Category Archives: Operating Systems

Mobile Operating Systems, Operating Systems, Technology

WebOS to be open-sourced!!

Open source fanatics rejoice!  HP is not killing off WebOS; they have decided to open-source it so that others can take advantage of this wondrous mobile platform.  HP president and chief executive officer, Meg Whitman, believes that this will increase creativity from the open-source community and advance a new generation of apps devices.

Read the full article from PCMag Here.

I am thrilled that WebOS is not dead; of all the mobile platforms that are available, this happened to be stable, efficient, and aesthetically pleasing.  There are no significant road blocks that lie ahead of the road that HP is taking.  In addition, the HP Touchpad will be available on December 11th via the company eBay store for $99 (16 GB) and $149 (32 GB) for the respective refurbished models.  So, this adds to the intelligence of their business move; open-source the OS, then sell a fantastic tablet at a significantly reduced price.  This will put WebOS into many eager hands that are likely to develop and push this platform forward.

Bottom line:  Good move HP.

Mobile Operating Systems, Technology

Carrier IQ; Your phone is watching you!

News has been released that pre-installed tracking and logging software has been found on select Android devices and Apple’s iOS.

Does this really come to a surprise to anyone?

I am not surprised at all; however, I am relieved to find out that my rooted Motorola Droid X does not contain Carrier IQ.  First, let’s put this “malware” into perspective; no matter what we do in the digital world data is consistently being collected about us and we are being targeted as a customer in someone’s eyes.  Second, there is no type of technology that is not guilty.  There are mobile phones that collect our data, as well as computers, websites, and more.

On the other hand, in the grand scheme of things, it is frankly unsettling to know that your beloved, app-centric cellular device is sending information back to your wireless carrier.  Carrier IQ has been alleged to intercept the following:

  • Key presses
  • Call data
  • SMS
  • Web data

Honestly, that is everything that you would use your phone for.  However, there are ways to determine if you have this software embedded deep in your android device with a free app, Carrier IQ Detector, which was created by Lookout.  In addition, iPhone users, need to navigate to Diagnostics & Usage and check Don’t Send, which will not send diagnostic and usage data back to Apple.

Mobile Operating Systems, Operating Systems, Technology

What if WebOS succeeded?

HP’s WebOS; was it really that bad?  The short answer is NO.

WebOS was actually an excellent mobile operating system that was just overshadowed by its rivals (Android, iOS, and Windows Phone 7).  Did it have stability? Yes.  Did it have fluidity?  Yes.  So, what was WebOS missing?  HP had poor marketing of the OS as well as a very small ecosystem setup for it’s end users.  In addition, the number of apps available to be installed on a device should not be the deciding factor when it comes down to purchasing a new mobile device because any market and/or app store will have the same productivity and big-name entertainment apps (Evernote, Netflix, etc).  So, is a fruit slicing game that important when you can get something similar?  For example, Android has counterpart apps that do the same as certain iPhone apps and vice-versa.  To be honest, WebOS had polished looks, excellent multitasking, and a decent array of apps.  However, due to poor marketing and a price-point that rivaled the iPad; it failed.

Bottom line:  If this mobile operating system had done a few things different maybe you’d be using a HP Pre or Pixi right about now, because it had all of the right tools they just were not implemented correctly.

Operating Systems, Software, Technology

Kindle Fire causes waves

The new tablet from Amazon is a serious upgrade from the previous Kindles.  There are several aspects of the device that have reviewers buzzing:

  • Price ($199)
  • Silk Web browser (great stock experience)
  • Amazon apps (not the entire market, but specialty apps)
  • Multimedia presence? (this will be a media centric device and with Amazon offering streaming video it could be a good package)

The very first thing I heard about the Kindle Fire was the new Silk Web browser; of course it was automatically compared to Safari on the iPad.  It is great that this device will have a tabbed browser out of the box.  On the other hand, Safari on the iPad isn’t the toughest competitor.  A notable fact about this tablet that one cannot forget to mention that this will not deliver the full Android experience.  Although, it may be a tremendous upgrade from previous models this is no Xoom or Galaxy Tab.

Bottom line:  This will definitely be the best e-reader the market has to offer, but calling it an iPad killer is just humorous.

Operating Systems, Technology

Windows 8…Looking Good

Our friends in Redmond have done it again.  Although this is the first hands on release that the public has seen of Windows 8; I must say, it looks spectacular.  Not only is the operating system suited to run on a tablet PC, the desktop interface is almost identical to Windows 7.  So, the switch from one operating system will not be as painful as I once envisioned.  However, the Metro-UI that is on top of the operating system should add functionality in terms of seeing various settings at a glance.  Yet, Microsoft hasn’t forgotten about the power desktop user, which is what I have seen from Apple and what I was afraid of.  However, if it seems that they do forget, I will be sticking with Windows 7.

Bottom line: As long as Microsoft doesn’t start to think that the PC is dead and to keep evolving this operating system that they are working on, this release should be as great as Windows 7 is to so many users.