Tech Drive-in

YouTube Remote App for Android is Pretty Cool

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:05:00 +0000

First of all, this is not a new application. YouTube Remote app is an official Android app by Google and it has been there for sometime now. It is one of the better apps for Android made by Google but not many Android users, especially newbies, know about it. Here's everything you need to know about YouTube Remote Android application.

YouTube Remote for Android

With YouTube Remote, you can use your Android phone or tablet as a remote control for YouTube videos on your desktop computer or Internet TV. YouTube Remote app is platform agnostic and you can use it to watch and browse YouTube videos in Windows, Mac or Linux.

Install YouTube Remote App for Android

Using Your Android Phone as a Remote for Watching YouTube in Your PC

Once you are logged in, browse to My YouTube - Pair. Try browsing with your keyboard arrow keys instead of mouse clicks which seems more ideal for YouTube Leanback.

Initiate pairing and the following screen would pop up.

Those numbers and QR Code will be different for you(obviously).

Rest is pretty much self explanatory. Simply launch the YouTube Remote app in your Android and Pair it with your PC/Laptop(running Ubuntu 11.10 in my case).

YouTube Remote adds up as a good YouTube video client for your mobile as well.

Speaking of Android apps that let you remotely control your desktop in various ways, here is a collection of 5 cool apps that lets you remotely control popular media players in Linux including Banshee, Amarok, VLC, XBMC and Boxee.

Mr Legs - One of the Most Original Android Games I have Played in a Long Time

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:52:00 +0000

Mr Legs is a brand new Android game that promises a lot of fun. Gameplay is rather simple but very clever and addictive. Animations, visual style, artworks and everything else about this game is very creative. Though the game itself is rather simplistic by design, it is very well executed. Mr Legs is one of the most original games I have played in my Android in a long time. Mr Legs is non-free but you can always ask for a refund if you don't like it.

Mr Legs Game for Android

Very nicely executed game and unlike anything I have seen so far in Android Market.

And these guys do some clever advertising too.

Gotta love the Mr Legs character. My only gripe is that they should have included a free lite version of the game so that people could give it a try before purchasing.

But I have to add, since the gameplay is rather simple, 15 minutes (time window for refunds) is good enough to experience this beautiful little game.

I bought this game in the hope that I will ask for a refund after reviewing. But no, Mr Legs is worth keeping. I expect an improved sound score soon enough though.

Check out this Mr Legs gameplay video as well.

Download Mr Legs from Android Market

Install Mr Legs from Android Market

Now, if you are into more serious gaming, you are most welcome to check out our top Android games for 2011 collection. Thanks to reddit.com for the information.

First Ever Humble Indie Bundle for Android!

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:39:00 +0000

This is great news for all hard core Android gamers out there. Humble Indie Bundle has just released their first ever collection of games for Android at the usual pay-what-you-want price. Games include Anomaly: Warzone Earth, Osmos, EDGE, and World of Goo.

Humble Indie Bundle for Android

Unlike all previous Humble Bundles before, this latest set of games include support for Google's Android platform.

If you bought these games separately, it would cost around $60. With Humble Indie Bundle, you get to decide not only the price but also the way it should be split between developers and charity (EFF and Child's Play).

Games that you get from this latest Humble Bundle include Anomaly: Warzone Earth, Osmos and EDGE. And if you are willing to pay more than the average price (which was $5.89 at the time of writing this), you also get the indie classic World of Goo!

This doesn't mean that Humble Indie Bundle has dropped support for other platforms either. Mac, Windows, and Linux versions are still supported.

Also, when you buy the bundle, you'll also get the soundtracks of all the games! I have to tell you, the soundtracks of Osmos and EDGE are pretty amazing.

Interesting Video Review of all the Games Featured

Grab your Humble Indie Bundle copy right now.

Speaking of Android games, check out our collection of top Android games for 2011.

Unity 5.2 Released, Brings in Multi-Monitor Support

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:11:00 +0000

Unity 5.2 is released and it brings in some much needed features to Ubuntu's Unity shell. The new upgraded Unity comes with multi-monitor support and there is this tiny little Unity launcher related hack that is going to make the lives of so many Ubuntu users a wee bit easier.

What's New in Unity 5.2?

Most important features in new Unity include:

Seemingly well executed multi-monitor support. You will now see launchers on each of your monitor, and when you scroll across a monitor, you should feel some resistance in order to allow for you to use the launcher on that screen.

To invoke the launcher, you now need to push against the left of the screen, rather than hover for X seconds. No more hitting the back button in firefox and having the launcher pop up in your way. That was one annoying bug and it isn't there anymore.

Installing Latest Unity 5.2

Only Ubuntu 12.04 is supported at the moment. If you have installed Ubuntu 12.04 alpha, make sure that you are running the latest version of it before getting started.

Also, Unity 5.2 did not ship with "the HUD". So if you have been testing the HUD you will need to use ppa-purge to remove and downgrade your packages.

Now, follow the instructions to install latest Unity 5.2 in Ubuntu 12.04.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:unity-team/ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

Ubuntu 12.04 itself is bleeding edge stuff at the moment and a lot of things can go wrong. Compiz crashed immediately after upgrading to Unity 5.2 in my laptop. What I am saying is, you should be aware of the risks before getting your hands dirty.
[source: orangenotebook]

KDE's "Spark" Tablet Promises a Truly Open Future

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:07:00 +0000

If the near domination of Linux at CES 2012 wasn't good enough news for you, this little tablet from KDE is definitely going to make you happy. Out of the blue, lead KDE hacker Aaron Seigo announced to the world the imminent launch of Spark tablet running KDE's brand new Plasma Active desktop environment. Its name is "Spark", in recognition of it being the start to an even bigger flame, adds Aaron Seigo in his blog post.

KDE's 7" Spark Tablet Running Plasma Active

This is a bold new initiative by KDE community. Spark tablet will sport a seven-inch display (capacitive multi-touch) and will be powered by 1GHz AMLogic ARM processor, Mali-400 GPU and 512MB of RAM. Spark tablet will also have a modest but practical 4GB of internal storage space and an expandable SD card slot. Specs are modest at best, but what makes this tablet a true stand-out from the rest is its Plasma Active user interface.

KDE's Plasma desktop environment debuted for the first time when KDE 4.0 was officially launched nearly 4 years ago. Plasma Active is a variant of the original Plasma desktop environment, designed with touchscreen devices in mind. Plasma Active Two is the latest iteration of Plasma Active desktop environment and as you can see, it already looks quite interesting. Even if it looks somewhat complicated and over-functional at the moment, one can't deny the fact that this is a truly promising start.

