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CES 2012 – A Regular Celebrity Hang Out

Events
News

Andrew Edney

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Jan 17, 2012

CES always seems to draw bring names from the celebrity world – whether it’s for parties, or for product launces, and this year was no exception. Here are some of the celebrities that were there, including some we saw!

LL Cool J

LL Cool J, music artist and star of NCIS: LA was there promoting his Boomdizzle music network.

Greg Grunberg

One of the stars of Lost and Alias, Greg was there and was kind enough to spend some time with me talking about his Yowza!! app. You should check out the post and video we made. He is the nicest guy you could meet!

Leo Laporte

Leo was there covering the show, but it didn’t stop him spending a few minutes talking to me about various things, including Windows Home Server!

Caterina Murino and Olga Kurylenko

Two Bond Girls were there to help launch BOND 50 – the collection of James Bond films on Blu-ray launching later this year.

And the Rest

Other celebrities that were there, but we either didn’t see, or didn’t get pictures of, including Lucy Lawless, Justin Timberlake, Eliza Dushku, Jillian Michaels, Will Smith, and would you believe Justin Bieber was there to promote a robot – seriously, I couldn’t make this stuff up!

And I am sure there were plenty of others I haven’t mentioned.

I wonder who will be there next year!

Were you at CES? Did you see anyone famous? Let us know….

Action Movie FX App for iOS from Bad Robot Gets An Update

Apple
News

Andrew Edney

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Jan 17, 2012

0

Action Movie FX App for iOS from Bad Robot Gets An Update

Last month, Bad Robot Productions released a really fun app for the iPhone called Action Movie FX that enables you to easily add cool special effects to whatever you might film.Now it has an update, including new content.

What’s New in Version 1.1

*NEW FREE FX, DEMOLITION ROCK!
*Bug fixes and improved performance for iPod 4th Gen
*UI Improvements
*ALL NEW FX PACKAGES NOW ON SALE
– Enforcement Pack: SIDE-SWIPED and CROWD CONTROL
– Power Pack: THE JET and POWER FAILURE

Download the Action Movie FX app now

CES 2012 – Samsung’s NaviBot-S Robot Vacuum Cleaner

Andrew Edney

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Jan 17, 2012

2

CES 2012 – Samsung’s NaviBot-S Robot Vacuum Cleaner

At CES Samsung had a huge booth area, and one of things they were showing off was their new NaviBot-S robot vacuum cleaner.

Samsung were showing two of the three new models – the SR8950 and the SR8980. The major difference between the SR8950 and the SR8980 is that the SR8980’s docking station can empty the dust bin of the robot whenever it returns to the docking station.

The cool thing about these robots is that they use a mapping function to map out the floor area (as you will hear on the video) instead of just wandering around the floor aimlessly.

Here is a short video of the NaviBot-S in action:

UWHS–Samsung NaviBot-S at CES

And here are some more pictures:

It was very cool, however I am not sure how useful it would be in a large home, although it does have quite a long battery life, but it might take a while to clean the house for you!

CES 2012 – Samsung’s SUR40 for Microsoft Surface

Andrew Edney

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Jan 17, 2012

0

CES 2012 – Samsung’s SUR40 for Microsoft Surface

Last week at CES I got to see a demo of the Samsung SUR40 for Microsoft Surface.

We first told you about the SUR40 back in November. Having seen it in action at CES, it is very cool!

And as of yesterday it has started shipping, although the price is $8,000+ so it isn’t cheap!

As much as I would love to say expect a full hands-on review soon, I don’t think we will get one sent to us!

Anyway, until such time as we do get one, here is the video we shot at CES last week:

CES 2012–Samsung’s SUR40 for Microsoft Surface

Learn more from the Samsung website

Motorola Launch Limited Edition DEFY+ Handset

Andrew Edney

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Jan 17, 2012

0

Motorola Launch Limited Edition DEFY+ Handset

Motorola Mobility today launches a limited edition Motorola DEFY+ handset which transforms the UK’s favourite life proof handset into a ‘work proof’ model.

