Snappy Ubuntu Linux Now Used in Networking, Refrigerators

With its number of uses growing, the Snappy Ubuntu Core Linux operating system is now coming to network switches and refrigerators.
Canonical, the lead commercial sponsor behind the open-source Ubuntu Linux operating system, today announced an expansion of its push to embed Linux in everything from phones to refrigerators—and now network switches. The Snappy Ubuntu Core Linux operating system, a minimal version of Ubuntu Linux that provides an improved updating and security model, is designed for embedded devices and the Internet of things (IoT). Snappy was first announced in December 2014 and became generally available with the Ubuntu 15.04 Vivid Vervet release on April 23. To date, Canonical has positioned Snappy as a platform for the cloud and mobile devices and is now bringing it to Open Compute Platform (OCP) network switches. The OCP networking effort kicked off in 2013 as a way to enable an organization to choose the operating system they want to run on an open networking switch. "Switches to us are important and very strategic," Dustin Kirkland, product manager at Canonical, told eWEEK. "There is switch at the top of every rack in every data center." With OCP, switching is now happening on commodity hardware, typically with some form of Linux as a base operating system, Kirkland said. There are multiple vendors in the Linux for networking space today, including Cumulus Networks and Big Switch Networks, that Ubuntu Linux will now compete against.







"We are positioning Snappy for switches, bringing the Ubuntu Linux experience that many developers are already familiar with," Kirkland said. "The same Ubuntu Linux skills from the server world apply in the Ubuntu-on-a-switch role."

Switching also plays well into what Canonical is doing with the open-source OpenStack cloud platform. Having control of the network at the switch level, for security or access, can all be driven from an integrated Ubuntu platform.

While Ubuntu is now coming to switches, Canonical is not going to become a switching vendor. Rather, Canonical will take care of the kernel and operating system layer with Snappy, and the network functions virtualization (NFV) feature can sit on top, Kirkland said.

"Virtual switching software vendors can concentrate on their expertise, be it hardware or the network application, and we at Canonical will take care of the operating system layer," Kirkland said.

More @

08.iPad Pro Release Date, Specs, Features & Price: Way Thicker Than iPad Air 2? [Rumors]

  The rumored mega-tablet could disappoint prospects aiming for a thinner device.

  Days before Apple's "Spring Forward" event, speculations over the iPad Pro have bombarded the internet. Fresh from the highlights of this year's Mobile World Congress, the industry has now set eyes on the Apple Watch -- but the rest of Apple's products are certainly not forgotten.

  For the uninitiated, note that the iPad Pro (aka iPad Air Plus) has not been confirmed by the Cupertino giant. As told by Computerworld, analysts are now convinced that the tablet arrives late 2015 or early 2016. As you may have guessed, this is another push in the rumor wheelbarrow, which previously pegged a March arrival (Spring Forward, yes).
Another side of the story believes a third quarter launch, which technically puts June as the earliest time. This appears to be one possibility, considering that Apple's next Worldwide Developers Conference is expected to run on June 8 to 12.
While these are best taken with a spoon of salt, rumors about the iPad Pro's thickness have been fairly consistent since last year. In fact, the measurement may have been out all these time.
  The Daily Mail cited an earlier leak, which suggested that the iPad Pro is thicker by 0.9 mm than the iPad Air 2. Users would know that the latter possessed a depth of 6.1 mm (probably the world's second-thinnest tablet), which gives the iPad Pro a thickness of 7.0 mm.


Source:
http://www.latinopost.com/articles/15241/20150307/ipad-pro-release-date-specs-features-price-way-thicker-than-ipad-air-2-rumors.htm

09.Apple Watch face off: which smartwatch should you buy?

Ahead of the Apple Watch launch on 9 March, Sophie Curtis compares the best of the other smartwatches on the market

The Apple Watch is due to launch next week, promising to propel smartwatches into the mainstream. But Apple's Watch will be joining an already crowded market, with many smartwatch makers currently on their second or third edition.

Some of these devices excel in battery life, others in usability; some work independently from smartphones while others need to be contantly connected; some are beautiful items intended as objects of desire, while others focus on functionality and affordability.

