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Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

We can’t say enough about the joys of a 6 month product release cycle. We put Ubuntu through its paces on personal computers with every refresh, and while it never seems to do everything we need it to, it’s so tantalizingly close that we just can’t help trying it out 6 months later. This October we’re getting 8.10 “Intrepid Ibex” to play with, which is supposed to bring performance gains and a much-improved Network Manager for working with 3G connections and such — it’s currently in Alpha 5 state. Meanwhile, Ubuntu 9.04 “Jaunty Jackalope,” due for April of next year, is already being sketched up, and will make boot / resume times and the integration of web apps priorities for the OS. Both are bound to suck up valuable hours of our lives, installing and then uninstalling, and will be worth every minute of it.

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Source: Paul Miller

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Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio

It has been a solid tick since we’ve seen a good FairPlay hack, so it’s with great pleasure that we pass along El Tunes for Ubuntu 8.04 users everywhere. Tested to work on Hardy Heron using RhythmBox (but assumed to work on any modern Linux Distro with GStreamer and a media player that utilizes GStreamer), said plug-in enables open-source aficionados to play songs purchased from the iTunes Music Store. As for limitations, the current version has no Pause / Seek support and cannot de-authorize a machine for playback, but a future version should hopefully cure those two quirks and add support for purchased video content and audio streaming to an AirTunes device. Give it a shot and let us know how it treats ya.

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Source: Darren Murph

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Filed under: Handhelds, Laptops

Not like we weren’t totally expecting this or anything, but Canonical has chosen Computex as the expo where it will officially showcase Ubuntu Netbook Remix. Hailed as a “reworked desktop image of Ubuntu built specifically for a new category of portable internet-centric devices,” the operating system will probably not be too foreign for those familiar with the standard Ubuntu Desktop Edition. We are told that this flavor will feature a launcher that enables users to “get online more quickly and have faster access to their favorite applications,” and that it “leverages Moblin technologies optimized for the Intel Atom processor.” Unfortunately, devices pre-loaded with UNR aren’t apt to ship until “later in 2008,” though OEMs interested in getting in while there is still room on the bandwagon are encouraged to hit up Canonical. Full release waiting after the jump.

Continue reading Canonical makes Ubuntu Netbook Remix official at Computex

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Source: Darren Murph

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Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

It’s only beta at the moment, but the open source community just kicked Ubuntu 8.04 out into the wilds. As you’d expect, the update brings an increment to Ubuntu’s quaint, alphabetical naming convention. In other words, the new Hardy Heron will supplant the current Gutsy Gibbon as we make our way towards an October release of Intrepid Ibex. Got it? Good, now do yourselves a favor and check out Ubuntu’s latest. Then decide for yourself if Hardy Heron’s April 24th go-date means something special for you.

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Source: Thomas Ricker

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Filed under: Laptops

We’re not sure that you’d want to do it, but it’s nice to know that you can do it. If you’re really sick of the native OS that came with your Eee — or you’re trying to feel out what a Cloudbook would be like if you could buy one — you can now install Everex’s Google-centric gOS onto your system with little-to-no effort, simply by following this ten point breakdown. You’ll need an external optical drive, a wired internet connection, and probably an hour or so, but once all is said and done, you can break free of Xandros and roll deep with the Ubuntu-based gOS. How the software performs on the miniscule laptop we couldn’t say, but at least now you can show your friends how truly unique you are.

[Thanks, Tom]

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Source: Joshua Topolsky

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Filed under: Laptops

Everything’s free in America, for a small fee in America! Or something like that. Don’t mind us. Dell is shipping its XPS M1330 laptop with a DVD-playing version of Ubuntu 7.10 pre-installed in the States now, exactly as promised. Everybody else got this about a week ago, but we’re not bitter: the $954 US starting price sure beats the 799 Euros those suckers over there have to drop.

[Thanks, Nigel]

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Source: Paul Miller

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Filed under: Laptops

Whoa Dell, what’s this? An exclusive, XPS M1330 in Germany sporting an Ubuntu 7.10 pre-load with full DVD and webcam support? Where’s the Stateside love, yo?

[Thanks, Roland K.]

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Source: Thomas Ricker

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Filed under: Desktops, Features

Although it was (and still is, really) astoundingly easy to simply point the finger and laugh at Everex’s completely unsightly, totally underwhelming TC2502 gPC just months ago, it appears that this thing may actually have a chance at gaining a wee (keyword: wee) amount of steam in the desktop market. Shortly after finding its way to Wal-Mart shelves, the box sold out — a feat few surmised would actually take place. Furthermore, it seems to have sparked, or at least been the poster child of, a quiet revolution of ultra-cheap, open source-based machines, tagging along with the likes of Asus’ Eee PC, Shuttle’s KPC and the recently announced Linux PC from Mirus Innovations.

On the real, the rig was absolutely lambasted in a PC Mag review, but truthfully, we aren’t exactly shocked given the hardware selection and (relatively) unfamiliar operating system. Then again, we’ve a sneaking suspicion the reviewers in this scenario weren’t the target individuals Everex (and Wally World, to be frank) was gunning for. Stepping back, it’s hard to miss the recent infatuation by the general public with machines touting rock bottom price tags and nary a hint of the world’s most widely used OS, so in a sense, these guys and gals must be doing something right, be it marketing or otherwise. Still, we figure we’ll need more than an abacus to count up just how many tweaks our dear readers would make to the gPC if given the chance — maybe starting with the atrocious chassis and the dearth of wireless connectivity options — so don’t let us down, alright?

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Source: Darren Murph

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