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The latest release of Ubuntu, a version of the open source Linux operating system and prime alternative to Microsoft Windows, has just gone into beta. Codenamed Jaunty Jackalope, it has been in planning since September last year.

The new release provides faster bootup and includes a new version of the Gnome front-end which features Brasero CD/DVD burning software, and improved support for multiple monitors.

The full release of  Jaunty Jackalope, or Ubuntu 9.04 as it will be known, is due on April 23. Extremetech have reviewed the Beta here, and conclude that ‘Jaunty Jackalope is in pretty darn good shape despite still being a beta’. 

If you want to give it a try, just head on down to Ubuntu.com and download a free copy.

admin News 9.04, Jackalope, Jaunty, linux, ubuntu

Noticed how Apple launch new versions of the iPhone and make the features available on the older nodels with a software update? Well Apple have announced a new software update for the iPhone and iPod Touch this summer, which tips the wink that a new iPhone will also be on the way.

Existing iPhone users will get the new software for free, while iPod users will have to pay ($9.95). The software is a bit of a catch-up for Apple, providing many features that are standard on other phones, such as voice memo and cut & paste. What isn’t known is whether any new phone will have hardware features that the current phones lack – iPhones have always been poor performers in the camera stakes so maybe the new version will have a decent camera and the ability to shoot video.

Other new features planned for the new software release include support for stereo bluetooth headphones on the iPhone 3G, wifi auto-login and in-device search. Apparently still missing from the iPhone’s feature-set will be support for Flash video.

admin News 3, iphone, ipod, new, software

Running out of hard disk space? Found a folder stuffed full of large-ish files (maybe using that excellent utility TreeSize from Jam Software)?

If you have ever used Windows Media Player (WMP) with a smartphone or portable media player you will probably have found that it very usefully identifies the device capabilities and if necessary transcodes the media files to the appropriate size for the device. The feature is particularly handy if you are using Windows Media Center to record TV programmes. It means phones that can play video, for example, are provided with lower-resolution files of modest size that are appropriate to the phone hardware.

The downside of the transcoding feature is that WMP keeps copies of the transcoded files whether they are wanted or not. This can make a big difference if your hard disk is nearly full. Fortunately it is easy to delete some or all of the files, although there are quite a few clicks to get to the right place:

Open Windows Media Player
Click on Tools
Click on Options
Click on Devices
At the bottom of the tab click on the button marked ‘Advanced’
Finally, the ‘File Conversion Options’ window will open

At this point there are two options:

1. Simply click on the ‘Delete files’ button, which will delete all the transcoded files or
2. Reduce the amount of space reserved for the files by typing a smaller number in the ‘Amount of disk space to use’ box.

If you are reducing the size, don’t make it too small or you could make it too small for the transcode feature to work. A good guide to a suitable minimum size is to have a look in the folder first and make the new size a minimum of twice whatever the size of largest file is.

admin Hints & tips cache, delete, disk, space, transcoded

Windows Vista 32-bit can address up to 4Gb of memory. Although that sounds a lot, some applications would benefit from more and – a crucial point here – that 4GB limit includes graphics card memory. So buying the latest graphics card with 1GB RAM onboard will seriously eat into the amount of RAM that can be addressed by a 32-bit processor.

In comparison the 64-bit version of Vista can address 16Tb of memory (yes 16,000 GB). Not only that but programs that have been written for 64-bit use will run faster and the system will make better use of the latest hyperthreaded multi-core processors.

The major drawback of the 64-bit version of XP was the poor level of support for device drivers. Things are now much improved with far fewer driver problems,although it is still true to say that it is best to check whether drivers are available if you need support for specific hardware devices. Beta versions of Windows 7 are available in 32 and 64 bit versions but the emphasis is likely to be on the 64-bit version, at least for PCs above entry level.

It may be a great relief to hear that Vista and Windows 7 64-bit versions work fine with 32-bit programmes. The only things to watch out for are 32-bit programmes that use a 16-bit program to install themselves (and which won’t run) and programmes that address hardware directly, rather than using a driver.

And here is a final thought – as many as 20% of new PCs sold in the US now come with a 64-bit version of Windows. The buyers can’t all be wrong!

admin Comment 32, 64, bit, vista, windows 7

SD and CompactFlash memory cards often carry speed ratings but it isn’t clear what the numbers mean exactly. To make matters worse the two card formats use different methods of designating the speeds. Although many devices only take one card type what do you use if you have a camera or media player that will take either?

SD card speed ratings are quite simple – the cards are rated into three different speed classes – class 2, class 4 and class 6. The numbers indicate the minimum transfer speed of each class in Megabytes per second:

Class 2  – minimum transfer speed 2 MBytes/sec
Class 4  – minimum transfer speed 4 MBytes/sec
Class 6  – minimum transfer speed 6 MBytes/sec

CompactFlash speed ratings are completely different. A few manufacturers have applied their own simplified labels, such as SanDisk’s Ultra 2, Extreme 3 and Extreme 4, but the majority of manufacturers use an ‘x’ rating. You will find CompactFlash cards with speed ratings from 12x to 300x. It seems clear that 300x is faster than 12x (especially when you look at the prices) but what is the actual transfer speed?

It may seem odd but CompactFlash speed ratings are the number of times the card is faster than an old 1x speed CD-ROM. This is because CF cards use the same IDE interface as CD-ROMs and can be thought of as an alternative type of removable storage.

The speed of those original CD drives was 150 kBytes/sec or 0.15 Mbytes/sec, so a 12x card will support a transfer speed of 12 x0.15 = 1.8 Mbytes/sec. As you can see this appears to be comparable with a class 2 SD cards. Unfortunately some card manufacturers use maximum write speeds not minimum speeds, which may be significantly lower. Major brands are more honest with Lexar for example making it clear that their card ratings are minimum sustained write speeds.

Here is a table showing some common card ratings. You can clearly see why high-end digital cameras have continued using CompactFlash cards, as all but the slowest are faster than the fastest SD cards:

12x = 1.8 Mbytes/sec
40x = 6 Mbytes/sec
80x = 12 Mbytes/sec
100x = 15 Mbytes/sec
200x = 30 Mbytes/sec
266x = 40 Mbytes/sec
300x = 45 Mbytes/sec

So there you have it – speed ratings for SD and CF cards explained.

admin White papers card, class, compact, data, flash, sd, speed, transfer