Mar 16

Google says Android should ‘flourish’ in China, effectively concedes a point

Posted in: Android, Google, open source, opensource, search, Today's Chili

Whether for real or for show, Google tried to make the world believe it would use Android OS as a bargaining chip during the company’s terse, slow negotiations with China. Now, the company has seemingly abandoned that option. During an educational webcast about the future of Google’s mobile business, CFO Patrick Pichette told viewers that he expected the company’s Android platform to do well in China despite all the recent threats and ultimatums in the country. “The Android platform is available to everybody,” said Pichette, “and China is obviously another great market in which Android should flourish.” Good to hear that Google and China are finally in accordance, right? Thing is, with China circumventing Android’s default search engine, Google’s stance against Chinese censorship of search depended on taking Android handsets hostage. But if the OS is indeed available to everybody, that’s not going to happen. The mobile market might one day be dominated by Android, but if Google doesn’t step up, mobile search will go to competitors more willing to play wallball with the Great Firewall of China.

Google says Android should ‘flourish’ in China, effectively concedes a point originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Mar 2010 22:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink AFP (Yahoo News)  |  sourceGoogle IR (YouTube)  | Email this | Comments

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Mar 15

Qi Hardware’s tiny, hackable Ben NanoNote now shipping

Posted in: open source, opensource, Today's Chili
It’s been something of a long road to this point (beginning with the company being founded by some laid off OpenMoko employees), but Qi Hardware’s ultra-compact, open source Ben NanoNote (actually, 本 NanoNote) is now shipping for just $99. That will get you a bare bones device that can simply be used as a Linux-based “handheld laptop” out of the box or, as the company hopes, be turned into anything from a PMP to an offline Wikipedia device. Something along those lines would seem to be the most practical, considering the device only has a 3-inch 320 x 240 display, along with some similarly basic specs including a 336 MHz XBurst Jz4720 CPU, 32MB of RAM, 2GB of flash storage, and a microSD card slot for expansion. Head on past the break for a look under the lid.

Continue reading Qi Hardware’s tiny, hackable Ben NanoNote now shipping

Qi Hardware’s tiny, hackable Ben NanoNote now shipping originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 01:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceSharism.cc, Qi Hardware  | Email this | Comments

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Mar 04

North Korea’s Red Star OS takes the ‘open’ out of ‘open source’

Posted in: korea, Linux, open source, opensource, os, Today's Chili
You know, Tux always seemed so harmless… little did we know that he is actually a Che Guevara-type figure who’s been traveling around the world, fighting the good fight on any number of fronts. First, Cuba announces its national Linux variant, Nova, and now? Red Star is North Korea’s very own Linux-based operating system, featuring a desktop very similar to Windows — but for the red star that replaces the Start button. It first came to light when Mikhail, a Russian blogger living in Pyongyang, picked up a copy for $5 near Kim Il-sung University. The install disk apparently features a quote from Kim Jong-il about the importance of an operating system “compatible with Korean traditions,” and the system requirements are a Pentium III 800MHz with 256MB RAM and 3GB hard drive space (North Korea’s version of Minesweeper must take up a lot of room). Of course, this bad boy has Firefox — except here it’s called My Country, and it will only connect you to something called “My Country BBS,” a web portal on North Korea’s own (restricted) version of the Internet. Where will the plucky penguin turn up next? We don’t know, but we bet it’ll be one hell of a ride.

Gallery: North Korea’s Red Star OS

North Korea’s Red Star OS takes the ‘open’ out of ‘open source’ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Slashdot  |  sourceSays and Shows Pyongyang  | Email this | Comments

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Feb 23

Microsoft and Amazon announce open-source patent agreement, trinkets in exchange for air kisses

Posted in: amazon, kindle, legal, Linux, Microsoft, open source, opensource, patent, Today's Chili

Mention “Microsoft” and “open-source” in the same breath and you’re guaranteed to create a suspicion interrupt within the Linux community. Toss in “patent agreement” and out come the irate spokesmen. So imagine the response to the announcement that Microsoft and Amazon have reached a cross-patent agreement that gives Amazon the right to use open-source software in its Kindle in exchange for an undisclosed tithe to Redmond. Microsoft also gains rights to Amazon’s patent portfolio.