But that is not all. What makes Spark tablet even more interesting is the fact that, it might just be the truly open tablet device we all have been waiting for. Yes, Android is Open Source, no question about that. But unlike Android, Plasma Active is the result of a passionate group of developers at KDE who constantly look for feedback from the community to improve. Plasma Active is primarily a collaborative venture and it will remain so in the foreseeable future.

"This is more than just another piece of hardware on the market, though. This is a unique opportunity for Free software. Finally we have a device coming to market on our terms. It has been designed by and is usable by us on our terms. We are not waiting for some big company to give us what we desire, we're going out there and making it happen together." That pretty much sums it up for you. Retail price of Spark tablet will be €200 which is about US$262.

Linux at CES 2012: Everything You Need to Know

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:47:00 +0000

Linux has been gaining some serious mileage over the years. Linux and other high-end Open Source software like Blender are not some hobbyists-only stuff anymore and the whole technology world is slowly starting to realize the positive and unbiased influence Open Source and Linux has on everything technology. Linux was quite prominently featured at just concluded International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2012 in various different forms. Let's go find out what those 'various forms' were. Read on.

How Can I Not Mention UbuntuTV!

Canonical revealed their attempt at recreating "TV for human beings" aka Ubuntu TV at International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2012, a major technology related trade show held each January at Las Vegas, USA . This was Canonical's first ever CES appearance and they made quite an impression. Here is a quick preview video of UbuntuTV in action.

Those who have used Ubuntu Unity before should find UbuntuTV UI quite familiar. Ubuntu TV will have a almost the same interface as the current Ubuntu Unity desktop, with the launcher on the left side. But that is where the similarity ends. The goal is to make Ubuntu TV the "OS for your television", and not a set-top box like Boxee Box for example.

With a slew of advertisements recently, Canonical is slowly upping its marketing pitch and UbuntuTV is next in line. UbuntuTV was featured prominently in almost all major technology blogs which I think is a positive sign of things to come. Canonical intends to push Ubuntu as a platform that works not just in desktops and laptops but in a wide variety of devices that include tablets, smartphones, automobile in-vehicle infotainment systems and so on. Along with the event, Canonical also launched the official UbuntuTV website.

Android Still Rules the Roost
Though it had its share of controversies, 2011 was a tremendous year for Google's open source Android OS. If 2011 proved to be the year of Android smartphones, it seems like 2012 is going to be the year of Android tablets. CES 2012 showed us clear signs of just that. But that doesn't mean Android has lost its mojo in the smartphones arena either. I will try to name some of the Android gadgets showcased at CES 2012 that became instant hits. Tablets first.

image via theverge.com

Asus Transformer Prime TF700T(10.1-inch LED backlit Gorilla Glass display), Asus MeMO Me370T(which apparently won the Best of CES award in the tablet category), Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7(with gorgeous 7.7-inch Super AMOLED Plus display), Toshiba Excite X10(which was one among the thinnest Android tablets around).

Now the smartphones. Galaxy Note with 5.3" HD Super AMOLED display, Motorola Droid Razr MAXX with a massive 3300 mAh battery, Sony Xperia S with a 12MP camera and a 1.5GHz dual-core processor(many consider Sony Xperia S as the best Android smartphone introduced at CES). PS: I will try to feature a more elaborate list very soon.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Hybrid Laptop
Lenovo unveiled a range of ThinkPads a week before CES 2012 and they all were prominently displayed at CES. The range included an interesting laptop, termed as Lenovo X1 ThinkPad "Hybrid", which is capable of stretching the battery life by a big margin using the hybrid's Instant Media Mode, powered by a second processor and operating system(read Linux).

ThinkPad range of laptops have always been regarded as market leader in terms of quality and durability. Lenovo X1 Thinkpad Hybrid lets you switch over to Linux(from Windows) with the press of a button. Lenovo calls it Instant Media Mode (IMM) and they even claim that this will double the battery life of the laptop.

IMM includes a Qualcomm dual core processor, up to 16 GB of memory and a custom Linux-based operating system. To switch to IMM from Windows, users need to simply click on an icon on the laptop’s home screen. With IMM, the laptop operates much like a smartphone, remaining turned on and requiring fewer charging sessions, claims Lenovo.

Using IMM, users can watch videos, view photos, listen to music and browse the web(which are pretty much the stuff an average laptop user would do on any given day) while preserving precious battery life. If IMM lets you do all that in a smooth, easy-to-use manner, then I will not be surprised to see more users preferring IMM over bulky Windows OS for day-to-day use.

OLPC XO 3.0 Tablet
Non-profit One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project, along with Marvell Technology Group, unveiled their next generation low-cost, low-power, and all-terrain XO-3 tablets at CES 2012.

The OLPC project started off with the novel idea of bringing basic computing technology to the hands of children across the globe through its range of low-cost, low-power, rugged devices with lightweight and powerful software. XO-3.0 range of rugged touchscreen devices will succeed XO-1 laptops which were officially launched in 2008.

The 8-inch XO-3.0 tablet features a 1024x768 Pixel Qi sunlight-readable display, 512MB of RAM, and is powered by Marvell Armada PXA618 ARM System-on-a-Chip(SoC). The operating system used will be either Android or Sugar(both Linux based), depending on the hardware configuration. Though there is no official confirmation yet, many analysts believe that OLPC's XO 3.0 tablet will be affordably priced at US$100 or less.

Qooq Kitchen-Friendly Tablet
Qooq is a very interesting and uniquely designed tablet by French manufacturer Unowhy. It sports a splash-resistant 10.1-inch display and is powered by 1GHz Cortex A9 processor.

image via engadget.com

Unlike other fancy tablets out there, Qooq does not run on popular platforms like Android or iOS. Instead Qooq uses a heavily customized Linux OS(which also means a-lot-less thrid-party apps). Qooq at the moment is available for sale in France only, but many reports suggest that this niche product might find its way to US market sooner than you think.

Nuvola Player Might Just be the Perfect Replacement for Banshee in Ubuntu

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:34:00 +0000

Nuvola Player is so unlike any of the music players for Linux we have featured here so far. What Nuvola Player does is, it runs web interface of cloud music service in its own window and provides deep integration with the Linux desktop (system tray, Ubuntu sound menu, dock menu and notifications). Nuvola Player's currently supported services include Google Music, Grooveshark, Hype Machine and 8tracks.

