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Navy set to run helicopter drones on Linux
Posted by Ariel Levin-Waldman Categories: Corporate News, Software, Transportation,
Everyone knows at least one guy who uses Linux. I don't use it myself, but I knew that one guy. He built all his PCs from spart parts, he knew the ins and outs of programming, he was a little bit of an anarchist (ok, more than a little). He fits the bill of the Linux user stereotype-- the young hobbyist and hacker.
But now Linux has a new user. The United States military. Oddly, if I were to describe the military in a few words, hobbyist and hacker would be the dead last words I picked.
Raytheon makes drone and missile systems for the United States. These systems used to run on the Solaris operating system, but the Navy has asked Raytheon to help make some code switches so that they can use Linux for their upcoming unmanned helicopter project, the Mq-8B Fire Scout.
The move is expected to create more intuitive controls for the new unarmed aerial vehicles and save money in the long run. The military originally held that open source software presented too great a security risk for defense applications. It seems that Linux has changed minds.
How do you feel about the Navy's choice to go open source? Chime in in the comments to let us know.
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Back the Ubuntu Edge dual-booting Linux-Android smartphone on IndieGogo
Posted by Jason Diaz Categories: Smartphones, Handhelds,
Makers of Ubuntu, Canonical has launched a $32,000,000 Indiegogo campaign for a dual-boot capable smartphone that would feature Ubuntu Linux OS and Google's Android.
Dubbed Ubuntu Edge, the phone will be able to boot into PC mode when docked, with a monitor featuring the full-fledged Ubuntu desktop OS. 128GB of onboard storage is also in the mix, something that the next iPhone is also purported to have. Other key specs include a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal glass 720p display, instead of the Corning Gorilla Glass used in many smartphones today. Early backers can now opt for the day-one price of $600 and then, after initial sale goes public, the price will jump to $830 when the devices launches in May 2014. Here's the full run down of the Ubuntu Edge specs and a video preview:
Click to continue reading Back the Ubuntu Edge dual-booting Linux-Android smartphone on IndieGogo
Read More | Indiegogo
OUYA Android game console now up for pre-order on Amazon
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Google, Video Games,
OUYA, the Android-based home game console that took Kickstarter by storm, is now available for pre-order on Amazon for those who missed out on the campaign. The cost is $99 for the unit, which includes the OUYA console and one controller. The draw of OUYA is that anyone can develop and publish games for the console, and there's no huge financial barrier to entry for devs. This could mean that there will be just a bunch of random stuff, but it also means that you'll have more developers working on quality games--and for the first time on a home console, you'll likely see games as inexpensive as the ones you play on your iOS and other Android devices. OUYA is powered by a quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor and 1 GB RAM with 8 GB of storage and 1080p output. Pre-order it now for $99 and it'll deliver in June, and don't forget to grab an extra controller.
Read More | OUYA pre-order
Ouya Android-based indie game console takes Kickstarter by storm
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Design, Google, Home Entertainment, Mods / Hacks, Video Games,
Are you bored and tired of the big players in the video game space failing to innovate in truly meaningful ways? Then you'll wanna meet Ouya, the Android-powered game console that will cost just $99 with a controller that connects to your television set just like your Wii U, Xbox 360, and PS3 does. The difference? Anyone can develop games for the Ouya console, and there's no huge financial barrier to entry. That means more indie quality indie games, likely much less cheaper than you'd find on other home game consoles. The product is designed by Yves Behar and team, the same folks who dreamed up the designs for the One Laptop Per Child OLPC computer and Jawbone Jambox. On the inside it's powered by Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with a quad-core Tegra 3 processor, 1 GB RAM, and 8 GB of built-in storage. It also packs 1080p output over HDMI, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth connectivity.
Interested? You can head over to the Ouya Kickstarter page to pre-order one now. This could turn out to be a very big deal. Check out a video explaining the project after the break.
Click to continue reading Ouya Android-based indie game console takes Kickstarter by storm
Read More | Ouya
Google releases Android 4.0 ‘Ice Cream Sandwich’ source code
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Corporate News, Google, Software,
Yesterday Google finally released the source code for Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich.
But on the Google Forums, Jean-Baptiste M. "JBQ" Queru, a software engineer on the Android Open-Source Project, warned that "this is a large push," so developers should expect that "it will take some time to complete".
