Avalue is shipping a module using Kontron's ETX "computer-on-module" form-factor, targeting industrial applications. The Linux-compatible ESM-910ETX supports dual-channel LVDS for simultaneous display from two sources, has an Intel Celeron M processor clocked at 600MHz, and uses dual-channel DDR2 memory, the company says.

(Click for larger view of the ESM-910ETX)

Touted as an upgrade replacement for previous modules that were based on Intel's 852GM chipset, the ESM-910ETX offers higher component integration, greater bandwidth, and better power efficiency than these older designs, claims Taiwan-based Avalue. Applications are said to include industrial automation, medical, transportation, measurement, point-of-sale (POS), kiosk, thin client, and digital control devices.

The fanless ESM-910ETX uses Intel's 910GMLE chipset, which supports dual-channel DDR2 400MHz system memory. The use of DDR2 RAM improves peak memory bandwidth by over 20 percent, and reduces memory power consumption by 50 percent, claims Avalue.

The 4.5 x 3.7-inch ESM-910ETX adheres to Kontron's familiar ETX format, and apparently complies with the ETX 3.0 revision, since it incorporates dual SATA ports. The device also includes a 600MHz Intel Celeron processor, four USB 2.0 ports, and dual serial ports.

Features listed for the ESM-910ETX by Avalue include the following:Processor -- Intel Celeron M 600MHz or Intel uFC-BGA 479 Celeron M 600MHz; 512K L2 cache
Chipset -- Intel 910GMLE with ICH6-M
Memory -- 200-pin SODIMM socket, supporting up to 1GB DDR2 333/400MHz SDRAM
Display memory -- Intel DVMT 3.0, supporting up to 128MB video memory
Display resolution -- CRT mode 2048 x 1536 @ 16bpp (75Hz); LCD/simultaneous mode 1600 x 1200 @16bpp (60Hz)
LVDS – dual-channel 18/24-bit LVDS
Audio -- Intel NH82801FBN ICH6-M with Realtek ALC203 AC97 codec; line in, line out, and Mic in
Expansion -- 4 x PCI; 1 x ISA
Networking -- 10/100Mbps (Realtek 8101E)
USB -- 4 x USB 2.0 ports
Serial -- 2 x TTL serial
IrDA – 115Kbps, IrDA 1.0 compliant
Storage I/O -- 2 x SATA; 1 x EIDE (Ultra DMA 100); 1 x FDD/LPT
Watchdog timer -- Reset 1 sec. to about 255 min.
Dimensions -- 4.5 x 3.7 inches (114 x 95mm); ETX format
Operating temperature -- 32 to 140 degrees F (0 to 60 degrees C)
Operating system -- Linux, Windows CE, Windows XP Embedded (XPe), Availability

The ESM-910ETX appears to be available now for an undisclosed price. More information may be found here.


Fanless touchpanels run Linux
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(E! Online)

[Updated: Sept. 25, 2008] -- Sanyan Computer is shipping a Linux-based "NDVR" (networked digital video recorder) aimed at distributed industrial applications. Sanyan's NDVR system comprises a decoding box and a single- or quad-channel encoder that includes an AMD Geode processor and an MPEG4 coprocessor, says Sanyan.

(Click for larger view of NDVR SL521-S1 encoder)

The NDVR system is designed for distributed Ethernet-based CCTV networks, typically in industrial settings. Specific applications include traffic video monitoring and unmanned location or SCADA (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition) applications for process control and environmental monitoring systems, says the company.

The NDVR system comprises:SL521-S1/S4 Encoder
SL511-V1 Decoder Both systems can process MPEG4 video in real-time at 30fps and 704 x 480 NTSC resolution, says Taiwan-based Sanyan. Using MPEG-4 compression, the maximum required bandwidth is claimed to be 2Mbps for video, and 384Kbps for audio.

Typical NDVR configuration
(Click to enlarge)

The SL521 encoder X86 system board is built around a 300MHz AMD Geode with 128MB of RAM. The SL521 offers a 10/100 Ethernet port, two serial ports, and a parallel port, as well as audio I/O and video I/O connections, says Sanyan. The S1 model supplies a single composite video input, and the quad-channel S4 version offers four video inputs for D1 resolution, says the company.

Left to right: single-channel SL521-S1 and quad-channel SL521-S4 encoders, and SL511-V1 decoder

The fanless SL521 encoder runs on a 12VDC @18W power supply, and is equipped with DIN-rail mounting, as well as optional wall mounting. The encoder comes with a 40-60GB hard drive, as well as a 64MB server kernel DOM (Disk-on-Module) that stores a Linux 2.4.20 implementation.

SL521 AMD Geode-based X86 system board (front and back)
(Click on either to enlarge)
The separately sold SL511 decoder, meanwhile, is a larger, but simpler box. It offers single RCA audio and composite video outputs, an Ethernet connection, and the 64MB DOM for the Linux install.

The SL521 encoder system, which fits into a single box, includes the following components:AMD Geode system board clocked to 300MHz, with 128MB RAM
MPEG4 coprocessor board based on VWeb's VW2010 codec chip with 16MB RAM (quad-processor board for S4 model)
MIC audio amplify input module for encoder
64MB server kernel DOM (Disk on Module) with embedded Linux 2.4.20
2.5-inch, 40-60GB removable IDE hard drive
Optional 8 Sensor/8 Alarm Digital Input/Output (DIO) module
Longeye surveillance application software (also runs on SL511 decoder)

SL521 board and coprocessor board
(Click to enlarge)
Sanyan's Linux-based Longeye software decoder and surveillance application is said to provide the following features:UDP streaming
LAN/intranet multicast or unicast streaming protocol
CCD camera preview, recording, and motion detection
RS485 PTZ camera control
DVR storage file download/playback
IP network management features

Longeye surveillance application

Availability

The SL521-S1/S4 SL511-V1 are available now, says Taiwan-based Sanyan, but pricing was not disclosed. More information may be available here.


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$34 MIPS board has own Linux distro
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The Multicore Association has released a standardized application programming interface (API) for inter-core communications on "closely distributed" multi-core systems. The new Multicore Communications API (MCAPI) attracted plaudits from Freescale Semiconductor, which posted a publicly available source code example, and from VirtuaLogix, which says its VLX virtualization products will support it.

MCAPI offers message-passing standards for multi-core processors, and is especially useful for systems that require tight memory constraints, fast task execution times, reliable on-chip interconnects, and high system throughput, says the Multicore Association. The API is intended to ease the challenge of multi-core developers struggling with inter-core communications, and synchronization between multiple cores on a chip and/or chips on a board in embedded systems, the association adds.

Target systems span "multiple dimensions of heterogeneity," says the Multicore Association. Cited examples include standardizing communications between different types of cores, interconnects, memory, operating systems, software toolchains, and programming languages.

MCAPI architecture
Source: Multicore Association

MCAPI is said to offer defined support for hundreds of processor cores and systems. In contrast, existing distributed systems programming standards are focused on widely distributed systems, SMP systems, or specific application domains such as scientific computing, and do not offer a sufficiently broad reach, the association claims.

Freescale's MCAPI implementation is comprised of C source code, a set of regression test-cases, and example benchmarking code. It is available for Linux or for Windows systems equipped with the Cygwin environment.

While Freescale offers a number of multi-core products, including the upcoming QorIQ processor, its code is said to be architecture-neutral and to use a shared memory transport layer. It is not intended to be competitive with architecture-specific commercial implementations, such as PolyCore Software's Poly-Messenger multi-core communication framework, touted as the first commercial implementation of MCAPI.

