XBMC accepted into official Debian distribution

Andrew Edney
-
0
XBMC accepted into official Debian distribution

The guys over at XBMC.org have just announced that XBMC has been accepted into the official Debian distribution.

XBMCEden_thumb8

This is what the guys over at XBMC.org posted:

Linux users rejoice! Thanks primarily to the hard work of Andres Mejia, XBMC has been accepted into the official Debian distribution! In the past we have been unable to make it into Debian as the sheer size and complexity of XBMC made the review process so difficult, so Andres, an XBMC developer who was working to become a Debian Developer already, volunteered to maintain it himself. Yesterday, his Eden packages were accepted. For those unclear about what this means, Debian unstable users will now be able to install XBMC without using any third-party repositories.

We have already been included in several major Linux distributions, but Debian is a big target because of the size of the community around it. As most Linux users are probably aware, other major distros such as Ubuntu and Mint derive (or derive indirectly) from Debian, and sync their packages regularly. Andres succeeded in requesting a sync to Ubuntu in time to hit Precise Pangolin, so users of this next LTS release will be able to install XBMC with just a few clicks (or an apt-get). We hope this will lower the barrier to entry for many users who are not familiar with PPAs.

There are a few notable differences between the packaged Debian/Ubuntu versions and the ones from our ppa or XBMCBuntu:

  • decss support (encrypted dvd playback) is disabled unless libdvdcss2 has been installed from a third-party repo.
  • libav is used rather than ffmpeg, as Debian unstable has gone this direction.
  • AFP (Apple File Protocol) support is currently disabled due to packaging issues.
  • rar support is disabled due to Debian policy, which we hope to resolve soon by switching to libarchive, which Andres is personally working on as well. The guy is a unstoppable!

Now there’s one less step to get to the XBMC goodness…

That’s great news guys, well done!

via: TDL

Nokia Lumia 900 Windows Phone available to pre-order in the UK from Clove

Andrew Edney
-
0
Nokia Lumia 900 Windows Phone available to pre-order in the UK from Clove

We have talked a few times about the Nokia Lumia 900 smartphone here at CDW, and now you can pre-order it here in the UK sim free from Clove.

UWHS---Nokia-Lumia-900-at-CES-2012--[3]

Following on from the recent announcement that Phones4U and Carphone Warehouse will be stocking the Lumia 900, Clove are saying they expect stock on the 16th May, priced at £384 (£460.80 inc.VAT).

UWHS---Nokia-Lumia-900-at-CES-2012--[6]UWHS---Nokia-Lumia-900-at-CES-2012--[11]UWHS---Nokia-Lumia-900-at-CES-2012--[5]UWHS---Nokia-Lumia-900-at-CES-2012--[4]

Pre-order your Lumia 900 from Clove here

So what do you think of the Lumia 900? Are you going to buy one?

Nokia Release Lumia 900 Data Connectivity Bug fix

Andrew Edney
-
0
Nokia Release Lumia 900 Data Connectivity Bug fix

We have talked a few times about the Nokia Lumia 900 smartphone here at CDW, and Nokia have just released a bug fix that addresses an issues lost data connectivity.

UWHS---Nokia-Lumia-900-at-CES-2012--[3]

This is what Nokia posted:

A little while after the Lumia 900 went on sale, we discovered a software issue that can sometimes lead to lost data connectivity. This issue is purely in the phone’s software, and isn’t related to the phone hardware or the network itself.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused, and as a gesture of goodwill, we are offering a $100 AT&T bill credit to everyone who has already purchased a Nokia Lumia 900 or who will purchase one before April 21st.

Nokia are suggested that you can either update your Lumia 900, or “Exchange your phone for a new Nokia Lumia 900 at any AT&T store from now until April 21.”

So what do you think of the Lumia 900?

VMware Fusion updated to version 4.1.2

Andrew Edney
-
0
VMware Fusion updated to version 4.1.2

The popular virtual machine technology for the Apple Mac, VMware Fusion, has been updated to version 4.1.2.

vmwaer

Among the list of bug fixes are:

  • Resolved an issue that caused the following message when you resumed a suspended virtual machine: The Virtual Machine is unable to reserve memory.
  • The McAfee Virus Scan software is updated.
  • Resolved an intermittent problem that caused printing to fail on Mac OS X Lion.
  • Resolved an issue that occurred when copying and pasting information from newer Linux distributions.
  • Improved compatibility with certain versions of Mac OS X.
  • Improved the behavior of the minibar when placed at the top of the display.
  • Fixed mapping of comma on numeric keyboard mapping of a French keyboard.
  • Resolved an intermittent problem when removing a CD device from a virtual machine.

To download the free update start VMware Fusion, select the “VMware Fusion” menu and click on “Check for Updates.”

