Tag: "Ubuntu"

Boxee desktop app being removed from servers tonight, get it while you can

Boxee 1.5

We knew that the Boxee desktop app’s days were numbered, we just didn’t realize how numbered. It was only the day after Christmas that we learned version 1.5 would be the last to ship for Linux, Windows and OS X. Now, with January coming to a close, its life is officially being snuffed out. Tonight, as you flip the calendar to February, Boxee will be busy purging its servers of the installable media center software. What that means, in case you hadn’t figured it out, is that this is your last chance to download the official app for your desktop OS of choice as the company shifts focus to the Boxee Box and other streaming appliances. Of course, we’re sure someone will pick up the torch and update the program, but as far as Boxee is concerned it has no desktop son.

Boxee desktop app being removed from servers tonight, get it while you can originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Jan 31, 2012 | 0 comments | View Post

Canonical bringing HUD to Ubuntu 12.04, company’s assault on menus continues

Canonical bringing HUD interface to Ubuntu 12.04 LTS, company's assault on contextual menus continues

Canonical — shepherd of the popular Linux distribution Ubuntu — generally doesn’t rock the boat with its LTS releases, but things are going to be different this time around. With 12.04LTS the company is taking its assault on contextual menus to the next level by launching HUD. Mark Shuttleworth’s obsession with simplifying user interactions began with the controversial Unity UI in Ubuntu 10.10, and will continue with the Head-Up Display. “Menus require you to read a lot when you probably already know what you want,” the distro’s founder wrote, “HUD solves many of these issues.” Those that have used the search feature in Apple’s “Help” menus, or launcher apps like Quicksilver and Alfred, will immediately recognize the goal — to keep a user’s fingers on the keyboard, remove clutter and facilitate quick access to available actions. Listening to music and in the mood for The King? Invoke HUD, type the artist’s name and you’re presented with your Elvis catalog. It also uses “fuzzy matching” and will remember the actions you most commonly perform to further refine your experience. If you’re having a hard time envisioning how HUD works, fear not; there is a three minute video demo awaiting your inspection after the break. Death to menus!

Continue reading Canonical bringing HUD to Ubuntu 12.04, company’s assault on menus continues

Jan 25, 2012 | 0 comments | View Post

Hands-on with Ubuntu TV, above and under the hood

At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas on Monday, platform vendor Canonical unveiled a special version of Ubuntu that is designed for televisions. The platform has an integrated media library manager and will offer DVR capabilities. It includes a variant of the Unity shell that is intended to be operated with a television remote control.

Jan 12, 2012 | 0 comments | View Post

Ubuntu TV eyes-on

Ubuntu TV

It’s still just a proof of concept, which is a bit of a disappointment, but Ubuntu TV was here at CES making its public debut. For the moment it’s running on an external PC and being controlled by a Boxee remote, but Canonical hopes one day to have its media-focused Linux distro embedded in TVs. Even in its relatively young incarnation, the 10-foot tweak of Unity seams relatively smooth. A rep showed off the media browser and guide, including the interface for tying in movie rentals and purchases (we guess we know where the Ubuntu One store will be going next). It’s all pretty slick and, to be honest, if we could hack this in to the dumb set currently gracing our TV bench we certainly would. Check out the gallery below and the video walkthrough after the break.

Jan 11, 2012 | 0 comments | View Post

FXI’s Cotton Candy gets a taste of Ice Cream Sandwich and Ubuntu, we go hands-on

This petite stick of USB-HDMI actually houses a ARM Corex A9 dual-core processor and is capable of running its own OS. But then, you knew that already, right? So what’s new? Well, it’s now capable of running both Android Ice Cream Sandwich and we’ve got Ubuntu running on the show floor. The dongle can connect to these operating systems through the USB connection and while Cotton Candy itself has no internal memory, it can all be stored on micro-SD. There’s still the Ubuntu hiccups that are to be expected, but the prototype device still deals out a Firefox browser and the usual Ubuntu niceties. Marvel at Gingerbread-powered Angry Birds on a MacBook, or widescreen Ubuntu and ICS. They’re all in our gallery after the break.

Gallery: FXI’s Cotton Candy runs Ubuntu hands-on

Jan 11, 2012 | 0 comments | View Post

Ubuntu TV making its debut at CES, gets short demo clip

Ubuntu TV

Canonical’s Mark Shuttleworth promised that Ubuntu would come to TVs eventually, but we never expected it would arrive so quickly. A concept preview is here at CES for convention goers to get their eyeballs on and we’ll be swinging through the company’s booth to get some hands-on. For now it’s largely a technical demo and concept, but there are already some neat features on display like a 3D dash, searchable guide and streaming video apps. The goal, the company says, is to “uncomplicate television” by removing as much of the paraphernalia that accompanies it — primarily the boxes and cables. If you can’t be here to check it out in person (or can’t wait for our own preview), check out the gallery below and the video after the break.

Jan 09, 2012 | 0 comments | View Post

Boxee 1.5 nears release, will be final desktop version

Boxee 1.5

We have some good news and bad news. The good news is: Boxee 1.5 will be entering public beta soon, with a proper release scheduled for January alongside Live TV. The update will finally bring the desktop software up-to-date and deliver the more streamlined UI found on the Boxee Box to your Windows, Mac or Linux computer. The bad news is: this will be the final version of the HTPCsoftware. Going forward Boxee plans to focus all of its efforts on streaming appliances, like its namesake Box and connected Blu-ray players and TVs. The software will also lack access to premium apps like Netflix, thanks to the tangled web of DRM woven by content providers. When CEO Avner Ronen said that the downloadable app would, “most likely lag behind the versions of Boxee for devices,” we didn’t realize just how far behind he meant. On the plus side, you will be getting that open source release.

Boxee 1.5 nears release, will be final desktop version originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Dec 2011 12:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Dec 26, 2011 | 0 comments | View Post

‘Lite version’ of Ubuntu takes Nook Tablet for a spin, ROM can’t come soon enough (video)



We’ve heard the promises of bringing Ubuntu past its comfort zone and into the mobile space, but who wants to wait until 2014 when a home remedy can deliver precisely that right now. XDA-Developers AdamOutler and Loglud have been grooming a way to bring the OS to your Barnes & Noble tablet, because — you know — we’re all longing for slates with desktop-scale operating systems on them. At the moment, you can get a quick glimpse of Ubuntu running on the Nook, but porting can only be done via a VNC Server, which opens up plenty of potential avenues for lag to mar the experience. Notably, the delays should all but vanish once a ROM solution becomes available. Now, if we could only get Jane Lynch to sing her way through letting us know the Nook Tablet can also run Ubuntu, we’d be set. Have a peek at the Glee-less demo vid just after the break.

Dec 20, 2011 | 0 comments | View Post
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