OSnews - Exploring the Future of Computing

30 Years of Portable Computing

David Adams 2011-04-05 Wireless 13 Comments

There's a fascinating post at the StormDriver blog comparing the first mass-produced portable computer, the Osborne 1, with today's hot-selling portable computing device, the iPad 2. The Osborne was launched 30 years ago this week, and of course the comparison with the iPad is about as stark as you would expect. The iPad is literally thousands of times better in some measurable aspects, costing about one eighth as much in inflation-adjusted dollars.

‘Anonymous’ Attacks Sony to Protest PS3 Hacker Lawsuit

Thom Holwerda 2011-04-04 Legal 57 Comments

"The hacker hordes of Anonymous have transferred their fickle attention to Sony. They are currently attacking the company's online Playstation store in retribution for Sony's lawsuit against PS3 hacker George Hotz. A denial of service attack has temporarily taken down playstation.com."

Windows 8 Gets PDF Reader, Tablet UI Shots Leaked

Thom Holwerda 2011-04-04 Windows 99 Comments

And yes, the stream of controlled Windows 8 leaks continues. This time around, Thurrot and Rivera have published a number of screenshots from Windows 8's brand-new tablet user interface, and surprise surprise, its built on Metro, the same design language that underpins Windows Phone 7. Windows 8 will also include its own PDF reader, Modern Reader, which also happens to be the first application packaged in Microsoft's new AppX format. Update: Long Zheng has some technical details on AppX, including this little tidbit: "The extensive list of properties signifies the comprehensive scope of this system to be the ideal deployment strategy for 'applications', in all essence of the word. In fact, the AppX format is universal enough so it appears to work for everything from native Win32 applications to framework-based applications and even *gasp* web applications. Games are also supported."

Submitted by JAlexoid 2011-04-04 Google 38 Comments

Considering the massive FUD-attack currently underway against Android vendors, this news doesn't come as a particular surprise: Google has announced plans to acquire Nortel's immense patent portfolio for defensive purposes. Google's blog post on the matter couldn't be more bitter and direct.

Jailbreaking Grows up: Cydia Scores Advertising Deal with Toyota

Thom Holwerda 2011-04-04 Apple No Comments

"Companies are keeping a close eye on the jailbreaking community as at least one big brand demonstrates willingness to advertise on Cydia, the unofficial store for unsanctioned third-party programs which can be installed on jailbroken iPhones, iPods and iPads. Car manufacturer Toyota is reportedly running adverts in the Cydia store to promote their iPhone user interface theme, also distributed through the store. The adverts and the theme are part of Toyota's advertising campaign for the 2011 Scion tC vehicle."

Submitted by eml.nu 2011-04-04 Wireless 14 Comments

Nokia has just posted that it has completed putting the Symbian source code online at symbian.nokia.com. This means that both company-supported and independent developers can now access the Symbian source code again, after the effective closure of the Symbian Foundation. This follows the interim measure of FTP access to Symbian Foundation hosted content being given out on request.

Natty Narwhal With Unity: Worst Ubuntu Beta Ever

David Adams 2011-04-04 Ubuntu 40 Comments

The Register has posted a very unfavorable review of the new Ubuntu, focusing primarily on the new Unity Interface: "That's not to say there isn't much to love in Ubuntu 11.04 with the new Unity Interface being the primary news, but even for a beta this release is way too rough. Unity - regardless of what you think of it - isn't ready for prime time and it seems unlikely Canonical will iron out all its problems before the planned final release in April."

A Tale of Three Tech Industry Warriors

David Adams 2011-04-04 Editorial 40 Comments

Rob Enderle wrote an intriguing editorial for Digital Trends entitled "You can't call 'time out' in Silicon Valley," which examines the current battle between Apple, Google and Microsoft over the future of computing. In it, he draws some interesting parallels from the history of warfare, and notes that Microsoft and Google have made some of the classic blunders that have caused great armies to fail dramatically.

Windows 8 To Get Ribbon in Explorer, Metro Welcome Screen?

Submitted by Debjit 2011-04-03 Windows 109 Comments

Yes, the Windows 8 rumour mill is really spinning up now. This time around though, they're not really rumours, since the information is coming from Rafael Rivera and Paul Thurrott, long-time Microsoft enthusiasts with loads of insider access. They've got a bunch of screenshots showing a work in progress of... A ribbon in Explorer. And yes, it looks just as bad as it sounds.

AppleSeed Gives Regular Joes Prerelease Access to Lion

Thom Holwerda 2011-04-01 Apple 6 Comments

"Apple has begun a new program, called AppleSeed, to give non-developers access to pre-release versions of Mac OS X. The program aims to collect 'feedback on the quality and usability' of Mac OS X 'in environments that cannot be replicated by Apple'. So far it appears to be quite limited and available only by direct invitation from Apple."

