Electronic Pulp » Software

Samsung and LG to offer Android-based tablet PCs in Q3 and Q4 2010, respectively

David Gonzales — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 10:56:19 +0000

You might have already heard this one before, but as anyone who closely follows happenings in the tech sector might expect, several companies are already working on their own tablet PC offerings with either the open-source mobile Android OS or a mobile-optimized version of Windows 7. Samsung is among those first expected to deliver such a mobile device, and their upcoming product has been identified in the past as the Samsung Galaxy Tab (pictured above). Today, Reuters has posted news further confirming this as part of Samsung’s future plans, mentioning that Samsung’s tablet PC will have a 7-inch display (compared to the iPad’s 9.7-inch screen). Near the end of its news post, Reuters also mentioned that LG Electronics will also deliver a tablet PC with Android OS, and that it will be released in the fourth quarter following Samsung’s third quarter release date for their tablet.

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Microsoft’s Ballmer reiterates: Windows 7 tablet PCs are on the way

David Gonzales — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 01:52:53 +0000

I really want to see a new and improved Windows 7 tablet PC to come around soon. Don’t you? I personally don’t see much point in a tablet if it runs the same operating system as my aging smartphone. So far, Microsoft has kept my hopes up. They have confirmed that they are currently working on Windows 7 tablet PCs, and today Steve Ballmer talked a bit more about Microsoft’s tablet PC plans. Ballmer was quoted as saying, “We’re in the process of doing that as we speak. We’re working with our hardware partners. We’re tuning Windows 7.” He made it clear that Microsoft will be sticking to Windows 7 for their upcoming tablets, and made it sound like their intent was to take the desktop and reshape it to fit in the form factor of a slate. Sounds like a lot of work, but if done right, it will definitely be worth it. It’s worth nothing that this has already been done unsuccessfully with older versions of Windows in the past, but with Windows 7 and better hardware, this holds a lot of promise today.

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Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer: Expect Windows 7 slates before year-end

David Gonzales — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 21:51:07 +0000

So it’s mid-2010, there are a lot of Android-powered tablet PCs in the market, and then there’s the iOS-powered alternative, Apple’s iPad. Many people are waiting for either a lower price for the 3G-enabled iPad, or a “better” Android tablet to become available. Still, others are waiting for yet another kind of tablet. One that’s powered by a real desktop operating system in the form of Windows 7. Yes, I’m talking about the Windows 7 tablets.

And while it may look like there hasn’t been any progress relating to these lately, rest assured that your very first Windows 7-powered tablet is well on its way. Microsoft’s very own Steve Ballmer has announced a confirmation: Windows 7 slates are coming this year. And by slate, of course, he means good ol’ tablet PCs.

Perhaps it has something to do with their past failed attempts to launch a successful tablet PC market with manufacturers like Sony, Samsung, Viliv and Windows Vista. They might be deliberately avoiding the word tablet and using slate instead, to make it sound fresh.

But don’t be confused. These upcoming Windows 7 slates are, at the most basic, going to be just a bunch of touchscreen display equipped computers without physical keyboards and built-in batteries. Those are the building blocks of the tablet PC, and with Windows 7, I think Microsoft will be able to finally get things right. Maybe.

There’s still no word on which manufacturer is going to release what, when and where. But several companies including Asus, Dell, Samsung, Toshiba and Sony have been identified as already working on their own Windows 7 slates. So for now, Windows 7 slate hopefuls are going to have to just wait. But at least they’ve got something to look forward to until Christmas time, right?

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Microsoft Windows 7 SP1 public beta released

David Gonzales — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 21:21:13 +0000

Today is the perfect time to update your Windows 7 installations because Microsoft has just release Service Pack 1 for the latest version of their flagship operating system. Windows 7 SP1′s release was announced as early as last month along with Windows Server 2008 R2 at Microsoft’s annual Tech-Ed conference. It is said that Windows 7 SP1 will include several hotfix patches and RemoteFX, a new enhancement to RDP’s graphical remoting capabilities that should provide provides rich 3-D graphical experience for remote users. Windows 7 SP1 will also come with new virtualization tools that will help Windows Server 2008 R2 users prepare for cloud computing. There might be more new things to Windows 7 SP1 but for now Microsoft is mum on additional details.

