The QOOQ Cooking Tablet Coming to the UK

Andrew Edney
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0
The QOOQ Cooking Tablet Coming to the UK

The QOOQ Tablet is designed for use in the kitchen, and it’s coming to the UK later this year.

QOOQ Tablet

The QOOQ tablet is a designer 10-inch Wi-Fi touch tablet which accompanies you
throughout your home and offers you all the multimedia functionality of standard
touch tablets:

  • An ultra-fast browser for surfing the Net and accessing all cookery sites in particular
  • Access to the social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, etc.
  • A video player for watching films and series from a USB or SD source
  • An MP3 player for listening to your music from a USB or SD source
  • Radio stations
  • A digital photo album for displaying all your photos from a USB or SD source
  • Access to your e-mails
  • A weather app
  • A note pad
  • And coming soon, via regular (and free) updates of the interface, a host of other new
    applications for home use.

Designed specially to be used in a kitchen (splash-proof, non-slip, etc.), the QOOQ tablet also allows access to the QOOQ digital platform of culinary content and services :

  • Very high-quality (subscription-based) content: a database of over 3,500 interactive
    recipes including 1,200 entirely on video, the participation of over 100 renowned
    chefs who explain all their secrets on film, more than 1,000 pages on ingredients,
    wines and the techniques shown on video, a culinary magazine and new content
    every month.
  • Numerous personalized services: management of weekly menus, automatic
    adjustment of quantities, creation of shopping lists, option of entering your own
    recipes and sharing them with your friends.

The price for the QOOQ France is 349 Euros but to you will also need a subscription to access the subscription content mentioned above.

The QOOQ should be able in the UK during the 2nd half of this year.

QOOQ-a-plat-EN

Microsoft Flight Launching February 29th 2012

Andrew Edney
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0
Microsoft Flight Launching February 29th 2012

Today Microsoft revealed that Microsoft Flight would be launched on February 29th 2012.

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This is what they said:

Prepare for takeoff! On the heels of a successful beta, we’re excited to announce that “Microsoft Flight” will be available to download worldwide for free starting February 29, 2012, right here at www.microsoftflight.com. In addition, the Hawaiian Adventure Pack – which includes the remaining Hawaiian Islands, a new plane and 20 new missions – will be available to purchase the same day through Games for Windows—LIVE.

In addition to exploring the Big Island of Hawaii for free, you can unlock access to the skies over the remaining Hawaiian Islands by purchasing the Hawaiian Adventure Pack, the first in a series of expansions for Microsoft Flight, which includes:
  • Hundreds of miles to explore
  • Stunning recreations of landmark features, from the breathtaking Waimea Canyon in Kaua’i to the high-rise hotels of Waikiki
  • New challenges
  • 20 new missions
  • The Vans RV-6A, a two-seat, single-engine, low-wing homebuilt airplane made famous for its speed and maneuverability.
The Hawaiian Adventure Pack will be available via Games for Windows –LIVE for 1600 Microsoft Points.
Learn more from the Microsoft website

Microsoft Announces Partnership with Central Saint Martins

Andrew Edney
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0
Microsoft Announces Partnership with Central Saint Martins

Microsoft Hardware UK today announces a search to find the designer of the future in partnership with the internationally renowned institute of design, Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design.

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The competition will unearth new ideas and insights into the future of man-machine interaction and challenge students to look at the possible components in the future of interactive technology.

Working within the MA Industrial Design course, Microsoft has tasked the students to delve into the future and conceptualise ideas which demonstrate new thinking in how users could interact with computers in the future. Students are challenged to find an alternative to the mouse and keyboard, or technologies similar to those that are emerging today in the field of gesture, voice and facial recognition.

Scott Smith, Principle Designer at the Microsoft User Experience and Industrial Design department which specialises in the field of interaction and input, commented: “At Microsoft, we invest a lot of time and resources on research which examines how users are changing their interactions with technology, whether its input devices, user interfaces, touch, voice or gestures. Central Saint Martins provides a great platform to bring in fresh insights and ideas from a group of 25 students who hail from a diverse mix of backgrounds and nationalities.”

The results of this sponsored project will be unveiled at a showcase event at Central Saint Martin’s College in April this year, with students likely to present a range of creative hardware and user experience design solutions to an invited audience of design luminaries and media. One student will also be awarded the first Microsoft UK Design Award which comes attached with a cash prize.