The move prompted Jim Zemlin, executive director of the Linux Foundation, to claim that Microsoft appears to be trying to, “create uncertainty around Linux.” Mind you, this isn’t just tin-foil worry from the wire colander collective, Microsoft claims that free and open-source software violates some 235 Microsoft patents. A big enough stick to coax a number of companies — like Novell, Linspire, Xandros, Apple, and HP — into striking agreements with Microsoft or risk litigation as was the case with TomTom. Agreements that Canonical’s Mark Shuttelworth called, “Trinkets in exchange for air kisses,” or “patent terrorism” if you prefer Sun Microsystems’ take.

Microsoft and Amazon announce open-source patent agreement, trinkets in exchange for air kisses originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Feb 2010 01:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 17

Ubuntu Hardy Heron 8.04 gets ported onto Sony Ericsson’s Xperia X1

Posted in: Android, Google, hack, Linux, mod, open source, opensource, operating system, OperatingSystem, os, Software, Sony Ericsson, SonyEricsson, Today's Chili, ubuntu, xperia

Not even a fortnight after we saw Android 2.0.1 slapped onto Sony Ericsson’s all-but-forgotten Xperia X1, along comes a port that makes the other look like child’s play. A dedicated coder over at XDA Developers has managed to stuff Ubuntu Hardy Heron 8.04 onto an X1, and while the functionality is limited (as you’d expect), the amount of fun to be had is restrained only by your imagination (and available vacation time). Go on and peek that source link to join the discussion — but be warned, you’ll be sucking down over a gigabyte worth of data before the first installation process.

[Thanks, Jules]

Ubuntu Hardy Heron 8.04 gets ported onto Sony Ericsson’s Xperia X1 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Feb 2010 02:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceXDA Developers  | Email this | Comments

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Feb 15

Symbian S^3 officially announced, previewed on video

Posted in: breaking news, BreakingNews, mobile os, MobileOs, multitouch, mwc, mwc 2010, Mwc2010, nokia, open source, opensource, operating system, OperatingSystem, os, symbian, Today's Chili

The time has finally come for us to see Symbian’s milestone shift toward finger-friendly operation in motion. Firstly, to allay any fears that it’d lack all the modern amenities, we’ll note that kinetic scrolling, swiping, and pinch-to-zoom are all present and accounted for, while a “visual multi-tasking” option allows you to see the open applications in an interface not a million miles away from the Pre’s card implementation. Customization is also a big deal in the S^3 UI, with multiple Home Screen pages available, accompanied by a litany of widgets you can add and manage. The media player application looks like a homage (read: copy) of Apple’s Cover Flow UI, right down to the album covers flipping around to reveal the track listing. We’re not complaining, we consider that a very intelligent and pleasing way to browse through music. Go check out the moving picture show after the break.

Continue reading Symbian S^3 officially announced, previewed on video

Symbian S^3 officially announced, previewed on video originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 04:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceBusiness Wire  | Email this | Comments

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Feb 04

Symbian Foundation talks about its move to open source

Posted in: open source, opensource, symbian, Today's Chili

As we’d figured out last night, Symbian’s big reveal for today was the completion of its move to a fully open, royalty-free platform — meaning you no longer need to be a paid-in-full member of the Foundation to see all the code — and they’re ready to talk about it and spread the word far and wide. Though Symbian’s certainly not getting as much share of the mobile discussion these days as some of its smaller competitors, it’s certainly important to keep in mind that these guys have software deployed on literally hundreds of millions of devices, making this perhaps the largest-scale conversion of a closed operating system to open source in history. Because the code has been licensed under the Eclipse public license rather than the harder-core GPL, device manufacturers will be able to continue to tack on custom features and hardware support without open-sourcing it, which should make them less gun-shy about throwing weight behind the platform — and considering how badly these guys need to get back into the spotlight, that’s a good thing. Follow the break for the Foundation’s intro video to the wide, wide world of open source and Symbian^3, the first version to be fully spread out for everyone to see.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Symbian Foundation talks about its move to open source

