Ubuntu takes on the cloud

Ubuntu backer Canonical has released its 'Karmic Koala' version, and both the desktop and server versions of the open-source operating system take significant steps toward cloud computing, reports CNET News.

The concept of moving work away from the computer and into the network does have some merit, but cloud computing is today's fashionable buzzword, and Canonical chief executive Mark Shuttleworth is sensitive to its overuse.

"What frustrates me is that the term 'cloud' has come to mean anything with an Internet connection, including some stuff that really looks familiar, like internal IT," says Shuttleworth.

Google made the next version of its mobile operating system available to developers, and the result, Android 2.0, could lead to handsets and applications that are particularly appealing to mobile professionals, states InformationWeek.

While phones like the HTC Hero had Microsoft Exchange support built on top of Android, the latest version of the OS has this support baked in. This should make it easier for Android users to get their corporate e-mail, calendar, and contact information on their handsets.

Additionally, Android 2.0 features a unified inbox that can handle multiple Exchange, Web-based e-mail, and POP3 and IMAP accounts in a single interface. Verizon's Motorola Droid is the first commercial handset to come with Android 2.0.

Adobe will make its Flash technology available on Salesforce's CRM platform for on-demand business applications in cloud computing, says Investor.com.

The alliance will enable richer user interfaces on Force.com, such as drag- and-drop options and improved data visualisation for charts and dashboards.

A preview is available now, with a final version due in the first half of 2010. In related news, Adobe closed its $1.8 billion acquisition of Omniture, a maker of software to analyse Web sales and marketing.