The exclusive Motorola DEFY+ JCB Edition features exceptional work-orientated protection for anyone operating the demanding construction and engineering sectors, or who work in the rugged outdoors and in extremely demanding conditions thanks to its patented visco-elastic protective sleeve from JCB with re-entrant geometry.

Taking ‘work proof’ functionality one step further, the Motorola DEFY+ JCB Edition handset also offers construction site users and outdoor enthusiasts who routinely work with core technical and measuring materials a range of built-in options. It comes pre-loaded with bespoke JCB applications including: a spirit level, theodolite, decibel meter and recorder, torch, unit converter, calculator and DIY store locator. This saves the user time and effort of lugging around a boot load of individual work components, and also serves to speed up their productivity and output at the touch of a button.

For those users who will also need to communicate remotely, between multiple venues, or even on-the-go with a range of associates the handset will feature Push To Talk functionality which will allow them to operate the device as a walkie-talkie (via the cellular network) with group call and messaging functionality.

Victoria McManus, UK marketing director, Motorola Mobility said: “We’re thrilled to be working with JCB on this bespoke Motorola DEFY+ device. The unique protective sleeve will pull on JCB’s years of expertise in the construction industry to help us reach a new audience who we know are in need of a life and work proof handset.”

Motorola Mobility launched the standard Motorola DEFY+ handset in September 2011. The limited edition JCB version will also feature existing Motorola DEFY+ handset functionality such as a 1GHz processor that runs 25 percent faster. Users can make the Motorola DEFY+ JCB edition meet their own personal needs by organising and personalising their Application trays for easy and quick access to their most used tools, games and content.

It also features the Android^™ 2.3 (Gingerbread) which delivers a more intuitive user interface and improvements on the features users choose most – including enhanced calendar and email features, home screen options and better battery life.

Key features and specifications of Motorola DEFY+ include:

Powered by Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) and features more than 300,000 apps from Android Market^™
1 GHz processor that runs 25 percent faster for efficient Web browsing and multitasking
Water resistant, scratch resistant and dust proof to withstand all that life throws users way
Features scratch resistant Corning^® Gorilla^® Glass
3.7-inch high-resolution touch screen display
MOTOBLUR™ lets users stay in touch with friends, providing quick access to social media accounts and live widgets directly from the homescreen
Motorola Media Link allows users to sync their media content from their desktops at home or work
Loaded with the ability to create group emails and communication
Adobe® Flash® Player 10 for uncompromised viewing of applications, content and videos
5MP camera with auto focus, flash and digital zoom
2GB internal; 2GB microSD card in box, expandable up to 32GB¹
Access to Google Mobile^™Services (Google Maps^™ with Navigation, Google Talk^™, browsing)
1700 mAH battery for 7.1 hours of talk time and 16 days in standby²

CES 2012 – PureGear’s PureTek Roll-On Screen Shield Kit for the iPhone 4

Andrew Edney

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Jan 17, 2012

0

CES 2012 – PureGear’s PureTek Roll-On Screen Shield Kit for the iPhone 4

At CES there were literally hundreds of screen protectors and cases for the iPhone, but one really stood out for me – the PureTek Roll-On Screen Shield from PureGear.

I saw this tweet during my time at CES and was intrigued:

So off I went to see what all the fuss was about!

The fuss was PureGear’s PureTek Roll-On Screen Shield Kit for the iPhone 4 and 4S. During the hour, PureGear were giving away their shield kit, you just had to apply it to your iPhone at the stand – and there was always a big queue!

This is how PureGear describe the kit:

The first ultimate device protection made simple with patented application tray and roller.

Error-free application tray ensures perfect alignment
Industrial strength film
Self healing technology
Long-lasting adhesive
Includes microfiber cleaning cloth
Limited Lifetime Warranty

Below is a video of my iPhone 4S being protected at CES:

Pure Gear PureTek Roll-on Screen Shield Kit

Towards the end of the video, you can hear that the few air bubbles that were present should disappear within 24 to 48 hours, and I can confirm that after 24 hours they were all gone!