If you're trying to work out which smartwatch to buy, you first need to work out what you want from it. Here The Telegraph rates the current batch of devices, based on a range of different criteria:

Best for battery: Pebble Time Steel
Compatible with: iPhone and Android
Price: $250 (£163) on Kickstarter or $299 (£195) thereafter

The Pebble Time Steel is the first 'premium' device from smartwatch maker Pebble Technology. Announced at Mobile World Congress, the device is made from stainless steel with a colour e-paper display and a scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass lens. It has a built-in microphone for quick voice replies and notes, and is water resistant. It also runs Pebble's new timeline interface, which organises information chronologically. Most importantly, however, it boasts a battery life of up to 10 days, blowing most other smartwatches out of the water.

Best for design: LG Watch Urbane 
Compatible with: Any Android smartphone
Price: Unknown

Source:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/watch/11448976/Apple-Watch-face-off-which-smartwatch-should-you-buy.html

10.LG To Launch Flagship LG G4 And A Mystery Premium Phone

Mobile World Congress 2015 has sought us a lot of interesting phones and plans from companies, keeping us tech nerds entertained for the past few days.
After Samsung and HTC unveiled their latest flagship smartphones at MWC, LG has instead announced plans to launch the LG G4 and a new high-end flagship that will “stand above the G series.”
“We are planning to release a product that stands above the G series,” Cho Jun-ho, head of LG’s mobile business said at the Mobile World Congress. “It will be launched during the second half of this year.”
It is being speculated that the new LG series will use more premium materials like metal and glass, along with an additional in-house processor modeled for the handset. The LG G4, which is the successor to the flagship LG G3, is most likely to be announced in April, while the company seeks to regain its position as number three in the smartphone market share.
“We aim to have our smartphone sales grow 20 percent on-year in 2015,” Cho added. “If the popularity of the G2 and the G3 continues through the G4, we expect to grab a meaningful third-place presence.”
Word is also rife that LG is considering to equip the G4 with a fingerprint scanner. As Apple and Samsung have already incorporated features like Payment and biometrics in their devices, LG feels a little left out and has decided to step into testing with biometric verification.

“LG Electronics has recently decided to deploy a fingerprint sensor on its next flagship smartphone and the scanner will be placed at the back of the device,” as the company “has been left behind in the race for fintech (portmanteau of finance and technology) as it has continued to postpone the adoption of fingerprint technology.”

HTC had unveiled its 2015 flagship smartphone, HTC One M9, at the Mobile World Congress 2015 in Barcelona. The smartphone is encased in an aluminum unibody, garnished with pretty awesome specs which are sure to sell like hot cakes once HTC One M9 becomes available at all four major U.S. carriers later this month.

Samsung also debuted its flagship next-generation Galaxy S6

Source:

http://techfrag.com/2015/03/06/lg-launch-flagship-lg-g4-mystery-premium-phone/

08.M.W.C. - Honorable mentions:

Huawei's circular Android Wear watch is fine, but nothing special. Unless! Unless it turns out to be dirt cheap. We'll see!

Huawei's Android Wear Watch Is Handsome, But Still Too Bulky

Huawei is launching not one but three wearables this year at Mobile World Congress, and the new…Read more

Sony's Xperia Z4 tablet is about as slick and slim as 10-inch Android tablets get, if you are still into 10-inch Android tablets. Also, it's vaguely Surface-y with its new keyboard accessory!

Xperia Z4 Tablet: Slick and Slim, With Laptop Aspirations

There's a new tablet in town. It's the new Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet and yeah, it's…Read more

LG's mid-ranged smartphones are going to have slightly curved screens, which is a way to make mid-range a little more fun.

LG's Bringing Curved Screens To Its Cheaper Phones, Because Why Not

That curve on LG Flex's screen might seem like a total gimmick, even if it's pretty rad.…Read more

Meanwhile, Sony's new Xperia M4 Aqua is everything a cheap phone should be. Waterproof and two day battery, count me in. 

Sony Xperia M4 Aqua Hands-On: Proper Waterproofing, Two Day Battery

With the Xperia Z4 smartphone nowhere to be seen at MWC 2015 (even if its tablet cousin is knocking …Read more

BlackBerry teased a phone with curved edges and a slide out keyboard. OK! Sure!

Blackberry Is Bringing Back the Slider Phone Because Sure Why Not

When square phones don't quite work and suing Ryan Seacrest is taking too long, what's a…Read more

HTC's new One M9 seems like a fine little improvement on its existing flagship, but with nothing super special or exciting to speak of.

