Tag Archives: Review

Benchmark platforms with Phoronix Test Suite

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Phoronix it’s a cool way to benchmark and test your system, with a lot of different testing suites, also this applications is opensource licensed under the GNU GPLv3.

Different testing suites such as ” disk suite, disk SSD testing, encoding, GUI testing, Ioquake3 game engine testing, software gaming, Database testing, Darwin, Gaming benchmarking,  …….. ”

  1. 130+ Test Profiles
  2. 60+ Test Suites
  3. Extensible Testing Architecture
  4. Optional Linux-based LiveDVD/USB Testing Distribution (PTS Desktop Live)
  5. Automated Test Installation
  6. Dependency Management Support
  7. Module-based Plug-In Architecture
  8. PNG, JPG, GIF, Adobe SWF, SVG Graph Rendering Support
  9. Automated Batch Mode Support
  10. Global Database For Result Uploads, Benchmark Comparisons
  11. Detailed Software, Hardware Detection
  12. System Monitoring Support
  13. GTK2 Graphical User Interface + Command-Line Interface

You can get a great benchmark comparison between different operating system with same hardware specifications, and able to make side by side comparisons. Phoronix working on many platforms ” Linux, Mac OS X, windows 7, BSD, Open Solaris ”

System logs able to achieve system log such as “Xorg.0.log, Ispci, dmesg,… ”

For more information about The Phoronix Test Suite Follow this link , and this application available on ubuntu software center and you can download it from here also for different distributions.

That’s it for now.

[How To]: Get the best performance with SUN VirtualBox

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Sun virtualBox one of the best virtualization applications you can use to run multiple operating system in the same time, but it need some dependencies to get better performance in your operating system whatever the operating system is Ubuntu, Mandriva, Fedora, Centos, …… I am using it now on Ubuntu.

Ubuntu Swap, ” check your operating system Swap ”

really important because it used as same as your installed memory RAM, check this post for ubuntu Swap improvement, just make sure your swap size at least as same as your installed memory RAM.

for system setting you raise to the half memory you already have, for that if raised more than you have the Swap will help to keep you system stable.

also you can use multiple cores if you have multiple core processor. If you have a decent machine you can active full acceleration.

set the display memory depending in you graphics card performance, if you want to get 3d, 2d visualizations it might slow down the virtual machine.

that’s it for now.

[How To] : move minimize, maximize, close button to right hand side of title bar?

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With the new release of ubuntu 10.04 beta 1, beta 2 ” minimize, maximize, close” button moved to left hand side of the title bar.

check this this video will easily show you how to do it using configuration editor  ” gconf-editor ”

play in HD for better quality, Thumb up if you like it.

Review : xPUD 0.9.2 Review light distribution

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xPUD 0.9.2 Review

xPUD distribution light wight distribution using simple web interface called plate user interface. this is a really good choice distribution to use if you want to get a quick access to internet or directories, multimedia files, document files, …..

You can install it in your USB, laptop, Notebook, Desktop, …  the good thing is the boot time really good booting time even in this review i was using it in my virtual machine “sun virtualbox”.

  • screenshots

main installed application mozilla firefox, mplayer, document reader, also you can get extra application using opt-get software center, it’s like synaptic package manager we using on ubuntu or mint distributions. you can find openoffice, skype, extra codecs for playing multimedia files, ….  all this application located on opt-get software center.

  • System requirement for this distribution

256MB RAM and 64MB free disk required.

also check the full video review “screencast” play in HD for better quality

To download xPUD 0.9.2 here

enjoy it, Thumb up if you like it  :)

Mobile : HTC EVO 4G

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Sprint announced the release of HTC EVO 4G this summer 2010, a lot of new features with this device will make it the best device so far. say hello for the first WiMAX device with android operating system with sprint contract. I believe it won’t take long time to be unlocked or released by another carrier.

so HTC EVO 4G with 4.3 inches TFT capacitive touch screen 480 x 800 pixels, 1 GHz snapdragon processor but with different model installed on HTC HD2 I believe it just improvement to processor structure to be able to do other features specially this device comes with 4G technology or WiMAX.

8 Mega pixel camera able to 720p video and 1.3 mega pixel camera in front for video calling and application required in front webcam. Built in 1 GB of memory and 512 MB of RAM and customizable microSD card slot but not sure if it will be upgradeable to 32 GB like HTC HD2 or maybe more.

Also you will be able to watch high definition movies with HDMI output. 1500 mAh Bigger battery life than HTC HD2 .

Android operating system installed version 2.1 with new sense UI version installed.

Sprint didn’t announce any details about pricing or when exactly it will be released this summer. rumor said it will be released this month April 2010 with 3G working only.

