Archive

WP7’s first minor Update encounters some problems

Jon da Silva

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Feb 23, 2011

WP7’s first minor Update encounters some problems

Apparently, WP7’s first update encountered what it was set out to do; Prepare and find the problems prior to the major update being rolled out. According to some users, (especially those with Samsung models). The minor update that started to be pushed out to WP7 devices, on Monday, Feb. 21., hangs during the backup process.

Good thing Microsoft pushed out the minor update to encounter the kinks, prior to the major update known as “NoDo” being rolled out in March.

In the event that you are encountering issues during the backup where the device/backup creation is hung up (step 6/7, the remediation is to power cycle the device:

1. If the backup process is in a apparent prolonged state (exceeding the general 30-40 min) with no movement or progress (including stuck at 99/100%)
2. Disconnect the device from the PC
3. Pull the battery
4. Replace battery and power on
5. Device should reboot into the OS Kernel
6. We would recommend at this time, not to retry the update, as subsequent attempts will fail. While we continue to investigate the issue, we would ask that you do not attempt the update until your device alerts you of another update opportunity, in approximately 3 days’ time.
7. If the battery pull “reset” does not work, consult your product documentation on Hard Resetting the device to factory default.

DataCore Technology and WHS2011/SBS2011

Jim McCarthy

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Feb 23, 2011

7

As we mentioned a few days back, DataCore is a firm that is bringing their virtualized storage technology to WHS2011 and SBS2011 as a replacement for Drive Extender. We recently caught up with them and have some details for you. Read on!

I recently caught up with Carlos Carreras, Vice President of Alliances & Business Development for DataCore. He was gracious enough to answer some questions about their technology and how it could be useful to WHS2011 and SBS2011 users. I wanted to thank Carlos for taking his time to engage with us. Here is our interview.

Introduction to Virtualized Storage: What is the technology? How is it being used today?

In the enterprise computing space we’ve become pretty familiar with the general concept of virtualization itself – abstracting, or removing, the ‘managing’ software from the underlying hardware, which enables you to take advantage of the benefits of software capabilities separate from the limitations inherent in the underlying hardware. Storage virtualization is conceptually similar: It’s the application of virtualization technology to the storage layer of your information technology infrastructure. Obviously, behind the virtualization concept there is a lot of deeply sophisticated software to make that abstraction happen — but that is the concept at high level.

When you apply virtualization technology to storage you separate out the management and control of storage from the big, bulky box with the spinning disk. That means that management and control of your storage environment is not subject to the limitations of all mechanical information processing devices – stress, wear and tear, capacity issues, natural disasters, and so on. That doesn’t mean that by virtualizing your storage you no longer need those spinning disks. They are still important – but they only do what they’re good at: processing the in-and-out flow of storing and retrieving data. That’s it.

By creating the separation between the hardware and the software through virtualization, your data and its management/control/protection are no longer tied to the health of a mechanical device. It’s that separation of software from hardware that enables our customers to easily allocate capacity from available virtual pools, maximize space utilization through thin provisioning, create backups through the use of snapshot technology and enjoy high availability of their data through replication technology.

Introduction to DataCore:

Our company was started in 1998 by a group of storage experts who had gained their experience working in large storage environments – mostly in the aerospace industry. They started out with the intention of addressing the fundamental challenge with storage: The hardware that is inherently prone to failure is tied to the software that provides the “intelligence” that makes the hardware useful.

In taking a look at this age-old problem they came up with the idea that separating the two – running storage software separate from the device itself – helps you overcome the limitations and device-specific difference in the hardware. That became DataCore’s mission: We build software that transforms imperfect storage hardware devices into ideally behaved disks.

Over the years, as DataCore developed our storage virtualization software we were able to look at improvements in the control and management of the storage devices. Our software does that by creating “virtual disks” within the SAN that never run out of capacity, run faster, are easily shared, never age and are never forced offline for maintenance. For anyone familiar with the challenges inherent in running storage locked to hardware devices, our solution is like storage nirvana.

We’ve been at this for a while – and when we started there was no concept in the industry called “storage virtualization” – we just did what we did and got better at it over time. Now that virtualization is the hot new technology, people in our industry are looking at us and saying, “storage technology is the new big thing.” We tell them we’ve been doing this for years – we have over 7,000 customers worldwide and over 20,000 licenses deployed. It’s not so new … and it’s been working exceptionally well for our customers for years.