VirtualLogix, which joined the Multicore Association in April, is another early supporter of MCAPI. The company says its MCAPI-enabled VLX virtualization products will allow customers to use the API to more easily migrate applications from a physical multi-core system to a virtual VLX environment.

VLX lets guest operating systems access physical hardware subsystems directly, for faster performance than typical enterprise virtualization products, VirtualLogix says. Hardware developers can use VLX to securely isolate critical applications, reduce materials cost, contain software failures, and segregate software licenses, the company adds.

VLX versions include:VLX-MH (mobile handsets)
VLX-DM (digital media)
VLX-NI (network infrastructure)VLX-NI is also available in a High-Availability (HA) version. Last month, the company announced it was developing a VLX for mobile Internet devices (MIDs).

Stated Sven Brehmer, chairman of the Multicore Association MCAPI working group and CEO of PolyCore, "As one of the first organizations to support MCAPI, VirtualLogix is setting a powerful precedent for the industry-wide adoption of standards that enable applications to provide basic, simple and efficient multicore communication functionality between closely distributed processors in embedded systems."

The Multicore Association is a non-profit consortium focused on developing multicore standards. It currently offers three working groups: Hypervisors, Multicore Resource Management, and Multicore Programming Practices (MPP). Members are said to include CAPS entreprise, Codeplay, CriticalBlue, Enea, eSOL, Freescale Semiconductor, Intel, Mentor Graphics, MIPS Technologies, National Instruments, NEC Electronics America, Nokia Siemens Networks, Plurality, PolyCore Software, QNX, Texas Instruments, Tilera, Trango Virtual Processors, VirtualLogix, and Wind River.

Availability

The free source code example for the Multicore Communications API (MCAPI) is freely available now for Linux, as well as Windows systems equipped with the Cygwin environment, says the Multicore Association. More information, including a download link for MCAPI, may be found here. VirtualLogix did not announce availability information for its MCAPI-enabled VLX software.


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Massively multicore SoCs run Linux

KDDI has announced a Linux-based IP set-top box (STB) that converts and transmits TV and Web content to the Japanese carrier's cell phones. Based on Motorola's VIP1830 hardware platform, the "Au Box" also plays back music stored on the phones, and offers CD ripping, says KDDI.

(Click for larger view of the Au Box)

The Au Box will go on sale in Japan on Nov. 1 to KDDI's 30 million "Au" wireless customers for a monthly rental fee of about $3. Targeted primarily at users who own mobile phones, but no PC, the box aims to integrate KDDI's Au-branded 3G wireless services and its broadband ADSL and Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) services.

Au Box (front)
(Click to enlarge)
The STB can be used to access the Internet and to display video from KDDI’s "Hikari One" TV service. It also enables users to download movies and music onto their mobile phones from KDDI's online stores. These include the "ChakuUta Full" (music ringtone full) music download store for Au phone users, as well as its broadband "LISMO" online music and video stores, says the company.

Hardware

The Au Box STB is said to be based on Motorola's VIP1830 reference design, incorporating an undisclosed system-on-chip (SoC) and programmable digital signal processor (DSP). Motorola typically uses a MIPS-based processor for its IP STBs, 80 percent of which are said to run Linux. The processor provides VOD (video on demand) IP multicast capability for MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 part 10 (H.264), says Motorola.

Au Box (back)
(Click to enlarge)

Au Box controller
(Click to enlarge) The device is equipped with a 10/100 Ethernet port, dual USB 2.0 ports, composite video in and video out ports, audio in and out connections, and a stereo mini port. Running off an 100VAC 50MHz/60MHz power supply, the Au Box is said to consume 20 Watts. A separate controller (right) is provided for interacting with the 10.5 x 3.1 x 8.7-inch box.

KDDI's STB has a DVD player/CD burner for watching DVDs, as well as ripping audio content for transfer to the phone. It can not only transmit downloaded or ripped content to the Au phones, the company claims, but can also retrieve music back from the phones for playback using its "Euphony" sound system and stereo speakers.

Software

The Au Box runs Motorola's Linux-based KreaTV IP STB open software platform, which is used on the VIP1830. KreaTV comes with applications including a navigator, portal, browser, TV, VOD, settings, teletext, and remote reboot programs, says Motorola. The software is said to offer pre-integration with "leading middleware applications, conditional access systems, and video servers," as well as open standard interfaces for browser or native application level development.

Motorola KreaTV architecture
(Click to enlarge)
Motorola offers a KreaTV Linux application development kit (ADK), as well as related extension- and design development kits, says Motorola. The ADK includes:GNU-based cross-compiling tool chain
KreaTV Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) for selected STBs
Documentation in HTML
Example source code (hello world, simple browser plugin)
Demo applications (infobroker, mediaplayer, memory display, video mixer)
KreaTV boot image builder’s tool
Font support (Kreativ font)
Keyboard layouts
USB support
Video server clients
Multicast TV clients
KreaTV "Ether" theme/skin

Au Box screens
(Click to enlarge)
The STB also uses Opera Software's Opera Devices 9 browser for rendering content on both an attached TV, as well as on the mobile phone display. The box additionally includes MCCI’s Linux-based, host-side USB drivers for connecting the box to mobile phones and other handheld devices via a USB connection.

Dan Moloney, executive VP and president of Motorola’s Home & Networks Mobility business, said, "KDDI and Motorola have established a strong relationship by working together in network infrastructure deployment in the past. We are excited to support KDDI in this new offering that will enhance personal media experiences for mobile users in Japan."

Availability

The Au Box will be made available in Japan on Nov. 1 in Au cellular service contracts for 315 yen (about $3 US) per month, says KDDI. More information may be found at this translated KDDI page, or this translated Motorola Asia page.


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Habey announced a network appliance platform sporting Intel's EP80579 SoC (system on chip). The BIS-7750 targets security, communications, and NAS (network attached storage), with five gigabit Ethernet ports, CompactFlash, PCI Express x4, and PCI Express Mini Card expansion, plus a 2.5-inch hard drive bay, Habey says.

(Click here for a larger view of Habey's BIS-7750)

Intel's EP80579 in standard and "Quick Assist" versions
(Click image for more information)
Intel's EP80579, announced in July, is an SoC that integrates typical northbridge and southbridge functions with a Pentium M core clocked up to 1.2GHz. It includes a memory controller hub (MCH) supporting DDR2 RAM up to 800MHz, and there's an optional "QuickAssist" FPGA interface. See our earlier coverage, here, for more details.

Intel apparently expects the EP80579 to be a popular platform for network appliances, and, indeed, two such devices appeared last month. Lanner's FW-7570 is a 1U network appliance device available in configurations with six, eight, or 10 gigabit Ethernet ports, while the same company's NS04-5150 supports NAS applications with four 3.5-inch drive bays.

Habey's BIS-7750

Habey says its new BIS-7750 is applicable to security, communications, and NAS applications alike. Measuring just 9.64 x 7.55 x 1.96 inches (245 x 192 x 50mm), it seems less appropriate to the latter, however, because on-board hard disk storage is limited to a maximum of two 2.5-inch drives, supported by two available SATA II ports.

On the other hand, the compact device sports five gigabit Ethernet ports. Two of the ports have LAN bypass functionality, in case of device failure, adds Habey.