HTC One M9: Definitely Better But So Much the Same

This is the new HTC One, the third in a line of phones that got Android devices to adopt metal…Read more

You can read about allllll of our Mobile World Congress coverage here.

09.Best of M.W.C. - A 200G.B. microS.D. card

No, there is no slot in the new Galaxy S6 for a microSD, but if there was, you could slam this ridiculously large 200GB one from Sandisk in there. Would you need to? God no. 200GB? What is wrong with you? But hey if you're a hoarder, go nuts I guess.

SanDisk Squeezes 200GB Into a Tiny microSD Card

Stop for a second and take a look at the fingernail on your baby finger. That's roughly the…Read more





Source:
http://gizmodo.com/the-best-of-mobile-world-congress-2015-1689135694

10. Best of M.W.C. - Huawei's super weird fitness band but also ear-piece thing

This one gets inclusion not because it looks good but because it's bonkers. Huawei's new TalkBand B2 is a voice-controlled fitness tracker that looks like it could be on the decent side of mediocre, but its trick where it turns into a Bluetooth ear-piece is juuuust wacky enough to make it worth mentioning. Something you'll want to buy? Probably not. Something you'll want to see? For sure.

Huawei TalkBand B2: Half Fitness Band, Half Earpiece, All Bizarre

Huawei is betting (again) on wearables—who's not! And alongside its new Android Wear watch,…Read more

Source:

http://gizmodo.com/the-best-of-mobile-world-congress-2015-1689135694

01. Best of M.W.C. - LG's pretty slick LTE watch

Want to make phone calls from your wrist like Dick Tracy? Maybe, maybe not. But if you're even slightly inclined, LG's new LG Urbane LTE looks like the best bet. It's a little bulky, but no Samsung Gear S, and interestingly enough, it runs WebOS instead of Android Wear. It's probably pretty expensive, so you probably won't want to buy it, but always-connected smartwatches are getting better looking for sure.

LG Watch Urbane: LTE On Your Wrist Never Looked So Good

Smartwatches are still trying desperately to be cool. LG's latest attempt at pulling it off is …Read more


Source:
http://gizmodo.com/the-best-of-mobile-world-congress-2015-1689135694

02.Best of M.W.C. - HP's new transforming ultrabook

Yes, we've all seen transforming ultrabooks before, but HP's new Spectre x360 looks to be of the best. Combining lovely build quality and low price—like we've seen in the new Dell XPS 13—with the ability to backflip into a tablet, HP's new ultrabook looks like a promising go-to for transforming computers, but for maybe a troubling battery life.

HP’s Spectre x360 Might Be The Best Transforming Laptop I’ve Ever Seen

Milled aluminum. All-day battery life. Intel Core i5 and i7 processors. A bitchin' keyboard,…Read more



Source:
http://gizmodo.com/the-best-of-mobile-world-congress-2015-1689135694

04.Best of M.W.C. - HTC and Valve's badass new virtual reality headset

There are more virtual reality headsets than we could ever need, but few of them really matter. The new HTC Vive is one of them. A partnership between HTC and gaming goliath Valve, this new Oculus competitor has mind-blowingly good screens, can track you around the living room, and comes with some sort of as-yet-unknown VR controller. All that, and it's coming out this year. The war for VR just started in earnest.

HTC Vive: This Is Valve's Virtual Reality Headset

Just the other day we heard that Valve is getting ready to put out its SteamVR headset. HTC is…Read more





Source:
http://gizmodo.com/the-best-of-mobile-world-congress-2015-1689135694

05.Best of MWC - The Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge

New flagship Samsung smartphones are obviously going to be a big deal, but this year it's even more of a shakeup than usual. The Galaxy S5 was boring and band-aid-y butthe Galaxy S6 is new, fresh and purty. No, it doesn't have a removable battery anymore, but its design has improved a ton. That, and its crazy sibling—the Galaxy S6 Edge—is a weirdo curved phone you might actually want.

Galaxy S6 Hands-On: Samsung's Got a Whole New Look

The Galaxy S6 is unlike any smartphone that Samsung has ever made. How, you ask? Let me count the…Read more

Your New Galaxy S6 Will Have a Built-In Expiration Date

Your smartphone's battery life won't last forever. Today, your digital companion might…Read more

Samsung's Galaxy S6 Edge Is Awesomely Weird But Weirdly Awesome

For years, a smartphone's main selling points were faster processors and better screens. But…Read more





Source:
http://gizmodo.com/the-best-of-mobile-world-congress-2015-1689135694

06.The Grid | AI Websites That Design Themselves

Another ad, that deserves to be mentioned as a post.

