At $149.99 with a 2-year contract, it’s a more affordable option than the $299.99 BlackBerry Bold.

While we do like the sapphire blue color scheme, we’re going to hold out for the rumored (and AT&T branded) Curve 8900 which will deliver a more feature-rich experience and operating system, as well as  a much sleeker design than the current generation of the BlackBerry Curve.

Slacker Application for Blackberry
The iPhone has Pandora. And now the BlackBerry has Slacker–or at least it will in October. This personal radio application will be free, and will allow users to listen to their favorite customized stations on the go. The big difference between this app and Pandora is that you don’t need a 3G connection to rock out. Just as with the Slacker Portable player, you music is cached on the device. You’ll be able to fine tune your stations by clicking on the Favorite and Ban icons.

Slacker Premium Radio customers ($7.50 per month when you sign up for one year) will get unlimited skips, the ability to keep any songs they hear, and the ability to request songs and have them automatically added to your stations. Assuming this service works over stereo Bluetooth, I could imagine many people using this service at home with more powerful wireless speakers, as well as in the car with a Bluetooth speakerphone or in-car Bluetooth system, thus obviating the need for a satellite radio subscription. We hope to go hands on with this app soon.

MySpace Application for BlackBerry

This app enables MySpace users to  get real-time status and mood updates; find, add, and respond to friend requests; and use their BlackBerry’s camera to shoot and upload pictures for easy sharing. You can also view and comment on friends’ photos. The highlight though is the full messaging interface, which includes comments and bulletins.

On the desktop/Web side, the BlackBerry Hub feature will alert users when the MySpace app becomes available, provide video tips, and include a marketplace showcasing games and ring tones. Plus, there will be a section dedicate to BlackBerry applications.

Microsoft Live Search

Given the close relationship between Google and BlackBerry, and the fact that Microsoft and RIM are fierce competitors in the smart phone space, we find this announcement a bit odd. But what do consumers get out of it?

RIM says that BlackBerry smartphone users will be able to use Microsoft Live Search as their search engine of choice within the BlackBerry Browser, as well as access Live Search on Mobile.BlackBerry.com. In addition, BlackBerry users will also be able to use Live Search to perform contextual, location-sensitive searches or look for nearby points of interest from inside BlackBerry Maps. This app will be available later this year.

David Liu, founder and CEO of gOS

With the recent release of gOS 3 Beta, we thought it was prime time to take a closer look at the company responsible for creating the OS that powered the ill-fated Everex Cloudbook, and the gorgeous (and Mac OS X Leopard-inspired) gOS Space. We chewed the fat with David Liu, gOS founder and CEO, about the operating systems’ new features, potential competition from Ubuntu Netbook Remix, the push for consumer adoption, and the future of Linux on the desktop.

LAPTOP: When did gOS originally launch?
David Liu: We call it g-O-S, but a lot of people do call it “gOS” [rhymes with “loss”]. It publically launched on November 1st, 2007. That’s when we came out with the Walmart PC with our partner Everex. We had another partner called Sylvania that did a similar unit to the Cloudbook, and now we’re working with different manufacturers in Taiwan. A lot of it is still focused on netbooks and internet appliance type of products.

Does gOS have a set release schedule or do you release whenever you can add something new to the mix?
What we try to do is make something new every 3 to 4 months. Our focus is totally on the consumer. Traditionally, a Linux company has a server product line and the consumer side is a sort of way to brand it and point back to the server where they actually make their money. Our team is a little bit smaller and just focused on the consumer. Every 3 to 4 months, we try to do an update and look around during in-between times to see what’s a really good fit for the particular hardware that we’re looking at.

A lot of the software that’s preloaded on lots of the distributions was created a while ago and was originally meant for workstations and standard-size computers. As we get into non-workstations and into netbooks and Internet appliances, the software needs to change and adapt to make the experience more real. We try to release more often and try to pick the best applications to fit the hardware.

