I’ve been reading up on the Droid release, and I came across a post on TheUnlocker.com who have learned from Tmonews that an internal web page has been found indicating that the Motorola Sholes and Sholes tablet will both be coming to T-Mobile.  No word on when it is going to get to fans of T-Mobile or even if it’s official. The Sholes/Droid looks to be a winner of a device.  Only time will tell when – and if – this gets to T-Mobile here in the states.

How often do you hear a phone from Verizon getting play on local media?  The Droid is definitely getting that here in Columbus, Ohio.  WBNS 10 TV is running a story about it on their site.  I find it a little interesting that they say the Droid has thousands of applications, while ignoring the fact that it is actually running Android, and Android has been out for about a year now.  They don’t call it Android OS either; they say it runs Google’s software.

Also worth noting is that Vincent at Slashgear has posted a full review on the Droid.

All in all, the Verizon DROID by Motorola sets the bar for all new Android devices and is arguably the best Android device to date. The natural comparison is always going to be the iPhone 3GS, and while the DROID lacks the Apple handset’s finesse and polish, it’s only a few steps behind. If you’re not entirely content with your iPhone 3GS and AT&T’s service, we’d suggest giving the DROID a try; meanwhile, if you’re looking to dump your current handset or carrier, the DROID should definitely be on your shortlist.

-Vincent at Slashgear

Do you think the Droid will be good enough to beat the iPhone?  I think it will be really close, but that all depends on Verizon.  I think Motorola is officially back thanks to both the Cliq and the Droid, but we’ll have to see how it does in the coming weeks.  Friday is only a couple days away!  Are you getting a Droid?

I have often wanted to buy one of those Ambient Devices Judie blogged about a few weeks ago.  I’ve also wanted a Nabaztag as well, since they are cute and can do some really cool stuff like play mp3 files or provide e-mail alerts.  I don’t want either anymore, thanks to kysoh.com who sent me a Tuxdroid that is not only very cute, but is also based on open source software. Continue Reading

Kysoh.com has released the new Tux Droid 2.0.  Tux Droid is essentially a Open Source Nabaztag that looks like Tux the Penguin (Tux was originally designed as the Linux mascot by Larry Ewing).  The Tux Droid is wirelessly connected to your computer via its cute fish shaped dongle, which  has a striking resemblance to Tux himself.  What does Tux do?  He’ll do a little dance whenever you get an E-mail, Twitter message or a Facebook messag; he also has a text-to-speech engine, and by interacting with Tux Droid, you can also complete certain tasks on your computer.  If you aren’t right next to him to interact with him, you can use Tux Droid’s remote control.

In the spirit of Linux, Tux Droid is a Open Source device; all of the source code is available for Tux Droid, which means if he doesn’t do something you would like right now, you have the power to change that.

Just head on over to kysoh.com and take a look.  Strangely enough, Tux Droid works on Windows as well as any Linux distro with a 2.4 kernel or better.  Tux Droid is available at ThinkGeek.com and Kysoh.com for $149.99.

In August 1969, Ken Thompson wrote the first version of an Operating System that would be called UNIX; it’s hard to believe it’s been that long.  Since UNIX is the inspiration for  Linux and the GNU utilities, Ohio LinuxFest chose to celebrate 40 years of UNIX.  What a long way we have come.

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Ubuntu is in heavy testing for its next release, code named Karmic Koala, or version 9.10.  It is currently in Alpha 5, and it looks very promising already.  There is a huge focus on reducing the boot times of Ubuntu for Karmic.  Jono Bacon, Ubuntu’s Community Manager has recently posted some interesting tidbits about other things coming to Ubuntu in this 9.10 release… Continue Reading

(Cowritten with Dan)

America may run on Dunkin, but sometimes it seems like the internet runs on something else; caffeinated, sugary and at times, rude and disrespectful. Fanboys (and girls).

You know who we’re talking about. They are the first to yell “TROLL” if you dare denigrate their favorite subject. They are the first to jump to the defense of the oft undefendable actions of their heroes in a manner not dissimilar to the way in which one would hopefully defend the honor of their their significant other. And they are always the first to post on an internet forum when anything, good or bad, is written.

At the same time, they are also the first to try a new product, discuss ad naseum every aspect of a software update, and blindly take the role of cheerleader regardless of the reality of the situation. Yes, they are the next generation of those who continue to argue endlessly about whether “Star Trek: The Next Generation” or “Star Trek: The Original Series” was the better show, despite both being off the air for years. And sadly, they are the ones who will increasingly attack anyone who dares disagree with them.

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My one-year old daughter appears to take after her mother in almost all ways, which is a really good thing.  The only thing she seems to have inherited from me is that she doesn’t need a lot of sleep.  She sleeps well at night, but once she’s up, she’s up, and that’s the end of it.  She’s not much of a napper.  Getting her to sleep during the day takes a pretty fair amount of effort: reading to her, singing to her, giving her warm bottles, ensuring the house is quiet, and… well, lots of rocking her to sleep.

