Example and Demos

Welcome to Diligent Creators Demo Section as we are going to update our recent work here.

This is the place where all demos and examples will be posted those are being created/developed by the Diligent Creators’ Staff.

We also would like to start some tutorial section on our websites for Designer / Developers who needs to learn more in less time also some of the freeware projects and development stuff will be provided in this sections.

also follow on twitter @dcreators and facebook

Source

Google News gets an update

Google news has been quietly updated in an overhaul that is cleaner and offers more options to share news. While it appears that only the US site has been updated, it’s probable that in the coming weeks other countries sites will be updated too.

The two pictures below show the old style (top) and the newer style (bottom). The new style, while looking similar to the old, provides a cleaner interface and a drop down box to share the news stories by email, reader, Facebook, Twitter or Buzz.

Another new option is the ability to sort the news on the webpage by "list" or "category." Sorting by list will rank the news in terms of its popularity and sorting by category will sort the news stories into their respective news topics, such as business, sports, health and so on.

The update does add a refreshed look to the website that now makes the old version feel stale and outdated. As Google looks to keep its readers happy and attract new users, expect the update to hit other countries in the near future.

Google introduces new search indexing system - Caffeine

Google announced on Tuesday the completion of a new web indexing system called Caffeine.

Google claims that Caffeine provides 50 percent fresher results for web searches than their last index. "It's the largest collection of web content we've offered. Whether it's a news story, a blog or a forum post, you can now find links to relevant content much sooner after it is published than was possible ever before", said Carrie Grimes, Software Engineer at Google.

Google has built a new search indexing system as web content is growing in size and is more diverse in the form of video, images, news and real time updates. To keep up, Google has built Caffeine. The old index had several layers (see image above) that updated at different rates to others. To refresh a layer of the old index, Google would analyze the entire web which meant there was a significant delay between when Google found a page and when it was available on its search pages for end users.

With Caffeine, Google analzyes small portions of the web and updates the index on a continuous basis. Every second, Caffeine processes hundreds of thousands of pages in parallel. Caffeine takes up nearly 100 million gigabytes of storage in one database and adds information at a rate of hundreds of thousands of gigabytes per day. Google claims you'd need 625,000 of the largest iPods to store that much information.

Users who search on Google.com should see improvements in the months to come.

New iPhone in June confirmed by AT&T to employees

Boy Genius reports that AT&T has confirmed to its employees that there will indeed be a new iPhone release in June. This comes after the same source reported that there was a vacation freeze for all employees in the same month. The news isn't exactly surprising, as all previous models of iPhone were released in June, and the annual keynote at the World Wide Developers Conference will be held this year coinciding with the logical June release date.

Image courtesy of Gizmodo

The much anticipated phone comes on the heels of heated controversy over Apple's handling of leaked (or just misplaced) information about the phone. Many times, the controversy overshadows the real story, which is the phone itself. It has been rumored and pretty much confirmed for quite some time that there will be a front-facing camera that will have video chat capability, as well as an updated backside camera with LED flash. According to Gizmodo's perusal of the prototype they found/bought, the screen looked like it was sporting a higher resolution than previous models, 960x640 pixels. All in all, it will be an exciting release, and I'm sure much of the controversy over Apple's behavior as of late will die down once users can get their hands on the new iPhone.

Gmail gets nested labels and sneak peeks

While Gmail features don’t exactly roll out in the most traditional way, they do tend to add pretty useful functionality to Google’s ever-so-popular webmail service. Now, as showcased on The Official Gmail Blog, available in Gmail Labs are two new features for your testing pleasure: Nested Labels, and Message Sneak Peek.