Why Nuvola?

When I said Nuvola is the perfect replacement for Banshee in Ubuntu, I didn't mean that Nuvola beats Banshee in terms of features it offer, far from it. But if you are someone who stream music from one of the many popular cloud based music services like Google Music or Grooveshark (which a lot of people these days do), then Nuvola Player is all you need.

That is what Nuvola Player's basic interface looks like in Ubuntu 11.10. Nuvola Player is lightweight and integrates really well with your Unity based Ubuntu desktop. Nuvola has Unity quicklists support and it neatly jells with Ubuntu sound indicator menu.

More elaborate list of features across different platforms can be found here.

How to Install Nuvola Player Stable in Ubuntu 11.10, Ubuntu 11.04?

Just do the following in Terminal.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:nuvola-player-builders/stable
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install nuvolaplayer

And you are done.

Beta and Unstable builds of Nuvola Player also available for download.

Random Screenshots of Nuvola Player Running Grooveshark

Click on the images to see them in full size. Will you use Nuvola as a replacement for your preferred music player in Linux? Share your thoughts. Meanwhile, if you are an Android user, check out our collection of top music player apps for Android.

4 New Professionally Done Ubuntu Adverts[Official]

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 23:01:00 +0000

Canonical is slowly stepping up its marketing pitch. When you look back at the history of Ubuntu, you will see that Canonical has invested almost nothing into any sort of serious Ubuntu promotional activities yet. But that is changing. Ubuntu 12.04 Precise Pangolin release, which is only a few months away, is perhaps the most important Ubuntu release to date and Canonical is doing everything they possibly can to make it big this time around.

Introducing Ubuntu Ad

Choose Ubuntu Ad

And a Few Words About Ubuntu 11.10

Ubuntu TV Intro Ad

Those Ubuntu promotional videos are super-awesome and they are pretty popular too. Subscribe to Celebrate Ubuntu at YouTube for more interesting Ubuntu stuff. You might also want to check out our compilation of top RedHat commercials as well. Thanks for reading.

Temple Run for Android Arriving on Feb 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:53:00 +0000

Temple Run is a hugely popular endless-running game which was released for iPhone and iPad in August 2011. Temple Run has already been downloaded more than 20 million times now and there are about 7 million daily active users. It is now the number one free app for iOS platform. Imangi Studios, the dev team behind Temple Run, has recently announced the imminent launch of Temple Run for Android platform.

Temple Run for Android Will be Released on Feb 2012

Mobile game developer Imangi Studios has revealed that its endless-running smartphone game Temple Run has been downloaded more than 20 million times since it was launched for iOS platform in 2011. In an interview with TechCrunch, Imangi Studios co-founder Natalia Luckyanova explained that the game now sees 7 million daily active users, with 1 percent of users paying for in-app purchases.

"On a (Samsung) Galaxy not-so-far away. Temple Run Android coming February 2012. We're so excited to announce this and appreciate all of our fans' support across both platforms!"- read one the recent status updates of Temple Run facebook page. Arrival of popular games and apps from all sorts of platforms and consoles is a testament to the stupendous growth Android platform has managed to achieve in such a short span of time.

PS: Don't miss our post featuring top android games for 2011.

3 Nice Blender Made Games for Linux

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 01:28:00 +0000

Blender is known for its 3D creation capabilities worldwide and is widely used for creating animated films, visual effects, interactive 3D applications and games with cutting edge computer graphics. Quite a number of videos and animated movies have already been created using Blender and we have featured the very best of them before. But they are not alone, games are there too. Let's find out the best games available for Linux made using Blender.

Yo Frankie!, like the official Blender made movies, is an open video game made by the Blender Foundation. Game is created entirely using free and open source software and supports Linux, Mac and Windows platforms. As with the open movie projects, the game is partly designed to promote the open source modeling and animation tool Blender.

Download Yo Frankie! for Windows, Mac and Linux

Dead Cyborg is a free to play, donation based, sci-fi adventure game for Windows and Linux(Mac support on its way). The game uses free and open source Blender game engine.

Download Dead Cyborg for Windows, Linux

Steel Storm is an independent video game series developed by Kot-in-Action Creative Artel. The games are divided into two episodes, with Episode One being available at no charge and Episode Two (titled as Steel Storm: Burning Retribution) being a commercial product. If you can remember, Humble Indie Bundle 3 did feature Steel Storm: Burning Retribution episode. Though this game use DarkPlaces game engine, Blender 3D software suite is extensively used for modelling and texturing. Steel Storm is available in Ubuntu Software Center.

Steel Storm Official Website

Hope you liked them. Now, if you would like to put your creativity skills to test, check out these useful Blender tutorials and give some of them a first hand try.

Android 4.0 ICS Inspired GNOME Shell Theme

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:20:00 +0000

More GNOME Shell themes for ya. Following is one of the most distinctive GNOME Shell theme I have seen so far. This particular GNOME Shell theme, aptly named as Ice Cream Shell, is inspired from the latest version of Android OS called Android 4.0 codenamed Ice Cream Sandwich. To put it lightly, Ice Cream Shell is a job well done.

Ice Cream Shell: Android 4.0 Inspired GNOME Shell Theme

Before getting started with the theme, Download Android 4.0's Roboto Font.

Extract it and double-click each of its contents to install ICS Roboto Font in Ubuntu.

Download Ice Cream Shell GNOME Shell theme

Install GNOME Shell Themes Extension for Faster GNOME Shell Theme Installation

Install GNOME Tweak Tool first of all, if you haven't already.

Now install User-Theme GNOME Shell extension from PPA. For that, simply copy-paste the following commands into Terminal.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:webupd8team/gnome3
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install gnome-shell-extensions-user-theme

Done. Now, hit ALT + F2 and type 'r' and then press ENTER. Alternatively, you could simply log out and log back in.

Afterwards, launch GNOME Tweak Tool and browse to Shell Extensions.

There you will see User Themes Extension set to OFF. Change mode to ON.

Download ICS GNOME Shell Theme and Manage them Using User-Theme Extension

Extract the downloaded ICS GNOME Shell theme. Copy-paste the extracted folder to /home/USERNAME/.themes directory(create the directory if there isn't one).

Theme directory you just copied should be of the form THEME_NAME/gnome-shell. This is very important because, User-Theme GNOME Shell Extension loads themes from ~/.themes/THEME_NAME/gnome-shell directory.

Finally, launch GNOME Tweak Tool and browse to 'Theme' menu.

