Operating Systems

Ubuntu's marketing kick: Is Canonical the next Apple?

Another six months has passed and another version of Ubuntu Linux has been released, right? Wrong. Ubuntu 11.04 ‘Natty Narwhal’ arrived today and so did a new marketing direction from its parent company and principle sponsor, Canonical. And its flavour has a hint of Apple.

By Rodney Gedda | 29 April, 2011 14:20

Tags: Apple, app stores, canonical, cloud computing, desktop linux, Linux, music, ubuntu, unity

Windows Phone steps up, has iPhone in sight

New figures from IDC have come out of the US indicating Windows Phone 7 will be more popular than the mighty iPhone in 2015. How is this even likely? It’s all about the operating system, of course.

By Rodney Gedda | 30 March, 2011 11:29

Tags: Android, Apple, IDC, iPhone, Microsoft, smartphones, Windows Phone, Windows Phone 7

HP aims to make webOS mainstream

The news from the US overnight is HP will pre-install webOS on all its PCs in 2012. Short of HP deliberately stopping such PC shipments outside the US, Australians will finally get a taste of webOS and an alternative operating system other than Linux distributions and Mac OS X.

By Rodney Gedda | 10 March, 2011 11:17

Tags: Android, HP, iOS, Linux, PCs, tablet PCs, webOS

iPad 2 is here, ahead of the Android posse

We didn’t have to wait long in 2011 for the second-generation iPad to arrive. As expected it’s an incremental improvement over its predecessor, but will it be enough to keep Apple ahead of the impending Android tablet tide?

By Rodney Gedda | 03 March, 2011 11:46

Tags: Android, Apple, iPad, iPad 2, iPhone, tablet PCs

Honeycomb tablets to support Flash by Aus launch

Aussies keen to get their hands on an Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet like the Motorola Xoom may have to wait, but when they arrive Flash support will be available, unlike the popular iPad.

By Rodney Gedda | 23 February, 2011 11:10

Tags: Android, Flash, Honeycomb, iPad, Motorola, motorola xoom, samsung, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, tablet PCs

HP's phone, tablet strategy comes together with webOS

Less than a year after it acquired Palm for $US1.2 billion, HP has announced the first wave of webOS-based products – two smartphones and a tablet pc – aimed at forging a new mobile device strategy for the company. Now it’s time to see if HP has the muscle to make mobility a success.

By Rodney Gedda | 10 February, 2011 12:53

Tags: HP, Palm, smartphones, tablet PCs, TouchPad, webOS

Vodafone's Android Nexus S an iPhone killer? Hold the line

Having tracked the Android handset space since its inception, if only I had a dollar for every time a report claimed a new "iPhone killer" is about to be released. This time it's the Nexus S which is coming to Vodafone this year. It's a great handset, but let's not rule out the iPhone just yet.

By Rodney Gedda | 09 February, 2011 16:03

Tags: Android, gingerbread, Google, iPhone, Nexus S, samsung, smartphones, Vodafone

How sweet it is: Google splits Android like Honeycomb

This week Google announced the availability of Android 3.0 “Honeycomb”, a release of the Linux-based mobile operating system for tablets and larger touch screen devices. It’s a deviation from Android’s core market, but can we expect the smartphone success to be mirrored with tablets?

By Rodney Gedda | 28 January, 2011 12:22

Tags: Android, Google, Google Android 3.0, Honeycomb, smartphones, tablet PCs

Keeping up with the Unitys: KDE's Plasma Netbook

Last week when I wrote about Canonical's decision to go with Unity on Wayland I mentioned traditional desktop interfaces are mostly unsuitable for more mobile computers, including tablets, phones and netbooks. I should have been more specific about the interfaces themselves and not the software used to build them and, as the KDE developers pointed out to me, the Plasma Netbook workspace is an alternative for today's smaller screens.

