Have Laptop Will Travel

Ubuntu Light: an instant-on, Mac-like Netbook OS

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To be honest, I wasn’t really impressed with the user interface of Ubuntu Netbook Remix. Yeah, I know, it’s one of the fastest operating systems you can actually put on a netbook right now, but the UI really needs a little work – oh wait, I mean a lot – of work done.

Fortunately, Canonical has been working on a new Netbook OS. And it’s gorgeous. Check out Ubuntu Light:

Ubuntu Light is an instant-on operating system meant to be installed alongside Ubuntu. It aims to be the secondary Linux operating system, where you can turn it on and instantly surf the net, get your email, and listen to your music, when you’re in a hurry. [Read more…]

Google Chrome OS has an app launcher

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One of the things I absolutely loved about using Jolicloud on my Asus Eee PC is the App Launcher. On the latest version of Jolicloud, the app launcher runs on Google Chrome, thus eliminating the need for Mozilla Prism.

I originally scoffed at Google Chrome OS when it first came out. Well, there was plenty to scoff at then, actually. I didn’t like the fact that it was just a browser and nothing else. Yeah, I know Chrome OS is made as a cloud operating system, but back then, it felt too… bare. It was just a browser, and nothing more. [Read more…]

Scan crippled hard drives for viruses using Linux

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On our Windows laptops, we use an army of different software just to protect ourselves from all the different kinds of malware just hanging around the net, waiting for an opening to attack our system. Don’t give me the excuse that antivirus software is expensive, there are a lot of fully-functional antiviruses out there that are pretty good. But even though we have our system running fully-protected, there’s a good chance that one or two viruses might be able to slip in. I usually don’t worry that much, a simple scan with Malwarebytes usually does the job. But what if malware has overrun your computer so much that it’s practically unusable?

If your plethora of antimalware apps doesn’t work, along with *gasp* safe mode, then you might want to try a different approach – Linux. From gHacks, here’s a way to scan your hard drive for viruses using a Linux installation. gHacks recommends that you remove the infected drive and connect it via USB to the Linux machine. Then you can scan the drive via Linux as an external drive. The, install F-Prot on Linux. Scan away. [Read more…]

Is 2010 the year of the smartbook?

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lenovo-smartbook

We’ve seen netbooks flourish for the last two years. These cheap and relatively underpowered mini-laptops have been super portable. Add the fact that they can do almost all the basic computer user’s needs at an affordable price, so it’s really no surprise that netbooks have been the number one product for many computer manufacturers.

But it looks like in 2010 we’ll be seeing the portable computing landscape changed yet again. Lots of talk about a new class of mini-laptops running ARM-based processors have been on the news a lot lately. Since they’re running ARM, they won’t be able to run Windows XP or Windows 7. They’re all going to be on Linux. However, they’ll be able to last for a long time on a single charge, and some will be featuring integrated 3G connectivity and HD video acceleration features.

You also get the ability to receive emails, instant messages, and other data even while the computer is in sleep mode. Basically, you are going to get the best of both worlds in terms of notebooks and smartphones, hence the name “smartbooks.”

From Liliputing:

The president of ARM Korea says that as many as 20 ARM-based smartbooks could hit the streets in the first quarter of 2010.

Most, but not all of these devices will likely be sold by mobile broadband providers at subsidized prices. That means you may be able to pick up a smartbook for less than $200 up front. Some might even be free. But you’ll probably end up paying up to $60 per month to actually use the 3G wireless capabilities, which means that over the course of a 2 year service contract you could end up paying between $1400 and $1600 for a device that looks like a laptop, but which has a slower processor and won’t run Windows.

Are you willing to put up with Linux if it means that you’ll be able to get more out of a single charge? Give me your thoughts!