Symbian Foundation talks about its move to open source originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Feb 02

Google mum on Chrome OS touch support, Chromium devs show us how it might look anyway (video)

Posted in: Chrome, chrome os, ChromeOs, multitouch, open source, opensource, tablet, Today's Chili
Google might be adding touch to Chrome OS, Chromium developers show us how it might look (video)

While those initial leaked specs for a Chrome OS-based netbook unabashedly specified a multitouch panel, Google is remaining shy on confirming just what it’s up to in the fingerprint department. When Google’s Senior Product Manager of Search was asked pointedly about touch support in the OS, according to TechRadar he looked nervously at a PR manager before failing to provide a concrete answer. Read that how you will, but the open source wing of the OS, Chromium, has gone ahead and created its own vision of what touching chrome might look like, including a very compelling video we’ve included for you after the break. This includes popup context menus, a selection of finger- and thumb-friendly keyboards, and of course some delicious multitouch support. Interestingly, if the scale of the hands in the video below is anything to go by, the Chromium group expects an eventual Chrome OS tablet to be between three and five feet wide, which might be a little cumbersome for those with diminutive laps.

Continue reading Google mum on Chrome OS touch support, Chromium devs show us how it might look anyway (video)

Google mum on Chrome OS touch support, Chromium devs show us how it might look anyway (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Feb 2010 08:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceTechRadar, The Chromium Projects  | Email this | Comments

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Jan 15

Linux Foundation sets up Job Board, cites 80 percent growth in Linux-related jobs

Posted in: Linux, open source, opensource, operating system, OperatingSystem, os, Software, Today's Chili

As the Linux Foundation tells it, the Linux-related job market is today 80 percent larger than it was five years ago. Whereas other industries have had to shed workers in the current recession, the Foundation is hopeful penny-pinching measures might actually encourage businesses to transition to Linux-based software and thereby further stimulate employment opportunities within the sector. We’re not told exactly what “Linux-related” means in this context, but the newly set up Linux.com Job Board indicates that the vast majority of new openings are for system admins. That’s right, the corporate world is crying out for more geeks — won’t you answer the call?

[Thanks to Overlord59 for the Tux images]

Linux Foundation sets up Job Board, cites 80 percent growth in Linux-related jobs originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jan 2010 07:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceArs Technica, Linux Job Board  | Email this | Comments

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Dec 22

Near-final Pandora handheld gets user reviewed, shown playing Super Mario 64

Posted in: hands-on, nintendo, open source, opensource, preview, reviewed, rom, Today's Chili

The long (long!) awaited Pandora gaming handheld is inching closer and closer to reality, with all but a few i’s and t’s left to dot and cross (respectively). It’s so close to ready, in fact, that personnel from the device’s production team invited a mere mortal (also known as a forum member) to their homes in order to test out and tinker with a pre-production model. Naturally, his hands-on experience was nothing short of glowing — but really, we wouldn’t expect anything less from a devout forum member who clearly digs even the idea of having a Pandora to hold and snuggle with. There’s no denying the awesomeness that awaits you in the video past the break, though, and if the unit really does handle everything as smoothly as it does Super Mario 64, we’re all in for a treat.

Continue reading Near-final Pandora handheld gets user reviewed, shown playing Super Mario 64

Near-final Pandora handheld gets user reviewed, shown playing Super Mario 64 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Dec 2009 07:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Pandora Press  |  sourceGP32X  | Email this | Comments

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