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After the dust from the Snow Leopard and Windows 7 launch has settled, we have another important OS launch: the new version of one of the most popular Linux distributions, Ubuntu 9.10, is available for download.

Named Karmic Koala, the new Ubuntu – as always – promises to be faster and easier to use, bringing version 2.6.31 of the Linux kernel, latest version of GNOME, and Firefox 3.5. The biggest news, however, is Ubuntu One, a web sync service that gives you 2 GB of online disk space and lets you synchronize notes and contacts, as well as share files between several computers.

Boot time has been significantly reduced, claims Canonical (the company behind Ubuntu); accessibility has been improved (Ubuntu is now translated into 23 languages), and the OS comes packed with open source software, with more available through Software Center. Finally, netbook owners can download and install a version specifically created for them, called the Ubuntu Netbook Remix.

“Ubuntu 9.10 gives users more reasons than ever to seriously consider Linux at a time when many are thinking again about their operating system options. We are delivering a platform for users interested in an easy-to-use, great-looking, web-friendly operating system,” said Canonical COO Jane Silber.

Check out an overview of Karmic Koala over at the official web page.

Michael Jackson passed away just over four months ago, but his legacy continues to live on, both on and offline. On Wednesday, Columbia Pictures is releasing the documentary “This Is It” in theaters across the world.

Before the film hits theaters though, it will make its worldwide premiere at the Nokia Theater in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday. The red carpet for the premiere will be live streamed via webcast across the world, starting at 4:30 PM PDT. Here’s where you can watch the coverage:

Ustream

Columbia Pictures is partnering with Ustream to bring the red carpet to Internet watchers. As you may recall, Ustream also broadcast the Michael Jackson Memorial back in July.

To watch the red carpet coverage on Ustream, you can head to the Michael Jackson “This Is It” Red Carpet Premiere channel. You can chat with other viewers in Ustream’s chat room during the event to share your thoughts on the King of Pop.

Facebook

Facebook is also carrying the red carpet premiere via the Michael Jackson Facebook Page, where you can chat with other Facebook friends, leave messages on the wall, and invite others to watch with you.

ThisIsIt-Movie.com

The Official Website for “This Is It” will also be carrying the red carpet show and you can also buy tickets to see the film in the theater directly from the site.

Crackle.com

Sony’s Crackle.com will be carrying the red-carpet stream too. You can chat with other fans on Crackle .com and watch some of Michael Jackson’s most famous videos on the channel as well.

Will you be seeing “This Is It” in theaters? Let us know!

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 is a digital darkroom and efficient assistant designed for serious amateur and professional photographers. With Lightroom, you can organize, enhance, and showcase your images all from one fast and nimble application that’s available on Macintosh and Windows Platform.

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 beta is designed for photographers and by photographers to help them focus on what they love—the art and craft of photography. Now you can grab Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 for absolutely free.

What’s new in Lightroom 3 beta?

1. Brand new performance architecture, building for the future of growing image libraries

2. State-of-the-art noise reduction to help you perfect your high ISO shots

3. Watermarking tool that helps you customize and protect your images with ease

4. Portable sharable slideshows with audio—designed to give you more flexibility and impact on how you choose to share your images, you can now save and export your slideshows as videos and include audio

5. Flexible customizable print package creation so your print package layouts are all your own

6. Film grain simulation tool for enhancing your images to look as gritty as you want

7. New import handling designed to make importing streamlined and easy

8. More flexible online publishing options so you can post your images online to certain online photo sharing sites directly from inside Lightroom 3 beta.

Download Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 Beta for free.

For as long as we can remember the term “Google Phone” has referred to Google’s Android operating system as opposed to an actual Google device.

But this morning TheStreet.com is reporting that there is an offical Google-branded phone on the way, and it will be the product of a partnership between Google and an unnamed smartphone manufacturer.

Even more remarkable is that the rumors have this Google Phone poised to be released before the end of the year and available through retailers instead of carriers. Essentially, the phone would be something you could purchase regardless of your wireless service provider, and the antithesis to the iPhone and its exclusivity with AT&T.

At the center of the rumor is Ashok Kumar, a Northeast Securities analyst, who claims to have spoken with Google’s design partners about the phone and it’s product release strategy. The article speculates, “If talk of the Google phone plan is true, the entrance of a unlocked, low-cost, Web-friendly touchscreen device will probably undercut other Android phone efforts by players like Motorola, Samsung and Dell.”

