modules including GPS, 3.5G cellular, Bluetooth, WiFi, and a camera, says the group.

Palm Pre's price and launch date target iPhone

2009-06-16T14:33:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Palm Pre's price and launch date target iPhone —
May 20, 2009 —
Palm says its Linux-based Palm Pre smartphone will debut on the Sprint 3G network on June 6, priced at an iPhone-like $200, says eWEEK. However, the Pre is going to require substantial developer support before it beats the iPhone, eWEEK quotes a Gartner analyst as saying. ...

USB display technology heading for Linux

2009-06-16T14:32:00.003-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

USB display technology heading for Linux —
May 15, 2009 —
Linux users should soon be able to use USB-connected monitors that incorporate DisplayLink's chips. DisplayLink has released Linux versions of its USB monitor source code under LGPL, and has partnered with Novell and the Linux Driver Project to develop drivers for desktops and mobile devices. ...

Linux development service cracks DaVinci code

2009-06-16T14:32:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Linux development service cracks DaVinci code —
May 15, 2009 —
Timesys announced its first LinuxLink development subscription support for the Texas Instruments (TI) DaVinci architecture. The LinuxLink framework now supports TI's video-oriented DM6446 and DM355 RISC/DSP system-on-chips (SoCs), and provides Linux-based reference board device drivers and automated development tools, says the company.

ARM Cortex-A8 development board rev'd

2009-06-16T14:31:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

ARM Cortex-A8 development board rev'd —
May 13, 2009 —
Digi-Key is shipping a new version of the open-source BeagleBoard development board, once again using the ARM Cortex-A8-based Texas Instruments (TI) OMAP3530 SoC. BeagleBoard.org's BeagleBoard Revision C doubles memory to 256MB, adds a second high-speed USB port, and provides an LCD expansion connector, says Digi-Key.

Intel CEO: Linux to dominate MIDs

2008-10-20T11:41:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Intel CEO: Linux to dominate MIDs — Intel CEO Paul Otellini (pictured) reportedly told the Associated Press that Linux will dominate sales of mobile Internet devices (MIDs). Meanwhile, ABI Research predicts that by 2013, Linux will outsell Windows by two to one in the combined market for MIDs, netbooks, and UMPCs. ...

First Android phone deemed "solid"

2008-10-20T11:38:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

First Android phone deemed "solid" — eWEEK reviewer Andrew Garcia has posted an excellent, in-depth review of the first phone based on Google's Linux/Java-based "Android" OS. The T-Mobile's "G1" is a "worthy competitor" to Apple and the iPhone, Garcia writes, though enterprise users may wish to wait for bugfixes and missing features. ...

BusinessWeek.com gives details on Motorola’s Android phone

2008-10-20T11:36:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.androidauthority.com

BusinessWeek.com is reporting on what it says are details of Motorola’s planned Google Android based smartphone. BW is saying that Motorola’s inaugural Android effort will feature an “iPhone like touch screen” as well as a slide-out keyboard. It will also feature the Social Network features that we are already expecting.

BW says that Moto has been shopping around photos and spec sheets of the new Android phone over the past two months, and that the device is “likely” to be introduced in Q2 of 2009, according to anonymous “people familiar with Motorola’s plans.”

They are also reporting that the Moto Android phone will take some design cues from Motorola’s recently launched Krave ZN4, though they don’t know if such a device would feature the Krave’s touch sensitive clear plastic flip cover. Further anonymous sources tell BusinessWeek.com that the new device looks like a higher-end T-Mobile G1, but that it would sell for a price lower than the G1’s $179.99 price tag.

Palm quietly slips smartphones into mid 2009

2008-09-22T12:38:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.engadget.com

Not that many of you are still paying attention, but for you Palm die-hards we've got more news (bad of course) regarding the next generation OS. Dubbed Nova or Palm OS II, Palm's execs have routinely called for the OS to be running on handsets sometime in early 2009 following the end of the 2008 development cycle. Handset delivery was subtly changed to "first half" of 2009 during an analyst call with Palm's CEO last week. Now given the history here, it's pretty safe to call that a delay. Good luck to you Palm, hopefully for your sake someone does notice amidst the onslaught of Android-powered smart- and feature-phones from LG, Samsung, HTC, and others we expect to be flooding the market at that time -- you can't say we didn't warn you.