Needless to say I was very impressed just how simple and easy it was to apply the screen shield – and that the bubble-free claim actually was real, and not just “most of the bubbles” disappearing!

And I have tried to scratch it as well and it is fine!

Not bad at all for $19.95!

Learn more from the PureGear website

CES 2012 – Angry Birds on the Big Screen

Andrew Edney

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Jan 17, 2012

2

CES 2012 – Angry Birds on the Big Screen

CES wouldn’t be complete without Angry Birds – and TCL were showing off touch screen TV’s you could play Angry Birds on!

TCL Corporation, a leading Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer, started marketing its full line of TCL branded products and solutions for the first time in its corporate history at CES last week.

And to show off some of it’s touch screen technology, they were playing Angry Birds!

Here is a short video of Angry Birds being played at CES:

UWHS–CES 2012–Angry Birds!

Apple Education Announcement this Week

Apple
News

Andrew Edney

-

Jan 17, 2012

1

Last week Apple sent out invites to selected journalists for an education focused event set to take place in New York City on Thursday 19th January at the Guggenheim museum.

Details are sketchy at this time, but the general assumption is that this will be “iBooks for Education” – so doing away with traditional printed textbooks in favour of electronic ones.

Let’s see what Thursday brings…..

StableBit DrivePool Moves to Beta M4 Build 5449

Windows Home Server

Andrew Edney

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Jan 17, 2012

0

StableBit DrivePool Moves to Beta M4 Build 5449

There has been another beta build from CoveCube! StableBit development marches on – now its beta M4 build 5449.

Here is how CoveCube describes this application:

Combine all your hard drives into one big storage pool (except the system drive with the OS).
Add and remove drives from the pool at any time without re-partitioning or manually moving folders.
Create duplicated folders on the storage drive pool that are protected against single drive failure. If a drive fails on which a duplicated file was stored, the contents of that file will remain readable even without the drive.
All your data is stored in standard NTFS files. You can always access your files even if the Windows Home Server completely crashes or this add-in can’t be used.

This version’s change log:

1.0.0.5449 ———-

* Fixed installation issue, where if the previous M4 install failed in the middle, future installs would not work.

* [D] Fixed directory enumeration issue that was causing the WHS client backup engine to report damage in the backup database. Note that, when reproducing this issue, the backup database files were not actually damaged.

Get More Information About the Beta Here Download Stablebit Drivepool build 5449 here

Microsoft Talk About Windows 8 ReFS (Resilient File System)

Andrew Edney

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Jan 17, 2012

0

Microsoft Talk About Windows 8 ReFS (Resilient File System)

In another blog post about the forthcoming Windows 8, Microsoft talk about a new file system called ReFS, or Resilient File System.

Here is how the post starts:

In this blog post I’d like to talk about a new file system for Windows. This file system, which we call ReFS, has been designed from the ground up to meet a broad set of customer requirements, both today’s and tomorrow’s, for all the different ways that Windows is deployed.

The key goals of ReFS are:

Maintain a high degree of compatibility with a subset of NTFS features that are widely adopted while deprecating others that provide limited value at the cost of system complexity and footprint.

Verify and auto-correct data. Data can get corrupted due to a number of reasons and therefore must be verified and, when possible, corrected automatically. Metadata must not be written in place to avoid the possibility of “torn writes,” which we will talk about in more detail below.

Optimize for extreme scale. Use scalable structures for everything. Don’t assume that disk-checking algorithms, in particular, can scale to the size of the entire file system.

Never take the file system offline. Assume that in the event of corruptions, it is advantageous to isolate the fault while allowing access to the rest of the volume. This is done while salvaging the maximum amount of data possible, all done live.

Provide a full end-to-end resiliency architecture when used in conjunction with the Storage Spaces feature, which was co-designed and built in conjunction with ReFS.

The key features of ReFS are as follows (note that some of these features are provided in conjunction with Storage Spaces).