Nested Labels is exactly what it sounds like. Just like you can do in Outlook, Gmail now allows you to put sub-labels within parent labels. However, the UI for doing so is still non-existent (hopefully this will change in the future). To create a nested label, you have to use a specific naming convention when you create a label. For example, if you wanted a parent label called “Favorite People” with sub-labels called “Emonxs” and “Androids,” you’d have to name them as follows:

• Favorite People
• Favorite People/Emonxs
• Favorite People/Androids

The above will result in a folder structure similar to the one in the picture above. If a label has nested labels within it, there will be a “+” sign to expand the label tree, and a “-” to close it.

Message Sneak Peek is Gmail’s way of giving a preview of your emails without actually having to go into them. Taking a peek does not mark an email as read. When you right click on an email that’s in your inbox, a nice sized box pops up showing you the email’s contents. Within the preview, you have the ability to archive, delete, or mark the email as read. You also have the option to view the email in its entirety.

New Windows Live Hotmail logo surfaces

In a video posted yesterday on The Window Blog, an unexpected refresh of the Microsoft’s Hotmail logo has been outed. The new logo will sport a very Outlook-esque golden envelope and a full “Windows Live Hotmail” title.

The logo change will likely come as part of the Windows Live “Wave 4″ refresh. As of now, Hotmail relies on the Windows Live logo with the word “Hotmail” hanging around in plain text. The change, as Long Zheng points out, “puts more emphasis on Hotmail (and less on Windows Live).” It seems as though Microsoft wants to, somewhat, separate Hotmail from the shackles of Windows Live and, once again, brand it as its own, pure, entity.

So why the re-branding? With Google’s Gmail service growing bigger by the day, and Yahoo mail standing strong, Microsoft may feel the need to keep their webmail titan in top shape. A logo refresh is always a good start, as it gives the public a new perspective of the service. The logo definitely fits well with the golden theme used by Office 2010. Perhaps Microsoft has some Hotmail/Office integrations planned. Anything’s possible.

YouTube to get 1080p support next week

YouTube is the most popular source for video on the Internet; it has dedicated apps on a few smart-phones, millions of hours of video and it keeps getting increasingly popular. It can also display HD video, but next week, that will get even better with full 1080p support coming.

The announcement, made on this blog, stated, "As resolution of consumer cameras increases, we want to make sure YouTube is the best home on the web to showcase your content," then recommended that, "viewers with big monitors and a fast computer, try switching to 1080p to get the most out of the fullscreen experience." It's a nice step for the website, and fret not those of you who have already uploaded 1080p video that was downscaled: YouTube is in the process of getting it ready for the activation of the feature next week.

YouTube's got a video already displaying 1080p, found here, which we'll save embedding due to the large size. Be sure to check out some new HD videos next week when 1080p will be fully available.

YouTube to launch redesign today

Youtube is set to roll out their new video page design for all videos sometime today. The Google-owned site claims that it will be one of the biggest redesigns in the history of their company.

The interface overhaul will replace star ratings with a familiar “like/dislike” system. Video pages have been streamlined and extra clutter removed by grouping actions together in menus and uniting other areas of the site together, like the description and statistics area. Users can also search without interrupting the current video that’s playing and queue it right from the results.

Here is the the full email acquired by TechCrunch that was sent out to Youtube partners about today’s events:

Dear Partner,

We want to provide you with an update on YouTube’s new video page, which we’ve been hard at work on for the last several months.

You can read more about it here:

http://youtube-global.blogspot.com/2...-makeover.html

http://youtube-global.blogspot.com/2...-page-new.html

On Wednesday, March 31st we’re happy to let you know that we’ll be transitioning all YouTube videos to this new video page.

This new video page makeover is one of the biggest redesigns in YouTube history — and we’re excited to make YouTube a better place for you and your content!

Update: After some initial hiccups, the new redesign should be live for most users. Youtube has updated their blog with more information on the new design and also posted a getting started guide to visually walk you through the new changes.

