operating

Android chief working on smoother updates, fine with Facebook Home

Android head Sundar Pichai might be new to the job of leading Google's mobile operating system, but he's already working at improving the update process for that software.

In a Wired interview published Monday, Pichai acknowledged that update paths to new versions of Android can be difficult, but that he and his team "are thinking about how to make Android handle updates better."

"We see ways we can do this," he told Wired. "It's early days. We're talking with our partners and working our way through it. We need time to … Read more

OS X 10.9 to add more 'power user' features -- report

Apple's next desktop operating system launch, which is slated for later this year, will come with few visual enhancements, but a host of improvements for so-called power users, according to a new report.

The folks over at 9to5Mac on Monday said that they have sources with knowledge of Apple's plans who claim that the core design and functions of the new operating system, OS X 10.9 and code-named Cabernet, will remain the same. One of the biggest improvements, however, will be how the Finder application works. That application, which allows users to access files across the operating … Read more

Windows 8.1 may make it easier to customize the Start screen

Windows 8.1 will add new features to help you customize the Start screen -- at least it allegedly will, based on tidbits from the latest build.

The Windows 8.1 Pro Preview build 9374 recently leaked dims the entire Start screen when you click or tap on the Customize button, according to WinBeta. Selecting a specific app tile then turns its light back on, allowing you to modify that specific tile. The goal is to focus the attention just on the tile or tiles that you're tweaking.

Based on the new build, Windows 8.1 also will offer … Read more

Rumor has it that Apple's iOS 7 development is delayed

As Apple continues to work on kinks and bugs in iOS 6, rumors are already flying about a possible iOS 7. The latest chatter suggests that Apple is running behind schedule in its development of iOS 7 but that the software will have a whole new display.

According to Daring Fireball's John Gruber, development for the possible operating system is so delayed that Apple has pulled engineers from the Mac OS X 10.9 team to work on it. This rumor suggests that Apple may be readying the operating system for its Worldwide Developer Conference, which is in the … Read more

Prizefight: iOS 6 vs. Android Jelly Bean

It's a first time face-off between Apple and Google for smartphone operating system supremacy. New phones are being released every month, but one of the things that remains pretty constant are the operating systems they are running.

It's Apple's extremely popular iOS 6 taking on Android in its purest form with an unmodified Jelly Bean 4.2.2

iOS 6 brings its pick-up-and-play operating system, and the biggest and baddest ecosystem of content on a phone. Android brings its unmatched customization and more features than Panda Express has menu combinations

This one will always come down to … Read more

Windows 8 ekes out 3.2 percent of desktop OS market

Windows 8 is slowly carving out a slightly larger slice of the OS market.

The latest flavor of Windows captured 3.17 percent of all desktop OS traffic tracked by Net Applications in March. That was a small gain from the 2.67 percent share in February.

Since its official debut last October, Windows 8 has very gradually risen up the ranks, at least in Net Applications' Web traffic reports.

Starting with a 1.09 percent share in November, the OS carved out a 1.72 percent share in December. It then grabbed a 2.26 percent share in January, … Read more

China chooses Ubuntu as state-endorsed operating system

Canonical, the organization behind popular Linux distribution Ubuntu, is working alongside the Chinese government to deliver a state-endorsed operating system.

According to Canonical, it's working alongside the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to bring a suitable Ubuntu version to China. The operating system, which will be known as Ubuntu Kylin, is expected to be released in April.

Ubuntu Kylin is part of a broader strategy on China's part to increase the adoption of open-source initiatives in the country, according to Canonical. China's ministry was deciding between several different Linux distributions before ultimately choosing Ubuntu.

"… Read more

Schmidt: Chrome, Android to stay separate, but may overlap

Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt said Android and Chrome will stay separate, according to a new report.

Speaking to reporters in India today, Schmidt said that despite changes to the mobile operating system's leadership, Android and Chrome will not be combined, according to Reuters, which was in attendance. Schmidt did say, however, that there might be more overlap between the operating systems.

In addition to Android and Chrome, Schmidt was asked about rumors that he might be considering leaving Google. Schmidt unequivocally denied he would leave, calling the rumors "completely false."

"Google is my home," … Read more

Samsung calls demand for Windows 'lackluster'

Samsung mobile chief J.K. Shin offered some less-than-stellar observations about Microsoft in an interview published last night.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Shin said his company sees "lackluster demand for Windows-based products in Europe." And elsewhere around the world, he said, Microsoft's software efforts in smartphones and tablets are not going so well either.

"Smartphones and tablets based on Microsoft's Windows operating system aren't selling very well," Shin told the Journal, ostensibly referring to both Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8. "There is a preference in the market … Read more

Android 4.0 and above eat away at Gingerbread

Android's Gingerbread operating system has sticking power, but it's finally starting to loosen its hold.

New numbers from Google show that nearly half of all Android devices are running versions of 4.0 and above -- surpassing Gingerbread's individual installed base.

Ice Cream Sandwich, 4.0, and Jelly Bean, 4.1 and 4.2, combined run on 45.1 percent of Android devices, according to numbers from the two week period ending on March 4. This is a 2.5 percent increase over last month.

However, individually, Gingerbread 2.3 still holds the majority of the market. … Read more