And choose Ice Cream Shell GNOME Shell theme. Done.

Speaking of themes, ANewStart GNOME Shell Theme + AwOken Icons Theme seems like a perfect GNOME Shell theme combination to me. Try it out if you are interested.

[Thanks to Ivan for the tip!]

Samsung's Profits Soar Powered by its Arsenal of Android Smartphones

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 21:24:00 +0000

Asia's largest consumer electronics company, Samsung Electronics, is on a roll. Beating all estimates, Samsung reported a record quarterly profit, primarily on back of surging sales of its Galaxy line of Android smartphones. Smartphone shipments were so massive that it completely masked Samsung's declining earnings in Chips and LCD Panel business.

Samsung Reports Record Quarterly Profits

Samsung's smartphone shipments surpassed a record 300 million units last year as its Galaxy range of smartphones became a rage all over the world. Samsung has reportedly shipped more than 10 million units of its recently launched high-end Galaxy S2 smartphone since May 2011, which also became Samsung's fastest selling smartphone to date.

According to Bloomberg, Samsung's operating profit increased 73 percent to 5.2 trillion won ($4.5 billion) in the three months that ended in December, company said in a statement today. That beat the 4.6 trillion-won average of 29 analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Sales rose 12 percent to 47 trillion won.

But things are not all hunky dory for Samsung Electronics. Samsung, which bought out Sony Corp.'s stake in their LCD-making venture last month(which was formed in 2004), is introducing more high-end smartphones and tablets to cushion the slump in its computer chips and TV panel sales. Profits from its semiconductor division fell by around 11 percent to 1.6 trillion won on sales of 9.65 trillion won while the average selling price of Samsung’s flat-screen panels dropped 21 percent in 2011 amid stagnating TV sales, according to Bloomberg.

10 Greatest Android Games for 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:02:00 +0000

It's 2012 already and the impact Android had on the overall mobile eco system in the year 2011 was nothing short of spectacular. Nearly 700,000 Android activations are happening everyday(which doesn't include Amazon, Nook tablets apparently) and Android Market is teeming with some 400,000 applications. I have never been a good PC gamer of sorts, but I'm really enjoying many Android games. Here are my favorite 10 Android games for 2011.

If you think Angry Birds is the most addictive game for Android, think again. Where's My Water by Disney is astonishingly simple and incredibly addictive game for Android that works on devices of all shapes and sizes. To put things in perspective, I have never ever played a game in my Android so passionately. Where's My Water is a lot fun. Period. And there is this Where's My Water free version to experience this little gem first hand.

Install Where's My Water from Android Market

Asphalt 6: Adrenaline HD is unequivocally my favorite Android racing game to date. It's a lot of fun and visualizations are brilliant. The only downside is that, this game is pretty heavy(some 700MB download) and might not work properly in lower end Android devices. Well, that is quite understandable too given the kind of visual effects this pretty game has got. And it works darn good in my Android 2.3.3 powered, dual core, Galaxy S2.

Install Asphalt 6: Adrenaline HD from Android Market

If you are a regular here, you probably know how much I like this game, long before it even debuted on Android platform. World of Goo is creative little game for young and adults alike. World of Goo for Android was released only recently and it became an instant hit. It is rated 4.9 in Android Market, which alone speaks volumes about the quality of this cute little game for Android. World of Good Demo available.

Install World of Goo from Android Market

Great Little War Game(GLWG) is a 3D turn-based strategy game for Android with a unique comical style animations and characters. Very addictive and sometimes a little bit frustrating too since its not really an easy game to play and win. Highly recommended.

Install Great Little War Game from Android Market

Yet another masterpiece from Disney. Like Where's My Water, Puffle Launch is an entirely new game and you won't be able to find anything even closely similar to this in the Android Market, which is quite a rare phenomenon. This is my second most favorite game from Disney and I play it almost every day. No free demo version available though.

Install Puffle Launch from Android market

Reckless Getaway is one of a kind. Even though not as eyecandy as Asphalt 6 racing game, Reckless Getaway is just as fun to play, especially the chapter where you get the truck to play. Reckless Getaway is not a racing game per se. It is more about tackling incoming vehicles and cop cars. Controls are very accurate and the game never hangs or lags at all.

Install Reckless Getaway from Android Market

Unlike the other games featured here, Heavy Gunner 3D is not a highly rated game in the Android Market. But I found this game worth every penny. One thing that really stands out is its dark sound score. I feel a bit exhausted every time I play this game, not because of any inadequacies of the game but because of the fact that this is a pretty engaging game that demands your full attention. Totally worth it.

Install Heavy Gunner 3D from Android Market

Flick Golf is perhaps the most addictive Golf game I have played in my Android. It is not very sophisticated n' all, but a neatly implemented, lightweight game. This is definitely going to kill a lot of time for you. Game itself is non-free and no demo version is available.

Install Flick Golf from Android Market

Don't get fooled by the apparent simplicity of Train Conductor 2: USA game for Android. This is a solid game with an excellent game play that will test your multitasking capabilities to the core. Must have. Free demo version called Train Conductor 2 Lite also available.

Install Train Conductor 2: USA from Android Market

Dead Space is a newcomer to Android Market and it is already creating ripples. I have just started playing it and I have to say this looks like one of the most polished games I have ever played on Android. Very resource hungry and battery hog, but that is expected from a heavy game like this. If nothing else, animations and effects alone are a treat to watch. But before buying, read a lot of reviews and make sure that Dead Space works properly in your device.

Install Dead Space from Android Market

If you thought Asphalt 6: Adrenaline HD was the only good game by Gameloft, then you are wrong. 9mm HD is their best game to date in my opinion. As with every other Gameloft game, 9mmHD is also pretty resource hungry and it also requires more than 1GB of download initially. But with all that graphics and effects, 9mmHD totally worth that price.

Install 9mmHD from Android Market

Note: I have deliberately excluded many Android games to avoid repetition, since we had already featured many of them in a previous article(which were also pretty lightweight). If you would like to check them out, here is it: 15 best games for Android. Thanks for reading.

Ubuntu One Files for iOS App Released

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 19:19:00 +0000

Canonical kicked off the new year in style. Ubuntu One client for Android and Windows platforms were released some months ago and finally the iOS version is also here. Ubuntu One is now a truly multi-platform cloud storage service like Dropbox for example.