According to the company, the BIS-7750 runs fanlessly at all three available EP80579 clock speeds, 600MHz, 1066MHz, or 1200MHz. It accepts up to 2GB of DDR2 memory via a single SODIMM socket. In addition to the hard drive bay already mentioned, the device has a Type II CompactFlash socket, according to the company.

Like many other network appliances, the BIS-7750 does not have a VGA port. However, it includes a serial port, with RJ45 connector, that can be used to connect a console. A second serial port is offered via a five-pin header, and the device also has two USB ports.

Finally, the BIS-7750 has a PCI Express x4 expansion slot, plus a PCI Express Mini Card slot. The unit can be mounted in the standalone case pictured at the beginning of this article, in which case there is a single 2.5-inch drive bay. It also fits into standard 1U enclosure for rack-mounting, providing room for two 2.5-inch drives, notes Habey.

Features and specifications published by Habey for the BIS-7750 include:Processor -- Intel EP80579, clocked at 600MHz, 1GHz, or 1.2GHz
Memory -- Up to 2GB via single SODIMM slot
Storage -- Bay for single 2.5-inch hard drive in standalone case, or dual 2.5-inch drives in rackmount version; also accepts CompactFlash storage via single Type II slot
Networking -- Five gigabit Ethernet ports, two with LAN bypass featureOther I/O:2 x SATA II
2 x USB 2.0
RJ45 serial connector (COM1) for console
Second serial port (COM2) with five-pin headerExpansion:1 x PCI Express Mini Card
1 x PCI Express x4 slot
1 x Type II CompactFlashOperating temperature -- 0 to 60 deg. C
Dimensions -- 9.64 x 7.55 x 1.96 inches (245 x 192 x 50mm)
Weight -- n/s
Power requirements -- 12VDCFurther information

Habey did not release pricing information for the BIS-7750, but the device appears to be available now. Operating system support was not mentioned, but other devices using the EP80579 have been compatible with Linux, Windows XP, and Windows XP Embedded.


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Minsk, Belarus-based Promwad Innovation Company says it used uClinux to create a digital video recorder (DVR) prototype. Based on an Analog Devices Inc. (ADI) Blackfin BF533 DSP (digital signal processor), the "JPEG2000 DVR" prototype encodes images in the Motion JPEG2000 format.

(Click for larger view of Promwad's JPEG2000 DVR)

Promwad's JPEG2000 DVR is designed to encode a PAL or NTSC video signal in the MJPEG2000 format, and store it to a USB flash drive, while simultaneously transmitting audio/video data to an external display. The DVR is based on ADI's BF533. Like other Blackfin DSPs, it uses the Micro Signal Architecture (MSA), which is said to support a RISC-like register and instruction model. The BF533 is equipped with two 16-bit MACs, two 40-bit ALUs, four 8-bit video ALUs, and a 40-bit shifter.

DVR prototype conceptual diagram

The Promwad team says it used ADI's EZ-KIT Lite desktop development board, along with ADI's ADSP-BF533 uClinux BSP. In addition, the DVR prototype includes Promwad's "WiFi-USB-ZigBee BF Extender Board" and ADI's ADV202 BF-Expander JPEG2000 video codec.

ADV202 video codec interactions

Promwad and its client selected Motion JPEG2000 due to the following touted advantages:High level and quality of compression, noise immunity

Wavelet technology allows changing image resolution with minimal efforts

Absence of frame-to-frame connection, enabling selecting separate frames from video steam without processingPromwad developed a driver for the ADV202, enabling the application to capture a compressed JPEG2000 stream, as well as adjust brightness, saturation, and contrast parameters. The team also developed a program module that saves frames received from the ADV202 codec to a video stream, with some data written to metadata fields of the JPEG2000 frame. The received data is saved in an AVI container file stored on a USB flash drive.

One of the core development tasks was creating the control protocol for the DVR, which is said to have the following capabilities:Setting the quality of the recorded video stream (D1, QCIF, or CIF)

Setting recording parameters, including resolution, brightness, contrast, color, video standard, and compression level

Managing the file archive

Searching and selecting recorded video fragments by specified parameters from the archive

Broadcasting by low-speed channel both in real-time mode and from the video archive with the specified resolution, frame rate, and fragment length

Power control (sleep and resume)Problems encountered along the way included a USB driver supplied with the BF533 BSP that did not fully support wakeup/resume after suspend, says the company. In retrospect, Promwad recommends using the AD212 codec instead of the ADV202, which suffers from excessive heat emissions and numerous (albeit well-documented) implementation errors, such as image artifacts, it said.

The DVR project took four months and 163 man-days, according to the company. The final firmware for the DVR prototype takes up 1.5MB, or just under 2MB with the U-Boot loader, says Promwad. Tools used include C, Bash, GCC, GNU make, Cunit, and Ffmpeg. Promwad appears to have enjoyed working with uClinux, which "allows creating different build profiles, easily integrating new components, and configuring the building of third-party components in detail," says the company.

Availability

More information on the DVR prototype should be available here.

Previous Promwad design wins include two logic controller designs and a home automation panel.


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Satellite STB runs Linux

Avalue Technlogy has announced a pair of fanless touchpanel computers that run Linux. The 10.4-inch LPC-1001 and 12.1-inch LPC-1201 have Via Eden processors, CompactFlash storage, dual gigabit Ethernet ports, VGA outputs, and optional 2.5-inch hard disk drives, says Avalue.

(Click here for a larger view of Avalue's LPC-1201)

Avalue's LPC-1001 and LPC-1201 are identical except for the size of their resistive touchscreen displays, 10.4 and 12.1 inches, respectively. Either way, they have 800 x 600 pixel resolution, which makes them arguably less than ideal for productivity applications, but well-suited to industrial or home automation applications. Both devices do have VGA ports for external monitors, which, according to Avalue, can pack up to 2048 x 1536 pixels.

According to Avalue, the LPC-1xxx devices run fanlessly, and are offered with Via Eden processors clocked at 500MHz or 1GHz, or a Via Eden ULV clocked at 1.6GHz. The latter is said to have a TDP of eight Watts, approximately the maximum generally considered compatible with fanless cooling.

As is typical for computers using these Via processors, the panel PCs also employ Via's CX700M integrated northbridge/southbridge. This chipset provides the devices with their graphics capabilities, and supports up to 1GB of DDR2 RAM via a single 200-pin SODIMM slot.

Avalue APC 1201 ports

Found alongside the ports at the bottom of each panel is a Type I/II CompactFlash slot, which could readily be used for installation of Linux. Avalue says the panel PCs also have internal 44-pin IDE headers and room for 2.5-inch hard disk drives. In addition, there's a Mini PCI slot.

Avalue APC-1xxx ports
(Click to enlarge)

Also included, and accessible at the bottom of each device, are dual gigabit Ethernet ports, a PS/2 keyboard/mouse connector, an amplified audio output, and an RS232 serial port. The second LAN port uses the PS/2 connector, in conjunction with a special adapter cable (see illustration above).

Finally, the LPC-1xxx panel PCs can operate between -10 and 60 deg. C (14 to 140 deg. F), Avalue says. Their front panels are said to the IP-65 standard, which prevents possible damage from water or dust intrusion. The top and bottom of the computers themselves have cooling holes, however.

Avalue touts the LPC-1xxx PCs' "innovative Z-type arming bracket," which allows the devices to be wall-mounted or to be stood on a surface (as illustrated in our picture, above). In the latter mode, operating angle is adjustable, the company says.

