4 Beautiful Ubuntu Unity Themes [Complete With How-To Download And Install]

The world of Linux customization is a complicated and fragmented one. There’s so much variety, but also a lot of, frankly, suboptimal themes out there. No GNOME themes, no mac look-alikes: these are truly the greatest-looking and better-made Unity themes, at least in my humble opinion.

1. Orta – It’s a great-looking theme that mixes shades of gray with really bright colors. Professional would be the first world that would come to mind when talking about this theme, because that’s exactly what it is: nice lines, prominent window buttons and a gray color scheme. The window button placement on the left might turn a few off, but that’s a small price to pay for such a good-looking theme.

In order to install it, type the following into the terminal:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:nikount/orta-desktop
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install orta-theme orta-emerald-decorators

2. Elementary – This theme is pretty popular among the Linux community, and for a good reason: it’s really nice-looking. Just like the one we mentioned before, this theme looks professional, except instead of shades of gray, we’re presented with a silver theme, with a silver-colored windows and a black menu bar (although there’s a silver option as well). As with the previous theme, the main drawback is probably the placement of the window buttons. It also doesn’t have the extensive icon set that can be found on other themes, but other than that, you can’t go wrong with this popular and great-looking theme.

In order to install it, type the following into the terminal:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:elementaryart/elementarydesktop
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install elementary-icon-theme

3. Minty Freshness – If all of these themes have too much of a gray color scheme, you’ll likely enjoy this one more. Minty Freshness has a silver look with a touch of green: green window button, green icons and many other elements scattered around the system, including context menus. A major problem I found with the theme was the fact it breaks Google Chrome’s title bar. While that has no impact on usability, you’re advised to disable system windows (by going into Wrench > Preferences > Personal Stuff and checking “Hide system title bar and use compact borders“).

In order to install it, please download this PPA and select Minty Freshness.

4. Equinox – If you’re looking for a theme with the window buttons placed on the right, this is probably the best choice for you. Aside from a great-looking and comprehensive icon pack, this theme has a great color scheme based on blacks and shades of dark gray. It comes in various flavors, including a darker one, but they all share the same icon pack, and essentially the same look.

In order to install it, type the following into the terminal:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:tiheum/equinox
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install gtk2-engines-equinox faenza-icon-theme equinox-theme

Those are my four picks for the best Ubuntu themes. If you’re just getting started with customizing Linux, these four themes could be a great way to start. We’ll keep you posted if we find any other great-looking theme.

Fedora 14 now available for download, complete with MeeGo trimmings

Ubuntu may be the Linux distribution of choice for many these days, but it's hardly the only game in town, and one of the other big players has now gotten an update that might just sway some folks back to its team. That comes in the form of the Red Hat sponsored Fedora 14, which is aimed specifically at "developers, system administrators and open source enthusiasts." If that includes you, you can expect to get a slew of mostly behind-the-scenes updates, including a new software framework for Spice desktop virtualization, a range of new debugging features, an updated tech preview of the GNOME shell environment that will be part of the upcoming GNOME 3.0 release and, of particular note, some software from the MeeGo community that promises an "enhanced experience on netbooks and small devices." As with previous Fedora releases, it's also available in a number of different "spins" to suit your tastes and needs and it's, of course, completely free. Head on past the break for the complete press release, and hit up the link below to download the OS.

-engadgets

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Android 2.1 Eclair Update : 720p HD Video Out! How to Get The Update?

Sony Ericsson has just rolled out the 1.6 Eclair update kit for Xperia X10's Android OS.

Nordic countries will be the first to get it today while more kits will come tomorrow for other territories. The roll-out will continue throughout November.

Android 2.1 Eclair update kit for Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 will bring these key changes to the device:

• HD video recording with continuous auto-focus for high quality videos
• Upgrade of the Android platform to Android 2.1
• New back up and restore application, with extended content back up
• 5 homescreens for apps, widgets, shortcuts and folders
• Social phonebook which automatically syncs contact pictures from Facebook and shows when your friends are online

How to get the Android 2.1 update on you SE Xperia X10?

