Ubuntu Mobile Developer Edition Lands On February 21

Ubuntu Mobile Developer Edition Lands On February 21

Developers will be able to use their Google Galaxy Nexus and Google Nexus 4 devices to “flash” a developer-friendly version of Ubuntu Mobile from Canonical.  Interestingly, Google gave away thousands of those devices during their Google IO developer events, and that’s probably why they were high on the list of devices to support for this release. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Vertu Looked At Windows Phone 8 Before The Vertu Ti, Opera Purchases Skyfire, Expands Mobile Web Browser Capability,

Touch-based Ubuntu preview coming February 21st, will work on Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 4

Touchbased Ubuntu preview coming February 21st, will work on Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 4

It’s not like we didn’t have ample warning, so by now anyone wanting to try out the new Ubuntu smartphone OS should have gotten hold of a Galaxy Nexus to be their test device. Still don’t have one? Then you’ll be pleased to know that a Nexus 4 will actually serve just as well, and you have six days to get equipped. The Ubuntu Touch Developer Preview will be made public on February 21st alongside the open source code and all the tools necessary to flash those two devices.

The official aim is to help devs and enthusiasts learn the platform and start building software for it, whether for core functions or for when a full third-party app store eventually goes live. The bigger picture is that, by the time Ubuntu 13.10 launches in October, an app written in this platform’s Qt/QML lingo should be able to run on any Ubuntu device — whether it be a PC, TV, tablet or smartphone — with no porting required. Rest assured that we have a couple of Nexii at the ready and we fully intend to give this newcomer a thorough hazing / write-up as soon as possible.

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How-to: Setting up a Plex Environment


DNP Howto Setting up a Plex Environment

Since the storage sizes on smartphones haven’t quite caught up with that Drobo NAS in your home office, packing all of your media onto a 32GB iPhone is an impossible task. Worry not; we’re going to show you how to set up a streaming environment so you can have all your jams at your fingertips on the go. The good news is there are tons of solutions out there to choose from: XBMC, MythTV and Windows Media Center just to name a few. We decided on Plex Media Server due to the broad range of devices and services it supports. On top of that, Plex allows you to share your server with friends and access your media from anywhere via the myPLEX platform. Catch us after the break to learn how to get started.

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The Daily Roundup for 02.07.2013

DNP The Daily RoundUp

You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

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Ubuntu Phones Will Arrive in October

According to the Wall Street Journal, Canonical is claiming that its new Ubuntu OS will be with developers by late February—ready for phones to launch in “two geographically large markets” this October. More »

Ubuntu smartphones set for October launch in two markets

Ubuntu smartphones set for October launch in two markets

Sure, Ubuntu for smartphones is slated to appear as a downloadable image for the Galaxy Nexus late this month, but you’ll have to wait until fall to get your hands on honest-to-goodness Ubuntu phone hardware. According to the Wall Street Journal, Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth says Ubuntu handsets will hit two “large geographic markets” in October, and that the open source OS has struck the fancy of carriers, to boot. However, Shuttleworth remained coy regarding which regions will see the devices launch in October and which manufacturers will be serving up hardware.

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Via: CNET

Source: Wall Street Journal

Ubuntu Phone Targets October 2013 Launch

Ubuntu Phone Targets October 2013 LaunchThe mobile operating system environment can be said to be established with some players who will not budge from their places anytime soon – iOS, Android, BlackBerry 10 and of course, Windows Phone 8. Is there more room for one more player? Perhaps, as it is said that Ubuntu would be a decent candidate sometime down the road. First announced a few weeks ago, the Ubuntu smartphone is said to allow users to enjoy just about the same Linux experience across a slew of devices, regardless of whether they are on regular computers or mobile devices which can handle all the nuances of Ubuntu.

The first Ubuntu phone builds for the Galaxy Nexus will be made available later this month, but the majority who will have access to it would be app developers. A new Wall Street Journal report has pointed out that regular customers will have to be patient until October this year to pick up their Ubuntu-powered smartphones. Can you wait until then? We do wonder just which of the “two large geographic markets” will receive this handset.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: HTC Thunderbolt Ice Cream Sandwich Performance Issues, HTC M4 Caught On Camera,

Ubuntu Phone OS handsets will hit shelves in October

The Ubuntu Phone OS was first revealed back in April of 2012, when a job listing went out looking for a Business Development Manager for the mobile operating system. The system has been in the news increasingly more often over the months, with Canonical seeking developers in the end of January for 12 core Ubuntu Phone apps. Now, according to Canonical’s Mark Shuttleworth, the first round of Ubuntu Phone OS handsets will hit shelves this coming October.

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Canonical officially announced Ubuntu Phone OS on January 2, originally saying that the first round of handsets would hit the market in 2014. Following the release this year, developers will be able to get their hands on the Ubuntu mobile operating system in the end of February 2014. The Ubuntu-powered phones will be launched in two “large geographical markets,” neither of which were specified.

