A group promoting blue-laser optical discs is developing a smaller version of the technology for devices such as camcorders in an effort to make the format more widely accepted.

Enter SoftMaker Office 2004 for Linux, a new office suite from Germany that is available for both Linux and Windows and provides the highest degree of Microsoft Office compatibility available yet.

Dell has officially launched their new X50 line, consisting of the X50 Standard, X50 Advanced, and X50v with VGA screen and graphics processor.

MontaVista Software today announced it has launched an initiative to gain orders of magnitude improvement in the real-time responsiveness of Linux, by extending Linux to achieve hard real-time performance. MontaVista is hosting the "Open Source Real-Time Linux Project" and has contributed a reference implementation based on the company's recent work in the area of real-time Linux determinism. Read more for the rest of the press release.

LinuxLookup is reviewing the LinuxCertified LC2430 Linux laptop, and gives it a big score.

Sharp is apparently planning to unveil a new Linux handheld at a tradeshow in late October. Unfortunately, details on this model are extremely sketchy, aside from the fact it will apparently be the first clamshell Zaurus with a D-pad. The model number isn't even known.

Although Ed Hardy has only had a Tungsten T5 for a short time, he is willing to share his first impressions of palmOne's latest high-end handheld.

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has announced that it is beginning work on a new standard for batteries used in mobile phones. Dubbed IEEE P1725 and entitled "Standard for Rechargeable Batteries for Cellular Telephones", the standard is aimed at setting uniform criteria for the design, production, and evaluation of mobile batteries.

The IBM Service Management Framework Extension for Relocatable Services tool enables client applications that are built on ReSMF to float across devices (laptops, PDAs, smart-phones, etc.), providing uninterrupted user experience. This is significantly different from the current paradigm where an application has to be stopped on one device and started on the other with explicit synchronization of the application data.

GPS's, or global positioning systems, are becoming more and more popular every day. With awesome standard features, increased map detail and dropping prices, it's no wonder why. Add to that the the growing popularity of treasure hunting games like geocaching and it's easy to understand the popularity of this little gadget.