Hulu Desktop was only available for Windows and Mac OS X when it launched in May. This week, the popular streaming video service has finally brought its experimental desktop player to the Linux platform. Installation packages are available for download from the Hulu Labs website.
I tested Hulu Desktop on Ubuntu 9.04 with Flash 10 on my quad-core desktop computer. The program is built almost entirely with Flash and obviously doesn’t use any native widget frameworks. Adobe’s Flash implementation for Linux is lousy, so I began my tests with relatively low expectations. As expected, Hulu Desktop is extremely resource intensive on the Linux platform. It uses significantly more memory and processor power than Totem when playing full-screen video content. Aside from occasional stuttering, video playback performance was adequate when I was not running any other resource-intensive tasks in the background.
Go to Hands-on: Hulu Desktop for Linux beta a big resource hog
The Linux platform is beginning to gain mainstream acceptance on low-cost netbook devices. The growing popularity of netbooks presents a major opportunity for the open source operating system, but it also comes with some challenges. One of the most significant problems is that much of the open source software that is available today for the desktop is not designed to deliver an optimal user experience on small screens.
Linux distributors and application developers are exploring alternate user interface concepts that will work well at low resolutions without compromising productivity. There is also a clear need to boost usability as netbook devices are broadly intended for the regular consumer market. The KDE desktop environment has recently gained a new specialized netbook interface that leverages the strengths of KDE’s unique Plasma technology. Ars tested it on Kubuntu to see how it compares to the conventional KDE desktop experience.
Hey, remember the Nuvifone? Sure you do — it’s Garmin’s entry into the wide world of smartphones. You know, the company’s Linux-based, proprietary OS phone that’s heavy on GPS integration? Well according to a recent report, plans to launch the device in the first half of 2009 have stalled, with the company stating that it will be pushing the window back towards something closer to Q3. President and COO Cliff Pemble expounded on the difficulties of building a smartphone from scratch during a conference call with analysts, noting “Smartphones are complicated and bringing one to market that’s built totally from the ground up on a custom Linux platform is not an easy task.” If you’ll recall, the original announcement of the Nuvifone was way back in January of 2008, with a planned release in Q3 of that year — placing this new launch a full 12 months out from the intended street date. We’re all for competitors in this market, but it seems like maybe the folks at Garmin jumped the gun with all these dates they’ve been dropping on us — missed launches don’t exactly promote confidence.
[Via PMP Today]
Filed under: Cellphones
Garmin delays Nuvifone G60 yet again, Q3 launch now planned originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 May 2009 12:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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