QNAP Updates TS-X19P II Series With USB 3.0

Jim McCarthy
-
0
QNAP Updates TS-X19P II Series With USB 3.0

QNAP has updated their TS-X19P II series of NAS units with USB 3.0.  Read on for details.

qnaplogo

QNAP’s TS-119P II, 219P II and 419P II products have been updated to take USB 3.0 for higher-speed backup and data migration capabilities.  These units are in the QNAP SOHO and home customer segment and have up until now used USB 2.0 connections.

Here is what QNAP says about these units:

QNAP TS X19

  • Superior performance 2.0 GHz CPU
  • Maximum of 16TB of raw storage 1
  • Maximum of 109 MB/s download and 75 MB/s upload 2
  • Extremely energy efficient

QNAP also updated the datasheet for SOHO and home units…check it out here.

ChevronWP7 Labs Windows Phone Unlocking Experiment comes to an end

Andrew Edney
-
0
ChevronWP7 Labs Windows Phone Unlocking Experiment comes to an end

Last year we told you about a service from ChevronWP7 Labs that enabled you to unlock your Windows Phone. The “experiment” now comes to an end.

Chevron_thumb1_thumb

This is what they just posted:

So, you may recall that ChevronWP7 Labs sold about 10,000 developer-unlock tokens in a matter of two months. Working with Microsoft over the past few months, we finished analyzing the resulting data.

The goal of this experiment was two-fold: First, to determine if we could supercharge the Windows Phone beginner/hobbyist community by removing the initial cost barrier (i.e. App Hub membership.) And second, to convert potential developers into published developers.

While we kicked butt on the former, the latter didn’t work out so well. Our data indicates that most developers simply unlocked their devices for non-developmental reasons and never went all the way to publish an app in the marketplace. There was also some confusion about the actual purpose of the ChevronWP7 service – some folks thought we provided SIM-unlock capabilities, while others thought we were a hacker group providing full root access. On top of this, there were a larger than expected number of support emails.

As a result, both sides amicably agreed to discontinue the ChevronWP7 Labs experiment.

Fear not, we will continue to explore other ideas with Microsoft. All sides are still very interested in the hobbyist and homebrew developer communities.

As a thank you gift, courtesy of Microsoft, we will be offering paid ChevronWP7 Labs users a free upgrade to a one-year membership of Windows Phone App Hub.

Users who wish to take advantage of this will need to sign up with the same Live ID as their ChevronWP7 Labs account and complete App Hub account registration with a credit card. (Your purchase will then be refunded shortly after.) More details on this below.

All of us involved – Rafael Rivera, Chris Walsh, Long Zheng and the Windows Phone team at Microsoft — are very proud to have been able to bring the ChevronWP7 Labs experiment to fruition and are excited for what the future holds.

This is a real shame, and to be honest I see it as a bit of setback for the hobbyist community, but I can also completely understand why they chose to do this.

Did you use the service? What do you think about the decision?

QNAP Highlights Virtualization Benefits Using TurboNAS

Jim McCarthy
-
0
QNAP Highlights Virtualization Benefits Using TurboNAS

QNAP released some case studies recently discussing the benefits to using virtualization with their TurboNAS product.  Read on for details.

qnaplogo

QNAP recently added two new case studies to their marketing website: one that highlights virtualization capabilities with their TurboNAS products and one that highlights remote replication.  Here is the news release:

QNAP Releases Two Case Studies Demonstrating How Businesses Can Leverage NAS in Virtualization Environments and Social Enterprises

Taipei, Taiwan, April 11, 2012 – QNAP® Systems, Inc. released two case studies on its official website, demonstrating how two companies, which have completely different business models and structures, utilized the QNAP Turbo NAS to optimize their efficiency and daily operations. “By releasing these case studies, we hope to give those organizations planning on adopting a NAS solution to improve work efficiency a clearer idea how it can really help,” said Edward Lin, director of marketing of QNAP.

TeleComputing has been introduced as a typical case of centralized IT operation services providers. It offers 2,400 different software services for more than 50,000 users with the largest shared IT operation platform in Europe. Generally, TeleComputing formulated its service delivery structure with virtualization technology. To ensure the stability of virtualization environment, it deployed three units of TS-809U-RP to store and backup its valuable files. In addition, those units also performed the full disaster recovery solution which highly reduced the maintenance cost.

The other case study introduced a social enterprise- Lifework, which serves as an intermediate between employers, jobseekers, training and education departments and social service organizations. Lifework leveraged two units of TS-639 Pro as an “off the shelf” NAS solution. With the user-friendly interface of the TS-639 Pro, the staff in Lifework was able to manipulate the function of backup and offsite replication easily.

Availability

The two case studies are available here:

http://web2.qnap.com/en/?sn=1847&lang=en

These case studies show how you can use QNAP’s TurboNAS in real practice…check them out!

