Apple announces OS X "Mountain Lion"

Posted on February 16, 2012 at 7:45 pm by Iian Kehn

Apple-logoIt’s that time again, time for Apple to move on to the next best thing when it comes to its desktop Operating System.

Apple today announced in a press release the next release of OS X, some of the things the Cupertino based company announced aren’t really game-changing features, but one of the biggest changes is the removal of the term "Mac" from "OS X".

So what is the next release, and why does it matter to you?

OS X "Mountain Lion" (the upgrade from Lion) brings changes both to the front-end as well as the back end, of those features, the company mentioned the following:

    • Messaging: Like iOS, OS X will have a messaging client, to replace the ever aging iChat shown off in early versions of OS X.
    • Notes and Reminders: Building upon Notifications built into iOS 5, OS X will now have its own notification management instead of using the likes of Growl and others.
    • GameCenter: Play games with friends, share your scores all in one place, another iOS port.
    • AirPlay Mirroring: A feature first introduced in the iPad, with AirPlay Mirroring, you can share your screen wirelessly instead of using cables to connect to a TV or Monitor
    • Gatekeeper: Control what applications you use with Gatekeeper, and deny applications you don’t want or need.
    • Twitter Integration
    • iCloud: Store your documents, pictures, music and other content on your Mac in the cloud

    OS X Mountain Lion will be available sometime later this summer, you can snag a copy if you’re a Mac Developer right now.

    Filed under General | Tags: , , . 0 Comments

    Short: Sony Ericsson now Sony Mobile Communications

    Posted on February 16, 2012 at 3:46 am by Iian Kehn

    In what has seemed to have been forever since Sony took a 50% stake in Ericsson has now come to an end.

    In a press release from the Japanese company, today announced that the merger is complete, and that Sony Ericsson would now become Sony Mobile Communications.

    The Verge and Engadget both note that the transaction is an estimated $1.47 billion and will be headed off by Kazuo Harai as CEO.

    Filed under General | Tags: , . 0 Comments

    Google + Motorola acquisition gets U.S. Blessing

    Posted on February 14, 2012 at 3:53 am by Iian Kehn

    android-logo-whiteJust a few hours after the European Union gave the green light for the Google and Motorola Mobility merger, the United States also gave the go ahead.

    Word comes in from the folks over at Android Central that the acquisition is in fact a go, stating that there is no reason why it should not, considering both Microsoft and RIM do not have the market share to become a threat to Google.

    In the statement from the DoJ, they note;

    With respect to RIM’s and Microsoft’s acquisition of Nortel patents, their low market shares in mobile platforms would likely make a strategy to harm rivals either through injunctions or supracompetitive royalties based on the acquired Nortel SEPs unprofitable. Because of their low market shares, they are unlikely to attract a sufficient number of new customers to their mobile platforms to compensate for the lost patent royalty revenues. Moreover, Microsoft has cross-license agreements in place with the majority of its Android-based OEM competitors, making such a strategy even less plausible for it.

    Now all we have to wait for is China, once that goes through, what’s next for the two companies remains to be seen.

    Filed under General | Tags: , , . 0 Comments

    Google + Motorola acquisition: One step closer

    Posted on February 13, 2012 at 7:24 pm by Iian Kehn

    android-logo-whiteWith the European Union approving the acquisition of Motorola Mobility by search giant Google, it’s just one step closer to finalization.

    In a statement made by Joaquin Almunia, EU Competitive Commissioner notes,

    "We have approved the acquisition… because upon careful examination, this transaction does not itself raise competition issues,"

    This is a big win for Google, now they just have to get past the U.S. and then the deal can be finalized.

    You might remember a few months ago Google announced its plans to acquire the mobile division of Motorola, keeping the name and all the patents for it’s Android portfolio. There were a lot of questions raised whether this meant that the company was going to give special treatment to Motorola or not, which yet remains to be seen.

    The acquisition is estimated to be $12.5 billion.

    Filed under General | Tags: , , . 0 Comments

    AT&T to double upgrade fee on February 12

    Posted on February 11, 2012 at 4:20 am by Iian Kehn

    att-offers-internet-at-home-and-on-the-go-mini-laptops-and-onsite-tech-support-from-retail-storesAccording to some information that came in from The Verge, telecommunications company AT&T is planning to up the upgrade fee fron $18 to $36.

    In the document sent out to company stores and local retail stores, costs associated with upgrading the device is the primary reason for the raise in fees.