New agreement atempts to integrate sat / cell technology in mobil chip

2008-09-22T12:30:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.engadget.com

SkyTerra's Mobile Satellite Ventures, ICO Global Communications and Qualcomm have jointly announced today a partnership that could have far-reaching implications in the mobile realm. In short, the trio has agreed to "integrate satellite and cellular communication technology in select multi-mode mobile baseband chips," which will essentially enable handsets to have "ubiquitous mobile communications coverage from anywhere in North America, including areas where traditional cellular service is currently unavailable or unreliable." The release proclaims that this hookup will lead to satellite connectivity being in mass-market devices, but only time will tell how long it takes for compatible handsets to get adopted by carriers. Unfortunately, we do know it won't happen prior to 2010, as that's the planned ship date for the newfangled chips. Thanks for the heads-up, guys -- but oh, how the tease hurts us.

SGI frees up GL-related licensing

2008-09-22T11:30:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

SGI frees up GL-related licensing —
Sep. 19, 2008 —
SGI has radically simplified the license covering its OpenGL Sample Implementation, GLX, and other accelerated 2D/3D graphics software releases. Moving from five pages to three paragraphs, the new version of the SGI Free Software License B mimics the free X11 license, a non-copyleft license similar to the BSD license. ...

Nokia Linux tablets go 3G, OMAP3

2008-09-22T11:29:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Nokia Linux tablets go 3G, OMAP3 —
Sep. 18, 2008 —
Nokia's Linux-based web tablets may soon gain faster processors and built-in 3G cellular modems. Nokia executive Ari Jaaksi revealed today in a keynote at the Open Source in Mobile show that Nokia will add 3G/HSPA capabilities to an OMAP3-optimized Maemo 5 release for the tablets. ...

OpenMoko used as security penetration testing device

2008-09-22T11:27:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Open source phone audits networks —
Sep. 22, 2008 —
A startup called NeoPwn has customized the OpenMoko Neo FreeRunner to act as a network security penetration testing device. Booting BackTrack Linux off a MicroSD card to perform penetration testing (pentesting), the NeoPwn is the first network auditing distribution for a mobile phone, claims the company. ...

Maemo gains KOffice port

2008-09-09T09:24:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Maemo gains KOffice port — [Updated Sep. 8] -- A blogger on KDEdevelopers.org has ported the KDE-based KOffice office suite to the Maemo distribution used with Nokia's Internet Tablets. The port between the two Linux-based environments is functional, but still has some problems, according to the poster, "mkruisselbrink." ...

"Olympics" phone runs Linux

2008-09-09T09:23:00.003-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

"Olympics" phone runs Linux — China Unicom is distributing a Samsung Electronics phone that runs a mobile Linux stack from Mizi Research, a company that will soon be acquired by Wind River. Samsung's "Olympics" phone, also called the SCH-i859, is equipped with a Marvell PXA300 processor and a 2.8-inch touchscreen. ...

Android Challenge winners push location awareness

2008-09-09T09:23:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Android Challenge winners push location awareness — Google and the Open Handset Alliance (OHA) have announced the final winners for part one of the Android Developer Challenge. The OHA granted ten $275,000 awards and ten $100,000 awards for the best applications created for the Linux- and Java-based Android mobile phone platform. ...

Wind River buys Mizi Research

2008-09-09T09:22:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Wind River buys Mizi Research — Wind River announced it will acquire a Korean developer of Linux mobile GUI stacks. The $16 million acquisition of privately-held Mizi Research will bring Wind River "world-class mobile expertise" and will "accelerate its mobile services presence in Asia Pacific," says the company. ...

Intel acquires "Poky Linux"

2008-09-09T09:21:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Intel acquires Linux distro developer — "Poky Linux" and Matchbox developer OpenedHand announced that it has been acquired by Intel Corp. The U.K.-based embedded Linux services team will join the Intel Open Source Technology Center, and will focus on Moblin development for mobile Internet devices and other mobile devices. ...

Open-source phone getting WiFi sign-on port

2008-08-22T15:38:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Open-source phone getting WiFi sign-on port —
Aug. 19, 2008 —
Hacker Holden Karau is porting the Devicescape Connect WiFi sign-on client to the Linux-based, open-source OpenMoko Neo Freerunner phone. The port, which uses the FreeRunner's new Qtopia-flavored stack, could turn out to be the first commercial application ported to the FreeRunner, says Karau.

