Intel releases beta of Moblin 2.0 for netbooks

Intel has released a beta version of its Linux-based Moblin 2.0 operating system designed for netbooks and nettops.

The latest release is part of an ongoing partnership with Novell, and is optimised for use with Intel's Atom processors. Developers will be able to test the interface as well as dive into the source code.

"We would like to invite and encourage all developers to test the beta. We feel the code has reached a level where both developers and enthusiasts can play with it," said Imad Sousou, director of the Intel Open Source Technology Center, in a blog post.

Sousou stressed that this is a beta version, and that there are still some rough edges and performance issues to be ironed out, many of which will be addressed in upcoming weekly builds.

"We encourage anyone to test it and provide feedback to us through Bugzilla or on the developer mailing list. Only with your feedback can we further enhance the user experience," he said.

The interface has been built from the ground up using the Clutter Animation Framework. The toolbar and panels across the top of the screen have been designed to easily integrate internet access through a Mozilla browser, as well as to social networks, synchronised calendars, tasks, appointments and media content.Learn more>>

Google puts Chrome 2 out on final release

Google has released the final code for the second version of its Chrome browser, eight months after the official launch.

Chrome 2 comes with a claimed 30 per cent speed boost, thanks to the revised V8 JavaScript engine that processes downloads from multiple pages and allocates resources to most used items.

"Web applications are becoming more complex," wrote Google software engineers Mads Ager and Kasper Lund on the Chromium blog.

"An increased number of objects puts additional stress on the memory management system of the JavaScript engine, which has to scale to deal efficiently with object allocation and reclamation. If engines do not scale to handle large object heaps, performance will suffer when running large web applications."

More cosmetic changes include the ability to run the browser in full screen mode, an auto-fill function for remembering form information, and a new way to edit the opening screen which displays the browser's most visited sites.

"It's useful if you end up with a site in there that you'd rather not admit to visiting quite as often as you actually do," said Google Chrome product manager Brian Rakowski.

Google also claimed that the browser is now much more stable, as more than 300 bugs in the system had been fixed since launch.

Existing Chrome users will be updated "very soon", Rakowski said on the Google Chrome blog, and updates will be pushed out regularly in the future.

Visual Studio 2010 beta launches this week

Microsoft is set to release the first beta of its long-awaited Visual Studio 2010 tools suite next week.

The firm will first release the beta to its developer customers on Monday, followed by general release to the public on Wednesday, according to a blog posting by Microsoft developer tools solution specialist Jihad Dannawi.

"On 18 May Visual Studio 2010 Beta 1 (Professional, Suite and Team Foundation Server) will be available to MSDN subscribers through MSDN Subscriber Downloads and to the general public on 20 May through Microsoft Downloads," he wrote.

When it was announced to much fanfare last September, Microsoft explained that the new version of its flagship developer platform would try to democratise the application lifecycle by allowing all contributors on a software project to participate throughout the lifecycle.

Earlier this week, Jason Zander, general manager for Visual Studio's developer division, highlighted some of the changes that Microsoft has already made in readying the product for its first beta.learn more>>

HTC Magic

HTC finally released its successor to the G1 in the UK at the start of May, making it the second phone running Google's open-source Android mobile operating system.

The HTC Magic bears some similarities to the original G1, although it lacks the physical keyboard and the lines are a lot smoother. Like its predecessor, the Magic has a large 3.2in touch-screen, below which is a trackball and six keys to help drive the device.

The lack of keyboard makes the Magic a lot lighter and slimmer than the G1. It measures 113mm x 55mm x 14mm and weighs in at 119g, making it a lot more pocket friendly while packing a bit more of a punch under the hood.

Although it runs the same Qualcomm MSM7200A 528MHz processor and gives users access to the same 192MB of system memory, the capacity of the ROM has been increased from 256MB to 512MB and storage is expandable to 8GB through a microSD card slot located under the battery cover.

Like the rest of the interface, the virtual keyboard uses the built-in accelerometer to automatically adjust between portrait and landscape mode depending on how the phone is oriented. The keys in portrait mode are quite small, but are usually fine for short entries. In landscape mode the layout is excellent, but fast typists may struggle as the phone sometimes battles to keep up, occasionally missing letters if the typing is too quick. There is also an auto-complete and correct option to provide suggestions while entering text.

Running Android means that the Magic has very tight integration with Google's range of services. The potential downside to this is that you have to have a Google Mail account to use the phone, but if you are a prolific user of Google then over-the-air synchronisation with email, calendar, contacts and instant messaging is all completely automatic.learn more>>

AMD celebrates its 40th birthday

AMD is celebrating its 40th anniversary, and is asking customers to send in congratulatory photos and videos.

"In the past 40 years, AMD has transformed from a second-source supplier that worked within the confines of other companies' designs, to an innovator that has helped drive the market forward and kept competition alive and thriving in one of the most important technology sectors," the firm said in a statement.

"AMD takes great pride in our role of igniting next-generation technology solutions, as well as our ability to see where customer and end-user needs are headed next and then collaborate with the industry accordingly.

"AMD's 40th anniversary is a testimonial to our longevity, our employees, our customers and our unique business approach."

In order to 'give back' to its many customers, the firm has announced a large number of contests that will take place over the first half of its anniversary year.learn more>>