While Ubuntu Phone OS gets its ball rolling, the first version will not be able to run Ubuntu desktop applications, but eventually that will change, with the mobile OS getting support for the same apps one would install on their desktop version of the distro. According to Shuttleworth, Ubuntu Phone OS can have Windows apps shared with it over a server.

The mobile operating system will include 12 core apps that are currently in development, including four social apps: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and an RSS reader. The other eight apps will include the standard things like a calculator, email client, alarm clock, file manger, and a terminal. Other core apps will also be included that aren’t part of the 12 currently being developed.

[via The Wall Street Journal]


Ubuntu Phone OS handsets will hit shelves in October is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The First Ubuntu Smartphones Will Debut In October

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Ubuntu’s recently announced mobile operating system certainly has some panache, which has prompted more than a few nerds (myself included) to become enamored with it. Thankfully, Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth has just recently given us a clearer idea of when to expect it — he told the Wall Street Journal that the first Ubuntu-powered smartphone would see the light of day this October.

That is, of course, if everything pans out the way that the Ubuntu team hopes. It’s not unheard of for mobile platform launches to miss their intended launch windows after all — BlackBerry 10 was famously slated for a 2012 launch before being delayed until last week.

Sad to say, the rest of Shuttleworth’s chat with the Journal wasn’t nearly as revealing. Though we’ve seen the nascent mobile OS running on a Samsung Galaxy Nexus both in the initial announcement video as well as at CES, Shuttleworth declined to offer names of any confirmed or potential hardware manufacturers Canonical may be working with. Even so, Canonical’s fondness of the one-time flagship device doesn’t end there. Developers will be able to tinker with Ubuntu on the Galaxy Nexus starting sometime this month (though the fact that it was originally supposed to be released last month may not bode well for Canonical’s launch window).

Shuttleworth also mentioned that the mobile OS would make its official debut in two major markets this fall, but you guessed it — there’s no hard word on which markets he’s actually talking about. But he did concede that North America is a “key market” for Ubuntu. That said, Canonical may do well by tackling some less-developed markets right out of the gate.

Canonical’s Jane Silber noted that when Ubuntu for phones was first revealed that the appeal of Ubuntu phones extends far beyond the enterprise, adding that Ubuntu’s native apps and stylish UI could make it a popular choice for more basic smartphones. Some of the other upstart players are looking to expand the reach of their mobile operating systems by taking a similar tack. Carriers like Telefonica are planning to use Mozilla’s Firefox OS as a means of getting more low-cost, feature-rich devices into the hands of consumers in markets like Brazil. Attempting to make a splash where mobile OS allegiances have not quite had a chance to settle yet could give Canonical an edge, as those regions become more digitally developed.

Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook Full HD edition guns for MacBook Air

This week the Dell XPS 13 has been re-introduced with a Full HD iteration, this version prompting the manufacturer to suggest that it’s not just the MacBook Pro they’re gunning for, it’s the MacBook Air. This device has already been revealed and released in a 720p edition – we reviewed it right here on SlashGear, in fact – and here in 2013 the Dell team is showing off not just the Full HD version, but an XPS 13 Developer Edition as well, this time with the same display as the original (now called “standard display”) but here based on Project Sputnik. And it’s all about definition from here on in.

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The Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook with Full HD display option takes on a massive 1920 x 1080 resolution across its 13-inch display, this containing almost twice the amount of pixels compared to what Dell calls a “typical 720p display”. The image you’re seeing below comes from Dell and shows the XPS 13 in both of its non-developer editions. It’s made clear instantly how much more you’re going to be able to see in the same physical display size – hot stuff!

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Also note above that yes, the physical machine sizes are the same, it’s no optical illusion. The amount of pixels inside the display allows for more to be shown from a standard app like Excel from Office 2013 (see our review of Office 365 for more info on that iteration of Excel). Dell also lets it be known that this version of the Dell XPS 13 offers a 72% color gamut vs the 45% color gamut on the “standard” panel.

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Viewing angles have been bumped to 178 degrees up from 80 degrees on the standard panel – and it’s worth noting that each of these measures comes from Dell comparing the standard and the Full HD panels on the Dell XPS in a general way. They’re all just a little bit subjective when it comes down to it since it’s really up to your own eyes to decide how much more excellent one panel is compared to its predecessor. The display has also been amped up to 350 nits in its Full HD iteration, this “up to 75% brighter than a typical 200-nit display.”

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Dell notes in their press materials for the Full HD XPS 13 that the unit is “often judged against the MacBook Pro 13, but in terms of size and weight, the MacBook Air 13 is a more realistic comparison.” The folks at Dell note that the XPS 13 is smaller than the MacBook Air 13 “as it fits a 13-inch screen into something barely bigger than an 11-inch footprint.” This machine is getting ready to be unleashed upon the public this Spring, aka “in the next few weeks” – stay tuned for more details, pricing, and hands-on action.

Bonus! This device is also offered from Dell starting at $1,449 USD working with Ubuntu – fun stuff for all!


Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook Full HD edition guns for MacBook Air is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.