So I have had on my desk for about week now a sweet little ASUS laptop containing one of the new Splashtop motherboards. Don’t know what Splashtop is? Well Splashtop is a motherboard that contains, in the onboard memory, a special version of Linux (based on Small Linux - formerly tinyX) that runs right after the bios.

DeviceVM Inc. is creating a new version of its instant-on Linux environment, Splashtop, aimed at laptop computers bought and managed by enterprise IT managers.

The Splashtop instant-on Linux environment is included in the new Lenovo IdeaPad S10e netbook, marking the product's first appearance in that form factor. That news should come as no surprise, since netbooks' ultra-portability is a natural match for Splashtop's instant-on.

The Linux Foundation today announced that DeviceVM has become its newest member. DeviceVM is the creator of the award-winning Splashtop™ instant-on platform, which is powered by Linux.

Less than two weeks ago we shared that SplashTop Linux was hacked to run off a USB stick, run custom applications, and more importantly having it run on non-certified motherboards (meaning those not sold by ASUS with SplashTop's instant-on Linux environment embedded).

Not long after I covered Splashtop, the instant-on Linux-based boot environment that runs from flash memory, it looks like other hardware makers are getting into the same game. Meet Phoenix's Linux-based HyperSpace.

DeviceVM's SplashTop Linux environment really was revolutionary in pushing the "instant-on Linux" theme as it was able to boot to its desktop in just a few seconds. Next week there will be a new competitor joining the "instant-on Linux" scene.

DeviceVM announced that its quick-booting Splashtop Linux implementation is being pre-installed in ROM (read-only memory) on four new Asus motherboards. Asus says it plans to ship over a million Splashtop-ready motherboards per month, making this one of the largest Linux deployments ever.

DeviceVM's SplashTop, a product we had named as one of the greatest Linux innovations in 2007, is sharing a booth this week at the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) with ASUS. At their booth we were allowed to check out a SplashTop demo running on an ASUS notebook!