Features and specifications cited by Avalue for the LPC-1001 and LPC-1201 include:Processor -- Via Eden clocked at 500MHz or 1GHz, or Via Eden ULV clocked at 1.6GHz
Memory -- Up to 1GB of DDR2 RAM
Display:10.4-inch touchscreen with 230-nit brightness rating and 800 x 600 resolution (LPC-1201)
12.1-inch touchscreen with 400-nit brightness rating and 800 x 600 resolution (LPC-1001)Networking -- 2 gigabit Ethernet ports
Other I/O:1 x VGA
1 x RS232
2 x USB 2.0
Audio output (3.5mm jack, with 2.5 Watt per channel amplification)
1 x SATAExpansion -- Mini PCI slot
Power input -- 12VDC
Operating temperature:LPC-1001 -- -10 to 40 deg. C (32 to 104 deg. F)
LPC-1201 -- -10 to 60 deg. C (14 to 140 deg. F)Dimensions:LPC-1001 -- 10.2 x 7.4 x 1.45 inches (259 x 188 x 37mm)
LPC-1201 -- 11.14 x 8.75 x 1.73 inches (283 x 222 x 44mm)In addition to running Linux, the LPC-1xxx panel PCs are said to run Windows CE 5.0, Windows CE 6.0, and Windows XP Embedded.

Avalue did not provide pricing or availability information for the LPC-1001 or LPC-1201. More information may appear on the company's website, here.


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Panel PC runs fanlessly
$34 MIPS board has own Linux distro

Arbor Technology announced a fanless panel PC for HMI (human-machine interface) and automation applications. The TO660 runs Linux on an AMD LX900 CPU, and has a 5.7-inch touchscreen, 1GB system memory, Ethernet, two USB 2.0 ports, three serial ports, a CompactFlash socket, and back-panel PC/104 expansion.

(Click here for a larger view of Arbor's TO660)

This compact device has what Arbor calls ALTT (advanced low-reflection touch technology). The 5.7-inch touchscreen has VGA (640 x 480) resolution, a claimed 50,000-hour backlight life, and a 220-nit brightness rating.

According to Arbor, the TO660 runs fanlessly, courtesy of AMD's 600MHz LX900 processor, said to have a TDP of 5.1 Watts and typical power usage of 2.6 Watts. The panel PC has 256MB of RAM onboard, and no memory expansion capability is claimed. Storage is provided by a CompactFlash socket, accessible via a door on the side of the device.

At the rear, the device has an Ethernet port, two RS232 serial ports, plus a RS232/485 port that can also provide a CANbus option if this option is ordered. The TO660 also includes two USB 2.0 ports, a socket for input power ranging from 9VDC to 36VDC, and a PS/2 connector for a keyboard and mouse.

A diagram of the Arbor TO660's rear panel
(Click to enlarge)
The TO660 is additionally said to have a PC/104 expansion bus. The diagram above, reproduced from the device's data sheet, implies that the rear of the panel PC's case has a cutout that makes the PC/104 expansion site externally accessible, though this was not stated in writing.

Finally, the TO600 has what Arbor calls SDR (smart data recovery), touted as allowing the system to "recover input data after system power has been lost." No further details of this were provided.

Features and specifications cited by Arbor for the TO600 include:Processor -- AMD Geode LX900 clocked at 600MHz
Memory -- 256MB of RAM
Storage -- CompactFlash slot
Display -- VGA-resolution touchscreen display, sunlight-readable
Networking -- 10/100 Ethernet port
Other I/O:2 x RS232 serial ports
1 x RS232/422/485 (CANbus optional)
2 x USB 2.0
1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouseExpansion:PC/104
CompactFlash slotPower consumption -- 30 Watts, 9VDC to 36VDC input
Operating temperature -- 0 to 50 deg. C
Dimensions -- 7.3 x 5.5 x 1.87 inches (186 x 140 x 47.5mm)
Weight -- 1.76 pounds (0.8kg)According to Arbor, the TO660 is compatible with Linux, Windows XP Embedded, Windows CE, QNX, and DOS. Pricing and availability information were not provided.


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Fanless touchpanels run Linux

ARM, Ltd.'s Shenzhen, China-based partner Embest has announced an ARM9-based SBC (single board computer) for industrial applications, including Ethernet communication, serial servers, and electrical power units (EPUs). The SAM9260V1 supports extended temperature operation, and comes pre-loded with a Linux 2.6-based kernel, YAFFS filesystem, and applications.

(Click for larger view of SAM9260V1)

Embest Info & Tech (Embest) previously helped localize ARM's RealView MDK (microcontroller development kit), which it distributes in China. About a year ago, ARM invested in Embest, becoming a joint venture partner.

Besides developing and distributing embedded development tools, Embest sells about 30 different single-board computers (SBCs) and processor modules, most of which support both Linux and Windows CE. Most recently, it announced the SAM9315V1 PC/104 module based on a Cirrus EP9315. Its earlier Linux-friendly SBCs include the SBC-2440-I and SBC-2440-II, NK9315, and the EM104V1, a two-board PC/104 sandwich design.

The new SAM9260V1

The SAM9260V1 uses Atmel's interesting AT91SAM9260, which debuted in 2006, the first product in Atmel's SAM9 line of ultra-low cost SoCs aimed at industrial markets where 8-bit and 16-bit microcontrollers have long been traditional. Priced at about $6 in quantity, the AT91SAM9260 uses ARM's ARM926EJ-S core clocked at 190MHz, with 8KB each of instruction and data cache. It also boasts 8KB of on-chip SRAM and 32KB of flash, and offers an external bus interface with controllers for SDRAM, NAND Flash, and CompactFlash. Furthermore, it integrates a host of on-chip peripheral interfaces, as the diagram below shows.

AT91SAM9260 function block diagram
(Click to enlarge)

Embest's SAM9260V1 board takes full advantage of the Atmel SoC's memory interfaces, integrating 2MB of NOR flash, 2MB of DataFlash, 32KB of EEPROM, and 64MB of NAND flash, expandable via an SD card slot. The board has 64MB of SDRAM soldered onboard.

I/O interfaces include five serial ports, two CAN-bus ports, and one each 100Mbps Ethernet, USB host, and USB device ports. There's also a 12-bit camera interface, two channels of 10-bit ADC (analog-digital conversion), and three GPIO lines.

The board operates from -20 to 70 degrees Celsius (without backup battery, Embest says), though individual components are claimed to be "industrial grade" parts good between -40 and 85 degrees Celsius.

Specifications listed by Embest include:Processor -- Atmel AT91SAM9260 clocked at 180MHz @1.8V
RAM -- 64MB
Memory -- 2MB NOR Flash, 2MB DataFlash, 32KB EEPROM, 64MB SDRAM, 64MB NAND
I/O1 x 10/100Mbps Ethernet (PHY: LXT971)
2 x CAN-Bus ports with photocouplers and DC-DC modules
5 x RS232 serial communication ports1 x RS232 serial communication port with flow control signal
2 x RS232 serial communication ports with RTS and CTS signal
2 x RS232 serial communication ports, including a Debug unitImage Sensor interface ITU-R BT. 601/656 external interface, programmable frame capture rate
12-bit data interface for support of high sensitivity sensors
SAV and EAV synchronization, preview path with scaler, YCbCr format1 x USB 2.0 full-speed host port and device port
Two channels 10-bit ADC and three GPI/OExpansion:SD card slotRTC circuit with a backup battery
+12V DC power input slotOn the software side, the SAM9260V1 comes with the U-boot 1.1.5 bootloader, a Linux 2.6.19 kernel, YAFFS filesystem, and application software, Embest says.