Ubuntu One Files for iOS

Long awaited Ubuntu One Files app for iOS is now ready for download in the iTunes app store. Ubuntu One Files Android app has been downloaded hundreds and thousands of times already from Android Market and still enjoys a 4.4 rating. Hope the Ubuntu One Files iOS app also fares well in terms of quality and usefulness.

Download Ubuntu One Files for iOS from App Store

There is more. Ubuntu will be officially present at CES 2012, the world's largest consumer technology tradeshow, and will showcase Ubuntu One along with Ubuntu OS. All in all, it seems like 2012 is going to be a pretty busy year for Canonical and Ubuntu, for good.

Wikipedia Raises $20M, Will Continue to be the Only Major Website Funded by its Users

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 21:21:00 +0000

Remember those huge fundraising banners atop every Wikipedia page? Well, now it's gone, thanks to its loyal users from all across the globe who pitched in with whatever they can. Wikimedia Foundation has raised some 20 million USD during the fundraising drive, enough to meet most of its requirements for the year ahead.

Wikipedia Will Remain as the Only Major Website Entirely Supported by its Users

"We've taken down our fundraising banners, because we’ve hit our target", wrote Sue Gardner, Wikimedia Foundation's Executive Director, in a recent blog post.

"Over the past few months, more than one million people have come together from all over the world to keep Wikipedia and its sister sites alive and flourishing for another year." And that one million donations came from almost every country on the planet.

Wikimedia Foundation’s communications chief, Jay Walsh, wrote, "it is our most successful campaign ever, continuing an unbroken streak in which donations have risen every year since the campaigns began in 2003." The number of Wikimedia Foundation donors has increased ten-fold since 2008 and the total dollar amount raised in the campaign has risen to over $20 million from $4.5 million.

Funds raised in this campaign will be used to buy and install servers and other hardware, to develop new site functionality, expand mobile services, provide legal defense for the projects, and support the large global community of Wikimedia volunteers. The Wikimedia Foundation’s total 2011-12 planned spending is 28.3 million USD. The bulk of that is raised during the annual campaign and the remainder comes throughout the year in the form of grants from institutions (such as the Sloan Foundation) and many other small donations year round.

Wikimedia Foundation websites serve more than 470 million people every month. It is the only major website supported not by advertising, but by donations from readers, wrote Walsh.

ANewStart GNOME Shell Theme + AwOken Icons Theme = Pure Art!

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:49:00 +0000

GNOME Shell is a fast evolving platform and like Unity, it is both loved and loathed by its vast user base. But one thing I am so excited about GNOME Shell is its ever improving theme-ing capabilities. Third party GNOME Shell themes are pouring in and one such theme grabbed my attention like no other. ANewStart theme pack consists of both GTK 3.0 theme and GNOME Shell theme which makes it even more desirable. ANewStart GNOME Shell theme when used along with highly customizable Awoken icons theme is pure joy.

ANewStart GNOME Shell Theme + AwOken Icons Theme

Before getting started, here are some of the things you should have:

GNOME Tweak Tool is a must with User-Theme GNOME Shell extension installed.

GNOME Tweak Tool is in default Ubuntu repositories, just search for it in Ubuntu Software Center. Now, to install User-Theme GNOME Shell Extension, see instructions.

After installing both, launch GNOME Tweak Tool and goto Shell Extensions and set User Themes Extension you just installed to ON.

Done. Now lets get started with installation of themes.

How to Install ANewStart GNOME Shell Theme in Ubuntu 11.10?

Download ANewStart GNOME Shell theme.

Extarct the ZIP file and copy the extracted directory to /home/USERNAME/.themes directory. [Replace USERNAME with you-know-what]

Now, launch GNOME Tweak Tool and browse to Theme and choose ANewStart from Shell theme's drop down menu(as in the screenshot below).

Done. ANewStart GNOME Shell theme is now your default GNOME Shell Theme.

How to Install ANewStart GTK 3.0 Theme in Ubuntu 11.10?

Download ANewStart GNOME 3.0 theme pack.

Extract it and you will see that the extracted directory contains a whole lot of stuff ranging from Unity tweaks to Old version theme. But we don't need all that. Initially, select the first folder in that group whose file name starts with a "1" (without quotes).

You will see another directory with filename "ANewStart" (without quotes).

We need to copy this directory to /usr/share/themes/ folder (minus the "gnome-shell" directory since we already have installed ANewStart GNOME Shell theme using instructions above). And you have to open Nautilus as root to do that(Hit ALT + F2, type 'gksu nautilus' and give password when prompted).

After copying, /usr/share/themes/ANewStart/ directory should look like this.

Done. Now launch GNOME Tweak Tool and browse to Theme tab.

Do as illustrated in screenshot above.

How to Install AwOken Icons Theme in Ubuntu 11.10?

AwOken PPA is available. Simply do the following in Terminal to install AwOken.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:alecive/antigone
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install awoken-icon-theme

Done. AwOken Icons consists of 3 themes: AwOken, AwOken Dark & AwOken White. Use GNOME Tweak Tool yet again to choose the right one for you. I prefer customized AwOken Dark over the other two.

You can further use the AwOken customization script to unlock a whole gamut of options like different types of folders and colors. As you can see in our screenshots, I have been using a different folder type called 'Classy' with Ocean Blue color scheme.

Instructions on how to use AwOken customization script and other info.

Random Screenshots of my GNOME Shell Desktop in Ubuntu 11.10

Click on the images to see it in full size. Thanks for reading.

Aeon Nox 2.0 XBMC Theme Released, Looks Fantastic!

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 23:11:00 +0000

Many consider XBMC as one the finest, if not the best, media center application out there, which is also open source. Starting from the previous XBMC 10 'Dharma' release, XBMC started supporting add-ons officially which made it super easy to install third-party developed skins and apps for XBMC. Aeon Nox 2.0 was one such long awaited theme for XBMC and it is now available with the default XBMC 11 repositories.

Aeon Nox 2.0 XBMC Skin Released

Aeon Nox is one of the most popular XBMC skins out there and its version 2.0 was keenly awaited. Now that it is released and available in XBMC repositories, installing and testing of Aeon Nox 2.0 XBMC theme is a breeze.

Some of the listed changes include:

Everything in the main menu can now be customized through "Customize Main Menu" in the Home Window Options.

All sub-menu items can now be disabled or enabled.

Added custom sub-menu items for custom main menu items.

Added tooltip to indicate that there is a media menu on the left side of the screen. New home menu style 'Aura' added.

Redesigned Weather window and Next Aired window.

How to Install Latest XBMC 11.0 Eden Beta 1 in Ubuntu 11.10?