Raspberry Pi now shipping to those lucky few

Andrew Edney
-
0
Raspberry Pi now shipping to those lucky few

Those few very lucky people at the front of the queue will be getting their Raspberry Pi’s shortly as they are now shipping.

CDW---The-Beeb--30-Event-037_thumb1

Eben and Liz are hand delivering some of them, and RS Electronics and element14/Premier Farnell will be shipping them straight out.

Check out our Raspberry Pi coverage from the Beeb@30 event

Have you ordered one? Let us know if you get yours before us, or even after us.

PS Vita System Software Update v1.67 now

Andrew Edney
-
2
PS Vita System Software Update v1.67 now

The next PS Vita System Software Update (v1.67) is available now.

ps-vita-554x3411_thumb1

Currently there are no specifics about what is included in the update!

Have you got a PS Vita? Let us know what you think of it.

Check out Jim’s review of the PS Vita

The Home Server Show Episode 179 Out Now

Andrew Edney
-
0
The Home Server Show Episode 179 Out Now

Dave at the guys at the Home Server Show have released episode 179.

home_server_show_small_thumb_thumb

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

There are those shows you remember and some you would rather forget. Episode 179 will not be forgotten by me due to two things. The first, Skype hates me, and two, Susan Bradley joined us for some conversation. It was hard for me to wrap the show because we all wanted to hear more from the Small Business Server MVP. John, Jim, and Susan chat it up about Twitter, SBS, WHS 2011, Multipoint Server, Drive Extender and more.

Listen to the show here

Office for Mac 2011 14.2.0 update (Service Pack 2) available now

Andrew Edney
-
0
Office for Mac 2011 14.2.0 update (Service Pack 2) available now

Microsoft have released update 14.2.0 (also known as Service Pack 2) for Office for Mac 2011, bringing with it fixes and improvements.

Screen Shot 2012-04-12 at 23.18.03

Here is what the update includes:

Improvements for all Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 applications

  • Document Connection support for SkyDrive documents is improved.
    This update enables users to view and access documents that are located in the root level of a SkyDrive folder.
  • The drag–and–drop feature in Document Connection is added in Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion).
    This update adds a drag-and-drop feature for files in Document Connection in Mac OS X 10.7.
  • Upload functionality for SharePoint sites is improved.
    This update fixes an issue in which you receive the following error message when you upload a file to a SharePoint site:Upload Failed You must sign in to save your changes to the server.
  • The Italian grammar checker is improved.
    This update fixes an issue in which the Italian grammar checker does not check a complete document.
  • The German grammar checker is improved.
    This update fixes an issue in which the German grammar checker does not check a complete document when the document contains certain German sentences.

Improvements for Microsoft Outlook for Mac 2011

  • The database and the rebuild utility are improved.
    This update includes fixes that increase the robustness of the database and that improve the effectiveness of the rebuild utility. Outlook for Mac uses the Office database to store personal information, such as messages and contacts. This update fixes issues that cause database corruptions, instability, and crashes. This update also improves database transactions and the ability to recover from certain errors. If there is a problem within the database, Outlook for Mac starts the Database Utility, which tries to rebuild the database. After you install this update, the Database Utility recovers additional account information, such as shared resources and categories, and recovers from corruption scenarios. This update also adds the ability to cancel a database rebuild in Outlook for Mac.
  • IMAP account sync that includes support for synchronizing with Gmail is improved.
    After you install this update, Outlook for Mac updates new messages in IMAP folders regularly. Additionally, Outlook for Mac users who use Gmail accounts can map folders, such as Drafts, Deleted Items, Sent Items, and Junk E-Mail, automatically.
  • Outlook for Mac performance in key scenarios is improved.
    This update introduces several performance improvements in the following areas:

    • General responsiveness during syncing
    • Deleting multiple records
    • Displaying email message content
    • Sending email messages
  • Exchange email message sync is improved.
    This update introduces a new sync model for Exchange. The new model enables Outlook for Mac to download an email message in parts. For example, Outlook for Mac first downloads and displays message text and then downloads large images and attachments. Downloading messages in parts reduces the load on the Exchange server and improves performance for the user.
  • Support for calendar scheduling resources is improved.
    This update improves support for calendar scheduling resources and for free/busy comparison functionality in the Scheduling Assistant.
  • Week numbers are added to the calendar display.
    This update adds a preference to enable the calendar to display week numbers.
  • Distribution list expansion functionality is included.
    This update enables you to expand distribution lists into individual members when you add a distribution list in the To field or rest the mouse pointer on a distribution list.

