Mobilityfeeds

Linux might not be able to run on Windows 8

All Microsoft's Windows 8 licensed hardware will be shipping with secure boot enabled by default in their replacement for the BIOS, Unfied Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI).

So far, so good, who doesn’t want more security?

The fly in the soup is that by default only Windows 8 will run on these systems, so no Linux, no BSD, heck, no Windows XP for that matter. 
Fedora Linux, Red Hat’s community distribution, has found a way:
Sign up with Microsoft, via Verisign to make their own Windows 8 system compatible UEFI secure boot key. A lot of Linux people hate this compromise. Linus Torvalds, the father of Linux, has another take:

“I’m certainly not a huge UEFI fan, but at the same time I see why you might want to have signed bootup etc. And if it’s only US$99 [€78] to get a key for Fedora, I don’t see what the huge deal is.”

Linux' Project Magenta aims at giving users the iOS experience on any device

Where most of the excitement exists today when it comes to Operating System (OS) advancements is not in Microsft's Windows and Apple's Mac.

Nope, it’s within the intensely competitive space that contains Google's Android and iOS.

And just like any strong and exciting segment in the consumer electronics industry, this market is now the target of a new initiative that wants to push its way to the front of the pack.

Enter Project Magenta.

Adobe releases a Flash Player critical update

Adobe yesterday has released a security update for Adobe Flash Player that users should install as soon as possible.

Adobe rates it as a priority 2 update which is assigned to vulnerabilities where exploits do not seem to be in the wild or imminent.
The severity rating has however been set to critical.

Having said that, it is still important to update Flash Player to the latest version to eliminate the risk of a successful exploitation of the vulnerability on a system running Adobe’s Flash Player.

A successful exploit of the vulnerability could be used to cause a crash and take control of the affected system.

Judge rules that Google is not infringing Java patents - Oracle plans to appeal

In a landmark IT court case that began on 16^th April 2012, a US federal judge ruled on 31^st May that Java application programming interfaces used by Google in building the Android mobile device Operating System (OS) are not protected by copyright.

Oracle, the plaintiff in the case and maintainer of the Java programming language as well as organizer of its open source community, said it will "vigorously" appeal the verdict.
The company had asked for nearly US$1 billion in restitution and an injunction against Google for using the Android OS.

Android, followed by Apple, rules the global smartphone market, while RIM witnesses its sharper fall ever

Research In Motion (RIM) BlackBerry platform dropped from 13.6% of the world's smartphones in the first quarter of 2011 to just 6.4% of the world's smartphone in the first quarter of 2012, according to numbers released by IDC.

The new stats show RIM's share dropping precipitously, while its competitors grow stronger and stronger.

Google's Android Operating System (OS) is the top platform worldwide, with 59.0% of market thanks to 89.9 million units shipped during the first quarter.
Android grew an astonishing 145% year-over-year.
Much of that growth can be attributed to the never-ending onslaught of new devices that range from entry-level handsets to flagship hero devices.

HTC said to join the Tizen mobile OS project

After we have seen Tizen Operating System (OS) in action on a Samsung slate a few days ago, today we are bringing fresh news about this fresh platform.

As you probably know, Intel, Linux Foundation, Samsung, US network operator Sprint and many other big names of the telecom industry are involved in the Tizen Project.

Well, it seems that HTC are interested, too, and rumor has it that the Taiwan-based company will launch a Tizen-powered smartphone in the second half of the year, while Samsung will also unveil some smartphones running on the open source Operating System over the same time frame.

Google did not need license to use Java to build Android - former Sun CEO

Former Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz took the stand yesterday as a witness for the defense at the Oracle vs Google trial, and disputed Oracle's claim that Java APIs were proprietary code from Sun. 

Google's lawyer, Robert van Nest, asked Schwartz whether, during his tenure at Sun, Java APIs were considered proprietary or protected by Sun.

