ubuntu

commentary Would you ever consider buying a smartphone running Ubuntu, Tizen, or Firefox as its operating system? For most of you, the answer is and will probably remain: No.

Why would you? Android and iOS fight for worldwide domination, with no signs of slowing down. Both have extremely well-developed ecosystems that make sharing information across services and even across individual handsets a fairly simple, unified process. App development is strong, and OS updates are regular enough to give phone owners new party tricks to show off.

In the meantime, Microsoft is still reaching deep into its pockets to secure double-digit … Read more

Ubuntu OS, long a favorite open-source platform for computing, is getting ready to move to the smaller smartphone screen.

Ubuntu-run smartphones will using the same drivers as Android smartphones, a boon to developers, but will also run well on entry-level smartphones, the organization says. Ubuntu for phones eschews Java in favor of native code.

In fact, Ubuntu's Web site pushes HTML5 and native code apps, a benefit for developers who can create a single app for both the desktop and the PC.

The OS favors swiping gestures to reveal navigation strips and overview pages, similar to RIM's BlackBerry … Read more

Dell began selling its sleekest ultrabook today with a version of Ubuntu Linux.

The XPS 13 ultrabook comes with Ubuntu 12.04 preloaded and is the fruits of a project at Dell to create an Ubuntu-based developer laptop.

"Our first project officially launches today for customers in the United States...We loaded a super sleek Dell machine with Ubuntu to give developers the essentials they want," Dell said in a statement.

And, at $1,549, it is loaded indeed with lots of fast silicon including an Intel Core i7-3517U Ivy Bridge processor, 8GB DDR3 SDRAM at 1600MHz, and a 256GB solid state drive. It also sports a 1,366x768 13.3-inch display. … Read more

Every once in a while I try some new version of Linux, some overhauled or updated "distribution" of the operating system that supposedly improves the user experience. And inevitably I get frustrated with it because, well, it's just not Windows.

Not that I have mad love for Windows, mind you, it's just what I'm used to.

Zorin OS 6 is an Ubuntu-based OS that comes closer to re-creating the Windows experience than any other Linux distro I've tried.

For you Linux neophytes out there, Ubuntu is one of most popular and heavily developed versions … Read more

Dell will sell its sleekest ultrabook with a version of Ubuntu Linux this fall.

The Dell XPS 13 ultrabook will be offered with Ubuntu 12.04LTS preloaded in select geographies, the company said in a statement.

The initiative is an extension of Project Sputnik, a pilot project aimed at creating an Ubuntu-based developer laptop.

Dell is taking the project "from pilot to product this fall" and allowing developers "to create 'microclouds' on their laptops...and then deploy that environment seamlessly to the cloud." … Read more

Last year was a long time ago for Android.

That was when Google's mobile platform was stealing market share from all the other smartphone platforms -- winning even against the iPhone -- and beating a path toward market dominance.

But Android is now facing a renewed challenge from its archrival. Android's vulnerability against the iPhone can be summed up by looking at the two biggest wireless carriers in the U.S. -- AT&T and Verizon. At AT&T, the iPhone represented 78% of all smartphone sales in the first three months of 2012. … Read more

Rumor Has It host Karyne Levy joins us as we discuss Androids Jelly Bean possibly launching in Q2, the pen-friendly LG Vu which will be on display at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona Spain, and a couple of crazy Android implementations including Google's HUD Glasses and an Android Toothbrush.

NEWS:

-Android 5.0 ‘Jelly Bean’ launching in Q2? Eh, maybe

-Android 5.0 Jelly Bean is Android@Home

-LG Optimus Vu is official: 5 inches, pen-friendly

-BlackBerry OS 2.0 arrives, supports Android apps, sort of… Read more

Ubuntu has announced a change to its version of Linux that ought to get hot-key junkies and voice-control enthusiasts alike to raise their heads with glee.

Ubuntu 12.04 will introduce in April a new Heads-Up Display for interacting with the operating system, wrote Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth. The HUD will allow you to "express your intent" with the operating system and the programs running on it, wrote Shuttleworth.

Currently, it's activated by hitting the Alt key, which opens a translucent box into which you can speak or type your commands. As you start to type the … Read more