With Apple’s iOS and OSX operating systems converging ever more and Windows is doing the very same thing with Windows 8 and their metro style interface that will allow users to share a unified operating system experience on tablet and PC and *eventually ITG’s much rumoured brick of a phone the xpPhone 2.

*this seems a little unclear but has been talked about very recently, and appears that a windows phone by the name of xpPhone 2, could be arriving soon, and will run on windows phone 7/8.

If they pull this off it could be the first universal PC that can morph into a PC, notebook, GPS Sat Nav, via the addition of various attachments.

So are Ubuntu about to enter the market in the same way or is this a different value proposition they are offering their.

So what are Ubuntu doing in this space?

Ubuntu’s proposition is to allow smartphone owners running Android the option to dock your phone with the Ubuntu for Android operating system on and all your devices functionality would then be available in a fully functioning desktop operating system.

The pitch to Android device manufacturers is to have this operating system embedded into the new device so it is available by default.

So once docked your phone will work as usual and your monitor attached will be used for texts or answering calls, plus all your applications that were contained on your device.

As was pointed out by Drew Olanoff writing for The Next Web this approach could become very attractive to IT professionals who want to ensure that their staff are able to use both a desktop and mobile with out the associated costs of owning both, now you would pretty much just need a monitor to be able to plug in your phone and work as normal from a unified device wherever this was an option.

This should also decrease the risk of security issues with less devices to worry about.

Now all we need is a thin Graphene based screen that we can roll up and use with a simple wire framework at the back of it that we can pop in a case and use as a screen holder when needed at the office, truly mobile computing with ease…..screen manufacturers take note!

You know that a technology has hit a head when its source of fuel is offered for free!

Yes, Tesco the cut price supermarket who claim to offer great value at the tills are offering visitors the option to tap into their own network for free.

Clubcard users get full access:

In a move to encourage more people to sign up to the clubcard scheme, current members will be able to access the store Wi-Fi at Tesco Extra’s for free and also access their account to see how current rewards are shaping up via the online points and e-voucher scheme.

If you are not a clubcard member you will be able to access the wi-fi network for fifteen minutes once every 24 hours, so all shoppers should be able to access reviews and compare prices while they shop assuming they have access to an internet enabled device.

Easy registration:

Simply walk into the participating stores which are currently only the “Metro” variety and check your wi-fi connection for “Tesco Wi-Fi”, once you choose this option, you simply open your browser using your smartphone, tablet, laptop, etc, and the Tesco landing page will load, this will then ask you to register by entering your clubcard details and postcode.

If you are not registered you will be given 15 minutes for free every 24 hours though clubcard members will only have to go through this process once as the network is run by o2’s Wifi platform, meaning that you will easily be able to hop onto another stores connection after you have registered your device once with the network.

Tesco are obviously very excited about this new offer with Mike McNamara, CIO at Tesco stating that:

“People are increasingly using a variety of digital services and we’re excited by our customers’ reaction to the new service.”

Trial showed 82% would use again:

The trial has shown that a massive amount of people who used in-store internet access would do so again, with 82% saying that they found the ease of use and usefulness of a decent internet connection a real winner while shopping.

Most people used smartphones to access the free internet in the trail with 71% using this method, the runner up was tablet pc’s at 11% with some people even bringing a laptop to help them shop at a supermarket with 9%.

Obviously having free wi-fi in stores such as coffee shops and pubs is nothing new, but Tesco have really been quite daring with this option as people will no doubt be using their devices to access price comparison sites to check what they are buying is value, especially the bigger ticket items that cost over £10-50 pounds.

The way we shop looks set to be changing dramatically month by month!

A really cool HTML5 version of the new Windows 7.5 Mango operating system is available to try on Android Apple smartphones by simply visiting a website that will then offer the experience to the user.

Simply visit: http://aka.ms/wpdemo and you will be presented with a screen and an option to run the HTML5 based mock up of the new Windows 7.5 O/S, turning your device into a “Metro” styled Windows 7.5 mobile device.

I have tried it out on a Samsung S2 and can confirm that it does not run as well as using the same real operating system on a Nokia Lumia 800, though this is to be expected as it is a test version and has vastly different technology behind it, none of which is optimised to make this an exact clone.

On the test version you are able to access most areas such as the following “hubs”:

Phone, Messaging, People, Outlook, Calendar, Family etc etc.

Navigate with help from a blue dot:

For new users who want to learn how the O/S works, a small blue dot will aid your navigation, though I must admit the general usability of the operating system is a pleasure to use and is very intuitive anyway.

After you have gone through the “tour” you will be rather cleverly redirected to an option to continue using the service or shop for phones.

I have to say that this whole “test an operating system” is fantastic, and a great marketing ploy to help people understand the new version of the Windows 7.5 Mango mobile operating system from Microsoft.

With the new Windows 8 operating system due for release pretty soon, we wonder if this transition period will prove tough.

Back in the first quarter of 2011, a poll found that a large 46% of people questioned would like a Windows 8 tablet, this has since dropped to a measly 25% so what happened to the optimism of the initial news of an imminent full release of the Windows 8 tablet.

Well as with most things that need selling, that do not sell, either the message given out was confusing or you did not shout loud enough. Perhaps the latter was the case in this situation as Forrester claim that the momentum of the campaign simply dried up.

Late comers need to shout louder or differentiate clearly:

Being a late comer in a market that is already dominated by one big Apple with a swathe of others recently joining the fray, it was vital that they sold their tablet as being both different (not Android or iOS) and desirable, and that it worked better and/or looked better.

In Microsoft’s case they did not really achieve any of these things and this is perhaps why the desirability of their capable looking device and O/S has dropped off so significantly.

Windows 8 Tablets not fully connected yet?

Nokia’s Stephen Elop (ex Microsoft) espoused the new Windows Phone O/S earlier in the year and talked about connectivity being the key to the new operating system, and I was slowly sold, and here is why.

Microsoft currently have access to their X-Box technology, their own mobile O/S, a tablet variety of this and a PC operating system. This seemed like a great opportunity to tie in products and services in much the same way that Apple and now Amazon are doing.

However the trump cards such as the X-Box integration have not really shown themselves currently and what is left is perhaps a misunderstood future O/S with potential.

One Forester analyst stated:

“Windows 8 tablets must provide consumers with a more differentiated product experience than it otherwise would have, had Microsoft entered the market sooner, they’ll have to take a lesson from Amazon’s product strategists, who fundamentally changed the tablet product experience by leading with content and services rather than feeds and speeds, at a compelling price.”

Seen as we are all unsure how the new Windows 8 operating system will allow interaction with separate devices as planned, I can not help think that they have confused me and others with so many damn varieties up to now. When will Microsoft learn that simplicity sells, and being all things to all men is great so long as you keep the concept simple as Apple have done.

I am convinced Windows will make a success of their current operating systems which will culminate in Windows 8 with the “Metro” interface being the central all dancing O/S for Microsoft devices. Though the sooner we are all talking about Windows 8 and not Mango, Tango, 7, 7.5 etc etc, the better for all.

What do you think to the new operating system. Will it be the fix all solution for Windows-based devices of the future?