Drive Bender beta goes live

Timothy Daleo

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Feb 22, 2011

5

Division M has started the beta program for their Drive Bender software. Their website states that registration for the beta is now closed but they are still taking questions. Read on to find the links to site.

This version of Drive Bender is not an Add-In but a application that works in conjunction with the Disk Management application in Windows Home Server 2011.

Directly from the Drive Bender website:

Drive Bender is state of the art storage pool technology for Microsoft Windows.

Drive Bender takes single point storage to the next level. Inspired by Microsoft’s “Windows Home Server” Drive Extender technology, Drive Bender is a product that provides the same level of functionality, and more, for all versions of the Microsoft Windows**.

** Requires Microsoft Windows XP and above (x86 / x64).

Drive Bender has also “Just pumped out our first update (v1.0.1.6). Fixes a couple of bugs and now installs correctly on x86 platforms” so check with their website to verify your version.

Their Forum is at:

http://www.drivebender.com/forum/post/1400542

While you can try their software at:

http://www.drivebender.com/beta-download-v1/

You can also follow Drive Bender on Twitter:

http://twitter.com/drivebender

Amazon Kindle Gets An Update Including Real Page Numbers

Andrew Edney

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Feb 22, 2011

2

Amazon Kindle Gets An Update Including Real Page Numbers

I recently purchased a Kindle for my Dad, and one thing that bugged me was the percentage read information rather than page numbers. Well, Amazon are proving a free software update this week, including real page numbers. Thank you Amazon!

Here is the email I just received from Amazon:

We have a new, free software update for your Kindle that will be delivered via a Wi-Fi connection over the next few days. To receive the update, please turn your wireless on and connect to an available Wi-Fi network (learn how to set up Wi-Fi on your Kindle). The software update will automatically download in the background and install when your Kindle goes into sleep mode. The update should take less than 10 minutes to complete. If a Wi-Fi connection is not available or you would prefer to transfer the update via USB, please view these instructions.
New Features Included in Free Software Update

Real Page Numbers
Many titles in the Kindle Store now include real page numbers, making it easy to reference and cite passages and read alongside someone reading the print book in a book club or class. Page numbers will also be available on our free “Buy Once, Read Everywhere” Kindle apps in the coming months. As with all of Kindle’s features, we want you to lose yourself in the author’s words, so page numbers and locations are only displayed when you press the Menu button.
Public Notes
This feature lets Kindle users choose to make their book notes and highlights available for others to see. Any Kindle user — including authors, their fans, book reviewers, professors and passionate readers everywhere — can opt-in to share their thoughts on book passages and ideas with friends, family members, colleagues, and the greater Kindle community of people who love to read. To review and turn on Public Notes in your own books, view the Public Notes of people you follow, track your reading activities, see Popular Highlights and your annotations, and view your full library of books, go to https://kindle.amazon.com
Before You Go …
When you reach the end of the book, you can now immediately rate the book, share a message about the book with your social network, get personalized recommendations for what to read next, and see more books by the same author.
New Newspaper and Magazine Layout
A new browsing layout makes it easy to scan newspapers and magazines more quickly.

Learn more about these new features.

Xtreamer Ultra Coming Soon

Andrew Edney

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Feb 22, 2011

3

As you may know, I am a huge fan of the Xtreamer, and the new Xtreamer Ultra, powered by an Intel Atom Dual Core D525 and nVidia ION2 processor will be launched next week. Here is a sneak preview.

Here is some information on the new Xtreamer Ultra:

The Xtreamer ultra are portable HTPC equipped with 6 USB, eSATA, 4 Giga DDR3 RAM , HDMI, an integral IR remote control and powered by nVIDIA ION2 Chip that allows vivid and crisp playback of dozens of FULL HD multimedia files.
The Xtreamer Ultra devices incorporate state-of- the-art technology, commonly used in high-end computing and consumer electronic solutions.
The highly-refined manufacturing process, timeless engineering and careful quality control have resulted again in a product that works out of the box yet embrace the highest long-term aesthetic and commercial value.
We hope you anyone seek a very capable yet portable PC will find the Xtreamer Ultra! to be a rewarding experience and a worthy investment both as FULL HD streamer as well as a Windows 7 or Linux based system.

It will also support a whole range of applications, including xbmc and Skype:

Rumour has it that it will be less than 200 Euros but that will be confirmed next week at the launch. More information when we get it and you can bet we will be getting one for review very soon.