Camino To Go WebKit as Mozilla Drops Gecko Embedding

Thom Holwerda 2011-04-01 Internet 34 Comments

"Camino - the Gecko-based browser with a native Cocoa user interface - is considering switching its underlying rendering engine to WebKit. Developer Stuart Morgan announced the proposed change this week after Mozilla effectively put an end to the project that supported embedding Gecko into other software. While the team is still putting the finishing touches on a long overdue 2.1 update, which would finally bring rendering parity with Firefox 3.6, the small group is looking to recruit help to make the transition happen."

Guest post by cristoper 2011-03-31 OS News 9 Comments

"Itsy-OS v0.1 is a small 8086 operating system kernel providing two basic services: a simple preemptive task switcher and memory management. If necessary, simple IPC and task management can be added to provide the features of a traditional microkernel. Weighing in at about 380 bytes, Itsy should port well to tiny architectures."

Ubuntu 11.04 Beta Released

Thom Holwerda 2011-03-31 Ubuntu 32 Comments

Ubuntu has released the first beta for Ubuntu 11.04. This si the first release where Unity is the default desktop environment. All the official Ubuntu derivatives have also bee beta'd.

Honeypot Android App Wreaks Vigilante Justice

David Adams 2011-03-31 Privacy, Security 41 Comments

If you download and use what appears to be a version of the commercial "Walk and Text" Android app from a file sharing site, you're in for a surprise. When you run it, it shows you that it's being "cracked" but it's really gathering information from your device, in preparation for an e-smackdown. It sends a bunch of personal information (name, phone number, IMEI) off to a server, and, just for lulz, text messages everyone on your contact list:

Windows Phone 7 Development by the Numbers

David Adams 2011-03-31 Wireless 14 Comments

a Windows Phone developer takes a look back at the past year, and looks at some of the numbers, to try to measure how the new mobile platform is coming along. Example: "1,200 - While the 36,000 registered developers are nice to talk about, the 1,200 newly registered developers we are adding every week is incredibly encouraging. Developers are pragmatists and they are going where there is ample opportunity."

Google Moves to Assert More Control Over Android Market

David Adams 2011-03-31 Google 57 Comments

Playtime is over in Android Land. Over the last couple of months Google has reached out to the major carriers and device makers backing its mobile operating system with a message: There will be no more willy-nilly tweaks to the software. No more partnerships formed outside of Google's purview. From now on, companies hoping to receive early access to Google's most up-to-date software will need approval of their plans. And they will seek that approval from Andy Rubin, the head of Google's Android group.

Samsung: Keylogger Claim Is Bogus, and We Can Prove it

Thom Holwerda 2011-03-31 Privacy, Security 36 Comments

Well, this clearly needs to get its own item. Yesterday we linked to a story about how Samsung is supposedly installing keyloggers onto its laptops to track user behaviour. Samsung immediately launched an investigation into the matter, and has come to a rather humbling conclusion: the guy coming up with the story is incompetent, and Samsung has the evidence to prove it.

Microsoft Files Antitrust Complaint About Google

Thom Holwerda 2011-03-31 Microsoft 39 Comments

Oh irony, thy silver thorn strikes like the moonlight through my delicate skin. While this complaint could actually hold merit, the fact it's coming from Microsoft lessens its validity somewhat. Redmond has just filed an antitrust complaint about Google in Europe.

Google To Be Audited on Privacy After Buzz Complaints

Thom Holwerda 2011-03-30 Google 4 Comments

Google will be subjected to independent privacy audits for the next 20 years over charges that it "violated its own privacy promises". The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said that the search giant wrongly used information from Google Mail users last year to create its social network Buzz. The FTC ruled that "the options for declining or leaving the social network were ineffective". "Google Buzz fell short of our usual standards," Google said in a blog post. "While we worked quickly to make improvements, regulators unsurprisingly wanted more detail about what went wrong and how we could prevent it from happening again. "Today, we've reached an agreement with the FTC to address their concerns." That agreement will require Google to undergo a privacy review once every two years for the next 20 years.

Windows 8 To Get ‘History Vault’?

Thom Holwerda 2011-03-30 Windows 23 Comments

Ever since Microsoft adopted its new 'silent treatment' development process, barely any news about the next version of Windows leaves Redmond. Now though, we have WinRumors stating that for Windows 8, Microsoft is finally going to do something visibly useful for desktop users with Shadow Copy, a feature first introduced in Windows XP.