Availability

The SAM9260V1 is available now, and can be ordered direct from Embest's online store, priced at $275. Volume discounts are also available. More details can be found here.


Half-sisters win fight to direct Bayreuth Festival
(AP)
T.I.’s Baby Mama Sues for Child Support
(E! Online)
Debugger gains Linux, ARM9 support
$34 MIPS board has own Linux distro

Intel says it is now shipping the promised dual-core version of its Atom processor. Designed specifically for the affordable desktop computers Intel calls "nettops," the "Intel Atom Processor 330" has a 1.6GHz clock speed, 1MB of second-level cache, and an eight-Watt TDP, the company says.

Rather than announcing the Atom 330 on its own, the chipmaker leaked news of it during August's IDF (Intel Developer Forum), in the context of its new D945GCLF2 mini-ITX motherboard, pictured at right. The D945GCLF2 is an enhanced version of Intel's D945GCLF ("Little Falls"), an $80 product that made its debut in June with the then-new Atom 230 CPU.

Today's announcement provided additional information about the Atom 330 itself, confirming its rumored eight-Watt TDP, putting it within reach of passively cooled applications (seven Watts is often considered the threshhold, for applications with traditional heatsinks). Like the Atom 230, the Atom 330 uses 45nm technology, features a 533MHz frontside bus, and is designed to work with Intel's 945GC chipset (the 82945GC northbridge and 82801GB southbridge). Unlike the Atom 230, however, the Atom 330 features dual cores, plus second-level cache that has been doubled from 512KB to 1MB.

The D945GCLF2 mini-ITX motherboard has the Atom 330 onboard
Source: Intel
(Click to enlarge)
Intel still provides no performance claims for the Atom 330, nor have we yet seen any independent hardware tests. The CPU and 945GC chipset support DDR2 memory, according to the chipmaker, of which up to 2GB is available on the D945GCLF2 motherboard pictured in more detail above. The D945GCLF2, apparently currently on sale from a variety of online stores for approximately $90, includes gigabit Ethernet, S-video, six-channel audio, eight USB ports, and PCI expansion.

So far conspicuous by its absence? Any mobile-oriented dual-core version of the Atom, which, if and when it arrives, would carry an "N" prefix. We'll see if Intel marketers consider such a product worth releasing. In the meantime, a prime competitor for the Atom 330 appears to be Via's Nano. For further information, and a head-to-head comparison with the Atom 230 in Intel's "Little Falls" board, see our earlier coverage, here.

Further information

According to Intel, the Atom 330 is shipping now, and costs $43 when bought in quantities of 1,000 or greater. Meanwhile, the Atom 230 and N270 are priced at $29 and $44 per 1,000 unit shipments, respectively.


COM Express module gets low-power options
Rapper T.I. back atop singles chart
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Sting Can Be Your Hero, Baby
(E! Online)

Linux stacks such as Moblin and Maemo will dominate the mobile Internet device (MID) market, says a report by ABI Research. The firm expects Moblin to take 42 percent of the market in 2013, when it expects 86 million Linux-enabled MIDs to ship.

(Click for larger view of the WiBrain i1 MID)

The report, "Open source operating systems in Mobile Internet Devices," is part of a larger report on what ABI calls ultra-mobile devices (UMDs), which it defines as covering MIDs, ultra-mobile PCs, and netbooks (listed by size, in ascending order). The UMD report predicts that these Internet-ready devices, which target the space between notebooks and smartphones, will jump from 10 million units in 2008 to over 200 million in 2013, representing $27 billion in sales. Although smaller than the mobile phone market in terms of unit sales, the 200 million number is roughly the same as that ABI predicts for the PC laptop market at that time.

Netbooks currently represent 90 percent of the "UMD" market, but will fall by 2013 to a "distant second" behind MIDs, which are expected to control 68 percent of the market. The mid-sized UMPCs, meanwhile, are expected to languish as a niche category, says ABI.

ABI forecasts that Linux will take the "lion's share" of the MID market, although it does not reveal exact percentages. ABI does, however, state that the Linux MID segment will primarily be limited to three platforms. After Moblin's 42 percent share will come Nokia's Maemo, which runs on is Internet Tablets, including the N810. The LiMo Foundation's mobile-phone oriented LiMo Platform, which is a more open-ended middleware specification instead of a distribution, will come in third.

Lenovo MID prototype
The Linux MID projections of 86 million devices in 2013 are higher than those listed in an earlier MID study released by ABI this year, which pegged the number at 50 million. Intel coined the term "MID" in April of 2007 when it launched the MID concept as a platform for running its Intel Atom processor. Atom-based MIDs are just now beginning to be unveiled, with some early teaser announcements such as the Atom-based WiBrain i1 (pictured above). A number of MIDs are expected to ship over the next few months, including the Lenovo prototype pictured at right.

Using a broader definition for the format, Nokia has been shipping MIDs for several years now with its Maemo-based N800 and N810 Internet Tablets. Nokia recently tipped the news that it plans to add 3G/HSPA capabilities to a Texas Instruments OMAP3-optimized Maemo 5 release targeted at the tablets.

As part of its master plan for Atom and the MID market, Intel sponsored the open source Moblin.org, which recently released version 2.0 of its MID-targeted Moblin stack. Moblin comprises a Linux kernel, UI framework, browser, multimedia framework, and embedded Linux image creation tools, along with developer resources such as documentation, mailing lists, and an IRC channel.

Meanwhile, says ABI, Microsoft will trail in the MID category, but still offer "stiff competition" with Windows Vista, XP, and CE-based MIDs. Another recent study on MIDs by Forward Concepts also forecast that Linux will be a top OS in the segment, pegging total MID shipments as growing from 305,000 units in 2008 to 39.6 million units in 2012.

Stated ABI VP Stuart Carlaw, "One of the chief reasons for the projected growth of Moblin is that the tight alignment between hardware and software will be an incredibly important factor in this market. Moblin's market share will be tightly aligned to the share of the market that Intel's Atom solution gains."

Availability

ABI's "Open source operating systems in Mobile Internet Devices" study should be available here, and the larger study on "UMDs" should be here.


Janet Jackson parts ways with Island Def Jam
(Reuters)
Intel acquires Linux distro developer
Fall Out Boy rolls out viral campaign for “Folie”
(Reuters)
MIDs offer Atom, HSDPA

Yamaha has added embedded Linux to the electronic "player piano" add-on it offers with some models. With version 3.0 of the Mark IV firmware, MontaVista Linux controls the 333MHz AMD Geode-based piano, enabling new interface possibilities, acoustic recording, and interaction with Web-based services.

The Disklavier is an add-on available for a variety of Yamaha piano models, including uprights and grands. A small controller box mounted underneath the keyboard runs a proprietary RTOS (real-time operating system) on a custom LSI (large-scale integration) processor. The RTOS gathers data from sensors claimed able to "continuously trace the hammer position from the time a key is pressed until it's released." By recording hammer and damper positions, the device is able to capture a live musical performance in a special musical data language not altogether unlike the perforated holes that once powered player pianos, except for having obviously much greater dynamic resolution.

Besides sensing hammer and damper positions, the RTOS is also able to control them, and thus can reproduce performances from the data files it captures. The system has an optical drive, and users can purchase classic performances by the greats, as well as recording and playing back CDs of their own performances.

