Tag Archives: Dell
Is Dell Scrapping PCs with Ubuntu?
Posted on 25. Jul, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 
2 Comments
I was alerted via Slashdot an article by PCPro UK that Dell is no longer making a push to offer Ubuntu-based laptops and netbooks through their website. This was reported for the Dell UK site, which right now is only returning printers when one searches the term “Ubuntu”. When I went to the USA version of the site a search brought back a slew of desktops, laptops and netbooks offering Ubuntu version 8.04.
With that being said, we wouldn’t be surprised to hear that Dell may attempt to scale back the options for devices loaded with Ubuntu. Despite no concrete evidence of Dell working on a Chrome OS product, their Linux team has been releasing builds that work with the Mini 10 netbook. Last month, a Dell executive that is based in South Asia told Reuters that the company wants to be “on the forefront” of innovations in the computer industry such as Chrome OS.
So, we’ll chalk up the sudden disappearance of Ubuntu products from Dell’s UK site as an experiment in consumers’ tastes. If someone in the UK wants to buy an Ubuntu-loaded device from Dell, they can still call and ask for one. The debate still is part of a Dell web page on the topic as well.
Why Use a Laptop When a Tablet Will Do?
Posted on 21. Jul, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 6 Comments
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the advent of the tablet. Sure, much has already been written about the subject, so I’d like to stay away from the normal conversation. I would, of course, like to reference some articles before I delve deeper here, including Devin Coldewey’s article about the coming onslaught of Android slates, as well as Christopher Dawson’s take on the amount of changes he’s seen in a month’s time of more people relying on tablets and smartphones.
I currently use a Dell v13, an $899 ultra light laptop that is loaded with Windows 7 for all of the work I do on this site. Notwithstanding the fact that I had a Dell tech replace the faulty touchpad within a month of purchase and the fact that the graphics capabilities are tethered to the Intel-based chipset, I’m happy with it. But a nagging feeling remains that my current setup is just not optimal. If there were a middle ground between smartphone and laptop that is not Apple based and could give me what I get from the v13, I would happily switch.
The problem with my current laptop is that even though it is light and very mobile, it lacks the “easy-on” that I need. It runs Windows 7, a behemoth that seems to be better suited for desktops or bulky replacements for such. I don’t need all the junk that comes with a Windows OS; I just need something that works. This is not to say I don’t want to tinker, but I would prefer everything be configured from the start, and I’ll mess with what I want to much later on.
I want a tablet; I just don’t want an Apple one. I also am not interested in one that runs Android because that’s for phones, not for computers. Do I need a keyboard? That’s a subjective question, since I do type a lot as a writer but if there is a badass alternative to this antiquated set of Chiclets that I use to communicate then I would be all for it.
What do you think? Is the time for grappling with Windows over? Where is the cloud-based Windows killer we’ve all been looking for?
Activision: Let’s Use PCs Instead of Consoles
Posted on 12. Jul, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 1 Comments
A major publisher of games doesn’t like being limited by the console market.
Activision CEO Bobby Kotick is not appreciative of the walled console gardens that make up Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft. He says it would be better if games were just played on PCs instead of having to navigate through proprietary processes in order to publish popular games. Kotick laments about the fact that those who play Activision’s games online don’t pay publishers for the experience, but the console makers.
“We’ve heard that 60 per cent of (Microsoft’s) subscribers are principally on Live because of Call of Duty,” Kotick told FT. “We don’t really participate financially in that income stream. We would really like to be able to provide much more value to those millions of players playing on (Xbox) Live, but it’s not our network.”
He also goes on to say that the company would fully support PC manufacturers’ efforts to create a device that hooks up to a television and allows gamers to play via that method.
This sounds familiar. It almost relates to what Google is trying to do with manufacturers such as Dell and HP for Chrome OS. The problem with Activision is that they don’t provide an open platform to play games on; the majority of PC games are still played on Windows. Possible solution? Work on the Google TV project selling higher-end set top boxes built with special graphics cards for gaming.