Is gOS the future of Linux?

The focus of gOS 3 is on Google Gadgets, but this isn’t the first time that you’ve used Google applications in your operating system.
This time around there are two important things. The number one thing is the use of Gadgets. Google Gadgets for Linux had just launched-I think it was in June-and so when we preloaded that we were excited. A lot of the applications that we traditionally preloaded in the Cloudbook or Sylvania were too big. Even applications that we could hack to fit on the screen were still kind of clunky. If you tried to use OpenOffice on the EeePC, it’s not a great experience.

OpenOffice is resource intensive. It takes a while to open even on a standard notebook.
That’s a good point. Netbooks aren’t designed with the highest powered hardware. Just with the interface, you can only do so much because of the resolution. Its either 800 x 480 or 1,024 x 600 ,and it’s a really small screen. With Google Gadgets, because they have an application framework that is written in Javascript-but feel and act as client applications-it’s really lightweight. It loads really fast. If you want to add a new Gadget, you can add one in about 5 seconds. They’re small and fit the screen well.

You’ve replaced certain programs with Google Gadgets. For example Picasa is being used in place of F-Spot. Why the move?
At the end of the day, the OEM has to make the choice. We’re still trying to create a consumer Linux community, but ultimately, it’s up to the OEMs and the type of software that they need to sell product. Our motivation is to pick software that works and looks the best. Right now, Google is doing a great job in creating software for Linux. Picasa uses Wine, so the experience is like that on Windows.

I think that when we as a Linux community begin to equalize the user experience, if not surpass it, that will create a dramatic shift in how people think about this. They can see the same apps on one side as they see on the other. That’s extremely powerful in the minds of the consumers.

Why did you decided to implement Wine with gOS 3?
Wine is a really cool project and has gotten less attention than it deserves. Some people in the open source community feel like you’re hindering the development of Linux software by enabling the use of software that usually just runs on Windows or Mac. But I’m just in favor of great applications.

Any opportunity that we can show that gOS or Linux in general can run Office, that it can run Photoshop, it’ll attract people to the scene. Or, on the other hand, it will attract more people to support Wine. I guess on a third hand, if it’s possible, it’ll make the standard in Linux a lot higher. There’s a lot of money invested in the user experience with these commercial apps and our goal is to see that in open source.

Does Wine make it easier to install applications? One of the major issues with many Linux distributions is tinkering with the command line to install applications.
Wine allows you to run executable files. So if you were to go to downloads.com and download a .exe then theoretically it has a good chance of running fine. The only problem is that not every application is supported, but there are already thousands of Windows applications that just work.

When you boot gOS, Wine is already running. The apps appear on the desktop as if they were a normal application. And that’s the exciting part. There are programs like VMWare that let you runa whole copy of XP or Vista and you can run applications even better in those environments, but realistically, most people won’t get a chance to use them. The kind of hardware that comes with Linux preloaded tends to be lightweight; virtualization clients don’t really fly well unless you have high-powered hardware.

You have gOS and gOS Spaces- are they aimed at different market segments?
gOS Spaces was a really special launch. We were working with the MySpace developer platform and they had just launched a new Myspace Apps platform. We wanted to take gOS and create a really entertainment-focused, Myspace-generation experience, and we loaded up every possible Myspace application that we either made or just linked to to create a special experience. It was an experimental launch to see if we could put together a product that was focused on a single online community.

One of the cool advantages of Linux in general is that you can do some really creative things. Everex only had a limited stock [of gOS Space-powered machines] because it was such a niche product. Hardware at the end of the day is a commodity and Linux is treated like a commodity.

I think there’s a shift that’s happening where hardware manufacturers want to work on their own software. It gives hardware manufacturers a chance to compete on more than just prices, specs, and ID. It’s a very ugly business in terms of the margins and competitions, so when HP and others talk about netbooks it’s Linux that gives them the chance to differentiate their product, not just competing in an ugly price and spec war.