With the Mark IV Disklavier, released in 2004, Yamaha added a second computer running the open source Linux operating system. The Linux system enables the addition of web-based and client/server remote control interfaces, freeing users from having to walk over to the piano to manually load and start playback from optical disks. It also adds acoustic recording, editing, and playback features, as well as integration with several online music service offerings.

The Mark IV Disklavier's Linux system is based on an AMD Geode clocked at 333MHz. It has 250MB of RAM, and an 80GB hard drive. I/O includes Ethernet, WiFi, dual USB ports, serial ports, audio I/O, video in, and stereo speakers. There's also a PCI expansion interface.

Disklavier Mark IV (mid-range DC3M4 model)
(Click to enlarge)
Thanks to the Linux system, Disklavier Mark IV users can interact with the system using three interfaces:Disklavier Media Center (DMC) -- includes touchpanel display positioned to the upper left of the keyboard, serial-connected function buttons and LEDs, and a USB-linked CD/floppy drive

Pocket Remote Controller (PRC) -- WiFi-connected handheld controller based on a Sharp Zaurus running Linux and a Java UI, with 320 x 240 display and built-in QWERTY keyboard

Tablet Remote Controller (TRC) -- WiFi-connected tablet based on a Hitachi Tablet PC, running Linux OS and offering Flash playbackHigher level network and sequencer functions of the Disklavier are now controlled by a customized version of MontaVista Linux 3.1, using a Linux 2.4.20 kernel, said Yamaha's Taro Kawabata, Software Group, Piano Division, in an email interview. Additional open source software components include Samba, as well as a PostgreSQL database engine, he added.

"This was the first time we introduced Linux to our products," said Yamaha's Kawabata, adding, "We plan to use Linux in future systems."

Linux software adds recording and Internet radio downloads

The latest version 3.0 release of the Disklavier Mark IV firm, available as an online update, adds several interesting alternative music recording and playback capabilities. With the new firmware, users can capture multichannel audio recordings, and add effects such as room, stage, hall, and reverb. Song lyrics can be displayed on a connected TV monitor or on the TRC tablet controller. Users can transfer recordings in MP3 format to networked PCs or Macs, or burn an album directly onto a CD.

Other new features include:Download MIDI files via WiFi and play them back on the piano's stereo speakers
Download MP3 music from a Yamaha site
Connect to Yamaha's DisklavierRadio Internet radio service
Playback of DisklavierRadio, and "immediate" purchase and download of live content
Audiophiles may care to know that the Disklavier's piano voice and performance tone are controlled by Yamaha's new Advanced Wave Memory 2 (AWM2) technology, which is said to incorporate its Articulation Element Modeling (AEM) tone generator. AWM2 offers 64-note AWM2 digital stereo sampling (90MB wave memory, 16 bit linear), as well as 6-note AEM polyphony, says Yamaha. The AWM2 technology is also said to provide for 32-note ensemble tone, which offers 16 ensemble parts, XG and GM voice modules modes, 676 "normal" voices, and 21 drum voice kits.

Stated Bill Brandom, Yamaha's Disklavier marketing manager, "The instrument is effectively blurring the line between home theater and live entertainment."

Availability

The version 3.0 upgrade is available now and comes standard with all new Mark IV Disklaviers sold, says Yamaha. Current Disklavier Mark IV owners can upgrade in exchange for filling out a survey, or purchase it for $90. More information may be available here.


$34 MIPS board has own Linux distro
T.I. “Likes” Making Hot 100 History
(E! Online)

Tilera announced a second generation of its scalable, 64-core Tile64 family of SoCs (system-on-chips). The TilePro family, which includes the 64-core TilePro64 and 36-core TilePro36, doubles cache size and improves cache management, while also benefitting from upgraded Eclipse-based Linux development tools, says the company.

Announced in August 2007, the original Tile64 SoC is fabbed on 90nm process technology at TMSC. It includes 64 cores, each clocked at between 600MHz and 900MHz, and each containing its own L1 and L2 cache. It targets network and video devices that require significant application processing. Examples include surveillance systems, videoconferencing, and firewalls with deep packet inspection. Tilera boasts of having some 45 customers for the processor.

The new TilePro family is said to improve the performance of "highly threaded and shared-memory applications" through a technology Tilera calls Dynamic Distributed Cache (DDC). The feature acts as an on-chip communication network dedicated to cache management, and enables the processors to double both the L1 cache size and L2 cache associativity, says the company.

Tilera claims that TilePro64 performance is double that of Tile64 in networking applications such as Snort and nProbe, while offering "35x better performance-per-Watt over the Quad-Core Xeon." The TilePro processors have also gained new instruction set extensions for audio and video. The extensions are touted as delivering up to twice the multimedia signal processing performance, compored to the Tile64.

TilePro64 block diagram

The TilePro64 is said to integrate 64 cores, four 800MHz DDR2 memory controllers, and an array of high speed I/O and PCI Express interfaces. The SoC can encode 10 streams of 1080p H.264 video (baseline profile), and execute over 20Gbps of pattern matching in networking applications, claims Tilera.

New TilePro36

Tilera's first 36-core processor, the TilePro36, is aimed at mid-range (1-5Gbps) networking and security applications, videoconferencing endpoints, and midrange multimedia applications, says the company. It is said to offer three DDR2 memory controllers and a "complementary" set of high speed I/O interfaces. Touted functionality includes the ability to deliver 5Gbps of Snort intrusion prevention processing, and three streams of H.264 1080p video encode.

MDE architecture
(Click to enlarge)
Like the Tile64, the TilePro SoCs are based on a proprietary VLIW (very long instruction word) architecture, on which a MIPS-like RISC architecture is implemented in microcode. A hypervisor enables each core to run its own instance of Linux, or alternatively the whole chip can run Tilera's 64-way SMP (symmetrical multiprocessing) Linux implementation. An "iMesh" switching interconnect, developed by Tilera's founder, MIT professor and serial entrepreneur Dr. Anant Agarwal, is said to eliminate the centralized bus intersection that limited scalability in previous multicore designs.

Specific performance features for the TilePro64 include:8 x 8 grid general purpose processor cores (tiles)
32-bit VLIW processors with 64-bit instruction bundle
Three-deep pipeline with up to 3 instructions per cycle
5.6MB of on-chip cache
Up to 443 billion operations per second (BOPS)
37Tbps of on-chip mesh interconnect enables linear application scaling
200Gbps memory bandwidth with four 64bit DDR2 controllersThe TilePro SoCs are supported by the company's Linux-based development kit, called the Multicore Development Environment (MDE). The Eclipse-based integrated development environment (IDE) offers a runtime environment based on an SMP Linux 2.6 kernel.

Tilera has upgraded MDE to version 2.0 in order to support the TilePro models. MDE 2.0 also offers a new "zero overhead Linux" option that provides "the timing predictability of a stripped-down task scheduler," says the company. The new version also supports a "bare-metal programming environment with a thin services layer for signal processing and data plane applications," says Tilera.

Tilera's 10GbE
Tile64 PCIExpress card
(Click for details)
In conjunction with its original MDE announcement in April, Tilera introduced a dual 10GbE PCIExpress card based on the Tile64 (pictured at right). Tilera did not reveal whether it would produce new cards based on the TilePro SoCs.

Stated Omid Tahernia, Tilera's president and CEO, "The TILEPro family delivers on our promise of scalability by giving our customers a software and pin-compatible part for high to mid-range applications."

Stated Nathan Brookwood, Research Fellow at Insight 64, "The new TILEPro64 delivers twice the performance of the earlier TILE64, with only nominal increase in power, while the TILEPro36 comes in at a lower cost for price-sensitive applications. All three versions drop into the same sockets and run the same software-compatible applications."