To install latest Aeon Nox 2.0 XBMC skin, you need to have latest XBMC 11.0 Eden beta 1 installed. Aeon Nox 2.0 is available in the default repositories of XBMC 11.0 Eden Beta.

Do the following in Terminal to install XBMC 11.0 Eden Beta 1 in Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:team-xbmc/unstable
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install xbmc

Done. Now launch XBMC 11.0 Beta.

How to Install Aeon Nox 2.0 Theme in XBMC?

Installation is rather easy since it is available in default XBMC repositories. Launch XBMC 11 and goto System - Settings.

Choose Addons from the sidebar menu.

And search for Aeon Nox.

You will be given an option to download Aeon Nox 2.0.

That's it. Now just choose the theme when downloading is finished.

Random Screenshots of XBMC 11 Running Aeon Nox 2.0

Thanks for reading and have a nice day.

Install Latest GNOME Shell 3.3.2 in Ubuntu 11.10 via PPA

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:55:00 +0000

Back in the old GNOME 2.0 days, Ricotz testing PPA was one of the first bastions of those who wanted to try out very early versions of GNOME Shell. Now that GNOME 3.0 is what Ubuntu 11.10 is based on makes Ricotz testing PPA even more useful. It lets you install bleeding edge snapshots of GNOME Shell in your Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot without much trouble. Learn how to install latest GNOME 3.3.2 in Ubuntu 11.10 via PPA.

IMPORTANT EDIT: It seems like a lot of you are finding issues while trying to follow the instructions. Just received a mail a Ricotz PPA owner briefing on the need for adding the following PPA as well for the proper working of it - ppa:gnome3-team/gnome3. Also, it is recommended that you read the full PPA description before getting started.

I still wonder why everything worked so smooth for me, even though I haven't added the gnome3-team PPA to my sources.list file. In fact, I did an entire post on GNOME Shell theming after upgrading to GNOME Shell 3.3.2 using Ricotz PPA. I am deeply sorry for the troubles, if any, this post might have caused.

GNOME Shell 3.3.2 in Ubuntu 11.10

Warning: What you get from Ricotz testing PPA are bleeding edge versions of GNOME Shell and it can become unstable at times.

My experience so far with GNOME Shell 3.3.2 in Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric has been really good. Every GNOME Shell extension I use and every GNOME Shell theme I ever installed are all working great.

But that doesn't guarantee anything. It might act weird on other hardwares. Simply speaking, you should know what you are doing.

How to Install GNOME Shell 3.3.2 in Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric via PPA?

Install GNOME Shell first(if you haven't already). Just search for GNOME Shell package in Ubuntu Software Center and install it.

OR Click here to install GNOME Shell in Ubuntu 11.10.

Now, simply copy-paste the following commands into Terminal.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ricotz/testing
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade

Done. Your GNOME Shell desktop in Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric will now be upgraded to latest GNOME Shell 3.3.2 version.

Having said that, upgrading to GNOME Shell 3.3.2 was not all smooth for me. After doing sudo apt-get upgrade in Terminal, I had to do a partial upgrade using Update Manager in Ubuntu since many updates were kept back.

How to Undo Everything You Just Did?

One word: PPA-Purge. Install PPA-Purge first and then Purge the Ricotz testing PPA for GNOME Shell using PPA-Purge. Just follow the commands below. [Warning: PPA-Purge may or may not work 100% satisfactorily. Do it at your own risk].

sudo apt-get install ppa-purge
sudo ppa-purge ppa:ricotz/testing

Done. Now that you have the latest GNOME Shell 3.3.2, learn the basic things to do after installing GNOME Shell in Ubuntu 11.10.

Top 10 Android Live Wallpapers for 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 23:29:00 +0000

2011 has been an eventful year as far as Google's Android OS is concerned. Android is the fastest growing mobile phone platform right now adding some 700,000 new activations every single day. Following that trend is the exploding growth of apps for Android. Nearly 400,000 apps are already available in the Android Market which have been downloaded more than a billion times. Let's try and find out the best Android live wallpapers for 2011 among them.

Snowfall Live Wallpaper has been by default since this December. What makes it different from the rest is its simplicity and its compatibility with even the lower end Android devices. And of course, Snowfall Live Wallpaper looks pretty darn beautiful. A mush have for every Live Wallpaper enthusiast among you. Free version(with limited set of features) also available.

Install Snowfall Live Wallpaper from Android Market

Sun Rise Wallpaper has been a long time favorite of mine and it still remains so. This live wallpaper for Android features tree silhouette, on top of a morning sky background with soft cloud moving, birds flying, and rainbow appearing occasionally. With the full paid version, you can choose to have the rainbow appear while you receive an SMS. You can also choose how the birds can flock together to display a Good Morning message in the morning, which is a true delight to the eyes and senses. Free version also available.

Install Sun Rise Live Wallpaper from Android Market

Light Grid Pro is a simple live wallpaper which displays a grid of lights fading in and out. That 'fading in and out' effect gives your display an apparent 3D depth, which looks really pretty especially in dark light conditions. Free version live wallpaper available.

Install Light Grid Pro Live Wallpaper from Android Market

Season Zen HD live wallpaper has got perhaps the most stunning visuals among all the above featured live wallpapers. What makes it even more unique is its ability to automatically pan the camera back and forth. Free version Season Zen available albeit with a lot less features.

Install Season Zen HD Live Wallpaper from Android Market

Buggies! Live Wallpaper is a new comer to the Android Market with only a few thousand downloads. But its simple looks and interesting concept is already winning many hearts and minds. Don't under estimate this cute little live wallpaper based on the numbers. And of course the whole package is completely free, unlike all the top live wallpapers featured here so far.

Install Buggies! Live Wallpaper from Android Market

And then there is Koi Live Wallpaper. It was perhaps the first live wallpaper I ever installed in my Android device and it looked drop dead gorgeous at the time. The HD quality of this 3D live wallpaper still amazes me, so is its responsiveness. Koi Live Wallpaper is one Android app you just can't miss. Period. Koi free version available from the Android Market.

Install Koi Live Wallpaper from Android Market

Developed by the same people behind Koi live wallpaper, City at Night Live Wallpaper is a real stand out. It features moving clouds and streaks from the traffic enhance this beautiful long-exposure image of a city at night. No free version available unfortunately.

