Hasta La Gadget!

On Tuesday, we reported that the Ubuntu for tablets OS would be released for the Nexus 7 and the Nexus 10, as well as the smartphone version for Nexus handsets, as a developer preview today. Canonical has officially announced its availability, saying that enthusiasts and developers alike can grab the source code now and get busy. The company stresses, however, that this is not something you’ll want to run on your daily device.

It stresses this point with bold text, stating that the Touch Developer Preview is meant for those who want to contribute to the platform and for those who want to test it out. Installing the Touch preview on the tablet you use on a daily basis will likely result in a lot of frustration and little else. If you’re sure you want to proceed, you can find everything you need here.

Public images are available for the Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 4, Nexus 7, and the Nexus 10. After flashing the device, Canonical says to expect that you’ll have access to core and shell apps, wifi, functional cameras, connectivity via Android Developer Bridge, as well as GSM network connectivity and text/talk access for the two Nexus handsets.

Along with this is the release of the SDK, which now allows users to execute and deploy apps directly from the IDE. A shortcut (Ctrl+F12) has been added to make the transfer and execution of an app from Qt Creator easier, while all the complex aspects off the process is “hidden” from the dev. Those who want to grab the latest SDK can get it now from here.

[via Ubuntu]

Ubuntu Touch SDK Alpha and Developer Preview now available for Nexus devices is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

It is no secret the auto industry has suffered for years, but things are starting to lean towards the upswing, with Ford announcing that it will be expanding its plant in Cleveland, Ohio. This move comes in response to growing demand, and will allow the company to focus on creating more SUVs and efficient cars. Expanding the plant not only shows good things for Ford, but also brings with it the creation of 450 new jobs.

The announcement was made earlier today, during which the manufacturer said that it will be investing $200 million in the expansion project. The plant in Cleveland produces engines, specifically the turbo-charged small engines used by many of its most favored models. Reports the New York Times, the company will “centralize” its EcoBoost (2L) engine at the plant by the end of 2014.

This comes admist an overall positive outlook on the future of auto sales, with estimates putting them in the range of 15 million this year, a fairly hefty rise above the quarter-century low seen in 2009. Part of the reason manufacturers are seeing an increase in auto sales is the demand for more fuel-efficient vehicles as gas prices rise and many look into ditching their older, larger cars.

Ford isn’t the only one boosting its plants, however, with General Motors, which leads the pack, announcing earlier this year that it’ll put $600 million into its Kansas City assembly plant. Things are also looking up for Jeep, with Chrysler having announced that an extra shift of workers will be hired for its Detroit Jeep plant.

[via New York Times]

Ford expanding Cleveland plant to meet growing demand is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Researchers at IDC have had their ears to the ground keeping tabs on shipments for specific types of devices, and now they’ve painted a bigger picture of the hardware battlefield in 2012. “Smart connected devices” — a category which includes desktops, laptops, tablets and smartphones — saw a total of 367.7 million units shipped in Q4 2012, up 28.3 percent from the year before. In total, over 1.2 billion units were shipped last year, marking a 29.1 percent upswing from 2011. Naturally, tablets and smartphones drove the boost by carving out roughly 60 percent of the year’s combined marketshare, while PCs and notebook shipments sank by 4.1 and 3.4 percent, respectively.

While Samsung and Apple each claimed crowns in specific gadget divisions, Sammy came out on top with smart connected devices in 2012 as a whole (and in Q4) thanks to a 20.8 percent marketshare, beating Cupertino by 2.6 percent. Lenovo finished in third place with a 6.5 percent slice, while HP and Dell trailed behind with 4.8 and 3.2 percent, respectively. IDC notes that Cook. and Co. could have come in a more distant second, but the debut of the iPhone 5 and iPad Mini pulled it out of a slump from earlier in the year.

Filed under: Cellphones, Desktops, Laptops, Tablets, Mobile, Apple, Samsung

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Source: IDC

Canonical’s preview of a smartphone- and tablet-friendly flavor of Ubuntu has finally arrived for folks willing to flash a Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 4 or a Nexus tablet. Shuttleworth and friends stress that the release is intended for developers and enthusiasts — not those eyeing it as a daily driver, mind you — and that it’s not yet kitted out with its complete functionality. As of now, the Ubuntu touch dev preview contains the shell, core applications, WiFi networking, support for front- and rear-facing cameras and Android Developer Bridge tool connectivity. In addition, the operating system allows Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 4 handsets to connect to a GSM network, make phone calls and send texts. Along with the sneak peak, the Ubuntu SDK has been badged with the alpha moniker since it’s flaunting a host of new features, including the ability to deploy and execute apps straight from the IDE. Ready to download the OS image and development kit? Hit the neighboring source link to get cracking.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile

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Source: Ubuntu

Blackberry, ever confident in its Blackberry 10 platform, threw a lot of effort into ensuring that consumers would have access to a variety of apps, including the staples everyone wants such as Facebook and Twitter. One highly popular app is still missing, however – Instagram. According to sources, the company isn’t planning on making a native Blackberry 10 app.

This information was given to the folks over at AllThingsD by sources who are said to be close to Instagram. While one source said there was a possibility – “There will be no Instagram for BB10 for now.” – they also said they weren’t sure there would ever be a native app. Fortunately, however, Instagram lovers who want to embrace the BB10 platform won’t be entirely out of luck.

It has been reported for awhile now that Instagram for Android is being actively ported for Blackberry 10, meaning that those desperate enough for it will have an option. As we have seen with many ported apps, however, it’ll likely be an inferior product when compared to the native versions running on other mobile OSs. The app won’t be optimized for BB10.

Instagram hasn’t said why it won’t be making a native app for Blackberry 10, though one can speculate that it’s due to the effort/reward ratio in doing so. BB10′s userbase is substantially smaller than Android and iOS, and Instagram’s team isn’t the largest out there. When asked about it, Blackberry stated that it is “actively engaged around Instagram support for BB10.” What do you say? Is lack of a native Instagram app something that would prevent you from adopting the BB10 platform? Let us know in the comments.

[via AllThingsD]

Instagram reportedly says no to native Blackberry 10 app is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.