Improvements for Microsoft PowerPoint for Mac 2011

  • Functionality for pasting special hyperlinks is included.
    This update introduces functionality that enables you to paste special hyperlinks in PowerPoint.
  • The list of co-authors is improved.
    This update fixes an issue in which you cannot see the list of co-authors in a presentation.
  • Full Screen View in Lion is supported.
    This update supports Full Screen View in PowerPoint. Additionally, when you close slide show mode in PowerPoint, edit mode opens.

Improvements for Microsoft Word for Mac 2011

  • Printing PDF faxes is improved.
    This update fixes an issue in which Word cannot send .pdf files as faxes.
  • The user information display in templates is improved.
    This update fixes an issue in which a Word template does not display a user’s name, address, telephone number, fax number, and email address when you view the template after the template is saved in .doc format.

The update is 110 MB in size and is available now.

Apple releases Java for OS X 2012-003 security update; addresses Flashback malware

Andrew Edney
-
0
Apple releases Java for OS X 2012-003 security update; addresses Flashback malware

Apple has just released a Java for OS X 2012-003 security update and this one takes care of the Flashback malware issue.

Screen Shot 2012-04-12 at 23.13.31

This Java security update removes the most common variants of the Flashback malware.

This update also configures the Java web plug-in to disable the automatic execution of Java applets. Users may re-enable automatic execution of Java applets using the Java Preferences application. If the Java web plug-in detects that no applets have been run for an extended period of time it will again disable Java applets.

This update is recommended for all Mac users with Java installed.

For details about this update see: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5242

You really should update immediately if you have Java running on your Mac.

KeepVault Release KeepVault v4.15

Andrew Edney
-
0
KeepVault Release KeepVault v4.15

KeepVault have updated their KeepVault software version 4.15.

KeepVault_thumb

Updates in this release:

  • The max file size increases from 20GB to 200GB
  • Backup of password protected network shares is now supported
  • Better handling for backup of hidden files and folders
Learn more and download from here

HBO GO Now Supported in PlayOn For Free

Andrew Edney
-
0
HBO GO Now Supported in PlayOn For Free

PlayOn just released a significantly upgraded version of their free PlayOn Lite product.  There are many notable changes in the product but the highlights are HBO GO support and enhanced “My Media” support.

playon

Here are some more details:

PlayOn announced HBO GO and the production release of My Media as part of their revamped free PlayOn Lite product today. PlayOn Lite is the lesser-known free version of PlayOn that will continue to work even after a customer’s 14-day PlayOn Premium trial has expired. PlayOn allows customers to turn their PC into a media server that serves Internet and local PC video content to their Roku, Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, or Android/iOS mobile device. While PlayOn Premium offers heavy-hitter online channels like NBC.com, ABC.com, Fox.com, Hulu, Comedy Central, and Amazon VOD, PlayOn Lite offers YouTube, Pandora, and customers’ own locally-stored media (My Media), and for a limited time HBO GO for free. For more info, see http://www.playon.tv/playon-lite.

“There’s a wide array of TV show and movie entertainment readily available to consumers on their PC’s. However, much of that content is not available on the living room televisions in those very same households. This is where PlayOn comes in. With PlayOn, if you can watch it on your PC, you can watch it on your TV. That’s because your PC is doing all the work, and then magically showing the videos on your TV,” remarks PlayOn CTO David Karlton. “We feel like once people get it, they will realize they’ll be getting more and better TV entertainment, and saving money at the same time — a rare combination.”

PlayOn Lite fills a void for many customers. You can now listen to Pandora on your Xbox or watch YouTube videos on your Roku. It works seamlessly, running in the background on a customer’s PC.

“You navigate to your favorite channels and shows, sitting right on your living room sofa, using your device’s remote control, just like with any other TV experience. The PC is a silent partner in the whole process. The only requirement is that the networked PC is on, and PlayOn is running in the background,” continues Karlton. “In fact, someone can be surfing the web or writing an email on that very same computer, and not even know that PlayOn is running. Our product takes all the complications out of the equation, making the experience as simple as how you watch cable television today. We urge people to try it out — it’s got a free trial, and a very high percentage of our customers actually cancel their cable subscriptions once they discover PlayOn.”

All PlayOn customers get a 14-day free trial of PlayOn Premium. After that trial is up, they will continue to receive all PlayOn Lite channels for free. The My Media channel allows customers to watch their own media stored on their PC on their living room TV. My Media has been significantly improved and taken out of beta for this latest release. Some of the improvements include support for media on USB-attached devices and network shares, and thumbnail and cover art for music and videos.

PlayOn also announced that they are adding HBO GO to PlayOn Lite for a limited time. HBO GO has been blocked on set top devices and gaming consoles by certain cable providers. PlayOn allows customers of those services to view HBO GO in their living room.

Have you tried it? Let us know…

1...1,3361,3371,338...1,616Page 1,337 of 1,616