One of the great things about Spaces was that it was beautiful out of the box. One of the complaints about Linux distros is that they can appear plain in comparison to Mac OS X and Windows. Do you think the future of Linux is to bolster up the actual OS aesthetic?
That’s part of it. A lot people talk about Apple, but what’s different about them is that they produce the whole product. Our part is making the experience great and the look and feel is a huge, huge part of that. Not just look and feel, but also how easy it is to use. What apps they can run on it. I think its still a process. There’s more than just look and feel, but that’s a very important part of it.

It’s a little too early for users to get too excited about design. Linux as a business model needs to mature. Hardware manufacturers will be the driving force. Companies that want to create and sell products that stand out. gOS Space was a case study that this is possible.

Do you think Ubuntu is attempting to become the Microsoft of the netbooks Space with its Netbook Remix OS?
I think the market leader, the netbook leader, ASUS, has already created its own specialized experience. It doesn’t mean that there won’t be a dominant netbook OS, but it goes to show that this whole space is still new and that there are hardware manufacturers looking to specialize.

Ubuntu Netbook Remix can be a really great experience for certain people, but the market is really huge. I think its great, and I think they may get a lot of people on board because the company and team are respected. But guys like ASUS and other people will have their own ideas about what they want to see. We’re just hoping that other hardware companies will want to share our particular style.

Is gOS planning on partnering with any other OEMs to have your software preloaded?
In the U.S. we’re just working with Everex and Sylvania. In Asia, we’re working with a couple that will be announced later on. The [netbook] market, thanks to ASUS, has grown quite fast. There’s a good window of opportunity for all of us.

What is needed for Linux to go mainstream? Right now, it’s mostly us tech nerds who dabble in it.
There’s three things we have to work on: there’s the UI, the applications, and the drivers. We need to have cool applications. We need killer applications. We need applications that install easily and not in the terminal. The UI needs to be anti-workstation. It needs to be very hip and consumer. It’s a mental jump we have to make.

Because a lot of us are geeks at heart and support open source, a lot of us mix ideology with how good something is. The consumer isn’t interested in the fact that it’s open source. They may think it’s cool, but most likely, they don’t even know.

I think the mental shift is to look as Linux as a superior platform that allows us to customize and grow our community faster. But we need to focus on normal stuff; normal stuff that normal people care about. If we do that, we’ll begin to see some changes. I think things are changing-Ubuntu is a huge part of that. Firefox is a great example of focusing on things that are important like speed and security.

That’s true-it’s very easy to forget that Firefox is open source because it works so effortlessly and is quite popular.
It’s so consumer now. It still has some hardcore tech guys supporting it, but at the end of the day it’s a great product. It’s better to give consumers what they want rather than pass on our values when they really couldn’t care less.

Do you forsee a time when more normal-sized notebooks will come with with Linux pre-installed?
I think there’s a bigger opportunity for that in the third world, or the green field as some people like to put it. In the US, once you give consumers an optical drive, they want to pop in a bunch of CDs and install a bunch of software.

One of the most popular questions about out gPC desktop tower was “Can I install Microsoft XYZ?” When you take away the optical drive and give it a name like “netbook”, I think it automatically adjusts people’s expectations and makes Linux more viable.

As for hardware, the system feels a lot more sturdy. With a larger 8.9-inch footprint, the system gives you more real estate on the screen and keyboard. However, the trackpad is still extremely small. It is definitely smaller than on the Eee PC 701, but larger than the original’s finger-size pad located above the keyboard. I do not miss that odd thing.

The CloudBook Max on display was running Windows XP, which sure beats the gOS that was originally preloaded on the system. I have no complaints about the sizing of the windows on the 8.9-inch display; looks like they adjusted the OS for the system this time around!

