The quarrel over who uses the most — or least — harmful chemicals to make computer components seems to be dying down. In its place comes a debate over which companies are doing the best job to create and forward an agenda addressing global warming — not just for themselves, but for the companies that use their IT products. Among global IT companies, Cisco is doing the best at addressing climate change and reshaping energy use, according to the rankings released by Greenpeace this week.

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“Avatar” director James Cameron is working with NASA on two 3-D cameras that could be used on the next Mars rover, known as “Curiosity.” Earlier this month, Malin Space Science Systems delivered two cameras, known as “MastCams,” that are similar but lack the 3-D capabilities. If the new pair developed with Cameron can be completed in the time remaining before the rover begins final testing early next year, they could be used instead. NASA had abandoned its plans for 3-D cameras back in 2007, but Cameron reportedly petitioned the agency to bring them back again.

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Canonical on Thursday released Ubuntu 10.04 LTS Desktop and Server Editions, the latest in its string of popular Linux distributions. Both are available for free download. The desktop version will be preinstalled on a range of computers from a number of manufacturers this summer. Canonical wants Lucid Lynx to draw a “whole new category of users” to the open source operating system, said CEO Jane Silber. A variety of changes target the mainstream market, including a new look and feel and the launch of a music store.

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When Apple announced the new features for iPhone OS 4, it did not list any support for the 6.12 million original iPhones and only limited support for the roughly 20 million 3G iPhones. This means roughly half of all the iPhones in the market will not be able to take advantage of all the features in the new OS. While Apple may be (probably is) hoping this helps get most users to upgrade to the latest and greatest iPhone, it will also likely cause many to consider jailbreaking for the first time.

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Can you still support the First Amendment, the blogging community and all that is holy in journalism, and still think that what Gizmodo did re: the lost iPhone was kind of sleazy? Is Gizmodo’s crime one of an ethical/moral nature, or one that is worthy of a police raid by elite members of SWAT — Seeking Whatever Apple Targets? And were there any other examples of less-than-stellar behavior on the part of average folks not associated with the media or major technology corporations?

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Apple CEO Steve Jobs published an open letter on Apple’s website Thursday spelling out his criticisms of Adobe Flash. In short, it’s really all about the technology, he wrote. Flash is proprietary, dated, unreliable and unsecure, according to Jobs. It guzzles battery juice, can’t handle touchscreens and will denigrate the user experience, the Apple cofounder opined. Could Jobs really be turning his back on Adobe, or are his biting remarks really the opening steps of a complex mating dance that will continue to see Apple and Adobe working together?

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Microsoft has given manufacturers the tools to make Windows the operating system for a host of consumer-oriented devices — from video game consoles to TV set-top boxes that serve as full-blown home entertainment centers. Windows Embedded Standard 7 is the proposed platform. Microsoft announced the release of a “componentized and customizable” version of the operating system to equipment manufacturers at the Embedded Systems Conference Silicon Valley, taking place this week in San Jose, Calif.

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Apple has long stood by the idea that in general, its customers want to keep and store the music files they pay for, not shell out a set monthly fee for an all-you-can-eat auditory buffet. However, for some music fans, subscriptions are a much more appealing way to go, and services offering such an option have set up shop in the iPhone App Store. Subscription apps like Rhapsody’s charge users a monthly fee for anytime access to a vast library of music, as long as the iPhone has a cellular or WiFi data connection.

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For as long as human beings have walked the face of this Earth, more than a few have held dear the hope that their children would one day follow in their footsteps. Doctors encourage their kids to study medicine; lawyers advocate careers in law; rulers of evil empires create their own little clones. It should come as no great surprise, then, that hackers share similar aspirations. “Why I want my daughter to be a hacker” is the title of a post that’s been making waves in the Linux blogosphere of late.

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The branding gurus at various tech companies are certainly gamblers at heart; they’re always rolling the dice when they choose names for their products. Tech reporters and bloggers clap their hands together in gleeful anticipation when they hear about a forthcoming iPad, ThinkPad, Zune, Vista or Wii — especially if said products end up sucking royally. They can imagine how much fun they would have with headlines like “ThinkPad? StinkPad!,” “Goodnight Zune,” “Vista’s Lack of Vision,” etc.

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Android 2.2, code-named “Froyo,” will fully support Adobe’s Flash platform, Andy Rubin, Google’s vice president of engineering, told The New York Times’ Bits blog Tuesday. Google’s show of Flash support came weeks after Apple, Android’s rival, announced changes that made it more difficult for Flash application developers to create apps for its iPhone. However, Google’s promise of full Flash support in an upcoming edition of Android puzzled some HTC Hero smartphone users.

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Android 2.2, code-named “Froyo,” will fully support Adobe’s Flash platform, Andy Rubin, Google’s vice president of engineering, told The New York Times’ Bits blog Tuesday. Google’s show of Flash support came weeks after Apple, Android’s rival, announced changes that made it more difficult for Flash application developers to create apps for its iPhone. However, Google’s promise of full Flash support in an upcoming edition of Android puzzled some HTC Hero smartphone users.

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