Nokia to buy, free Symbian

2008-07-24T13:54:00.003-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Nokia to buy, free Symbian —
Jun. 24, 2008 —
[Updated 2:15PM] -- Nokia will buy the rest of Symbian, and release the smartphone OS under an open source license. The OS will be governed and owned by a Symbian Foundation formed by Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Ericcson, Panasonic, Siemens, AT&T, LG, Samsung, STMicroelectrics, TI, and Vodafone. ...

Nokia OS director on Symbian buy

2008-07-24T13:54:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Nokia OS director on Symbian buy —
Jun. 24, 2008 —
[Updated Jun. 25] -- Following today's news that Nokia will release Symbian as open source, LinuxDevices spoke with Ari Jaaksi, Nokia's director of open source. We asked Dr. Jaaksi how the move affects the company's Linux strategy, participation in Maemo.org, and its strategy regarding Trolltech tools. ...

Mobile Linux groups merge (Lips & Limo)

2008-07-24T13:52:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Mobile Linux groups merge —
Jun. 26, 2008 —
[Updated: Jun. 26, 2008] -- The Linux Phone Standards (LiPS) Forum announced that it will fold its standards-development activities and membership into the LiMo Foundation in July. The merge appears to bring British Telecom and Telecom Italia to LiMo, along with several key technology vendors. ...

Blogger unpacks Linux-based phone

2008-07-24T13:42:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Blogger unpacks Linux-based phone — Out in the blogosphere (which we believe is somewhere near "the Internets,") the OpenMoko Neo FreeRunner is getting unpacked, photographed, and examined. On Holden Karau's blog, he describes difficulties getting the FreeRunner working with an AT&T SIM card, but dubs the voice quality "pretty awesome."

OpenMoko Freerunner phone named W.E. Phone in US

2008-07-24T11:33:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Distributor spins "W.E. phone" — [Updated: 1PM PST] -- Mississauga, Ontario-based Koolu Inc. has agreed to distribute OpenMoko's Linux-based Neo FreeRunner in the Americas, the U.K., and the European Union. Koolu is distributing the FreeRunner under the name W.E. Phone, and is bundling it with Google Apps. ...

News: Timesys rolls out OMAP35xx support

2008-07-24T11:30:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

DIY Linux service supports Cortex-A8 — Timesys is offering a LinuxLink subscription for the Texas Instruments OMAP35xx line of system-on-chips (SoCs). The subscription includes the new 2.6.26 Linux kernel, toolchain, and hundreds of prebuilt, ready-to-use RFS (root file system) packages optimized for the processors, says Timesys. ...

Trango Virtual Prcessors demonstrated on OMAP3

2008-07-24T11:23:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Cortex-A8 runs Linux-friendly hypervisor — French embedded virtualization firm Trango Virtual Processors is demonstrating a version of its virtualization technology that supports the Texas Instruments OMAP3 line of system-on-chip (SoC) processors. The Linux-ready Trango Hypervisor is being demo'd on the mobile-phone targeted OMAP3430 at Expo Comm Wireless Japan this week. ...

Nokia OS director on Symbian buy

2008-06-24T16:53:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Nokia OS director on Symbian buy —
Jun. 24, 2008 —
Following today's news that Nokia will release Symbian as open source, LinuxDevices spoke with Ari Jaaksi, Nokia's director of open source. We asked Dr. Jaaksi how the move affects the company's Linux strategy, including its participation in Maemo.org, and its strategy regarding Trolltech tools offerings. ...

Nokia to buy, free Symbian

2008-06-24T16:52:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Nokia to buy, free Symbian —
Jun. 24, 2008 —
[Updated 2:15PM] -- Nokia will buy the rest of Symbian, and release the smartphone OS under an open source license. The OS will be governed and owned by a Symbian Foundation formed by Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Ericcson, Panasonic, Siemens, AT&T, LG, Samsung, STMicroelectrics, TI, and Vodafone. ...

