Archive

Shazam app for iOS updated to version 5.0.2; brings minor bug fixes

Andrew Edney

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May 11, 2012

The very cool music identification app Shazam has been updated to version 5.0.2 and it brings with it some minor bug fixes!

Having tried some different music, I cant honestly say it find’s the song in a matter of seconds, in some cases, only two or three words had been sung. I was very impressed!

This is how Shazam is described:

Lightning fast tagging. Now discover, explore and share more music, TV shows and brands you love in as little as one second.

With unlimited tagging use Shazam as much as you want, and experience more of what you like, faster.

You can also:
○ Save & listen again (30 sec preview)
○ Buy tracks easily on iTunes & find more by tagged artists
○ View extra content as you watch TV
○ Watch music videos & concerts from YouTube
○ Share on Facebook, Twitter & email
○ See streaming lyrics in time to the music
○ Discover new music in Shazam Friends & Charts
○ See when an artist is touring
○ Use it when you don’t have a signal

What’s New in Version 5.0.2

Minor Bug Fixes

Download now from the Apple App Store

Apple TV Updated to version 5.0.1

Apple
News

Andrew Edney

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May 11, 2012

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Apple has updated the Apple TV’s to version 5.0.1.

This update includes:

iTunes previews
Previews for movies and TV shows from the iTunes Store can now be viewed in HD.

AirPlay
Fixes an issue that caused some iOS apps to have trouble connecting via AirPlay.

Home Sharing
Improves the reliability of Home Sharing connections.

Netflix
Addresses an issue affecting Netflix login and navigation.

Stability and performance
Includes fixes for issues affecting stability and performance.

And Firecore are advising you to steer clear of the update if you want to jailbreak.

The Home Server Show Episode 182 Out Now

Andrew Edney

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May 10, 2012

0

Dave at the guys at the Home Server Show have released episode 182.

Here’s what Dave has to say about this weeks show:

We can’t stop talking about Windows 8 and Media Center. It all comes back to storage though. Plenty of server conversation as well as some follow up on cloud options and HD Home Run streaming.

Listen to the show from here.

ROCCAT Will Announce New Gaming Peripherals at E3 & Computex

Gadgets
Tech

Jim McCarthy

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May 10, 2012

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ROCCAT Will Announce New Gaming Peripherals at E3 & Computex

ROCCAT, the Germany-based designer and manufacturer of gaming peripherals, plans to announce new gaming products at E3 and Computex. Read on for details.

ROCCAT is going to announce two new gaming mice and an interesting new gaming controller called Power Grid, which allows you to control a PC with a smartphone, at E3 in Los Angeles and at Computex in Taipei. Here are some details on ROCCAT:

About ROCCAT™ Studios
Founded in 2007 in Hamburg, Germany, ROCCAT™ Studios produces innovative, high-quality products for today’s ambitious computer gamer. Always operating in close collaboration with the gaming community, the company’s advanced input devices, headsets and accessories offer extreme precision, first-class ease-of-use and unique, eye-catching design. ROCCAT™ entered the scene with its Kone Gaming Mouse – a high-performance device that still ranks as one of the world’s premier gaming peripherals. A long list of international awards attests to the ingenious design and world-class quality of ROCCAT™ products.

ROCCAT started out in Europe, expanded to Asia and now is coming to the US with their products. Here are the details on the new products:

ROCCAT™ to Unveil Groundbreaking Gear at E3 & Computex – Including Power-Grid Hands-On

Hamburg, 10 May 2012 – ROCCAT Studios, the German manufacturer of professional gaming equipment, is ready to roll out an impressive line-up of new products at E3 in Los Angeles on June 7 and at Computex in Taipei on June 5.

High on the list is the ROCCAT™ Kone XTD – Max Customization Gaming Mouse – the new incarnation of the legendary ROCCAT™ Kone[+]. Equipped with the latest technological gaming innovations and an 8200 DPI Pro Aim R3 laser sensor – as well as being loaded with the full power of ROCCAT™ software – the Kone XTD is expected to surpass its famous predecessor and claim supremacy in the field of laser gaming mice. The “Next Gen” Kone is expected to hit shelves internationally early October 2012.

The Hamburg-based gaming peripherals manufacturer will also show off its ROCCAT™ Lua – Tri-Button Gaming Mouse at both E3 and Computex. Packing a fully- adjustable 2000 DPI Pro Optic sensor in a sleek, ambidextrous V-shape, the Lua delivers straightforward control, comfort and style for both left- and right-handed gamers. The Lua will be in shops around the globe August 2012.

And finally, in what is sure to be exciting news for many gamers, ROCCAT™ has announced that the first beta version of the much-anticipated ROCCAT™ Power-Grid app will be available for hands-on use at both E3 and Computex. Power-Grid – which allows PC gamers to control their games and computer with their smartphone – sent a seismic jolt through the gaming world when first announced. And the buzz continues.

