Nov 17

Google announcing Chrome OS launch plans this Thursday

Posted in: Chrome, chrome os, ChromeOs, Google, netbook, operating system, OperatingSystem, os, Software, Today's Chili

It’s looking increasingly unlikely that Google’s Chrome OS is really launching this week (not that we were really that convinced anyway). What is true, however, is that the company is hosting an event later this week at its Mountain View, CA headquarters to showcase its progress, provide an overview of the platform, and give information on its “launch plans for next year.” Excited? Us, too.

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Google announcing Chrome OS launch plans this Thursday originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nov 13

Palm Treo 650 boots into Android, lives a fulfilling life (video)

Posted in: Android, Google, open source, opensource, operating system, OperatingSystem, os, palm, Today's Chili, video

It may be half a decade old, but don’t lie — you still whip your Treo 650 out from time to time, toss on some jean shorts and pretend that the size of your stub is synonymous with the big times. If we just rung your bell, you owe it to yourself to have a peek at the video past the break. There are no step-by-step instructions to accompany it (they’re out there, trust us), but man, you can just see the life seeping back into it as the code scrolls down and Android grows seconds closer to booting. It’s glorious, really.

[Thanks, Andrew]

Continue reading Palm Treo 650 boots into Android, lives a fulfilling life (video)

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Palm Treo 650 boots into Android, lives a fulfilling life (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nov 13

Google’s Chrome OS just a week away from launch?

Posted in: Chrome, chrome os, ChromeOs, Google, operating system, OperatingSystem, os, rumor, Software, Today's Chili

We’d heard last month that this month was the month that Google would finally launch its highly-anticipated Chrome OS, and now we’ve got a “reliable source” over at TechCrunch asserting that the software is gearing up for launch “within a week.” Granted, we can’t ever be too certain when it comes to a rumor such as this, but if the system really does hit the wilds, we probably won’t see it available for every machine on the face of the planet. The presumed Alpha build will likely only support a select few products that Google engineers have had a chance to specifically work with — possibly something such as an Eee PC netbook, which has generally the same specifications regardless of design or model number. Either way, we’d go ahead and prepare ourselves for something new before the end of November — but don’t let it spoil your holidays should things get pushed back a bit, okay?

[Via SlashGear]

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Google’s Chrome OS just a week away from launch? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nov 12

Samsung responds to Symbian claims, says it’s still supporting it

Posted in: nokia, operating system, OperatingSystem, os, rumor, samsung, Software, symbian, Today's Chili

Contrary to popular belief (and reports from yesterday), it seems that Samsung actually isn’t planning to ditch Symbian anytime soon — or at least it’s not prepared to tell the public. Shortly after announcing its own Bada OS, rumors began to fly that Symbian support would fade in the near future; according to a company representative speaking with Mobile Burn, however, that’s simply not true. To quote:

“Samsung is an initial member of Symbian Foundation and continues to cooperate with Symbian Foundation. At the same time, Samsung supports various existing open operating systems including Symbian, Linux, Android, and Windows Mobile. To provide more choices to meet consumers’ many different tastes and preferences, we will continue our ‘multi-OS’ strategy.”

‘Course, just because it’s “continuing” to support Symbian doesn’t mean that the hammer won’t fall tomorrow, but at least for now it seems the Big S is safe from seeing one of its own jump ship. Phew.

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Samsung responds to Symbian claims, says it’s still supporting it originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nov 12

Windows 7 bested by XP in netbook battery life tests

Posted in: Microsoft, operating system, OperatingSystem, os, Today's Chili, Windows, windows 7, Windows XP, Windows7

The venerable 2001 classic of an OS, Windows XP, strikes again. The scribes over at Laptop have put together a rather damning battery life comparison between old greybeard and the fresh Windows 7, which finds that on average netbooks get 47 minutes less battery life with the upgraded software. In the case of the ASUS 1008HA, that deficit was a meaty 57 minutes, or 16.7%. Liliputing and jkOnTheRun have run their own tests which invariably reached the same conclusion. Adding these data to an earlier comparison with Snow Leopard, where Windows 7 was again markedly worse than its competitor, leads us to the conclusion that perhaps Microsoft’s 7th heaven hasn’t quite been optimized for the mobile mavens out there… yet.