    Keep in mind, these changes don’t take effect until Sunday, February 12, 2012, so if you upgrade before then you don’t have to pay for the $36 fee.

    This isn’t the first time the telecommunications company has raised prices on their services, not too long ago the company changed its data plan structure and dropped the $10 messaging plan, not to mention numerous other changes over the past 2 years.

    While the changes shouldn’t really make a difference to most customers, it wouldn’t be a big surprise if a customer decides not to upgrade because of the fee changes. It isn’t a steep one, but for some that could mean the difference between wanting that next best phone, and finding a new carrier.

    Filed under Gadgets and General | Tags: . 0 Comments

    Windows 8 on ARM Explained

    Posted on February 10, 2012 at 4:49 am by Iian Kehn

    Windows_generic_h_webMicrosoft today put out a post on the Building Windows 8 blog that helps explain how Windows 8 will run on ARM based tablets and computers, and the significant differences between the two versions.

    First off, let’s establish, that up until now Microsoft has been quiet, and secretive about how they plan to make Windows 8 on ARM work, and how applications and the OS will work.

    Second of all, Windows 8 on Intel, AMD and Via chips will run the desktop, and all x86/x64 based apps, something ARM will not

    In the post, Sinoftsky noted some key points,

    • Windows 8 will include Office Word, PowerPoint, OneNote and Excel
    • Applications will be available only through the Windows Store
    • Applications cannot be ported to Windows 8 on ARM, they must be re-written using WinRT.
    • Windows 8 will support the desktop, you will be able to manage files and system content through Windows Explorer

    You can check out the post on the Building Windows 8 blog if you have some time to spare.

    Filed under General | Tags: , , , . 0 Comments

    Android Kernel HP Developed for TouchPad released

    Posted on February 8, 2012 at 10:51 pm by Iian Kehn

    android-logo-whiteA few months ago when HP let the gates open for its TouchPad Palm device, some were reportedly sold with Android 2.2 kernels.

    While the company officially denied that it had done such a thing, the company then released the source code for Android 2.2 for TouchPad after going under fire from the open-source community. While the move, according to Engadget "was on their own goodwill" something tells us that it wasn’t them who wanted to do it.

    In any case, you can snag the code on the RootzWiki page here.

    Filed under General | Tags: , , . Closed

    Adobe says “No Flash” on Chrome for Android

    Posted on February 8, 2012 at 1:35 am by Iian Kehn

    Just a few hours after Google publically launched Chrome for Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), Adobe Systems, Inc announced that they would not be supporting the mobile browser.

    While this move isn’t completely unheard of, given their tough ride on the mobile space, trying to gain traction, it does raise an interesting question as to the company’s future in the mobile space.

    Google Chrome on Windows and Mac already supports Flash, and for the time being is still available on Android through the OS’s built-in browser. But in a blog post made last year, the company is focusing on “Contributing to HTML5″, admitting Apple’s original point that “People don’t need Flash”.

    Filed under General | Tags: , , , . Closed

    Google testing Chrome on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) devices

    Posted on February 8, 2012 at 12:18 am by Iian Kehn

    logo3wToday Google announced the availablility of Chrome for Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) phones and tablets.

    While Android does include a subset of featured that Chrome already offers, the company could possibly be looking to make the browser universal across its platforms, including both tablet/smartphone markets, and the desktop space with Windows, Mac and Linux versions.

    According to the site, you can take your desktop experience with you with your bookmarks and history (not that those options aren’t already available in later versions of Android’s Browser) as well as easily switching between tabs.

    You can get a copy of Chrome for Android here.

    Filed under General | Tags: , , , , . Closed

    Start Button/Menu gone in Windows 8 Beta

    Posted on February 5, 2012 at 3:16 pm by Iian Kehn

    logo_Windows-h_webWhile we still have a few weeks before the official launch of the Windows 8 Consumer Preview, previously known as the Beta program in previous releases.

    The Verge picked up some information that the Redmond based company is removing the old-Classic start menu that is in Windows Vista, and Windows 7 and just utilizing the Metro interface.

    The good news is, it isn’t completely gone, Microsoft plans to make a similar functioning user interface through it’s hot-corner hover menu that gets you into the Metro UI. Microsoft also plans on keeping the superbar, introduced in Windows 7 that allows you to “pin” applications.

    While it is possible that Microsoft could bring the functionality back, seeing as the decision was made a while ago, unless they get enough demand to bring it back, the move seems unlikely.

    Filed under General | Tags: , , . Closed