Ubuntu coming to tablets, phones, cars and smart TVs by 2014

We’ve already seen Ubuntu running on tablets and smartphones , but not in any official capacity. Rumors had it that Canonical would be making a serious push into the tablet space in early 2011 , but that effort never materialized , or at least was never acknowledged. Still, Unity has some finger-friendly streaks and Oneiric added ARM support — so it’s not much of a stretch to see the popular Linux distro on your mobile devices. Well, at the Ubuntu Developer Summit, Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth made that move official by issuing a challenge to the Ubuntu community to start pushing beyond the traditional PC form factor. Few details were given, but Shuttleworth did say that he believes the time is right for the OS to start making moves into the tablet, phone, in-dash infotainment and smart TV spaces. There were no products to announce, but Shuttleworth was confident the OS would be ready and in shipping consumer electronics by the time version 14.04 arrived in April of 2014. Though, we’re sure some prototypes will start showing up sooner rather than later. Ubuntu coming to tablets, phones, cars and smart TVs by 2014 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Oct 2011 10:56:00 EDT.

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Ubuntu coming to tablets, phones, cars and smart TVs by 2014

Kinect hack makes presentation slides work around you (video)

What’s the scariest thing about presentations? Getting the perfect angle. You know, the point on stage where you can wave at your slides without blocking the projector bulb or your audience’s view. Thankfully, Haruki Maeda from Meiji University is gonna show your text and graphics who’s the boss. He’s knocked up presentation software that can sense where you stand and orders the text into the visible space around you. Transitions are handled with gestures and you can even pinch-to-zoom live on stage.

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Kinect hack makes presentation slides work around you (video)

Apple reportedly acquires C3 Technologies, iOS Maps overhaul on the horizon?

Last we saw of C3 Technologies’ 3D mapping software it was making an appearance on Sony Ericsson’s X10, but if 9 to 5 Mac turns out to be right, its next stop could be the iPhone. According to the publication, Cupertino recently scooped up the Saab spin-off and C3 execs have since been working closely with the iOS division. Earlier this year, Apple posted job listings , looking for developers to “radically improve how people interact with maps and location-based services.” On a related note, the outfit previously acquired Poly9 , a web-based mapping company. So is the fruity one looking to up its street (navigation) cred? Is it finally ready to give Google Maps the boot? We’ll just have to wait and see. Apple reportedly acquires C3 Technologies, iOS Maps overhaul on the horizon?

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Apple reportedly acquires C3 Technologies, iOS Maps overhaul on the horizon?

Not so ultimate Ultrabook: MacBook Air KIRF features mini-HDMI port, 3.5 hour battery life

Hey, who wiped the MacBook Air logo off? Nah, we’re kidding — it’s a KIRF . Sure, Apple’s svelte 13-incher may have a duo of USB ports and an SD card slot, but this rig adds in a 3-in-1 card reader and and an odd, combo RJ45 / VGA jack (which we assume needs an adapter). For good measure, you’ll also find a mini-HDMI output, although, with 3.5 hours of battery life it may prove problematic for getting through a 1080p movie marathon without nearby power. The alloy-encased lappy has a 1.86GHz Intel Atom N2800 CPU with a GMA3600 integrated GPU, 2GB of RAM, a 32GB SSD and a 13.3-inch LED display sporting a ho-hum resolution (for a 13-incher) of 1366 x 768, just like the 11-inch MacBook Air . Amazingly, this knock-off weighs merely .01 kilograms more than its real counterpart at 1.36 kgs (about three pounds), while being only 0.1 cm thicker. Giz-China expects this Ultrabook-wannabe by Shenzen Technology Ltd to land on Chinese shelves sometime in November for about $471. Cue Apple’s lawyers in 3..