"If you sync before it's done, you'll get an incomplete copy that you won't be able to use, so please wait for us to give the all-clear before you sync," Queru wrote.
The source code is Android 4.0.1, which is the version that will be released on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus.
The release also includes the source code for Honeycomb, but "since Honeycomb was a little incomplete, we want everyone to focus on Ice Cream Sandwich," Queru wrote. "So, we haven't created any tags that correspond to the Honeycomb releases (even though the changes are present in the history.)"
Click to continue reading Google releases Android 4.0 ‘Ice Cream Sandwich’ source code
Riversimple Car Uses Open Source Fuel Cell
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Design, Transportation,
Unveiled yesterday in London, the Riversimple car seats only two and runs on an open source fuel cell. Available by 2013, the car has a 240 mile range on its 1 kg hydrogen tank (equivalent to about 300mpg) and can zoom up to 50mph. The company that made the cell, Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies, says that it would be possible to lease it for about $315.00 a month. Compare that to the higher priced Honda FCX Clarity for $600.00 and the MINI E for $850.00 a month and it would appear that the company may have a hit on their hands.
Read More | Autoblog
Five technology trends that will define 2009
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Editorial, Features, GPS, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Software,
This is a guest post by LaptopLogic - head over to them to find laptop reviews, laptop news and search their database for the best top rated laptops.
We are nearing the end of the first quarter of 2009, and we think that based on what we’ve seen happen already this year, combined with some announcements of things to come, that we can start to make sense of what 2009 will look like when we look back on it. For instance, we think consumers will see a number of technological advancements in the devices they buy—the laptops, media players, gaming systems, and televisions. That’s always the case. However, we think there are a handful of trends that will dominate the consumer technology market, and we thought we’d take a look at five of them here. Let’s get started:
GPS Everything
It seems that mobile phones and GPS can’t be kept apart these days. With the release of Apple’s wildly successful iPhone 3G, GPS has become a standard feature on many of today’s advanced mobile devices.
While GPS used to be reserved for geeky standalone gadgets, like that of a Garmin or Tom Tom, being able to locate yourself wirelessly is now firmly in the realm of cell phones. And that’s just the start. Expect to see GPS penetrating a greater number of tech devices in 2009.
Click to continue reading Five technology trends that will define 2009
T-Mobile G1 details
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Google, Handhelds,
This morning, T-Mobile and Google held the press conference to announce the first phone to officially launch with the Android OS, the T-Mobile G1. You are going to hear a lot of people comparing this one to the iPhone, so let’s jump in to the feature set. The G1 sports 3G, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi, a 3-megapixel camera, is based on a fully open-source OS. The Android OS gives you access to the Android Market (think of that as being similar to the App Store), as well as built-in support for Amazon’s MP3 store, for downloading music on the go. Even cooler, in our opinion, are the things that are real firsts in the mobile phone space - Push Gmail, and Google Maps with Street View.
You can pick up the T-Mobile G1 on October 22, at a nice price of $179.99 with a 2-year agreement. If you can’t wait to spend the cash, you can even pre-order one now at the G1 website. If you are over in the UK, it’s yours in November, while the Netherlands, Austria, Germany, and Czech Republic will have to wait until sometime in the first quarter of 2009.
Read More | T-Mobile G1 product page
Google to Launch Chrome, an Open Source Web Browser
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Google, Internet,
Google announced today that it is launching its new beta browser, named Chrome. Available in more than 100 countries supposedly tomorrow, so far it is only for those with Microsoft Windows. (The company says it is still working on the Mac and Linux versions.) Google’s official blog almost apologized for their comic that discussed the joys of their new browser, saying that they tend to “launch early and iterate” and that the mailroom was a bit hasty letting it out. Be that as it may, it took us long enough to get used to Firefox, so we think we will let the hardcores try it first.
Read More | MSNBC
Bleeding Edge TV 241: Neuros’ Joe Born chats with us about open source media players
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Gizmatic, Short Bytes, Cell Phones, CES, CES 2008, Features, Handhelds, Podcasts, Portable Audio / Video, Software, Videocasts,
We chat with Neuros’ Joe Born about what Neuros has in store in the near future and about their approach to making their media players open source. We also discuss how they’re the only embedded media device company open sourcing their software for the devices and what that means to them. They’ve seen a great deal of tech community involvement and more from bringing their devices into open source. See the video, recorded from Showstoppers at CES 2008.
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