November 14 - 5:10pm EST   Thanks to a newly announced partnership between chipmaker ARM and commercial Ubuntu sponsor Canonical, Ubuntu Desktop, a Linux-based operating system, will come to low-power ARMv7-based System-on-Chip (SoC) processors commonly used in portable electronic devices. ARM announced the co-operative effort on Thursday, which will enable small computer devices to bring with them integrated graphics processing while using up as little power as possible. The operating system will be optimized by Canonical for specific applications and OEM requirements put forth by device manufacturers. [full story]

November 10 - 11:05am EST   Silicon Mountain today leapt into the US and released the Allio series of hybrid HDTVs and PCs. The screens include the regular features of TVs such as a built-in HD tuner and HDMI input but also have full desktop-class PCs inside. The feature gives the option of Blu-ray or DVD playback built into the TV but also PVR features rare in US-shipped TVs. It also access to web-only video services like Hulu and picture-in-picture viewing of TV and software on the same large picture. [full story]

September 18 - 12:10pm EDT   Toshiba UK on Thursday announced that its first netbook entry, the NB100, will arrive on the UK market next month. The device will be built around an 8.9-inch, 1024x600 LCD display, with processing power coming courtesy of Intel’s 1.6GHz Atom chip. Virtual memory will top out at 1GB, while onboard storage comes by way of a 120GB hard disk. The device will be available with either Linux Ubuntu 8.04 using OpenOffice 2.4 or else Microsoft's Windows XP Home. [full story]

September 12 - 8:40am EDT   British online retailer Tesco today unintentionally slipped details of the Dell Inspiron Z530. The portable appears to be the final version of the E Slim netbook leaked earlier in the year and would sit considerably above the Inspiron Mini 9 in terms of performance. Beyond the larger display, which outputs at at a much sharper 1366x768 resolution, the system would switch to a 40GB hard drive instead of the 16GB flash-based maximum of the Mini and would carry 1GB of RAM as a minimum. [full story]

September 4 - 12:25am EDT   Dell today is revealing the full details of the Inspiron Mini 9, its first netbook. The 8.9-inch portable once rumored as the Inspiron 910 shares a similar design to larger Inspirons but, apart from the smaller screen, uses a 1.6GHz Intel Atom chip and Ubuntu Linux to significantly shrink its size without significantly affecting its responsiveness or its feature set. The system weighs just under 2.3 pounds but has features that are often missing from some netbooks, including a near full-size and spill-proof keyboard (through eliminating a few non-essential keys) as well as built-in Wi-Fi and three USB ports. [full story]

September 1 - 11:30am EDT   Classmate PC reseller CTL plans to set a new floor for desktops with a nettop that shares the same design philosophy as Intel's portable. The 2go pc nettop will cost as little as $149 thanks to its use of a 1.6GHz Atom processor but desktop-oriented parts. The price undercuts ASUS' Eee Box in part by introducing the entry-level model as a barebones kit: the system comes without its own hard drive and leaves the user to pick the default storage as well as an operating system. This entry system will also have 1GB of memory. [full story]

August 27 - 9:45am EDT   Dell this morning gave its Vostro line a refresh made for regions where cost is a concern but still offering features that are rare almost anywhere. The A860 is Dell's first 15.6-inch notebook and uses a 16:9 aspect ratio display in a redesigned, more rounded chassis than normally squared-off Vostro notebooks. It sheds costs both by having the option of budget Celeron M processors as well as by offering the choice of Ubuntu Linux in place of a costlier Windows Vista install. A 14-inch parallel, the A840, uses a slightly more conventional 16:10 ratio display but with similar internals. [full story]

August 7 - 1:40pm EDT   Dell has begun shipping two new Ubuntu Linux variants of existing computers, according to an announcement. The first of these is the Studio 15n, which follows shortly after the release of the standard Studio 15. In its top configuration, the system can be equipped with a 2.56GHz Core 2 Duo, a 1920x1200, 15.4-inch display, 4GB of RAM, and a 200GB hard drive running at 7200rpm. It is limited to integrated graphics, but has a starting price of $700. [full story]

July 23 - 12:10pm EDT   Canonical head and chief architect of Ubuntu Linux Mark Shuttleworth late Tuesday told developers at the O'Reilly Open Source Convention that Linux should go "beyond the Mac" in terms of its software experience. While not specific, he notes that the open source operating system should be at least as "crisp and clean" as Mac OS X while still offering the community benefits that come with fully opened code. [full story]

June 5 - 11:05am EDT   Dell's recently uncovered mini Inspiron system will arrive by mid-summer but with unusual sacrifices to reach its goals, says APC in an interview with the PC designer. The still unnamed micro notebook is now known to be scheduled for a launch no later than August and has the advantage of a much larger keyboard than normal for an 8.9-inch portable through its dropping the traditional row of F-series keys; the change is necessary to allow the remaining keys to be larger, Dell senior VP Alex Gruzen explains. [full story]

June 5 - 9:00am EDT   VIA this morning continued a string of announcements for its computer platforms with the launch of Mini-ITX 2.0, its latest platform for mini desktop PCs. The spec for mainboards is designed to allow small (6.7in square), quiet systems using processors such as VIA's own Nano but is unique in mandating a full-speed, 16-lane PCI Express 2.0 slot; the requirement gives all systems room for a fast video card, virtually guaranteeing support for DirectX 10 and OpenGL 2 in games and other apps that demand advanced 3D; an integrated DirectX 9-class chipset is also present as a fallback. [full story]

May 29 - 3:15pm EDT   Dell has quickly acknowledged the existence of its unintentionally revealed micro notebook at the Wall Street Journal's D6 Conference by posting first details of the device. Secretive about most of the device, the company says the system recognizes calls by the community for a Dell UMPC and says its founder describes the design as a computer to reach the "next billion internet users." The photo file names notably make reference to a "mini Inspiron" and confirm styling very similar to the much larger Inspiron models. [full story]

April 24 - 4:05pm EDT   Nokia today revealed to Ars Technica that it will soon add support for new apps and also a new version of Linux to its Nseries tablets, such as the N810. Following the company's acquisition earlier this year of Trolltech, the Finnish device maker now says the Linux-based Maemo operating system on the Nseries will support apps written for the Qt framework; this will permit not just apps written for Qt on other versions of Linux but also cross-platform apps. Eventually, a single program should work with both Symbian phones (such as Nokia's N95) and Maemo devices, the company explains. [full story]

February 26 - 11:25am EST   Canonical today hoped to preempt all comers today with news of Ubuntu Mobile. Its first Linux variant aimed at handhelds, the software is tailored for the Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) expected to launch in spring based on Intel's Silverthorne technology and is designed to recognize basic iPhone-like gestures such as swiping to scroll through menus and websites. A scrolling visual front end based on Flash or Clutter replaces the traditional Ubuntu desktop and is designed to be used solely with fingers, including with an on-screen keyboard. [full story]

February 21 - 5:15pm EST   Dell today announced to its Canadian and Latin America customers that the Inspiron 1525n now has the option of shipping with Ubuntu Linux 7.1, as well as with the Canadian models of the XPS M1330n and Inspiron 530 – the latter two will ship throughout Latin America soon. Like the previously announced US, UK, Spanish and German models, the computers will feature DVD playback capability. Support options are available starting at $65 for 30 days, all the way to $275 for 1 year of standard support from Canonical. [full story]