Linpus with Live Desktop

Linpus was one of the first companies to jump onto the netbook bandwagon with a custom version of Linux designed to play well with low resolution displays and slow processors. Pretty much every Acer netbook that has shipped with Linux preloaded to date has come with Linpus Linux Lite. But now Linpus is working on several new products that could ship with the netbooks of tomorrow.

Sascha from Netbook News got a chance to catch up with the folks from Linpus as the IDF 2009 trade show recently and got a video overview of 4 new versions of Linpus. You can check out the video after the break, but here’s a brief overview.

• Linpus Moblin V2 Enhanced – At first glance, this version looks like a stock Moblin Linux desktop, but Linpus has tweaked it with additional modules including one for webmail, as well as providing tabs at the top of each module to make it easy to switch between services like Flickr, Twitter, and Last.fm.
• Linpus with Live Desktop – This version includes many of the same functions as Moblin version, but it has a redeisgner desktop with thumbnails for favorite web sites, recently used objects, webmail, and social networks.
• QuickOS – This is a quick boot operating system (similar to Splashtop or HyerSpace) that gives you quick access to a web browser, Skype, and other programs including a Personal Information Manager that synchronizes with Outlook in your full Windows operating system.
• Linpus Linux Lite – The original netbook operating system from Linpus has been updated to be Moblin V2 compliant, which should mean that it’s optimized for Intel Atom processors, and it also includes previews of incoming email messages and other items from the home screen.

A large part of what makes these operating systems tick is the ability to interact with web services without first opening a web browser. You can check your email, listen to music from Last.fm, and read and updated your social networking profiles all from the home page. There’s also a version of the QuickOS quick boot environment that supports Google Gadgets.

Read the rest of this entry »