Presentation of the latest version of HTC Sense
Now you can see the part of HTC’s press conference (held in London on September 15 2010), where the latest version of HTC Sense was presented.
official presentation video of HTC Desire HD
official presentation video of HTC Desire Z
Amazon offers its own Linux cloud
Amazon is now launching its own Linux Cloud in EC2. It should provide an easy starting point to deploy Linux-based applications in Amazon’s cloud. The new Linux AMI (Amazon Machine Images), still in beta, comes in 32 – and 64-bit and is purified from unnecessary programs and services. Several packages can be added from a package repository which Amazon itself supplies from its storage service S3.
With the package comes the Ubuntu tool Cloudinit, which makes it easier to customize each instance after booting, including putting country code, hostname, generate SSH keys and set mount points. You can also run your own chosen commands and scripts by rebooting.
ZFS for Linux – Legal Issues Persist
ZFS is one of the best file systems for large volumes. So good, in fact, that NetApp opted to sue Sun Microsystems as they felt the technology was encroaching on a number of their patents. Zfs is owned by Oracle. ZFS has been released as open source, but due to incompatibility between the GPL and CDDL licenses, it can’t be distributed as part of the Linux kernel.
Some efforts have been made to run the file system outside the kernel’s address space in a concept is called FUSE (filesystem in userspace), but this means running it outside the kernel with large performance losses, making the solution less attractive.
However, now Phoronix reports that the company KQ Infotech is almost finished with a real port of ZFS to the Linux kernel, which means that the file system can operate at full speed. There’ only one hurdle to overcome – KQ Infotech code remains licensed under the CDDL, so the kernel module can not be distributed as part of the Linux kernel. The code must be distributed outside the Linux kernel and compiled separately. Distributing the code separately might cause problems with security or other updates of the Linux kernel.
The code is based on zfs pool 18, which is three versions old – in other words you will be missing out on all the goodies from the latest zfs pool 21. The plan is to release the code September 15. ZFS on Linux will only work if you have 64-bit operating system installed. There will be packages for Fedora 12 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux beta 2. Ubuntu users can also install the file system but will have to compile it on their own.
It remains to be seen what impact ZFS will have on Linux.
Top 5 Launches at IFA Berlin
The 50th IFA exhibition looks to deliver lots of interesting product releases. Here are five of the most exciting:
- CPUs – AMD plans to demonstrate the company’s upcoming Fusion processors with dual processor cores and integrated graphics. There are two known variants in the pipeline from the company, Ontario and Llano. The manufacturer is also expected to demonstrate portables based on the company’s Vision technology.
- Google – At the penultimate day of the fair, visitors can learn more about what Google has in store via the company’s CEO Eric Schmidt. Google TV, and possibly also the new Chrome OS could be topics of discussion.
- Tablets – After the iPad launch there’s a tablet revolution in the making. Archos is expected to launch no less than five, Samsung and Toshiba released the iPad-challengers Galaxy and Folio and Viewsonic plans to launch “Viewpads”. Also, the company Hannspree is expected to show a 10-inch tablet PC running open source Android 2.2.
- 3D – The trend started at CES 2009 continues: All the major manufacturers are moving to TVs and other gadgets with 3D support.
- OLED – OLED technology is about to grow thanks to Samsung and LG Electronics. Larger products are being showcased and the manufacturers are launching new production facilities.