1. Go to Settings
2. Scroll down to About The Phone
3. Click on System Software Updates
4. Download Update if Available
5. Restart the Phone

Android : Leading Mobile Operating System in the United States, Says Canalys

Based on Q3 2010 mobile market sales data released by Canalys - a research company that specialises in delivering high quality market data, analysis and advice to the world’s leading technology vendors - Android is now the leading handset OS in the United States.

A wide gamut of smart phones running the (Google initiative) Open Handset Alliance's (OHA's) Android operating system had given the platform the top position in the US market for mobile OS with a 43.6% share;

"With Samsung, HTC, Motorola and Sony Ericsson all delivering large numbers of Android devices, and with focused efforts from many other vendors, such as LG, Huawei and Acer, yielding promising volumes, the platform continues to gather momentum in markets around the world," shares Pete Cunningham, Canalys Senior Analyst.

"Android has been well received by the market and in some geographies it is becoming a sought-after consumer brand. It has rapidly become the platform to watch, and its growing volumes will help to entice developers, ensuring consumers have access to an increasingly rich and vibrant mobile content and application ecosystem. Vendors are now delivering Android devices across a broad range of price points, from high-end products such as the Samsung Galaxy S or HTC Desire, to aggressively priced devices such as the LG GT540 Optimus or the Huawei built Vodafone 845, ensuring that Android devices are available and affordable to consumers on almost any budget."

Amazing.

Windows 7 will come in many flavors

Despite criticism that Windows Vista came in too many versions, Microsoft is moving ahead with plans to offer just as many editions of Windows 7.

(Click to enlarge)

Although the software maker will offer at least six distinct versions of the new operating system, Microsoft said to expect almost all PCs sold in the U.S. to come with either the Home Premium or Professional editions of the operating system.

"We're going to focus on two versions," Microsoft Senior Vice President Bill Veghte said in an interview, noting that those two versions will likely account for 80 percent of Windows 7 sales.

Still, versions of Windows 7 will include: Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate. Unlike with Vista, however, the Home Basic version will be sold only in emerging markets.

So, if Microsoft is going to focus on two, why bother with all of the other versions? Veghte says it comes down to the fact that there are just so many places in which Windows is sold.

For emerging markets, for example, Microsoft needs to have lower-priced versions. As a result, Microsoft plans the severely limited Windows 7 Starter as well as the bare bones, but relatively full-featured home basic version. Volume license customers will be able to get an enterprise version that includes BitLocker encryption and a couple of other enterprise-only features. For consumers who really want access to those features, there will again be an Ultimate version of the operating system.

That's not to say Microsoft is doing everything the same with Windows 7. Veghte said that Microsoft learned some important lessons from Vista.

One specific criticism with the Vista packages was the fact that there were features in Home Premium that weren't in the pricier Vista Business edition. With Windows 7, each higher-priced version will be a superset of the other versions. For example, the Professional version of Windows 7 includes Windows Media Center.

Also, Microsoft will make it easier to move from one version to another. With Vista, Microsoft introduced the notion of being able to easily upgrade from one version to another, though a special upgrade disk was needed. Windows 7, despite its many versions, will actually come as a single piece of code, or image. That means all the features will come loaded onto a Windows 7 PC, ready to be unlocked with an upgrade product key.

As for the specific versions, Windows 7 Starter has some of the key features of WIndows 7, such as the new taskbar, but not the live thumbnail previews. It is also limited to three applications running at a time and will have limitations on the kinds of screen resolutions and processors it will support.

Home Basic, which will be sold only in emerging markets, removes the screen size, processor, and open application limits and adds support for Internet connection sharing and the new sensor and location-based features. However, Home Basic lacks such things as multitouch support or the Aero interface. DVD playback and Windows Media Center are also found in the Home Premium and Professional editions, but not in Basic or Starter.

The ability to use presentation mode or join a domain are two examples of features that are found in Windows 7 Professional, but not in any of the home versions. Finally, you'll need either Ultimate or Enterprise for a few features, such as DirectAccess, BitLocker, or booting from a virtual hard drive.

