Dell lays down the law: no more Windows XP shipments after October 22nd

Microsoft already informed its most moneyed partners that no more systems could leave their labs after October 22nd with Windows XP, but given that the proverbial boy has cried wolf before, we were inclined to think that we’d eventually face yet another push back. We guess there’s still a few ticks of the clock left between now and that fateful day, but there seems to be little hope for XP to live on in any significant form beyond the aforesaid date. Dell has just published a report noting that they will stop offering XP on new machines later this month in preparation for October’s cutoff, though they’re quick to point out that Microsoft will continue Windows XP driver support until December 2012. For the average consumer, that means you’ve got just over a month to get whatever XP-equipped systems you want from Dell; for select “qualified customers,” they will still be able to snag XP machines post-October 22nd through the company’s Custom Factory Integration service. Hit the source link for all the details, and feel free to pour one out for a waning OS. We can shed a few more tears next month.

Dell lays down the law: no more Windows XP shipments after October 22nd originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 21:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amino launches Freedom over-the-top video set-top box, challenges Google TV to arm wrestle

If the AppleTV announcement didn’t satiate your need for a Google TV set-top box battle royal, then new details about Amino’s Freedom box might do the trick. Yes it still packs the same hardware announced back in 2009 such as an Intel CE4100m Atom Processor, 500 GB of internal storage, SD card support, Bluetooth, WiFi 802.11n and 1 GB of RAM. We’ve now discovered however that it’ll also run its own Amino branded version of Nokia’s MeeGo OS, adding apps and gaming support to its list of capabilities that already included 1080p playback, VOD streaming, and DVR recording. In other words there’s going to be a new Google TV competitor on the block sometime before the end of this year looking for a fight. Whether it’ll provide a Lincoln Hawk-worthy performance though is something we’ll let the bookies squabble over until we can go hands on with both.

[Thanks, Hary]

Amino launches Freedom over-the-top video set-top box, challenges Google TV to arm wrestle originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 07:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ubuntu 10.10 ‘Maverick Meerkat’ enters beta ahead of October 10 release

Ubuntu version 10.10 is about to come out on 10/10/2010 and score a perfect 10 out of 10 with reviewers. Or so the devs hope. The successor to April’s Lucid Lynx has this week shrugged off the alpha label and stridden bravely into the world of beta software. GUI modifications are of course apparent, along with performance tweaks promising even faster boot times, but on the whole it doesn’t look to be as big a leap as there was between the Lynx and Koala versions. The default photo management program is now Shotwell, replacing F-Spot, and there’s an update to the Software Center allowing you to purchase paid-for Linux programs in an App Store-ish sort of way. Nothing’s available to buy yet, but the plan is for that feature to go live with the final launch in October. The most intriguing thing about this Meerkat for us just might be the Unity desktop interface, which is now the default for Ubuntu Netbook Edition. If you’re unafraid of beta-stage bugs (and small furry mammals), you can hit the source link to try it out.

Continue reading Ubuntu 10.10 ‘Maverick Meerkat’ enters beta ahead of October 10 release

Ubuntu 10.10 ‘Maverick Meerkat’ enters beta ahead of October 10 release originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 05:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New ARM architecture (likely Eagle) better suited for OS virtualization

Looks like that fake Pre with the iOS / BlackBerry OS split personality is a little ahead of its time, but ARM — supplier of the architecture that underpins most of the world’s smartphones — likes the idea. In a recent talk at Stanford, ARM program manager David Brash talked up some of the highlights of new “extensions” to the existing ARMv7-A platform, and though he apparently never mentioned Eagle by name, it seems safe to assume that he was referring to the capabilities that Eagle would bring to the table when it launches in the next couple years. Notably, the extensions will break through ARM’s current 4GB RAM limit by mapping 4GB windows of memory to each virtualized operating system, which dovetails nicely — suspiciously nicely, in fact — with VMware’s recent talk of wanting virtualized phones capable of seamlessly switching between multiple platforms without any hacky bootloader solutions. We’re definitely game for that, but considering that Eagle is still years away from retail reality, we’re not bothering to clear space on our credit limit just yet.

New ARM architecture (likely Eagle) better suited for OS virtualization originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 18:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Happy 15th Birthday to Windows 95, the Ugly Duckling that Conquered Your Desktop [Techversaries]

You’ll be forgiven if Windows 95 doesn’t summon a burst of nostalgia. It was never pretty, often cantankerous, and, for the most part, our only option. But within two years of its release, 70% of the planet was using it. More »

Windows Home Server ‘Vail’ sees new beta release, adds OS X support

It’s not the biggest of releases, but progress is progress at this point. Since launching in late April, Microsoft has been rather mum on the future of its latest Windows Home Server build. This week, however, the second major beta release has been let loose into the wilds, with Vail’s most recent build now available to download there in the source link. The Big M doesn’t go into great detail on what all has been added and / or changed, only saying that this new version has “plenty of enhancements and improvements over the original.” The so-called “Preview” also adds support for Mac OS X backups, though users should know that storage check and repair (among other things, most likely) aren’t exactly working seamlessly. But hey, that’s what you get for living on the beta, right?