Schmidt on Chrome OS: The PC Industry is not Like the Phone Industry
Posted on 05. Jul, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 1 Comments
Everybody’s working for the weekend, so it kind of flew under the radar last week a quote by Google CEO Eric Schmidt about the reluctance to try another Nexus One-type branded phone, or say, Chrome OS device for that matter.
Speaking to the Telegraph, Schmidt said, ”we have a reference spec for Chrome OS, we have a couple of hardware partners all lined up and the open source is all out there. It’s on schedule and it will happen later this year. Let’s see how well those partners do first. My guess is we won’t need to. The PC industry is different from the phone industry. The PC industry is used to working with Microsoft, whereas the mobile industry was not used to working with software.”
Now the mobile industry is working with software, and that software called Android sure is working out well.
What Schmidt said is really the same thing that we’ve been hearing since Computex. Acer, HP and (although not listed as an official partner) Dell are the three most likely companies at this point to put out Chrome OS devices in Q4.
Back to the topic of software. Because the fact that we’re hearing that Google is ramping up its music and news services only seems to solidify how important user experience is going to need to be to make these Chrome OS machines an ultimate success. We’ve seen a bit already of Picasa adding some cloud computing functions, and there will be no surprise that we will see more of this as we move along the third quarter.
So, in its continued fight against Apple’s massive dominance in apps, Google keeps those Chrome Apps in an ever-evolving state.
Those Repository Files Must Mean Something
Posted on 21. Jun, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 0 Comments
Last week, DownloadSquad’s Lee Matthews discovered some public repository files that referenced three hardware manufacturers: Dell, Acer and HP. A few days later, those files were then replaced by a different listing that included some legacy hardware such as Amiga, Atari and Commodore, among others.
This has got to mean something. One thing that jumped out in my mind when Matthews first reported this story was that Dell is not on the official list of hardware partners. When I contacted a source who is working closely with some official partners on hardware about Dell, I was told that there are no new announcements for the time being.
It seems the three manufacturers and there repository files on the Chromium site point to the logical conclusion that they will be the first companies associated with official Chrome OS products. It’s a different move than the route that was taken for Android where a more upstart company, HTC, took the first leap into the mobile OS and rode that platform to the success that it is today. I really don’t see HTC having the same spotlight it now holds with smartphones if it had continued down the Windows Mobile path it was on a few years ago.
Regardless, I have a great deal of respect for Dell, Acer and HP as longstanding companies producing computer hardware. The fact that they are getting behind this project further validates to me that Chrome OS will be a strong competitor in the consumer computing market over the coming years.
thechromesource Daily: Links for 6/16/10
Posted on 16. Jun, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 0 Comments
Remember the Chromium repository files that listed Dell, Acer and HP? They’ve been replaced by different ones now.
While Google has not launched its own storage service, it has given Memeo permission to use the “GDrive” name for Google Docs.
Social networking-focused browser Flock has replaced its Mozilla underpinnings with those of the Chromium browser.
The next version of Android will be focused on the user interface, hoping to avoid having manufactures put their own UI on devices.
Here’s a video of the the Logitech Revue, which will be a companion device for Google TV.
Dell an Official Chrome OS Partner?
Posted on 14. Jun, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 0 Comments
Recently, DownloadSquad deftly discovered that the Chromium repository referenced three manufacturers and their private hardware builds – from Acer, HP and Dell. While the first two companies were already on the list of known partners with Google on the project, Dell was left out for some reason.
However, the Dell Linux team has periodically been releasing updated builds of Chromium OS, announcing this fact in the Chromium discussion board. It is hard to speculate at this point, but one must start to wonder if the three hardware manufacturers plan on announcing releases of their Chrome OS products at the same time. Whatever the case may be, we know to expect any release information to come directly from these manufacturers at some point in the fourth quarter of 2010.
The releases that have been put out by Dell have been aimed at their Mini series of netbooks, so it’s easy to wonder whether they will be launching a Chrome OS product that is a 10″ netbook.
It is really hard to say at this point since we have seen such a precipitous decline in the popularity of netbooks since the arrival of Apple’s tablet, so it would most likely do Dell and the other two companies well to find some middle ground on a netbook/laptop hybrid that encompasses an innovative form factor paired with performance specs to wow enthusiasts, all at a competitive price.
