Linux available on ThinkPad T61 and R61
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Several months after the initial announcement, Lenovo releases details on the models that will come pre-loaded with Linux.
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(InfoWorld) - On Friday Japan's Turbolinux begins dispatching the first batch of itsÂ Wizpy handheldsÂ to people who ordered them from its Web site. The flash-based multimedia player contains a version of Linux, so it can be used to boot a PC into the operating system, allowing users to access their files in their own working environment on almost any PC. The devices have proved hot items on the TurboLinux Web shop since preorders began in late January, but what's it like to use one? We tested a pre-production version of the Wizpy for a week and found it delivers on its promise with some annoyances. As a device from which to boot Linux, the Wizpy was easy to use, it just required connecting. No set-up was required because all the PCs we tried were already configured to look first for a bootable CD before defaulting to the operating system on the hard-disk drive. The Wizpy masquerades as a bootable CD, so the PC jumped into the Linux OS and the copy of Windows on the hard-disk didn't stand a chance. The Wizpy requires a PC with USB 2.0 -- older versions of USB are just too slow for the large amount of data that needs to be exchanged with the host computer -- so problems could occur, particularly on older computers. In use, the PC didn't appear excessively sluggish despite the OS running off the Wizpy. The device managed to handle tasks like Web browsing, word processing and e-mail with ease. It comes with these applications installed and it's just such use that TurboLinux envisages. The backlight did annoy, however. With the Wizpy placed to the side of a laptop PC, the backlight kept switching off then a few seconds later switching on again -- something that became so annoying I had to cover it with a magazine. There are two versions of the Wizpy: 2GB and 4GB. The Linux OS and applications take up about 1GB, leaving either 1GB or 3GB available for data storage. That could be a bit on the low side for video but should be fine for many music files and documents. Personal files can be stored within the 1GB Linux sector and only accessed once logged into the OS. The remaining storage area can be accessed both from within Linux and also from other systems when the Wizpy is connected to a PC as a flash memory device. It's in this use we had a problem. Connected to a Windows XP machine the Wizpy was recognized and drivers loaded but the same thing didn't happen on two Apple Mac computers running OSX. It appeared to Windows as USB Mass Storage, so it should have worked with Macs but it didn't. TurboLinux said they would work on compatibility with Macs for future versions of the product. There were few other problems but a few things that could have been improved. For example the up and down buttons on the front of the Wizpy operate the volume, but the on-screen volume bar is horizontal. Not perfect but also not a huge problem ... until you turn the Wizpy on its side to watch a video. Then you're pressing the left-hand button to increase the volume but the volume bar is moving to the right. There was also a problem with the FM radio, which would only tune to the Japanese FM band (76MHz to 90MHz) when the user interface was being used in Japanese. There is no way of setting an English user interface, but listening to Japanese radio. That wasn't the only disappointment with the radio. The sensitivity was very poor, so bad that in central Tokyo several of the local FM stations couldn't be heard without static. All in all, the Wizpy delivered its promise of a multimedia player that can be used to boot Linux on a PC. But it disappointed because of these few small annoyances that should have been fixed or identified earlier. TurboLinux says it will use the feedback to help improve future versions of the Wizpy. The 2GB version costs Â¥29,800 ($246) and a 4GB version costs Â¥33,800. It is on sale now in Japan and will appear in international markets soon.
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(InfoWorld) - Japan's Turbolinux will begin selling its Wizpy Linux-based multimedia player in February. As a bonus, the device can also be used to boot a PC into the Linux OS, allowing users to access their files in their own working environment on almost any PC. The Wizpy will be available first to customers in Japan via the company's home page on Feb. 23 and then in shops in March. It will come in two models: a 2GB version will cost Â¥29,800 ($245) and a 4GB version will cost Â¥33,800. At first glance the Wizpy doesn't look very different from other multimedia players on the market: A 1.7-inch OLED (organic light emitting diode) color screen occupies the top half of the front of the Wizpy and the lower half has a keypad. Within, there is software to play music in Ogg, MP3, and Windows Media Audio formats, and to show XviD and MPEG4 video files and JPEG images. It can also record sound to MP3 files and display text files, and has an FM radio. But the Wizpy's flash memory hides another feature that differentiates it from other media players: a bootable version of Linux. The operating system doesn't have to be installed on the computer, but runs straight from the Wizpy. "The installation operation is ... a high barrier of entry for users to use Linux. So we came up with this device," said Koichi Yano, president and CEO of Turbolinux. To the computer, the Wizpy appears to be a bootable USB CD-ROM or hard-disk drive, which means most computers will boot the Linux OS without any fuss, said Turbolinux. For some PCs -- the company estimates about a quarter of those it has tested so far -- users will either have to insert a supplied CD-ROM into the computer, which will divert the boot-up sequence to the Wizpy, or make a change in the computer's BIOS settings so the PC looks to a USB-connected device for an operating system before its own hard-disk drive. The device should work with all PCs, and on newer models of Apple's Macintosh that are based in Intel chips, said Yano. The Wizpy contains an updatable version of Turbolinux's own operating system, based on Linux kernel 2.6.19, the Firefox browser, Thunderbird e-mail client, Skype, CD and DVD ripping software, Turbo Media Player, RealPlayer 10, a Flash player, Open Office 2.1, Adobe Acrobat reader, some Ricoh fonts and Justsystem's ATOK Japanese input system The OS and installed software occupies about 1GB of memory space so that leaves either 1GB or 3GB left for storing files or multimedia, depending on the model. User files can be stored in either a media folder, which is accessible from the host PC when the Wizpy is connected as removable storage, or a documents folder, which is only accessible from within the Linux OS on the device. It's not possible to access files stored on the host machine's hard disk drive when it is booted from the Wizpy. This is intended to reassure people who lend their PCs to Wizpy owners: they will be able to do so knowing that the Wizpy user cannot ferret around in their files, a company official said. The device will be able to connect to a network through the host PC and also access connected peripherals, if they are supported. Because Linux support for some audio hardware is patchy, the Wizpy uses its own audio output system: Users can plug speakers into the device's headphones socket to hear system sounds. The Wizpy should start appearing outside of Japan from April, priced in the same way as in Japan, where it is aligned with local iPod prices, said Yano.
