The Everex Cloudbook: A Fun Machine, Warts and All

The Everex Cloudbook is one of the more recent entries into the realm low-power portable computers that come pre-loaded with Linux. In the case of the Cloudbook, it comes with gOS “Rocket,” which is based on Ubuntu. It is the perfect companion to the Sager laptop I recently purchased and reviewed, in that it virtually everything that the Sager isn’t. Small, light, and virtually pocketable. All while being powerful enough for most of the day-to-day tasks that come up while I’m out and about. Continue reading

Advertisement

Sierra Wireless 881U: A Great Choice for Mobile Internet on Ubuntu

As a nearly full-time Linux user, it can be frustrating when exciting new hardware comes out. My enthusiasm is often squelched when I find out that the new device offers no support for my beloved OS of choice, Ubuntu.

That has been the case when investigating cellular Internet services from many carriers. I discovered recently, though, that the Sierra Wireless Aircard 881U, available with service from AT&T, has had support built right into the kernel in Hardy, the nearly-released development branch of Ubuntu. Continue reading

How I Shopped for An Ubuntu Laptop

So, I’ve been shopping for a new laptop for a few months. I’ve got an old Thinkpad T23 that is showing it’s age — both in terms of performance and functionality. It has developed a number of minor quirks over the years, as most well-loved laptops do. Numlock is flaky, the PCMCIA port is flaky, everything is just broken enough to be annoying — but not broken enough to fix.

Well, that changed recently when the optical drive failed. It was time to go shopping for an Ubuntu laptop. Here’s a recap of my decision process. Continue reading