“I’m thrilled about our global fan base,” says René Korte, ROCCAT Studios Founder and CEO. “We’re still young, but we’re going full steam ahead internationally. ROCCAT started in Europe in 2007. In 2010 we opened our Asian office, and this year we launched our US business. We are, and will continue to be, dedicated to helping players worldwide enjoy the best possible PC gaming experience. And the future looks awesome.”Come visit ROCCAT™ at Computex 2012 in Taipei in TWTC Hall 3, Booth G0536.Come visit ROCCAT™at E3 in Los Angeles in the West Exhibit Hall, Booth 5654.

The mice certainly look interesting, but that Power Grid device is also very intriguing. We’ll keep an eye on these products and bring you any updates.

ROCCAT Website–Learn More!

Cyberlink PowerDVD Mobile App Updated for iOS

Andrew Edney

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May 10, 2012

0

Cyberlink PowerDVD Mobile App Updated for iOS

We recently told you about PowerDVD 12, and now the PowerDVD Mobile App has been updated for iOS devices.

Extend your entertainment experience from your PC’s PowerDVD 12 to your iPhone and iPad, Android phone and Tablet. PowerDVD Mobile v.4 is designed for your iOS devices, you can easily use PowerDVD Mobile to browse and playback content store on your Windows PC’s PowerDVD 12, including movies, photos and music. Moreover, you can also push the videos & photos you take to your PC’s PowerDVD without the hassle to copy the files.

PowerDVD Mobile v.4 paid version supports PowerDVD 12 Pro version users, if you are using PowerDVD 12 Ultra, you can download the free PowerDVD Mobile v.4 for Ultra

Key Features of PowerDVD Mobile v.4

– Wirelessly stream media from PowerDVD 12 on the PC to your iPhone and iPad, Android phone and tablet
– Wirelessly download MOV (H.264/AAC) videos, photos and music from PowerDVD 12 on the PC to PowerDVD Mobile
– Watch videos in stunning quality
– Play your favourite tunes in a feature filled music player
– Apply one-click photo enhancements to touch up photos
– Create and watch cool slideshows of your photos
– Create playlists or choose from a variety of different options to sort your media librar

What’s New in Version 4.0.6288

– Stability improvement and issue fixing

Buy PowerDVD Mobile from the Apple App Store

My Movies for Mac OS X Updated to version 1.20

Andrew Edney

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May 10, 2012

0

My Movies for Mac OS X Updated to version 1.20

As you may know, I am a huge fan of My Movies, and now Brian has released an update to My Movies for Mac OS X – taking it to version 1.20.

Introduction

My Movies for Mac OS X allows you to catalog your entire movie collection from our high quality online data service containing data for more than 475,000 DVD, Blu-ray and HD DVD titles from various countries. The application supports Mac OS X 10.6 and higher.

Notice! The application is currently in Pre Release, and is freely available to everyone during this Pre Release period. The Pre Release distributions contains a time bomb functionality, allowing to function typically for one month from the release date.

My Movies for Mac OS X requires you to create a user account, or log on to an existing My Movies account to be able to use the program. Your collection will follow your user account through our online servers, allowing you to switch between different clients without ever loosing your data. If you log in to an existing My Movies account, your current collection will automatically be synchronized to My Movies for Mac OS X. Users of My Movies for iPhone, iPad or Android will automatically have their collection synchronized between My Movies for Mac OS X and your movie devices.

Availability

My Movies for Mac OS X is available in two different versions; an unlimited “Pro” application, available for purchase through the Mac App Store, and a “Free” application which is identical to the “Pro” version, but limited to 50 titles, a limitation that can be lifted either through contribution points or purchased points.

The Pro application can be purchased by clicking here.

The free application is at this time not available through the App Store, but instead available as a direct download on this page. This is due to Apple not allowing for trial software on the App Store.

The Free application can be downloaded by clicking here.

My Movies for Mac OS X and My Movies for Windows

My Movies for Mac OS X is a standalone software, synchronizing with the My Movies WebService.

The application is not a client for My Movies for Windows servers, such as My Movies for Windows Home Server and My Movies Collection Management functioning as server. This means that you cannot connect it to the My Movies Windows based solutions.

It is not planned that for the software to function as a client to the My Movies Windows software package at any point. The internal structure and functionality of the application differs in many ways to how the Windows software packages function. Depending on user feedback, it may be that this at some point will change, and while we would like the requests as feedback, it is not something users should expect.

Interface Overview

Below is an overview of the interface of My Movies for Mac OS X, allowing you to see the functionality of buttons and interface areas. You can click the image to view it in a larger version.