"No," Schwartz said in explaining the nature of open software. "These are open APIs, and we wanted to bring in more people...we wanted to build the biggest tent and invite as many people as possible."

Oracle contends that Google's Android platform violated some of its patents and copyrights around Java and its APIs, which it acquired from Sun in a US$7.4 billion deal at the beginning of 2010.

BoxCryptor brings a new level of security to cloud storage

BoxCryptor, the client-side encryption tool for Dropbox, Box.net and other cloud storage services, has come a long way since its early, Microsoft's Windows-only incarnation.

These days, the tool works not only on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux, but also on Google's Android and Apple's iOS.

Right now, though, the Android version only works with Dropbox — but on Friday the team pushed out an update that they say readies it for other providers, including Box.net.

Dropbox already encrypts the files and folders stored on its platform, but only on the server side.
While that should be enough for most, mistakes do happen and many people will want an extra layer of security, particularly if they’re storing sensitive data.

Oracle accuses Google to misuse Java; Google accuses Oracle of the same

The Chief Executives of Silicon Valley giants Google and Oracle went head-to-head Tuesday in a San Francisco courtroom, each telling a jury that the other had misused Oracle's Java technology.

The dramatic showdown came on the second day of a trial held in San Francisco to determine whether Google's Android Operating System (OS) for mobile devices infringes patents and copyrights associated with Oracle's Java technology.

In recorded testimony presented to the jury by Oracle, Google CEO Larry Page acknowledged that at a certain point Google considered paying for a license to Java.

Oracle's Java vs Google's Android trial starts today

Oracle is set to go before a US federal jury for the first time with claims that Google stole some of the intellectual property behind its Android Operating System (OS).

Jury selection is scheduled to begin today in San Francisco in Oracle’s lawsuit alleging Google used Java programming language without permission to develop Android software.

The two-month trial will feature testimony from the companies’ Chief Executive Officers, Larry Ellison and Larry Page, as well as damage experts appointed by both sides and the presiding judge.
Oracle, the largest maker of database software, is seeking US$1 billion in damages and an injunction to block Google from distributing Android, now running on more than 150 million devices, unless it takes a license.

Google / Oracle settlement talks failed - Trial set in two weeks

It’s on: Google and Oracle are set to go to trial two weeks from today now that a last-ditch attempt at a settlement has failed.

Last week, Magistrate Judge Paul S. Grewal asked both parties to give settlement talks another chance, with a decision required by 9^th April 2012.
Even though they had another week, it must have been clear that a settlement just isn’t in the cards.

Google did propose an offer that included a cut of Android’s revenue stream through 2018, which was a stipulation for damages if (and only if) Oracle prevails on patent infringement.

Android to take a all new dimension following merge with Linux

Ordinary folks may not notice much right away from the fact that Google's Android programmers are bringing their work back into the Linux kernel fold.

But it's an entirely different situation for a smaller but important group:
The programmers who like to experiment with Google's open-source mobile Operating System (OS).

So predicts Tim Bird, the Sony programmer who's centrally involved in the merge of Google's Android Linux work with the "mainline" Linux kernel project.
That cooperation took a big step Sunday when Linux leader Linus Torvalds released version 3.3 of the heart of Linux with some fruits of the cooperation.

Android is open-source software, though the months of delays bringing Ice Cream Sandwich-based phones and tablets to market show how difficult it is to adopt that source code once Google is done building a new version behind closed doors.

Linux and Android are finally breaking their isolation

 

Linux and Android are two closely linked open-source projects, but they've been as notable for how distant they are from each other - until yesterday.

That's when Linus Torvalds, leader of the Linux kernel project, released a version of the Operating System (OS) core that bridges between the two worlds. 

Version 3.3 of the Linux kernel is the beginning of the end of isolation between these two projects.

Down under the covers, every Android phone is a Linux phone.
Although programmers writing Android apps generally use a Java-like interface, a Google-customized version of Linux handles underlying details such as keyboard input, multitasking among different chores, and keeping needed data readily at hand in memory.