Read – Stick with XP? Windows 7 Battery Life Worse on Netbooks
Read – Windows 7 + netbooks = lower battery life?
Read – Netbook Battery Tests: Windows XP vs Windows 7

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Windows 7 bested by XP in netbook battery life tests originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 03:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nov 11

Valerie Singleton wants more Facebook friends, promotes Linux for the elderly

Posted in: desktop, Linux, operating system, OperatingSystem, os, Today's Chili

We’re not really sure whether to consider this patronizing or genuinely useful. Former Blue Peter presenter Valerie Singleton, who is herself at an advanced age now, has partnered with Wessex Computers to create a custom Linux desktop targeted at easing the elderly into the use of a computer. Dubbed SimplicITy (the Brits do love their puns), it features only six chunky buttons that lead to a web or file browser, chat, email and profile apps, and awesomely enough, video tutorials from Valerie herself. Once you get your web-legs under you and feel confident enough to handle more complexity, you can disable the SimplicITy desktop and use a more conventional Linux distro. Hit the read link for a video of one lady’s reaction to the software.

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Valerie Singleton wants more Facebook friends, promotes Linux for the elderly originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nov 10

Windows Mobile 7 ‘Maldives’ test program reportedly on track for Q1 2010 release to OEMs

Posted in: Microsoft, mobile os, MobileOs, operating system, OperatingSystem, os, Today's Chili, Windows Mobile, WindowsMobile, winmo

Ballmer may have wanted it to be out yesterday, but it looks like the initial release of Windows Mobile 7 may now finally, actually be in sight. According to ZDNet Taiwan, the mobile OS is now on track for a release to OEMs for testing (the so-called “Maldives” program) sometime in the first quarter of 2010, and will be launched publicly sometime in the third quarter of the year (or about a year after the release of Windows Mobile 6.5) — all of which more or less lines up with earlier rumors of a release to manufacturing in Spring 2010. If past history is any indication, however, it seems likely that the earliest builds of the OS could be circulating around the usual channels well before that — probably right on the heels of the release to OEMs.

[Via WMPoweruser.com]

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Windows Mobile 7 ‘Maldives’ test program reportedly on track for Q1 2010 release to OEMs originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nov 09

Samsung announces Bada mobile OS, SDK sets sail in December

Posted in: mobile, mobile os, MobileOs, operating system, OperatingSystem, os, samsung, Today's Chili

Because what the world needs now is yet another mobile operating system, Samsung has announced its foray into the field with Bada. Not much to reveal at this point other than some key PR speak: the name means “ocean” in Korean, the company’s committed to “a variety of open platforms” in mobile industry and it plans this to be easy to integrate / customize based on carrier’s experience. All real news should be coming sometime in December, when Sammy is saying it’ll have a London launch event and reveal the SDK. Full presser after the break.

Continue reading Samsung announces Bada mobile OS, SDK sets sail in December

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Samsung announces Bada mobile OS, SDK sets sail in December originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 20

Android 1.6 retrofitted onto Samsung Q1 UMPC (video)

Posted in: Android, diy, Google, hack, operating system, OperatingSystem, os, samsung, Today's Chili, UMPC, video
Too busy to bother with buying an Android-powered Archos 5? Then you’re probably way too busy to bother with this here hack. But just in case you’ve got a morning you can wipe clean and a few afternoons where you can scoot out early, it’s apparently possible to load up an Android 1.6 port onto one’s Samsung Q1 UMPC. Kevin at jkOnTheRun did just that over a relaxing weekend, and while he’s still struggling to get the touchscreen to act right, most everything else seems to be humming along sans issue. Eager to see if it’s something you’d be into? Hop on past the break and mash play — it’s twelve minutes in heaven, ladies.

Continue reading Android 1.6 retrofitted onto Samsung Q1 UMPC (video)

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Android 1.6 retrofitted onto Samsung Q1 UMPC (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 16

Windows 7 versus Snow Leopard on a MacBook Pro: big cat’s faster, 7 is better for games

Posted in: Apple, benchmark, macbook pro, MacbookPro, Microsoft, operating system, OperatingSystem, os, os x, OsX, Today's Chili, windows 7, Windows7

CNET have taken the 64-bit versions of Windows 7 and Snow Leopard for a spin around a 2008 MacBook Pro, and produced a decent first peek at comparative performance. Of course, there are significant provisos to get through first — it’s only one machine, running on Apple’s drivers, testing mostly Apple applications, and the two systems default to different versions of QuickTime — but we can still glean some indication of where the two heavyweights are relative to one another. Snow Leopard appeared consistently quicker in time-based tests, with faster bootups, shutdowns and MP3 encoding, but Windows 7 showed its muscle in producing better frame rates in games and a significant advantage in Cinebench rendering. Battery life was found to be distinctly better under Snow Leopard, but we’d put that down to the underlying hardware being optimized for OS X. Hit the read link for the full testing procedures and more of those old school bar charts — it should get you well prepped for the forthcoming flood of similar head-to-heads once WIndows 7 officially ships next week.

[Via Apple Insider]

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Windows 7 versus Snow Leopard on a MacBook Pro: big cat’s faster, 7 is better for games originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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