Availability

The TilePro64 will be sampling to qualified customers in October, and the TilePro36 will sample in Q4, 2008, says Tilera. More information may be found here.


Oasis postpones concert after Gallagher assaulted
(AP)
COM Express module gets low-power options
Twilight Scoop! Sequels, Action and Paramore
(E! Online)
Debugger gains Linux, ARM9 support

Energid Technologies Corp. announced an upgrade to its robotics software platform that adds fast validation features and Linux support. Actin 2.0 is aimed at developers of advanced industrial, defense, and planetary exploration robots, "including those with 100 or more degrees of freedom," says the company.

(Click for larger view of an unspecified NASA/JPL rover designed with Actin)

As indicated in our recent Robot software shootout, most major robotics development frameworks support Linux. Now, Energid has joined the party, with both components of Actin -- the Actin C++ toolkit and the Actin 3D viewer -- working across both Linux and Windows.

"We had customers demanding Linux," stated Chuck Seberino, director of Visualization for Energid. "We got the message."

Energid's customers are said to include commercial robotics companies, transportation companies, manufacturers, the U.S. Department of Defense, and multiple NASA centers, including the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), which uses Actin to control planetary exploration robots (see image at top and below). Some of Actin's core technology also originated from NASA, says the company.

On the left, another Actin-developed NASA rover; on the right, a diagram showing
parameters for velocity control on an Actin-controlled "RRC K-1207i manipulator."

Actin 2.0 offers some of the following capabilities, says Energid:Provides tools for geometric reasoning
Supports cooperation of multiple robotic manipulators
Can dynamically simulate physical environments
Supports three-dimensional rendering
Provides basic tools for machine vision
Can be used for network TCP/IP communicationsWith the toolkit's new fast validation capability, roboticists can now use a CAD model to "create a powerful control system and immediately test it in simulation," says Energid. The software supports fixed and mobile robots with any number of moving parts and almost any type of articulation, claims the company. Other touted features include strength optimization, accuracy enhancements, reductions in joint torque, hardware error recovery, and avoidance of joint limits and collisions.

Actin's actuator models are exchangeable, and are said to include friction, flexibility, power consumption, and torque and speed limits. The toolkit's impact dynamics are said to use multiple contact models, configurable surface properties, and impact detection and response.

Stated James Bacon, principal engineer at Energid, "Our customers wanted fast validation after a design change in CAD software. You can now change link lengths and sensor positions on a robot and simulate and test it with a control system in seconds instead of what used to take days."

Availability

Energid did not provide specifics about the availability or pricing of Actin 2.0 for Linux. More information may be found here.


Linux services firm hires MontaVista exec
Beck brings it all back home in wide-ranging show
(Reuters)
Cousin: Nate Dogg Was On Life Support
(E! Online)

J2 Retail Systems introduced a 15-inch terminal targeting the POS (point of sales/service) and hospitality industries. The Linux-friendly J2 650 supports processors from 1.6GHz Celerons up to 3GHz Core2 Duos, along with dual drives, optional RAID, and an integral UPS.

(Click here for a larger view of J2 Retail Systems J2 650)

The J2 650 is an all-in-one computer that has a 15-inch touchscreen display with 1024 x 768 resolution. The screen is available with both resistive and SAW (surface acoustic wave) technologies, each with its own advantages, as J2 explains. Resistive screens are unaffected by dirt, liquids, or other foreign matter. Meanwhile, SAW screens can be temporarily affected by contaminants, but never wear out, the company says.

The device may be wall-mounted using VESA brackets, or placed on the countertop base included with the unit. In the latter case, the J2 650 will enjoy solid support in more ways than one, because the base contains batteries and a built-in UPS. The UPS supplies power to the J2 650 and any connected peripherals continuously, and can support battery operation for up to two hours if necessary, says J2.

The J2 650 includes a 24VDC power output for industry standard POS printers, plus two 24VDC outlets for cash drawers. It also accepts an optional MSR (magnetic stripe reader), fingerprint reader, and 2-line x 20-character customer display, says J2.

Beyond these POS-specific characteristics, the J2 650 has other interesting design details. For example, its main board -- sporting an Intel LGA (land grid array) connector, Q965 northbridge, and ICH8R southbridge -- is said to accept 25 different processors from the chipmaker's "Conroe" and "Wolfdale" processor families. CPU choices range from the 1.6GHz Celeron 420, with an 800MHz FSB (frontside bus), to a 3GHz Core2 Duo with 1066MHz FSB.

Because of the wide range of CPUs, thermal loads on this system can range from 20 Watts to 80 Watts, says J2. Accordingly, two "smart fans," as used in blade servers, are capable of ranging from 2500rpm to 13,500rpm automatically, as required.

According to J2, the device is also capable of running fanlessly in a BIOS-selectable "green mode," when the 1.6GHz Celeron 420 is employed. In this mode, the processor is underclocked, yet still achieves the same performance as a 1.3GHz Celeron M system, claims J2.

The J2 650 has two 240-pin DIMM sockets that accept up to 4GB of memory. For mass storage, users can employ either its single Type I/II CompactFlash slot, or its dual 2.5-inch hard drive bays. The dual bays may be employed to double up storage, or to establish a RAID 1 configuration.

The interior of the J2 650
J2 adds that in a RAID 1 configuration, the device's two hard disk drives are readily hot-swappable, via slide-in drive carriers. Further, the J2 650 can be easily opened (as shown above), and a complete motherboard swap could be carried out in under two minutes, the company claims.

In addition to the 24VDC ports for peripherals already mentioned, the J2 650 has seven USB ports, three DB9 serial ports, a DB25 parallel port, and a gigabit Ethernet port. Also included is a VGA output, for a secondary external display, says J2.

Features and specifications listed by J2 Retail Systems for the J2 650 include:Processor -- 1.6GHz Celeron 420, ranging up to 3GHz Core 2 Duo ("Conroe" and "Wolfdale" cores)
Memory -- 2 x 240-in DIMM sockets accept up to 4GB of memory
Display -- 1024 x 768 touchscreen display with resistive or surface acoustic wave technology; optional secondary VGA screen
Storage -- 2 x 2.5-inch SATA hard drive bays; CompactFlash Type I/II slot
Networking -- 10/100/1000 Ethernet port
Other I/O:7 USB ports (2 internal, 5 external)
3 x serial
1 x parallel
Audio -- headset out, microphone in
3 x 24VDC ports, for dual cash drawers and POS printer
19VDC power inputOperating temperature -- 0 to 40 deg. C
Weight -- 16.4 pounds (7.45kg)
Dimensions -- 14.5 x 13.3 x 9.84 inches (370 x 340 x 250mm)According to J2, the J2 650 can run Linux. The company's case studies page includes several customer wins with Linux and its earlier 560 terminal. The 650 also supports Windows XP Embedded, WEPOS (Windows Embedded for Point of Sale), Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows CE 5.0/6.0, and DOS.

The J2 650 is available now, with pricing starting at approximately $1,500.


COM Express module gets low-power options
Usher to help kick off NFL season with concert
(AP)

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.

Jaaksi (pictured above), is VP of Maemo Software at Nokia. A slide show of Jaaksi's presentation, posted on his blog, suggests that during his OSiM keynote, he also revealed that Nokia plans to contribute code for 3G/HSPA on OMAP3 to the Linux kernel, and that Nokia has upgraded its membership in the Linux Foundation (LF) from a Silver to a Gold sponsorship. The LF's members page confirms the upgrade. Another revelation from the talk is that the upcoming Maemo 5 release will support photo sharing with HD cameras.

