In Japan, Sharp has been known for their ultra-mobile Zaurus for quite a while now, and today, the company added a new mini device to its line-up of mini laptops, the PC-Z1 [press release in English]. Marketed as a “Mobile Internet Tool”, the PC-Z1 comes with a tiny 5-inch TFT LCD (a touchscreen) and measures just 161.4 x 108.7 x 19.7 ~ 24.8mm (weight: 409g).
As a Linux user, I’m tickled to see these new USB drives in the shape of an Emperor penguin. Not only are they super cute, they come pre-loaded with a bootable instance of Ubuntu 9.04! And if for some reason you don’t like penguins, you can get some visceral pleasure by pretending to rip off the li’l bugger’s head in order to access the USB jack inside.
One of the complaints lodged against Linux systems is that they update too frequently. Die-hard Linux users compulsively update their systems, always running the latest bleeding edge version of the kernel or various applications. At least, that’s the impression that many non-Linux users have about die-hard Linux users. Dell, who have been offering Linux on some laptops for two years now, have recently made it known that they won’t be updating to the latest and greatest version of Ubuntu any time soon.
Day Three of Optimum Online Ultra. We discussed it at some length during yesterday’s podcast, which, need I remind you, ended in an explosion. You never know what’s gonna happen here at CrunchGear! Anyway, today I present a cruddy video showing how long it takes to download a Linux ISO—Ubuntu, from this mirror—because it seems like the cool thing to do.
Oh Windows 7, is there anyone who doesn’t like you, other than John Biggs? In an interview, Mark Shuttleworth, the founder and head MF in charge of popular Linux distro Ubuntu, had many nice things to say about the newest OS on the block. He says it’ll bring a new kind of competition to the table.
I’ve been fawning over this little netbook since last week and I can’t wait to get one, but I’ll have to wait until January for the MIE version. :( Hopefully I’ll get it in time for CES because lugging this 15-inch MacBook Pro is getting old. Spec-wise it isn’t very powerful, but it isn’t meant to be a desktop replacement either. The UI on the MIE version is very intuitive and runs a gaggle of Open Office applications. There’s a repository of applications and programs that can be added to the MIE Mini 1000, but we didn’t have any Internet access, so I wasn’t able to see what I could or couldn’t install. There is some regulation on what programs can be installed and they have to be in the HP MIE repository, but I’m sure you can “hack” it to run whatever you want. I could be wrong, though. All I know is that I want it and so long as it has an RSS reader then I’m good to go.
Dearest social butterfly,
Dell wants you to know that is has just the netbook for you, the Inspiron Mini 9. The default operating system is Ubuntu, with some sort of customized Dell interface. Other than that, it’s a netbook. You know what that means.
The base price is a more-than-reasonable $350, and for that you get a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, 512MB RAM, 4GB solid state drive, and built-in Wi-Fi. The display doesn’t look too bad, either, coming in at 8.9 inches. You really would have to see the diaply in person to make a proper judgment call, though.
And if Linux isn’t your thing, you can always upgrade to Windows XP. You might want to up the RAM if you’re headed in that direction.
Would you hate me if I admit that it actually doesn’t look half-bad?
Well I’ll be—the Dell Mini-Inspiron doesn’t look half bad. Gizmodo broke into Dell headquarters, beat up the security guard, and stole the full spec sheet for the Internet’s enjoyment. That, or some dude just e-mailed a copy to Rothman. Either way, the specs are now out there.
The raw: 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, up to 1GB of RAM, a solid state drive (4 to 16GB), 8.9-inch display with a 1024×600 resolution, Wi-Fi and three USB ports.
A four cell battery rounds out the package.
The best part? It comes with an Ubunutu configuration. Set up a lightweight window manager and you could have yourself a fine “I’m going to Starbucks, might as well surf the Web while I’m there” computer. Might be handy when covering trade shows, too.
Nobody would argue that Linux has an appreciable market share. They could however say that they have an appreciating share. Cause in fact they do. Since Microsoft launched Vista in January 2007, U.K. preinstalls of Linux have multiplied 28 times.
But unfortunately for Linux, 28 times a little is still a little. However, consider that pre-Vista, Linux was being shipped on only .1% of PC’s. That’s nothing, but 2.8% is definitely something. Something from nothing cannot be ignored. Remember it was not too long ago Apple had a market share of nothing…
All this probably goes more to show that customers are not embracing Vista, and are instead searching for alternative options. According to market research firm, Context, 93% of PC’s still ship with Vista. But the newest evolution of Linux, Ubuntu seems to be making strides in the right direction.
Hey, friend! Want to make perhaps about $10,000? Why not try selling bare-bones Intel PCs and claim that they can run OS X or even, dare we say it, Ubuntu. Following in the footsteps of Psystar and iOpenTech, RSOL is offering an OSless PC, called the Jive, for $628 that you can then install OS X onto. How? They won’t say. They will say:
Due to the complex configuration of the RSOL PC Multi-Platform Desktop computer, installing or reinstalling the OSx86 operating system should only be performed by users who have a thorough understanding of the open source technology necessary that allows a modified version of Mac OS X® software to run on our models. RSOL PC provides no software support for your non-Windows operating system. NOTE: RSOL PC does not recommend, endorse or participate in the unauthorized distribution or illegal use of copyrighted software.
