10 Coolest Devices Running Linux (Updated!)

As you all probably know Linux is not limited to just desktops. It’s far reaching, actually. Not that you’d have a Terminal app on it or anything, but you could. Some of you may have a mobile phone running Linux and you probably don’t even know it. The most popular phone in the world runs Unix. That’s right. The iPhone runs on Unix. Are there any other cool devices out there running on Linux or Unix? Of course there are:

10. Neo FreeRunner

Billed as a completely open source, hackable hardware platform, the Neo FreeRunner is the first OpenMoko phone intended for widespread use by non-developers. Frequent software upgrades are planned.

9. NetGear WGR614L

NetGear’s latest 802.11g WiFi router and access point was born to be hacked. The WGR614L is equipped with a MIPS32-based Broadcom 5354 system-on-chip (SoC) clocked at 240MHz, and supports several commercial and community-supported alternative Linux-based router distributions.

8. Garmin Nuvi 880

Garmin has posted Linux source code for its Nuvi 8xx and Nuvi 5xxx-series GPS navigation devices. The Nuvi 8xx offers a 4.3-inch, 480×272 display, and appears to be based on a Marvell PXA-3xx processor, Gnome Mobile Linux, and GeoClue location technology.

7. Sony MyLO

Physically, the Mylo resembles Sony’s popular Playstation Portable (PSP). However, its Linux- and Qtopia-based software environment is mainly aimed at connected applications, such as messaging, VoIP, and web-browsing. It comes with an Opera web browser, Skype client VoIP software, and GoogleTalk and Yahoo! instant messaging software. The device measures 1 x 4.8 by 2.5 inches, and sports a 2.4-inch QBVGA (320 x 240) LCD screen.

6. Archos 604 WiFi

A portable media player (PMP) from Archos is based on embedded Linux, Opera Software, which supplies its Opera Web browser for the device. its 30 GB hard drive capacity allows you to store up to 40 movies encoded with a PC. Play them on the built-in 3.5″ LCD color screen or playback on TV in high resolution up to 720 x 576 (DVD quality) with the DVR station.

5. Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition

The Nokia N810 features the Internet Tablet OS 2008 Linux distribution, based on maemo 4.0, which features MicroB, a Mozilla-based mobile browser, a GPS navigation application, WiMAX radio for use initially on Sprint’s Xohm network, new media player, and a refreshed interface.

4. Slim Devices SqueezeBox Duet

Logitech subsidiary Slim Devices has announced a major upgrade to its digital music distribution system. The SqueezeBox Duet includes a Linux-based WiFi-connected handheld device able to control the streaming of network-based music to one or more digital media adapters, and available with open source development tools.

3. Android

No actual devices yet, but the potential is amazing.

2. Stanley

We’ve heard of the DARPA Challenge, a road race for autonomous vehicles through the Californian dessert for cash and prizes, and we love it. Stanford University’s entrant, which won the race, was called Stanley, a Volkswagen SUB modified with lots of radar, ground-sensing, and optical gear, all running Linux.

1. Large Hadron Collider

Large Hadron Collider

“…Brookhaven has about 1,200 multicore x86 servers dedicated to the LHC, along with disk and tape storage that holds seven petabytes of data. Ernst says Brookhaven will have to scale that storage up significantly by 2012, when he expects to be storing 13 petabytes of Large Hadron Collider data.

Worldwide, the LHC computing grid will be comprised of about 20,000 servers, primarily running the Linux operating system. Scientists at Tier-2 sites can access these servers remotely when running complex experiments based on LHC data, Pordes says. If scientists need a million CPU hours to run an experiment overnight, the distributed nature of the grid allows them to access that computing power from any part of the worldwide network, she says. With the help of Tier-1 sites such as  Brookhaven, the goal is to make using the grid just as easy for universities as using their own internal networks, according to Pordes.

Asked if the LHC project is the most complicated thing he’s ever worked on, Ernst gave a quick laugh and said, “Yeah, I would say so.”

Source: Evolution of Internet powers massive particle physics grid

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