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NewsVac: News from around the Web
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How to Prevent a Coffee Shop Wi-Fi Attack
1 week, 3 days ago
Logging on using your mobile device allows hackers to steal your password unless you take basic precautions. -
Intel says Moblin update coming soon
3 weeks, 5 days ago
Intel is readying a second release of the Moblin open source platform for mobile computing, with plans set for an alpha-level version in a few weeks, an Intel official said at the O'Reilly Open Source Convention (OSCON) in Portland, Ore. on Wednesday. -
Microsoft’s software update beats Apple and Ubuntu
1 month, 1 week ago
"We have measured the software update “access point” availability for these three operating systems during Q2 2008 (April, May, June). If that access point is unavailable or inaccessible, the operating system cannot connect and download updates. So, how reliable are they?" -
ASUS P5E3 Premium WiFi-AP @n
1 month, 1 week ago
Last October we had looked at the ASUS P5E3 Deluxe motherboard that was designed around the Intel X38 Chipset and it had arrived with its share of ASUS innovations such as ASUS AI Lifestyle, Crystal Sound, and EZ DIY. In addition, this was the first motherboard on the market to feature DeviceVM's SplashTop, or Express Gate as it's called on the ASUS motherboards. Today at Phoronix we are looking at the updated version of the P5E3 Deluxe, which is now called the P5E3 Premium. The ASUS P5E3 Premium is similar to the earlier Deluxe model but is now engineered around Intel's newer X48 Chipset. -
LiMo phone specialist buys app stack
1 month, 2 weeks ago
Purple Labs has acquired Openwave's mobile phone software business, including its cross-platform browser and messaging client technologies. The $30 million deal brings the former mobile software giant's Mercury and Surfer browsers to Purple Labs, which is known for its LiMo (Linux Mobile) Platform-compliant phone stack. -
Motorola ships new Linux phones
1 month, 2 weeks ago
"Motorola has quietly started shipping three new Linux-based "PDA" phones. Available now in China, and also approved by the FCC for use in the U.S., the MotoMing a1600 and a1800 are higher-end versions of the popular a1200, while the a810 adds a lower-end Ming model." -
Coming battle over open source phones
1 month, 2 weeks ago
"Forget the iPhone. The real battle in the mobile industry is over open-source software. The latest salvo: Nokia's announcement this week that it would purchase London-based Symbian Ltd. -- a cellphone operating system it co-owned with Sony, Ericsson and Samsung, among others -- and distribute the once costly software for free .... " -
Wired vs Wireless: Sometimes There's No Substitute for a Cable
3 months ago
In a June 2003 Wired Magazine interview, Martha Stewart said, "Bill Gates' house, for example, is totally out of date now. He built it right before wireless happened. The big tunnels for all his wires - he doesn't need any of that stuff anymore." The article wasn't about networking, or even technology, but I was struck by that statement because it was echoed by several people when I was explaining that I was running many thousands of feet of cable in OSNews' "house of the future." "Is all that cable really necessary now that there's wireless everything?" people said. As much as I respect Martha Stewart's business and design acumen, neither she, nor those people who talked to me, know what they're talking about. When it comes to networking, there's no substitute for a wire, when a wire's available. -- This is the latest entry in our 2008 Article Contest. -
Google cops to puppeting Great American Wireless Auction
4 months, 2 weeks ago
"Google has admitted it toyed with Verizon during The Great American Wireless Auction.Today, the US Federal Communications Commission lifted the gag order it placed on companies that vied for the coveted 700-MHz band, a prime portion of the US airwaves, and the world's largest search engine couldn't help but tell the world what an important role it played in the auction's outcome, ensuring that at least part of the band will provide open access to any device and any application."
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Lack of details on Android frustrates partners
4 months, 2 weeks ago
Six months after Google introduced its mobile platform, there are still many questions unanswered. -
Steve Jobs' endangered second act
5 months, 1 week ago
"Will developers wish to tie themselves to the whims of Steve Jobs, the same way they did 25 years ago to Bill Gates--and pay a toll for the privilege of doing so to boot? Or will they spend their time working to support more open platforms, such as Android...?" -
Why we should care about the spectrum debate
5 months, 1 week ago
The debate of who should manage the wireless spectrum and whether it should be open is key to the future of mobile and personal computing, experts say. -
Muni Wi-Fi's second chance
5 months, 2 weeks ago
Wi-Fi networks can work with a little tweaking, a new study finds. -
Sun will make Java work for iPhone
5 months, 2 weeks ago
The company will make Java Virtual Machine available by June to enable Java apps for Apple's smartphone. -
OLPC and the Kindle
7 months, 4 weeks ago
"When I saw the One Laptop Per Child device, I just had to tinker around with it. So during an hour-long train ride home I explored the little OLPC and was quite impressed..." - More News
Linux.com : Wireless & Mobile
Intel and Wind River driving Linux infotainment systems to cars
Linux is in our computers, our phones, our Wi-Fi equipment, and our TiVos -- why not our cars? Intel Corp. and Wind River have been working with both the embedded and automotive industries to advance in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) with open, Linux-based, standards-based, interoperable hardware and software called Open Infotainment Platforms (OIP).
