The 12th version of Fedora Linux distribution derived from the old Red Hat Desktop and developed by the community, is now available for download. The system can be downloaded free of charge, either in the form of LiveCDs as a DVD installation.

Among the main features visible to the End User are the instant messaging client Empathy, compatible with various networks and with interesting features like desktop sharing and video conferencing.

There is also support audio via Bluetooth (which allows use of headphones and headsets), a new manager of network connections, a new desktop software packages and better support for tablets, and touch panels in both drivers as in applications, with versions of Gimp, Inkscape and Xournal optimized to take best advantage of this feature.

Fedora is also notable for being one of the few Linux distributions with official support (and simultaneously on each new version) to machines with PowerPC processors, making it an excellent option for anyone who wants to give new life to that old Mac G4 leaning against the cabinet. Moreover, there is a special version that uses KDE as its desktop environment, instead of the traditional Gnome (here in version 2.28)

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Via: Fedora Project.

Besides the new look, the service has implemented tools that help in the understanding of non-Latin languages such as Chinese, Arabic or Persian. For these languages, will be offered the option “show romanization, which will enable the understanding of the sound of words from a phonetic writing. You can also write in any language is from the Latin sounds of words, which will be converted to characters of the selected language, according to information from the PC World site

According to Tom Kratz, site CNET News, this is an important step in the Google translator, adding language that comes into service in recent years, but that was a bottleneck in the translation between languages Latin and non-Hispanics.

For translations into English service will also provide an icon that will hear the words translated, as explained awaneesh Verma, product manager at Google, the official blog post. Just click the icon for the speaker to hear the sentence translated. The instant translation, which comes as the User types the phrase to be translated, is also one of the new service.

Via: PCWorld.

It was released for testing the use of Google’s image search Swirl, a tool that allows you to search for images with words, and from a given selection in the results, opens a tree-like figures, helping in the search.

The search for images has never been an easy task. The known Google Images service has its relevance, but it is not precise and can take a while to find the desired figure.

To make life easier for the users, Google launched Google Swirl, an interface for image search, part of Google Labs. According to the website TechTree, the application, still in its experimental displays the results of a search in a grid with 12 miniatures, representing the most relevant, according to the search term.

Clicking on any of the 12 thumbnails, the page displays a large circle with the selected image, connected to other small figures less relevant and that have some relation to the bigger picture. Moreover, there is a connection with a smaller circle that leads to the first groups displayed.

It is precisely this mixture of images and circular references that gives its name to the tool, Swirl. Although still limited, there is already a lot of terms available for consultation.

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Via: TechTree.

The games maker Electronic Arts (EA) has closed the acquisition of Playfish for $ 275 million in cash and other forms of compensation, extending its business to the growing social gaming industry.
The Playfish, a company founded two years ago with headquarters in London, makes games to be played on the computer between families and friends, unlike traditional games that rely on specific consoles. Among its hits there are the game of virtual pets “Pet Society” and the game of questions and answers “Who Has The Biggest Brain?”.

Under the agreement, EA has paid about $ 275 million in cash plus another $ 25 million in retention agreements of shares, the company said on Monday (9).

In addition, the former owners of Playfish also entitled to additional compensation in cash, the value of variable, up to $ 100 million, provided that certain goals are achieved performance of the company until December 31, 2011.

EA said the deal would accelerate consolidation in the entertainment industry in social networks and strengthens its focus on the transition to digital social games.
The agreement comes at a crucial time for the video game market, which saw its sales plummet this year amid a shortage of famous release and consumer caution, with an eye on their spending due to economic recession.

Via: Folha.

Two months ago, Google CEO, Eric Shmidt said in an interview that the worst of the recession was over and that Google would come back to buy companies as before. Yesterday this statement was confirmed.

The Mountain View giant announced it will buy AdMob, a company specializing in the sale of ads on mobile platforms, including iPhone and Android.

Omar Hamoui, CEO and founder of AdMob, said that so far the area of mobile advertising was treated as secondary in relation to others and that the company’s purchase by Google changes the landscape. Hamoui also states that the business has a debt of gratitude to Apple for it to have created the iPhone, and through it, solving several problems in the area.

Since Susan Wojcicki and Vic Gundotra, authors of the post announcing the purchase on the official Google blog, they state that everyone has to gain from the agreement. For website owners, it means better products and more effective tools for monetizing content. For advertisers, ads more relevant and more comprehensive, and the possibility of more interesting formats. And for users, ads that will show more useful information.

Shareholders of both companies approved the transaction whose value is U.S. $ 750 million.

Via: AdMob.

Since Twitter has never deigned to deploy “professional” resources for companies that have profile on the site, as they said some rumors that have circulated over the network some time ago, a startup got tired of waiting and made the law into their own hands.