Samsung to merge its own bada OS with Intel's Tizen

Samsung said it is working on merging its homegrown “bada” smartphone Operating System (OS) with Tizen, an Operating System project the company is conducting with chipmaker Intel.

“We have an effort that will merge bada and Tizen,” said Tae-Jin Kang, Senior Vice-president of Samsung’s Contents Planning Team in an interview at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

Kang said he didn’t know when the work would be complete but that it was already underway.

When the integration is finished, Tizen will support mobile applications written with bada’s SDK (software development kit).
That support will include backwards compatibility for previously published bada apps.

'One Laptop Per Child' to launche OLPC XO3 Android (or Linux) tablet

One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) long-awaited OLPC XO3 tablet will be revealed at CES 2012, founder Nicholas Negroponte has confirmed.

The device is aimed at children in the developing world and features a rugged case in the organisation’s distinctive green plastic.

The US$100 (€78) tablet will run either Linux or Google’s Android Operating System (OS) and can be charged by solar panels or third-party wind-up handle mechanism.

Wind River is working on an app able to open multiple windows on Android

Google's Android, and basically all major mobile Operating System (OS) platforms, don’t use a visible windowing system Like Apple's OS X, Linux and, uh, Microsoft's Windows.

Most of the time that’s because there just isn’t enough space on a smartphone or tablet screen for more than one application at a time. 

Wind River, a branch on Intel, has found a way around that restriction, and may make true user window management on Google's Android a reality soon.

Latest leaks and rumors ahead of CES 2012

With the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) starting Tuesday, every major device manufacturer is getting ready to show off their latest wares to gadget fans and tech press in Las Vegas, Nevada.

As it is typical before the year's biggest tech extravaganza, the Web is currently inundated with leaks, rumors and teaser videos about this year's coolest and most anticipated products at CES.

We already know to expect lots of Ultrabooks, Intel's newest class of super thin laptops; devices running the latest flavor of Google's Android, Ice Cream Sandwich; and super thin HDTVs.

But those are just the general categories, so here's a look at 15 products that are expected to debut in Las Vegas next week.

Intel presents Medfield-powered Android smartphone

According to reports, MIT's Technology Review got to go hands on with a brand new prototype smartphone running Intel’s latest mobile processor, Medfield.

The Google's Android handset running Gingerbread has similar dimensions to the Apple's iPhone 4 but was noticeably lighter, this is likely because for a prototype, its case might be made out of plastic, and not glass plus plastic reinforced with metal frames and elements usually found in real consumer phones.

Intel's Medfield chips were shown in Nokia devices that were supposed to run MeeGo back in February.
At that time, some specs were leaked for the chip.

2011 is the year when Android took by storm the mobile world

Microsoft might have sold hundreds of millions of Windows 7 licenses, and Apple might be managing to to persuade tens of millions of people to buy iOS-powered devices every quarter, but the real winner when it comes to Operating Systems (OS) in 2011 as been Android, Google’s mobile platform.

Based on the Linux kernel, Android is a wildly successful Operating System.

By November of this year some 200 million Android powered devices were in use.
If that sounds impressive, consider that this number is growing by some 550,000 daily (or 3.85 million a week, 16.5 million a month)!

Mozilla launches Firefox 8 with Twitter search

Mozilla's Firefox 8 has launched, less than six weeks following the release of Firefox 7, consistent with Mozilla’s rapid release cycle.

New features of the Firefox 8 release, which is for desktop editions of Microsoft's Windows, Linux, Apple's Mac, and mobile Firefox for Google's Android, includes Twitter search integration, increased support for WebGL graphics hardware acceleration, and on demand tab-group loading.  

Mozilla explained in its blog post that with the inclusion of Twitter search in Firefox 8:

“Twitter search in Firefox makes it easier to discover new topics, #hashtags, and usernames.”