NASA to release high resolution film of first moon walk

At 9 p.m. PKT on Thursday, July 16 NASA will hold a press conference and release the recently found footage. "The release will feature 15 key moments from Neil Armstrong's and Buzz Aldrin's historic moonwalk using what is believed to be the best available broadcast-format copies of the lunar excursion, some of which had been locked away for nearly 40 years. The initial video released Thursday is part of a comprehensive Apollo 11 moonwalk restoration project expected to be completed by the fall. "

When the original story broke it seemed as if it could, indeed, be actually true. The events that were described seemed plausible and with the restoration project under way it seemed likely the footage may turn up. Thankfully it was not a hoax and we shall all soon see the lost footage.

When NASA put a man on the moon it was a triumph of achievement for the US as it showed its technical capabilities and its dedication to space exploration. NASA spent years planning for and developing specialized equipment for the mission. One such piece of equipment was a high resolution video camera that would send back images to Earth.

Because of the lack of technology at the time the video feed from the moon actually had to be compressed and scaled down to work on televisions across the world. After the initial recording of the high resolution stream from the moon the film went missing after its shipment back to the US. The only surviving record was a 16mm film that was shot at a black and white TV which gives us the only surviving recorded copy until today.

In Perth, Australia scientists were looking in old storage rooms for other data when they stumbled upon tapes from NASA which they thought would be information regarding moon dust from several later missions to the moon. To their surprise it was the long lost high resolution film from the first moon walk.

Keylogging through the power cable

The BBC's Technology site has published an interesting story regarding computer security. However, what makes this piece of news a little different is that it does not regard viruses, or trojans, yet instead an electrical footprint which remains on a circuit board every time a key is typed.

Security researchers have been investigating this phenomenon, and have discovered that poor shielding on some keyboard cables, can leak potentially lucrative information regarding each typed character. This information is not logged via some program upon the computer being snooped, instead the analysis is drawn to the information appearing onto power circuits, where it can be deciphered into readable material.

It should be said that this research only regards keyboards which use the (almost redundant) PS/2 connection. The pair of researchers from the security firm Inverse Path, explain this occurrence thus:

"The six wires inside a PS/2 cable are typically close to each other and poorly shielded. This means that information travelling along the data wire, when a key is pressed, leaks onto the earth (ground in the US) wire in the same cable. The earth wire, via the PC's power unit, ultimately connects to the plug in the power socket, and from there information leaks out onto the circuit supplying electricity to a room."

It is further explained that this data which travels along PS/2 cables does so one bit at a time, and uses a clock speed far lower than any other PC component. Both these qualities make it easy to pick out voltage changes caused by key presses and decipher them accordingly.

"The PS/2 signal square wave is preserved with good quality... and can be decoded back to the original keystroke information."

Although this research might seem a little redundant even in its youth; given the age of the connectors it is being tested upon, the researchers assure that it is still a work in progress. They also expect the testing equipment to become more sensitive as it is refined. This, i can only interpret as a piece of research which hopes to potentially cover some different connections in the future, perhaps USB or Firewire, and analyze the electrical footprints they leave upon a circuit.

Tests so far have been accurate and have been demonstrated over relatively short distances between 1 and 15 meters of the target machine.

Steve Jobs may have had a liver transplant

When Jobs announced that he was leaving Apple for a few months on medical leave there was a lot of speculation that his cancer may have returned. He left in January with an undisclosed medical condition and with it being only days away from his presumable return to the top of Apple reports are surfacing that he had a liver transplant.

According to the Wall Street Journal Jobs had a liver transplant in Tennessee approximately two months ago for reasons that are unknown but it is reported that he is in good health and is on track to return to Apple at the end of June. When Jobs does return he may only work initially part time because of the major surgery.

"William Hawkins, a doctor specializing in pancreatic and gastrointestinal surgery at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., said that the type of slow-growing pancreatic tumor Mr. Jobs had will commonly metastasize in another organ during a patient's lifetime, and that the organ is usually the liver. ‘All total, 75% of patients are going to have the disease spread over the course of their life,' said Dr. Hawkins, who has not treated Mr. Jobs."

