Some people have called me an Apple fanboy. I stood in line for hours for the first iPhone and then again for almost every new iOS device that came out. I own more Apple devices than t-shirts (I’m not a big t-shirt fan, but still, it’s a lot of devices…). And I have convinced quite a few people over the years to switch to Macs, iPhones and iPads.
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Windows 8.1 is, Microsoft claims, the culmination of listening to feedback around Windows 8 and finessing the features users have been most demanding or vocal about. The original version shook up long-standing PC fans, with its Live Tile interface and marginalization of the traditional desktop, but there’s more of an attempt to merge the two
You may recall that a Chinese startup dubbed Smartisan promised to offer its first custom Android ROM on June 15th. Well, the time has come and the company stuck to its word, but there’s a catch: the software is currently still in pre-alpha status, so it’s neither stable nor speedy — definitely not recommended for daily use just yet. That said, the release apparently includes most of the features demonstrated at the three-hour-long launch event.
The other catch is that you’ll need an international Samsung Galaxy S III (i9300, WCDMA) plus Windows (presumably non-RT) to flash this early version of Smartisan OS. If you’re game then head to the source link for the download and the instructions (but in Chinese). If not, you can wait for the upcoming release for the HTC One X, Samsung Galaxy S II, Xiaomi Phone 2 and Samsung Galaxy Note II. Or you can just wait for Smartisan’s very own phone due next year, if you don’t mind testing your patience.
Update: Someone’s already made a quick hands-on video in Chinese. We’ve got it right after the break.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile
Via: Engadget China
Source: Smartisan
In Apple’s 2013 developers conference main keynote, the company showed a select few bits and pieces in the hardware realm. While no new mobile devices were unleashed, the desktop environment was given a bit of a bump with a MacBook Air refresh as well as a total re-thinking of the way the Mac Pro exists:
From the initial preview to its final release, Mountain Lion took a journey that lasted over five months and saw 269 builds of the update before finally going gold in July of 2012. In fact, it was more than a month after its big WWDC keynote that Apple finally got OS X 10.8 out the door. But, things may be a little different this time around. Bug reports are starting to pop up in Cupertino’s Radar system with the operating system build number 13A451. The first half, “13A,” strongly suggests platform in question is OS X 10.9, since Mountain Lion was 12A, Lion was 11A, and so on, and so forth. The second half implies that this is the 451st build of the (not so) mysterious OS known only at 13A. That means that there have already been almost twice as many internal releases of 10.9 (presumably Cougar or Cloud Leopard… or maybe Scottish Fold?) as there were of 10.8 at the time of its release. This could indicate that Apple is preparing a substantial overhaul of its desktop OS, or it could just be that the company wants to ensure it avoids the usual flood of issues that accompany upgrades to the operating system. Either way, with WWDC right around the corner we’re sure the mystery will be solved soon enough.
Source: Apple Insider
As with previous releases, the newest Mint iteration, “Olivia,” comes in two distinct flavors: Cinnamon and MATE. While both have received a bit of polish, it’s the fresher Cinnamon that has gotten the most attention. Version 1.8 of the desktop environment has received plenty of bug fixes, along with a new dedicated settings panel that bypasses the GNOME control center. Support for “Desklets” (read: widgets) has also been added and the log-in screen is completely customizable through HTML5. Both versions benefit from the addition of MintSources, for managing software repositories, and MintDrivers, for managing drivers, obviously. While they’ll come in handy for consumers, the biggest advantage is that IT managers may now be more accepting of the refreshingly green Ubuntu derivative. The developers are calling version 15 their most ambitious release yet, and while we’re not completely convinced that’s true, it’s certainly a significant upgrade over November’s Nadia. You’ll find the full changelog and download links at the source.
Filed under: Software
Via: The Register
Source: Linux Mint 1, 2
It’s fairly minor as far as operating system upgrades go, but Chrome OS users can expect to receive a new update in the stable release channel sometime in the next few days (if they haven’t already). It brings with it some added panel windows for things like chat, along with a new positioning mode for the launcher, autocomplete in Drive search, a new three-finger gesture to move between tabs, and expanded support for wireless mice and touchpads, among other minor fixes and additions (including some promised memory management improvements). You can find the full rundown at the source link below.
Source: Chrome Releases
You might still be getting your thumbs around that Q10, or the waiting for that BlackBerry 10.1 update, but already some future tidbits for the platform have come to light. Michael Clewley, product manager at the firm, let slip that version 10.2 of the OS brings with it support for standard unicode emojis, multiple alarms and level 1 notifications (for email). With the 10.2 SDK said to be coming in June, you can expect the update to follow later in the year. Weren’t sure what to do with BlackBerry Channels, yet? If you had added Clewley’s (PIN C00014277) you’d have got the reveal straight from the man himself.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Blackberry
Source: Crackberry
First and second place in the smartphone OS wars is a foregone conclusion with Android and iOS (respectively) strongly entrenched, but the battle for third place is now full of intrigue. BlackBerry and Microsoft have each stepped up their games with their respective BB10 and WP8 OS’s of late, but so far it’s Redmond prevailing, having jumped two spots from last quarter to take third place, with a 3.2 percent share over BlackBerry’s 2.9 percent. While those two are fighting for third place scraps, Android kicked up its smartphone OS dominance with 75 percent of the global market, which is a huge jump from last year, while iOS fell back slightly to a 17.3 percent share. Between them, those titans owned 92.3 percent of the pie, but it’s arguably Windows Phone that has raised its game the most, with a senior IDC analyst claiming that this latest ranking “validates the direction taken by Microsoft and key partner Nokia.”
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Source: IDC
On the fence about heading to Build? Microsoft’s annual conference is scheduled from June 26th to the 28th, and developers in attendance will likely hear quite a bit more about the latest version of Windows 8. MS will also make a public preview available during the event, Julie Larson-Green shared at the Wired Business Conference in New York City today. A final version of Windows 8.1 “Blue” is expected by the end of the year, bringing cosmetic updates and other features, such as a new side-by-side app view and Internet Explorer 11. In March, we managed to dig through pre-release build 9364 — it sounds like we’ll be able to take a much closer look at the new operating system this summer, but you can click through our gallery of screenshots for an early preview, right now.
Filed under: Software, Microsoft
Source: Microsoft
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