Google Android deadline slips

2008-06-24T16:51:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Google Android deadline slips —
Jun. 23, 2008 —
Google now expects Linux-based Android phones to ship in the fourth quarter instead of the second half of this year, according to a report. Reasons for the delays reportedly include language glitches, last-minute changes from Google, and issues over carrier branding. ...

HD surveillance camera design runs homespun Linux

2008-06-24T16:50:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

HD surveillance camera design runs homespun Linux —
Jun. 23, 2008 —
Marseilles, France-based Nexvision has announced a network IP (Internet protocol) video camera design that incorporates the Texas Instruments (TI) DaVinci TMS320DM6467 processor. The Linux-based CamHD hardware/software reference design is equipped with an Altera Cyclone III FPGA (field-programmable gate array), and boasts a claimed 1080P HD resolution. ...

Mobile WiMAX chipset boasts low idle current, tiny footprint

2008-06-24T16:49:00.003-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Mobile WiMAX chipset boasts low idle current, tiny footprint —
Jun. 18, 2008 —
Fujitsu Microelectronics America, Inc. (FMA) announced a mobile WiMAX chipset optimized for WiMAX peripherals for PCs, smartphones, and PDAs. According to Fujitsu, the 12x12mm Mobile WiMAX chipset offers a sub-0.5mA idle current, and supports Linux and Windows Mobile operating systems. ...

Freescale ports CodeWarrior tools to Eclipse

2008-06-24T16:49:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Chip vendor joins Eclipse, ports dev tools —
Jun. 18, 2008 —
Freescale Semiconductor announced it is porting its Linux-compatible CodeWarrior development tools to the Eclipse open architecture platform. Freescale is also joining the Eclipse Foundation and will work with Power.org and Wind River on the Eclipse Target Communication Framework project, says the company.

Nokia completes Trolltech acquisition

2008-06-24T16:48:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Nokia completes Trolltech acquisition —
Jun. 18, 2008 —
Finland-based handset manufacturer Nokia announced that it has completed its acquisition of Trolltech. The Norwegian software firm's development talent -- together with its Linux-compatible "Qt" application development framework -- is likely to help Nokia improve its cross-platform support, and expand its presence in the Linux mobile device market. ...

Linux top OS in MIDs

2008-06-24T16:47:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Linux top OS in MIDs —
Jun. 13, 2008 —
Linux will be a top OS in MIDs (mobile Internet devices), suggests a report from Forward Concepts. The report, aimed at quantifying MID-related opportunities for chip makers, identifies TI and Qualcomm as well-positioned in an emergent market expected to reach 40 million unit shipments globally within four years. ...

Linux gains "embedded" maintainers

2008-05-30T16:10:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Linux gains "embedded" maintainers —
May 27, 2008 —
Linux kernel development is funded mostly by "enterprise" interests; yet, Linux is the top OS in devices and embedded systems. Now, two "embedded" maintainers have been added, and an official "linux-embedded" mailing list launched, to ensure that embedded interests are represented under Linux's meritocratic governance model. ...

Linux phone design house opens Korean office

2008-05-30T16:07:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Linux phone design house opens Korean office —
May 22, 2008 —
A French company that designs mobile phones based on Linux and the LiMo Platform has announced the opening of a sales office in Seoul, Korea. The new Purple Labs office will be run by Grant Jang, reporting to Gordon Tsang (pictured), the company's SVP for Asia. ...

Single-chip GPS receiver supports Linux

2008-05-30T16:06:00.001-07:00

GPS will eventually become a standard in cell phones.

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Single-chip GPS receiver supports Linux —
May 21, 2008 —
Taiwanese vendor SkyTraq has announced what it claims to be the world's highest-integration single-chip GPS receiver. The Linux-compatible Venus634LP measures one square centimeter, and integrates an LNA (low noise amplifier), SAW (surface acoustic wave) filter, GPS RF front end, and Venus6 baseband processor.

Google shows off Android goodies

2008-05-30T16:04:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Google shows off Android goodies —
May 29, 2008 —
Search giant Google yesterday demonstrated gesture- and touchscreen-based password entry on a prototype Linux Android phone, according to reports. Part of a Google developer conference, the demonstration also reportedly showed off a "compass" feature that adjusts Google Maps' Street View according to the user's orientation. ...

