The Moblin project has officially released Moblin v2.1, the Linux-based operating system designed for netbooks and nettop computers, adding various new features as well as bug fixes.

Largely driven by Intel but now overseen by the Linux Foundation, Moblin is a free-to-download platform designed specifically for devices with Intel's Atom processors, such as netbooks, mobile internet devices and compact desktops, or nettops.

Moblin v2.1 comes with significant feature additions, according to the announcement from the project steering committee, including an enhanced browser supporting plug-ins, user interface improvements and support for 3G data connections.

However, 3G data capability is currently limited to Ericsson mobile broadband modules, with additional 3G modem support planned for future releases. With Bluetooth device support now built in, though, users can pair up with a phone and use it as a 3G modem.

The Moblin Application Installer is now integrated, providing a list of applications from the Moblin Garage that users can choose to install.

User interface scaling, meanwhile, now allows for a wide range of display resolutions on nettop systems.

Under the hood, Moblin has included updated components such as the Linux kernel version 2.6.31, and the Moblin Project said that it is providing updated documentation, sample code and updates to the Moblin SDK.

Instructions for downloading and using the Moblin live image can be found here.