[SOURCE | VIA]

Google introduces App Inventor for Android

David Gonzales — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 21:06:15 +0000

Google has put the power to create mobile applications in the hands on virtually anyone with the introduction of their latest product, Google App Inventor for Android. Currently in its beta stage in Google Labs, the App Inventor for Android allows programmers and non-programmers alike to make their own mobile applications for the Android OS. It looks like a great way to dabble in mobile app creation without having to go through the extensive training to which the pros are subjected, but it might be a little far-fetched to think that applications produced via Google’s App Inventor for Android will be able to match the quality and sophistication of those coded by real programmers. But who really knows? Could the next Android killer app come from the new App Inventor?

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Ubuntu Linux installed and running on Google Nexus One

David Gonzales — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 07:54:27 +0000

Nowadays, it’s no longer considered cool to walk around with an Android smartphone in one hand and a netbook running Ubuntu Linux on the other. But you know what is? Using both hands to tinker with an Android smartphone that’s running Ubuntu Linux instead of the Android OS. It drives the ladies nuts, for some reason. If you’ve got an extra Google Nexus One lying around and have been wanting to mess with Ubuntu Linux for the longest time, well now you can. Even just a faint curiosity about the possibilities would suffice. I have here an embedded video which shows exactly what I’m talking about above, and the Source link below provides some details regarding installation.

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64-bit Windows 7 version accounts for nearly half of all installations

David Gonzales — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 06:47:04 +0000

It looks like 64-bit computing is finally starting to pick up steam, thanks to Microsoft’s latest desktop operating sytem, Windows 7. According to figures recently published by the software giant, the 64-bit version of Windows 7 accounts for nearly half of all Windows 7 installations at 46%, compared to Windows Vista’s measly 11% back in its “glory days.” This might be due to the fact that most prebuilt computers you can buy nowadays come with at least 4GB of RAM, or even if they come with 3GB of RAM or less, some of them still have Windows 7 64-bit installed. Even I, personally, use the 64-bit version of Windows 7 on a couple computers of mine with only 1GB of RAM. I know the point of a 64-bit OS is to make better use of available system memory (32-bit Windows can only read up to 3.25GB of RAM), but a 64-bit OS has other benefits too. Now all that’s left to happen is for our most used desktop programs to come out with 64-bit versions in order to better take advantage of this development. Notably, Firefox and many other popular programs still don’t have 64-bit versions.

[SOURCE | VIA]

How to install and run Android on a Windows Mobile smartphone

David Gonzales — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 06:15:39 +0000

If you have absolutely had it with Windows Mobile and would like to see Android running on one of your own WinMo-powered smartphones, Well, you’re in luck. Because with a constantly active community of developers composed of people just like you and me who want ~~to see Android take over the world~~ to have the option to run Android without forking over the cash for a brand new phone, you can now install the Android OS on a Windows Mobile smartphone by following a particular set of instructions to a T. It doesn’t yet work on all WinMo smartphones but you can check out the progress devs are having with several popular smartphone models, along with the above-mentioned instructions, via the Source link below. Note: use great caution.

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Latest fring for iPhone update adds 3G video call support

David Gonzales — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 22:19:12 +0000

With the introduction of Apple’s iPhone 4, video calling was also introduced as a new feature in the guise of something called FaceTime. It was nice to see the iPhone finally catch up to competition in this regard, but there’s a minor problem: FaceTime only works on Wi-Fi and not on 3G. So what’s an iPhone 4 owner to do? Well, nothing, actually, until the last update was rolled out to fring for iPhone which added support for video calls over 3G. And it works flawlessly in video calls with users of fring on other platforms besides the iPhone, too (Android and Symbian, for example). Check out the iTunes App store to give the new fring a try (on your new iPhone, that is).

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Trillian IM client coming to Android platform

David Gonzales — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 22:07:02 +0000

Due to persistent public demand, Cerulean Studios has just announced that they are already working on an Android version of the Trillian IM client. This hardly comes as a surprise as Trillian is quite a popular IM client and it has already made its rounds in the iPhone platform. Trillian for Android’s features will include (1) the ability to connect to Facebook Chat, Windows Live, Yahoo!, AIM, ICQ, Google Talk, Jabber/XMPP or MySpaceIM, (2) synchronize contacts, avatars, status, accounts and more with your Trillian-enabled desktop or mobile apps, (3) support for tabbed chat windows with bubble view, photo transfer, buzz and emoticons, and (4) the option to set status, avatar and display name quickly in one simple screen. Trillian for Android will work for all types of Android phones, even those as old as the T-Mobile G1. Cerulean Studios says the first beta release is only a few weeks away so watch out for updates.

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