The commpany said it will demonstrate the design, which is based on IBM's PowerPC 405LP microprocessor and MontaVista Software's recently announced version of Linux for consumer electronics, at this week's LinuxWorld trade show in New York.

The reference design, which IBM says it hopes will extend the use of open, standards-based Linux and Java software to consumer electronics devices, will initially be available through IBM Microelectronics Division.

Integrated in the reference design is device middleware which comprises open, standards-based IBM and partner software. Aimed at supporting both enterprise and consumer applications, IBM software includes IBM's WebSphere Micro Environment, as well as support for multimedia, data connectivity, and speech and handwriting recognition.

To meet the needs of enterprise markets, the reference design also includes IBM's Service Management Framework, DB2 Everyplace, Tivoli Device Management and other IBM software to support software lifecycle management and enterprise connectivity.