Silent Text: Basic Anonymity at a Hefty Price
- Nov
- 08
- Posted by Patrick Nelson
- Posted in Reviews
The Tibetan government, law firms in Thailand and human rights groups in Sudan are all using a relatively new encrypted communications tool — one that fits easily, if not cheaply, onto your smartphone. Silent Circle is an encrypted voice, video, text and file-transfer protocol that’s available in app forms for Android devices, among others.
read moreUbuntu’s Saucy Salamander is a Slick but Spiritless Upgrade
- Nov
- 07
- Posted by Jack M. Germain
- Posted in Reviews
Ubuntu’s latest desktop OS release, Ubuntu 13.10, is more of a plain-Jane release than its “Saucy Salamander” nickname might otherwise suggest. This release comes six months after the Raring Ringtail version, which was also a bit of a yawner in terms of offering any must-have-the-upgrade enthusiasm. Like the last release, Ubuntu 13.10 also does not deliver much “wow.”
read moreHow to Back Up Data on Your Android Smartphone
- Nov
- 06
- Posted by Patrick Nelson
- Posted in Mobile
We all back up our PCs, right? Okay, well, we should back up our PCs, right? Well, smartphones and tablets have become so ubiquitous that we need to back them up now too. It’s time. Important photos, videos, contacts and music are now strewn across small, easy-to-lose, easy-to-break, highly pilferable devices. Fail to back up this stuff at your peril.
read moreNiantic Opens Ingress to AR Gamers Hot to Trot for Exotic Matter
- Nov
- 05
- Posted by Rachelle Dragani
- Posted in Gaming
Google’s Niantic Labs on Monday announced that it was lifting the invitation-only restriction on its augmented reality game Ingress. The game launched in beta about a year ago, and interested players needed an invitation code to participate. Now all Android users can download the free massively multiplayer game from Google Play. The game will officially exit beta status on Dec. 14.
read moreFOSS in the Enterprise: To Pay or Not to Pay?
- Nov
- 05
- Posted by Jack M. Germain
- Posted in Enterprise
One of the big attractions behind the growing popularity of open source software is the ability to get it and use it for free. In a world of ever-rising costs in pretty much every other aspect of business and life, “free” is an offer that’s increasingly difficult to refuse. Support is one area, however, where “free” may not be all it seems — particularly for enterprises.
read moreOde to Project Ara
- Nov
- 04
- Posted by Katherine Noyes
- Posted in Community
Ever since Burger King hit the proverbial nail on the head with its famed “Have It Your Way” slogan back in 1974, everyone has known that people like to — well, have it their own way. Customization has been a growing trend, but until recently, smartphones were a glaring exception. Linux Girl can no longer even count the number of times she’s asked for a big “L” and an image of Tux emblazoned on her device.
read moreGoogle Debuts Nexus 5, KitKat Combo
- Nov
- 01
- Posted by Rachelle Dragani
- Posted in Smartphones
Google has unveiled the highly anticipated Nexus 5, its flagship smartphone running the new KitKat release of the Android OS. The Nexus 5, manufactured by LG, has a 5-inch 1080p display. At 4.59 oz., it is lighter and thinner than its Nexus predecessor. It’s also faster — it runs on the speedy Snapdragon 800 processor. It comes with an 8 MP rear camera and a 1.3 MP front-facing camera.
read moreGoogle, Partners Caught in Patent Lawsuit Blizzard
- Nov
- 01
A consortium of technology companies is suing Google and Android manufacturers in its first patent lawsuits after it outbid the search giant for thousands of patents previously owned by Nortel. Rockstar, owned by Apple, Microsoft, BlackBerry, Ericsson, Sony and EMC, has accused Google of infringing on seven patents relating to technology that matches search terms to advertising.
read moreNovember 2013 Issue of Linux Journal: System Administration
- Nov
- 01
- Posted by Shawn Powers
- Posted in SysAdmin