Linux News: Reviews

Immersive Underworld Makes 'GTA IV' a Great, Gritty Ride

Tuesday - May 13, 2008

With the long-anticipated arrival of the next installment in the "Grand Theft Auto" series, Liberty City does little to disappoint. Car chases, assassinations and shady drug dealers still litter the landscape of Liberty City, yet this game adds an in-depth view from the perspective of the main character. The player's own choices and actions are more evident in "Grand Theft Auto IV" than in previous titles. This break from traditional "GTA" games not only allows the main character to evolve more freely but also allows the interactions and cut scenes to change throughout the game. [More...]

Juice Pack iPhone Battery Extender: Almost Perfect

Monday - May 12, 2008

The Juice Pack iPhone battery extender provides an additional 250 hours of standby time, eight hours of talk time, six hours of Internet use, seven hours of video playback, and/or 24 hours of audio playback, according to Mophie. After using this puppy for close to a month, I can't confirm that those numbers are 100 percent accurate, but my gut feeling is that they're not far off the mark. [More...]

Yahtzee for iPod: No Fun Without Friends

Saturday - May 10, 2008

There are some games that play well when you are alone, and there are some that beg for another player before any fun can be had. EA Mobile's "Scrabble" nicely falls into the former category, while its version of "Yahtzee" for the iPod is smack in the middle of the latter. In "Yahtzee," you roll five dice up to three times and attempt to match one of 13 scoring categories. [More...]

Slacker Portable No Slouch at Music Delivery

Wednesday - May 7, 2008

One drawback to our portable-music revolution is space. At some point, even with a 160 gigabyte iPod, you run out. So, if you listen to a lot of music through headphones, as I do, there are times when you want fresh tunes. Now there's a new approach -- one I find appealing because it is customized to your musical tastes, and songs can be constantly refreshed. [More...]

Shuttle's openSuse LinuXPC: A Tiny, Well-Built PC

Tuesday - May 6, 2008

Personal computers with Linux preinstalled have been springing up all over the place in recent months. Now Shuttle, the company famous for perfectly formed PCs, have got in on the act with the LinuXPC SD3002Q, which comes with openSuse 10.3 Linux preinstalled. It has an Intel Core 2 Duoprocessor, 1 GB RAM, a 250 GB HD, integrated Intel graphics, memory card reader, DVD writer, 6 USB ports and wired networking. [More...]

'Mario Kart Wii' a Disappointing Ride

Monday - May 5, 2008

I may finally be feeling some Wii fatigue. The Wii, Nintendo's super-popular and notably innovative game console, is far from perfect -- but it's also easily forgiven when the flaws are weighed against the extraordinary fun it offers. That has been my attitude until now, anyway. It's the recent release of "Mario Kart Wii" that is giving me pause. [More...]

Digging Into Google Earth Takes Some Heavy Lifting

Friday - May 2, 2008

Online photo albums I had prepared for family and friends weren't capturing the essence of my travels to the southern reaches of the world. Then a light bulb clicked as I was exploring Google Earth: Why not use that? Google Earth is a mapping product much more powerful than the typical Web-based map service. [More...]

Deciphering the Jobs Code

Saturday - April 26, 2008

Probably no figure in Silicon Valley history has inspired more curiosity or attained a greater mythical status than Steve Jobs, the icon behind Apple. For decades, journalists have toiled in vain to offer a peek behind the curtain of the Wizard of Cupertino, Calif. Not for lack of trying. Jobs has famously remained tight-lipped and cloistered in secrecy, offering interviews to few reporters. [More...]

Apple TV: A Sophisticated Device Hobbled by Limitations

Wednesday - April 23, 2008

Soon after launching the set-top box known as "Apple TV" last year, Apple CEO Steve Jobs famously downgraded it from a major new business line to a "hobby." Jobs and company recently tinkered with the device, making it a whole lot more compelling. But the company has more work to do before Apple TV's a bona-fide hit. [More...]

A Linux Server in the Palm of Your Hand

Wednesday - April 23, 2008

Japanese Linux computer firm Plat'Home released in March a palm-sized, full-featured Linux-based server dubbed "OpenBlockS." This tiny marvel is no lightweight wanna-be replacement to a real Linux server. It can run most server applications that you would expect to run on a "normal" full-sized Linux box. Despite its tiny size, OpenBlockS servers are capable of doing real work. [More...]

Dell's All-in-One Runs With the Big Dogs

Tuesday - April 22, 2008

In December I reviewed the Gateway One, a new all-in-one PC with a sleek, innovative design. I really liked it, but at the time I lamented that I also couldn't get my hands on another system with the word "One" in its name. That was Dell's XPS One, and I've finally gotten my hands on a review unit. [More...]

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