Posts tagged Giz Explains
Giz Explains: Android, and How It Will Take Over the World [Giz Explains]
Nov 6th
This week we met Motorola’s Droid, the first handset with Android 2.0. To an outsider, it just looks like another Google smartphone, but 2.0 is more than that: it’s proof that Android is finally going to take over the world.
So Wait, What Is Android, Exactly?
In Google’s words, it’s “the first truly open and comprehensive platform for mobile devices.” That doesn’t mean much, so here’s a breakdown: It’s a Linux-based, open-source mobile OS, complete with a custom window manager, modified Linux 2.6 kernel, WebKit-based browser and built-in camera, calendar, messaging, dialer, calculator, media player and album apps. If that sounds a little sparse, that’s because it is: Android on its own doesn’t amount to a whole lot; in fact, a phone with plain vanilla Android wouldn’t feel like a smartphone at all. Thankfully, these phones don’t exist. Read the rest of this entry »
Why Stuff Crashes (And Why It Happens Less Often Now) [Crashes]
Oct 21st
You’re working on the most important document you’ve ever typed and suddenly—boom: Blue screen. “A PROBLEM HAS BEEN DETECTED.” What the hell just happened?
There’s all kinds of new hotness in Snow Leopard and Windows 7, but what’s old and busted is when stuff crashes, even on the newest OSes. This is how that happens, and why it’s thankfully happening less and less.
