GRUB Customizer 3.0 Released: Install It In Ubuntu 12.04

 GRUB Customizer, the program that lets you configure your boot menu (GRUB2 & Burg) has just been updated to version 3.0.

More about GRUB Customizer can be found on this page.

This program helps you order and edit your boot menu entries, change boot menu color and background and many others.

This brief tutorial is going to show you how to install it in Ubuntu 12.04, but it can also work in 12.10, 11.10, 11.04, 10.10, 10.04.

Objectives:

• Install GRUB Customizer in Ubuntu 12.04 (Precise Pangolin)
• Enjoy!

To get started, press Ctrl – Alt – T on your keyboard to open the terminal. When it opens, run the commands below to add its PPA.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:danielrichter2007/grub-customizer

Finally, run the commands below to update your system and install GRUB Customizer

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install grub-customizer

After installing, go to Dash and search for GRUB Customizer and launch.

Read More

Intel Linux Graphics Installer Updated With Deb Package Support

Intel Linux Graphics Installer which allows you to install the latest graphics and video driver for your Intel graphic hardware was recently updated to version 1.0.2 with support for deb package installer. This means, the driver package can be downloaded and easily installed via apt-get commands.

This brief tutorial is going to show you how to easily install it in Ubuntu. Installing the graphic stack allows the best user experience with Intel graphic hardware when using Linux operating system.

The latest package version (2013Q2), improves performance, fixes bugs, and introduces new hardware-accelerated media encoding formats and video processing features. For more about this release, check out its release notes’ page.

Unlike in previous releases where one must first add the software’s repository key and install its repository before install the driver, the deb installer makes it easy. It automatically installs the repository and its key and make it available via software center for easy upgrade to feature releases.

Some of the new features and/or bug that were fixed are listed below:

• hotplug improvements
• DDI code cleanup
• Dynamic power well support for Haswell
• Preserve lane reversal bits on DDI/FDI ports
• Prevent Glamor from crashing if misconfigured.
  
• Scaling on Intel® IronLake, SandyBridge, IvyBridge and Haswell.
  

To get started with installing the package, press Ctrl – Alt – T on your keyboard to open the terminal. When it opens, run the commands below to download 32-bit version of the installer.

wget https://download.01.org/gfx/ubuntu/13.04/main/pool/13.04/i/intel-linux-

graphics-installer/intel-linux-graphics-installer_1.0.2-0intel3_i386.deb

To download the 64-bit version, run the commands below

wget https://download.01.org/gfx/ubuntu/13.04/main/pool/13.04/i/intel-linux-

graphics-installer/intel-linux-graphics-installer_1.0.2-0intel3_amd64.deb

After downloading a version for your system, run the commands below to install it.

sudo dpkg -i intel-linux-graphics*.deb && sudo apt-get install –f

That’s it!

Now, there have been instances where users have run into trouble after installing the driver. So, before installing it make sure to backup your machine and settings. Here’s a forum that may help you in case you run into issues.

https://01.org/linuxgraphics/forums/general-discussion

Enjoy!

Read More

The everything phone for (almost) everyone

 

The good: The Samsung Galaxy S4 has Android 4.2.2, a fantastic camera, a powerful quad-core processor, and software solutions for just about every scenario -- including working as a TV/DVR remote. It's also comfortable in hand and has NFC, a user-replaceable battery, and a microSD storage slot.

The bad: Its screen is dimmer than competitors', its plastic design gives it a cheaper look than its rivals, and we found the Galaxy S4's power button turned on at undesirable times. Not all camera modes work as promised, and a long list of software features can quickly overwhelm and confuse.

The bottom line: Its laundry list of features require time and effort to truly master, but the Galaxy S4 is the top choice for anyone looking for a big-screen, do-everything smartphone.

 

Samsung Galaxy S4

 

GENERAL	2G Network	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
	3G Network	HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
	4G Network	LTE (market dependent)
	SIM	Micro-SIM
	Announced	2013, March
	Status	Available. Released 2013, April

BODY	Dimensions	136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm (5.38 x 2.75 x 0.31 in)
	Weight	130 g (4.59 oz)

DISPLAY	Type	Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
	Size	1080 x 1920 pixels, 5.0 inches (~441 ppi pixel density)
	Multitouch	Yes
	Protection	Corning Gorilla Glass 3
		- TouchWiz UI

SOUND	Alert types	Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones
	Loudspeaker	Yes
	3.5mm jack	Yes

MEMORY	Card slot	microSD, up to 64 GB
	Internal	16/32/64 GB storage, 2 GB RAM

DATA	GPRS	Yes
	EDGE	Yes
	Speed	HSDPA, 42.2 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps
	WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot
	Bluetooth	Yes, v4.0 with A2DP, EDR, LE
	NFC	Yes
	Infrared port	Yes
	USB	Yes, microUSB v2.0 (MHL 2), USB On-the-go, USB Host

CAMERA	Primary	13 MP, 4128 x 3096 pixels, autofocus, LED flash, check quality
	Features	Dual Shot, Simultaneous HD video and image recording, geo-tagging, touch focus, face and smile detection, image stabilization, HDR
	Video	Yes, 1080p@30fps, dual-video rec., check quality
	Secondary	Yes, 2 MP,1080p@30fps, dual video call

FEATURES	OS	Android OS, v4.2.2 (Jelly Bean)
	Chipset	Exynos 5 Octa 5410
	CPU	Quad-core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A15 & quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A7
	GPU	PowerVR SGX 544MP3
	Sensors	Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, temperature, humidity, gesture
	Messaging	SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM, RSS
	Browser	HTML5
	Radio	No
	GPS	Yes, with A-GPS support and GLONASS
	Java	Yes, via Java MIDP emulator
	Colors	White Frost, Black Mist
		- Wireless charging (market dependent) - S-Voice natural language commands and dictation - Smart stay, Smart pause, Smart scroll - Air gestures - Dropbox (50 GB storage) - Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic - TV-out (via MHL 2 A/V link) - SNS integration - MP4/DivX/XviD/WMV/H.264/H.263 player - MP3/WAV/eAAC+/AC3/FLAC player - Organizer - Image/video editor - Document viewer (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF) - Google Search, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk, Picasa - Voice memo/dial/commands - Predictive text input (Swype)

BATTERY		Li-Ion 2600 mAh battery
	Stand-by	(2G) / Up to 370 h (3G)
	Talk time	(2G) / Up to 17 h (3G)
	Music play	Up to 62 h

MISC	SAR US	0.85 W/kg (head)     1.55 W/kg (body)
	SAR EU	0.42 W/kg (head)     0.54 W/kg (body)
	Price group

TESTS	Display	Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) / 3.352:1 (sunlight)
	Loudspeaker	Voice 70dB / Noise 66dB / Ring 77dB
	Audio quality	Noise -95.9dB / Crosstalk -96.4dB
	Camera	Photo / Video

Read More