So why didn’t someone show me this trick before now???

Check out the Ubuntu baby rocker script in the video above.  This guy is a genius.  He’s using an Ubuntu script to open and close his CD ROM drawer automatically and tied it to a child seat, creating a pleasant rocking motion.

Okay, I don’t think it’s a real child in the child seat in the video, and no, I wouldn’t actually put my own child in a contraption that wasn’t specifically designed, tested, and approved for such a use.  But it’s fun to daydream anyway.

[via Waylou]

I’ve long been a fan of the Nokia N Series Maemo tablets.  Now Nokia has done it again with the new N900, and it is finally a phone as well!  The N900 has 32 GB of internal storage with a microSD slot.  It also has GPS/A-GPS, FM transmitter, TV-out, Bluetooth 2.1, WiFi, 1320mAh battery, and a 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics and dual-LED flash.  It will have 1 GB of RAM for running applications on the ARM Cortex-A8 processor, and it will support OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics acceleration.  The N900 will be running the new Maemo 5 Linux based OS that has worked well on the previous devices, and it will support the 1700 MHz band – which means those who are on T-Mobile can get 3G connectivity here in the US.  This has been what Maemo fans have been asking for a long time!

The N900 will be displayed in Nokia World, Stuttgart,Germany on September 2 for those who can make it.

Pricing is around €500 unsubsidized, which brings it around $700.  No word on when US carriers will pick it up, but I certainly hope they do.

From: jkOnTheRun, Engadget and Nokia.

Netbooks are all the rage, and while Linux did start out on netbooks, it seems Microsoft has been getting the lion share of the shipments.  Well, if you have a netbook and are tired of Windows XP, but your hardware is too anemic Windows Vista or you don’t think you are geek enough for Linux, maybe you should try Jolicloud.

Jolicloud is based on Ubuntu Linux, the Linux OS that is considered the easiest Linux distribution to use. It has been getting a lot of love from such sites as Lifehacker, PC Magazine and Cranky Geeks. How good is it? Let’s find out.

I know Linux and, based upon the preview shots, I have never seen a version that looks as good as  Jolicloud.  They have taken the Ubuntu Netbook Remix install, a version of Ubuntu optimized for Netbooks, and added some tweaks to make it fit with their concept of “cloud computing”. As you can see in the screenshot, Jolicloud goes heavy on web-based applications such as Hulu, Boxee and LAST.fm but still has a number local programs. What it special is the approach they have taken to launching applications. Continue Reading

Saw over on jkOnTheRun that the Touchbook which I blogged about earlier this week is finally getting into people’s hands.  Stephen Feger (@sfeger) has been tweeting about receiving his Touchbook as well as posting pictures of the device and sharing initial views. Continue Reading

I decided to check on Always Innovating’s unique netbook style device, and lo and behold they are now on their way to people who have pre-ordered the device.  They have also added some updates to their gallery.

This netbook is running an OMAP processor, 8 GB of SD storage, 802.11 b/g/n, and a unique setup for the USB ports as well with 4 of them being internal and 4 external for a whopping 8 ports!

They had this picture of the Touchbook in a box…

They also had screenshots of the Linux based OS that is shipping on this device.

This is a picture of the app launcher on the device.

It is available for ordering on the Always Innovating web site for $299 (without the keyboard) and $399 for one with a keyboard.  They are currently in a backlog situation, so it may take a while for you to get one – but at least it’s ‘more real’ right now!

Over on workswithu.com, I came across this sweet new Ubuntu Netbook.  ZaReason has released the Terra A20 Netbook.  While ZaReason is not the first to use Ubuntu, I personally think they will be one of the best!

Base specs are an Intel Atom N270 1.6 GHz CPU, 10 inch 1024×600 LCD, Intel GMA 950, Draft N Wifi, a 5400 RPM 160 GB hard drive, Optional 3G modem, 3.5 hours battery life, 3 USB ports, SD card slot, VGA port and headphone and mic jacks.  Oh, and it has a Ubuntu logo on the keyboard instead of a Windows key! Continue Reading

Active Media Products, maker of SSD drives and WWF series USB drives, have announced a new USB drive that is sure to interest my penguinista friends out there.

Yes it is a penguin thumb drive but not just any penguin thumb drive:  This one comes with a live image of Ubuntu Linux 9.0.4 otherwise known as the Jaunty Jackalope.  Continue Reading

SDG Systems, who loaned us the TDS Recon and the Openmoko devices for review earlier this year, contacted me about three new devices they are now selling.  First up is the Bluebird Pidion BM-150R.

Currently running Windows Mobile, this is a Enterprise level smartphone with Quadband GSM, WiFi, GPS, a camera and a 3.5 inch VGA screen.  It also happens to be a device that is designed to take the bumps. Continue Reading