Thanks engadget for HTC evo 4G Hands on, and comparison HTC evo 4G vs Iphone 3gs vs nexus one :)

Also check engadget hands-on for HTC EVO 4G

Review : Ubuntu 10.04 LTS Beta 2

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Ubuntu 10.04 LTS Beta 2 released, before we begin this review check the release announcement and “release notes, Downloaad“.

we already reviewed ubuntu 10.04 LTS Alpha 3 and Beta 1 , check the release notes for both older versions to know the improvement accomplished on last release.

so here we go,

Ubuntu 10.04 LTS Beta 2 review

Installed on virtual machine “sun virtualbox” application with this Hardware specifications:

  • single core processor 2.1 GHz
  • 512 MB of ram
  • 12 MB of video memory

# Installation Process

boot it first time as live session it was working good, after the installation it was working super fast really good.

after the installation it boot super fast, really impressed with booting time about 9 second booting time at first time booting, usually any operating system after the installation it boot really quick but after the installing any extra application you their will be some lagging time to boot up.

Their is not a big difference between Beta 1 and Beta 2 themes, both of them looks the same but at bug report their a lot of reported bugs on radiance theme fixed on ubuntu 10.04 beta2

same main installed packages for applications.

Yahoo still the default search engine on firefox instead of Google search engine. with firefox version 3.6.3, it’s up to you can change the search engine later firefox options.

using last version of Gnome so far ” Gnome 2.30″ , Linux kernel v 2.6.32

security issues fixed, improvement on ubuntu one, ubuntu enterprise cloud, new default open source driver for nvidia hardware

I really like the new version of nautilus comes with Gnome 2.30 if you are not familiar with nautilus and gnome 2.30 visit this link

really like the splitting view on windows, split view come really handy on to open to directory side by side with difference icon view really good.

To activate split mode on opened windows press F3 or go to view menu and select it.

also you can drag and drop folders and files split view.

same new features included with ubuntu 10.04 beta 2 with menus and right click menu for copying files to and moving to.

Pros :

Awesome booting time

Gnome 2.30 desktop really good with a lot of new features.

Ambiance and Radiance looks really good themes

Cons :

none, with me so far working really good I don’t have any problems, also thinking to install it as default distribution.

and we waiting for ubuntu 10.04 LTS final version April 29th 2010  :)

Give it a try, as usual please report any bugs you got,

here to know how to report any bugs you got to ubuntu community and Bugsquad

peace out  :)

Mobile : 10 free Android Applications

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Android operating system become really popular, a lot of new applications released everyday, android market place contain many free applications, and other paid applications.

Many applications will list it here  will help you a lot with multimedia files, system files, internet, Browser, phone book, PDF reader, Ringtones, Twitter app, IM messenger,……..

10 free android applications

so here we go,

1. Documents To Go

really good applications to open document files, excel files, PDF, and a lot of other formats (doc, docx, xls, xlsx, ppt, pptx & pdf)

also you easily edit files formated for microsoft office 2007

really easy to access this application don’t take a lot of time, also really easy to use for regular day use.

More information and Download options

2. mVideoPlayer v1.6.2

This is really good application for playing multimedia files and the good thing multimedia files support mp4, m4v and 3gp

The good part about this application it’s support subtitles .srt extension.

other features with version 1.6.2

- Playlist
- Full screen
- Auto rotate

- IMDb info scraper to view movie information from Imdb.com

-On screen information: Time, Battery Status, Elapsed Time

More information and Download options

3. ASTRO File Manager 2.3.1


simple applications to access your files with really good interface, can read zip, tgz files.also backup, restore files, searching inside for specific file or folder

More information and download options

4. Steel version 0.1.9

Simple web browser application, light and quick access, work really good if you are on the run and you want a quick access for website

More information and download options

5. Phonebook 2.0


Inspired by instant messaging, social networks and life streaming applications, Voxmobili combined them into an all-in-one, easy to use application, Phonebook 2.0. It secures contacts, notifies end-users when they are online, displays birthday reminders and helps centralize all communications.
Phonebook 2.0 is a white label product for mobile operators. They can customize it, brand it as they wish and create a mobile social network from their subscriber base. This application is ideally suited to teenagers who always want to be in touch with their friends and businesses to help their employees keep valuable contacts secure and up-to-date.

More information and download options

6. Ringdroid 2.2


Awesome applications for modifying media files for making quick ringtones.

Features:

  • Open an existing audio file
  • View a scrollable waveform representation of the audio file at 5 zoom levels
  • Set starting and ending points for a clip within the audio file, using an optional touch interface
  • Play the selected portion of the audio, including an indicator cursor and autoscrolling of the waveform
  • Play anywhere else by tapping the screen
  • Save the clipped audio as a new audio file and mark it as Music, Ringtone, Alarm, or Notification.
  • Record a new audio clip to edit
  • Delete audio (with confirmation alert)
  • Launches automatically in response to the GET_CONTENT intent with a mime type of audio/ if any other application wants to pick an audio file – for example the “Rings Extended”application.
  • Assign a ringtone directly to a contact.

    • Supported file formats:

    • MP3
    • AAC/MP4 (including unprotected iTunes music)
    • WAV
    • 3GPP/AMR (this is the format used when you record sounds directly on the handset)

    More information and download options

    7. Opera mini 5

    Popular applications for internet web browser, really quick access for websites, working in full screen browsing.

    great access for bookmark, zooming features,  manage download for files through opera mini

    More information and download options

    8.  twidroid

    Awesome Twitter client, easy to access your last twittes, your followers twittes, posting photos to twittes, access lists maded by you or or other friends.

    video posting inside twittes, this applications comes with two version free version and other one paid with extra features

    More information and download options

    9. meebo

    one of the most popular IM messenger applications , really good interface, and awesome way to chat with your friends all the time.

