Linux Devices, Open Hardware, and Android Getting More Locked Down

posted by Roy Schestowitz on Apr 30, 2026

• Linux Devices/Embedded

  • Linux Gizmos ☛ Geniatech AIM-M-K and AIM-B2 integrate Ara240 for local AI inference

    Geniatech has shared information about the AIM-M-K and AIM-B2 AI accelerator modules based on the NXP Ara240 NPU. Both designs target edge inference workloads, offering up to 40 TOPS of INT8 performance for applications such as computer vision, transformer models, and generative AI.

  • Linux Gizmos ☛ MiciMike board converts Google Home Mini into local Home Assistant voice device

    Crowd Supply recently featured the MiciMike Home Mini Drop-In PCB, an open hardware replacement for the first-generation Google Home Mini that enables fully local Home Assistant voice control. It installs without case modifications or soldering, reusing the original hardware.

• Open Hardware/Modding

  • CNX Software ☛ SONOFF NSPanel Pro Gen2 – A 86-Type Smart Home control panel with two relays, dual-band WiFi, Zigbee 3.0, Matter support

    SONOFF NSPanel Pro Gen2 is an 86-type Smart Home control panel featuring a 3.95-inch touch display, two relays supporting up to 10A, and dual-band WiFi 4, Bluetooth LE, and Zigbee 3.0 connectivity. The device also integrates a 1.5W speaker and a microphone for voice interaction, light and proximity sensors, and runs Android on a Rockchip RK3326-S SoC paired with 2GB RAM and 32GB eMMC flash.

  • CNX Software ☛ MiciMike’s open-source drop-in PCB converts Surveillance Giant Google Home Mini into a local voice assistant (Crowdfunding)

    The MiciMike Home Mini Drop-In PCB is an open-source replacement mainboard designed to convert a 1st Gen Surveillance Giant Google Home Mini into a fully local, privacy-focused voice assistant running Home Assistant Voice.

  • Pimoroni ☛ Grab a MicroPython Birthday Discount!

    Celebrate MicroPython's 13th birthday with a plethora of Python-powered microcontrollers all with deep discounts.

  • Arduino ☛ Arduino® App Lab 0.7: Custom Bricks are here!

    Remember at Arduino Days when we teased something that would fundamentally change how you build with App Lab? That moment is here. Arduino App Lab 0.7 introduces Custom Bricks and with it, the power to extend the apps for your Arduino® UNO™ Q board and enjoy more creative freedom.

  • Framework Computer BV ☛ Framework Laptop 16 now with RTX 5070 12GB and launch

    The response to our Framework Laptop 13 Pro launch last week was bigger than we ever could have imagined. Far more of you pre-ordered than we had originally forecast, and we’re already into Batch 10. We’re just wrapping up validation and final software and firmware for the Pro now, and our operations team is getting ready to ramp into manufacturing. In addition to Framework Laptop 13 Pro, we got a ton of positive feedback around the improvements to Framework Laptop 16, the OCuLink Dev Kit, and the Framework Wireless Touchpad Keyboard. If you missed the announcement, we have it up on our YouTube Channel, along with a recording of the community Q&A we did later in the event.

  • Hackaday ☛ How To Kill Humidity Sensors With Humidity

    An often overlooked section in the datasheets for popular humidity sensors like the BME280 and DHT22 is the ‘non-condensing humidity’ bit, which puts an important constraint on which environments you can use this sensor in. This was the painful lesson that [Mellow Labs] recently had to learn when multiple of such sensors had kicked the bucket after being used in a nicely steamed-up bathroom. Fortunately, it introduced him to sensors that are rated for use in condensing humidity environments, such as the SHT40 that’s demonstrated in the video.

  • Hackaday ☛ Digital Signal Processing On The Pi Pico

    If you want to dabble in audio digital signal processing, you would probably think of grabbing a dedicated DSP chip. But thanks to [WeebLabs], you could just pick up a Pi Pico and use this full-featured DSP library.

    The system supports plug-and-play USB audio interface that enumerates on Windows, Linux, macOS, and iOS. It can handle 16- or 24-bit inputs at up to 96 kHz. You can output up to four channels of 24-bit S/PDIF or I2S, or switch to an RP2350 to get eight channels. This lets you drive a DAC easily. There is also a direct output for a subwoofer that doesn’t require a DAC.

  • CNX Software ☛ STMicro VD65G4 and VD55G4 0.56MP global shutter image sensors enable ultra-low-power always-on event-driven vision

    STMicroelectronics VD65G4 and VD55G4 are ultra-low-power 0.56-megapixel global shutter CMOS image sensors designed for battery-operated edge Hey Hi (AI) and always-on vision applications. The main difference between the two sensors is that the VD65G4 features a color RGB Bayer pattern, while the VD55G4 is a monochrome sensor designed to capture visible to near-infrared (NIR) light. Both sensors use a compact 1/9-inch optical format and a 2.16 µm pixel pitch, utilizing Back Side Illuminated (BSI), CDTI, and 3D stacking technologies to achieve a tiny 2.73 x 2.16 mm bare-die footprint. STMicro VD65G4 and VD55G4 specifications: Resolution – 0.56 MP (804 x 704) Chroma VD65G4 – RGB Bayer (RGGB).

  • Globe Newswire ☛ Ubitium Becomes the World's First CGRA to Execute Linux

    .Ubitium GmbH today announced that its processor has successfully booted an off-the-shelf Linux operating system, making it the first Coarse-Grained Reconfigurable Array (CGRA) to execute Linux directly, without a host CPU. The milestone was demonstrated on an FPGA prototype ahead of the return of engineering samples from the company's recent tape-out on Samsung Foundry's 8nm process.

• Mobile Systems/Mobile Applications

  • ‘Time for Linux phones’: Android protests against major Google app change in September grow as developers warn ‘your phone is about to stop being yours’

    We’ve known for a while that Google plans to make app developers verify themselves by handing over their ID, even when listing apps on third-party stores, but the anger at this upcoming change just keeps growing.

    Now, there’s even a site called Keep Android Open, with a countdown to when the change will be enacted (currently 125 days), and an explanation of their issues with it.

    The site argues that “your phone is about to stop being yours”, as Google will be able to block you from installing apps that don’t come from verified developers. Google claims that this is to reduce the risk of people downloading malicious apps, and it probably will reduce that risk, but it comes with some clear downsides too.