Google in the same breath as the Chrome 17 final release has also posted a beta release of Chrome 18. The new version swings attention to graphics and now hardware accelerates 2D elements using HTML5's Canvas spec, a common part of more advanced websites. Animations and action-sensitive websites should see the most benefit.
Raspberry Pi has recently revealed it will begin shipments of its $35 PC near the end of the month. The first batch will complete its manufacturing phase on February 20, with the first buyers expected to take delivery before month's end. That first PC will be sized similarly to a deck of playing cards and is not much more than a bare board with a number of connections.
CoSoSys has updated their portable data security solution EasyLock to version 2.0, bringing with it cross-platform support for Mac, Windows and openSUSE and Ubuntu flavors of Linux. The program uses 256-bit AES encryption (CBC-mode) to turn any mobile drive into a secure data vault. Version 2 also sports a re-written user interface focusing on ease of use. The program can run off the USB or portable drive itself, requiring no installation or admin password.
HP has acted on its promise to open-source webOS with an important change that could affect the devices that use it. Now called Open webOS, it's moving to a common Linux kernel that will let hardware makers use much more typical drivers and bring it to hardware beyond what HP originally intended. The OS will sit under an Apache 2 license, which will let others copy code as long as they include the license and attribution.
Germany's OpenPandora will begin shipping a handheld UMPC/gaming console in February. The device has been in the works for nearly four years, having suffered through production and shipping delays. It still carries no name and there are 4,000 units slated for shipping in February. The company did ship 2,800 units to date since May, 2010.
Having just shown its hardware running AirPlay, the Raspberry Pi team has shown the $25 and sometimes $35 micro PC running XBMC (video below). The hardware, even at its price, can still run the full interface smoothly. It also plays back 1080p through the use of Open Max to give a hardware accelerated boost to the video and audio sides.
The sub-$40 Raspberry Pi single-board computer has now been shown to be able to support Apple's AirPlay wireless media streaming thanks to a tweak. The ARM-based, Debian Linux-running system can stream from an iPad to a connected HDTV, as shown in the video below. While there was a bit of a delay before it started, the YouTube video otherwise played back without a hitch on the big screen.
DSPanel has utilized Java to create multi-platform native versions of its Performance Canvas Studio for Mac OS X, Linux and Unix as well as its original Windows platform. The suite is the company's flagship product for business intelligence (BI) correlation of various data sources and is also accessible on mobile devices via the web. The program is "multi-tenant" meaning databases can be set up to serve multiple clients, organizations or users to access the data.
Researchers at HP's labs in India are showing off a prototype for an intelligent set-top box that could bring Internet browsing and web-based TV to the millions of Indian residents. The Vayu Internet Device (VInD) lets people receive Internet content on even basic TV sets and manage all screen operations using a basic TV remote control. The device has been designed with the premise that most Indians can't afford a computer, the Internet access, and services that a PC could provide.
Samsung has partly reversed course on claims that it would merge Bada with Tizen. A follow-up statement to AllThingsD said that neither Samsung nor other companies in the Tizen Association ahd "made a firm decision" on whether the two open platforms would unite. The company was "carefully looking at it," but Samsung still considered Bada a core part of a strategy that included Android and Windows Phone.
Ideum, which makes Microsoft Surface-like computer tables such as the MT-50, has now revealed its 65-inch MT65 Presenter display that hangs vertically, on a wall. The multi-touch 3D display is meant for public consumption and is thus covered by tempered glass. It can recognize and track up to 32 touch points.
Microsoft's Secure Boot feature will be mandatory on ARM-based Windows 8 tablets, according to a discovery in Windows hardware certification documents just found this weekend. While it will be optional on x86, disabling Secure Boot "must not be possible" on ARM. As described, it would prevent any unsigned operating system from running on the resulting hardware, including Linux and variants on it, like Android.
Samsung's Senior VP of Contents Planning Tae-jin Kang in a discussion Friday gave surprise word that his company's Bada and Intel's Tizen would merge. The strategy mapped out for Forbes would let Tizen run any apps written for Bada. Ultimately, the two would end up sharing the same developer interfaces and effectively share the same roots.