10.Samsung takes a time-out on smartwatches as Apple Watch launch nears

Summary:Samsung is taking a breather from its frantic smartwatch release schedule, preferring for the moment to play a watching-and-waiting game.

Samsung was one of the biggest producers of smartwatches in the years leading up to the launch of the Apple Watch but now the company is taking a pause to rethink its strategy.

The Korean company hasn't been shy of trying out new designs to appeal to various consumer tastes in the emerging smartwatch category, having released everything from simple fitness bands like the Gear Fit to the Tizen-powered 3G Gear S, with core specs not far off some low-end smartphones.

Indeed, Samsung has launched six smart watches in just 14 months, as analyst firm Canalys noted recently. This propelled it to the top spot among 'smart band' makers, who shipped 4.6 million units in total last year.

But unlike last year's Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo, which were launched alongside the Galaxy S5, this year's release of the Galaxy 6S at the MWC trade show came with no companion smartwatch.

According to the Wall Street Journal, that's because Samsung is taking a "pause" as it ponders what it means to create the perfect smartwatch.

More@

http://www.zdnet.com/article/samsung-takes-a-time-out-on-smartwatches-as-apple-watch-launch-nears/

06.Pebble Time most funded Kickstarter ever

Less than one week after its reveal, Pebble Time is now the most funded project ever on Kickstarter.

The new smartwatch announced by startup Pebble has netted close to $14 million, and will remain open to accept additional funds for the next 24 days. Pebble Time bumps The Coolest Cooler, which had held the previous record of $13.3 million.

Pebble Time includes a color e-paper screen and built-in microphone for short voice messages. Pebble announced Tuesday it is also adding smart watchstraps with sensors developers can leverage for additional features. The Kickstarter models were available for $159, while retail versions will go for $199 when they arrive in May.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Pebble unveiled another version of its new smartwatch called Pebble Time Steel. The device is made of "premium materials" and boasts a battery life of 10 days.

Pebble Time Steel will ship this summer for $299 at retail. Kickstarter versions will go for $250, and include two watch straps.

Source:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/personal/2015/03/03/pebble-watch-kickstarter/24324921/

Will Amazon's New Echo Change Our Work Lives?

We’re all familiar with Apple’s Siri and Microsoft’s Cortana, two “smart assistant” products designed to make our lives easier. Now, Amazon released a product of their own called Echo which comes in the form of a voice activated cylindrical device. I recently purchased an Echo and had the opportunity to test it out. In my opinion the Echo is far superior to any smart assistant product available today. It does everything from play music and read the news to create to do lists and order products from Amazon. It’s actually a fascinating little device that has dramatic implications for creating “smart homes” and “smart offices.” In this episode of the Future in 5 I talk about the potential impact that the Amazon Echo can have on our personal and work lives.

Source:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacobmorgan/2014/12/17/will-amazons-new-echo-change-the-world/?ss=data-companies

Google AdSense AT HIS BEST !

I start to promote some of the Google AdSense promoted products, for those who still hesitate to click on the ads on this blog (or other blogs/sites who participate to this program).

10 things to expect from Apple in 2015

2015 could be one of the most interesting years in Apple's history.
It's moving into a whole new world with the Apple Watch, a device that's as much about high fashion as high tech, and with the tablet market showing signs of saturation it needs some bright ideas to reinvigorate iPad sales.

There are two new operating systems to prepare, an enterprise push to explore and some new musical directions - and there might even be a stylus.
Here's what Techradar think (and in a few cases, hope) we'll see from Apple in 2015.


Source:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/11345660/10-things-to-expect-from-Apple-in-2015.html

Cars drive to the fore at annual CES tech confab

LAS VEGAS - Used to be that a car's bragging rights had everything to do with horsepower. Now, it's computing power, as automakers vie for consumer dollars with the latest in tech gadgetry.

That pitched battle is in full view here at the 2015 International Consumer Electronics Show, where a record 10 automakers, from Audi to Volkswagen, strut their auto-tech stuff on 20% more floor space at the Las Vegas Convention Center than last year.

On display is automotive wizardry that runs from the practical to the futuristic, cars that react to hand gestures in the air and park themselves in garages.

Source:

http://archive.pnj.com/usatoday/article/21395731