Ford has announced that it has partnered with Bug Labs to offer an open-source platform for connected vehicles. The project, which is referred to as OpenXC and based on the latter company's Bug System technology, will enable developers and accessory makers to create new software and interchangeable hardware modules that can be added to upcoming vehicles.
Wireless provider AT&T and Bug Labs have announced a partnership that will enable developers to purchase AT&T-certified and network ready BUGmodules. They will work out of the box on AT&T's network once developers put the devices together. Called BUG + 3G/GSM, the first AT&T Connection Kit will be available in January and will become the latest in Bug Labs' modular hardware offerings.
BUGLabs, maker of the modular, Linux-based electronic device has released a second-generation base, the BUG 2.0, at the Mobile World Congress show on Monday. Most notably, the new hardware allows users to run apps developed for the open-source Android operating system or create their own. At the same time, it is based on the Cortex A8-based OMAP3 platform from Texas Instruments, making the device faster and more usable.
At CES, user-programmable electronics hardware maker BUGLabs introduced five new BUGmodules to expand on its hardware offerings and allow users to create more applications. Each of the new modules, including the BUGprojector, BUGsound, BUG3g GSM, BUGwifi and BUGbee, can snap onto the four-port BUGbase that is a programmable Linux-based computer. The BUGprojector is a DLP Pico projector good for 480x320 resolution and rated at a brightness of 9 lumens. It has stereo sound playback capabilities and is the first BUGmodule to be created in conjunction with a major electronics company, in this case Texas Instruments.
BUGLabs has recently announced it will be introducing its BUGvonHippel breakout board module for Java/BUG software developers which includes a female USB 2.0 port. Named after MIT Professor Eric Von Hippel who authored Democratizing Innovation, the device has a female breakout board and direct connections to the circuit board for standard size wires. Users can connect power, DAC, serial and grounds as well as others to the BUGvonHippel module.