Apple has fared well without Jobs at the helm with a successful launch of the iPhone 3G S occurring during his absence the company can survive without Jobs making every decision. But, Jobs is a rare breed who is credited with saving Apple and is an excellent businessman who could sell ketchup to a mustard company. We wish Steve the best and hope that he returns soon as we all benefit, Mac and Windows users, from his ideas.

Colbert takes swipe at Microsoft, Project Natal

On the Bears & Balls segment of his show The Colbert Report last night, comedian Stephen Colbert took aim at Microsoft and Project Natal, he also gave us a look into the next generation Xbox, what he calls the "ex-Xbox". The segment begins by talking about the recent smoking laws in the United States, but starting at about 1:40 he begins to highlight Microsoft, and ends around 4:20.

(video courtesy of Cobertnation.com)

Enjoy your Friday.

Snow Leopard pays closer attention to battery life

Perhaps because of some the negative publicity with regards to some magsafe adaptors exploding on unibody MacBook and Macbook Pros or just because they care, users of the new OS X operating system Snow Leopard will now have access to a utility which monitors battery life on the portable devices within the Apple family.

News on Appleinsider reports that when logging into Snow Leopard users can now click on the battery icon, located in the menu bar on the desktop and access some more information about their battery's physical condition.

The update to this utility now shows a new "battery condition" summary as well as the current amount of charge, along with the current energy source. Appleinsider states that once the battery has been deemed to be in poor condition and a significant loss of its original capacity has been discovered by the system, an exclamation icon will appear and the condition will be changed to "poor" -- this exclamation results in the need for the battery to be changed or replaced and comes as more of a warning to end users on the go who are not around their chargers the majority of the time.

Little is known about the varying degrees of battery state which Snow Leopard will highlight, but suffice to say, users will have a great deal more warning now with the use of this utility. This comes as a replacement to some third party applications which can also monitor battery life. Appleinsider states that there is no official reason behind this change and that simply to give users an early warning as to the condition of their battery is reason enough. However, I think it is also just to make clear that battery problems are something which is on Apple's mind right now, given some of the previous failings of their batterys in the past. This upgrade comes concurrent with an update to the iPhone battery life indicator.

Inside look at Facebook's new headquarters, 'the bunker'

Facebook recently moved into new headquarters at a building formerly owned by HP in California, USA.

The team over at TechCrunch were lucky enough to get a glimpse of the new working environment. The new headquarters is located at Palo Alto, California. The company used to base its HQ across a collection of buildings which housed 1,000 employees. As Facebook has grown, the need for a campus has increased and all employees have now moved to the new base named "the bunker" by Facebook workers.

The HQ is 150,000 square feet and is a building that used to be owned by HP and used as a lab. The layout is much more open for employees, allowing them to see who they work with easily. Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's founder and CEO, was recently interviewed by Robert Scoble where he described Facebook's "bunker" as "a lot of energy...really cool". According to Zuckerberg it's the first time Facebook have had the whole company together in one place for two and a half years.

For more photos check out TechCrunch's article.

AMD shows off world's first DirectX 11 GPU

AMD demonstrated the world's first DirectX11 GPU today in front of a live audience, stating that AMD will be the first to release a graphics card with a 40nm DirectX11-friendly GPU.

AMD is fully committed to bringing DirectX11 to the market first, something they have stated in a press release, without an official release date. DirectX11 promises to bring smoother graphics, faster Windows 7 experience - meaning Windows 7 will run faster - higher quality games and better performance than anything previously released.

AMD and TSMC gave some demonstrations of the new processing power of the 40nm DirectX11 GPU, in a video with improved detail in character models through tessellation.



That's not all, the game developers also discussed how a few developers will be taking advantage of DirectX11, allowing developers to better use the hardware through the API:







Enjoy!

SATA 3.0 is now official

The 6Gbps transfer rate



The Serial ATA International Organization has finally made the third-generation SATA interface official. It provides maximum transfer speed of 6 Gb/s and comes with many other enhancements as well.