We’re quite anxious to see how this rumor develops and if there’s any merit to it. We think it would be a smart and logical move for Google, with the potential to steal customers away from Apple and their wildly successful iPhone, which remains exclusive to AT&T in the US.

This rumor simply has to be taken with a grain of salt, but word has it that Verizon and Apple are testing a version of the iPhone on Verizon’s upcoming 4G LTE network.

For those unfamiliar with the landscape, 4G is essentially the next-generation of cellular networks, designed to carry data and increase the speed and capacity of mobile networks. Although the rumor is unconfirmed, it would make a lot of sense for Apple to hold out for the LTE deployment in order to get more mileage out of the R&D dollars it needs to spend to make a version of the iPhone compatible with Verizon’s network.

The rumor sources note that Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam has been making bi-monthly trips to Mountain View to visit with Google, culminating in an announcement of Android phones coming to Verizon. Apple’s headquarters are a mere 8.5 miles away, lending further anecdotal evidence to the idea.

We know that Verizon is steadily making progress on their next-gen LTE (Long Term Evolution) network, having already begun successful testing of data calls. We also know there are many logical reasons to expect that AT&T exclusivity for the iPhone will end, with analysts and pundits alike all placing the timeframe in 2010 for this to happen. Even the Department of Justice is taking an interest in getting the iPhone onto more networks.

What remains unknown are the specific details. It does seem like it fits with Apple’s M.O. to want to make a big splash with a 4G iPhone launch on the U.S. largest carrier, but keep those salt shakers at the ready until we get some official confirmation.

If you’re a current iPhone owner, would you consider ditching AT&T for Verizon if the option were available? If you’re not an iPhone owner, would you consider picking one up if it came to another carrier? Let us know in the comments.

Apple is a company that doesn’t often jump bandwagons; they rather have everyone else jump on theirs. It is thus somewhat understandable that they don’t have an official Twitter account yet, except for the one that lists all the new iTunes Trailers.

However, as noticed by Tweetdeck founder Iain Dodsworth, Apple has recently added a couple of iTunes-related Twitter feeds, bringing the total number of their accounts to five. These are:

twitter.com/iTunesMusic
twitter.com/iTunesPodcasts
twitter.com/iTunesTV
twitter.com/iTunesMovies

It’s not much, and we’d still like to see Steve Jobs tweet, but it’s a start.

The Nielsen Company issued a report on the top U.S. web brands and Internet usage in the U.S. As expected, Google is the #1 web brand based on unique audience.

The statistic that really jumped out for us, however, was that in September 2009, the average U.S. Internet user spent an estimated 68 hours online (both at home and at work).

Although that still trails television usage by a significant margin, it’s clear that the Internet is carving out a greater and greater role in our lives each month.

In addition to spending an average of 68 hours online, the average user visits nearly 2700 websites and averages 57 seconds per site.

For the larger web brands, users spend an average of 1 hour 53 minutes a month on Google, 3 hours 8 minutes on Yahoo and 5 hours 24 minutes on Facebook. The usage study compliments another Nielsen report issued yesterday that reported a 25% increase in online video viewing year-over-year.

How much time do you spend online each month? Is there any other medium that gets more of your attention than the Internet (music, television, etc.)? Let us know!

Look out Amazon: Google just announced plans to open an electronic book store. Unlike Amazon’s strategy with the Kindle dedicated eReader device, Google plans to deliver eBooks to any device with a web browser.

The service, dubbed Google Editions, is slated to launch in the first half of 2010. At launch it will feature about 500,000 eBooks from publishers Google is already working with on Google Book Search. Purchases can be made directly from Google or through partner sites like Barnes & Noble.

Interestingly, Reuters names Amazon.com as a potential retailer for Google’s electronic books. Considering Amazon would surely prefer to sell its own titles for use on the Kindle, and also considering Barnes & Noble plans to launch its own eReader device as well, these 3 partners seem interesting bedfellows.

Looking into how the revenue sharing breaks down, though, it starts to make more sense. When Google sells an eBook outright, the publisher will get 63% of the sale with 37% going to Google. When sold through a retailer, 45% goes to the publisher, 55% goes to the retailer, and Google only takes “a small share.” In this scenario, publishers will have incentive to promote customer purchases direct from Google, and it will be interesting to see what sort of market share grab will come of this.

