Ubuntu 12.10 released: online search, web apps, dash previews part of slick new update

Ubuntu 12.10 or “Quantal Quetzal” recently launched and is now available for download.

We’ll avoid any stinging commentary and get right to it: Ubuntu 12.10 quietly adds Web Apps, an Online Search option and Dash Previews.

Web  Apps are a welcome addition to an already beefy OS. Sites such as Gmail, Facebook and Twitter can be turned into shortcuts of sorts and placed straight on the Launcher. So a website becomes an app. Very cool.

Online Search, now here’s an excellent new addition we can see making its way into competing OS’. The user adds their online accounts such as Flickr and Dropbox, Online Search then indexes these files and turns a local search into an online one. Now any file in the cloud can be searched for as if it were on a local machine. Seamless integration of cloud and local storage, even cooler.

Dash Preview is the least impressive addition to Ubuntu 12.10. Without even downloading tracks now, for instance, the user can hover over an album and grab band information, track listing and whatever else is on offer. Apps too can now be previewed and purchased with one click.