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Not so ultimate Ultrabook: MacBook Air KIRF features mini-HDMI port, 3.5 hour battery life

Pure Music looks to give Spotify a run for its money, but only in the UK

If you’re looking to save a little coin on your Adele streaming habits, Pure Music may be worth a look. Beginning in December, you can have millions of songs at your fingertips for

Warpia’s StreamHD Value Edition does wireless USB to HDMI on the (kinda) cheap

Were you intrigued by Warpia’s StreamHD , but turned off by its $170 price? Well maybe the new Value Edition (or VE to the cool kids) will make you crack open that piggy bank. At $130 we still wouldn’t call the StreamHD VE an impulse purchase, but it’s certainly not a budget buster. In the package is the same USB adapter, a wireless receiver and an A/V base with an HDMI out — and the company still throws in an HDMI cable to boot. What do you lose to land that $40 discount? Well 5.1 surround sound for one.

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Warpia’s StreamHD Value Edition does wireless USB to HDMI on the (kinda) cheap

DirecTV’s iPad app updated with live TV streaming, as long as you stay at home

DirecTV debuted its iPad app in February with an impressive suite of remote control and content browsing options, but one of the few missing features was the ability to watch TV on it, which has now been added. Like similar apps from Cablevision and Time Warner Cable , v1.3.1 adds the ability to watch 38 channels live on the tablet, provided you’re connected to the same home network as your DirecTV Plus HD DVR. That home restriction, and its ability to only access live TV streams and not DVRed programming separates it from Sling’s apps , but at least it’s still a free add-on. If you want to watch recorded shows or take them on the go you’ll still need the Nomad box for that. Check below for a link to one of DBSTalk’s usual thorough walkthrough PDFs breaking down the new features, a few screengrabs sent in by a reader, and the complete channel list after the break. Gallery: DirecTV iPad app streaming live TV [Thanks, Will & Jon] Continue reading DirecTV’s iPad app updated with live TV streaming, as long as you stay at home DirecTV’s iPad app updated with live TV streaming, as long as you stay at home originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Oct 2011 14:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds

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DirecTV’s iPad app updated with live TV streaming, as long as you stay at home

Mythical snow-white N9 spotted at Nokia World

Is it possible to improve on something as minutely refined as the Nokia N9 simply by adding another color variant? Well, that depends on what color weʼre talking about. Sure, we already have black, cyan, and magenta, but what weʼve been missing — until now — is white. Plain, simple, ethereal white. It happens to be one of the hardest hues for a manufacturer to pull off without making a handset look tacky, or making its surface susceptible to the general grubbiness of everyday life. But Nokia did a smart thing: it added a glossy coating that completely changes the look and feel of the device. Take a look for yourself in the gallery below. But bear in mind that the midnight blue disco lights at Nokia World didn’t quite do it justice.

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Mythical snow-white N9 spotted at Nokia World

Richard Kerris leaves HP, ventures off into the land of outside opportunity

Lucasfilm’s former chief technology officer just became HP’s former VP of worldwide developer relations — Richard Kerris is calling it quits. HP confirmed Kerris’ departure, stating that he “has decided to leave HP to pursue an opportunity outside of the company, effective immediately.” Kerris joined HP in February 2011 as the outfit’s webOS frontman for the development community, vowing to work hard to win its favor before the firm discontinued operations for the platform’s devices earlier this year. Kerris isn’t the first employee to go since the webOS cut, and sadly, he probably won’t be the last either. Richard Kerris leaves HP, ventures off into the land of outside opportunity originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Oct 2011 01:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Alibaba unveils W800, second-gen Aliyun phone, and unnamed ‘cloud-powered’ tablet

In July we got our first taste of Aliyun OS, running on the W700 . Now, with the Gregorian calendar year coming to a close, Alibaba is prepping its second wave “cloud-powered” hardware. First up is the W800, the successor to the original Aliyun handset. As far as specs go, the two look more or less the same — with the latest version still rocking a 1GHz Tegra 2. The one obvious difference is the slightly larger 4.3-inch display gracing the front of the W800. Perhaps more interesting though, is the still unnamed tablet which also clearly bares NVIDIA branding. Speed and exact model of the CPU inside is anyone’s guess, but we’re assuming this isn’t a Kal-el device. Price and release date for both are a mystery, but the W800 is expected to land sometime before November is out.

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Alibaba unveils W800, second-gen Aliyun phone, and unnamed ‘cloud-powered’ tablet

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