OStatic

Users of the KDE desktop know it has a dozens of handy tools and functions built right in, but the beauty of open source means you can tweak it to your heart's content by adding extra plugins to make your desktop do even more. Here are five KDE desktop applications that you might not have ever heard of, but are definitely worth checking out.

soundKonverter - This handy app provides a front end to the audio converter you're already using. Use it for CD ripping, audio conversion, and replay gain calculation. This version of soundKonverter is designed for KDE 3.5.x, but a version for KDE 4.0 is in the works.

The skyrocketing success of Apple's App Store and the recent launch for Research In Motion's (RIM) App World for BlackBerry is clear proof that people want third-party apps for their mobile phones. Unfortunately, developers with a brilliant idea for the next blockbuster app typically have to decide which platform to choose before they write their first bit of code -- iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, Windows Mobile, etc.

The creators of PhoneGap think it's nonsense that developers have to write the same app in several different programming languages to reach the widest swath of mobile phone customers, so they developed an open source, cross-platorm framework that bridges the gaps among them.

If you've hung on to your BlackBerry smartphone in the hopes that you'll one day see an open source version of it's code, you're in for a long wait.

Speaking at the BlackBerry Developer Conference hosted by Research In Motion (RIM), RIM Senior Software Developer Cassidy Gentle said, I would expect some of our Eclipse or Mobile Tools for Java could be made available on an open source basis, but as for our APIs or other softwareﾗthat's a pretty big leap.

As more applications move to the cloud, it's not surprising that developers are spending a lot of time working on ways to provide mobile access to the cloud. To create applications and services for handheld devices like the iPhone and Android-based G1, they use tools like Volantis' Open Source Mobility Server, a java-based development and runtime platform.

Volantis Systems released version 5.1 of GPLv3-licensed Volantis Mobility Server (VMS) Community Edition this week. It has connectors that integrate with many popular Web sites including Picasa, Flickr, and Google Docs, with more expected to be added in future releases. The new version is optimized for the iPhone and also includes tools to create mash-up mobile applications. When looking at the future of VMS, Dave Roberts, Manager, Business Development, says thanks to the open source community, the sky's the limit.

Free music service Last.fm announced today that it's now available for handheld devices that use the Android platform. Like the Web-based version, users can stream radio stations, track listening habits, and get personal music recommendations. Last.fm users can also get artist information, view their personal music files, and access event and tour information.