MontaVista Software and Amstrad PLC today announced that MontaVista Linux is the chosen operating system for Amstrad’s recently introduced “E3” email-enabled home videophone.
With a full color screen and built-in camera, the E3 videophone allows users to send and receive email, and take digital pictures and email them to a PC, mobile phone (via MMS) or another E3, while also letting them surf the World Wide Web, or play video games with a special game pad.
“With the E3, consumers no longer have to buy a PC or a mobile phone to make video calls, send emails with pictures and sound, and surf the net,” said Simon Sugar, Amstrad commercial director. “Thanks, in part, to MontaVista Linux, we can offer this full-featured phone for the home to our customers at a very reasonable cost.”
“Consumer devices, such as the Amstrad E3 videophone, are integrating more functionality and new features. To make these devices easy-to-use for consumers, the underlying software needs to be very sophisticated,” said Ian Graham, president, MontaVista Ltd. (UK). “MontaVista Linux provides a robust platform, low cost of development, and industry-leading security and networking capabilities to consumer electronics companies throughout the world.”
Key Factors in the Selection of MontaVista Linux:
According to Amstrad, the following requirements led it to move to MontaVista Linux:
— A commercial-grade software platform
— A robust and versatile tools environment
— Getting products to market rapidly
— Lower overall development costs
MontaVista Linux Professional Edition
MontaVista Linux Professional Edition (Pro) is a leading comprehensive embedded operating system (OS) and cross development environment. It includes a modern OS featuring real-time functionality, multi-process capabilities and multi-threaded remote debugging, bundled with extensive software components, including rich networking. Pro targets more than 25 processors from seven industry-leading architectures and supports more than 100 boards, offering developers great freedom to choose the elements for their development environment, which, in effect, allows them to speed cutting-edge products to market faster and at a lower cost. Pro also incorporates MontaVista DevRocket, a powerful integrated development environment that delivers state-of-the-art development tools.
Availability
The Amstrad E3 is currently available in Great Britain only, on an exclusive basis, from Dixons Store Group. Distribution will be broadened to other retailers in time for Christmas.
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