Ten Android Challenge winners featured

2008-05-29T12:55:00.001-07:00

clipped from linuxdevices.com

Ten Android Challenge winners featured —
May 20, 2008 —
Location awareness seems be the common thread of the hottest new Android apps, according to an eWeek article. Clint Boulton's story there briefly profiles ten winners of the recent Android Challenge, most of which tap the Android design's GPS device. ...

Netflix Player runs Linux

2008-05-29T12:23:00.001-07:00

Ok - it's not about cellular - but I liked it.

clipped from linuxdevices.com

Netflix Player runs Linux —
May 20, 2008 —
[Updated May 23] -- Netflix is offering a $100 set-top box aimed at enabling subscribers to stream movies on demand, using a broadband Internet connection. The player runs Linux, and is supplied by Roku, a California-based company known for its Linux-based PVRs (personal video recorders). ...

World's cheapest Linux-based laptop?

2008-05-29T12:20:00.001-07:00

Nice - too bad it's mips. I would have preferred ARM based.

clipped from linuxdevices.com

World's cheapest Linux-based laptop? —
May 20, 2008 —
A Hong Kong-based manufacturer is shipping a Linux-based ultra-mini PC (UMPC) laptop for only $250 ($180 in volume), which appears to give it the lowest price yet for a Linux laptop. Bestlink's Alpha 400 offers a 400MHz CPU and a 7-inch, truecolor display.

Verizon Wireless, seven others join Linux phone org

2008-05-29T12:11:00.003-07:00

clipped from linuxdevices.com

Verizon Wireless, seven others join Linux phone org —
May 14, 2008 —
[Updated May 15] -- Verizon Wireless has chosen Linux as its "platform of choice," it said. Starting with feature phones in 2009, followed by iPhone competitors, Verizon will offer Linux phones compliant with specifications from the Linux Mobile Foundation (LiMo), an industry group it and seven other companies joined today. ...

Android Developer Challenge announces first-round winners

2008-05-29T12:11:00.001-07:00

clipped from linuxdevices.com

Android Developer Challenge announces first-round winners —
May 13, 2008 —
The Open Handset Alliance (OHA) has announced 46 winners out of 1,788 submissions for the first round of the Google Android Developer Challenge. Each winner earns $25,000, with the chance to compete for awards of $275,000 and $100,000 in later rounds.

Lightweight browser ported to Linux-friendly DSP

2008-05-29T12:07:00.001-07:00

clipped from linuxdevices.com

Lightweight browser ported to Linux-friendly DSP —
May 13, 2008 —
Japanese phone stack vendor Access has ported its lightweight NetFront Browser (pictured at left) to support Analog Devices' (ADI) Blackfin digital signal processor (DSP). The combined, Linux-compatible technologies are aimed at Internet-enabled devices such as the IP set-top boxes (STBs). ...

Balanced XIP and the AXFS filesystem

2008-05-29T11:57:00.001-07:00

clipped from linuxdevices.com

Balanced XIP and the AXFS filesystem —
May 09, 2008 —
This whitepaper compares four approaches to storing program code on flash memory, including eXecute-in-place (XIP), fully shadowed, demand paging, and "balanced" XIP. It concludes that balanced XIP can save memory costs, while lowering launch time, especially when used with the open source AXFS (advanced XIP filing system) for Linux. ...

Sun demo's RIA tools on Android

2008-05-29T11:53:00.001-07:00

clipped from linuxdevices.com

Sun demo's RIA tools on Android —
May 08, 2008 —
At this year's JavaOne conference, Sun Microsystems demonstrated its JavaFX technology for creating Rich Internet Applications (RIAs). The Linux-based, GPL-licensable technology will first appear for desktop operating systems (OSes) this Fall, says Sun, with JavaFX Mobile and JavaFX TV due in Spring 2009. ...

New Palms on horizon?

2008-05-29T11:50:00.001-07:00

clipped from linuxdevices.com

New Palms on horizon? —
May 07, 2008 —
According to TamsPPC -- the PocketPC Blog, Palm is rallying software partners for a Q3 launch of two Treo successors. The blog reported an insider tip on two Palm smartphones code-named "Zeppelin" and "Skywriter," which have been rumored to run Linux and/or Windows Mobile. ...

