ARCHOS publishes Linux distro for 5 and 7 series Internet Media Tablets

Ångström Linux on the ARCHOS 5 Internet Tablet. ARCHOS, the French multimedia tablet manufacturer, has published Special Developer Edition (SDE) firmware that allows developers to easily install a complete Linux distribution onto its 5 and 7-series Internet Tablets. The SDE is based on a customised embedded build of Ångström Linux and does not contain any of the company's legacy multimedia software. 

ARCHOS says that the SDE, which it considers to be a proof-of-concept, is "intended for experienced software developers only". Installing the operating system will replace the current ARCHOS or Android OS. Developers can, however, restore the original firmware by accessing the recovery menu and copying the most recent .AOS firmware to the device using the USB Mass Storage mode.  

Interested developers can download the Special Developer Edition firmware from the bottom of the ARCHOS update support page. The .AOS file is 38MB in size and the default user name and password are both "test". Other devices that run Ångström Linux include the Touch Book ARM based tablet computer and TI's Beagle Board.

See also:

• Touch Book: Linux based touch screen device announced, a report from The H.
• TI launches the open source Beagle Board for £75, a report from The H.

(crve)