Qi Hardware is now shipping its first "copyleft hardware" device, the ultra-portable Ben NanoNote. The palm-sized notebook is designed to be a hackable hardware platform for Linux developers, akin to what the Arduino board is for electronics projects.

Under the company name of Qi Hardware, ex-OpenMonki employees have have released the Ben NanoNote pocket computer. The device is the size of a cigarette box, costs $99 and is available as an open hardware platform under a copyleft licence

The Ben NanoNote keyboard has improved sensitivity in comparison to many other netbooks. The keys are not only more sturdy, but also reside under a protective clear plastic surface, which helps avoid wear and tear...

We're all familiar with open-source software, such as the Apache webserver or the Linux OS, but in the last few years, open-source hardware projects have risen in popularity, including the open-source electronics platform Arduino.

Arduino is getting a new logo, has acquired its own USB Vendor ID, owns Arduino branded webstore, is launching two new board and announcing some upcoming products and also several upgrades to existing hardware.

Guile packaged and running on the wonderful Ben NanoNote.

What is open source hardware? Briefly, these are projects that creators have decided to completely publish all the source, schematics, firmware, software, bill of materials, parts list, drawings and "board" files to recreate the hardware - they also allow any use, including commercial. Similar to open source hardware like Linux, but hardware centric.

The Arduino Project has announced a new compact version of its open source Arduino microcontroller platform called the Arduino Nano. Meanwhile, winners of the Arduino Open Hardware Contest have been announced, and include a security system, a modular robot, and a sweater-clad haptic navigational device.

Again this year MAKE Magazine blog has publishes the annual Open Source Hardware Guide listing no less than 60 open source hardware projects, ranging from simple microcontroller boards to a fully functional cell phone.