Here’s a little video to get you interested:

Looking to Make Your Wii Relevant? Try EA Sports Active 2

Jim McCarthy

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Feb 22, 2011

1

Looking to Make Your Wii Relevant? Try EA Sports Active 2

So you own a Wii. And there is sits looking at you gathering dust. Looking for a great way to make some use of that investment while getting some exercise? Try Active 2 from EA Sports!

If you are like me, you spend way too much time at a desk working on spreadsheets. Or writing code, meeting with customers, responding to email, etc., and no where near enough time getting some exercise. EA Sports has a great game that integrates my love of tech with my need to get in shape. The answer: an exercise video game. I asked for the Wii version for Christmas so I could get some use from that Wii that my daughter almost never plays with. I’ve been very happy with the results so far.

Product Summary

Here’s how EA explains their game:

EA SPORTS Active 2 is a new suite of digital fitness programs available on multiple gaming consoles focusing on improving muscular strength, endurance and flexibility, while providing an intense cardio workout. Featuring the Total Body Tracking wireless control system that combines a heart rate monitor and motion tracking technology, EA SPORTS Active 2 provides an effective workout that delivers accurate, measurable results. Additionally, users will now be able to track and share their workout stats, including heart rate on the new EA SPORTS Active 2 online** hub (www.easportsactive.com).

Couldn’t have said it better myself! The game leverages a heart rate monitor (no chest strap!) and motion detection sensors, a bluetooth receiver that plugs into your Wii and the standard Wii remote. A resistance band is also included and is used in some of the exercises to increase the effect. The actual exercise routines are developed by trainers and provide a good balance of cardio, stretching, warm up and warm down, and variety to keep things interesting. No cheesy mii’s here; there is an onscreen trainer who demos each exercise and teaches you how to perform them correctly. The sensors can usually tell pretty well if you’ve followed instructions and only advances you when you’ve done them right.

Professionally Developed Program

EA Sports has worked with professional trainers to develop the routines to use. The first workout session that I did focused on simulated basketball and mountain biking, as well as some running. My second workout included soccer exercises in addition to running to keep it fresh. Here is what EA has to say about how the program has been validated:

A recent study conducted by the University of Victoria in British Columbia concludes that EA SPORTS Active 2 workouts meet recommended exercise guidelines for exercise intensity and caloric expenditure put forth by public health guidelines, including the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the leading authority on exercise science in North America.

Putting EA SPORTS Active 2 to the Test
EA SPORTS commissioned a study of the EA SPORTS Active 2 Mountain Gravity pre-set workout to determine the efficacy of its product line. The study tested 15 physically active adults between the ages of 23 and 33 to determine the relative exercise intensity and caloric expenditure of EA SPORTS Active 2. Results of the workout met both the ACSM guidelines for effective physical fitness, which recommend that individuals exercise at an intensity between 64 per cent and 94 per cent of their maximum heart rate or 40 percent to 85 percent of their maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max), as well as burn a minimum of 200-300 calories per session, five days per week, in order to maintain proper fitness and to aid in weight control. “The EA SPORTS Active 2 Mountain Gravity pre-set workout met public health guidelines for an effective workout,” says Ryan Rhodes, Professor, University of Victoria, Behavioural Medicine Laboratory. “The results indicated that EA SPORTS Active 2, when used on a regular basis as part of a healthy, active lifestyle, can improve fitness and favorably affect body composition.”

Workout Feedback

All during your workout, the game shows your heart rate and gives you feedback about how hard you are working. It builds to a peak difficulty and then warms you down with stretches and light cardio to finish up the workout. While you are working out, an estimate of calories burned and time exercising is kept and milestone awards are given. It helps to keep you engaged and motivated.

9 Week Program

EA Active 2 has a great 9 week program that creates workouts over the period and tracks your performance and progress. As new workouts are added, you can download them once you set up an account with EA Sports. Over 70 workouts are available currently and more will be added over time. You schedule the workouts to fit your busy schedule, and since there’s no gym to schlep off to, there are no excuses for missing workouts. (Of course, I’ve still managed to miss a few!).

OK, Jim, Does It Work?