The CoTweet is a tool that promises to “help manage corporate accounts” of the microblogging site, as pointed out by the Wall Street Journal, for a monthly fee of $ 1,500 which has attracted people’s respect as Ford, Microsoft, Starbucks and McDonalds.

Among its facilities the CoTweet offers the possibility to permanently store data about their interactions with the public, “including tweets, retweets, responses and direct messages.” In addition the tool allows for monitoring the amount and type of questioning that the company receives and its response time, “when a business goes into Twitter, so it notes that only one person is not likely to be done all the service for the entire site.

“No person may be at work 24 hours a day 7 days a week, “said Jesse Engle, CEO of the company. Any resemblance of his speech about Twitter with the answering service to business customers is not mere coincidence. Soon the company promises to expand its service to other social networks like Facebook.

Those who are interested or cannot afford the $ 1,500 monthly for the service, the CoTweet also has a free version with limited functionality.

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Via: Wall Street Journal.

Those who want to play instruments but have at home no longer have a space for them can start using video games. The video site YouTube has launched an interactive channel that allows users to “touch” them online, called InstrumenTube.

The idea boils down to a simple series of videos where a single instrument is played so that every note fits perfectly with the red timeline video. After fully charge, click on the timeline, in places of the notes you want to create different sounds or songs.

Although impractical and restricted to only a few notes, the videos are a good hobby and an interesting way to discover the sounds of each instrument. Available to be “touched” are piano, guitar, bass, bass and rattle (which, instead of notes, offering different speeds).

Another way to have fun with the site is to mix the instruments, playing them at the same time. It is a creative possibility to assemble a “band online.

There are no classes to teach aspiring musicians, but who already have some idea will not have great difficulties to “compose”. The site reports that, soon, new tools are available.

Via: Geek.

Surprising common sense and putting it in check survey in 2006, a study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project found that people who use the internet and have a cell phone has a bigger and more diverse social network.

According to the study, the isolation rate of U.S. citizens remains the same in 1985: 6% of Americans feel they do not have with whom to discuss important issues. But the possession of a cell and participation in a variety of activities on the Internet were associated with greater and more extensive range of friends.

This is because the use of these services actually causes people to be more inter-connected and more open to communication. Data from Pew Internet shows that people who share photos online are more likely to discuss politics with people from other parties, and bloggers are 72% more likely to participate in a voluntary association site.

The conclusion is that although people spend more time in front of computer screens, it does not bring harm to their relationships in real life. The results show that social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace encourage groups in which there is a greater likelihood of relationship between people with different life experiences, which is an advantage in terms of diversity.

Another finding of the study is that, although many believe the Internet as a means of global communication, people are using their tools, including social networks, email and instant messaging mechanisms to talk to people very close, as friends who live in the same area.

Via: CNET News.

The development team of the Moblin project, a Linux distribution optimized for netbooks originally created by Intel and now under the control of the Linux Foundation, announced Wednesday the launch of the first beta version of Moblin 2.1. Despite the small difference in the numbering, this version brings important changes in the question that matters most in a netbook: mobility.

The main highlight is support for modems and 3G connections (although so far only one modem is compatible, Ericsson MBM), and a system for managing devices. The browser has been refined and now supports plugins, and there is an installer for applications on the software store Moblin Garage. Finally, the connection manager can now handle Ethernet, Wi-Fi, WiMax and 3G, and there is support for more video resolutions, something important to anyone running Moblin on a nettop.

Moblin 2.1 Beta is available in 11 languages and can be downloaded for free at the official site in www.moblin.org. It operates mainly in netbook and nettops equipped with an Intel Atom.

The advantage of Moblin is a Linux distribution that combines most of the programs that the user might need: office suites, software engineering tools, electronics, email, instant messaging, among others.

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Via: Moblin.

Google launched today a new product that will improve the search for a retail site. The company said that the Google Commerce Search will help consumers find the products they want (something that definitely interested retailers).

The system will allow a faster search process, more relevant and easier to use than those currently available at retail sites, according to Nitin Mangtani, product manager of Google’s enterprise search. Other interesting features are the integration with Google Analytics and excellent spelling corrector that Google already use on its site.

It will be a test to see if Google can make real money, besides its profits on the search industry for the consumer (Google.com). The funny thing is, that if Google succeeds in this enterprise search space, this will only be one more argument for those who speak that the company only understands about search related things.

The online retailers have to pay at least $ 50 thousand a year to have the tool available. The tool allows the customer to customize the interface of research and create promotions to highlight items that appear at the top of the results.

The new service is to try to deal and compete with other sites like Shopping.com and Shopzilla.com.

Via: Fast Company.