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An update to Ubuntu 12.04 (daily builds) has tweaked the Unity UI to make the systems more useful on multi-monitor set-up. I noticed it when I rebooted the system after an update. Now, launcher is available on all monitors, in addition to the top banner and menu items.

As we earlier reported Ubuntu Dash is getting rid of default useless huge icons (I haven't seen any use of it yet). The update has arrived. We are running Ubuntu 12.04 to keep an eye on the progress and we just noticed updates to Unity which removes those default 8 icons from the Dash and replace them with more useful shortcuts.

Motorola users are ready for a revolt. Furious Motorola users have started a petition pressurizing the company to unlock the bootloaders of their devices "Motorola Mobility Inc: Unlock all smartphone bootloaders."

I have been a long time Ubuntu user, been using it since 2006. I loved it and have been installing it on user's PC until version 11.04 came out with Unity. Before you get a wrong impression let me make it clear that I love to try new things as long as they don't come in between me and my work. I started using Unity since its alpha days and am currently running Ubuntu 12.04 with HUD and KDE 4.8. The reason is simple -- I am curious and love trying new things. I am also running openSUSE with Gnome 3 to stay updated with the latest development.

Ubuntu team knows how to stay in news. Two months before the release of Ubuntu 12.04, Mark has exploded a bomb which is making everyone talk about Ubuntu. This time its HUD in the spot-light. Both sides, those against the idea of messing up with Ubuntu UI and those who support it are trying to put forth their points in a constructive manner.

I found Canonical to be the bravest company that has the courage to introduce a new UI for an LTS version just two months before its release. I don't know why it has taken Microsoft so many years to release Windows 8! I was shocked when Mark Shuttleworth announced that they are working on HUD, which will ultimately replace menus in Unity applications.

While Ubuntu fans are sill playing with Tablet mock-ups, Aaron Seigo, the team lead of KDE project, has announced the first tablet computer that comes with Plasma Active pre-installed. Time for Ubuntu to get rid of fanboys and do some serious business.

Let's have a look at Unity Heads-Up Display (HUD). By now, I'm sure most readers will have seen the screenshot of HUD and the old Machintosh, and some may have read or heard the expression WIMP for the first time. And you've most likely read at least one article under headings such as Ubuntu replaces menus with HUD. Of course, this is only the media being paid-per-click. It isn't true. In fact, it is the opposite of the truth. In all the official statements, it has been made explicit that the HUD is an addition to the menus and not a replacement. The news media, of course, will never let facts get in the way.

I started using Ubuntu 12.04 on my main PC a couple of days ago to keep an eye on the upcoming changes and today I noticed two major changes silently added to the 'User Interface' settings option. One of my grips with Unity was the lack of any customization of Launcher's size and position. I also wanted the launcher to stay visible all the time so that I don't have to wait for it to appear. Two changes have landed on Ubuntu 12.04 daily builds that address my problem.

The KDE project has announced the release of KDE 4.8 which provides major updates to KDE Plasma Workspaces, KDE Applications, and the KDE Platform.

Koushik Dutta, the co-founder of the popular CyanogenMod project has been contemplating the idea of an App Store which will sell apps for rooted devices.

The ownCloud project recently announce its evolution as a company. We reached out to the ownCloud team to understand the evolution of the project into a company. Here is an exclusive interview with Markus Rex, the new CEO, CTO of ownCloud Frank Karlitschek the founder of ownCloud.

We recently published a how to about how to install Unity 5.0 in Ubuntu 12.04. But now even the Ubuntu 11.10 users can install and test Unity 5.0, thanks to the power of PPA. You just need to remember that Unity 5.0 is not stable yet and it might break certain things. I have been using it on my systems for a while now and it is working fine. Then, Ubuntu users don't fear of trying new things, right? So, here we go.

When I talked to Linus Torvalds he said that Secure Boot is a good thing, but can be used in a bad ways. That's proving to be true. When Microsoft published The Certification Requirements for Windows 8 it was evident that the company wanted to use the secure boot to lock Linux out of such hardware, thus creating a Windows only hardware. The discovery lead to a strong protest from the FLOSS community. Microsoft allowed the non-ARM hardware to be able to run Linux if the hardware vendors chooses to allow that. But as we saw the arrival of ARM on desktop Microsoft "wasted no time in revising its Windows Hardware Certification Requirements to effectively ban most alternative operating systems on ARM-based devices that ship with Windows 8."

"With tens of thousands of calls daily to our call-centre, we are unable to adequately respond to all the queries we are receiving. As we work with extreme urgency to build-up our response capacity, if you have difficulty in getting through to our toll-free number, please fill-in the query forms on this website or Email us at supportin@datawind.com, and we will revert back to you at the earliest."

Cinnamon is the brain child of Linux Mint founder and is available for Debian-based distros as well as RPM-based systems such as openSUSE and Fedora. The availability of the project for other distributions makes Cinnamon a great project. I think and will become quite popular among other non-Debian systems as well. openSUSE and Fedora already have repositories (testing) for Cinnamon and non Ubuntu/Linux Mint users can install it too. So, suddenly Cinnamon has a bigger user-base than Unity which is available only under Ubuntu. There are two problems plaguing Unity – it's availability only on Ubuntu (not even Linux Mint uses it) and the defensive stand of some of the developers. Instead of listening to users and giving them what they want, users are told to learn how to use Unity. That's not how it works in a world where there are many options. It may work in the Windows or Apple world where its 'my way or highway' approach. So, even the most enthusiastic users who do want to use Unity are discouraged. This limits Unity's growth. Cinnamon, on the other hand is available for wider audience and will enjoy stronger feedback and contribution. Just look at the amount of Gnome shell extensions are there as compared to Unity lens and scopes!

Now, Linux Mint has assumingly broken all time record on DistroWatch and how looks huge with 3160 rating which is more than 1,077 more than Ubuntu. There is no way that Ubuntu will cover this distance in the near future, unless they change something dramatically.

Sensics will be unveiling their new SmartGoggles, Natalia, a new 3D, 360-degree gaming and entertainment platform at CES. They contain an embedded processor running Android to run applications in a standalone mode. The goggles can also be paired with game consoles, phones, tablets, or PC's. Natalia features a 1.2 GHz, dual-core processor running Android 4.0 on board, strengthened by a powerful graphics and 3D accelerator and 1 GB of memory. Its performance is comparable to top-shelf tablets or smart phones.

The One Laptop Per Child program’s XO-3 tablet will be revealed next week at CES, according to the project’s founder, Nicholas Negroponte. The XO 3.0 features Marvell’s Armada PXA618 SOC processor and Avastar Wi-Fi SOC, with 512MB of RAM. It can run Android and other Linux operating systems like Fedora. The version that will be shown at the CES will be running Android.

Motorola's new Wi-Fi Xyboard tablet goes on sale January 19th and customers can pre-order theirs now as they've just popped up on the Motorola store, just ahead of the CES show where they will be on display. There are 4 models, starting at 400 dollar minus a cent up to 600 dollar for the top model, the Xyboard 10.1, 32GB. All of the tablets come with the same Technical Specs, with Android Honeycomb, which is upgradeable to Ice Cream Sandwich. 5 MP rear and HD front webcams with digital zoom, LED flash and auto focus and weighing in a 603 grams. The choice of model is really down to selecting a 8.2 screen or a 10.1 and 16GB or 32GB.