I don’t mind telling you that the workouts are challenging. I signed up for 4 per week at medium intensity levels and am finding that I am pushing it on each workout. This is no game! The workouts are real. My aching muscles are proof! And it’s fun. Ii enjoy working out with this program. I tolerate going to the gym. I’m way more likely to actually follow this program. And getting some use out of that Wii is a side benefit!

How Much Is This Going to Set Me Back?

About $60 USD on Amazon USA, £50 on Amazon UK.

So when you’re done testing WHS2011, and are looking for something new to do with that Wii, give Active 2 a shot! Available for Wii, XBOX and PS3.

EA Active 2

BYOB Podcast Live Show 3 Out Now

Andrew Edney

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Feb 21, 2011

0

Over the weekend the guys from BYOB, including our very own Tim Daleo, did another live BYOB show. If you missed it you can download it and listen to it – as usual it is worth the time.

Here is a quite run down of what’s in the show:

[box style=”rounded” border=”full”]This time we get into storage, raid cards, cases, drives and Eyefinety. We talk about the things to look for in building a home server as well as a variety of other questions. Thank you to all of you who joined and we will try to get the word out sooner and more effectively next time. Thanks again and we will see on the next live show.[/box]

Listen to the BYOB Live Show 3 Podcast Recording

WP7 gets Minor Update paving the way for NoDo Update in March.

Microsoft

Jon da Silva

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Feb 21, 2011

0

Starting today, a minor update will be rolled out preparing your WP7 device and Zune client for upcoming updates. The major update that most have been waiting for with “copy and paste”, know as “NoDo” is still scheduled for March and won’t be included in the minor update being rolled out this week.

Updates will be pushed out on a rolling schedule. Some may get the notification earlier than others. Not to worry! If you don’t get it today, you will get it tomorrow or in the days that follow.

This update won’t actually deliver any new features but rather “pave the way” for the NoDo update in March.

Before updating your WP7 device. We suggest you check and verify that you have the latest Zune Client version installed on your Computer. If not, install the update and restart your computer prior to updating your Windows Phone device. Click these links for help and support.

Windowsphone.com

Facebook

Twitter: winphonesupport

Advanced Admin Console Add-In for Windows Home Server Version 0.5.4 Released

Andrew Edney

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Feb 20, 2011

3

Advanced Admin Console Add-In for Windows Home Server Version 0.5.4 Released

Today saw the release of version 0.5.4 of the Advanced Admin Console for Windows Home Server and some news about Advanced Admin Console 2011.

Here is what Andreas had to say:

This is a maintenance release which fixes a number of minor bugs and one major bug in the update discovery mechanism which prevented Japanese and Chinese users from being notified when an update was available. In addition, a possible conflict with other AddIns has been resolved. This update improves the stability and reliability of the Advanced Admin Console and I recommend to all current users to upgrade to the latest release.

Download Advanced Admin Console AddIn Version 0.5.4.

There is also news about the public beta of Advanced Admin Console for 2011 for both Windows Home Server 2011 and Small Business Server 2011 Essentials:

This is just a quick announcement to inform you that the release of the public beta of Advanced Admin Console 2011 for Windows Home Server 2011 and Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials is imminent. The bits will be available for download from this site later this week. Everyone who contacted me regarding the beta test will be notified via email. Stay tuned!

I for one am looking forward to testing the beta. How about you?

Review of the mophie juice pack air for the Apple iPhone 4

Andrew Edney

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Feb 20, 2011

1

Review of the mophie juice pack air for the Apple iPhone 4

If you have an iPhone 4 and you find that you never have enough battery power then you need an external battery pack. How about a case with an integrated battery pack? That’s where the juice pack air from mophie comes in.

On a normal day I can usually get away with starting the day with my iPhone 4 fully charged and by the end of the day just charge it again for the next day. However, there are times when I am out and about at events, or on days when I just seem to use the battery much quicker. At those times it can be really frustrating to see that less than 20% battery warning appear along with the red battery icon. That’s usually the point I will turn off various functions and save the battery for an emergency until I get home where I can charge again. I don’t really want to carry around a charging cable and plug so what other options do I have? Well if I still had my iPhone 3GS there are battery cases, battery packs and other things you can buy, but there just aren’t that many yet for the iPhone 4.

Back at IFA in September I spoke with mophie and they were previewing there combined case and battery pack, and then again at CES this year they had it available.

So, here is the UWHS review of the mophie juice pack air.