The One Laptop Per Child project's long-in-waiting XO-3 tablet, now called the XO 3.0, will get its formal unveiling at CES. The eight-inch, 1024x768 slate will have a ruggedized body to survive rural schools and, like the original notebooks, consumes very little power. OLPC notes that it can take energy from a solar panel and that a hand crank can give it 10 minutes of power for every minute of turning, letting it work even in remote areas where electricity isn't guaranteed.
A key part of the computer industry marked its anniversary this week as the Commodore 64 turned 30 years old. The hardware was unveiled at CES in early January 1982 and became one of the longest-lasting computers of its era, with variants in use until the company shuttered in April 1994. The keyboard-sized PC, which shipped in August that year for $595, ran at just 1MHz and with its namesake 64KB of total memory.
ClockworkMod developer Koushik Dutta has posted a test version of what he claims is a potentially undetectable tethering app. ClockworkMod Tether Alpha lets Linux, Macs, and Windows PCs borrow an Android phone's 3G or 4G connection as though it were a proxy, not a router. The technique theoretically makes it "not blockable," as carriers are checking for the TTL (time to live) of data coming from a desktop OS, which would be masked by a proxy.
Fusion Garage CEO Chandra Rathakrishnan has reemerged after unusual silence. In an interview with Engadget, the chief of the tablet designer acknowledged that the company had been "uncommunicative" and explained it as the company focusing its efforts on staying solvent. The company needed a new round of funding to "continue surviving," he said, and was talking to a number of possible investors.
Mozilla has posted the final version of Firefox 9 for Windows, Mac and Linux machines, following five weeks of testing in the beta channel. As expected, the release brings type-inference support that is said to significantly improve JavaScript load time for complex pages, along with expanded support for HTML5 and CSS standards.
More signs that Fusion Garage may be shutting down emerged Sunday. Michael Arrington, founder and former employee of TechCrunch, noted that law firm Quinn Emmanuel had formally requested last week that it withdraw as the defense against AOL's lawsuit for alleged fraud over what ultimately became the JooJoo tablet. Singapore-based Fusion Garage hadn't been paying for services for "several months," according to the request, and there had been a "breakdown in communication" that made any reconciliation difficult.
Microsoft's Windows operating system has experienced a slight surge in usage share from October to November, according to recent numbers published by data analytics company Chitika. The 1.4-percent gain negates Windows' slight slide in share between August and September, while pushing down competing desktop platforms and mobile operating systems.
Judge Richard Seeborg is now known to have completely dismissed the PlayStation 3 Other OS lawsuit late last week. A ruling made public on Tuesday (below) eliminated the one remaining complaint of violation surrounding the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. While sympathetic to the gamers for losing the ability to boot Linux on the PS3, Judge Seeborg determined that Anthony Ventura and other plaintiffs hadn't persuaded the court that Sony was legally responsible.
Google kept up its development track by posting the finished, stable version of Chrome 16. The release centers on the multiple account support from the beta and lets more than one user share the same browser. Bookmarks, extensions, web apps, and more will carry over from device to device.
Wikileaks has a web page called the Spy Files that shows off a number of Internet surveillance products meant for government agencies. The confidential brochures and slide presentations are made for law enforcement and authoritarian regimes and can be used to spy on the public and track political dissidents. In all, Wikileaks has 287 files for products from 160 companies and promises to reveal even more in the future.
Days after the completion of the last Humble Bundle offer, developer Jeffrey Rosen has launched a new promotion, dubbed the Humble Introversion Bundle. As with previous offers, buyers set their own price for the bundle, which this time includes four games from Introversion (with an option to get two more games). All games work natively on all major platforms (Mac, Windows, Linux) and are DRM-free. The money raised is split according to the buyers' wishes.
The next Samsung Galaxy smartphone may get a quad-core Exynos processor from, a newly leaked piece of Linux code revealed. The rumor indicated it may offer much more processing power than the 1.2GHz Exynos 4210 used in the current Galaxy S II. The likely processor would be the Exynos 4412, which could use a 32 nanometer design that runs its four ARM Cortex A9 cores at up to 1.5GHz. The chip compares favorably with NVIDIA's Tegra 3, which uses a larger 40nm design.
