Monthly Archive:: August 2009

Sacred 2, XBox 360

Thom Holwerda 2009-08-23 Games 35 Comments

PC gamers vs. console gamers. There's this assumption that PC gamers are capable of playing more complex games than console gamers. The games industry itself has picked up on this assumption and generally dumbs down games for the consoles because they assume us poor console gamers are not capable enough, and as the consoles have increasingly become the focal point of the industry, PC games also started suffering from the dumbing down effect. That's why the developers behind Sacred 2 deserve all the more praise for not assuming all gamers on consoles are 13-year-old Halo-addicted kids by releasing a traditional top-down hack and slash game with an incredibly detailed world and intricate character development.

Psystar, FCC, Haiku

Thom Holwerda 2009-08-23 OS News 1 Comment

Another week has passed, so it's time for another Week in Review. It was a very Apple-ish week this week; their legal battle with Psystar, their loving relationship with Palm, and the FCC investigation. We also talked about openSUSE picking KDE as a default, and, of course, the biggest news of the week: Haiku has set a release date for the alpha!

Review: The Acrobits Softphone 2.2

Eugenia Loli 2009-08-23 Wireless 4 Comments

Like any true geek who's addicted to online presence, a VoIP SIP, Twitter, and a multi-protocol IM application are the first kinds of apps I am trying to locate when jumping smartphone platforms. The iPhone is currently my platform of choice, and the AppStore has its share of such communication applications. So I decided to give a whirl to Acrobits' Softphone, set it up with Gizmo5 and Google Voice, and use it to call my family in Greece or more rarely, my husband at work. Update: New version is out, fixing most of the things mentioned in the review below, and implementing PUSH.

DOJ Approves $7.4B Oracle-Sun Deal

Thom Holwerda 2009-08-22 Oracle and SUN 8 Comments

Oracle on Thursday said the U.S. Department of Justice has approved its $7.4 billion acquisition of Sun Microsystems, although the deal is subject to certain conditions and still needs the blessing of European regulators. Oracle first announced its bid in April and Sun shareholders approved the acquisition on July 16. The combined company will give Oracle an array of new assets, including a stake in the computer hardware market, the open-source MySQL database and stewardship of the Java programming language. Sun would be just the latest in a long string of companies gobbled up in recent years by Oracle.

Apple: Google Voice Alters “iPhone Distinctive User Experience”

Thom Holwerda 2009-08-22 Apple 42 Comments

Late last night, Apple, At&T, and Google answered the questions posed to them by the FCC about the rejection of the Google Voice application and Apple's App Store policies. While the letters do provide a unique insight into the process, they also raise a number of questions. Note: Updates inside on the Google Contacts complaint.

Hardware Hackers Create a Modular Motherboard

Thom Holwerda 2009-08-21 Hardware 19 Comments

I've often wondered why computers - be it laptops or desktop - are so relatively monolithic. Wouldn't it make much more sense to have a whole cluster of very tiny individual computers, all with their own tiny processor, RAM, data storage, and serial ports, which power up when needed and are easily replaced when broken? Well, Liquidware thought so too, and came up with the Illuminato X Machina.

Google’s Rubin: Android Isn’t Blocking VoIP, Despite Claims

Thom Holwerda 2009-08-21 Google 2 Comments

This morning a USA Today article discussed the FCC's investigation into why the Google Voice App was banned from the iPhone. The article goes on to say that Google could "soon find itself in the hot seat" because Android cannot use Skype, proposing that Google itself blocks VoIP to force users into traditional voice calls. Andy Rubin, Google's Vice President of Mobile Platforms, had to step forward and call USA Today out. Rubin said, "Here are the facts, clear and simple: While the first generation of our Android software did not support full-featured VoIP applications due to technology limitations, we have worked through those limitations in subsequent versions of Android, and developers are now able to build and upload VoIP services." Rubin says it's up to the operators to decide if certain applications violate their terms of service.

Bing Strikes Licensing Deal with Wolfram Alpha

Thom Holwerda 2009-08-21 Internet 4 Comments

Microsoft's Bing search engine is getting a little help from a very smart friend. Wolfram Alpha and Bing have reached a licensing deal that allows Bing to present some of the specialized scientific and computational content that Wolfram Alpha generates, according to a source familiar with the deal. Representatives from Microsoft and Wolfram Research declined to comment on the deal.

Apple Responds to FCC Inquiry – Publicly

Thom Holwerda 2009-08-21 Apple 4 Comments

Apple has posted the responses to the FCC's questions on its website. "We are pleased to respond to the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau's inquiry dated July 31, 2009, requesting information regarding Apple's App Store and its application approval process." AT&T made a short statement too. Update: And Google too.

Submitted by Kishe 2009-08-21 Wireless 7 Comments

There has been a lot of rumors around about Nokia's upcoming open-source Maemo phone, dubbed the N900. Mobile-Review now has a first look at the device, with lots of photos. It runs the Gtk+ version of Maemo. "Due to variety of visual effects, smooth transitions and decent reaction time of the touch screen (which is a significant improvement over the Nokia N97), the N900 feels more like the Apple iPhone. At the same time its UI looks nothing like that of the iPhone - it's just different, but eye-candy nonetheless (maybe somewhat similar to HTC's products). Everyone who had a chance to play with it noted that it didn't look like any other Nokia-branded device, yet it was an enjoyable experience overall."