Here is how mophie describe the juice pack air:

[box style=”rounded” border=”full”]The juice pack air is a rechargeable external battery concealed inside of a protective form-fitting case for the iPhone 4. It offers you the full protection of a hard-shell case while providing virtually twice the battery life of the iPhone alone; all in an ultra-thin, light-weight, low-profile design.[/box]

The juice pack air comes in three colours – black, white and red. We have the black one which fits in nicely with my iPhone 4.

Who are mophie?

mophie describe themselves on their website:

mophie is a California-based, award-winning designer and manufacturer of mobile intelligent devices and accessories. It is widely recognized and highly acclaimed for its creative designs and innovative solutions. Mophie was the proud developer of the Juice Pack, first ever “Works With iPhone” portable battery case certified by Apple Inc. All mophie’s products are developed to address real consumer and business needs and are seamless integrations of industrial, electronic, software and artistic designs. Mophie has operations in Michigan, California (Orange county), and China. Its products are available in Apple Stores, Best Buy, AT&T stores and other major retailers worldwide.

Specifications

juice pack air for iPhone 4:

Standby Time: Up to 270 hours

Talk Time: Up to 6 hours on 3G | Up to 12 hours on 2G

Internet Use: Up to 5 hours on 3G | Up to 9 hours on Wi-Fi

Audio Playback: Up to 36 hours

Video Playback: Up to 9 hours

Product Dimensions: 5.07 in x 2.51 in x 0.68 in; 2.5 oz

Battery Capacity: 1500 mAh

What’s in the Box?

The box contains the juice pack air case, a USB cable and a small manual.

A Closer Look at the juice pack air

Ask the Windows Home Server Team Questions

Andrew Edney

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Feb 20, 2011

7

Ask the Windows Home Server Team Questions

It’s a little over a week now until the annual Microsoft MVP Summit in Seattle. As WHS MVPs, both Tim and I will be spending some time with the WHS Product Team – is there anything you want us to ask them?

We are happy to ask any questions you like – obviously depending on whether the answer is under NDA we will get you an answer where possible.

So, ask away…..

Some Changes to UWHS

News

Andrew Edney

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Feb 19, 2011

8

The eagle eyed amongst you may have noticed that the site looks a little different today…….

At the end of last year, we mentioned that we had a number of changes planned, and the first of those changes is to update the theme a little in preparation for some other changes we have planned in the near future.

Hopefully you like it?

Let us know what you think, and let us know what you think is missing – after all, UWHS is YOUR site as much as it is ours.

And as usual, the best suggestions will win some goodies

The Home Server Show Podcast 124

Andrew Edney

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Feb 18, 2011

4

Dave and the guys over at the Home Server Show have just released show 124 – and Tim is on it this week talking about storage.

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

[box style=”rounded” border=”full”]This is the mega storage and backup episode with the BYOB Podcast crew. Mike, Mike, and Tim join John, Jim, and Dave to talk about the new “Drive Extender” like Add-In’s promised for Windows Home Server 2011 as well as storage, RAID, and backups. There is some v1 in there as well. It’s a big show and it will spill over into next week too![/box]

You can listen to show 124 from here

Seagate 3TB GoFlex – Two Minute Review

Timothy Daleo

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Feb 17, 2011

2

While with the Michael’s from BYOB at Fry’s this weekend, I purchased a Seagate GoFlex 3TB drive for my Windows Home Server 2011. At $159, it is cheaper to buy an enclosure drive and pull the drive than it was to buy just a bare drive. Go figure. Anyway, before I crack the case I will give the basic specs and a benchmark test. Read on to see the Seagate GoFlex 3TB drive performance.

Love me some Fry’s on a Saturday morning.

The 3TB USB 2.0 drive was $40 cheaper than the $199 USB 3.0 version at Fry’s. Since I was going to pull the drive, I did not care about the faster Seagate interfaces.

http://www.frys.com/product/6297680

The drive prices are still not as cost effective as 2TB drives, but if you only have space for one drive then it may be worth it to consider 3TB. You could get 4TB for the same price of 3TB if you get two 2TB drives.

The base comes off easily and can be replaced with optional USB 3.0 and FireWire bases.

ATTO Benchmark with default USB 2.0 Enclosure

The 3TB drive with a USB 2.0 connection is slow.

It took 1:10 to copy a 2.419 GB video file which equates to 34.5 MB/s so the ATTO Disk Benchmark was right on. The Windows speed details were all over the place.