Metadata integrity with checksums

Integrity streams providing optional user data integrity

Allocate on write transactional model for robust disk updates (also known as copy on write)

Large volume, file and directory sizes

Storage pooling and virtualization makes file system creation and management easy

Data striping for performance (bandwidth can be managed) and redundancy for fault tolerance

Disk scrubbing for protection against latent disk errors

Resiliency to corruptions with “salvage” for maximum volume availability in all cases

Shared storage pools across machines for additional failure tolerance and load balancing

In addition, ReFS inherits the features and semantics from NTFS including BitLocker encryption, access-control lists for security, USN journal, change notifications, symbolic links, junction points, mount points, reparse points, volume snapshots, file IDs, and oplocks.

Read the rest of the post here.

Hopefully we should have the first public beta of Windows 8 in a few weeks time.

CES 2012 – A Look at the Synology 1812+ NAS

Andrew Edney

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Jan 16, 2012

0

CES 2012 – A Look at the Synology 1812+ NAS

Last week at CES I spent some time with Synology. One of the things they showed me was their new 1812+ NAS box.

The new 1812+ is an eight bay model, with a new easy to use key system for locking and unlocking the drive bays.

On the rear of the device you will see two large fans.

The back panel can be opened very simply, and the fans can be removed and replaced in a matter of seconds if needed, meaning a much reduced downtime in the event of a fan problem. Synology told me this was one of the most often requested “features”.

It also has two USB 3.0 ports and eSATA, along with the usual assortment of ports, and it will run DSM 4.0.

More information on the 1812+ when we get it.

Visit the Synology website

Add-In: WHS Drobo Status for Windows Home Server 2011 Beta 2

Windows Home Server

Andrew Edney

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Jan 16, 2012

0

Add-In: WHS Drobo Status for Windows Home Server 2011 Beta 2

The Home Server Show have been running a competition for an add-in for WHS 2011 and Drobo. One of the entries is called WHS Drobo Status, and it’s now at Beta 2.

The plugin allows you to at-a-glance view how much space you have available, and the status of the drives.

You can find the beta in the downloads section of the Home Server Show forums.

Simply install the add-in as normal from any WHS client computer.

Please note you must have the Drobo dashboard software installed on your Windows Home Server for the plugin to work (you probably have it installed already! If not you can find the right version from the drobo website).

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – New Multiplayer Maps Coming Next Week

Gaming
News

Andrew Edney

-

Jan 16, 2012

4

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – New Multiplayer Maps Coming Next Week

Last week Activision announced more details of the new multiplayer maps launching next week for MW3, and then with more coming over the next nine months. Lock and load!

From January through to September, Call of Duty Elite premium members on Xbox LIVE will receive regular updates of all new content totalling at least 20 content drops.

The Modern Warfare 3 Content Season for Call of Duty Elite will include a broader variety than ever, with brand new multiplayer maps, Special Ops Missions, new game modes and more. While Call of Duty Elite premium subscribers get the new content first, as promised, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 fans who want to buy the content a la carte as they have in the past, will be able to purchase the content via Modern Warfare 3 Content Collections.

“The mammoth launch of Modern Warfare 3 and the breakout success of Call of Duty Elite were just the beginning. Call of Duty Elite provides an ‛always-on’ connection to our fanbase, and the MW3 Content Season is the ultimate way to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the Call of Duty community and provide tremendous value to Call of Duty Elite premium members,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing. “With the Call of Duty®: MW3 Content Season for Call of Duty Elite we are delivering on our promise of more new content, more often, and with more variety than ever. With three studios collaborating on the first season, the breadth and depth of material on tap is truly extraordinary. It’s rare you can successfully execute both quantity and quality, but thanks to the expertise of our developers, the reach of Call of Duty Elite and the passion of our fans, we intend to deliver.”

All content drops for Call of Duty Elite premium members will occur once a month, starting in January for Xbox Live users and will continue throughout the year, ending in September. During the first three months of 2012, Activision will release five different content drops on three occasions in January, February and March, first on Xbox Live, followed by additional platforms at a later time.

