Analysts were expecting a loss of $420 million in the second quarter. Shipments of 4 million Lumia smartphones did not save the day. [Read more]
Read more at CNET News
The Return of MeeGo: Phones and Apps and Games, Oh My!
Read more at LinuxInsider
Congratulations to Our T-shirt Design Contest Winners
Congratulations to Brian Beck and Sabrina Aqil, our two winners in The Linux Foundation’s 2012 “Inspired by Linux” T-shirt Design Contest! Their awesome t-shirt designs took first and second place, respectively, in the community vote.
The shirts will now be printed and sold in the Linux.com store. A limited number will also be available for sale at LinuxCon North America in San Diego Aug. 29-31. Proceeds from the sale will help support Linux and The Linux Foundation. We’ll wear them proudly!
Thanks to everyone who participated, and especially to our finalists for their creativity and support of Linux.
As first place winner Brian will be reimbursed $2,000 to be applied toward airfare, hotel and admissions to his choice of LinuxCon North America or LinuxCon Europe in Barcelona, Spain Nov. 5-7, 2012. In second place, Sabrina will be reimbursed $1,000 toward attending one of the two events.
Brian is the Instructional Technology Specialist for the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Research at Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas. He also co-founded and teaches for TexOS – the Texas Open Source Project, which installs Linux on donated computers and teaches others how to use it.
“I’m very excited to use, support, promote and market Linux and the Open Source mindset to others,” he said in an email response to winning the contest. “This helps me reach a larger audience!”
“Thank you and Linux Foundation immensely, for creating and organizing the T-shirt Linux Competition,” said Sabrina, who lives in Cascina, Italy. “I had so much fun designing “Freedom Lifts Us Up” and I hope it will help promote Linux because Linux deserves to be known better and run worldwide.”
Lastly, we’d like include an informal, honorable mention for Carmen Andoh. Her Tux Mosaic design was popular among community members but was based on an existing image that required copyright permissions. Per our official contest rules, we had to remove that design from the votes. We hope Carmen will submit again next year!
First Place: Brian Beck, “Inspired by Linux Arrow”
Brian Beck: From afar, the viewer sees an arrow pointing up at the person wearing the shirt, showing “ ‘This person’ is Inspired by Linux” …. upon closer inspection of the shirt, it shows….”Because Why!”
Second Place: Sabrina Aqil, “Freedom Lifts us Up”
Sabrina Aqil: The design highlights the benefits coming off the freedom that Linux brings to us, opposite to the obstacles put by closed software and patents that slow down our progress towards a better society.
It’s getting harder to list all the companies, projects and institutions that run Linux for its freedom, transparency and cost-effective maintenance. For this reason the design features the Linux mascot, Tux, giving power with his own strength to a series of gears (representing the Linux machines out there) that move the most unexpected technologies of our time: Shuttles (NASA), Submarines (US Navy), Cars (Toyota), Airplanes and Cinema (Disney & Pixar).
MIPS Works with Android 4.1, Focused on Low-Cost Tablets
Among chip makers that have worked steadily with the Android mobile OS, you don’t hear MIPS Technologies mentioned much. But MIPS has, in fact, worked with Android since the birth of the OS, as we noted all the way back in 2009. When it comes to low cost Android tablet devices, you hear much discussion of devices running ARM chips, but MIPS has in fact been a competitive player in this space. Tablets based on MIPS chips and priced under $100 have made a mark around the world. Now there is news that MIPS will develop around Jelly Bean, otherwise known as Android 4.1.
Computerworld quotes Jen Bernier-Santarini, director of corporation communications at MIPS, who says:
“We are working aggressively on bringing Jelly Bean to MIPS, and expect that it will be available to our licensees very soon.”
MIPS was actually very early to see Android as an operating system appropriate for many types of devices other than smartphones. Tthe company worked to develop extensions for Android to support HD video displays, and bring Android to Blu-ray players, set-top boxes and digital TVs.
But low cost Android tablets have been the best fit for MIPS chips, and have been successful in emerging markets. Last week, MIPS announced a new 7-inch Miumiu W1 tablet from a Chinese company called Ramos that will be sold in Latin America, India and Europe.
Read more at Ostatic