Jaaksi apparently did not offer a timetable for the release of Maemo 5. The last major revision of the Debian Linux-based distro, Maemo 4, appeared last November in conjunction with the arrival of the N810 Internet Tablet. Maemo 4 reflected N810 improvements including faster performance than the N800, and the addition of a slide-out hardware QWERTY thumb keyboard, GPS receiver, and a light-sensing screen dimmer.

N810 WiMAX Edition

The N800 and N810 both depend on WiFi for connectivity, but a newer WiMAX version of the N810 (pictured above) also supports that higher-bandwidth, longer range wireless technology. The addition of a cellular modem has long been anticipated, however. When we spoke with Ari Jaaksi about the


Intel acquires Linux distro developer
Maemo gains KOffice port
New Scott Weiland solo disc on the way
(Reuters)

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.

The new license was applauded by both the Free Software Foundation (FSF) and the Khronos Group, an organization developing royalty free standards around OpenGL.

The licensing affects graphics software libraries released as early as 1999, and widely integrated in Linux distributions. The libraries are typically used by gaming and scientific visualization software, such as CAD software. Affected software includes:SGI's OpenGL Sample Implementation
GLX API (application programming interface)
GLX extensions such as MESAGLX ("OpenGL Extension to the X Window System"), in particular, is used in all major Linux distributions to "glue" the X Window System to OpenGL. As an "accelerated" graphics API, OpenGL provides a way for graphics applications to exploit graphics "acceleration" features available in modern video chipsets. That is, OpenGL aims to let graphics applications manipulate display elements directly, with minimal CPU involvement.

SGI first released GLX in 1999, under a license that mandated adherence to the OpenGL API, a requirement widely believed incompatible with X Window System licensing. Later, in a 2004 release of version 1.1 of the license, it removed the restriction, though not before getting signed agreements from the biggest OpenGL SI users not to fork the API, and to use the API's "extension" mechanism to implement additional functionality when needed.

Now, SGI has gone one better, saying essentially "do whatever you will with the code, but preserve our copyright, and do not use our name in your marketing efforts." The full three-paragraph text of the current license -- as well as earlier versions -- can be found here.

SGI's move may be part of a trend toward more relaxed open source licensing terms. For example, Sun finally released Java under the GPL, after years of bickering with the open source community over more restrictive licenses aimed at ensuring that Sun would not lose control over the API. Sun and SGI (formerly Silicon Graphics) were formerly long-time rivals in the market for high-end graphics workstations.

Stated Steve Neuner, director of Linux, SGI, "This license ensures that all existing user communities will benefit, and their work can proceed unimpeded. Both Mesa and the X.org Project can continue to utilize this code in free software distributions of GNU/Linux. Now more than ever, software previously released by SGI under earlier GLX and SGI Free Software License B is free."

Stated Peter Brown, FSF's executive director, "We couldn't be happier. This SGI code plays an important role in scientific and design applications and in the latest desktop environments and games."

Stated Neil Trevett, president of the Khronos Group, which is partially sponsored by SGI, "Khronos applauds this move. It takes truly open standards to enable the authoring and playback of rich media on a wide variety of platforms and devices."

Availability

More information on Version 2.0 of the SGI Free Software License B should be available here.


New Kids On The Block hope new album has right stuff
(Reuters)
Open source phone goes to college
Sting Can Be Your Hero, Baby
(E! Online)
Linux services firm hires MontaVista exec

UK-based Omnima Ltd. is shipping a low-cost MIPS32 controller board with optional case. Booting the OpenWRT-based "Midge" distro from 2MB of flash, or a special "Squidge" Linux distro from a USB key, the eponymous "Omnima" controller has 16MB of RAM and a built-in four-port Ethernet switch.

(Click for larger view of the Omnima embedded controller with external case)

The Omnima controller is designed as a gateway that can connect computers, cameras, timers, and other IP devices to the Internet. It can run a DHCP server, says Omnima, and can monitor or send commands to any connected IP device. The controller can also act as a data logger, reading data via its GPIO, USB, or serial ports, and writing data to a USB-based flash or hard drive. The board can "easily connect to i2c peripherals," says the company, and can be purchased in a version with a plastic case measuring 7.4 x 3.9 x 1.1 inches (pictured above).

Omnima controller board

The controller is based on an Infineon ADM5120, a MIPS32-based system-on-chip (SoC) that can be clocked to 175MHz. Typically found on routers, the SoC has inspired its own Linux OpenWrt-like mini-distribution called Midge. Midge can be run on the controller, although its 2MB of onboard flash would not leave much elbow room. Alternatively, the Squidge distribution -- maintained specifically for Omnima devices, apparently -- can be booted from a 1GB USB key, Omnima says. Squidge includes a Java VM, Python-mini, LUA, WGET, and other OpenWrt packages.

Omnima controller (side view)

Specs for the Omnima embedded controller are listed as follows:Processor -- Infineon ADM5120 (MIPS32)
Memory -- 16MB RAM; 2MB flash
Networking – 4 x LAN Ethernet ports; 1 x WAN Ethernet port
USB -- 2 x USB Host ports
Serial -- 1 x UART/programming port with pin headers
Debug -- 1 x JTAG port with pin headers
GPIO -- 13 x GPIO/LEDs
Power -- 12V 500mA; optional adapter
Dimensions -- 7.1 x 3.6 inches (180 x 91mm); with optional case 7.4 x 3.9 x 1.1 inches (188 x 100 x 28mm)
Operating system -- Linux (Midge, Squidge); NetBSDAvailability

The Omnima embedded controller based on the ADM5120 is available for $34, or 19 British Pounds, says Omnima. More information may be found here.


Intel acquires Linux distro developer
VPX card runs Linux on Penryn
Half-sisters win fight to direct Bayreuth Festival
(AP)

Openmoko has launched an educational program at National Tsing Hua University of Taiwan to teach students about mobile device design using its open-source mobile Linux phone, the Neo FreeRunner (pictured). The "OpenLab" is the first step in a worldwide educational outreach program, says Openmoko.

OpenLab will encourage students to develop their own projects based on Openmoko software and hardware, says Openmoko. Working with National Tsing Hua University, Openmoko has developed a curriculum for OpenLab that is being released under a creative commons share-alike license.

Openlab's first class based on the Neo FreeRunner was launched this summer by the university's "Prof. King," who stated, "We're very glad to get Openmoko as our major mobile platform for researching." Three of King's students, who worked with Openmoko for a summer internship program as a trial for Openlab, have made their projects available on Google Code for download, says Openmoko.

Taiwan-based OpenMoko shipped the Neo FreeRunner in early July as a completely open source mobile Linux phone platform, complete with freely downloadbable schematics. Last week, Communications Research Center Canada (CRC) announced it had created a modified version of the phone called "Openmokast" that can receive datacasting signals. Prior to that, OpenMoko hardware and software were adapted for use in the Dash Express personal navigation device.

Stated Jyuo-Min-Shyu, Dean, Tsing Hua College of Electronic Engineering and Computer Sciences, "The lab is great, and we have Neo FreeRunner phones right at our students' fingertips."

Stated Openmoko CEO, Sean Moss-Pultz, "The future of Openmoko rests with the imaginations of developers and innovators, and students are an important part of the Openmoko community. We will provide e-courseware to the world in the near future."


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