Ubuntu ported to a PDA

2008-05-29T11:45:00.001-07:00

clipped from linuxdevices.com

Ubuntu ported to a PDA —
May 07, 2008 —
Ubuntu Linux 7.04 is now available for Sharp's Zaurus PDAs. The 0.1 release comes with a minimalist filesystem that can be launched in an emulator, enhanced with software from the vast Ubuntu archives, and then flashed onto a real Zaurus. ...

Linux phone maker updates tools

2008-05-29T11:41:00.001-07:00

clipped from linuxdevices.com

Linux phone maker updates tools —
May 06, 2008 —
Motorola will preview native Linux and Webkit widget development tools for mobile phones this quarter, it said. Additionally, at JavaOne this week, the handset vendor launched updated Java ME (Micro Edition) tools, and announced a beta release of Symbian UIQ development tools. ...

World's first "pico projector" debuts -- but where's the Linux?

2008-05-29T11:40:00.001-07:00

clipped from linuxdevices.com

World's first "pico projector" debuts -- but where's the Linux? —
May 02, 2008 —
Sunlink International has announced a Windows CE-based PMP (personal media player) with a built-in "pico projector." The battery-operated, index card-sized "SunView Mobile PMP" features an adjustable-focus FLC (ferroelectric liquid crystal) projector claimed capable of casting a 54-inch VGA (640x480) image up to two meters (6.5 feet). ...

Qt rev'd

2008-05-07T12:28:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Qt rev'd — Trolltech has released a new version of its cross-platform application development framework. Qt 4.4 incorporates the open source Webkit browser engine, Phonon multimedia framework, and Qt Concurrency threads library for multicore, while adding support for Windows CE and Windows Mobile as build targets. ...

Access confirms NTT DoCoMo win

2008-04-22T13:08:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Access confirms NTT DoCoMo win — Access says work has begun adapting its Linux-based mobile phone stack to work with Japanese mobile phone marketshare leader NTT DoCoMo's 3G network. DoCoMo will begin distributing 3G FOMA phones based on Access Linux Platform (ALP) and an operator-specific pack in the second half of 2009, Access said. ...

Ubuntu ported to ARM N800

2008-04-21T12:24:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Ubuntu ported to ARM — A Nokia-sponsored project is porting Ubuntu Linux to the ARM architecture. The "Handheld Mojo" team has completed ARM builds of Feisty Fawn (dubbed "Frisky Firedrake") and Gutsy Gibbon ("Grumpy Griffin"), with Hardy Heron compilation starting soon. ...

Linux 2.6.25 release bolsters ARM

2008-04-18T12:34:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Linux 2.6.25 release bolsters ARM —
Apr. 17, 2008 —
The Linux community has released a new kernel that could have a major impact on personal computing, writes Henry Kingman on Linux-Watch. Release 2.6.25's support for the ARM-based Marvell Orion architecture could improve ARM's ability to fend off competition from x86, he suggests. ...

Linux phone stack firm hires CMO

2008-04-15T15:49:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Linux phone stack firm hires CMO —
Apr. 12, 2008 —
Mobile Linux software company Azingo announced the hire of a new CMO. Former Saba and PalmSource exec Gabi Schindler (pictured at left) will manage corporate marketing, product marketing, and ecosystem development, says Azingo.

Mobile Firefox gets speedup, design tweaks

2008-04-10T15:19:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Mobile Firefox gets speedup, design tweaks —
Apr. 10, 2008 —
The Mozilla Foundation says the mobile version of Firefox, planned for release later this year, has been sped up nearly 600 percent in its latest builds. The evolving product, which will run on Linux-based devices, has also received several interesting new user interface (UI) proposals. ...

N810 Android, anyone?

2008-04-09T11:57:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

N810 Android, anyone? —
Apr. 09, 2008 —
A website has published instructions on how to install Google's Android Java stack on real hardware with ARM926 and later cores, running Linux 2.6.23 and later kernels. The instructions can be used to install Android on Nokia's Linux-based N810 web tablet, the article suggests. ...

Nokia tablet gains WiMAX

2008-04-04T12:24:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Nokia tablet gains WiMAX — Nokia announced a WiMAX version of its Linux-based Nokia N810 Internet Tablet. Aside from the new WiMAX radio, the WiMAX Edition appears to offer identical hardware to the original N810, but offers a pre-installed version of Nokia's new Linux-based "Tablet OS2008" operating system (OS). ...

