Mihăiță Bamburic

Slackware is one of the oldest Linux distributions available, and with new versions few and far between, each new release is reason to rejoice. After almost a year and a half since the previous version, Slackware 14.0 is now available for download, or can be purchased on optical media.

Slackware 14.0 also comes with updated KDE 4.8.5 and Xfce 4.10.0 graphical desktop environments, that have been slipped into their respective component packages, saving storage space on archive sites as well as decreasing the time and bandwidth used to download updates. USB, Firewire, ACPI support, Apache 2.4.3, X11R7.7, support for Network Manager, new development tools, a plethora of web browsers including the ability to repackage Google Chrome as a native app, a repository of extra software packages and many more are included. What else is new?

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Great news for CyanogenMod 10 nightly users as the popular Android custom distribution now comes with a new feature named CM Updater. It brings OTA updates, and is designed to make upgrading a breeze between nightly builds, replacing ROM Manager in the process.

CM Updater has been recently implemented, and is available in the latest nightly builds for CyanogenMod 10-supported devices. Just like with stock Android 4.1 Jelly Bean the OTA update feature is located in "About phone" for a more vanilla-like experience, and delivers a number of useful features.

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After Intel and its OEM partners announced the new Windows 8 Pro-based tablets running on the new Atom Z2760 processor, codenamed Clover Trail, Hewlett-Packard introduced the ElitePad 900 which the company labels as "a True Tablet for Business" and government, with accessories that crowd the spotlight.

Hewlett-Packard on Monday did not give much away in terms of technical specifications, but a few details were provided. The ElitePad 900 is known to come with a 16:10 10.1-inch display, a 9.2mm thickness and 1.5lbs weight without any accessories. CNC-machined aluminum is used on the tablet, with Corning Gorilla Glass 2 protecting the display. The processor used is "next-generation Intel mobile" and together with "x86 compatibility" it is likely to come with the new Intel Atom Z2760 SoC, that was previously announced. There is an 8 megapixel rear-facing camera with LED flash as well as a 1080p forward-facing camera, with the latter a standout feature among tablets and smartphones which still hang around the 720p mark.

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A week after the Android Open Kang Project team announced the implementation of a new release schedule, they delivered on their promise by releasing AOKP Jelly Bean Build 4, providing along with it a number of interesting statistics.

Since June, the Android distribution reached a little over 180,000 official installations worldwide, and that is impressive for what is basically a small team of developers. The number of custom Android distributions based on AOKP code reached almost 430,000. The focus is still on AOKP Jelly Bean Build 4 that is based on Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean build number JRO03R, so what does it bring to the table?

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Soon after HP announced the availability of Open webOS 1.0 Edition, the WebOS Ports team made a new announcement of their own -- the porting of the open-source operating system to the Samsung/Google Galaxy Nexus. They did not waste any time...

The port is in the early stages of development, and accordingly it's a work in progress. Hardware acceleration is not yet implemented, but according to The Open webOS Project Blog the team is working on correcting the issue. A video has been posted detailing a functioning Open webOS running on the Samsung/Google Galaxy Nexus without any apparent issues aside from hardware acceleration, a good sign considering the narrow time-frame since HP released it.

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In the consumer market, Intel is best known for making chips that go into PCs of various design, and with the newly announced Intel Atom Z2760 processor, codenamed Clover Trail, the Santa Clara, California-based corporation is looking to make a dent in the mobile tablet market as well, where its presence can be considered abysmal at best.

The new Intel processor is designed to fill the gap between Windows RT-based tablets running on ARM chips and full Windows 8 Pro-based tablets on Intel Core i processors. Intel looks to be planting its Clover Trail flag in the middle ground, offering compatibility with desktop applications and improved mobility through good battery life and a compact package.

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Say goodbye to Ice Cream Sandwich and hello to Jelly Bean! Acer's flagship Android tablet, the quad-core nVidia Tegra 3 Iconia Tab A700 gets an Android 4.1 Jelly Bean adrenaline shot in Europe, with extended availability likely to follow in the near future.

According to XDA Developers members, the Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean update for the Acer Iconia Tab A700 tablet is available only in Germany at the moment. The update brings along a few notable changes, the biggest of which obviously is operating system upgrade in itself, but it is reported that Google Chrome as well as Acer Cloud are included in the update among the usual Google Currents, Play Books and Play Music. Allegedly, there is an effect on touch sensitivity as well which, according to the same user that reported the changes, is an improvement over the previous version.

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If you are a CyanogenMod 10 nightly user, then CM10 Downloader is a must-have on your Android device.

The app is designed to download CM10 nightly builds for your Android smartphone without involving the use of other apps, and it provides the option to download the necessary Google Apps package. If you don't want to manually check for a new build, and if you're trying to avoid using cellular data, it also comes with a scheduler option that will automatically check for you, and download updates via Wi-Fi. Pretty nice, isn't it?

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Popular cloud service Dropbox has a new ace up its sleeve -- file sharing in Facebook Groups.

Dropbox integration within Facebook Groups is addressed to users of both services that seek to distribute and share cloud-stored information with other group members, with the added benefit of having the shared files updated if they are edited on Dropbox. It's an interesting feature which might be of great interest to Facebook users wanting an easy way of sharing pictures, videos or documents uploaded to Dropbox.

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Most smartphone users wouldn't know if their device packs an ARM or Intel processor. They would care, perhaps, if software doesn't run, particularly as the first Intel-powered devices reach the mass-market.

Google has updated Chrome for Android, to run on x86 processors, paving way for its own subsidiary, Motorola, to release Razr i, which packs a 2GHz Intel Atom powerhouse.

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Like baseball, the iPhone 5 has been all about numbers and stats, beginning with the two million pre-orders in 24 hours, 5 million units sold in the first weekend and the rumored $207 it costs to build the 16GB variant of Apple's latest smartphone, the latter of these numbers makes us crave more. Specifically, we want to know what the iPhone 5 is packing to make up that cost.

The answer was provided by the teardown experts at iFixit, which has thoroughly examined the iPhone 5, dismantling it so we don't have to.

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Great news for Verizon Wireless Samsung Galaxy Nexus owners -- Google posted the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean factory image for the "forgotten" users of the big red.

The LTE Galaxy Nexus can be updated to Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean, build number JRO03O using the factory image posted on Google Developers website. The recent development comes almost two months after the Mountain View, Calif.-based corporation released the factory images for the Samsung/Google Galaxy Nexus HSPA+ model, and represents a significant delay for the update to reach the LTE model.

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Great news for modding enthusiasts, the Android Open Kang Project team announced the availability of the new Jelly Bean build 3, one week after Jelly Bean build 2 was released.

The current iteration of the Android distribution is based on Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean, build number JRO03R and takes a focus on stability rather than on implementing numerous new features like with the previous build.

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In the land of the rising sun a new tablet --the Google Nexus 7-- is making its first appearance.

The popular 7-inch tablet sporting Android 4.1 Jelly Bean was launched by Google in Japan. Like with the European launch, the Nexus 7 only comes in one flavor -- the 16GB model and it is available for purchase directly from Google's local Play Store for a price of 19,800 Japanese Yen, which is roughly $255.

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One week after Apple announced two million iPhone 5s were pre-ordered in 24 hours, the Cupertino, California-based corporation claims even stronger iPhone 5 sales during the launch weekend.

iPhone 5 sales topped over five million units in the three days after the September 21 launch according to the press release issued by Apple on Monday.

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