Investors Give Thumbs Down on Intel-Marvell Deal

Investors apparently do not like Marvell Technology's decision to buy Intel's handheld-processor group, and they have sent the former's shares plunging.

This past Monday, prior to the announcement, Marvell stock closed at $51.90/share on very light trading. All that changed with the announcement. On Tuesday nearly 41 million shares were traded, and the stock closed at 44.14, a one-day decline of nearly 15 percent. The stock is still falling. As of about 2:15 p.m. ET today, the stock is at 42.09, a decline of roughly 4.6 percent over Tuesday. Pass the aspirin!

Intel's stock price also took a hit on Tuesday, though not as hard. Intel closed on Monday at $18.28/share. The stock opened on Tuesday at 18.65, but by day's end had fallen to 18.05. Trading was heavy on Tuesday: More than 61 million shares changed hands, compared with "just" 36 million on Monday. Today, as of 2:15 pm ET, Intel is back up to 18.49. Pfew.

Missed the original story? It's here: Marvell Pays $600 Million for Intel's Handheld-Processor Unit .

Posted at 02:41 PM | Comments

Wind River Founder Joins db4objects Board, Company Reports Earnings

Jerry Fiedler, founding CEO of DSO vendor Wind River, has joined the board of db4objects, a vendor of open source object database for Java and .NET. Fiedler founded Wind River back in 1981. He's an investor in db4ojbects, along with venture capitalist Vinod Khosla; Tim Howes, CTO of Opsware; and Tim O'Reilly, CEO of book publisher O'Reilly Media. More info: Jerry Fiddler Joins db4objects Board of Directors (press release).

Speaking of Wind River, earlier this month the company a 5% increase in revenue for the first quarter ended April 30, to $65.0 million. Earnings were more complicated: Non-GAAP net income -- which excludes stock-based compensation expense, amortization of intangibles, restructuring expenses, payroll taxes on exercise of employee stock options, and the income tax impact of these adjustments -- was $2.8 million, which compares favorably with $2.4 million for the year-earlier quarter. But with GAAP factored in, the company lost $2.1 million, compared with GAAP net income of $1.8 million for the year-earlier quarter. Wind River explains the difference this way: "Net income prior to fiscal year 2007 did not include stock-based compensation expense related to SFAS 123R." (That's "Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 123R, Share-Based Payment" for the rest of us.)

Looking ahead to the second quarter, Wind River says it expects revenue of $290 million to $300 million, and GAAP earnings of $20 million to $23 million. More info: Wind River Reports First Quarter Fiscal Year 2007 Results (financial release).

Posted at 03:36 PM | Comments

Telematics Update: 3D Navigation, Microsoft Award, BMW Giveaway

The next stage of automotive navigation will feature 3D images of buildings, landscapes and landmarks. So said Isaac Levanon, chairman, president & CEO of 3DVU, speaking at Telematics Update Navigation Europe 2006 event in London. Two German, two South Korean, two Japanese, and one U.S. auto makers will bring 3D technology to market starting in model year 2008, Levanon predicted, using technology from Daewoo and Kenwood. More info: Telematics Update.

The Microsoft Windows Mobile for Automotive platform was named Best Telematics Solution at the Telematics Detroit 2006 conference and exhibition, held recently in Detroit. The first automaker to commercially release systems based on the Windows Mobile for Automotive platform is Fiat. At the Geneva Auto Show in February, Fiat introduced Blue&Me, which provides hands-free mobile phone support for more than 140 models of mobile phones, portable media player integration via Universal Serial Bus and voice-guided navigation. More info: PR Newswire.

BMW will provide four years of connection to its BMW Assist emergency service on all vehicles sold in North America beginning with 2007 models. The decision will represent about $80 million worth of retail subscription payments, according to Automotive News. BMW Assist uses an embedded, car-dedicated cellular phone connection to relay emergency or diagnostic information to call centers run by ATX Group Inc. Full story: AutoWeek.

Posted at 11:23 AM | Comments

News Roundup: Klocwork in Asia; OSDL Approves Debian Linux; Enea Supports StarCore DSPs

Here's a roundup of recent DSO-related news:

* Software vendor Klocwork recently extended its sales channel to Asia by signing a reseller agreement with ArchitectGroup, a South Korean consulting firm that focuses on application quality management and testing. More info in this press release.

* Open Source Development Labs (OSDL) says the Debian GNU/Linux distro has successfully registered compliance with its Carrier Grade Linux (CGL) 2.0.2 spec. HP helped, says OSDL. More info in this press release.