Install City at Night Live Wallpaper from Android Market

Celtic Garden live wallpaper is a real treat to your eyes. Animations are all smooth and it doesn't gobble up a sizable amount of resources either to work. Celtic Garden live wallpaper features a verdant animated Irish forest with a charming fountain in the center. The three-dimensional dynamic scene includes animated water, shamrocks, cascading sunlight etc. Not really tuned for landscape mode though(and hence the screenshot). Free version available.

Install Celtic Garden HD Live Wallpaper from Android Market

Mystic Halo is a cool Android 3.0 honeycomb-inspired live wallpaper that makes good use of abstract art. It is one of those wallpapers you wouldn't mind using on a daily basis. Again, not really tuned for landscape mode. Mystic Halo Free version available.

Install Mystic Halo Live Wallpaper from Android Market

Neon Gears Live Wallpaper is another promising new comer to Android Market. It looks very futuristic yet so simple at the same time. Neon Gears Free version is available but with very limited set of features(not even that Neon clock).

Install Neon Gears Live Wallpaper from Android Market

These are some of my favorite live wallpapers for Android. Of course there are plenty more out there. If you are not able to find your favorite Android live wallpaper in the above list, feel free to leave a comment. Phone used: Samsung Galaxy S2, Homescreen Launcher: LauncherPro, Version: Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread. New year wishes is advance to all of you!

MyUnity vs. Ubuntu Tweak 0.6: Two of the Finest Unity Tweak Tools Compared

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 13:47:00 +0000

One of the biggest complaints about both Unity and GNOME Shell desktop environments is the lack of easy customization options. Many third party apps are trying to fill that gap. MyUnity and the just released Ubuntu Tweak 0.6 are two of the finest tweak tools of Ubuntu Unity. But how does they fare against each other? Which one of them looks better integrated with Unity desktop? Let's find out. MyUnity vs Ubuntu Tweak 0.6, a comparison.

MyUnity - Unofficial Ubuntu Unity Configurator

One of the first things you notice about MyUnity tweak tool for Ubuntu is the fact that it looks and feels very much like a native Ubuntu application. It is designed to look like the slider you see when you install Ubuntu where you are taken for a quick tour through various Ubuntu features and applications while OS installation is going on.

Most elaborate Unity launcher related settings, all in one slide.

Dash is one of the highlights of Unity. Basic settings for Unity Dash included.

To install MyUnity in Ubuntu 11.10 via PPA, simply copy-paste the following commands into Terminal, one by one.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:myunity/ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install myunity

Done. MyUnity is installed and ready to go.

Some other settings included in MyUnity tweak tool are the ones meant for setting panel transparency, selecting icons that should be shown on desktop, selecting fonts etc. Good bits apart, MyUnity is a fairly new application and has its fair share of rough edges. For example, in the Unity launcher settings slide, when I tried to change the 'behavior' of launcher to 'Avoid Window', it keeps resetting to 'Hidden' mode when I restart MyUnity. This happened more than once. Hope tiny bugs like these get squashed soon.

Ubuntu Tweak 0.6 Released

Unlike MyUnity, Ubuntu Tweak is a very popular Ubuntu application for many years now. Ubuntu Tweak 0.6 was just released and it is now better tuned for Ubuntu 11.10's Unity interface. Many of the tweaks I did for Ubuntu 11.10 can now be done easily using Ubuntu Tweak 0.6. As you can see above, Ubuntu Tweak's home screen displays all the essential hardware and software information you'll ever need.

Unity Settings is introduced in Ubuntu Tweak 0.6 for the first time. With Unity Settings, you can change the behavior of Launcher, the size of Launcher, the size of Dash, even the blur type of Dash in a few clicks. You don't need CCSM anymore to do any of these. Under the 'Desktop' menu, there is another 'Compiz Settings' option which lets you manage many of the Compiz tweaks for Ubuntu Unity that we featured sometime ago.

With Theme Settings, you can easily change the default theme of Ubuntu. You can manually choose the right GTK Theme, Icon Theme, Cursor theme, Window theme etc. Fonts settings is also there, if you want a larger or smaller sized format of the font.

Janitor is welcome addition to the latest iteration of Ubuntu Tweak. It lets you liberate tons of free disk space which otherwise might not have caught your attention.

And the best part is, Ubuntu Tweak is now well integrated with Unity Launcher.

To install latest Ubuntu Tweak 0.6, just do the following in Terminal.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:tualatrix/ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install ubuntu-tweak

Done. Ubuntu Tweak 0.6 is now installed in your Ubuntu.

It seems to me as clear as daylight that, MyUnity in its current form is not near as good or functional as Ubuntu Tweak 0.6. MyUnity covers only a subset of features that is currently offered in Ubuntu Tweak. Clearly, Ubuntu Tweak 0.6 is the Unity tweak tool to beat.

TSF Shell Pro 3D Android Launcher - Could This be the App That Sets Charts on Fire?

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 23:32:00 +0000

TSF Shell Pro 3D is an Android launcher still under construction. From the initial looks of it, TSF Shell Pro 3D could just be the most awesome Android Launcher to date. In our earlier review featuring top launchers for Android, we saw simple, lightweight launchers like Launcher Pro to high profile, flamboyant ones like SPB Shell 3D. But from what I have seen so far, nothing comes anywhere near to what TSF Shell 3D launcher has to offer.

TSF Shell Pro 3D Android Launcher Demo Video

Want to know why I am so excited about TSF Shell Pro 3D Launcher? Watch this.

And that's TSF Shell for you. If that ain't 'launcher on steroids', what is? And it's reportedly running on HTC Desire HD, not a very high end Android device when compared to peers like Samsung Galaxy S2, Galaxy Nexus or HTC Sensation. If it can run that smooth in an HTC Desire HD, TSF Shell 3D might not be that resource hungry after all. I just hope that TSF Shell 3D launcher see the light of the day soon enough. Good luck to the devs.

[Source: TSF Shell website, thanks to our reader Jason for the tip!]

Aakash: World's Cheapest Android Tablet Goes on Sale, Sold Out in No Time!

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 16:00:00 +0000

Aakash is no iPad. It is cheap and specifications are not over the roof. But the kind of interest this little Android tablet has generated all over the world is nothing short of spectacular. With all the hype around, the most important thing as far as the Aakash Tablet manufacturers were concerned was the timely launch of the device. And they have delivered. Just around 2 months after the official announcement, Aakash tablet is now up for sale.

Aakash Tablet up for Sale!
India's ultra low-cost tablet has finally arrived. The 7" Android tablet was co-developed by Datawind and Indian Institute of Technology Rajasthan to aid the adoption of technology in rural India. Aakash tablet is an integral part of India's aim to link 25,000 colleges and 400 universities in an e-learning program with an ultimate production goal of millions of units.

