Ubuntu for Phones

Ubuntu is the most popular linux distribution and is seen by many as a real alternative to Microsoft's Windows and Apple's OS X operating systems. In 2013 Ubuntu comes to smart phones to join the competitive mobile operating system market. Their promo video (below) looks really impressive and they are inviting developers to make their apps compatible with a mobile linux OS.

Ubuntu has grand aims, they are hoping to produce a single OS which can run desktop computers, TV's and smartphones, creating a truly unified experience. Ubuntu offer a lot to desktop users, including access to cloud based storage which is fully integrated into apps within the OS. And have I mentioned that the desktop version is essentially free! There is now a suggested donation but it is certainly cheaper the Windows or OS X.

The Ubuntu phone features interesting usability traits. The 'lock' screen does not require 'unlocking' as such, just swiping in various areas of the screens edge to access specific content on your device. The OS allows you to go full screen and enjoy the most of your photos, videos or web browsing experience. Would you consider trying a new mobile operating system? If it works well this may encourage increasing numbers of users to try this linux distribution on the desktop too.

More information Ubuntu's website www.ubuntu.com

Google IO Accessory Developer Kit

The Google IO Accessory Developer Kit was given to selected developers at Google's recent developer conference, Google IO. It looks like a pretty cool device and the Engadget team got their hands on one and made this video to show what it is and how it will help the development of cool hardware that can interact with Android devices in the future.

 

Video from Engadget.com

Highest Resolution Notebook Display - The MacBook Pro

Apple have unveiled their new model of the popular MacBook Pro range of notebook (laptop) computers. The MacBook display is classed by Apple as a Retina Display. This was widely anticipated as it has been achieved on the iPad, which isn't much smaller screen dimensions than a MacBook Pro. The screen is reported to look "stunning" and "gorgeous". I'm sure that anyone who has seen the latest iPad's retina display, or an iPhone 4 or 4S will agree too. Apple's display technology has produced some incredibly small pixels and their sharp UI looks great optimised for these high resolutions.

The MacBook Pro will support 2880 x 1880 pixels (5,184,000 pixels). This far exceeds the 1920 x 1080 pixels of a Full HD TV, which are often 40+ inches across. The Apple applications included in Mountain Lion and the Pro Apple apps on the Mac App Store are ready to support this new resolution, which improved UI's for Final Cut Pro and Aperture too.

More details are being announced live from WWDC 2012.

Windows 8 Consumer Preview

Microsoft have released Windows 8 Consumer Preview for developers, enthusiasts and curious consumers to try. The next version of Windows build's on both the popular and stable Windows 7 and the Windows 8 Developer Preview released a couple on months ago.

The differences from Windows 7 to Windows 8 are around a new user interface called Metro. The Metro display replaces the traditional "start" menu. Many apps are then optimised for the Metro UI which brings larger buttons and more intuitive menu options to reduce clutter. This is far better for touch operated devices such as touch screen laptops and tablet devices. The classic desktop and windows explorer UI are still there for desktop users.

Is this release of Windows trying to be all things to all devices? Perhaps Android will be a better OS for tablets as it's optimised to touch screen operation from day one. To decide yourself you can download the developer preview to run on and old machine, or as a virtual machine.