Windows

Can Google's application development prowess be transformed into a next-generation mobile operating system?

It seems increasingly likely that Google, the ubiquitous tech company, is about to throw its hat into the race to develop the next big mobile device. Google's no gadget-maker, but it does develop quite a bit of software, and reports have been building that the company is relatively close to releasing the Gphone. (Our style department says we have to spell it that way.)

Most people who have wandered onto the Internet in the past couple of years are familiar with Google. The company's … Read more

I already reported that the Mac is on a massive ramp, but what about Linux? Well, according to this note on Slashdot, desktop Linux nearly doubled in the past year (to 0.81%). Nothing to write home about, perhaps, but still significant.

Vista may be cruising, but when you have the Mac and Linux growing at torrid paces, there's serious cause for Microsoft alarm. The world doesn't seem to want its online presence, where most of the action is. Microsoft continues to churn out monopoly rents on Office and Windows, but as the world moves online and open … Read more

According to recent research, people spend more time with their computers than with their spouses/significant others (64%). 84% claim to be more dependent on their computers today than they were three years ago. 19% admitted to wanting to throw their computers out the nearest window when it gave them problems.

Given the above, it's shocking that 100% of the people surveyed didn't immediately dump their Windows machines to get something beautiful (Mac) or open (Linux). I mean, if you're going to spend a lot of time with someone, they might as well be good-looking (Mac) or … Read more

One of the advantages of Apple Macintosh computers is that simply by not being Windows, they are immune to the plague of malware (malicious software) that constantly strikes at Windows based machines. Linux has this advantage too, plus it's cheaper. A computer running Linux can cost around a fifth as much as a Mac (more on this later).

The classic knock on Linux, when compared to Windows and Macs, has always been that it was harder to use, and indeed it was. But release after release it kept getting easier. How easy is it, now, for a Windows user … Read more

While Power Downloader was sifting through criminal case files recently, he received an e-mail from Kitty Kilobyte who had gone back to school. After telling him of her latest "impossible" assignments and new "amazing" friends she had made, Kitty had an interesting software request. Kitty wanted some way to make her computer stand out from the rest of her classmates. She figured, if she's the niece of a famous software superhero, it should show--perhaps even if it's just in her computer's interface.… Read more

The Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association and the Linux community now have more in common than you might have thought.

In the NBA, most of the established talent is out west, on teams like San Antonio, Phoenix and Dallas. The Eastern Conference is a wide-open race in which there's no clear favorite, and any team's chances of winning can change very quickly with the addition or subtraction of a few key players.

With that in mind, the Boston Celtics engineered the most dramatic off-season overhaul in the league, trading for superstars Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen … Read more

Looking at the AT&T Tilt, you'd think it was just another Windows Mobile smart phone from HTC. After all, it has a similar design to its distant cousins, the Sprint Mogul and T-Mobile Wing, except it has a screen that tilts up to 40 degrees to give you a better viewing angle. And this device isn't just about cool looks. The Tilt is one of those everything-but-the-kitchen-sink-type smart phones. It's packed with just about every feature imaginable to keep the mobile professional connected and productive on the road, and did we mention that it has … Read more