It seems that everyone with an OEM’s telephone number and a dream are now selling these OSless chaps. Do not be fooled: you could feasibly install OS X on any old PC. These folks aren’t selling anything special. They do, however, have a horrible name: “Can I get my money back?” “YeRSOL.”
If you read the paper version of Popular Mechanics, you may have already seen this. But on the internet, if you haven’t seen it, it’s new to you — as we are constantly reminded by recycled pictures of women in tubs. And this is more worth a look than that. Pop Mech has published a pretty straightforward how-to on getting Ubuntu to run on your big scary PS3. I don’t think there’s any risk of bricking your console, but losing game data is definitely an option so only do this if you’re sure about it.
It actually looks quite easy, and once you install a nice big 250GB hard drive in it, it might be pretty sweet to be able to boot the thing up into an all-purpose media player unencumbered by Sony’s UI. You can also enter a drawing to win the thing, which I have done, because I really want it.
I’m a fan of the Nokia 800-series Internet tablets, and Nokia is making effort to keep them current. It recently bought Trolltech and is in the process of finalizing the purchase. Trolltech makes the QT applications platform that many devices use, and Nokia is no doubt planning on bringing QT to the N810 and perhaps future tablet devices.
What’s also notable is Nokia is working on Ubuntu support for the N810. Right now it plans of allowing it to run off an SD card, but it shouldn’t be too hard to make it the default OS for the tablet. While I like the Maemo’s OS, Ubuntu’s the flavor of the month, so it would seem prudent to have a access to it.
The fine folks at Ubuntu have released version 8.04 (also known as Hardy Heron) of the popular Ubuntu Linux operating system.
New features include…
GNOME 2.22, Linux kernel 2.6.24, PolicyKit, PulseAudio, Xorg 7.3, Firefox 3 Beta 5, Brasero, Transmission, World Clock Applet, Vinagre, Uncomplicated Firewall, Totem, Inkscape, ActiveDirectory integration, iSCSI support, Memory Protection, SELinux Support, umenu, Virtualization, and the Wubi installation option for Windows users.
Download Ubuntu [Ubuntu.com]
Installing Ubuntu is literally as easy as dropping in a disk. However, it is important to understand that Ubuntu needs its own clean drive to run correctly. If you are a beginner, we would suggest installing Ubuntu on an older machine or running it from CD-ROM which will give you a taste of Linux without endangering your hard disk.
This is by no means an exhaustive examination of Linux but it does give you a quick and dirty description of how to install and run Ubuntu. Trust me: it’s easy.
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Today I got to chat with Gerry Carr, a product manager for Canonical, the people behind Ubuntu, the very popular desktop version of Linux. Besides the merits of the Seattle and Portland areas, we talked about Ubuntu’s current status and its future in gaming, portable devices, and even desktop computers.
CrunchGear So first off, which version of Ubuntu are you using on your personal computer right now?
Gerry Carr I’m using the latest beta of the 804 LTS (Hardy Heron). It’s got a few known bugs still but overall it’s really good.
CrunchGear What third party apps are you using with it day to day that you like?
Gerry Carr The Firefox 3 beta 4 works really great with the 804. In fact, when it’s done, we’ll be the first major distributer to ship a distro with Firefox 3 bundled. That’s pretty exciting. It’ll also have our regular mail app. Adobe and IBM both have apps they’re working on specifically for 804, but they won’t be included. We’re looking to ship April 24 of this year.
Virtualbox is a Linux app that lets you run Windows applications in their own windows under almost any version of Linux (they’re using Gutsy Gibbon). The full instructions are over at Lifehacker and it only works with XP, but that shouldn’t stop you from running notepad.
Run Windows Apps Seamlessly Inside Linux [Lifehacker]
Good news for Ubuntu lovers across the pond, Dell is now offering 7.10 on its line of XPS M1330 notebooks in the UK, France, Germany, and Spain.
The program, initially launched last May, has been successful enough and people have requested the option enough that Dell decided to offer the open source operating system on more computer models.
Dell’s UK site has the M1330 priced from £599, with the Inspiron 6400 laptop and the Inspiron 530 desktop priced from £329 to £449, respectively.
Dell UK website [euro.dell.com] via ITPro
The next iteration of the wildly popular Ubuntu Linux operating system, Hardy Heron, has just hit Alpha 3 status if you’re keen on tinkering around with it. Has anybody tried this out yet?
I’m running Gutsy Gibbon on my laptop and it’s been nothing but smooth, like rice wine and/or Swedish radio. Hardy Heron includes Xorg 7.3, the 2.6.24-3.5 (2.6.24-rc6-based) Linux kernel, PulseAudio enabled by default, PolicyKit integration, and Firefox 3 Beta 2.
If anyone has this up and running, please let us know how it’s working out so far.
Ubuntu Hardy Heron Alpha 3 [Ubuntu]
Dell has announced that Ubuntu 7.10, Gutsy Gibbon, will now be offered on its systems. The update comes only about a month after Ubuntu made 7.10 available.
Also announced was the inclusion of LinDVD with all Dell Ubuntu systems. So now they can play DVDs straight out of the box.
Starting at $499, the Ubuntu systems offer a significant price reduction over Dell’s Windows boxes. Unfortunately, the desktops have, for some reason, been castrated and only come with Core Duo, but the laptop comes with Core 2 Duos. Not really sure what that’s all about.
Remember two days ago? That was when taskmaster John Biggs told us about the $200 Everex PC.
Well today it’s been announced that Everex “will bring Linux laptops under $300 to users next year.”
