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Newegg selling ASUS Eee Box with Red Flag Linux pre-installed originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Remember the $200 smartbook reference design that we saw at CES this year? Well, it’s back, it’s holding on to that same price and 7-inch enclosure, but this time it’s also showing off an expanded OS compatibility. Adapting the open source Chromium OS and another Linux variant to the ARM architecture of the prototype device was apparently not much of a hurdle for Freescale, who has an Android option in the works as well and claims to be just optimizing and enhancing the user experience at this point. Presumably one of the enhancements will be the installation of a capacitive touchscreen as the present demonstration requires either a mouse and keyboard or a resistive torture test to operate, but we’ll accept the company’s explanation that this is just a proof of concept and not the final product. Slide past the break to see some HTML5 video running on this bargain bin tablet, and hope that your friendly neighborhood OEM picks these designs up for some retail action.

Continue reading Freescale’s 7-inch tablet runs Android, Chromium OS or Linux, costs $200 (video)

Freescale’s 7-inch tablet runs Android, Chromium OS or Linux, costs $200 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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North Korea’s Red Star OS takes the ‘open’ out of ‘open source’ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Electric motorcycles are getting more and more common, and while we don’t think they’ll ever quite capture the rush of an internal-combustion engine threatening to fly into bits as it screams toward red-line, they are starting to offer their own… unique charms. This model is a Norwegian prototype, based on a Honda chassis that had its tail chopped and motor stripped, replaced by stacks of Nickel-Metal batteries, then wrapped in some custom bodywork. The bike sports a touchscreen dash powered by Ubuntu that offers both stats about the bike (speed, temperature, etc.) as well as GPS navigation and, presumably, on the go games of Tux Racer. It’s a one-off built by Green School Motorcycles and Akershus University College, and there’s plenty more information about it in a video at the source link below — if you speak Norwegian.

[Thanks, dsbilling]

Electric Green School motorcycle shows its rebel nature by running Linux originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Mar 2010 09:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While some people may amass large numbers of porcelain figurines or miniature replica cars, we’ve got five far cooler collectibles for those of a more geeky nature.

From vinyl to plush, we bring you five social media-, online- and tech-themed items that will not only show your affiliation to all things geek, but who knows, could end up being worth something in years to come.

Peruse the list below and let us know which item you’d chose to grace your desk in the comments.

1. Ollie the Twitterrific Bird

This adorable blue bird is a real-life representation of the Twitterrific Mac Twitter client from Iconfactory and would look super-sweet perched on your desk. Around 4 inches tall, Ollie “loves to chat about what’s going on” according to his makers. There are two Ollies available — a vinyl version for just under $20, and a flocked vinyl option for $26.95. Now all we need is a Fail Whale to complete the set.

Cost: From $19.95

2. Android Mini Collectibles

Android fans get not one but 12 different versions of the cute robotic logo to collect. Kicking off with the standard green effort, there’s also a “worker” version with shirt and tie, an albino option, and some “super rare chase editions” to look out for. Designed by NYC artist Andrew Bell, each vinyl figure stands 3 inches tall and features a rotating head and arms.

Cost: Approx $7.25 each

3. Firefox Plushie

Fans of Mozilla’s open source browser can show their love with this official plush toy. Technically, it’s actually a red panda, as that’s what a “firefox” actually is. The 9-inch stuffed toy comes with “cuteness guaranteed” according to Mozilla, and proceeds from sales benefit the Mozilla Foundation. Now can we have a big-eared Fennec fox next?

Cost: $12.08

4. Plush Steve Jobs Doll

The trademark black turtleneck, the jeans, the glasses; “Plush Jobs” is unmistakable in his Steve-ness, and could work equally well for Apple fanatics and haters — the latter of which could easily find some Voodoo uses. From LEGO-loving Apple fans PodBrix, Plush Jobs stands at 17 inches tall and was created because the makers “always wanted a cuddly Jobs doll” so figured “other people might want one too.” The first 500 have already sold out, but PodBrix promises to make more.

Cost: $27.99

5. Tux the Penguin’s Gwin Army

Tux, the logo for Linux, famously created by Larry Ewing, has seen many real-life incarnations as varied as plushies and squeezy stress toys. But we think the best is the Gwin range from October Toys that gives the little open source penguin his own “army” full of wonderful, wacky, colorful characters as designed by a variety of artists. The vinyl Gwin range stands at around 2.5 inches tall with a limited number released, so if you see one you like, you know what you need to do.

Cost: From $10 each

More gift guide resources from Mashable:

- Twitter Gift Guide: 15 Ways to Shop for the Twitter Obsessed

- Mac Gift Guide: 10 Buying Ideas for Apple Fans

- 10 Great Digital Gifts for Social Media Lovers

- 10 Romantic Gifts for Your Beloved Geek

Reviews: Android, Linux, Twitterrific

Tags: android, apple, Firefox, geek, Gifts, Linux, List, Lists, nerd, shopping, shopping list, steve jobs, toys, twitterrific

What’s better than paying £400 ($615) for a laptop from a place that won’t tell you isn’t very forthcoming about what’s inside it? Paying that much for a laptop that then comes with a £9.99 ($15) monthly fee just to use the thing. It’s the Alex from BCC, the Broadband Computer Company (not to be confused by the Alex from Spring Design, or Alex Bushill from the BBC), a somewhat chunky looking laptop loaded with some custom layer over Linux promising an always updated, always ready, and incredibly easy to use experience. It also has a round mousepad that says “Alex” on it. The machine should be secure, shipping with a USB thumb drive that must be plugged in for it to work — something we’re guessing most people will never bother to unplug. There’s online file storage and a UI full of pretty colors, but we’re having a bit of a hard time with that cost. That said, if you’re the perpetually on-call tech support person in your family it might be a small price to pay for some peace and quiet.

Update: TheLostSwede dug through the Alex site and found a spec sheet. We’re talking 1.6GHz worth of Intel T1600 Celeron power, 1GB of memory, a 15.4-inch display driven by integrated graphics, 120GB of storage, and a DVD/RW drive. Hot stuff, readers. Hot stuff.

Continue reading BCC launches Alex, the laptop free of hassles but not monthly surcharges (video)

BCC launches Alex, the laptop free of hassles but not monthly surcharges (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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