Microsoft releases 20,000 lines of code to the Linux community in order to sell more software!

It’s so funny how people keep telling me that Linux is not that big in the Operating System world. If they are not that big, then why has the Biggest Software Maker in the world (i.e. Microsoft) decided to give 20,000 lines of driver code to the Linux community under the GPlv2 licensing agreement?!?!?

If the biggest software company in the world is recognizing that businesses want to use Linux on their computers alongside Windows, then why the hell not? Especially when Microsoft is promoting it’s new Virtualization software (Hyper – V) which is embedded into Windows Server 2008. I know they are far away from the goliath company called VMWARE who runs the Virtualization market, but hey you have to start somewhere.

Check out the article. Click here!

Sunil

The Military is overloaded with Information in order to perform proper Data Analysis!

Keywords from this Article/Blog:

Information Overload, Military, Constant Hawk, DoD, JASON, Freedom of Information Act, Mitre Corporation, Yottabyte is 10^24 bytes, Hive Language, Google, Facebook.

Microsoft better watch out, Google is entering the Operating System market!

I have always told everyone that Microsoft (MSFT) makes most of their money from Operating Systems and Office Productivity software. Everyone knows that Google has already started promoting their Google Apps, but now it looks like they are going to come out with a new operating system called "Google Chrome OS". I think this is kind of funny because i was recently talking about this concept with my good friend George. I said, "Most people these days turn their computer on and go straight to the web browser". Therefore, what does Google do? They decide to come out with a new operating system based on the Google Chrome Web Browser. Hmmmmmmmmm...Very Interesting...Read the whole article!

Top Smartphones According to Consumer Reports

The top five handsets in the Consumer Reports rankings according to InformationWeek are the iPhone 3G S at 73, the iPhone 3G and the Samsung Omnia at 70, the Blackberry Storm, T-Mobile G1, Blackberry Bold, and Samsung Epix at 69, the Pre and curve 8900 at 67 and the LG Incite at 66. Click here to read the whole article.



Sunil
www.sunilnin.com

Does the Palm Pre live up to all of it's hype? Has a new iPhone competitor come to market?

About a month or so ago, i blogged about a guy named Jon Rubinstein who basically invented the IPOD and is now the brains behind the new Palm Pre smartphone and is now the new CEO of Palm. I have been researching this phone for months and reading all the reviews for months and was set on upgrading to this phone when it came out, but i was still hesitant because i was tricked so bad last year by Sprint's Marketing campaign for the Samsung Instinct. I remember when this phone was coming out that Sprint was proclaiming it was the "iPhone Killer". My god, was that far from the truth. After playing around with my Samsung Instinct phone for over a month last year, i finally realized i was conned. Most of my friends also who picked up the Samsung Instinct were not impressed. Don't get me wrong, the Samsung Instinct phone was fine, but the software on the phone was horrible.

Lets forward to present day, i have just upgraded to the NEW Palm Pre. I have only had the phone for a few days now, but i had a lot of time to play with it over the long holiday weekend. From my initial usage, here are my reviews:

PROS:

- The new webOS software is awesome. Not bad for a first attempt for a Mobile OS. Just don't turn the phone off. If you need to re-boot, it take a few minutes.

- The Web Browser is awesome. It's about the closest thing you are going to get to an iPhone browser. Sure, it's not exact, but it's pretty darn close!

- GPS is great. It uses the same TeleNAV software that my Instinct was running. The great thing is "MY FAVORITES" just synced over to the new software automatically so i didn't lose anything between upgrades!

- Universal Search is a great feature on this phone. You just type whatever you want on the QWERTY keyboard and the query will search your phone (contacts, apps, etc..) and you have the option to search Google, Google, Maps, Wikipedia, and Twitter.

- The camera is 3.0 MP camera with FLASH!

- I think the QWERTY keyboard is fine. I mean, i guess it's a bit small, but once you get used to it, it's no big deal. Just like any other keyboard. I have never used a Blackberry in my life till yesterday and i was messing around with the Blackberry Curve and sure the keyboard was bigger, but it takes a bit getting used to just like anything else.

- The Applications are awesome. I have used Pandora (Internet Radio), New York Times, AP News, Accuweather, Flightview, and a few more. Everyone has been complaining that they want more Applications. Give it time folks. If you remember, when the iPhone initially came out, they did't have that many apps as well. I am sure you will see more in the future. I hope so!

- Making Custom Ringtones couldn't be easier. All the ringtone files are in .mp3 format so making a ringtone is pretty easy.

- I love having WiFi capablility on this phone. It's probably because i have hooked up most of my friends and family with WiFi routers so connectivity has been great at peoples homes, but it makes web surfing and other internet related items much more enjoyable!

CONS:

- You can't forward text messages. I know? Very strange. Hopefully this will be fixed with a future update from Palm.

- No Video recording as of yet. The rumor is that Palm may fix this with a future update.

- Battery on the Pre is not bad, but it's not great either, it's the middle of the road just like all the SmartPhones. I mean most SmartPhones i have seen only last 1 day on normal use (web surfing, email checking, sms texting, watching videos, listening to music,etc..) which means you must charge it at least once within 24 hours. Be sure to charge the battery fully and then drain it all the way down! This is the most important thing! I think i was just spoiled when i got the two batteries with my Samsung Instinct phone last year. Yes, i couldn't believe Samsung gave me two batteries last year for the Instinct. Who gives you two batteries? Just crazy, but i agree with Samsung, i think all SmartPhones should come with two batteries considering how much people use them. Hopefully battery technology will become better in the future.

- Unable to change the Ringtone for any Text Messages or Emails that come through on the phone. I can't understand why you can change the ringer, but not the notifications. Another example of Software Engineers just not going the extra mile. Hopefully a future update will fix this problem. I guess for now, i will have to live with the "Bing" sound.

- Phone conversations are great indoors or in closed environments, but when you are in the car with the window open, it's hard to hear the other person. I guess most phones are hard to hear when you have the windows open, but it seems a bit harder on this phone. If you are indoors, no problem.

CONCLUSION:

It's only been a few days, but so far i am pretty impressed with this phone. It has a few flaws, but i can't be too upset considering it's BRAND NEW PHONE and OPERATING SYSTEM (i.e. webOS) from Palm. The operating system on the phone is what makes the phone work smoothly. This is what makes Apple so successful. Your mobile Operating System is the key to you enjoying your phone. If that is no good, then who cares about the hardware. Palm has already started to push updates for the webOS so hopefully some of the CONS will be fixed in the future.

Is it better then the iPhone? The Palm Pre has been in development for the past two years and they hired one of the top engineers at Apple in Product Development who basically invented the IPOD, so it's the closest thing you are going to get to the iPhone without having to switch to AT&T. Thank god, because i can't stand AT&T. Maybe if the iPhone comes to Verizon or Sprint, then i will consider the iPhone. Lets see how this phone does over the next few months and then i will do a follow-up review on this blog posting.

Sunil
www.sunilnin.com