open source

Free laptop-tracking system becomes available

Paul Mah — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 09:29:59 -0400

A joint research project between the University of Washington and the University of California-San Diego bore fruits in the form of Adeona, an open-source service aimed at helping businesses and individuals track the movements of lost or stolen laptops. When installed on laptops, Adeona will set up an encrypted connection to the open source OpenDHT storage servers. Should a laptop become lost, installing Adeona on another computer with the correct password will allow the victim to track his device via IP addresses. Unlike other commercial laptop-tracking products, privacy is maintained as no other users will have access to personal data on the protected laptop.

For more on this new open source service:
- check out this TechNewsWorld article

Via open sources laptop design

Paul Mah — Wed, 28 May 2008 06:09:20 -0400

In an unusual move, Via technologies has released the hardware design for a low-cost laptop under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 license. As can be expected, the design of the OpenBook laptop is based on Via's C7-M processor. It also sports an 8.9-inch screen with basic wireless modules for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

As long as the base design is attributed to Via, and changes to it are made available, the CAD files of the design can be freely downloaded, shared, and modified. The offered rationalization is that this will shorten the design time needed by system makers. However, the cynic cannot help but think that this is but a thinly veiled attempt to promote systems based on the Via-made C7 processor.

For more about Via's open source laptpop:
- check out the Computerworld article

First look: Google's Android

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 06:59:57 -0500

Did you miss DailyTechRag's online coverage of Google's big mobile announcement last week? For shame! Here's the quick lowdown, in case you're adverse to clicking on links: Google announced a mobile partnership called the Open Handset Alliance (OHA) with a number of high-profile partners including Intel, Synaptics, Marvell, Qualcomm, Motorola, Samsung, T-Mobile, Sprint, Skype, LG, HTC and DoCoMo. The OHA's first product will be Android, an open-source, next-gen mobile OS that will be offered to handset manufacturers free of charge. The catch? Android--like all of Google's other products--will be ad-supported.

At any rate, details on the OS were hazy at the time, with Google offering tantalizingly few details as to what the OS will look and feel like. Luckily, today marks the release date of the official SDK (software development kit) to developers and with that SDK comes the first peek at Android. As part of the SDK, Google has offered a series of videos to developers that demonstrate what Android is capable of. Looks like the initial reports were right: Android is very iPhone-like in a number of ways and even sports an almost identical, webkit-based browser and a suspiciously Cover Flow-like history interface. That aside, it looks very user-friendly and seems to be an extremely powerful platform, with support for 3G, touchscreens and full 3D graphics. The real selling point, however, will be the platform's open-source underpinnings. If the carriers allow customers to load their own applications on to Android devices, Android could become the enterprise platform of choice for those looking to write custom business apps.

For more on Android:
- watch these video demos
- and read last week's article and round-up of industry reactions

OMA takes control

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 06:59:57 -0400

Management has been an issue for personal computers since PC number 2 was carried through the office door, and mobile device management is beginning to take on a sense of urgency at many enterprise IT shops. The Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) is a group set up to deal with many mobile issues, but the working group that addresses Device Management (DM) criteria and standards is one of the most active. Both carriers and enterprise customers care about standardizing methods of keeping devices updated and administered, and neither really wants to be tied in to a single vendor for those capabilities. That doesn't mean that vendors are sitting back and waiting: Innopath Software is notable, but not unique, for making mobile device management a possibility.

For more on managing your fleet of smartphones:
- read the open-source report at WirelessWeek

Here come the Linux phones

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 06:59:58 -0400

Heard of OpenMoko? Most folks haven't. Don't worry, though: very few people have yet to catch wind of this Linux-based phone platform that's designed to compete with the iPhone. Some analysts say that the new phone, from a small company, can't compete with Apple or any of the major cell-phone providers. Others say that the market is ready for new phones regardless of the company providing them. This open-source based phone will be powerful and will follow the iPhone's lead in the ease-of-use category--though who knows whether the consortium will be able to pull it off.

For more on OpenMoko:
- read the product article at ComputerWorld

QUICKLINKS: Mobile vendors want more open source; Free S60 VoIP;

Sun, 22 Apr 2007 20:01:35 -0400

Mobile vendors want more open source article

Free S60 VoIP article

Beijing's Olympic wireless article

QUICKLINKS: Linux groups push for more open source mobile devices; How municipal WiFi efforts will impact the SMB wireless mark

Sun, 20 Aug 2006 20:00:50 -0400

> Linux groups push for more open source mobile devices. Article

> How municipal WiFi efforts will impact the SMB wireless market. Article

> Call centers are huge VoIP adopters these days. Article

> Military's network project mixes wireless and wired strategies. Article

> IBM's Sametime gets a VoIP infusion. Article

> Laptop theft, data loss more common than most think. Article

Resources for open source wireless efforts

Sun, 13 Nov 2005 19:01:34 -0500

Good news today for open source fans eager to push the system into the wireless sector. A new organization, called the Linux Phone Standards (LiPS) Forum, is working to advance "the adoption of Linux in fixed, mobile and converged devices" by employing standardization. To bone up on open source and wireless networking, check out this Web site, which not only offers an in-depth "how to" guide on building a Linux wireless LAN, but also boasts tons of links on various related topics such as wireless LAN hardware reviews and security software.