5 key new improvements in OpenSuse Linux 12.2
After numerous delays along the way, openSuse Linux 12.2 on Wednesday finally made its long-awaited debut.
"Two months of extra stabilization work have resulted into a stellar release, chock-full of goodies, yet stable as you all like it," wrote openSuse community manager Jos Poortvliet in a blog post early Wednesday.
It's still less than a year since we saw the launch of openSuse 12.1.
Now, faster speeds, an improved infrastructure, and fresh polish on existing features are all among the enhancements this latest version brings, Poortvliet said. Read more...
Rackspace debuts OpenStack cloud servers
Following a four-month beta period, Rackspace has started offering its hosted servers and databases using the open source OpenStack suite of cloud software.
That OpenStack has been pressed into production use just two years after its launch, "is a great proof point for the maturity of the project," said Jim Curry, head of OpenStack at Rackspace.
Rackspace currently has over 180,000 customers of its hosted services. The company offers Windows and Linux servers, content delivery network services, and .Net and PHP hosting, all with associated management and monitoring services.
Starting Wednesday, when new customers log into Rackspace to requisition servers, they will interact with Rackspace Open Cloud services, which is based on the OpenStack Nova compute component. Rackspace has run the Swift object storage component of OpenStack for over 2 years for its Cloud Files storage service; it created the technology in-house and then contributed its code when it co-founded the OpenStack project. Read more...
Lenovo planning Windows Phone devices for 2012 debut
Lenovo has been busy working on Android smartphones and tablets, but they’re going to start putting ARM to work on another mobile platform: Windows Phone.
Leaked images first appeared about a month ago, showing what looked like a Lenovo LePhone S2 — an Android device — running Windows Phone 7.5. At the time there had been no official announcement from the company, but LePhone Product Manager Yue Chen has now confirmed that Windows smartphones are definitely in the Lenovo product pipeline. Chen also stated that Lenovo has a “very clear release schedule,” though she didn’t share specifics — only that the first Windows-powered LePhone models will arrive during the second half of 2012. Read more...
Hands on: Google’s Galaxy Nexus and Android Ice Cream Sandwich
Ladies and gentlemen, meet the next generation of Android.
Google officially unleashed its Android Ice Cream Sandwich OS on Monday, and now, the flagship ICS phone is finally making its debut. The Samsung Galaxy Nexus went on sale in the U.K. Thursday morning and is expected to launch on Verizon Wireless within a matter of days.
I've been spending some hands-on time with the Galaxy Nexus and Android Ice Cream Sandwich this week. I'll be putting together in-depth reviews of the phone and the operating system soon, but I wanted to share some of my early impressions with you now.
Getting to Know the Galaxy Nexus and Android Ice Cream Sandwich
First, I should point out that the Galaxy Nexus unit I have is not the Verizon LTE edition; it's an HSPA+ version of the phone that'll be sold globally. The phone, provided to me on loan from Google, is connected to T-Mobile's network. It could also work with AT&T or any other compatible HSPA+ carrier anywhere in the world. Read more...
New details emerge about Oracle’s Social Network
More specifics about Oracle's new Social Network software came to light on Thursday, following the product's debut at the OpenWorld conference earlier this month.
Oracle Social Network is part of the company's new Public Cloud lineup. It will serve as a high-profile competitor to the likes of rival Salesforce.com's Chatter as well as the array of speciality enterprise social-network vendors in the market.
OSN is "part of a much broader user engagement platform" powered by Oracle's WebCenter family of technologies, with the other pillars including Sites, Portals and Content, said Andy Kershaw, senior director of product management, during a webcast Thursday.
Companies are using collaboration tools today in a "very much siloed" manner, he said. For example, a conversation may begin in an instant-messaging program, but then one party to the discussion may later reply by e-mail and point someone to a document stored in yet another system. Read more...