By Rodney Gedda | 12 November, 2010 04:23

Tags: canonical, kde, kde4, KDE Plasma Netbook, kubuntu, netbooks, plasma, ubuntu

Ubuntu's risky leap: Unity on Wayland

Today Canonical and Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth announced on his blog that the Ubuntu distribution will move away from the traditional X.org display environment to Wayland a more modern alternative.

By Rodney Gedda | 05 November, 2010 16:37

Tags: canonical, gnome, mark shuttleworth, ubuntu, Wayland, X.org

Windows Phone 7: the next great smartphone OS

In recent years the mobile phone space has been upended with the rise of Android and iOS smartphone operating systems. But the arrival this month of Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 and Nokia's Symbian-based N8 make the battle for mobile computing a four horse race.

By Rodney Gedda | 21 October, 2010 11:59

Tags: Android, iPhone, Microsoft, operating system, smartphones, symbian, Windows Phone 7

Windows 7 May Equal Fewer Bargain Netbooks

Microsoft must perform a tricky balancing act as it tries to keep Windows on netbooks but not get stuck in a market that generates little revenue, say industry analysts.

By Shane O'Neill | 29 September, 2009 12:05

Tags: netbooks, Windows 7

With OS project, is Google over-extending itself?

Google's decision to build a PC operating system could be a master stroke or a colossal blunder, depending on whether the company has the resources that such an ambitious and long-term undertaking will require.

By Juan Carlos Perez | 09 July, 2009 05:15

Tags: Chrome OS, Google, Google Chrome OS, Linux, operating systems

Is Apple gearing up to enter the enterprise?

It could be that a real battle is brewing between operating systems. Apple will fire first by releasing Mac OS X 10.6, known as Snow Leopard, in September. Microsoft's response, Windows 7, will hit store shelves a few weeks later, on Oct. 22.

By Michael Gartenberg | 12 June, 2009 07:02

Tags: Apple, Mac OS X, microsoft exchange, snow leopard

Has ASUS all but given up on Linux?

At today's ASUS product showcase in Sydney, a bunch of media representatives were given a taste of the company's latest and greatest notebooks, including the new range of Eee PC netbooks.

By Rodney Gedda | 27 May, 2009 14:53

Tags: asus, Linux, netbooks, Windows

Linux certifications: Hot or not?

With Linux having gained traction in business, certifications of Linux expertise are becoming more popular, similar to how Novell or Microsoft systems certifications became important for those platforms. But some in the Linux community say the emergence of certifications is by no means a golden ticket for admins, and perhaps just a waste of time and money.

By Paul Krill | 15 May, 2009 06:06

Tags: certification, Linux, linux foundation, Linux Professional Institute

Windows Mobile: Alive and well -- and suitable for business

Having discussed the progress of the iPhone in the enterprise last month, I thought that this month I would take a look at a longtime player, Windows Mobile, and see how it stacks up against the competition these days. And next month, I hope to have some comments on the new Palm Pre and how it fares for business use.

By Michael Gartenberg | 15 May, 2009 04:19

Tags: mobile applications, Windows Mobile

Has Microsoft lost its war on open source?

Is Microsoft a friend or foe of open source? Going by the company's actions, Microsoft can't seem to decide whether to make love or war. But if it's war, Microsoft appears to lack the legal weaponry to defeat or even disturb its adversaries.

By Elizabeth Montalbano | 21 April, 2009 05:58

Tags: intellectual property, Microsoft, opensource, open source

Trends coming together make a plan for small business

George Peppard said as his character Hannibal Smith on The A-Team, "I love it when a plan comes together." Several trends, if not a plan, are coming together in interesting ways in technology for small businesses. Mix equal parts of online applications, netbooks, and constant wireless networking together, and you get new ways to do more work in more places for less money.

By James E. Gaskin | 20 February, 2009 09:36

Tags: SMB

What's coming in 2009

Well, it's that time of the year again. Time to enjoy the glow of a nice LED backlit display and huddle with the warmth that only an overclocked PC can produce. Yep, it's time to take a look at what's going to happen in technology in 2009. Here are my five predictions for the new year.

By Michael Gartenberg | 31 December, 2008 08:00

Tags: 2009

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