Linux powers TV-enabled mobile phone

2008-04-04T12:16:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Linux powers TV-enabled mobile phone — [Updated Apr. 1] -- Motorola has used Linux to build a 3G, touchscreen-enabled mobile phone that can receive and record video broadcast in DVB-H format (digital video broadcast, handhelds). The MobileTV DH02 boasts gesture-based UI, Bluetooth, a GPS receiver, and voice-assisted navigation software, Motorola says. ...

LiMo completes first mobile spec release

2008-04-04T12:15:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

LiMo completes first mobile spec release — The LiMo Foundation met its deadline by unveiling the first release of its Linux-based mobile device platform, LiMo Platform Release 1. The industry consortium also announced that Texas Instruments (TI) was joining the group as a Core member. ...

Hardware-assisted debugger supports Linux, Cortex-A8-based SoC

2008-04-04T12:13:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Hardware-assisted debugger supports Linux, Cortex-A8-based SoC — Germany-based Lauterbach announced that its hardware-assisted debugger now supports TI's new OMAP35XX family of DaVinci processors. Trace32 PowerTools support Linux both as a target OS and development host, and can be used to debug high-level languages (HLLs) and assembler, program flash, and do real-time traces. ...

Time-to-evaluation is key

2008-04-04T12:01:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Time-to-evaluation is key — This paper describes how chip vendor-supplied, Linux-based evaluation kits affect time-to-evaluation, and ultimately time-to-market for product companies and consultants alike. It was written by Alan R. Weiss, a 26-year veteran of the embedded market, and includes candid appraisals of kits from three vendors. ...

Home automation system gains Linux-based controller

2008-04-04T11:58:00.001-07:00

Based on the TI DaVinci processor.

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Home automation system gains Linux-based controller —
Mar. 27, 2008 —
[Updated Mar. 29] -- Control4 has added to its line of Linux-based, ZigBee-compatible home automation/media networking products with a new controller. The Control4 Home Controller HC-500 interfaces with home theater appliances, multi-room music access, lighting, thermostats, and security systems, and comes with a Linux ...

Low-cost IP camera design comes with Linux

2008-04-04T11:54:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Low-cost IP camera design comes with Linux —
Mar. 25, 2008 —
Texas Instruments (TI) and Micron's Aptina Imaging division have teamed up on an ultra-low-cost WXGA IP camera reference design for surveillance applications. The DM355IPNC-MT5 design runs Linux on a $10 TI DaVinci RISC/DSP digital media processor, and has an eBOM under $40, the companies claim. ...

Hybrid nano-PC phone runs Linux

2008-03-24T12:28:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Hybrid nano-PC phone runs Linux —
Mar. 24, 2008 —
A Korean company has announced a unique mobile device melding an x86-based nano-PC with an ARM-based mobile phone. Miu's HDPC can run Linux, Windows CE, or Windows XP on its 500MHz Via C7-M processor, while a 200MHz ARM9-based system-on-chip runs an unspecified mobile phone OS. ...

A third of all phones "smart" in five years

2008-03-24T12:10:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

A third of all phones "smart" in five years —
Mar. 20, 2008 —
The smartphone market will grow from around 10 percent of total handset sales in 2007 to 31 percent in 2013, says an ABI Research study. Future phones will boast such luxuries as touchpads, tilt/shock sensors, and tactile feedback, says the study, with Linux and Windows Mobile increasingly challenging Nokia/Symbian. ...

IBM Tutorial harnesses Android for XML, RSS

2008-03-24T12:09:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Tutorial harnesses Android for XML, RSS —
Mar. 20, 2008 —
IBM's DeveloperWorks has published a tutorial on using the Eclipse-based developer tools for Google's Android mobile phone platform to work with XML. Frank Abelson's latest exploration of Linux-based Android platform shows how to use XML to build a mobile RSS reader. ...

Linux vendor bags top Eclipse award

2008-03-24T12:04:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Linux vendor bags top Eclipse award —
Mar. 19, 2008 —
The Eclipse Foundation awarded its EclipseCon 2008 Technology Awards yesterday, and named Wind River Workbench (pictured at left) as the "Best Commercial Eclipse-Based Developer Tool." Other award winners included EclEmma, Cyrano, Xmind 2008, and MyTourbook. ...

