In a couple of hours, Google is going to share more details about its upcoming operating system Chrome OS at an event in Mountain View that will most likely be covered from start to finish by TechCrunch writers (and then some) as well as a slew of other media outlets. Jolicloud, that other OS for netbooks that is completely built for people who live and work on the Web from the ground up, has in the meantime been running fine on my own netbook for the past couple of months.
So in light of the upcoming GOOG buzz, Jolicloud founder Tariq Krim got in touch with me to share some of the things he and his team have been working on. Since the subject lies rather close to the premise of John Gruber’s great The OS Opportunity blog post, it’s worth reading that before continuation.
Back in much simpler times, TomTom’s navigation app had claimed compatibility with all iPhone and iPod touch models. Then suddenly, somewhere along the primrose path to publication, original iPhone and iPod touch support evaporated. But no more. TomTom’s pushed an update that allows for turn-by-turn navigation, but of course, you’ll still need the car kit to work. Was this the missing link between your $100 and owning this app? [Warning: iTunes link]
[Thanks, Scott M]
Regular readers will know that my browser of choice has long been Camino. It’s that other browser built by Firefox-makers Mozilla, that runs on the Mac platform and is entirely open-source. I love it because it’s much lighter and faster than Firefox is, while being extremely compatible with just about all sites on the web. And today, version 2.0 has just launched.
Version 2 has been beta testing for several months now, and a release candidate was unveiled a couple weeks ago. For a while, there was some concern that its release would get pushed indefinitely since the lead on it, Mike Pinkerton, also happens to be the guy helping Google build Chrome for Mac. But, “Mike is still involved in overseeing changes that land, planning features, and overall guidance for the project. While his day job may be Chromium, he continues to lead the Camino Project in his spare time,” Samuel Sidler, Camino’s team coordinator tells us.
MSI is on a roll with its Wind Top line of all-in-one machines, the AE2220 being the latest and, for the moment at least, the greatest. Its 21.5-inch screen (curiously .1” smaller than when originally announced) supports multitouch, backed by Windows 7 Home Premium to ensure you’ll never have a completely smudge-free image coming from the ION chipset. 4GB of DDR2 memory is included along with either a 2.2GHz T6600 or 2.1GHz T4300 Intel processor, while storage is now provided by a 500GB drive. Dual PCIe expansion slots gives it some hope of being upgradeable in the future, and VESA wall mount compatibility means you won’t even have to clean up your desk. It hasn’t shown up at retailers just yet, but Amazon is still listing a pre-order page at $699, $50 under MSRP and what we’d consider to be a very fair price indeed.
Ever since upgrading to Snow Leopard, the one remaining 32-bit niggle I have has been with Growl’s preference pane. Today, however, Growl has announced and released v1.2 of its famous application notification system with, among other things, 64-bit support.
While most of the updates in 1.2 are “behind the scenes,” the biggest user-facing improvement is in the upgrade to 64-bit. What this means is that for Snow Leopard users, selecting the Growl preference pane does not require Preferences.app to re-launch in 32-bit compatibility mode.
No knock on Acer, who got here first with the Aspire 5738DG, but it sounds like the ASUS G51J 3D has the technology edge in the nascent 3D laptop category. We’ll have to see it in action to be sure, but the laptop is using NVIDIA’s 3D Vision tech for extensive game compatibility (around 400 games currently work with it), and a 120Hz, 15.6-inch screen paired with some active shutter glasses. We’ve found the shutter method to be typically a more enjoyable 3D experience than polarized solutions, with no knock on frame rate or resolution. The GeForce GTX 260M card with 1GB of DDR3 memory doesn’t hurt either, but that hugegantic USB IR blaster that has to sit on the desk and sync up with the glasses could be a problem for 3D-on-the-go. Of course, the benchmark friendly Core i7-based G51J which this machine is based on (the only real difference is the screen) was never much of one for portability. The laptop will be out soon, with a starting price of $1,700.
We’ve seen outfit after outfit trumpet their long-lasting optical storage wares before, but Cranberry seems different. Rather than promising that whatever miracle they’ve just unearthed will be available “in the very near future,” this company is selling its wonder product right now. The so-called DiamonDisc — which is reportedly constructed from “diamond-hard stone” — is designed to store precious memories for 1,000 years or more, and it’s even built to withstand “temperatures extending up to 176 degrees Fahrenheit as well as UV rays that would destroy conventional DVD discs.” Unfortunately, each disc holds just 4.7GB of information, and each one will run you $34.95 if purchased individually. Oh, and it’s only playable on “most” regular DVD drives, so across-the-board compatibility seems less than likely. The more we think about it, the more sense that whole “just carve it into stone for future generations to see” mantra makes. Kudos, cavemen.
[Via DailyTech]
As of next Tuesday, November 17, you’ll be able to access Twitter and Facebook on your Xbox 360. The software update is free, like previous updates, and also includes Last.fm and Zune video compatibility. ?What are you doing?? ?Losing to 12-year-olds in Modern Warfare 2 over and over again! Not fun.?
The idea, I guess, is that you’ll be able let your friends know just how much fun you’re having while playing the latest game, or streaming the latest Netflix release, without having to go through the trouble of whipping out your phone or walking over to your computer. I see it as a convenience and nothing more. It may also mean that there’s nothing you can to do stop Twitter’s worldwide dominance.
A report by “stellarola” quoted in OSNews confirms what comments on our 10.6.2 post suggested: 10.6.2 removes support for Atom processors, most frequently found in “netbook” computers. This loss of Atom support was spotted in earlier builds, but nobody knew until now whether it’d be in or out in the final configuration.
Is this Apple clamping down on “hackintosh” computers, or just continuing to prune code that it doesn’t need? The answer you prefer likely depends on your previous view of Apple.
We’ve been expecting Mac OS X 10.6.2 for a while now, especially since Apple initially said that the new Magic Mouse would require it, but it has just arrived.
Alongside the OS update for Snow Leopard users, Security Update 2009-006 is out for users of Leopard. Use Software Update to make sure that you get the right update for your computer.