Datawind has kept its promise and has launched Ubislate7 in India, and the student version is it named as the Aakash tablet. Following is what makes the launch even more interesting. The team of engineers at Datawind has come up with the upgraded version of the Aakash tablet. This upgraded version of Aakash is called Ubislate 7. See specifications below.

As you can see, UbiSlate 7 is a pretty huge upgrade from basic Aakash tablet. It sports a Cortex A8 700Mhz processor(about twice as much processing power), larger 3200 mAh battery and runs a hugely improved Android 2.3 Gingerbread version. UbiSlate 7 tablet can also work as a normal mobile phone with added SIM and GPRS functionality.

How Much Does it Cost?
Now the key question is, with all the added features and specifications how much does both these tablets cost? The base version of Aakash tablet cost Rs.2500 while the upgraded UbiSlate 7 tablet cost just Rs.2999. At current exchange rates, the respective prices will be something like US$47.63 and US$57.14 in dollar terms. So you are paying a little extra for a whole lot more. One hell of a deal in my opinion.

Moreover, the base version of Aakash tablet was sold out immediately after its launch, quite understandable given the kind of hype and attention this device received. Then there is the upgraded UbiSlate 7 tablet available for pre-order worldwide right now. Ubislate 7 is expected to be launched in late January 2012. You can check the availability of both these Android tablets at the official Aakash Tablet website.

Chrome 15 is Now the World's Most Popular Web Browser!

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 18:24:00 +0000

Stupendous rate of Google Chrome adoption is not news anymore. But this is a defining moment. According to latest StatCounter statistics, 23.6 percent of the browsers tracked by StatCounter were Chrome 15 during the last weeks of November. Microsoft's IE 8 accounted for 23.5 percent of web browser market share in the same period, which means, Google Chrome 15 overtook IE 8 to become world's most popular browser for the very first time.

Chrome 15 Beats IE 8 to Become World's Most Popular Browser
During the last few weeks of November, market share of Google Chrome 15 web browser inched towards the top for the very first time. According to StatCounter statistics, Google Chrome 15 accounted for 23.6 percent of web browser market share compared to IE 8's 23.5 percent share. Even though it is just a 0.1 percentage difference, this event marks a remarkable shift in the end-user preferences in terms of web browsers they use.

But when you add up all versions of IE and Chrome, IE is still the browser to beat with over 40 percent of the market share. Overall, Google Chrome's market share stands at 26.31 percent while that of Firefox's stood at 25.07. Even that is a remarkable feat when you consider the fact that Microsoft's IE held almost 90 percentage of the web browser market share till mid-2000s and Google Chrome was non-existent before 2008.

Country specific statistics is quite different though. In the US IE 8 continues to be the most popular browser version with 27.0 percent market share for week commencing 5th December compared to 18.1 percentage share of Chrome 15. However, in the UK Chrome 15 overtook IE8 in the week commencing November 7th. Last week (commencing 5th December) Chrome 15 had 24.7 percent share in the UK compared to IE8's 21.1 percent.

6 Best BURG Themes and How to Install BURG Themes in Ubuntu 11.10?

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 16:17:00 +0000

BURG is basically a boot loader for Linux based on GRUB. Burg has a highly configurable menu system which works in both text and graphic mode. Simply put, BURG can be extensively customized and there are a number of good quality BURG themes available all over the web for free. Lets find out the best among them and also see how to install BURG and the following BURG themes in Ubuntu 11.10.

Lightness BURG Theme by SWOriginal

Dark Shine BURG Theme by SWOriginal

Autumn BURG Theme

Abstract BURG Theme

Radiance BURG Theme by Shafin

Fortune BURG Theme by OrphanShadow

Super Boot Manager Lets You Install/Manage all the Above BURG Themes & More!

Many BURG themes listed above has specific scripts to install it as your default BURG theme. But Super Boot Manager has all the above themes listed in it and it is quite easy to install and change BURG themes in your Ubuntu 11.10 using Super Boot Manager.

Warning: Playing around with GRUB bootloader can be tricky and can sometimes cause irrecoverable damages, you should know what you are doing.

Lets install BURG in Ubuntu 11.10 first of all. Do the following in Terminal.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:n-muench/burg 
sudo apt-get update 
sudo apt-get install burg burg-themes

Done. Now install BURG to your MBR(Master Boot Record). Substitute 'hd0' with appropriate drive information in the following command if needed(you don't have to do that under normal circumstances).

sudo burg-install "(hd0)"

Now, update BURG.

sudo update-burg

There are some pre-installed BURG themes that comes with the package, you can test them and install them using the following command.

sudo burg-emu

F2 to browse through themes and F1 to see full list of options. Done.

Install Super Boot Manager in Ubuntu 11.10, Linux Mint 12

Do the following in Terminal.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ingalex/super-boot-manager 
sudo apt-get update 
sudo apt-get install super-boot-manager

Done. Now launch Super Boot Manager and select Burg Manager - Themes.

Select the theme you like and double click on it. That particular BURG theme will be automatically downloaded now. Apply the changes and you are done.

Theoretically speaking, this should work. But unfortunately, I had to use 'sudo burg-emu' command (from above) every time to change to the theme just downloaded using Super Boot Manager app. Good luck and thanks for reading.

Nightingale 1.8 - Preview of Highly Anticipated Songbird Fork Released!

noreply@blogger.com (Manuel Jose) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 21:25:00 +0000

Not so long ago, Songbird was one of the most loved music player app among Linux users. It all changed when Songbird developers decided to stop supporting Linux and concentrate on Mac and Windows platforms. But some hardcore Songbird users were not ready to give up yet. They forked the project and after more than an year of hard work, they have now released the first preview of Songbird fork named Nightingale music player.

Nightangale 1.8 Preview Release

In a recent blog post, Nightingale developers have announced the very first release of Nightingale music player for Linux and Windows platforms. Nightingale 1.8 is a developer preview release and is primarily meant for testing purposes.

Nightingale is here to first provide a solid, Mozilla based media player for Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X users, all under Open Source licenses.

Feature nascent but growing add-ons support.

Download Nightingale 1.8 Preview.

We wish all the very best to the project and people behind Nightingale music player. And we sincerely hope that the project will be able to garner support and wide spread adoption like Clementine Music Player did, which was a fork of much loved Amarok 1.4 music player.