Still powered by the same VIA CM-7 chip, the CloudBook Max was still was pretty warm, but I am happy to report that performance was a whole lot better. Launching applications took no more than a few seconds and thankfully it took nowhere near a minute like previously experienced. Boot time, compared to the original’s almost 3 minutes was blazing fast at around 54 seconds. See the video below.

All in all the CloudBook Max looks like it could redeem Everex, especially if that promise of a built-in WiMAX chip comes to fruition.

Today I got around to installing the sleek Linux OS on our battered CloudBook. I say this with a lot of joy: It hands-down improves the CloudBook experience. Like Jeff thought in his initial hands-on with gOS Space, the OS is really sleek and its rip-off OS X components are pretty damn cool.

Installation was a breeze and, unlike our original experience with the CloudBook, all the windows are properly sized for the screen.

The OS just makes the CloudBook look a lot nicer. The icons on the bottom of the screen become illuminated and rotate when moused over, and the starry desktop just gives the system a better aura.

In the OS, the only hold-up I am having is an issue connecting over Wi-Fi. All the networks show up but I can’t seem to connect. However, connected via an Ethernet cord, I am surfing like nobody’s business. I love the Web stacks that pop out of the horizontal desktop tray; I can easily get to Perez Hilton and Access Hollywood’s sites. (Note: What Linux users do you know that read Access Hollywood or celeb sites?)

In certain ways, however, gOS cannot save the CloudBook, because its original hardware is just too shoddy. Boot time stayed the same, at about 3 minutes. In addition, the graphics of the system still stall at points and pixelate sections of the screen.

My last peeve is that this version of gOS Space for the CloudBook isn’t yet available. Besides the wireless issue, I would say this OS is ready to go and can only improve a CloudBook owner’s experience.

I figured if any system needed a refreshed gOS, it was the CloudBook (which came running gOS Rocket). Therein lay my mission: become the Joan of Arc of the CloudBook and get gOS Space to run on the ailing system.

I downloaded gOS Space 2.9 to my desktop computer and burned it as an image file to a DVD. I had no problem then plugging in an external optical drive to the CloudBook and booting up the disk from the BIOS on the system.

After a few minutes of processing, the system prompted me with a gOS menu page and asked if I would like to install the OS to the The storage device that holds your OS, programs, and data.
Learn Morehard drive and boot up. I selected Yes. However, after about 2 minutes an error screen appeared. It reads:

The display server has been shut down about 6 times in the last 90 seconds. It is likely that something bad is going on.

Something bad, indeed. With an emoticon for emphasis, no less. I then repeated the process, but instead of selecting the Install option, I selected the Boot in Safe Mode option. I got the same error message.

Any ideas of how to avoid this error and continue the installation process on the CloudBook?

But what can you get for $600? There are plenty of companies entering the mini-notebook fray, but not all of them get the “low-cost” moniker. So let’s see how far those C-notes take you. Of course, money’s not the only determining factor here, but it’s interesting to see what a dollar gets you, computer-wise, these days.

22 percent of an Asus U2E ($2,699 each)

68 percent of a Fujitsu LifeBook U810 ($879 each)

80 percent of an HP 2133 Mini-Note ($749 each)

1.5 Everex Cloudbooks ($399 each)

1.5 Asus EeePC 4G XPs ($399 each)

1.5 2go PCs ($400 each)

2.61 Intel Classmates ($230 each)

3.19 OLPC XOs ($188 each)

gOS Space 2.9 (a tweaked version of Ubuntu using Compiz-Fusion and GNOME) shamelessly takes a heavy, heavy cue from Apple’s Mac OS X Leopard. How heavy? Let’s see . . .

When we booted the OS, we were presented with a beautiful outer-space theme with stars twinkling in the background. Hmm.

Then, we noticed the reflective AWN dock that houses the system’s various open-source applications. Hmm.

Finally, we discovered that clicking on certain dock icons opens an elegant, arching fan of sub-icons. Oh my.

