Linux continues its move into the embedded devices market, as NeoMagic uses LynuxWorks’ embedded Linux distribution, BlueCat Linux, for handheld platform NeoMagic, which specializes in semiconductor technology for mobile systems, is developing its System-on-Chip platform for multimedia applications running on handheld devices.
The platform aims to meet the demands of high performance graphics, video and audio playback with low power consumption to, as the company terms it, “[elevate] the Personal Digital Assistant to the level of a Personal Entertainment Device” without pricing becoming prohibitively expensive.
“We found the open-source nature of LynuxWorks’ BlueCat Linux […] quite suitable for keeping our deployment and development costs to a minimum,” said Jason Chiang, Product Marketing Manager at NeoMagic.
BlueCat is a Linux distribution tailored for embedded development and deployment, but is not the only distribution that is active in the embedded niche. Linux is fast assuming a position of becoming the de facto standard embedded OS in much the same way that it has conquered the Web server market, with several companies looking into the possibilities of porting devices to Linux.