Sounds like a tall order. No wonder Google is letting the manufacturers do the talking on this one.
thechromesource Weekend: Links for 6/13/10
Posted on 13. Jun, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 0 Comments
Dell, Acer and HP Chrome OS devices appear to be coming out first, based on Chromium repository info found by DownloadSquad.
Does open source software have more vulnerabilities for hackers to exploit than closed-source?
Potential Chrome OS tablet competitor WePad will come with ad-supported widgets that cannot be removed from the system.
Legal problems are still ahead in the Google wi-fi fiasco, and a class-action may be in the cards.
In order to further push Google Apps, the company has launched the Gone Google site, complete with a “cloud calculator”.
Understanding Agnilux, Google’s Latest Purchase
Posted on 21. Apr, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 5 Comments
Who, or what, is Agnilux?
This is a serious question seeing as how Google has decided to purchase the company. Everyone knows that Google doesn’t just buy companies for sheer fun. There is very little known about Agnilux, but according to some sources they employ people previously in the server business, although they also have employees who were in TV. That’s interesting since Google has traditionally built their own servers using stock parts. As any network engineer would know, this is a bit surprising as most Fortune 500 companies buy their servers from companies like HP or Dell.
But not Google. They have been known for setting up their own hardware architecture, and many times CEO Eric Schmidt has talked about the fact that Google uses servers that are based on common PC hardware. Imagine the fact that they are able to do this, since they own and operate one of the largest network-capable services in the world. In essence they own the most proprietary network configuration out there today, but I’m sure they would prefer if you didn’t know that.
Mark Hayter, the chief operating officer at Agnilux, came from P.A. Semi (Palo Alto Semiconductor Company), which is a company that was purchased by Apple in 2008. This most likely indicates that P.A. Semi had some technology that was used in the iPad.
Ah yes, the iPad. Now can you see where I am going with this. Interestingly, Google has proclaimed that they only want to be the “pipes” for content, but at the same time, their actions here are speaking louder than words. Maybe it is a strategic move to thwart a purchase from Apple. But an acquisition like this has to make one think that Google knows in order to stay competitive that they will have to engage those who pursue innovative hardware solutions, much like they have been doing for quite some time.
Four Chrome OS Contenders that Could Take on Apple’s iPad
Posted on 10. Apr, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 4 Comments
The iPad is ushering in a new era of computing device: the tablet. What’s really exciting is that this has all just begun, and we should expect to see a wide array of new tablets coming to market during the rest of this year. So here are the tablets that are expected to be launched with Chrome OS (along with an app store, we hope) as either the only platform or as an option. Without further ado, some of the contenders that will take on Apple tablet-style.
Freescale
Specs: 7-inch display, 1GHz Cortex ARM processor, WiFi, Optional 3G
Freescale Semiconductor showed off a tablet running Chrome OS at CeBIT that they said would cost only $200. Although the prototype that they displayed needed a keyboard in order to provide input, they were the first to actually show off a tablet. It’s possible they could bring something like this at a very good price to market, but the concern would be that the components at that price would not be cutting edge and therefore could have problems competing in the market.
But at the same time it’s a cheap tablet, right?
Notion Ink Adam
Specs: 10.1-inch PixelQi display with multitouch, nVidia Tegra 2 graphics and dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 CPU, 16GB solid-state drive, Wi-Fi, 3G
Designed in India, the unknown Notion Ink Adam could be a hit, although many also thought that the Fusion Garage JooJoo tablet would be, so we shall see. Nevertheless, this device looks stunning, and with the innovative PixelQi display which can turn off the backlight this could be a great e-reader and web enabled device all in one. It’s expected to have options in terms of storage and connection options, so I wouldn’t be surprised if this tablet is priced close to the iPad. It also has features that Apple’s tablet doesn’t such as a 3.2 megapixel camera and an HDMI output port.
HTC
Specs: Qualcomm Snapdragon Processor, possibly dual-touchscreen?