Using ultra-mobile Linux with a Nokia Internet Tablet (video)
I'm on the go all the time, and sometimes that makes it hard to stay connected. I could carry my laptop with me everywhere, but that can be a pain, especially when I am on my bike. To meet the demands of my daily life I have constructed a lightweight, ultra-portable, Linux-based computing solution. I use a Nokia 770 tethered to a Nokia N75 mobile phone (when Wi-Fi is not available) and a Bluetooth PDA keyboard. This video explains the how and why of the solution.
Hunting for wireless networking solutions
While most basic hardware support for GNU/Linux is improving constantly, wireless support remains dismal. Few manufacturers make an effort to support the operating system, or to publicize what support they have. Moreover, the components of wireless devices change so fast that one version of a device may offer support while a second version doesn't -- even though both versions share the same model number. And if, in addition to functionality, you also want a device with free drivers and no reliance on proprietary firmware, your choices are even more limited. Fortunately, no matter what your preferences, online resources exist to help you find the card that's right for you or get your existing wireless network adapter to work with Linux.
A dual-boot OLPC XO with Linux and Windows XP?
Securing Linux laptops
Laptop and notebooks are being stolen at an ever-increasing rate. In 2004, Safeware Insurance which sells computer insurance, estimated 600,000 laptop and notebooks a year were being stolen. In 2006 an estimated 750,000 were being swiped, according to Absolute Software a company that makes computer tracking products -- and does not support Linux. LoJack For Laptops, another computer tracing company -- which also does not support Linux -- says FBI statistics show 2 million laptop and notebook computers were stolen in the US in a recent year. While the figures may not agree in detail, they all show that laptop and notebook theft is a major problem -- and if you're not careful, your Linux laptop might be next.
Hands-on with the OLPC XO laptop -- and loving it
The XO laptop I received last week as part of the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) Project's "Give One Get One" (G1G1) promotion is unlike any other laptop I've ever used, both in appearance and functionality. It's smaller, for one thing. The XO weighs only 3.13 pounds, is 9 inches wide, and approximately an inch thick when closed. But there's a lot more difference between the XO and a normal laptop computer than size. It has strangely marked keys, unusual buttons, external wi-fi antennas, a unique UI, and an original reason for being. Most people, myself included, will compare the XO to normal laptops, but that's not a good comparison. The XO is not designed to do the things that most notebooks are called upon to do, and no other notebook in the world can do the things the XO can do. There is some overlap, of course, but in the main it's apples to oranges.
Mobile phone management under Linux
Even people who don't live and die by their mobile phones sometimes need to send SMS messages. Did you know you can do that from your computer? Likewise, it's easier to clean your mobile phone of all the numbers you've not been dialing in the last few years using a mouse, rather than navigating repeatedly through the phone's menu system. Here are some Linux tools that can help you manage your cell phone.
Two tools for enabling wireless cards
No other hardware nowadays supports GNU/Linux as weakly as wireless network adapters. Between the constant release of new models and major vendors who are uninterested in supporting the operating system, free drivers for wireless cards are next to impossible to reverse engineer. Nor can you find many retailers willing to customize laptops as readily as they do workstations. In this situation, ndiswrapper and the Broadcom firmware cutter provide a functional, if not always satisfactory, solution.
Software Freedom Law Center clears OpenHAL for further development
An investigation by the Software Freedom Law Center (SFLC) has determined that OpenHAL -- which facilitates Linux wireless connections for LAN cards using Atheros Communications technology -- does not incorporate any elements that might infringe on copyrights held by Atheros.
Managing wireless connections seamlessly with wicd
The nature of my work forces me to be something of a digital nomad -- my notebook computer and a wireless connection are essential parts of my working day. I've been known to move between several wireless access points in one day. While I've had never had any problems with the wireless cards in my Linux-powered notebooks, most of the wireless connection tools I've used have fallen a bit flat. One of the few wireless connection managers that I've actually found useful is wicd -- the Wireless Interface Connection Daemon, pronounced "wicked." It's a lot like the Windows wireless network connection tool in both appearance and ease of use.