* Enea has announced the availability of its OSEck RTOS for the StarCore SC1000 and SC2000 families of digital signal processor (DSP) cores. OSEck provides full support for the StarCore’s high-speed control, signal processing, and media processing capabilities. OSEck also provides high-performance message-based LINX interprocess communications (IPC) services, which simplify the design of complex mobile infrastructure applications spanning multiple StarCore DSP cores. More info here.

Posted at 02:12 PM | Comments

Jaguar Adds System for Back-Seat Players

Do owners of Jaguar autos have more fun? I'm not sure. But their rear-seat passengers should. Jaguar Cars, a unit of Ford, recently announced an in-car system that mounts two seven-inch LCD displays in the backs of the front-seat headrests along with a pair of wireless headphones. The $1,500 system, called Rear Screen Connectivity System (RSCS), lets Jag passengers plug in a DVD player, MP3 player, or other digital device. It also features a slot for memory cards that can be used to for digital photos, videos, pocket PCs, and certain game consoles. More in this Jaguar press release.

Posted at 09:59 AM | Comments

Mobile Players Form Linux Platform Pact

A group of mobile operators and handset makers plan to develop an open-source Linux-based OS that could to be used in phones by the end of 2007, Reuters reports.

The group reportedly includes Vodafone, NTT DoCoMo, Moto, Samsung, NEC, and Panasonic. They intend to form an independent, not-for-profit group aimed at sharing the costs, speeding development of mobile software and handsets, and reducing the number of mobile OS platforms on the market.

DSO.com doesn't have a Reuters feed, but you can read the full story on sister site Networking Pipeline here.

Posted at 01:24 PM | Comments

Response from Green Hills

Regarding Express Logic's demand for arbitration, filed earlier this week, our colleagues at EE Times did get a reaction from Green Hills.

EE Times quotes Green Hills CEO Dan O'Dowd reacting to Express Logic's demand by saying, "They've leveled all sorts of ridiculous allegations. It makes no sense."

For more, see the full EE Times story here: Express Logic Seeks Injunction Against Green Hills.

Posted at 08:43 AM | Comments

Express Logic Cries Foul on Green Hills

Express Logic today filed a demand for arbitration against Green Hills Software, alleging that Green Hills is marketing an illegal copy of Express Logic's ThreadX API in its micro-velOSity RTOS product. As part of the filing, Express Logic has asked for both a preliminary injunction and damages for lost business.

Green Hills has been a licensed reseller of ThreadX since 1998, according to Express Logic. This arrangement has given Green Hills extensive access to the ThreadX source code, integration information, and other technical details, says John Carbone, Express Logic's VP of marketing. "We feel we're being hurt," he told me today. "We hope this is the result of a misunderstanding."

The ThreadX licensing contract dictates that any disputes between the two companies must be heard by representatives of the American Arbitration Association and conducted in San Diego, Calif., Carbone added.

Express Logic has posted a press release about the dispute (including a detailed comparison of the companies' naming structures, parameters, and other factors) here.

No reaction yet from Green Hills. But stay tuned.

Posted at 02:00 PM | Comments

News Roundup: Toyota OS, Enea Training, Wind River Linux Win

Here's a quick roundup of DSO-related news: Toyota is developing a proprietary in-car OS. Enea is making its safety-critical training available to the public. And Wind River just announced a Linux win with Mercury Computer Systems. Some details and links:

Toyota has reportedly begun developing a proprietary OS to handle in-car information and control systems such as navigation, telematics and driving support. The carmaker is said to be working on the project with the Centre for Embedded Computing Systems of Nagoya University. More info here.

Enea will offer DO-178B and DO-254 training programs to the general public, starting June 15 and 16 in Phoenix, Ariz. The courses target engineers and engineering managers who want to improve their knowledge and enhance their effectiveness applying and obtaining certification for safety-critical hardware and software processes covered by DO-254 and DO-178B. In the past, Enea offered the courses only to its major avionics clients. More info from Enea TekSci here.

Linux marches on: DSO vendor Wind River recently announced that Mercury Computer Systems selected the Wind River Platform for Network Equipment, Linux Edition, for its Ensemble2 AdvancedTCA-based application platform. View the press release here.

Posted at 09:25 AM | Comments

ESC Boston Coming--With a Discount

The Embedded Systems Conference Boston is coming, so mark your calendar for September 26-27. The conference sponsor, CMP Media (also the publisher of this site) is offering a $900 discount if you register before July 25.

To take advantage of the discounted conference rate, go to this page, and enter Priority Code: UMDC

For an overview of the conference, visit the ESC Boston home page.

Posted at 11:21 AM | Comments