RoweBots Releases Ultra-Tiny Embedded-Linux™ RTOS for Texas Instruments’ Stellaris® Microcontrollers

A new RTOS opens Texas Instruments’ ARM® Cortex™-M3 MCUs to Free Linux and POSIX compatible development

WATERLOO, Canada — June 2, 2009 — RoweBots Inc., the leading supplier of tiny embedded Linux RTOS products, today announced the launch and release of UnisonTM, Version 4 for ARM Cortex-M3 processors. This ultra-tiny embedded-Linux compatible RTOS opens Texas Instruments Incorporated’s (TI) Stellaris microcontroller (MCU) families to Linux and POSIX compatible development for the first time.

Unison OS and Stellaris MCUs are well suited to a broad set of applications including lighting, white goods, home automation, industrial automation, power management and networking applications. Unison increases embedded development productivity and reliability for Stellaris developers by substantially reducing the time and difficulty required to develop complex systems. OEM developers can create improved applications with standard reusable components supported by the Unison product, TI’s Stellaris MCUs and CodeSourcery tools.

Over 20 Unison demonstration programs run out of the box on Stellaris evaluation and development kits in just 10 minutes. Using the EKC-LM3S6965, EKC-LM3S3748 and the new EKC-LM3S9B90, EKC-LM3S9B92, and DK-LM3S9B96 with Unison, you can get instant results. Unison's extensive networking protocols (http://rowebots.com/Embedded_System_Software/TCP_IP_Stack) file systems (http://rowebots.com/Embedded_System_Software/Embedded_file_system), serial I/O, diagnostics (http://rowebots.com/Embedded_System_Software/Diagnostics_and_Power_On_Test), shell and chip support packages with Stellaris MCUs take “plug and play” to a new level.

“RoweBots’ Unison is very well suited for Stellaris customers who value reduced design complexity and getting to market quickly,” said Jean Anne Booth, worldwide M3 catalog marketing manager, TI. “RoweBots provides our customers the first professional port of embedded Linux to the Stellaris family.”

“Unison is intended for use in OEM environments where time to market and multiple products using the same software platform are a requirement,” said Kim Rowe, President of RoweBots Inc. “Users benefit substantially from the Stellaris family’s 32-bit ARM Cortex-M3 core, and these chips are integrated seamlessly with Unison to support lean development.”

The Unison ultra-tiny Linux offering provides seamless support including:

• Integrated embedded OS with complete documentation
• Full POSIX and Linux capabilities in a tiny footprint to minimize training time and processor size
• Risk mitigation using standards and standard tests
• Free development and source code
• Complete off-the-shelf I/O including networking and file systems
• Seamless integration with the CodeSourcery tools and Eclipse IDE
• 20 DSP features
• Complete indemnification
• Seamless migration between MCU products without code changes
• Low-cost deployment licenses

Lost time to market, customers disappointed with product quality, and missed product price points are three of the biggest problems OEM developers must overcome. Unison solves these problems when used with TI’s Stellaris ARM Cortex-M3 MCUs using open source technology. Learn more at http://rowebots.com/Embedded_System_Software/Open_Source_RTOS.

Unison V4 (http://rowebots.com/Embedded_Processor_support/TI_AEC_ARM_Cortex-M3) is hosted on Windows® XP and Vista® for x86 platforms. Unison support, training and consulting for TI’s entire MCU portfolio is available from RoweBots.

Unison V4 will begin shipping immediately, with free development offered. Open-source licenses start at $695 USD.

About RoweBots

RoweBots is developing the next generation of modular system on chip ultra tiny embedded Linux software for embedded OEM applications in the areas of consumer goods, clean technology, portable products, communications and robotics electronics. The company is based in Waterloo, Canada. For more information, visit the RoweBots web site www.rowebots.com.

Trademarks

Unison is a registered trademark of RoweBots Research Inc. ARM is a registered trademark, and Cortex is a trademark of ARM Ltd. Stellaris is a registered trademark of Texas Instruments Incorporated. All other product and company names are the trademarks of their respective owners.

For more information: RoweBots Press Contact: Kim Rowe, Founder and President, RRI, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it www.rowebots.com +1 519 208 0189