Where did Windows XP codename 'Whistler' come from?
Fifth in a series. We continue our series about Windows XP's release to manufacturing 10th anniversary with a quick look at codenames for this product and others around it.
This picture is me, sitting in the terrace of the Long-Horn Saloon in Whistler, British Columbia. The photo is also the Windows roadmap. On the right side of the terrace, the slopes are coming down from Whistler Mountain (Whistler = codename for Windows XP).
Sony Ericsson adds monoscopic 3D to Android
Earlier this week, Sony Ericsson debuted a new Walkman smartphone powered by Android and I remarked that the joint venture is sort of keeping the feature phone concept alive by integrating key Sony trademarks into Android.
In keeping with this theme, the joint venture on Thursday announced an upcoming software upgrade to the 2011 line of Xperia smartphones will give Android an upgraded camera feature that was a banner feature of Sony's Cyber Shot line of cameras just one year ago.
It was time for Steve Jobs to go
In my six-plus years covering Cupertino here and elsewhere I can tell you I did not expect to write a story like this for quite a few more years yet. Apple is Steve Jobs, and Steve Jobs is Apple.
But let's talk turkey here: Jobs' health has been an issue, almost a morbid fascination among the tech press. Whole stories were devoted to analysis on his appearance as it obviously changed from keynote to keynote.
Who is Tim Cook?
It's the $120 billion question everyone will be asking. I pick that number as it's what Apple revenue could conceivably reach during 2011, all with Tim Cook -- and not Steve Jobs -- running the company.
Late this afternoon, Apple's board of directors named Cook the company's new chief executive after cofounder Steve Jobs' stunning and unexpected resignation. Cook has quite literally stepped into the most important role in techdom.
Investors uneasy after Steve Jobs resigns
Apple shares fell 6 percent in after-hours trading tonight following Steve Jobs' stunning and unexpected resignation. Apple's board named COO Tim Cook, who has been running the company for about eight months, as Jobs' successor.
Apple shares were down more than $20 after-hours. Before the resignation announcement, Apple shares closed up slightly -- $373.60, off the opening of $373.46. The real question: How will investors react tomorrow when markets reopen for trading?
Steve Jobs resigns!
In a stunning and unexpected event, Steve Jobs resigned as Apple's chief executive today. The board has named Jobs Chairman and Tim Cook new CEO.
Apple released this letter from Jobs:
Windows XP was two products worth of development
Fourth in a series. I remember something from the Windows XP rollout in New York City. At the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, Gateway gave out these. Mo-o-o-o-o.
I recall that it was common to criticize XP early on as being a minor update to Windows 2000, as in Windows 2000.1. There may have been something to that, but the operating system developed into much more.
GameStop steals free games from its customers
Two years ago, I apologized to GameStop and its employees for buying consoles that used web-based app stores to sell games because they would ultimately render the physical video game retail store irrelevant.
Today, I'm withdrawing that apology.
Do a good deed today, uninstall Windows XP
Let's compare the major computer operating systems at the moment. We have Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. We have various Linux distributions, and we have Mac OS X.
Of these, obviously Windows XP has the weakest security, by far, and Windows XP has the biggest marketshare, too. Globally close to half of all computers still run XP.
You can pry Windows XP from my cold, dead hands
Third in a series. As a long-time programmer, I was still using Windows 95 when I finally purchased my mainstay computer that came with Windows XP. I am not the type to use the leading edge computers or software. The software I write (programming tools for programmers) was designed to run on minimal hardware, so I preferred to stay with an operating system much longer than most programmers would. Programmers are notorious for wanting the leading-edge computers, but not me.
My Windows 95 PC was starting to get a bit obsolete and it was time to switch to the latest operating system, so I purchased a new computer with Windows XP Home on it. The computer was an eMachine T2542, with a 2.5GHz Celeron CPU, 256 meg RAM and a 40 gig hard drive.
BlackBerry phones to gain Android compatibility
In what is likely an effort to stave off any further erosion in market share, RIM is said to be planning to add Android app capability to phones running its new QNX software, according to those close to the company.
The first QNX phones are expected in 2012: RIM's PlayBook was the first to ship with the operating system in April of this year. Adding Android support to QNX-based phones should not be surprising: there is already support in the PlayBook for Android apps.
Vizio's Android tablet is the first with Hulu Plus
In August, US LCD TV leader Vizio launched its 8" Android tablet for an agreeable $299 at most common big box retailers. Today, streaming TV provider Hulu announced it has partnered with Vizio to bring Hulu Plus to its new tablet.
Though Hulu Plus is available on many platfoms --video game consoles, TVs, connected media players, set-top boxes, and iOS devices-- it is only available on a dozen Android devices, and until today it was only on select Android smartphones.
What Windows XP's Launch Meant to Me
Second in a series. I remember my Windows XP experiences like it was just yesterday. I became aware of Windows XP when it was called Whistler back in 2000. There was a technology television show on ZD-TV called "The Screen Savers" with host Leo Laporte and Patrick Norton. During many call-ins, persons would ask, should I upgrade from Windows 98 to ME or 2000. Leo would often suggest that users shouldn't bother since Whistler would be coming out next year.
I wondered what this Whistler was about, so I decided to do some web searching about it and came across Paul Thurrott's Supersite for Windows. I started following his chronicles with the early betas from early development phases into what became Windows XP with the well-known Luna theme around beta 2.
Calm down, Android malware makes up a tiny .00024% of the threat landscape
Security researchers and software companies have been warning of the shift to mobile-borne malware for years, and Android seems to be the primary platform of concern.
Over the last two years, we've witnessed the arrival of Android anti-malware applications from Symantec, McAfee, AVG, Softwin (BitDefender), ESET, F-Secure, and Lookout Security, and each time a new product is released, a new warning of the potential destruction a mobile virus, trojan, or botnet has is released.
Want a free Slingbox? Sign up for Time Warner cable
In an effort to promote its higher speed -- and higher cost -- Wideband cable internet service, Time Warner Cable said late Tuesday it will subsidize the full $300 cost of the Slingbox device. The rebates will be made available to customers beginning next month.
The offer seems to be an about face for cable companies like Time Warner, who had up until recently an antagonistic relationship with devices like the Slingbox. Since the set-top device allows a user to view content from just about anywhere it was seen as a threat to selling more cable subscriptions.
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