Okay, gOS is a little more than “inspired,” but it is without a doubt the most beautiful Linux distro that we’ve ever seen; icons become illuminated and rotate when moused over, and the starry, earth-orbit view desktop wallpaper is simply stunning. More importantly, gOS Space 2.9 offers a few decent features that help it stand on its own, particularly if you’re a fan of the MySpaces. Check out some of the deets after the jump.

• Tight integration with MySpace. Clicking the dedicated MySpace dock icon opens a Stacks-like fan for quickly jumping to MySpace Comedy, MySpace Film, MySpace Mail, and other sections of the popular social networking site. The dock also features Super Clock, Super Graffiti, Super Mood, and Super Quotes applications that let us add the time, graffiti, current mood, and quotes to one of our MySpace profiles. We’re not big on it, but we figure the target demographic will dig it.
• Fun “Stack” - Quick links MySpacer Layouts, and a link to David Liu’s MySpace page (the founder of gOS Space 2.9). Mr. Liu also has an “Ask David” link where we assume the gOS head honcho will help you with any potential problems.
• News “Stack” - Quick links to Valleywag, TMZ, The Superficial, Pop Sugar, Perez Hilton, MTV News, and other vital sites designed to stimulate the minds of America’s youth.
• Video “Stack” – Quick links to YouTube, Veoh, Google Video, and other video repositories.
• Photo “Stack” – Quick links to Splash Up, Picnik, Flickr, Photobucket, and other photo sites.
• Music “Stack” – Quick links to Yahoo Music, Pandora, MySpace Music, and other free online music sites. Oddly, Slacker, our favorite streaming music site, is M.I.A.
• Compatibility with Google Gears – For accessing Gmail and Google Docs & Spreadsheets when you’re offline.

Of course, like other Linux distros, gOS Space 2.9 comes stacked with open source applications such as the OpenOffice suite and Gimp, which are very nice alternatives to Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop. We also love that gOS Space 2.9 includes multiple desktops that you can navigate between using your mouse’s scroll wheel. It isn’t just a simple jump from desktop to desktop; the entire screen rotates. It’s more than a bit awesome.

So what’s the early verdict on gOS Space 2.9? Granted, this was just a brief once-over, but we have to say that the new OS looks plenty good. While some have said that Linux is the OS of choice for the geek set, and that Linux mini-notebooks aren’t ready for big-box retailers, the new gOS looks to have the polish to appeal to a mainstream audience. But the question remains: Will gOS Space 2.9 save the CloudBook? We’ll explore that topic shortly.

The overall touch user interface is refreshingly simple, providing quick access to the Vu’s many features, including a 2-MP autofocus camera, instant messaging, an HTML browser, and eMusic downloads. At $100 less than the iPhone, the LG Vu ($9.99) is a compelling bang-for-your-buck multimedia device.

Today, Via Technologies announced that Everex has adopted the Via C7-M ULV processor for its new 2.2-pound CloudBook Max, a 9.4 x 6.8 x 1.0-inch mini-notebook sporting an integrated Mobile WiMAX solution for use with Sprint’s Xohm network.

But wait, there’s more. Lots more.

The CloudBook Max’s 1.6-GHz Via processor, coupled with Via’s VX800 digital media IGP chipset, will enable the little lappy to support Microsoft Windows Vista—huh?! In addition, the 8.9-inch display will rock a rather sweet 10,24 x 600-pixel resolution, Bluetooth, an integrated GPS receiver, dual 2-megapixel webcams, an 80GB The storage device that holds your OS, programs, and data.
Learn Morehard drive, S-Video, and 2GB of RAM.

Sounds pretty sweet, right? Well, there’s one drawback: the system will be available “in a year.” D’oh. Hopefully, this will give Everex the time to work out the kinks found in the first CloudBook. It’s going to be demoed at CTIA, so check back for more info.

Update: The WiMax Cloudbook Max is being show in the WiMax Experience Lound in the Central Hall but it is behind glass. Here is a pic of the Cloudbook in its cage.