Software, Operating System | featured news

Devices running Windows Phone 7 Series software won't hit store shelves until later this year, but Microsoft recently offered a peek into the upcoming OS at its MIX10 conference for developers and Web designers.

MWC is a few weeks away - it starts on February 15 - and we're expecting to see a new version of Windows Mobile, version 7, to be launched with hardware soon to follow. We've heard some rumors about potential improvements over the current 6.x codebase, but a developer has told us that this new version is so distant from the old WinMo that it is almost unrecognizable. The worst part?

Mobile advertising company AdMob (which was just acquired by Google) has just released its mobile metrics report for October 2009.

Microsoft should once again release its next mainstream version of Windows about three years after the last, a roadmap obtained this week reveals. The schedule has the major revision, tentatively titled "Windows 8," launching in 2012 or about three years after Windows 7.

Google today unveiled more details of Chrome OS, a lightweight, browser-based operating system for netbooks. With a strong focus on speed, the Chrome OS promises nearly instant boot times of about 7 seconds for users to login to their computers.

Google's Chrome OS project, first announced in July, will become available for download within a week, we've heard from a reliable source. Google previously said to expect an early version of the OS in the fall.

What can we expect? Driver support will likely be a weak point.

Ubuntu 10.04 will be Ubuntu’s third long-term support (LTS) release.

Microsoft says it is pleased with the demand for Windows 7 as it reports an 18% fall in quarterly profits.

As for gaming, however, Windows 7's release feels almost funereal. Read the reviews and you'll learn all about the streamlined taskbar, the smarter security system that leaves you alone, the slick new touch-based input features, and the friendlier approach to media-hub device management.

An aggressive TV ad campaign from Verizon Wireless is adding to the support building for a software package from Google Inc. that is shaping up to be the most formidable challenge yet to Apple Inc.'s iPhone.