Regardless of the rationale, having so many versions of Windows 7--not to mention any additional versions mandated by antitrust regulators around the world--will certainly open Microsoft up to additional criticism and probably some mocking from the folks in Cupertino.

To some degree, the customization is necessary. After all, while Apple may boast of only having one version--it essentially targets only the high end of the consumer market--the segment served by Home Premium.

However, the need for an Ultimate version, particularly now that the Professional version will have Media Center and other consumer features, seems somewhat dubious

Windows 7 Beta now Ready for Download

If you’ve been out of the loop for the past couple of days, it might interest you to know that Microsoft has made available a public beta version of their upcoming operating system, Windows 7. You can download a copy by clicking here and installation is pretty easy. Just burn the Windows 7 image to a DVD, boot up from the DVD discand run the installation .

However, if you’re planning to dual boot Windows 7 on your Win XP/Vista machine, want to run it on a Mac, or on a netbook, Gizmodo has come out with a step-by-step guide on how to accomplish this with Windows 7. Just remember, the minimum system requirements include a 1GHz 32-bit or 64-bit processor, 1GB RAM, 16GB HDD space, support for DirectX9 wih 128MB memory for Aero features, DVD-RW/W drive and internet access. This beta trial version which will expire on August 1, 2009. Likewise, the Windows 7 beta version is only available for download until January 24th unless they decide to extend it.

So, if you’re already raring to give Microsoft’s latest OS a try, then by all means download it now and tell us how it goes for you.

Microsoft Windows 7

Windows 7 (formerly known as Blackcomb and Vienna) is the working name for the next major version of Microsoft Windows as the successor of Windows Vista. Microsoft has announced that it is "scoping Windows 7 development to a three-year time frame", and that "the specific release date will ultimately be determined by meeting the quality bar, The client versions of Windows 7 will ship in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions. A server variant, codenamed Windows Server 7, is also under development.

Microsoft is maintaining a policy of silence concerning discussion of plans and aspirations for Windows 7 as they focus on the release and marketing of Windows Vista, stating that Microsoft doesn't want to promise features and then fail to deliver, though some early details of various core operating system features have emerged. As a result, little is known about the feature set, though public presentations from company officials have disseminated information about some features. Leaked information from people to whom Milestone 1 (M1) of Windows 7 was shipped also provides some insight into the feature set.


Bill Gates, in an interview with Newsweek, suggested that the next version of Windows would "be more user-centric." When asked to clarify what he meant, Gates said:

That means that right now when you move from one PC to another, you've got to install apps on each one, do upgrades on each one. Moving information between them is very painful. We can use Live Services to know what you're interested in. So even if you drop by a [public] kiosk or somebody else's PC, we can bring down your home page, your files, your fonts, your favorites and those things. So that's kind of the user-centric thing that Live Services can enable. [Also,] in Vista, things got a lot better with [digital] ink and speech, but by the next release there will be a much bigger bet. Students won't need textbooks; they can just use these tablet devices. Parallel computing is pretty important for the next release. We'll make it so that a lot of the high-level graphics will be just built into the operating system. So we've got a pretty good outline. (wikipedia)


Q & A portion ( hahaha ) PeeJhaY(Computer Expert (ang jok jok) ) and TristAn ( PinOyExchanGe Admin (Ang jok jok)

Tris>> Why Windows 7?
jhay>> Windows vista = Windows 6.0...
???????????? = Windows 7.... as of now no one know what will be the name of the next Operating System (OS)

Tris>> Why Microsoft(MS) created Windows 7?
jhay>> hmmm... because many people like me who are very disappointed to MS Vista. Because vista need 512mb memory ram to be able meet the minimum requirements ( what if you install all softwares you got... "parang pentium 2 gamit mo" )

Tris>> MS windows 7... release date?
jhay>> hmmm.. MS Vista - Jan 30 2007.. Windows 7 - 2010, no exact date but there are rumors that it will be release on Jan 30 2010