Corsair rolled out a new high-end Performance Pro set of solid-state drives on Thursday to target gamers and serious users that otherwise couldn't consider SSDs. The new models have a Marvell controller that has its own, internal data garbage collection, not just TRIM support. Adding the self-tuning prevents a slowdown over sustained use even on computers whose OS doesn't support TRIM, such as earlier versions of Mac OS X or some forms of Linux.
Mozilla on Tuesday revealed two newly updated browsers, the final version of Firefox 8 for Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems, along with an update for Android devices (free, Android Market). Either update is said to make web browsing easier and give developers greater control of customizing the way they interact with the Internet. Firefox 8 for desktops now includes Twitter as a search option.
Some of the details of the upcoming Ubuntu Linux 12.04 features were detailed at the Ubuntu developer's summit that ended last week. They have been summarized by ExtremeTech thanks to an LTS (long term support) release. Also dubbed Precise Pangolin, the release by Canonical and the Ubuntu development team will work on fixing bugs of the open-source OS for the next five years.
Google has posted its beta release for Chrome 16 with a view to tackling multi-user computers. The browser can now take on multiple Google accounts, each with their own syncing intact. The simple change lets a family or guests get access to all their bookmarks, themes, and web apps without the regular user having to sign out.
Dell and HP will reportedly allow users to choose wether or not to use the secure boot option that will be available in Windows 8. Although Secure Boot is marketed as a way to help improve device security, the feature is viewed by some Linux advocates as a conspiracy to block alternative operating systems from being installed on computers designed for Windows 8.
Canonical leader Mark Shuttleworth on Monday vowed that Ubuntu Linux would be getting a much stronger emphasis on mobile in the future. The company would be pushing developers and partners to go beyond the desktop and develop smartphones as well as tablets, TVs, and in-car systems by the time Ubuntu 14.04 arrives in or near April 2014. Speaking at the Ubuntu Developer Summit, he said there was a "underlying hunger" for an alternative to Android among free, open-source platforms.
Qualcomm Atheros just announced the release of the Skifta 1.0 Android app (free, Android Market) that will allow users to stream content from their Android devices or saved on the cloud to any DLNA-compatible device. It will offer a Channel library, that will let users access content from their Picasa, Photobucket, Soma.fm, Napster, ShoutCast, Revision 3 and TED Talks accounts or service, among others, without launching those apps separately.
Linux 3.1 has progressed from a release candidate to a stable version . Linux's creator, Linus Torvalds, after 10 earlier candidates, has finally frozen the OS and made it available for download (free, GIT version). Key features of the latest version include support for NFC chips and Wii Controllers.
Ubuntu 11.10, the free Linux-based OS is available for download (free, ubuntu). The latest version, also known as Oneiric Ocelot, includes several enhancements, most notably a new launcher, new dashboard, and new app switcher. The new update provides access to the Ubuntu Software Center to get apps supporting the OS.
The Kindle licensing deal Microsoft and Amazon made last year does not extend to the recently introduced and Android-powered Kindle Fire, BGR learned. This could mean Amazon will be on the hook for licensing fees to Microsoft. "Our agreement does not cover Android tablets," said a Microsoft spokesperson.
Nokia is reportedly [sub. req.] working on a new mobile operating system, but which is aimed at low-end phones. The new OS is said to be based on Linux and is code-named Meltemi. According to Wall Street Journal sources, the project is being headed up by Mary McDowell, Nokia’s executive vice-president in charge of mobile phones.
The group responsible for the Humble Bundle series of charity software collections has launched a new effort, this time known as the Humble Frozen Synapse Bundle. Frozen Synapse is a turn-based strategy game from Mode 7 in which players fight top-down gun battles. The twist is that each side runs its turns simultaneously, forcing players to take a best guess at where their opponents will be.