HTC privately showed an Android tablet at CES a few months ago, and speculation is mounting that they will be working together with the folks at Mountain View to produce tablet which may or may not be branded as a Google tablet. Seeing as how Google and HTC have a cozy relationship with Android (Nexus One and G4 smartphones) the first Chrome OS tablet could very likely come from HTC.
The photo shown here is a prototype dual touchscreen concept that the folks at Phandroid have posted. We don’t have any other pictures, so this is the best one to ponder upon.
Asus
Specs: Unknown, likely similar to the Eee T91 (pictured here)
Asus is primarily a netbook manufacturer, but CEO Johnny Shih has been adamant about making a tablet. The company already has a hybrid netbook-tablet device called the Eee PC T91, which pairs a keyboard with a display that can be rotated and folded over to transform it into a slate. It has the same specs as your average netbook, running an Intel AtomZ520 with 1GB RAM standard, but interestingly packs a 32GB solid state drive which is a requirement by Google for Chrome OS devices to ensure speed and user interface quality.
The Others
I’ve left out a few manufacturers that I need to give mention. Acer has claimed that they will have the first Chrome OS netbook but that is not a tablet and there hasn’t been any good information even if they are working on one. We know that the Dell Linux team has been openly working on Chrome OS (April 7 build here), and it would fit on their Mini 5 line of tablets (also known as Streak) coming out but that is pure speculation.
If there are any manufacturers that I have forgotten, please let me know. In the end, we’ll see some more developments relatively soon. Computex is coming up which will be closing in on the third quarter, a period of time when Chrome OS devices are expected to surface.
The Difference Between Chrome OS and Chrome OS Flow
Posted on 02. Mar, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 0 Comments
I get asked fairly often questions pertaining to Chrome OS. Actually this may surprise you, but I enjoy talking about it. I know for many this whole Chrome OS thing is a bit confusing. So let me take this post to make clear what is going on. One of the big issues I hear about is the difference between Chrome OS and Chrome OS Flow. For those who have not been paying attention here is the real lowdown.
Google is planning on releasing an official Chrome operating system towards the end of 2010. This will be a portable computerof some sort, like a tablet or netbook that is branded as a Google product that comes loaded with Chrome OS. For the time being, all we have is what is known as Google’s open source Chromium OS project. You can visit the official site here, it has documentation and videos discussing ideas and possible specs for both the hardware and software.
Chrome OS Flow was developed by a UK student named Hexxeh. He took the open source Chromium OS code found on the Chromium project resources site and created his own packaged “build” to work with most netbook hardware that you can put on a USB stick or load as a VM image. Flow is a good representation of what the commerical Chrome OS will be like, and that is why there is some talk about it. If you’re interested in trying it out, I suggest you head over to his site.
There are others who have created their own builds, most notably a 64-bit version and one that has been created by the Dell Linux team. But so far Flow appears to be the best representation of what to expect later on this year.
Any other questions? Comment or contact me.
Dell Chrome OS Build Has Been Updated
Posted on 18. Feb, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 0 Comments
The Linux team at Dell has been periodically releasing builds that are focused on testing what Chrome OS can do for their line of Mini netbooks. A few days ago, they put out a build based on the latest Chromium Project version from February 11. Also in this is support for the latest Broadcom drivers, however there is a user that has reported that they are having issues with wi-fi with their Mini 9 netbook.
Regardless, this has been tested by Dell for the Mini 9, Mini 10, 10v and Latitude 2100. It’s pretty cool to see them doing this, and prior to releasing these builds I had not idea that they had dedicated support for the Linux platform. In the public eye, Dell is showing us that they are preparing for a time when they will sell commercial products that are loaded with Chrome, and there are several benefits for them to do this.
This is especially true in terms of being competitive on cost for netbooks and eventually tablets or other gadgets as well. With every computer manufacturer moving into smaller devices, expect to see a mobile computing market have an array of devices that people can choose from.
You can get more information here:
• README: http://linux.dell.com/files/cto/README-Feb11.txt (please read this FIRST)
• Image: http://linux.dell.com/files/cto/ChromiumOS_Mini10v_Feb11.img.gz
DISCLAIMER: This image is totally UNSUPPORTED with no WARRANTY – USE AT YOUR OWN RISK.
