"According to new research from Strategy Analytics, global Android tablet shipments have increased 177 percent annually to 17.6 million units. The total number of tablets shipped in Q1 of 2013 was 40.6 million. Since 17.6 million of those 40 million tablets where powered by Android then it means that Android has a 43 percent global share. The other two big operating systems (and their respective eco-systems) in the global tablet market are Apple’s iOS and Microsoft’s Windows 8 RT. Apple still leads the race with a 48 percent market share, while Microsoft has managed to go from nothing (since Windows 8 RT is its first real tablet OS) to a 7.5 percent market share by selling some 3 million Windows based tablets." If these figures are even remotely accurate, we're going to see Android dominate the tablet (in market share) too. Not good. The Windows RT figures are a shimmer of hope, though.

Ubuntu 13.04 has been released, with the Linux 3.8.8 kernel, a faster and less resource hungry Unity desktop, LibreOffice 4.0, and much more. Ubuntu users will know where to get it, and you're looking for a new installation, have fun. Also fun: UbuntuKylin.

"After facing a congressional battering over security concerns, Huawei's carrier networking group is no longer focused on the U.S. market, and instead expects to find ample business in other parts of the world." Let's all not buy Chinese-made products from Huawei so we can buy Chinese-made products from every other brand ever! That totally makes sense!

The Lightweight Java Game Library provides a simple API to OpenGL, OpenAL, OpenCL and Game Controllers enabling the production of state of the art games for Windows, Linux and Mac. Version 2.9.0 contains a complete rewrite of the mac backend, support for FreeBSD, new OpenGL/OpenCL extension and bug fixes. The library is used by many high profile games such as Minecraft, Spiral Knights, Revenge of the Titans, Project Zomboid, Starsector, JMonkeyEngine, etc.

"With limited funding available to get the work done, tough decisions have to be made in the webOS Global Business Unit. Sitting after the all-but-done TouchPad Go but before the fancier next-generation TouchPads is a curious webOS smartphone. It shares much of its internals with the HP Pre3 and bears the hallmarks of the clean and simple webOS hardware design language, but it's an entirely different beast. This is the WindsorNot, the webOS slate smartphone that never was." Woah.

"Alcatraz is an open-source package manager for Xcode. It lets you discover and install plugins, templates and color schemes without the need for manually cloning or copying files. It installs itself as a part of Xcode and it feels like home."

When I got my Nokia E7, Nokia's own updating software bricked the device - incredibly frustrating, since Nokia doesn't care about The Netherlands anymore and has closed all Nokia Care Points in the country. This meant I had to send it in for repairs, which, as experience with companies has taught me, usually takes weeks. Luckily, Nokia made it possible to download firmware straight from their servers using third party tools, and thanks to a technique called dead phone flashing, it was incredibly easy to bring bricked (Symbian) Nokia phones back to life. Now that Nokia ships Windows Phone, however, such public access is no longer welcome, and as such, it has blocked third party access to its servers. Understandable, but major suckage for enthousiasts. On a related note, Accenture (the company managing Symbian development) has released an update for Nokia Belle FP1/2 devices. Yep.

"Open-sourced Android code for the Sony Xperia Z has recently been released on GitHub to enable developers and partners to get knee-deep into the device. Though the promise of vanilla Android is tantalizing, Sony is quick to remind folks that the Android build they're posting isn't meant for everyday use. As you can see from the video, all of the important stuff is working, but there are a few apps and services missing - after all, they don't have the rights to open source everything." This should be mandatory for being allowed to carry the Android trademark. Unlikely, but alas, even cynics such as myself may dream.

"What is great about this panel (except its resolution) is that it has an eDisplayPort interface (which is supposed to replace LVDS in the near future), and as this hack proves it is compatible with traditional DisplayPort outputs found on all modern video cards. The panel is also surprisingly cheap - I got mine on ebay for $55, shipped from China. Hoping that eDisplayPort is compatible with regular DisplayPort (I couldn't find conclusive proof of this), I went on to interface the panel with a DP cable." Cool.

"The family of Android malware that slipped past security defenses and infiltrated Google Play is more widespread than previously thought. New evidence shows it was folded into three additional apps and has been operating for at least 10 months, according to security researchers." Google removed most of it, but not before it was installed anywhere between 2 to 9 million times - finally some figures from Google itself, and not scaremongering by antivirus companies. At 9 million, that's 1.2% of all Android devices sold.

The Verge confirms an earlier story by Mary Jo Foley. "Microsoft is preparing to revive the traditional Start button it killed with Windows 8. Sources familiar with Microsoft's plans have revealed to The Verge that Windows 8.1 will include the return of the Start button. We understand that the button will act as a method to simply access the Start Screen, and will not include the traditional Start Menu. The button is said to look near-identical to the existing Windows flag used in the Charm bar."

"All of those questions, messages, and stern commands that people have been whispering to Siri are stored on Apple servers for up to two years, Wired can now report. Yesterday, we raised concerns about some fuzzy disclosures in Siri's privacy policy. After our story ran, Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller called to explain Apple's policy, something privacy advocates have asking for." Apple cares about your privacy.

"Starting with hrev45522, address space layout randomization (ASLR) and data execution prevention (DEP) are available in Haiku. These two features, which have actually become a standard in any modern OS, make it much harder to exploit any vulnerability that may be present in an application running on Haiku, thus generally improving system security."

"Many PC OEMs are dissatisfied with what Microsoft has done with Windows 8 and the way the company has handled the negative response to the operating system. Privately, one OEM source told me that Microsoft is 'destroying' the PC industry, while another claimed that Windows 8 has 'handed over millions of customers to Apple'. Other OEMs are making their displeasure known publicly. Both Lenovo and Samsung have released Start button replacements for Windows 8." Windows Phone isn't the only thing not catching on. I'm really happy with my Surface RT - warts and all - but there's no denying the response to Windows 8 has been Vista-esque bad.