New Products

Virtualizers, rejoice! VMware has released version 5.5 of their popular VMware Workstation product. The new 64-bit guest support means that you can run either 32-bit or 64-bit versions of Linux, FreeBSD or Windows on a 64-bit host system, and additional import support lets developers load Symantec Ghost images as VMware virtual machines. The cost is $189 US for electronic download.

www.vmware.com

Novell has taken the wraps off the latest version of SUSE Linux. Version 10 is the first release to take advantage of Novell's new OpenSUSE initiative. OpenSUSE is Novell's answer to Fedora, letting community members contribute features and fixes to the SUSE Linux offering. Version 10 includes the latest versions of Firefox, OpenOffice.org and improved Windows integration, as well as new features such as Xen virtualization and iFolder. Available for $59 US.

www.novell.com/products/linuxprofessional/resellers/index.html

WinSystems' new EPX-GX single-board computer offers a diversity of interface options for developers working on machine-to-machine applications. Based on an AMD GX500@1W processor, it draws a miserly 1.8 A at five volts, but still manages to sport a cornucopia of options, including 10/100 Ethernet, 802.11 support via a miniPCI connector, two USB ports, four comm ports, 24 digital I/O lines, audio, 4x AGP video, keyboard and mouse. Intended for use in applications such as robotics, transportation and other uses requiring a lower-power embedded device, it is compatible with the EPIC standard and is available for $499 US in OEM quantities.

www.winsystems.com