Let us face the facts – people are now more computer friendly and computer literate than ever before. However, because of the cost of purchasing operating systems and getting them installed, you find that people are not exposed as they ought to be. This is where open source software comes into play, specifically operating systems that allow users to have a meaningful level of interaction with the World Wide Web.

The software in question is called the Ubuntu, presently available in version 9.10. This is an operating system built by a team of expert developers, and it contains basically all the applications you need on a computer. No stone is left unturned where this operating system is concerned.

This is an operating system based on the Debian Linux distribution, and it is aptly named after the South African ideology which means “humanity towards others”. The name is quite fitting for this free and open source software, which allows users the same kind of flexibility and accessibility as available with other more seasoned operating systems like Microsoft. Because it is open source, users have the option to install it wherever they want without any hassle and they also have the option of tailoring it to suit their particular needs.

Ubuntu is probably one of the most stable operating systems to date, and provides ease of installation for users. Applications commonly found on this operating system are a web browser, office suites, media applications, instant messaging and others. And of course, this operating system is able to accommodate standard office suites like Microsoft office.

This operating system has become so popular that many of the computer vendors are now offering PCs with the total package already installed. This listing includes Dell, Tesco and OP3, to name a few. And as time passes, there are newer releases of the operating system with newer features that compare quite impressively to existing foundation operating systems that have years of experience on the market.

Today, open source software is the route that many people are taking to achieve the usability and accessibility of software applications and operating systems without the expense that is usually attached to the foundation applications. If you are looking to have the functionality of a Windows operating system and accompanying applications, but want to bypass the expense, try open source software Ubuntu for a true high-tech experience.

The launching of Google’s Chrome browser just a year ago had led to a lot of unmet expectations. Some even said that it must have been an instant disrupt at the same time yielding as Gmail was to the webmail market. Nevertheless, Google opened another front which is against Microsoft having a bigger move to compete with its close partner Mozilla, the maker of Firefox. Google was being hesitant to enter such a market, but they stated that they had no choice. They made the choice even though they were in complete dissatisfaction from their existing browsers because of its speed and performance. However, having a 4% market share, Chrome, which was launched on Sept 1 2008, just last year, wasn’t able to compete successfully to its competitor, Internet Explorer, nor Firefox.

Sheri McLeish, a Forrester analyst also notes that Chrome is unable to compete with the other browsers.

Also, Chrome doesn’t exist for Mac OS and Linux users, two camps that contains technology enthusiasts. And apparently, large enterprises closed their doors to Chrome because of lack of features from their IT Departments.

There are, also some hindrances, Chrome has to fix aside from these two issues. This pertains to some, which consumers who don’t know about browsers. Also, questions like “do consumers really need another browser and would they offer new features that are better than other existing browsers?” are left unanswered.

Google had caused more trouble because Chrome cannot even work well in Google though they owned it because they did not inform their webmasters beforehand that they will adapt to their sites. McLeish is not very happy with the response that Chrome has got from the mass.

Should Google still want to pursue this project considering that their top competitors are continuing to soar high and improved?

IDC analyst Al Hilwa thinks that Google should stay in the game and not give up as well because a lot of marketing and research went into the planning of Chrome.

According to Brian Rakowski, a Google group product manager in the Chrome team, thinks that even though there is a lot of work to be done with regards to this project, the team is looking forward to the fun. He also adds that throughout history browsers take time to make it big and thinks that Chrome has done pretty well in a short span.

Google, the most used search engine now is venturing to an online music market with new services that will help users search and buy music online. This is another new innovation of Google, which will surely invite new users to visit their new service. Mark Mulligan, an analyst at a research firm called Forrester, said the service may offer a compelling alternative to illegal file-sharing. Mark also added that apple has very little control over the sharing of music over software like BitTorrent, whereas, Google has managed to gain control over that.

Google plans on offering searchers the ability to be able to see what Google music has to offer in their search results. Google also adds that one of the top 10 search terms of all time are the words “music” and “lyrics”. Google’s vice president of search, Marissa Mayer claims that most of the Google users love music and are mainly looking for music to download.

It can’t be denied that music is one the most searched terms in any search engine. This is because people love music, and they will find ways to get its lyrics. That is why Google wants to enter in to the online music market, which will cater to millions of music lovers. Currently, Apple still covers a wide area of online music market with around 70% of worldwide sales. Some European firms like Spotify begin to attain popularity.

More than 2 million users in the UK and more than 6 million across Europe now are using the free music-streaming service, which was, launched last year, 2008. That is why Google wants to enter into this kind of service. This is because most people now are searching and downloading different genres of music, which will satisfy them. Google’s new collaboration hopes to compete with the success of these services. Google is now offering a variety of free downloads of licensed tracks in China. They said that they are trying to look for potential partners in some other countries to get some new and varied music. Well, this could be a great shift with, regards to the improvement of Google. There will surely be a lot of new users that will subscribe to these new services especially to those music lovers and trendsetters. Google is making a lot of dynamic and competitive ways to maintain their image as one of the most used search engine nowadays.

Finally, Vodafone had made a smart move intended to grab a share of the market pie, currently claimed by internet/mobile giants Google, Apple, and Nokia.

Vodafone has launched Vodafone 360, a suit for net services for mobiles and PCs, that lets users unite customer contacts with info from social networking portals such as Facebook. Vodafone 360 is expected to replace its earlier offering Vodafone Live.

Initially, Vodafone 360 will be launched in eight European countries. The suite is optimized for two handsets from Samsung, alongside four models of Nokia.

At the heart of the new service was the address book, which pulls together mobile, messaging and social networking contacts from social networking services like Facebook, Google Talk, and Windows Live Messenger. Another notable feature of Vodafone 360 is that it is not limited to Vodafone customers alone. It can still be used even if customers defect to a new service provider later. At present, using Vodafone 360, users can access as many as 1000 applications, and the list is still growing.

Vodafone is one of the largest mobile networks with 315 million+ customers worldwide.

Starbucks have come up with two new mobile applications for the iPhone that would certainly bring people closer to the Starbucks chain, and take mobile commerce to a new level altogether.

The myStarbucks application has a slew of features that include finding the nearest Starbucks store (one could also search using amenities), or to remember yours or your friend’s favorite flavor. The Starbucks card, on the other hand, lets people pay at Starbucks outlets using a barcode that appears/generates on their mobile screens.

With myStarbucks app, one could store the recipe of his/her favorite concoction and share it with others. For those who do not know what to drink, they can use the flavor selector to pick a coffee based on the different flavors available. One could also see the nutritional information for each concoction in the list.

The other app is the Starbucks card mobile app, which is now being tested at selected outlets in Cupertino, San Jose, Mountain View, and Sunnyvale in California and in Seattle. It works basically like a regular Starbucks card, wherein one buys credit to use it against orders in Starbucks outlets. That is, when someone wants to buy coffee, they just need to turn on the app, which in turn generates a barcode, if there is sufficient credit in the customer account. The store will then scan the barcode, before processing the order. Subsequently, the $ value of the selected drink will be subtracted from purchased credit.