Ubuntu 8.10 Release Party With Canonical, Mark Shuttleworth

Ubuntu 8.10, Intrepid Ibex, Release PartyLast night a party was held at Waxy O’Connors of London’s Leicester Square, celebrating the release of the popular Linux variant, Ubuntu 8.10 aka Intrepid Ibex.

Ubuntu is a Linux distribution that is based on the principals of “free” as in beer and speech. It was set-up in Oct 2004 by Mark Shuttleworth so last night was also a 4 year birthday party and he was there to celebrate.

Mark Shuttleworth used to run secure certificate company, Thawte, in South Africa and solid the company to Verisign in the peak of the dotcom boom for around $0.5bn. He moved to London in 2001 and then went on to fly as a cosmonaut to the International Space Station in 2002 (well, you have to spend your cash somehow).

Continue reading Ubuntu 8.10 Release Party With Canonical, Mark Shuttleworth

BlackBerry Curve Review: Long Term (88%)

BlackBerry Curve Review: Long Term (88%)We know that this isn’t the _latest_ gadget, but it shouldn’t always be about the new should it? This is one device that become a consistent must-carry item for us – which is pretty rare in the world of constant development. We thought we’d detail why.

I’ve been using a Blackberry Curve (8310) for the last twelve months. It’s been my phone of choice — my must carry — over and above all of the other handsets that we’ve had in to review – and that’s plenty.

That point alone should be sufficient to recommend it as a really strong handset – but there’s more.

It’s size and form mean that it’s never out of place. It’s light enough to have in your pocket without it being a burden – always to hand and that’s a major bonus.

Continue reading BlackBerry Curve Review: Long Term (88%)

Twitter: WSJ Says It’s Now Mainstream: Is That A Good Thing?

Twitter: WSJ Says It's Now Mainstream: Is That A Good Thing?We know that Twitter gets under people’s skin, leading some of them to tweet their little sock off across many subjects from their view of emerging new business idea, through their inner most thoughts, to their love of sandwiches. Some people even get their houses to Twitter, like IBM Tech Boffin, Andy Stanford-Clark, on the Isle of Wight.

Continue reading Twitter: WSJ Says It’s Now Mainstream: Is That A Good Thing?

Pure Evoke-2s DAB Radio Announced

Pure Evoke-2s DAB Radio AnnouncedBrit DAB overlords Pure have introduced their new flagship DAB/FM radio, the Evoke-2S.

Replacing the earlier award-winning Evoke-2XT model, the updated DAB portable comes with the company’s Clearsound Technology for improved audio which uses an integrated high-performance switch-mode power supply, Class D amplifiers, digital audio shaping technology and custom-tuned speakers.

Continue reading Pure Evoke-2s DAB Radio Announced

Amazon’s 3D ‘Windowshop’ Web Interface Serves Up Eye Candy Feast

Amazon's 3D 'Windowshop' Web Interface Serves Up Eye Candy FeastWith more bells and whistles than a Tinkers vs Morris Dancers wrestling bout, Amazon’s new WindowShop website offers a graphics-rich online shopping experience.

You’ll need the latest version of Flash otherwise you’ll be looking at a page completely free of relevant content, but if your browser is up to date, then you should be in for a visual feast – just so long as you’re on a fast broadband experience.

Continue reading Amazon’s 3D ‘Windowshop’ Web Interface Serves Up Eye Candy Feast

Interplanetary Internet Network Underway

Interplanetary Internet Network UnderwayVinton Gray “Vint” Cerf, co-founder of the Internet, Google vice president, extreme boffin and the owner of a natty white beard/tash combo is now looking towards the final frontier.

The Internet egghead is reported to be busy working on new protocols for a strong space-communication network, similar to the system employed by us Earthlings.

Continue reading Interplanetary Internet Network Underway

Casio Exilim W63CA 8MP Camera Phone With HD Screen

Casio Exilim W63CA 8MP Camera Phone With HD ScreenTaking the cameraphone concept to a whole new level is the Casio Exilim W63CA, a clamshell design handset packing in a mighty 8 Megapixel camera.

Introduced by the Japanese mobile operator KDDi, the Casio has a camera feature set to challenge dedicated snappers, with support for 9-point auto focus, face detection, anti-shake and a YouTube video mode that records VGA video at 30fps to microSD.

Continue reading Casio Exilim W63CA 8MP Camera Phone With HD Screen

Tascam DP-004 4-Track Portable Recorder

Tascam DP-004 4-Track Portable RecorderWay back in the day, things were tricky for cash strapped musicians looking to lay down some basic tracks.

With the industry standard Revox A77 open reel tape recorder being the exclusive plaything of the well heeled, even the cheaper Akai GX-77 reel to reel was out of reach for musicians accustomed to their weekly Giros.

Continue reading Tascam DP-004 4-Track Portable Recorder

Dell Announces Inspiron Mini 12 Netbook

Dell Announces Inspiron Mini 12 NetbookDell has introduced the latest addition to the Inspiron Mini family of wee laptops, the Inspiron Mini 12.

Although the company have given this device ‘netbook’ status, with its 12.1-inch WXGA (1280×800) display it looks more like a regular ultraportable laptop to us,

Continue reading Dell Announces Inspiron Mini 12 Netbook