From the web - December 18th 2009

UBUNTU: Canonical has lifted the curtains on some ambitious plans to reinvent the GNOME panel. The changes, which could potentially debut in the next major version of Ubuntu, will help simplify the desktop user experience and clean up superfluous panel clutter. Although the proposed changes look very promising, getting third-party application developers to integrate with the new panel functionality could prove challenging.
Read the rest of this story on Ubuntu Geek.

LG LAUNCHES FIRST EVER NETBOOK IN THE US: LG X120: LG Electronics Mobilecomm (LG Mobile Phones) announced today the newest addition to their innovative product line-up with the launch of the LG X120 netbook. The first of its kind from LG, the LG X120 delivers the benefits of netbook functionality and gives users a shortcut to the fun stuff with a unique Smart On™ interface that makes staying connected faster, easier and just seconds away. Available at RadioShack, the LG X120 is the perfect computing companion for social networkers, college students and young professionals on the go.
The rest on the official press release.

Android: Crashing the Smartphone Party: Digital measurement firm, comScore is reporting that consumer awareness of Google's Android is growing rapidly, due in large part to the Verizon Droid ad campaign. Further, of those American consumers in the market for a smartphone, 17 percent are considering the purchase of an android-supported device in next three months, compared to 20 percent indicating they plan to purchase an iPhone.
Full story on cellular-news.com.

Microsoft brings Bing to iPhone, RedLaser tops $1M in revenue from AppleInsider.com

Microsoft's search engine, Bing, now has its own application on the App Store that allows voice search, location finder, maps access and more; and the popular RedLaser app has earned more than $1 million in revenue.

The Redmond, Washington, software giant announced the new application's release on its Bing blog. Much like the browser-based Bing.com, the application shows the image of the day and clickable hotspots that include trivia.

It offers search of images, movies, maps, businesses, news and directions. Users can even check their flight status on the go.

Read the rest of this article on AppleInsider.com.

Aerojet and NEC Explore Low Power Ion Propulsion Systems for Satellites

Aerojet, a GenCorp company, and NEC Corporation announced today that the companies will explore the feasibility of jointly supplying low power ion propulsion systems for the U.S. and Japanese aerospace markets. Ion propulsion systems can be used for geosynchronous satellite propulsion systems and deep space missions providing significant advantages over traditional chemical propulsion systems due to the higher fuel efficiency.

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and NEC have jointly developed a low power "Microwave Ion Engine" that uses microwaves for ion generation, enabling long life and high mission reliability. NEC's Microwave Ion Engine is currently flying on JAXA's HAYABUSA asteroid rendezvous and study mission, and has proven to be robust and reliable, with more than 30,000 hours of in-space operation.

Aerojet's electric propulsion products are currently flying on more than 150 operational satellites and span a broad range of electric propulsion products. Dr. Roger Myers, general manager of Aerojet's Redmond operations, states that "the low power Microwave Ion Engine from NEC provides an excellent complement to Aerojet's broad electric propulsion product offerings."

"Aerojet is a leading supplier of satellite propulsion systems in the United States and has broad experience and technical capabilities with satellite propulsion systems," said Kunio Kondo, senior general manager, Aerospace and Defense Operations Unit, NEC Corporation. "Collaborating with Aerojet will help NEC to expand its low power Microwave Ion Engine business in the U. S. market."

The official NEC press release can be found here.

From the Web - 24.04.2008

This is the start of a series that aims to provide you with information from multiple sources. There are no real areas of interest in this post, being a mash-up from several different publishers. I plan to make this kind of post as often as I can, in an attempt to create continuity when I don't have enough time to write or prepare a full post. This way you will be able so see the subjects that you have (or not) an interest in by going straight at the source.

And with that out of the way, let's get on with it:

• Samsung U900 Soul Available in UK: Samsung has added the Samsung Soul U900 to its available handsets in the UK.
• Yahoo to radically open its platforms: Yahoo will radically open its Web platforms to outside developers in order to improve its services to consumers.
• Ballmer: Microsoft could walk away from Yahoo deal: Microsoft gave its first hint that it may abandon its $44.6 billion bid for Yahoo.
• Apple's ultra-thin MacBook Air also slim on profits?: In its determination to deliver the world's thinnest notebook, Apple admitted to sacrificing some speed and versatility, but a new analysis suggests that it may have given up some early profits as well.
• Linux Still Top Embedded OS: "Linux was used by 18 percent of embedded engineers responding to a survey, making it tops overall among both free and commercial OSes..."(LinuxDevices)
• Ubisoft 2007-08 sales up 43%: Ubisoft has released Q4 and FY 07-08 financial information, and is targeting EUR 1 billion in sales for 2008-09
• Sony Ericsson Launches 2 New 3G HSDPA Mobile Phones: The Z780 expands the company’s range of devices for markets outside of Europe and the compact G502 brings the power of the web to a mainstream audience.
• China has world's largest Internet-using population: China has now surpassed the US as the country with the largest number of Internet users
• Bill Gates: "The GPL, which we disagree with": "At the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, Bill Gates gave his thoughts on where the pharmaceutical industry was going, and where it should be going. However, he also slipped up a bit and criticized the GNU General Public License..."(Ars Technica)
• Apple buys chip designer PA Semi for $278 million: An Apple spokesman confirmed Tuesday evening that the company has agreed purchase a boutique microprocessor design company known for sophisticated but low-power designs, Forbes is reporting.