The new SATA 3.0 is backwards compatible with all the previous standards. The new enhancements or features, if you like to call them like that, include a new Native Command Queuing (NCQ) streaming command for isochronous data transfers, NCQ Management that optimizes performance by enabling host processing and management of outstanding NCQ commands, improved power management capabilities, a small Low Insertion Force (LIF) connector for 1.8-inch drives, a connector for 7mm optical disk drives for thin and light notebooks, and alignment with the INCITS ATA8-ACS standard.

We already saw some draft versions of the standard, and we are quite sure that some manufacturers will show their first SATA 6Gbps devices at Computex.

AMD Reportedly Plans Six-Core 'Istanbul' for Later This Week

Sunnyvale, California-based Advanced Micro Devices is expected to update its series of Opteron processors with the introduction of the first 6-core chips for server systems. According to a recent report, the chip maker is planning the release of 'Istanbul' for later this week, which will allow it to gain more market share from its main rival, Intel. The report suggests that the company's first 6-core Opteron processors will be launched as part of the new Opteron 2400 series.

In a recent news-article on the brightsideofnews website, AMD is said to be planning the release of its Istanbul processors for later this week. The NDA for the 6-core Opteron has been reportedly set on May 27, by which time we should known more on the performances achieved by these new server parts. Unfortunately, the news is yet to be confirmed and there are no specific details on the new server chips, aside from a rumored 2.6GHz clock speed.

AMD has been actively promoting its upcoming Istanbul processors for some time now, claiming they will provide business users with an drop-in replacement alternative to the current quad-core Shanghai chips. The performance increases for the six-core Opterons are noticeable, especially when compared with AMD's current Shanghai CPUs. However, with the official release of the Istanbul, we will finally see if going for more cores has enabled AMD to better compete with Intel's recently unveiled Nehalem-based Intel Xeon 5500 series. As a matter of fact, an early wave of reviews is anticipated even before the NDA expires.

One of the most significant benefits of the Istanbul processors is that they will allow users to upgrade the performance of their Shanghai chips without having to replace the entire system. In that perspective, AMD's upcoming Opterons have the potential of increasing the chip maker's gain in the server market segment.

First netbook with NVIDIA Ion chipset: Lenovo's IdeaPad S12

According to a press release by Lenovo, their upcoming IdeaPad S12 will be the first Netbook to utilise NVIDIA's Ion chipset. The Ion platform has also made an appearance in Acer's AspireRevo nettop and is the first computer to feature it.


Lenovo IdeaPad S12

The Ion platform is essentially a Pico-ITXe motherboard that incorporates an Intel Atom processor and a NVIDIA GeForce 9400M GPU. It serves as a cost effective way to beef up the graphics processing capabilities of a low cost computer, such as a Netbook or a Nettop. NVIDIA promises 5 times the graphics performance of Intel's current integrated graphics processing solution (GMA 500). As a result, the S12 can be expected to play HD videos smoothly and is capable enough for some light gaming.



Specifications:

• Display: 12.1 WXGA (1280 X 800) LED 200 nit, 250g
• Processor: Intel Atom N270
• Graphics: Intel integrated GMA 950, Nvidia ION
• Memory: Up to 1GB DDR2 533 MHz
• Hard Drive: Up to 160 GB SATA (160, 250, 320)
• Battery Life: 3 hours with 3-cell, 6 hours with 6-cell
• Weight: 1.4kg with 3 cell, 1.55kg with 6 cell
• Dimensions: 292 X 216 X 22-28.9mm
• Connectivity: 10/100m Ethernet, Broadcom 578M, Intel WiFi Link 5150 1X2 AGN, Intel WiFi Link 5100 1X2 AGN,
• Non-Intel wireless b/g, Non-Intel wireless b/g/n, Bluetooth
• Other: 3 USB, 1 Expresscard slot (Intel and VIA platforms), 4-in-1 card reader, VGA, RJA45, HDMI
• Software: XP Home SP3 (32-bit)

The S12 is expected to retail for $449.

