What's new? Linux users want more device support. Wipro has ported its Linux mobile-phone framework to Renesas hardware. And Microsoft has extended the registration deadline for its Windows Embedded contest for students.
* Is a lack of device support hurting Linux? Yes, say new survey results from the Open Source Development Lab (OSDL). The survey, conducted by OSDL's desktop Linux working group, got more than 3,300 replies, a third of them from developers. When asked, "What mobile device support is needed to meet your business users' needs?," slightly more than half the respondents said PDAs with e-mail and messaging capabilities; nearly half said digital cameras and video recorders; 45 percent said personal storage devices; and a third said smartphones (the total exceeds 100 percent since multiple replies were permitted). To learn more, download OSDL's summary of the survey results (PDF format), and see especially Question 18 (the devices question) on page 12.
* Renesas Technology of Japan and Indian outsourcing vendor Wipro Technologies say they have successfully ported Wipro's AQUA, a Linux-based mobile phone reference framework, onto Renesas' SH-Mobile Series application processors for 2.5G and 3G mobile phones. So licensees can now build Linux phones around SH-Mobile. Learn more from this press release.
* Microsoft extended the deadline for its Windows Embedded Student Challenge to January 22. First prize is a not-bad $8,000. Entrants should be undergraduate teams of four students with a faculty mentor who have designed a computer-based system that solves a real-world problem. Learn more and register on this MS contest page.
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