Splashtop in the U.S. and Japan will have a Yahoo search bar for quick Web queries.
(Credit: DeviceVM)Computers loaded with Splashtop will soon be able to do very quick searches as soon as the pre-boot phase of the machine starts.
Starting in September, notebooks and Netbooks with Splashtop will have instant access to a search bar on the instant-on desktop, Splashtop maker DeviceVM is planning to announce Thursday. In the U.S. and Japan, the default search engine will be Yahoo; in China, Baidu; and in Russia, Yandex.
"Instant on" is essentially a "pre-boot" environment that allows users to get a PC up and running in seconds instead of the minutes it takes to power up and launch a browser with a standard full-featured operating system. DeviceVM makes Splashtop available to hardware manufacturers that embed it in a computer's BIOS. Current customers include Asus, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, Sony, Acer, and LG.
Currently, Splashtop users can get quick access to a dashboard of predetermined local and Web-based apps, but the appeal of instant-on is to get you online quickly. So there are apps like Skype, a Mozilla browser (not Firefox), links to online photo services, and streaming music sites. When the search bar is added in September, it takes one more step out of the process of launching the browser from Splashtop.
The search bar can be customized--if you prefer Google or Bing, you can set that up too--but deals with Yahoo, Baidu, and Yandex include a revenue-sharing agreements with the Splashtop maker, though DeviceVM would not provide details of the arrangement.
The instant-on environment is especially handy for Netbooks, since they're primarily meant to be used for Web-based work anyways. But DeviceVM director of product manager Dave Bottoms said that up to six local applications can also be added to Splashtop. And if enough corporate customer are interested, that one day might include Outlook, he said.
One player to rule the Linux?
(Credit: RealNetworks)Chalk up a victory for those who crave all-in-one media integration on their Netbooks, because RealNetworks has announced a licensing agreement with many of the major Linux software companies to have RealPlayer for Mobile preinstalled on Ubuntu and Instant-On Netbook OS systems made by Xandros, Phoenix Technologies, DeviceVM, and Canonical.
An "Instant-On" system, usually Linux-based, is a miniature OS that boots up quicker than the main OS, allowing quicker on-the-fly access of files. For Netbooks, the advantage to an Instant-On system is obvious, but often these environments are significantly hobbled in usability. Presto, HyperSpace, and Splashtop, made by Xandros, Phoenix Technologies, and Device VM, will all get RealPlayer-branded players. Splashtop already comes preinstalled on Lenovo, Asus, HP, and LG Netbooks.
Ubuntu Netbooks have been achieving significant market share because of their price, but a branded all-in-one solution for various media formats will only help their share improve. In this regard, RealNetworks' Computex-timed announcement of their licensing agreement is good timing. The relative cost-effectiveness of RealPlayer, which includes most codecs, for Netbook manufacturers, also doesn't hurt.
Netbooks are rapidly becoming relied on for their media-playing capabilities, and if this helps chip away at making Netbooks even savvier at handling video, and at making cheaper Ubuntu Netbooks more versatile, then we're all for it.
Does your laptop take too long to turn on? Linux-based instant-on operating systems have turned up on plenty of recent laptops, such as the Splashtop-powered Asus N10J, and now Phoenix is jumping into the action with its HyperSpace OS, as featured on a handful of new Lenovo laptops including the S10 Netbook. We got a chance to get a hands-on preview with HyperSpace.
Hyperspace boots up automatically when you start your laptop, instead of Windows. The emphasis is clearly on Web surfing, as the landing screen is a custom Web browser with a sidebar full of links and settings. Shortcuts on the left side are basically just bookmarks for popular Web sites and services.
...Read the full post at CNET's CES 2009 blog.
(Credit:
DeviceVM, Inc.)
Lenovo will soon release a second version of its IdeaPad S10 Netbook, which it will sell to schools. The IdeaPad S10e will be sold through Lenovo's Government & Education channel and is scheduled to start shipping on November 25. When it does, it will be the first Netbook to feature instant-on software that will let you access various apps without first booting to Windows.
The S10e will feature DeviceVM's Splashtop app, which Asus offers on some of its laptops (but, curiously, not on any of its Eee PC Netbooks). Lenovo dubs Splashtop QuickStart for its Netbook and will offer the app on models that feature Windows and a spinning hard drive. (Presumably, your boot times will be so quick with Linux/SSD models that you won't need it.) Quick Start grants you access to e-mail, Web browser, IM, Skype, and your photos and music.
The IdeaPad S10e will feature an Intel Atom processor, a 80GB hard drive or 4GB SSD, and either Windows XP Home or Novell's Suse Linux , and either a 3- or a 6-cell battery. You won't find an SSD or 6-cell battery offered on the S10 right now. The S10e will be available in only one color--dark gray (the S10 is currently available in white, black, and red).
Lenovo told me that it will be bringing QuickStart to its regular IdeaPad S10, too.
The Asus M50 is one of five laptops to incorporate the Splashtop technology, under the name Express Gate.
(Credit: Asus)
Five new laptop models from Asus will incorporate DeviceVM's Splashtop instant-on software, the software maker said Thursday.
The Asus M70T, M50V, M51T, F8Va, and F8Vr will be the first laptops on the market to include the "rapid-start platform."
We've seen the technology, which Asus has licensed from DeviceVM and rebranded as Express Gate, before. It was first introduced last fall on a single Asus motherboard, and recently expanded to Asus' full P5Q series of motherboards.
Splashtop differs from the intant-on media players already found on many laptops because it's actually an embedded Linux OS with both Firefox and Skype. The advantages are threefold: The quick on/off feature means you don't have to wait to load Windows when you want to hit the Web--a boon for travelers who just want to hop online for a few minutes while waiting to board a flight. It also means you can turn off your laptop while in transit, instead of wasting battery life on standby mode. And the Linux base means the Splashtop browser isn't vulnerable to viruses that target the Windows OS.
The laptops announced Thursday are expected to be available at the end of June or early July. More laptops featuring the Splashtop technology are expected in the coming months, though a detailed release schedule hasn't been released yet.
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