Hasta La Gadget!

After just under three months of development, Google’s wrapped up its experimental work on bringing the Sony Xperia S into the Android Open Source Project fold. According to Sony, AOSP Technical Lead Jean-Baptiste Quéru considers the effort a success, but the device is being taken off the project’s roadmap so Mountain View can focus on its own hardware. Currently, an AOSP build boots on the Xperia S hardware with support for SD-Cards, Wi-Fi and its built-in sensors. Audio and the phone’s modem are also operational, but they require proprietary binaries Hirai and Co. can’t publish just yet. Work on polishing the handset’s vanilla Android experience isn’t over, however. Sony has moved the code to its GitHub account and is welcoming developers to pitch in and help with the open source effort. For more details and to see what code has already been laid down, tap the second source link or check out the video of the smartphone in action below.

Continue reading Google kicks Xperia S Android Open Source Project out of its nest, Sony takes it under its wing (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Sony, Google

Google kicks Xperia S Android Open Source Project out of its nest, Sony takes it under its wing (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Nov 2012 06:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you were wondering what was next for webOS now that it’s gone all open source on us, webOS Nation chimes in with word that Gram is working with LG to bring it to connected HDTVs. Several names from the HP / Gram team are dropped as being involved in the effort, which reportedly was under way even before HP revealed it would spin the project off as an independent. Of course, when we actually saw Open webOS 1.0 it was already stretching to fill the space of an HP TouchSmart computer screen (project architect Steve Winston specifically mentioned hotel kiosks as a possibility, a market LG is all over) so it makes sense that larger displays have been a target. With LG supposedly both looking to replace its existing NetCast smart TV platform and unhappy with Google TV based on its rate of adoption and Google’s terms, engineers have been working to port the software to its dual-core L9 chipset. In the past LG has pursued voice and motion control, the aforementioned Google TV integration and even Plex support to make its smart TVs more appealing, and has founded the Smart TV Alliance for cross platform apps. We only have to wait until CES 2013 to see if webOS is next up to power its efforts, stay tuned.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Software, HD

Open webOS-powered HDTVs said to be on the way from… LG? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 02:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yes, we’ll admit that we borrowed that pun in the title. MooresCloud founder Mark Pesce’s Xzibit reference is still a very apt description of the Light, his company’s Linux-based LED lamp. The Australian team’s box-shaped illumination runs the open OS (including a LAMP web server stack) on an integrated mini PC with an accelerometer and WiFi. The relative power and networking provide obvious advantages for home automation that we’ve seen elsewhere, but it’s the sheer flexibility of a generalized, web-oriented platform that makes the difference: the Light can change colors based on photos or movement, sync light pulses to music and exploit a myriad of other tricks that should result from a future, web-based app store. When and how the Light launches will depend on a Kickstarter campaign to raise $700,000 AUD ($717,621 US) starting on October 16th, although the $99 AUD ($101 US) cost is just low enough that we could see ourselves open-sourcing a little more of the living room. At least, as long as we don’t have to recompile our lamp kernel before some evening reading.

Continue reading MooresCloud Light runs Linux, puts LAMP on your lamp (video)

Filed under: Household

MooresCloud Light runs Linux, puts LAMP on your lamp (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Oct 2012 10:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Has the lack of NAND flash storage-optimized file systems been bugging you? Then you’ve got something in common with Samsung, which has developed F2FS (or “Flash-Friendly File-System”) for the memory of choice for mobile devices and its specific “internal geometry.” It’s based on a log-structured method, but tackles problems associated with older file systems intended mainly for retro, spinning-disk storage. The company isn’t keeping its hard work behind lock-and-patent either — it’s gone open-source and submitted the file system to the Linux kernel, meaning you could see it implemented in Android hardware of the future. It’s nice to see Sammy contributing code for the greater good, and if you’ve got the skills to understand it, a low-down of F2FS is available at the source below.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile, Samsung

Samsung creates F2FS file system for NAND flash storage, submits it to the Linux kernel originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Oct 2012 11:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If competition breeds innovation, then there’s plenty promise in this latest mobile development from Jolla. The Finnish company, comprised of former Nokia employees, is poised to enter yet another combatant to the wireless arena with a MeeGo-based OS, codenamed “Sailfish,” as early as this November. According to The Wall Street Journal, an initial round of funding has raised €200 million to push the effort forward and the small start-up is investing €10 million of its own to bolster the platform’s prospects. Having been recently abandoned by Elop and co. after the arrival of the N9, this iteration of the operating system will continue to be open source and should pave the way for OEM adoption, although certain aspects of the UI will be licensed. According to CEO Jussi Hurmola, the new hardware’s expected to hit next month — just in time for a glut of other smartphone bows. Until then, we’ll reserve our judgment and hope for the best.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Nokia

Jolla resuscitates MeeGo with ‘Sailfish’ OS, plans to show off new device this November originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Oct 2012 11:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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