Windows Home Server ‘Vail’ sees new beta release, adds OS X support originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 11:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google: 200,000 Android Phones Sold Every Day

If there are still doubts about the Android juggernaut, the latest numbers from Google should help settle it. Some 200,000 new Android devices are being sold each day, up from about 100,000 just two months ago, says Google CEO Eric Schmidt.

Schmidt told attendees at the Techonomy conference, “Android is not just phenomenal but incredibly phenomenal in its growth rate.”

Google’s comment comes on the heels of data from Nielsen earlier this week that showed, for the first time, that people in the U.S. bought more Android phones than iPhones.

Research firm iSuppli predicts Android’s market share will surpass that of the iPhone’s iOS in 2012.

By 2012, Android will be used in 75 million smartphones, up from 5 million in 2009, says iSuppli. IOS will be in 62 million phones in 2012, up from 25 million in 2009.

That means in two years, Android will have a 19.4 percent market share worldwide among smartphone operating systems, up from 2.7 percent in 2009. Apple’s iOS for the iPhone will see its share go up to 15.9 percent in 2012 from 13.8 percent in 2009, says iSuppli.

Android’s rapid growth should come as no surprise to industry watchers. Since Google worked with HTC and T-Mobile to launch the first Android-based smartphone in 2008, the open-source operating system has been adopted by major handset manufacturers including Samsung, Motorola and HTC.

“The OS started with entry-level models in 2008, but the flexibility Android offers for hardware designs and its appealing business model in terms of revenue sharing have attracted vigorous support,” says Tina Teng, senior analyst, wireless communications for iSuppli.

Check out iSuppli’s forecast for Android and iOS usage worldwide:

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Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com


Jolicloud 1.0 now ready for your downloading delight on Windows or bootable USB

Tariq Krim’s app-based cloud OS has been a long time coming, but it’s finally freely available for download — just grab a 16MB installer and you too can join the Jolicloud. We’ve been impressed more than once by the responsive netbook operating system which can boot in seconds flat, and now that it’s got touchscreen support and a streamlined Windows dual-boot installer all for the bargain price of free, it’s definitely worth a try. Give it a spin at our more coverage link, and let us know if it improves your life in any meaningful fashion. If your keyboard is inexorably intertwined with Windows, however, don’t fret; a little penguin tells us a tablet PC version is also on the way.


Jolicloud 1.0 now ready for your downloading delight on Windows or bootable USB originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 14:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RIM launches BlackBerry 6 platform

It’s been teased since WES back in April — but with the launch of the Torch today, RIM had to come clean with all the details on its thoroughly refreshed BlackBerry 6 operating system, too. Besides the obvious name change from “BlackBerry OS” to simply “BlackBerry,” the software features countless updates, most notably new universal search functionality, social network aggregation, WiFi-powered media sync with your desktop music collection, and an all-new (and desperately needed) WebKit-based browser with support for HTML5. Thankfully, RIM has also committed to bringing BlackBerry 6 as an upgrade to at least a few recent models — the Bold 9700, Bold 9650, and Pearl 3G, to be specific — “subject to carrier certifications in the months ahead.” Follow the break for the full press release and video teaser.

Continue reading RIM launches BlackBerry 6 platform

RIM launches BlackBerry 6 platform originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Aug 2010 11:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Windows Phone 7 Likely to Launch First in Europe in October

After offering previews of its Windows Phone 7 platform last month, Microsoft seems ready to take the next step to get it to market.

The company seems to have set shipping dates for the platform and Europe will be the first to get it.

At a conference, Microsoft’s chief operating officer Kevin Turner told attendees that the company is looking to transition to Windows Phone 7 around October in Europe and November in the U.S.

“We are back in this game,” says Turner in this video posted on Engadget. “And this game is not over.”

In the next three to five years, 450 million smartphones will be sold, he says. That’s double the smartphones sold today.

“When you look at this (Windows 7) phone and some of the UI (user interface), it’s not like any phone you have ever seen from Microsoft,” says Turner. “And I think that’s a good thing.”

Microsoft is working with companies such as Samsung and LG for the hardware.

Over the last three years, Microsoft’s Windows mobile operating system has been eclipsed by rivals such as Google’s Android and Apple’s iPhone OS.  For the three months ending May, RIM’s BlackBerry OS ranked first with about 41.7 percent market share in the U.S., followed by Apple at 24.4 percent and Microsoft at 13.2 percent, according to Comscore. Android OS came in fourth at 13 percent but Android has been moving up the ranks steadily gaining points while its rivals are losing share.

Microsoft is betting Windows 7 phone will help turn the tide. The new Windows 7 OS has a snazzy new user interface, integration with Zune market for games and music, and search by Bing. (Check out Gizmodo’s in-depth look at Windows Phone 7.)

In the U.S., AT&T has said it plans to be the “premier” carrier for the platform. AT&T has been slow to embrace Google’s Android platform and it will be interesting to see the size of the bet it will place on Microsoft.

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Photo: (brendanlim/Flickr)