Tom’s Hardware takes a look at the Ubuntu H2 Micro USB Drive. This small thumbdrive is a self contained unit that plugs into any USB port and boots into Ubuntu 4.10. Setting up the H2 is simple:

We picked an ordinary computer system in our office, plugged the H2 device into an empty USB 2.0 port, and inserted the mini DVD into the drive to boot from it. After starting the Ubuntu installation procedure, you merely have to confirm some questions about three times, and the whole process was done in six minutes.

After that the drive can be used on any PC that supports booting from USB media. It features 3 gigabytes of storage space and retails for about ~US$135.

John Dong has announced that backports for Ubuntu 5.10 (aka Breezy Badger) are now ready. A “backport” is when a software package is built from the development version of Ubuntu and made available for users of the stable version. This allows for users to use newer desktop applications without the risk of using the development version, thus it serves as a nice middle ground for users that want new software, but not so new that it singes their boots.

John has a comprehensive set of instructions to help you get started. There is an entire subforum dedicated to backports, so make sure you check it out while you download the fresh goodness. The backports mailing list is also available for anyone who is interested in contributing to the project.

The Community Council, the primary community governance body for the project, had a meeting yesterday discussing a variety of topics and inducting new Ubuntu Members. Dennis Kaarsemaker has posted a summary of the meeting, which includes the introduction of a new local team in Japan.