Here is the official press release:

Lenovo Energizes Mini-Computing with its First 12-Inch Netbook Debuts World's First Netbook with NVIDIA's ION Graphics Processor

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC – May 25, 2009: Lenovo today announced the IdeaPad S12, the company's first 12-inch netbook. The new netbook takes the best in connectivity, style and entertainment features in Lenovo's other netbooks and brings users the next level in netbook computing with improved usability and performance. These enhancements include a 12.1-inch screen, a 100 percent full-size keyboard and new graphics options with the NVIDIA ION™ platform.

"We've heard from consumers loud and clear about the need for affordable and extremely portable computing devices, and we've responded by introducing our third netbook with a completely new form factor, making mini-computing more usable and redefining value in today's market," said Dion Weisler, vice president, Business Operations, Idea Product Group, Lenovo. "We are pioneering new territory in the developing netbook arena by being the first vendor to give customers high quality video and entertainment capabilities in a netbook with optional NVIDIA ION graphics."

Elevating Power and Performance
Whether it's looking at photos, playing music, emailing or cruising online, consumers want smaller and more portable PCs. The Lenovo IdeaPad S12 netbook is raising the bar for higher levels of netbook computing with choices of the Intel Atom processor with Intel integrated graphics or the Intel Atom processor with NVIDIA ION graphics. Also, for the first time on a netbook with NVIDIA's ION graphics platform, users will be able to enjoy brilliant 1080p high definition video with silky smooth playback.

"NVIDIA ION graphics help deliver the same features found in premium PCs at lower price points and new form factors," said Rene Haas, general manager, Notebook GPUs, NVIDIA. "With enhanced graphics, the Lenovo IdeaPad S12 netbook is perfect for watching movies, playing popular games like Spore, flipping through vacation pictures or enhancing family videos."

The IdeaPad S12 netbook offers plenty of up and running time with up to six hours of battery life to support the mobile demands of netbook users1. Because netbook users need to stay connected wirelessly, the netbook comes with WiFi connectivity and ready for 3G with an ExpressCard slot to enable connectivity2. To hold the photos, music and videos users keep on their netbooks, the IdeaPad S12 netbook offers ample hard drive storage and memory with up to 160 GB of storage and 1 GB of memory. For peace of mind in case data becomes corrupted, Lenovo's OneKey™ Rescue System can help recover user data or device settings.

Loaded with Style and Entertainment
In addition to the netbook's sleek and sophisticated ring pattern design in black or white, users can make the netbook their one-stop entertainment device, starting from the moment they turn it on. Lenovo's expanded VeriFace facial recognition technology makes logging in a snap by recognizing the user's face. If users want "on demand" functionality, they can go into the Lenovo Quick Start environment and check email, browse the Internet and more without waiting for the full operating system to boot. They can also don any set of headphones and enjoy surround sound audio with Dolby Headphone technology. If opting to watch video on an external monitor, they can easily connect through the netbook's VGA port or HDMI port on select models. They can also choose among several multimedia formats to upload through the 4-in-1 multicard reader.

An Improved Computing Experience
Lenovo designed the IdeaPad S12 netbook for consumers looking for a super thin, portable and affordable device that offered a familiar, computing experience. Lenovo enlarged the netbook's WXGA screen from 10.1 inches to 12.1 inches for better viewing and made the keyboard 100 percent the size of a full-size laptop to make typing easier and less cramped. And when it comes to portability, by measuring less than an inch thick4, the netbook leads the industry for thinness compared to other 12-inch netbooks. The lightweight IdeaPad S12 netbook weighs in at just three pounds5.

Pricing and Availability
The IdeaPad S12 netbook will be available in June through business partners and www.lenovo.com. Pricing for models starts at $449. Models with the NVIDIA ION graphics will be available later this summer.

