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LiMo Foundation, a Linux mobile operating system consortium, announced that two of its members -- NEC and Panasonic -- are shipping the latest round of LiMo-compliant devices. NTT Docomo plans to use the new handsets in its Prime and Style series of phones, marketed primarily in Japan. The eight ne...

Motorola's long-awaited Android phones are about to hit the market at last -- one will reportedly go to Verizon, the other to T-Mobile. None of the three companies will comment on the devices, but the blog "Android and Me" has posted what it says are tech specs on both devices. The Verizon device, c...

Google apparently wants its Android mobile device platform to compete in the enterprise arena. Future versions of the open source operating system will include more support for business users, suggested Andy Rubin, vice president of engineering at Google. Android currently does not support many ente...

Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have laid the groundwork for an unprecedented simulation of a large-scale botnet after booting up 1 million Linux kernels as virtual machines. They now are waiting for completion of a new, faster and more capable supercomputer at the Livermore, Calif., lab...

Six months ago, I began a self-imposed experiment to see if I could survive leaving Windows XP behind. After all, despite its flaws and decade-old technology, the aging Microsoft OS had served me well. However, I decided to skip Windows 7 when it comes to town in October. Vista was never worthy of m...

Adobe has released two new platform initiatives for developers and content publishers: Open Source Media Framework, previously part of the Strobe project, gives developers new open source tools to build media players based on the Adobe Flash Platform; Text Layout Framework, or TLF, provides develope...

Microsoft has a very clever philosophy that it uses to keep consumers misinformed about the benefits of the Linux operating system. It's a simple message that effectively dissuades consumers from deviating from the Microsoft upgrade path to Windows 7. The argument basically asserts that consumers m...

With Google targeting the netbook with both its Chrome and Android operating systems, which way should developers jump? Should they pick Chrome, the browser that will soon become an OS and is likely to face strong competition from Microsoft and Apple? Or should they go with Android, an OS that has s...

This is the year of the Linux Desktop! Oh, um, so was `expr ${THISYEAR} - 1`. No, wait. It was `expr ${THISYEAR} - 2`. Just kidding. Next year is the year of the Linux Desktop! Of course, many continue to dream and hope, cajole, and demand that one of these years be the year of the Linux Desktop. I'...

Nine months after launching the Chrome browser, Google on Tuesday announced plans for a Chrome operating system. The new OS will be tailored for netbooks. Google has already lined up several OEM partners, and it plans to put the first products out by mid-2010. Speculation is that Google is targeting...

Microsoft made good Tuesday on a promise it made months ago to the open source community that it would not sue software developers who use its EMCA C# programming language and Common Language Infrastructure, or CLI. This announcement aims to calm growing fears that Microsoft might restrict open sour...

Nokia is denying rumors that it is about to unveil a smartphone running on Google's Android operating system. "There is no truth to this rumor whatsoever," spokesperson Joseph Gallo told LinuxInsider on Monday. "It is a well-known fact that Symbian is our platform of choice for smartphones." The Gua...

Here's one of the many questions facing device makers targeting the mini notebook and netbook markets: When business users or consumers want to access the Web on the go, will they be willing to set aside a smartphone or cellphone and instead log on using a next-generation PDA? Dell may be wagering t...

There's no doubt some companies have succeeded in using virtual worlds for branding and interaction with their customers, whether through in-world stores, billboards or other means. Wells Fargo, for instance, has been operating its Stagecoach Island aimed at young customers for roughly four years an...

I believe with the right approach, Linux can take a great chunk of the market; you just have to give the market what it needs and wants, while allaying its fears. What's needed is a true Linux SMB Edition, targeting specifically the needs and fears of those businesses that are using Windows -- espec...