What’s New in Version 1.20

– Option to rate movies directly from the preview page added.
– Added button for quickly adding a watched event.
– Added button for quickly lenting and returning a title.
– Preview button when typing in description letting you view back cover at the same time.

Many minor bug fixes and adjustments.

Microsoft talks about Redesigning chkdsk and the new NTFS health model in Windows 8

Andrew Edney

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May 10, 2012

1

Microsoft talks about Redesigning chkdsk and the new NTFS health model in Windows 8

In the next of their building Windows 8 articles, Microsoft talks about the new NTFS health model and redesigning the chkdsk utility.

This is how Microsoft starts the article:

While exceedingly rare, there are a variety of unique causes for disk corruption today. Whether they are caused by media errors from the hard disk or transient memory errors, corruptions can happen in file system metadata (the information used to map physical blocks to that vacation photo you took last year). To maintain access to your data, Windows must isolate and correct these errors, and the way to do this is by running the chkdsk utility.

In past versions, NTFS implemented a simpler health model, where the file system volume was either healthy or not. In that model, the volume was taken offline for as long as necessary to fix the file system corruptions and bring the volume back to a healthy state. Downtime was directly proportional to the number of files in the volume.

Reliable telemetry data from systems all over the world have shown us that, although corruptions are quite rare, when chkdsk is needed, it can take between a few seconds to a few hours to run, depending on the number of files in the drive–and even longer for larger storage servers.

In Windows Vista and Windows 7, we made significant optimizations to the speed of chkdsk but, as hard disk capacities have continued to double every 18 months and the number of files per volume is increasing at an equal rate, chkdsk has taken longer and longer to complete (even with speed improvements) .

So in Windows 8, we’ve changed the way we approach the health model of NTFS and changed the way we fix corruptions so as to minimize the downtime due to chkdsk. We’ve also introduced a new file system for the future, ReFS, which does not require an offline chkdsk to repair corruptions.

To read the rest of the article, click here.

We should be getting the release candidate of Windows 8 at the start of June.

Apple releases Safari version 5.1.7

Apple
News

Andrew Edney

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May 10, 2012

0

Along with the OX Lion 10.7.4 update, Apple has also released version 5.1.7 of it’s Safari web browser.

Safari 5.1.7 contains improvements to performance, stability, compatibility, and security, including changes that:
•    Improve the browser’s responsiveness when the system is low on memory
•    Fix an issue that could prevent webpages from responding after using a pinch to zoom gesture
•    Fix an issue that could affect websites using forms to authenticate users
Disable versions of Adobe Flash Player that do not include the latest security updates and provide the option to get the current version from Adobe’s website.

For more information, please visit: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5271.

Google Maps app for Android updated to version 6.7; brings Google Offers for US users

Andrew Edney

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May 9, 2012

0

Google Maps app for Android updated to version 6.7; brings Google Offers for US users

The Google Maps app for Android has been updated again, this time to version 6.7.

Download the latest release of Google Maps, and never carry a paper map again. Google Maps for Android with Navigation (Beta) has:

* Detailed maps with 3D buildings
* Voice guided turn-by-turn GPS navigation
* Driving, public transit, biking, and walking directions
* Live traffic information to avoid congestion
* Local search and business reviews
* Google Maps Street View
* Indoor maps for select airports, hotels, retail stores, and more

Whether you need directions to your destination, the closest good place for a bite to eat, or just a sense of where you are, Google Maps for Android can help.

What’s in this version:

Discover nearby Google Offers in the US
Indoor walking directions (Beta) for Japan and the US
See 360° panoramas inside restaurants and stores

Download now from Google Play

Apple releases OS X Lion 10.7.4 update

Andrew Edney

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May 9, 2012

1

Apple has just released OS X Lion 10.7.4 updated into the wild.

The 10.7.4 update is recommended for all OS X Lion users and includes general operating system fixes that improve the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac including fixes that:

Resolve an issue where the “Reopen windows when logging back in” setting is always enabled
Improve compatibility with certain British third-party USB keyboards
Address an issue that may prevent files from being saved to a server
Improve the reliability of copying files to an SMB server

The full release notes say:

Resolve an issue in which the “Reopen windows when logging back in” setting is always enabled.
Improve compatibility with certain British third-party USB keyboards.
Addresses permission issues that may be caused if you use the Get Info inspector function “Apply to enclosed items…” on your home directory. For more information, see this article.
Improve Internet sharing of PPPoE connections.
Improve using a proxy auto-configuration (PAC) file.
Address an issue that may prevent files from being saved to an SMB server.
Improve printing to an SMB print queue.
Improve performance when connecting to a WebDAV server.
Enable automatic login for NIS accounts.
Include RAW image compatibility for additional digital cameras.
Improve the reliability of binding and logging into Active Directory accounts.
The OS X Lion v10.7.4 Update includes Safari 5.1.6, which contains stability improvements.

