The VAR Guy

Hewlett-Packard is launching a Google Android-based netbook. Shipping under the Compaq brand, HP calls it the AirLife 100. It will debut in the United Arab Emirates (no word on a U.S. launch). The big question: Is Android for netbooks a good computing solution?

The ruckus began long  before Steve Job’s alleged “lazy” comment about Adobe Flash, but the issue certainly gained some more attention after the fact. Now, in an interview with All Things Digital, Adobe CTO Kevin Lynch has conceded a few criticisms about Flash’s overall optimization and shed some light on the future for the ubiquitous plug-in.

Intel and Nokia have merged their respective technologies: Moblin and Maemo, to create “MeeGo.” Simply put, it’s a Linux-based platform claiming support of hardware architectures from something as simple as a mobile hand-held device to in-dash car-computers and everything in between. Is this a Google Android alternative or wishful thinking on the part of two big-name companies?

It’s finally here, Windows Mobile 7, or as it more colloquially wants to be known: Windows Phone 7 Series. It doesn’t really roll off the tongue and it’s not exactly the seventh series of any kind of Windows Phone, but that’s what they’re sticking with. So what’s the scoop on the new dialer from Redmond? Well, it all started at the Mobile World Congress 2010 in Barcelona…

If you’re not familiar, Adobe AIR is a platform-independent software development environment that’s positioning itself as the successor to Java. And like Java, AIR is moving into the mobile phone market, adding support for Android, BlackBerry, and, yes — iPhone. Here’s why independent software vendors (ISVs) should take note.

Apple says their new iPhone update is going to be killer. Google’s Android Phone and OS proliferating is catching on like wild-fire. New rumors point to some groovy stuff for Microsoft’s Windows Mobile 7 experience. But the real story involves Steve Jobs’ preoccupation with Google. Here are the details.

Yet again, Lenovo is busting down the gates of boring consumer electronics and pushing the envelope here with the LePhone. It’s not officially launched yet (just in China), but it has the potential to shake up the way we look at phones, especially Android offerings. Not convinced it’s something different? Read on.

Yes, Google has launched its own phone; the Google Nexus One. It’s sexy, stylish and sleek, and everything you’d come to expect in a post-iPhone world. It’s also sporting Android 2.1, a step up from what the Droid had when it launched. Read on for some price points and pontificating if your interest is piqued.

Is Google mulling a more aggressive move into the hardware market with a range of partners? Could Google’s Chrome OS set the stage for a Google Netbook? Buzz about a potential Google Netbook seems to be growing. But will Google really make the move — and what are the implications for solutions providers?

Everyone’s looking for the iPhone killer, including Motorola and Verizon. And with the advent of the Droid, competition is alive and well in the mobile smart phone market. I’ve had the Droid for little over a week now, so I thought VARs and MSPs might be interested in know if the new Android phone is a good replacement for their customers’ iPhone or Blackberry.

The looming Google Android vs. Apple iPhone battle could wind up looking a lot like the old Windows vs. Mac OS war from more than a decade ago. Here’s why.