Good News for the Consumer

To the consumer, Google’s entry into the electronic books market is most certainly a good thing. It means more customer choice, more widespread support for eBook open standards, and better access to the books they buy online. You’ll be able to use your Gmail login to access your Google eBook “library” from almost any device, whether it be desktop, laptop, netbook, phone, or anything else able to access the web.

Does Google’s entry into the electronic books market make you think twice about picking up an eReader like the Kindle or Sony Reader? Or are the gains in reduced eye strain, battery life and portability enough to make you interested in a specialized device?

Without a doubt, social gaming is on the rise — and big business for some. With the Facebook application platform, game developers have an unprecedented opportunity to tap into existing social connections for both compelling gameplay and viral promotions for their titles. And they’re taking advantage of it in droves. Luckily for Facebook users, many of these games are mighty fun. Take a look at our 10 top picks for getting your Facebook game on.

10. Biotronic

Offering a biotechnological twist on the puzzle game genre, Biotronic features easy mouse controls, exploding combos and artful animations.

9. Restaurant City

From popular casual games developer Playfish Games, Restaurant City continues in the venerable tradition of casual games like Diner Dash. Combining elements of time management games and virtual sims, in Restaurant City you start your own food joint, customize it, and vie against other restaurants to become the talk of the town.

8. MindJolt Games

Actually a collection of various titles, MindJolt Games includes a number of arcade, puzzle, strategy and sports games to play solo or in challenges with friends.

7. Know-It-All Trivia

This one’s for trivia buffs: Know-It-All Trivia pits you against your Facebook friends to test your knowledge and show off the size of that big brain of yours.

6. Zynga Poker

It’s hard to argue with at current count over 18 million active monthly players. If you’re already a Texas HoldEm fan, Zynga Poker is probably a no-brainer. If you’re a card enthusiast looking for something fun to pick up on Facebook, you’re in good company here.

5. Bejeweled Blitz

Insanely addictive on almost any platform, this gem-swapping puzzle title comes from the highly regarded house of PopCap Games.

4. YoVille

Zynga’s YoVille () is a Sims-like virtual world on Facebook. You start off with your own apartment and do virtual “work” to get the money to decorate it. You can visit your friends’ virtual homes and chat with them in real-time.

3. Mafia Wars

Priding itself on being the “#1 Crime game for Facebook,” Mafia Wars has over 25 million Facebook users doing crime jobs for cash, vying for respect and fighting to be the ruling family in fictional New York.

2. Word Challenge

Here’s one for the wordsmiths and language lovers out there. In Word Challenge, you’re given 6 letters and need to generate as many 3-6 letter words from them as quickly as possible. If you like word games like Boggle or Wordle, you’ll love Word Challenge.

1. Farmville

With 11 million daily players and counting, Farmville is a virtual force to be reckoned with. If you like management-type games where you build and monitor assets — or if you just love farm animals — this could be the Facebook game for you.

With several gazillion other Facebook game options out there, we’re sure we’ve omitted some of your favorites. Be sure to let us know what you play in the comments, and why others should play it too!

The “I’m Feeling Lucky” button is one of the very few things that stand out on Google’s minimalistic homepage.

Clicking the “I’m
feeling lucky” Button automatically takes you to the first search result and it’s helpful for navigational queries, when there’s a single good result (e.g.: [Yahoo Mail], [download Opera]) etc.

What’s the “I’m feeling lucky” Button at Google ?

“The reason it’s called ‘I’m
Feeling Lucky,’ is of course that’s a pretty damn ambitious goal. I mean to get the exact right one thing without even giving you a list of choices, and so you have to feel a little bit lucky if you’re going to try that with one go,” tried to explain Sergey Brin.

Even if only 1% from Google’s searches bypass the search results page and go straight to the top result, Google will keep the strange button on the homepage as it has become a part of its brand.

How Much Google Loses for “I’m feeling lucky” Button

Google cofounder Sergey Brin confirmed that around one percent of all Google searches go through the “I’m
Feeling Lucky” button. Because the button takes users directly to the top search result, Google doesn’t get to show search ads on one percent of all its searches. That costs the company around $110 million in annual revenue, according to Rapt’s Tom Chavez.

So why does Google keep such a costly button around ?  “It’s possible to become too dry, too corporate, too much about making money. I think what’s delightful about ‘I’m Feeling Lucky’ is that it reminds you there are real people here,” Google exec Marissa Mayer explained.