If you have a growing appetite for more
news about the gadget world, here’s something just for you. The power of touch
has finally arrived to one of the most popular Linux distributions – Ubuntu.
Canonical has officially introduced its ‘Ubuntu for phones’ operating system.
This means Linux fans worldwide can now operate Ubuntu Linux from their
smartphones. But users will have to wait till 2014 to get their hands on the
first Ubuntu-based smartphone. Meanwhile, if you cannot wait to power your
smartphone with Ubuntu, try Ubuntu for Android.
For
developers, Ubuntu Phone OS supports both native and Web or HTML5 applications
So, how is the UI of the ‘Ubuntu for phone’
OS different? Unlike Android, Ubuntu Phone OS doesn't include many screen
buttons and depends mostly on edge swipes. According to the official website,
“Your phone is more immersive, the screen is less cluttered, and you flow
naturally from app to app with edge magic. The phone becomes a full PC and thin
client when docked.”
For developers, Ubuntu Phone OS supports
both native and Web or HTML5 applications. Web apps are first class citizens on
Ubuntu, with APIs that provide deep integration into the interface. "HTML5
apps written for other platforms can be adapted to Ubuntu with ease, and we’re
targeting standard cross-platform Web app development frameworks like PhoneGap
to make Ubuntu ‘just work’ for apps that use them,” according to the official
posting.
Watch 100,000 movies and TV shows on
your Android tablet
Vudu
for Android will now offer you access to entertainment content like never
before
If you own an Android tablet, this news is
sure to give you an adrenaline rush! Vudu for Android will now offer you access
to entertainment content like never before. Over a year after its launch on
iOS, Walmart-owned Vudu has finally opened up its library of movies and TV shows
for Android users.
It means that Android device users will now
be able to stream or download over 100,000 movies and TV shows on their tablet
PCs.
The catch is that Vudu will only support
tablet PCs running the Android 4.0 aka Ice Cream Sandwich OS or above. The Vudu
for Android app can be downloaded from Google Play Store for free.
Once the app is downloaded and installed,
users can download videos for offline viewing like they do on their PCs. The
app currently supports only tablet PCs and the company is not making any
announcements about its availability on smartphones. According to reports, the
list of supported devices will continue to grow soon. It is worth mentioning
here that Vudu's Xbox360 app is also updated to support 1080p HDX streaming
video.
Raspberry Pi rolls out its own app
store!
This
app store offers free and paid applications and games for the small-sized
computer
The $35 Raspberry Pi has just become more
fun to own after the launch of Pi Store in December 2012. This app store offers
free and paid applications and games for the small-sized computer. In other
words, it is a 'one-stop shop for all your Raspberry Pi needs'.
The app store allows users to download
software, raw code, tutorials, tools or games for the small-sized Linux computer.
The idea behind the app store is to encourage young programmers and software
developers to program and create new apps. Making an announcement about the app
store, the sources in the Raspberry Pi Foundation wrote in a blog post, “It's
also an easier way into the Raspberry Pi experience for total beginners, who
will find everything they need to get going in one place, for free.”
Users can download the content from the
store and upload their content for any moderations or release. Users who submit
their content will be allowed to charge for it if they wish to. Even if the
users opt to offer their 'work' for free, they will be open to receive
donations or 'tips'. The Pi Store allows users to submit raw Python code,
binaries, audio, video and images as well, unlike the other app stores. The Pi
Store is also offering an updated version of Raspbian. Users need to type 'sudo
apt-get update && sudo apt-get install pistore' to add the Pi Store
application to their existing install.
'Fight Back' app allows women to alert
family when in danger
'Fight
Back' app allows a woman in India to alert her family and friends with just the
press of a button
Now, women in India can rely on technology,
if not the arms of law, for their safety. A mobile phone app called 'Fight Back'
allows a woman to alert her family and friends with just the press of a button.
Developed by a mobile VAS provider CanvasM,
the app helps in tracking the user's location. Using the app, the one in danger
can send SOS messages to the selected contacts in times of emergency. According
to some online reports, Jagdish Mitra, chief executive officer, CanvasM, said,
“We feel the application can help make a woman feel safe, especially given the
current law and order situation. The app allows them to press a panic button
whenever they feel unsafe. It tracks the location using GPS and alerts the
right people.”
The company is also working to integrate
the solution with Delhi Police's back-end IT infrastructure. With this
integration, the message will go to the Delhi Police as well, along with the
family and friends of the user. The app is available for the residents of
Delhi-NCR for free, while people willing to download the app from other parts
of the country have to pay $1.82 per annum for the service.
The Fight Back app is available for the
Android, BlackBerry and Symbian operating systems.