WUSB chip gains Linux-based dev kit

2008-03-24T12:02:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

WUSB chip gains Linux-based dev kit —
Mar. 17, 2008 —
Fabless semiconductor vendor Staccato Communications has shipped a development kit aimed at helping product designers add its WUSB (wireless USB) chips to mobile handsets, digital cameras, printers, portable media players, mass storage, and wireless audio/video devices. The Ripcord1 Development Kit includes an XScale PXA270-based SBC (single-board computer) running embedded Linux. ...

Android port turns phones into webservers

2008-03-24T11:53:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Android port turns phones into webservers —
Mar. 17, 2008 —
Webtide has announced a port of its open source Jetty webserver to the Android mobile phone platform. The i-Jetty technology allows mobile phone users to set up AJAX- and Comet-enabled websites on their Android phones for access via desktop PCs over the web, says Webtide. ...

LF summit features mobile and CGL sessions

2008-03-24T11:52:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

LF summit features mobile and CGL sessions —
Mar. 12, 2008 —
The Linux Foundation announced the speakers and agenda for its invitation-only second annual Linux Foundation Collaboration Summit. Held on April 8-10 in Austin, Texas, the summit features a few embedded panels, along with various presentations related to kernel and desktop/enterprise topics. ...

Linux powers "mash-up platform" for phones

2008-03-24T11:50:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Linux powers "mash-up platform" for phones —
Mar. 12, 2008 —
Virginia-based startup 4DK Technologies has used Linux and high-availability middleware to build a "mash-up platform" for wireless carriers offering IP-based services. The "SuperConnectivity" service includes a "Scamp" middleware stack for mobile devices, along with a "Scout" service application built on MontaVista Linux Carrier Grade Edition (CGE) and Enea's Accelerator Platform. ...

Icahn Plans More Legal Action Against Motorola

2008-03-24T11:44:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.informationweek.com

Pressing his campaign to break up Motorola (NYSE: MOT), billionaire financier Carl Icahn said he is going to court today to force Motorola management to turn over documents about its struggling Mobile Devices unit.

Icahn, who has said he has a 6.5% stake in Motorola, has argued that Motorola's pieces are worth more than it's whole and favors spinning off the mobile handset operation as a separate company with a new CEO.

Motorola's new CEO Greg Brown has been aggressively moving to shore up the mobile devices unit, which has rapidly been losing market share in recent months. Brown, too, appears to be working to break up Motorola, although on terms set by the current management.

New report examines Android, Linux

2008-03-10T15:42:00.001-07:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

New report examines Android, Linux —
Mar. 10, 2008 —
British research group Visiongain says it has released a report on Android, the Google-backed Open Handset Alliance's (OHA) Linux- and Java-based mobile phone specification. The report appears to include lots of background on Linux and the market for embedded Linux OSes, tools, and services. ...

Intel launches mobile device chips

2008-03-05T02:11:00.001-08:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Intel launches mobile device chips —
Mar. 03, 2008 —
[Updated Mar. 4] -- Intel has branded its next-generation mobile device chips, previously codenamed "Silverthorne" and "Menlow." Built on 45 nanometer process technology, the Atom processor uses a new single-issue x86-compatible micro-architecture designed to compete with ARM in mobile designs, while mating with "Centrino Atom" chipsets ...

Openmoko post mechanicals designs

2008-03-05T02:10:00.001-08:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Linux phone mechanicals published —
Mar. 03, 2008 —
Mobile phone design company Openmoko has posted industrial design source CAD files for its Linux-based, open source Neo 1973 phone (pictured at left). Openmoko has also committed to providing open source access to the mechanicals for its upcoming Neo Freerunner phone design. ...

Linux camera, video server power up over Ethernet

2008-02-27T13:34:00.001-08:00

clipped from www.linuxdevices.com

Linux camera, video server power up over Ethernet —
Feb. 27, 2008 —
Nuvation has introduced two Linux-based reference designs that run on Texas Instruments (TI) DaVinci processors, and support power-over-Ethernet (PoE). The IP Camera includes its own high-resolution camera sensor and lens, while the IVS is designed for use with external analog CCTV (closed-circuit TV) cameras. ...