Psystar Claims Schiller “Unprepared” for Testimony

Thom Holwerda 2009-08-21 Legal 28 Comments

Another week, and another set of filings in the Apple vs. Psystar case. And yes, the case continues to get grittier and grittier. Last week Apple accused Psystar of destroying evidence, and this week Psystar is kicking it up a notch. The depositions of key Apple employees are currently under way, and August 14, it was Phil Schiller's turn. According to Psystar, Schiller was "wholly unprepared and unwilling to testify". At the same time, Apple has suddenly told the courts it will no longer seek recovery of lost profits from Psystar, because that would require Apple to give out its profit margins - and Apple doesn't want to do that.

Google Also in Hot Seat Over VoIP on Android

Thom Holwerda 2009-08-21 Wireless 6 Comments

Apple and AT&T Friday are expected to tell the Federal Communications Commission why Google's free voice application, called Google Voice, is banned from the Apple iPhone. Google is also filing comments. But Google may soon find itself on the hot seat as well, telecom and public policy analysts say. Why: Consumers who use Android, the Google-developed operating system for wireless devices, can't use Skype, a leading Voice over Internet Protocol service. A pioneer in free Internet calling, Skype allows you to talk as long as you want without draining cellphone minutes. Android users get Skype Lite, a watered-down version of the original that routes calls over traditional phone networks â€” not the Internet. As a result, long-distance calls are still cheap or free, but cellphone minutes are gobbled up every time a Skype Lite call is made.

Submitted by estherschindler 2009-08-21 Open Source No Comments

The Airline Control Program, introduced by IBM around 1967, predated the term 'open source' by decades. But you may be surprised by how much of its development reflects the FOSS movement today.

Review: HP 1120NR Netbook

Eugenia Loli 2009-08-21 Hardware 28 Comments

Geeks.com, home of cheap netbooks, sent us in the HP 1120NR netbook, running a modified version of Ubuntu Linux. Check inside to read our experience with it.

‘Palm Rejected Apple Proposal Not to Hire Each Other’s Workers’

Thom Holwerda 2009-08-21 Rumors 36 Comments

As it turns out, the relationship between Apple and Palm is even less amicable than we already thought it to be. Bloomberg got their hands on communications between Ed Colligan, then-CEO of Palm, and Steve Jobs in which Jobs made a proposal in which the two companies would promise to refrain from hiring each other's employees. Colligan, however, rejected the proposal, calling it wrong and "likely illegal".

Submitted by kernpanic 2009-08-20 Unix 19 Comments

"The computer world is notorious for its obsession with what is new - largely thanks to the relentless engine of Moore's Law that endlessly presents programmers with more powerful machines. Given such permanent change, anything that survives for more than one generation of processors deserves a nod. Think then what the Unix operating system deserves because in August 2009, it celebrates its 40th anniversary. And it has been in use every year of those four decades and today is getting more attention than ever before."

Reflective Surfaces No Problem for Logitech Mice

weildish 2009-08-20 Hardware 12 Comments

"According to Logitech, the Performance and Anywhere use dark field microscopy to detect microscopic particles and micro-scratches on high-gloss surfaces, rather than tracking the surface itself. The mouse sensor 'sees' the clean areas of glass as a dark background with bright dots and then interprets the movement of the dots to precisely track where the device has been moved. The Logitech Performance Mouse will be available in the US and Europe in August for $100, while the mobile-friendly Anywhere Mouse is expected to retail at $80." I don't know how many times I've cursed shiny new desks and wished that someone would finally utilize that dark field microscopy technique (end bad humor). Thank heaven for Logitec finally breaking through.

openSUSE To Default to KDE

Thom Holwerda 2009-08-20 SuSE, openSUSE 55 Comments

On August 4 we discussed the possibility of openSUSE defaulting to KDE during the installation routine. This was raised as a feature request within the openSUSE community, and quickly gained the favour of many, become the most popular request. The openSUSE board and variousother leader within the project have discussed the issue, and have decided that yes, from now on, openSUSE will default to KDE during the installation process.

‘Microsoft To Adopt Dual-Platform Strategy with Windows Mobile’

Thom Holwerda 2009-08-20 Wireless 24 Comments

Apple's iPhone has completely destroyed the status quo that existed in the mobile operating system world before the iPhone arrived on the scene. The iPhone made it easier for people to get on the web while on the go, and despite ridicule before it was even released, it has revolutionised the industry, forcing other manufacturers to get a move on.

How Do You Use Your Netbook?

Thom Holwerda 2009-08-20 Hardware 84 Comments

The big thing in notebooks right now are netbooks. They're cheap, more than powerful enough for day-to-day tasks, and small enough to actually carry around without anyone even noticing you're carrying one (not a bad thing in some parts of the world). However, they also receive a lot of criticism, such as cramped keyboards and displays that are too small. So, at Kaiwai's suggestion, here's a question for you all: how do you use your netbook?