    Log into all your IM accounts and send messages for free! With Meebo for Android, you’ll never miss a message. Available now from the Android Market for all Android devices.

    More information and download options

    10. Quick Settings v1.8.5

    Really handy applications to get a quick access to many settings and easily to change this options such as Brightness, Ringer type, Volume control, WiFi, Network data (on/off & 2G/3G setting shortcut), Bluetooth, GPS (shortcut), Screen Timeout, Airplane mode, Auto-sync, Auto rotation, and Lock pattern

    More information and download options

    will post more soon

    That’s it for now.

    Element 1.1 Review

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    Element 1.1 just released today march 28, 2010

    Element is an Ubuntu-based distribution for home theatre or media-centre personal computers featuring a ten-foot user interface and designed to be connected to a HDTV for a digital media and Internet experience within the comforts of a living room or entertainment area. Element comes pre-loaded with dozens of applications that will allow listening to, viewing, and managing music, videos, photos, and Internet media.

    Check the release notes and announcement

    Download

    LinuxNov Review for Element 1.1

    Used it on virtual machine “virtual box” as a live session with this hardware specifications

    • single core processor  2.1 Ghz
    • 1 GB of Ram
    • 12 MB of video memory
    • with extended hard driver space in case installed it

    Booting time was really good, I didn’t expect a quick booting time for live session, I believe it will be much better if you installed on machine not on virtual machine.

    A lot of people are really big fans with media centers applications, this one it awesome it’s using xbmc my favorite media center application, it’s really customizable with a lot of themes and extra plugin follow these links for plugins and scripts for xbmc 1 2 .

    xbmc website Follow this link

    xbmc skins Follow this link

    Versions of most important packages:

    linux 2.6.31, glibc 2.10.1, gcc 4.4.1, python 2.6.4, pidgin 2.6.5, gtk+ 2.18.3,  xfce 4.6.1, xbmc 9.11, firefox 3.5.8, transmission 1.83, decibel-audio-player 1.01, vlc 1.0.2, brasero 2.28.2, element-app-finder 1.0

    Using Desktop environment Xfce 4.6.1  awesome modifications for the desktop. for easy access for main applications on the distribution itself such as ” firefox, Home directory, VLC, Xbmc, …”

    Pros :

    It’s Awesome distributions specially for multimedia files, watching many movies with different extensions using xbmc and vlc, and for sure it’s customizable to download extra packages or multimedia applications, “maybe you will need to install extra codecs”

    Really liked the Xfce desktop environment with this customizations “ middle dock for main applications”

    Awesome booting Time

    Cons :

    Many windows don’t fit on the screen, maybe cause I am using it on virtual machine with 800X600 resolution

    Not all applications are up to date.

    Screenshots time :

    Please leave your feedback, and enjoy it.

    Ubuntu 10.04 Beta 1 with Radiance theme “Light theme”

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    Radiance theme ” light theme” for ubuntu 10.04 beta 1

    Looks really good, also, their some reported bugs about this theme. please if you got any problem or any kind of crashes report it so the ubuntu community able to fix it on next release. enjoy it.

    Download this Radiance or light theme

    Ubuntu 10.04 beta 1 Review

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    Hello guys,

    Already reviewed ubuntu 10.04 alpha 3 here, as you will see in this post a big difference between ubuntu 10.04 alpha 3 and beta 1 version, New default theme that mentioned on ubuntu fresh look post ….

    Release notes & Download Release announcement

    Hardware specification:

    this is the hardware specification used to run this version of ubuntu 10.04

    • 1 core processor 2.1 Ghz
    • 1 GB of ram
    • 12 Mb of video memory

    with this hardware spec it was working great guys, so i believe if you have a decent machine it will work better.

    Installation process :

    Installed on Virtual machine “sun virtualbox”

    First Boot after completing the installation

    “Close, minimize, maximize” button in the left side of the title bar

    More option added to right click menu for sharing to ubuntu one, moving to and copy to even it’s  a file or folder

    Pitivi default video editor

    New look for Ubuntu software center

    Yahoo is the default search engine for firefox 3.6, but it’s up to you can change it later to any other search engine

    Terminal background color looks really good specially with this theme, also it’s up to you can change it later.

    New menu to control your chat account what ever it’s ” pidgin or empathy” , controlling Gwibber, and ubuntu one

    Gwibber works really good here , I faced many problem with using it on ubuntu 10.04 alpha 3 version. but it’s working great now even it’s a development version till now.

    Sound preference with better control access menu.

    Overall after the installation:

    It was working really good, much better than the older version “alpha 3″

    Ubuntu 10.04 beta 2 will release at 8th of April, and the final version will release 29th of  April.

    with first installation on virtualbox with 16 mb of video memory it was working a little bit slower.


    Please guys leave your feedback, try to install it in your machine and report any bugs you faced so the development community able to fix many bugs for next release.

    Thanks guys,