Intel and Samsung partly confirmed rumors by unveiling Tizen. The effective successor to MeeGo still uses Linux as an open-source foundation for a mobile OS but is focused on a much broader coalition of LiMo supporters that includes Japanese phone makers NEC Casio and Panasonic Mobile, OS developer Access, and carriers NTT DoCoMo, SK Telecom, Telefonica (O2), and Vodafone. The group will focus more on HTML5- and Wholesale Applications Community-based apps that can run on MeeGo and can share much of their code for other platforms and devices.
Mozilla on Tuesday posted the finished versions of Firefox 7 (Linux, Mac OS X, Windows). The new release is still part of Mozilla's fast track schedule and focuses most on running faster and more efficiently than before. Version 7 uses 20 to 50 percent less memory and also now cuts back on memory leaks and waste from Javascript.
Sustained demand for Mac OS X Lion has helped the Mac pass 10 percent for real usage share, Chitika has found. The Mac grew by just over a point to hit 10.6 percent in current September figures. Windows was the primary victim, dropping 0.6 percent but now sitting at 77.7 percent.
Microsoft and Casio announced they have reached a multiyear cross-licensing agreement covering the use of Linux in certain Casio devices. Details of the agreement were not released. The companies did state that the deal calls for Casio to compensate Microsoft. Since December 2003, Microsoft has created over 700 licensing agreements with other companies for its intellectual property.
Google concluded the week with the final release of Chrome 14. Following a month after the beta, it represents the first version of the OS with support for Mac OS X Lion's native elements. It uses full-screen mode and the 'invisible' scroll bars while also mending crashes from the earlier release.
At the currently ongoing International Broadcasting Convention in Amsterdam, NVIDIA showed off its new GPUDirect for Video technology that will let app developers create more realistic on-air graphics. It allows industry-standard video I/O devices to communicate directly with the company's pro-oriented Quadro and Tesla GPUs with very low lag. The solution, as NVIDIA sees it, will not only speed up real-time processing of video streams in broadcast and production work but also in manufacturing, healthcare and government agencies.
After two years' silence in the category, SanDisk returned to mini MP3 players in earnest with the Sansa Clip Zip. It stands as the first clippable Sansa with a real color screen and aims to challenge the iPod shuffle by providing the features of a full player, but at the price and size of Apple's least expensive player. Although it has just a 1.1-inch LCD, it gives an 83 percent improvement over the earlier, lower-resolution two-tone OLEDs and can display album art.
Lenovo's IdeaPad S100 has begun to show up on European shelves with MeeGo. This is the first netbook running the Linux-based, Intel- and Nokia-developed OS to be sold on the continent. It's not clear if Lenovo has plans to bring the variant on the netbook to the US.
Mozilla this week released the latest Firefox 7 beta build for Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems. The browser is said to be faster and thus better suited for developers when making Web apps and websites. Memory use has been optimized for better responsiveness, startup and page load time.
Google's Android partners may have made a costly mistake in ignoring the Linux licenses behind the very foundation of the OS. New findings have emerged that many phone and tablet makers aren't properly giving out source code to meet the GPL version 2 license requirements at the heart of the Linux kernel Android uses. As such, these same companies have officially lost their rights to distribute Linux and could be found responsible for violations in lawsuits and trade disputes, Florian Mueller noted.
Mozilla has preempted its own official launch with finished versions of Firefox 6 on its FTP server (Linux, Mac OS X, released on Tuesday but, as is becoming the case in Firefox releases, is already online to help coordinate the release. The interval between the FTP posting and the public debut may be to catch any last-minute bugs.
Microsoft in the SEC filing for its annual report has removed Linux as a competitor on the desktop. While discussing what it has to compete with in operating systems, the Windows developer has scratched out Linux altogether and has relegated it to a factor only in niches like embedded and servers. Only Apple and Google are left in the category, Wes Miller noted in finding the difference.
Windows 7 will have made it to 42 percent of PCs in the last year before it's replaced, Gartner said in a new estimate. It expects the Microsoft OS to get 42 percent in 2011, just a few months before Windows 8 is ready. The lift would come mostly from businesses with more cash to spend on upgrades, not home users.