Intel's Moblin 2.0 beta released

Intel has released the beta version of its Moblin OS 2.0 for Netbooks and Nettops to the public. A lot of work has gone into making a more functional and visually pleasing user interface, which is reminiscent of HP's Ubuntu based MIE OS originally used on the Mini 1000.


Moblin v1.0's user interface


Moblin's new user interface

Here is the feature summary as listed in the official announcement:

• New, visually rich user experience, optimized for Netbook and Nettops, building on the latest open source graphics technology, such as Clutter, DRI2, and KMS. The user experience is provided mainly through the toolbar and panels, available at the top of the screen.
• The m_zone, acting as the 'home screen' panel. It provides instant access to your synchronized calendar, tasks, appointments, recently used files, and real-time updates from your friends on social networking sites.
• Aggregation of your social networking content. This provides you with the ability to see your social networking activities on one screen, easily interact with your friends, and update your status and site information. Twitter and Last.fm are the currently supported social networking sites, with more to come.
• A web browser optimized for the Moblin 2.0 Netbook user interface. Based on the latest Mozilla browser technology revised into a Clutter shell, the browser gives you access to the whole internet, as well as advanced features, such as video embedding and the latest Flash plug-in, while integrating seamlessly into the user interface.
• A 'Zoomable' media player. This player brings your media collection to life as you zoom from viewing all media down to focusing on an individual picture, movie, or audio track. The media player can detect and index media on external USB devices, as well as UPnP devices on your network.
• A user interface for connection management and an updated connection manager (ConnMan).
• And, of course, support for Linux desktop applications. Moblin is built using GNOME Mobile Technologies and supports existing Linux desktop applications.

Video demonstration of Moblin 2.0 beta:


Platforms which have successfully booted the Moblin v2.0 beta are:

• Acer Aspire One (ZG5)
• Asus EeePC 901, 1000, 1000H
• Dell Inspiron 910
• MSI Wind
• Lenovo S10
• Samsung NC10
• HP mini 1010 and 1120NR (wired networking only)

Some users claim that the OS boots on normal notebooks and PCs running on Intel processors and Intel graphics chipsets. However, the system suffers from sluggish performance.

You can also check out Ars Technica's Hand's On of the Moblin v2.0 if you need more information on the OS.

As with any beta product, exercise caution when installing and using the Moblin v2.0 OS.

Sprint confirms June 6 launch for Palm Pre

Sprint has just confirmed the rumored June 6th launch date for the Palm Pre.

Engadget spotted the press release after previously noting that June 6 was the day of the Pre.

The Palm Pre phone will be available from Sprint on June 6 for $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year service agreement on an Everything Data plan or Business Essentials with Messaging and Data plan. An array of compelling accessories also will be available for Pre, including the Palm Touchstone charging dock. The Touchstone™ Charging Kit, which includes the Touchstone charging dock and Touchstone back cover for Pre, will be available June 6 for $69.99. The Touchstone charging dock and Touchstone back cover also are available separately from for $49.99 and $19.99, respectively.

The palm pre specs are as follows:

• High-speed wireless (EV-DO Rev. A or HSDPA, depending on version)
• 802.11b / g WiFi
• Integrated GPS
• 3.1-inch 24-bit color 480 x 320 display
• Dedicated gesture area below display
• Slide-out portrait QWERTY keyboard
• Exchange email support in addition to POP and IMAP
• IM, MMS, and SMS messaging
• High-performance browser
• 3-megapixel camera with LED flash and "extended depth of field"
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR with A2DP
• 8GB of internal storage
• USB mass storage mode
• MicroUSB connectivity with USB 2.0
• Proximity sensor for detecting when phone is near face
• Light sensor to automatically dim display
• Ringer mute switch
• Removable rechargeable battery
• 59.57 x 100.53 x 16.95mm closed
• 4.76 ounces