Heard about the console Pandora? Made by computer geeks who want the ultimate portable gaming console. This hobby project has just begun mass-producing and the dream is becoming real.

In a move that will boost support for open video on the mobile Web, Google has provided funding to TheorARM—a project that produces an ARM-optimized implementation of the Ogg Theora video codec.

For those wondering about the propriety of the name "Android" as a mobile device operating system, wonder no more because its real purpose has finally been revealed. It's really an operating system for robots.

The Ubuntu Linux distribution isn't the only open source project with a long-term-support release on the horizon. The Asterisk open source VoIP PBX (define) project is moving ahead with its own long-term support (LTS) plans with its 1.8 release.

Lately there's been lots of blog and Twitter chatter about recognizing an open source product. While an interesting intellectual exercise, the debate could also have a real-world impact on IT purchasing decisions.

Why is the uptake of free software in developing countries poor? Glyn Moody looks at one of the problems and offers a solution the community could participate in

Led, somewhat ironically, by Microsoft Windows, operating system vendors and some other software vendors have been making their products more secure by default. They also have been providing tools and best-practice guidelines for application developers to improve security.

Texas Instruments has spun a new IP camera system-on-chip (SoC) that enables 1080p video and analytics for the video surveillance market. The TMS320DMVA1 SoC combines an ARM9 core, a new Vision analytics co-processor, and a codec co-processor, and is offered in a Linux-ready DMVA1 IP camera reference design, says TI.