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NOVEMBER 15, 2004  - Novell Inc. last week began shipping a desktop version of Linux that is designed for business users and comes with a bundled set of open-source applications as well as technical support, training and consulting options.
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(InfoWorld) - Dell will officially launch its first three consumer PCs running the Ubuntu 7.04 Linux OS on Thursday, two desktops and an Inspiron E1505n notebook PC. The new modelsÂ give buyers a third choiceÂ when shopping for a PC at Dell: a machine with Windows installed, a machine with no OS, on which they can install one of their choice, and now a machine with Ubuntu Linux already installed. Other PC makers, including Hewlett-Packard and Lenovo Group,Â  also sell PCs that run Linux, but mainly on customized machines, because retail demand for the open-source OS is tiny compared to that for Windows. The PCs will be available in the U.S. after 4 p.m. Central Time fromÂ Dell's Web site. The laptop starts at $599, while the two desktops, the Dimension E520 and XPS 410n, start from $599 and $849 each, respectively. A comparable XPS 410 with Windows Vista Premium costs $899. Dell announcedÂ what flavor of Linux it would use in the PCs, Ubuntu 7.04, earlier this month. It's the same OS Michael Dell, the chairman and CEO of the company, uses on his Dell Precision M90 laptop at home. Dell is targeting the Linux enthusiast market with the PCs, and said the choice of systems is a response to customer feedback collected atÂ a Web siteÂ set up to solicit customer suggestions. Over 100,000 people participated in surveys about the systems and what kind of Linux to install in the machines, Dell said in a statement. The three PCs all use Intel Core 2 Duo microprocessors. The two desktops contain 1GB of RAM and 250GB of hard disk space, while the laptop includes 512MB of RAM and an 80GB hard disk drive. Users will be able to choose from several hardware options on their Ubuntu PCs from Dell. The options offered contain the most mature and stable Linux driver support, and Dell plans to work with vendors to ensure more devices include Linux driver support in the future, it said. Dell is offering hardware support for the PCs through its existing channels, with basic software help from several dedicated Web sites and Linux forums. Canonical is offering software service upgrades from theÂ Ubuntu Web site. The company also created theÂ Dell Linux ForumÂ for users to find resources, troubleshoot, discuss issues, and share experiences about the new PCs. Â
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IBM has added a new capability to its virtualization platform that will allow Linux applications to run on IBM's Unix servers, the company announced Tuesday.
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InfoWorld - Looking to bolster Linux in enterprise environments, Novell is offering its first service pack for Suse Linux Enterprise 10, with capabilities for new quad-core processors. The company also announced Monday commercial availability plans for Suse Linux Enterprise Virtual Machine Driver Pack.
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Lenovo Group announced the ThinkPad T61p, a laptop that was designed for heavy-duty applications but that meets the EPA's Energy Star 4.0 standard.
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IBM is beefing up both its System p and Power-based Unix systems and its i Servers, once dubbed AS/400. Now, Linux-based binaries created for x86-based PC environments will be able to run unmodified on IBM Unix servers.
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Two desktops and an Inspiron E1505n notebook PC running Ubuntu 7.04 Linux go on sale today.
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This month I turn my attention back to Linux for newbies. Xandros Desktop and Lycoris Desktop/LX are two Linux distributions geared toward folks who aren&#39;t gearheads.
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IBM India has launched its first ThinkPad with an integrated fingerprint reader at prices beginning from Rs 95,000. ThinkPad, the most secure notebook PC, now features a model that delivers simplified access
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SEPTEMBER 07, 2004  - IT services and hardware vendor Unisys Corp. has upped its involvement with Linux by joining the Red Hat Partner Community one month after unveiling support for Linux on its ES7000 servers (see story).
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Dell Inc. is asking users what kind of Linux OS and hardware configuration they'd want on laptops and desktops if the company opts to offer hardware running Linux.
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(InfoWorld) - Dell plans to sell computers with preinstalled Linux outside the U.S. as well as offer the Ubuntu Linux distribution to small business customers. More details will be revealed later, wrote Lionel Menchaca, digital media manager for Dell on a company blog on Friday. "I wanted to be clear that Dell does have plans to offer Linux to more consumers in additional locations outside the United States," Menchaca wrote. Dell is also encouraging more members of its Linux engineering team to post technical updates about specific distributions and open-source projects, he added. Dell began sellingÂ two desktop PCs and a laptop with the Ubuntu 7.04 Linux distribution preinstalled in the U.S. in May, a move the company said was in response to consumer demand. Although Linux's success has been squarely in the server market, consumers areÂ showing increased interestÂ in the open-source operating system as a desktop OS alternative to Microsoft's Windows. Desktop Linux has tended to have more appeal among developers and computer enthusiasts. Dell already offers other Linux distributions from market leaders Red Hat and Novell on some of its servers and its Precision workstation line. Â
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A rash of supremely affordable PCs preloaded with Linux has hit mainstream retail stores. And trying one is not as risky a proposition as you might think.Photos: Three sub-$200 Linux PCs
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IBM (NYSE: IBM) has announced an initiative to make Linux applications available across the company's entire hardware line.