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Xandros is currently in the process of purchasing Linspire. The agreement, which was signed on June 19 would require Linspire to change their name to Digital Cornerstone Inc, however as of now a purchase price has not been made public. Linspire was originally founded by Michael Robertson and was initially called Lindows, until a certain company forced them to change their name to Linspire.

While Linspire is certainly not as commonly know of a Linux distribution as Ubuntu or Xandros, this sale could potentially mean some interesting things when it comes to making Linux easy to use for non-technical people. Xandros has done good things recently with the Eee PC, but they could take one important item from Linspire and make it even easier for everyone. That feature is called CNR, or Click n Run and it allows for a one-click installation of thousands and thousands of software titles. Think of how much easier the Eee PC could be with a one-click application installer.

Of course, details of the transaction have not yet been made public, and Xandros has not announced any plans they have for the future of Linspire, the current Linspire customers or the possible integration of some Linspire features into Xandros.

Read [Michael Robertson] Read [Slashdot]

Just yesterday it was announced that the FreeRunner from OpenMoko would be ready for sale beginning on July 4, but it seems they just could not wait any longer, and have made the handset available today.

We would expect the original July 7 shipping date will however remain in effect, just due to the weekend. However if you were waiting, head on over and place you order today, after all that just means one less thing you will have to do tomorrow.

Product [OpenMoko Store]

Not long ago we heard that the OpenMoko FreeRunner was just about ready to hit the market, in fact it was expected to be clearing customs as of July 1. Well, July is here and OpenMoko has announced that the FreeRunner will be available for order beginning on July 4, and that the shipping will begin just a few days later on July 7.

The FreeRunner will feature a 2.8-inch touchscreen display, Bluetooth 2.0, Wi-Fi, A-GPS, GPRS 2.6G, 128MB WSDRAM, and 256MB NAND flash. It will be available with support for both the 850Mhz and 900Mhz tri-band GSM networks and is going to retail for $399.

Product [OpenMoko] Via [EngadgetMobile]

If you’re one of those PC users who always find yourself doing other things while waiting for your machines to completely boot up, either you’d be glad to hear about Splashtop or feel sad since you might end up not doing those other things anymore. But that is if you are using an Asus notebook as these machines will be getting the Splashtop Linux OS treatment.

If you would recall Splashtop has been pre-installed on some Asus motherboards not so long ago, and soon enough it will be powering some Asus notebooks as a full-blown OS. If you think that the Splastop is just your ordinary Linux variant, think again. Well, that’s because Splashtop offers up a unique PC boot up experience. Soon, you can instantly fire up some application even if your machine has not completed its boot up sequence. What makes this possible is the fact that Splashtop will run out of your machine’s RAM. Hence, saving you some precious battery time.

In a nutshell, Splashtop offers a fast, secure and eco-friendly way of using your Asus machines. For those who are not using Asus notebooks, this might be a good reason to score one as soon as the Splashtop gets into these machines.

Via [Gizmodo] Product [Splashtop]

While the MSI Wind is expected to be available shortly, new details are clearing up the operating system options and pricing. We have already learned that the Wind will feature (in the US) a 10-inch display with a 1024 x 600 resolution, and have other options to include a built-in 1.3-megapixel webcam, 4-in-1 card reader along with Wi-Fi 80.211 b/g and an 80GB hard drive.

It is now clear that the Wind will also be offered with your choice of either Windows XP or Novell’s SUSE Linux pre-installed. The Windows XP based model will retail for $549 and offer a 1.6GHz Atom processor, 1GB of RAM, Bluetooth and a six-cell battery that is expected to give up to six-hours of life. The SUSE based model will be priced a little lower, coming in at $399 and offer up 512MB of RAM, however it will be missing the Bluetooth and also come with just a three-cell battery which is expected to give around two and a half hours of life.

Hopefully the Wind will launch as expected on June 3.

Via [CrunchGear]

Microsoft and OLPC have issued the official word that the XO laptop will begin to become available with Windows XP, while we have heard the rumors, its now official. Currently the XO laptops running Windows XP are scheduled to begin their trial stage in June, however they are anticipated to be released as early as September.

Windows XP will not be replacing the original Sugar Linux, they will both be available, and there is even some talk of a model that is dual booting with both Sugar Linux and Windows XP.

Similar to the original release of the XO, these new XP-based models will be headed to developing nations and not the retail market. Keep reading to check out a nice vide demonstration…

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CTA officially announced the 2Go PC back in early April and just now the first pre-order options are beginning to surface. Amazon being the first, currently has the 2Go PC available as a pre-order in either the Windows XP Home version for $469 or the Linux version for $399. Currently Amazon is not listing any estimated time as to when they will be ready to ship.

Aside from the obvious difference in the OS, specs are the same across both models. The 2Go PC from CTL will be available in a lovely shade of “bone/grey” and feature a 9-inch display with a 800 x 480 resolution, a 900MHz Celeron processor, 512MB of RAM, 40GB hard drive and Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g. The 2Go PC will also include a built-in card reader, built-in 0.3-megapixel webcam as well as have USB and an Ethernet port for added connectivity.

Product [2Go PC (Windows XP)] Product [2Go PC (Linux)] Via [Liliputing]

While we already have the launch date confirmed as May 12, we are now beginning to see pre-orders opening up. The first to be found is coming courtesy of ExcaliberPC and the notebook is listed for $549 with an estimated availability of “Mid of May 2008,” which is just in line with the already confirmed launch date from Asus. They currently have the white model with either Linux or Windows XP available for pre-order.

The Eee PC 900, as we have already learned will feature an 8.9-inch display with a 1024 x 600 resolution, 1GB of RAM, 1.3-megapixel webcam, FingerGlide capable trackpad and built-in card reader. The Linux based version will offer 20GB total storage, and the Windows based version will have 12GB total storage. The notebook is also currently being listed with free shipping, although we are unsure if that is standard or just a limited offer.

Product [ExcaliberPC.com] Product [ExcaliberPC.com] Via [Design Aesthetic]

British online retailer BT Shop is currently offering a bundle that is sure to make just about everyone scratch their head. Lets just hope that some unsuspecting person does not take advantage of this offer thinking its going to save some money, because in turn it will just waste it, that is unless they have another Windows-based computer lying around that needs Office. Sadly the bundle, aside from being incompatible only saves the user £1.76, which is around $3.50 US.

Via [CrunchGear]

Switzerland’s schools have announced they will stop using Windows and instead switch to the Linux operating system Ubuntu. Up until now the school system’s 9000 computers were set up to dual boot to Windows and Ubuntu. The country’s Department of Public Instruction has become serious fans of Open Source software. Their reasons are the money it saves them and the relief it gives students who may not be able to afford Microsoft’s expensive software packages such as MS Office. The director of the Media Service Schools, Manuel Grandjean, said the move would also “avoid providing captive customers for large companies.”

The Swiss are not the first to make the switch. Schools in Russia have also begun to make the switch, and many government agencies here in the US also use Linux. The operating systems rising popularity has even caught the attention of PC makers, who are beginning to offer systems with Linux pre-installed.  It is an especially popular choice for makers of ultra-portable yet affordable systems like the Eee PC.

Read [Foobar]