Posted 11/03/09 at 03:56:09 PM by Pulkit Chandna

Exactly a week after the much anticipated launch of Windows 7, Canonical rolled out Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala). Although it may not have been as keenly awaited as Windows 7, Karmic Koala's launch was special for a particular demographic that romances Linux, and especially its subset that dotes on Ubuntu. But early adopters of the latest Ubuntu release are having a torrid time.

Excited users have been rewarded with a plethora of problems in exchange of their bravura and enthusiasm. Karmic Koala's poor handling of graphics drivers - blank and flickering screens are quite common - and its failure to install the latest 2.6.31 Linux kernel figure prominently on the list of flaws. Also, the latest version of Ubuntu is not too good at spotting hard drives, according to initial reports.

According to a poll on Ubuntuforums.org, more than one-third of about 1,500 people polled so far have encountered some major flaws. Users upgrading to 9.10 are experiencing more issues than those opting for a fresh install.

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Posted 09/21/09 at 03:46:52 PM by Pulkit Chandna

Microsoft opened its gates to public beta testers for its free antivirus solution, Microsoft Security Essentials, on June 23, 2009. Within a day, it managed to get rid of the 75,000 public beta downloads it had made available on a first-come-first-serve basis in the United States, China, Israel and Brazil.

If you missed the bus then, probably due to an obstinate disposition to miss buses, you will soon be able to download the final version of the free antivirus software. The final version will be made available in the next few weeks, according to a note Microsoft sent to beta testers.

“The final version of Microsoft Security Essentials will be released to the public in the coming weeks. If you are running the older version of the beta (1.0.1407.0), we encourage you to upgrade to a newer version of the beta (1.0.1500.0),” Microsoft informed testers on Sunday.

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Posted 09/09/09 at 08:29:22 AM by Pulkit Chandna

Palm is expecting another webOS-based child. Mommy Palm announced on her blog Tuesday that she will soon be delivering her second webOS-based handset, called the Palm Pixi, in a leaner form factor than its elder brother. “Palm Pixi -- due on the Sprint network in time for the holidays -- is Palm’s thinnest phone ever,” the company announced on its blog.

The Pixi will feature a full QWERTY keyboard, EV-DO REV A, built-in GPS, a 2.63-inch capacitive display with a resolution of 320 pixel by 400 pixels, a 2MP camera with LED flash, and 8GB internal memory. Palm appears to be saving vital details regarding the Pixi’s price and launch date for a later date. Phone-cover connoisseurs will also be able to purchase stylish back covers in the "Palm Pixi Artist Series.”

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Posted 08/19/09 at 06:46:47 PM by Pulkit Chandna

Microsoft’s share of the mobile OS market has plummeted sharply in the last few years. It needs to  quickly mount a counter-offensive against its more dapper rivals in the smartphone market, if it is to prevent itself from being marginalized even further. According to Taiwanese rumor mill Digitimes, Microsoft does have a strategy to counter its rivals in the smartphone market.

A Digitimes report, based on insider information from sources at Taiwan handset makers, suggests that Microsoft has readied a dual-platform strategy to take on the Android platform and Apple's iPhone. Under this strategy, Microsoft will not withdraw Windows Mobile 6.5 from the market even after Windows 7 Mobile is released during the fourth quarter of 2010.  Instead, it will keep Windows Mobile 6.5 – a minor upgrade – on the market, albeit at a lower price point.

According to the sources, Microsoft plans to pit Windows Mobile 6.5 against Android, while reserving Windows Mobile 7 for the Apple iPhone.

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Posted 04/30/09 at 05:01:23 PM by Andy Salisbury

According to Mozilla, beta 4 will be the last beta before the final version of Firefox 3.5 is released.

As stated by Mike Beltzner, Mozilla’s Director of Firefox, all of the remaining beta issues in Firefox 3.5 have been worked out. And, while they don’t rule out the possibility of beta 4 uncovering additional issues, they fully believe that they’re on track for a release sometime in late Q2.

Mozilla is estimating that nearly 900,000 people are currently using the beta versions of Firefox 3.1/3.5, and they hope that all of this support will allow them to release full versions more regularly. While it took them about two years to release 3.0, it’s only taken them one to develop 3.5.

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Posted 04/22/09 at 07:41:16 PM by Pulkit Chandna

Toshiba had last year chosen its Qosmio range of notebooks to lift the curtain on its SpursEngine chip, which is a co-processor based on the Cell Broadband Engine found in the PS3. SpursEngine-powered Qosmios are capable of some impressive graphical feats like real-time graphics processing and video upscaling (SD to HD).

Toshiba’s new Qosmio laptops, which bear the might of its quad-core SpursEngine chip, will arrive in Japanese stores on Friday with the promise of enhancing internet video. Two previous iterations of the Qosmio used the immense power of the SpursEngine at their disposal to upscale DVD video, but left streaming video untouched.

The SpursEngine co-processor will now be used to beautify video from websites like Youtube, though its corrective effect will only become evident in full screen mode. There is another strange caveat: this feature will only work with Internet Explorer. The new Qosmios include the 18.4-inch G50 ($3,421) and the 15.4-inch FX ($2,119). A U.S release is certainly on the cards but no one has the slightest whiff of exactly when it will occur.

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Posted 02/26/09 at 12:50:40 PM by Pulkit Chandna

Microsoft showcased Windows Mobile 6.5 at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona barely a fortnight ago. But even the most ardent WM aficionado may seriously consider skipping WM 6.5 - a minor update - in light of Steve Ballmer’s announcement that Windows Mobile 7 will become available early next year.

Ballmer identified WM as one of Microsoft’s seven key businesses. He made these comments while addressing a conference call. He believes that WM will not be affected by the downturn as it is ideal for low-cost form factors.

"I do think the guys who are in the best position to benefit are the guys who actually have phones at low price points,” Ballmer said. No price for guessing who, according to Ballmer, is going to be at a disadvantage: Apple, of course, with its exorbitantly priced iPhone.

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Posted 02/19/09 at 08:45:31 AM by Pulkit Chandna

Microsoft Internet Explorer is steadily losing ground to other browsers, though there is no immediate threat to its crown. However, Microsoft would be hoping to stymie the slide with Internet Explorer 8.

All eyes are now set on the release of the finished product after a public RC (release candidate) was released on January 26th, 2009.

According to Tech ARP, it has learnt that Microsoft will be releasing the final version to manufacturing (RTM) in the next few weeks – most probably during the last 2 weeks of March.

IE8 comes with the promise of greater performance and reliability. Some of its key features include visual search suggestions, private browsing, accelerators, web slices and monetization opportunities (for OEMs).

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