Google+ App for iOS Gets Updated to Version 2.0.0.5888

Apple
News

Andrew Edney

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May 9, 2012

0

Google+ App for iOS Gets Updated to Version 2.0.0.5888

Google have just updated it’s Google+ app for iOS devices with a whole new navigation experience.

What’s New in Version 2.0.0.5888

– New stream and navigation experience
– Various bugfixes and performance improvements

Go get it now from the Apple App Store.

QNAP Announces Some Units Now Citrix-Ready for XenServer 6.0

Jim McCarthy

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May 9, 2012

0

QNAP today announced that some of their business-focused units have passed Citrix verification for XenServer 6.0. Read on for details.

QNAP announced today that several of their business-focused TurboNAS units are now verified as being ready for Citrix and XenServer. Here is the press release:

QNAP TS-x69 Series Turbo NAS is Citrix Ready for XenServer 6.0

Taipei, Taiwan, May 09, 2012 – QNAP^® Systems, Inc. today announced that its SMB level TS-x69 series Turbo NAS had passed Citrix^® Ready™ verification for XenServer 6.0, providing users with a high-performance storage solution for server virtualization.

The Citrix XenServer 6.0 has brought forth several enhancements, including easier installation, a simplified upgrade process, enhanced management on the Distributed Virtual Switch, better performance with new SR-IOV technology, more guest OS support, and VM Protection & Recovery.

“At QNAP we continuously develop and improve our products to better fit users’ needs and keep pace with the latest Citrix virtualization solutions,” said Jérôme Jaussaud, product manager of QNAP. “By expanding compatibility with various virtualization solutions and additional Turbo NAS models, we hope to help users realize greater virtualization environments.”

To learn more about the enhancements of Citrix XenServer 6.0, visit http://support.citrix.com/article/CTX130418.

To see the full list of QNAP products that support Citrix XenServer 6.0, visit http://hcl.xensource.com/BrowsableStorageList.aspx.

Availability

TS-869 Pro, TS-669 Pro, TS-569 Pro, TS-469 Pro and TS-269 Pro are now Citrix Ready for XenServer 6.0. Learn more about the supported models of the QNAP Turbo NAS lineup at www.qnap.com.

About QNAP Systems, Inc.

QNAP Systems, Inc. is a privately held company founded in 2004 and is dedicated to bringing world class NAS storage, professional NVR video surveillance, and network video players to consumer, small/medium business, and entry level enterprise market segments. QNAP leverages not only hardware design but also a growing core competency in software engineering that is precisely focused on bringing to market products that offer the highest available performance coupled with outstanding reliability, scalability, and ease of installation and use. QNAP is a multi-national company with headquarters in Taipei, Taiwan, and subsidiary offices in China and the United States.

QNAP continues to add features to their NAS units to drive acceptance by business users.

Kingston Wi-Drive gets a firmware update; brings web support

Andrew Edney

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May 9, 2012

0

Kingston Wi-Drive gets a firmware update; brings web support

Kingston have updated the firmware on their Wi-Drive device to v1.00.15.

The update includes:

Enhanced web graphics and improved browser compatibility so you can access your files through a web browser. Simply open your browser, enter the IP address of Wi-Drive into the URL box, which is 192.168.200.254 and press Enter.
Improved router compatibility using Mixed-Mode wireless security
Minor bug fixes

Download the firmware update from here Check out our review of the Kingston Wi-Drive

Drive Bender v.1.3.1.0 (Tomcat) for Windows Home Server 2011 available now

Andrew Edney

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May 9, 2012

0

Drive Bender v.1.3.1.0 (Tomcat) for Windows Home Server 2011 available now

Today saw an update to Drive Bender for Windows Home Server 2011 released, taking it to version v1.3.1.0, also known as the Tomcat release.

Release v1.3.1.0 release (2012-05-09)

– Bug fix: When deleting a pool, the dashboard may not refresh correctly.
– Update: When adding a pool, the newly added pool is automatically selected.
– Added: Introduced a start-up specific log file. This captures all start up logging and ensures it does not get deleted during log rotation.
– Update: Improved file balancing algorithm.
– Update: The way duplication is handled when moving a folder within the same folder tree has changed. For details please visit support.drivebender.com
– Added: Better support for slower connecting drives (i.e. USB drives). Drive Bender will now wait for these drives to connect for a period of 2 minutes.
– Bug fix: If none of the drives within the pool are connected at start up, the loading of the mount point will no longer be aborted.
– Update: Improved mount point conflict resolution.
– Bug fix: You were not able to change some key properties if user security was enabled.
– Bug fix: Remounting of networked mount points.
– Added: Automated release license request option under support.
– Bug fix: Issue with user security and session time out resolved.
– Bug fix: The progress screen in the WHS addin may not close at start-up.

For more information check out the Drive Bender website