Mozilla released version 1.1 of its Linux-based Firefox OS operating system, adding MMS support, push notifications, and performance improvements. Meanwhile, Telefonica, Deutsche Telekom, and Telenor announced plans for launching Firefox OS phones in South America and Europe, following “very successful” early sales.
(more…)

The audio track and slide deck from the Linux Foundation’s recent free webinar on the “Growth of Android in Embedded Systems” are available for download at the LF’s website. The presentation by Benjamin Zores, Android Platform Architect at Alcatel-Lucent, is aimed at developers, project managers, and CxOs in companies developing embedded systems and devices.
(more…)

As vehicles become increasingly dependent on embedded computers for functions such as engine timing, acceleration, braking, and in-vehicle infotainment (IVI), the risk of cyber attacks on cars is growing dramatically. With this in mind, Southwest Research Institute has formed the Automotive Consortium for Embedded Security (ACES), which will have an informal initial meeting on Oct. 23.
(more…)

The Linux Foundation announced the program and keynote speakers for its Automotive Linux Summit to be held Oct. 24-25 in Edinburgh, UK. The event is focused on Linux and open source technologies for in-vehicle infotainment (IVI), driver assistance, connected cars, and more, and will feature a “hacker’s lounge” where developers can test code and try new apps on a Tizen-based IVI console.
(more…)

The Via Technologies APC project announced the availability of a preview release of Firefox OS for its $99 APC Paper mini-PC and similar $79 APC Rock single-board computer. Both products normally run Android 4.0 on an 800MHz Via WonderMedia Cortex-A9 system-on-chip, and offer 512MB RAM and 4GB flash, along with HDMI, USB, and Ethernet connections.
(more…)

Marmalade announced a new version of its cross-platform mobile development SDK that adds support for the Linux-based Tizen operating system. The Tizen support in Marmalade 6.4 will give developers a head-start on porting applications before first Tizen devices ship later this year, says the company.
(more…)

The Linux Foundation held its LinuxCon North America conference in New Orleans this week, and has once again pubished keynote session videos. The videos feature Linux luminaries including Google’s Chris DiBona, Valve’s Gabe Newell, Raspberry Pi’s Eben Upton, Intel’s Dirk Hohndel, and a panel with Tejun Heo, Greg Kroah-Hartman, Sarah Sharp, and Linus Torvalds (do sparks fly?).
(more…)

Canonical’s Ubuntu Project confirmed it would release the first stable build of the Ubuntu Touch mobile OS on Oct. 17, as part of the release of Ubuntu 13.10. Ubuntu Touch will not only be available for Nexus smartphones, including the GSM Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 4, but also for the Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 tablets.
(more…)

CyanogenMod, which develops and distributes popular Android mods for hundreds of smartphones and tablets, has morphed from an open source project into a fully-funded startup. Following a $7 million funding round, CyanogenMod Inc. is readying a much-improved installer and plans to add security and user-customization features, and it hinted it may get into services and even mobile hardware.
(more…)

The Linux Foundation announced a free Sept. 26 webinar on the “Growth of Android in Embedded Systems.” Android is increasingly being built into a wide range of consumer electronics devices and even industrial equipment where various embedded Linux distributions and real-time operating systems (RTOSes) currently rule the roost.
(more…)

Following up on last month’s announcement that it would open source its Power processor architecture, IBM announced that it will invest $1 billion in new Linux and open source technologies supporting Power-based systems. While the investment is primarily aimed at cloud and big-data applications, a new Power Systems Linux Center in France will also explore mobile and social computing applications.
(more…)

Jolla announced that its Sailfish OS is now fully compatible with Android, letting the Linux-based mobile OS run Android apps, as well as operate on hardware configured for Android. Jolla also announced that a second batch of pre-orders for its Sailfish-based Jolla phones will open later this week, after having sold out its first shipment in August.
(more…)

A Linux Foundation report found that among the growing list of companies participating in Linux kernel development, embedded-oriented firms like Linaro, Samsung, and Texas Instruments, have increased their contributions at the fastest rate. Other findings include increases in the number of kernel developers, code changes, and changes per hour since the LF’s previous report in April 2012.
(more…)

Mentor Graphics is integrating Jungo Connectivity’s multimedia player middleware into its Linux-based in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) software platform. Mentor’s Automotive Technology Platform IVI stack meets Yocto Project 1.3 and GENIVI 3.0 IVI requirements, and Jungo’s MediaCore middleware provides UX and other support for multimedia management and playback, smartphone connectivity, and cloud-based applications.
(more…)

Intel kicked off a five month Yocto Project Innovation Challenge today, offering 254 prizes to developers who submit embedded Linux product or project ideas involving Yocto Project software running on Intel processors. Six types of prizes — ranging from $50 gift cards, to Yocto Project hoodies and blimps, to 480GB SSDs — will be awarded to winning contest entries between now and the end of the year, and all the ideas will be shared publicly.
(more…)

Canonical dropped the Indiegogo price for its Ubuntu Edge phone from $775 to $695. Meanwhile, the Ubuntu project launched an Ubuntu App Showdown contest for the best Ubuntu for Phones app that can be developed between now and Sept. 15.
(more…)

[Updated July 26] — The Free Software Foundation has launched a fundraising initiative for Replicant, touted as a “fully free” Android distribution and the first mobile OS to run without relying on proprietary system code. Donations will defray the cost of purchasing smartphones and tablets for development and testing, and will help the team expand its infrastructure and promote the project at industry events.
(more…)

Geeksphone has started taking pre-orders for its first commercial smartphone running Firefox OS. The Peak+ offers double the RAM and offers better battery and graphics performance than the original Peak developers phone, and it runs the latest Firefox OS 1.1 build.
(more…)

With half a billion Android smartphones shipping worldwide in 2012 alone, it’s hardly a stretch to imagine that the global population of Android devices is nearing one billion. What if their idle CPU cycles could be harnessed for the good of humanity? With that in mind, the BOINC (Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing) project has just launched its first official Android app.
(more…)

[Updated July 25] — A Linux Foundation executive revealed that the 2014 Toyota Lexus IS is the second major automobile to offer an in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system based on Linux. Meanwhile, ABI Research projects that Linux will quickly grow to represent 20 percent of automotive computers by 2018, pulling closer to Microsoft behind industry-leading QNX.
(more…)