The first two Content Drops will be multiplayer maps—also playable in Modern Warfare 3 Survival Mode—that throw combatants into a war-torn Central Park and an Italian seaside village. Liberation is a vast, militarised landscape, ripe for long-range sniper and LMG fire, with mounted turrets on either end that lend power to anyone brave enough to expose themselves in exchange for deadly firepower. Piazza is the idyllic Italian getaway that is anything but, where tight corners and branching pathways pose great risk at every turn. Close-range combat dominates in Piazza, where attacks from behind, above and below are an ever-constant threat.

The third Content Drop will be available for download in mid-February and two additional Content Drops will go live in March, as premium Call of Duty Elite members will receive new content once a month between now and September. Also in March, the first Modern Warfare 3 Content Collection will be available for purchase by the entire Call of Duty: MW3 player community on Xbox Live.

To celebrate the launch of each new content drop, Call of Duty Elite will run specialised events for real-world prizes throughout the nine-month Season. Additional details about the Modern Warfare 3 Content Season for Call of Duty Elite and Collection series will be announced throughout the year.

Check out our review of Call of Duty: MW3

Amazon’s LOVEFiLM Signs Another Streaming Deal to Launch ABC TV on Demand in the UK

Andrew Edney

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Jan 16, 2012

0

Today saw LOVEFiLM sign another streaming deal – this time bringing ABC TV on Demand to the UK, so that means shows like Lost and Grey’s Anatomy.

Here is what Amazon said today:

LOVEFiLM, an Amazon company, has partnered with Disney UK in a deal that will give LOVEFiLM members access to full seasons of some of the most iconic American television series ever created.

The branded subscription video on demand (SVOD) service, ABC TV On Demand, will offer LOVEFiLM members on-demand streaming access to ABC Studios’ library of hit network and cable series.

From this month popular series such as Castle, starring Nathan Fillion, as well as all six seasons of Lost, ranked by critics as one of the top US TV series of all time will be available to LOVEFiLM members with streaming packages.

The Golden Globe and Emmy-winning Desperate Housewives, hit comedy Happy Endings, critically acclaimed medical drama Grey’s Anatomy, Ghost Whisperer – starring Jennifer Love Hewitt – and every episode of Brothers & Sisters, which earned actress Sally Field an Emmy, will also be available on-demand later in the year.

Shows will be launched as full seasons after their first run on UK pay and/or free TV. Previous seasons of some series will even be available to members before the next season airs on UK television.

This is the latest TV content deal with a major US Studio to be announced by LOVEFiLM – Europe’s leading TV and movie subscription service. It follows a number of recent TV deals including BBC and ITV, which have added to the expanding collection of top TV content, together with thousands of movies, already available on LOVEFiLM Instant, from studios and distributors including Sony, Warner Bros., Entertainment One and STUDIOCANAL.

Subscription video-on-demand service LOVEFiLM Instant is available on a wide choice of internet-connected devices including the PC, Sony PlayStation®3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Apple iPad and web-enabled TV sets and Blu-ray players, giving members immediate access to content wherever, whenever.

LOVEFiLM has introduced an unlimited streaming-only package which provides access to LOVEFiLM Instant for an introductory price of £4.99 per month. Members will also continue to benefit from physical DVD rentals with the ever-growing ‘LOVEFiLM by Post’ service.

Simon Calver, CEO of Amazon’s LOVEFiLM, comments:
“LOVEFiLM members want top class TV shows, as well as movies, to watch instantly as part of their subscription. Today’s deal with Disney brings them access to some of the best American TV content ever produced. LOVEFiLM’s unique combination of world class movies and TV shows ensures that LOVEFiLM is the first and only port of call for those who want subscription entertainment on demand.”

Catherine Powell, senior vice president / general manager, Media Distribution, The Walt Disney Company EMEA added:
“ABC TV On Demand is home to high quality, compelling US drama, produced by ABC Studios, and launching this service with LOVEFiLM means we are able to offer viewers more choice and flexibility in how and when they can view full seasons of these gripping shows, through one easy-to-use service.”

So what do you think about this?