Nicholas Rhodes, Course Director of MA Industrial Design at Central Saint Martins, adds: “We are excited to be able to provide students with the experience of working with a prestigious global brand and thought leader such as Microsoft. It will equip them with skills and knowledge that will stand them in good stead for future job roles and careers.”

Microsoft Surface 2.0 SDK and Runtime Update Released

Andrew Edney
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0
Microsoft Surface 2.0 SDK and Runtime Update Released

Microsoft have updated their Surface 2.0 SDK and runtime bits to include improved support for Windows Touch Enabled devices.

Surface

This is what Microsoft said about the update:

There were some issues in the Microsoft Surface Input Stack handling of reports sent by a digitizer in serial mode. These issues caused the input stack to not report all touches reported by the digitizer reliably. The new build handles input from serial and parallel/hybrid digitizer more robustly.

We encourage you to use this update, especially if you are building applications that will run on Windows 7 touch enabled PCs. With the Microsoft® Surface® 2.0 SDK, you can easily create applications to take advantage of the next generation Surface computing device. The applications you create can be adapted for other Windows 7 touch-enabled devices as well.

You can find the bits at http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?displaylang=en&id=26716

Exclusive Review of the Tranquil PC Riley SU8 Windows Home Server Storage Unit

Andrew Edney
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2
Exclusive Review of the Tranquil PC Riley SU8 Windows Home Server Storage Unit

Last week we brought you the exclusive unboxing of the Riley RU8 and our exclusive review of the Riley CP30 Storage Processor. Today we bring you our exclusive review of the Riley SU8 Storage Unit.

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This is how Tranquil describe the Riley server:

The Riley Server is possibly the finest server design ever created, it is now available. Hewn from a single billet of aerospace grade aluminium, and then hand finished to a soft satin texture, the Riley SU8 is simple and beautiful.

Who Are Tranquil PC?

From their website:

Tranquil PC, a UK based family company, was formed in the early part of 2003, by Managing Director, David Thompson. David is a passionate designer and entrepreneur, who has always committed his time and invested his skills into developing innovative products and building business to supply new markets. He started his first business at 16 years of age and went on to win the prestigious Queens Award for Enterprise in 1982. Tranquil PC is now a world leader in the field of low energy IT systems. The move to brand new premises in 2007, and the appointment of new technical / sales staff has broadened the range of products and services offered.

Specifications

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What’s in the Box?

The box is very well packaged, and comes in a very sturdy black box and everything is seated nicely inside.

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Along with the Riley SU8 there is power supply and an eSATA cable.

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  • Riley Server SU8 Storage Unit
  • 4x 2TB HDD (depending on which version you buy)
  • External PSU (12v DC) Universal 120-240VAC (50/60Hz)
  • eSATA cable
  • 36 month RTB (return to base) warranty

Microsoft Reduces Licences for TechNet Professional Subscriptions

Andrew Edney
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A really good way to test various Microsoft software offerings is with a TechNet subscription. You get a number of licences per product to test. Now Microsoft are reducing this number!

technet_2

From February onwards, Microsoft will only provide 3 licences per Office product and 3 licences per Operating System product.

I assume this is to combat the misuse of TechNet for people wanting cheap software licences. The conditions for using TechNet licences are supposed to be for testing purposes, in a non-production environment and only for the duration of the TechNet subscription.

However, most people just buy a TechNet subscription and get access to multiple copies of everything often at a cheaper price than buying a single licence, and there really is no way for Microsoft to check up on the use.

Do you have a TechNet subscription? How do you feel about this change.

Apple Removes Standard OS X 10.7.3 Update – Offers Combined Download Instead

Andrew Edney
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0
Apple Removes Standard OS X 10.7.3 Update – Offers Combined Download Instead

Earlier in the week we told you that Apple had released OS X 10.7.3, however there have been problems so Apple have now removed the update and are offering a different download.

Apple 10.7.3

The update seems to have caused some CUI issues and also some application crashing issues. Personally I haven’t experienced those problems so far, but if Apple have removed the download from their update servers and have offered a manual download then it’s worth taking notice.

Download the combine 10.7.3 update from here

BYOB Podcast Episode 76 Out Now

Andrew Edney
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0
BYOB Podcast Episode 76 Out Now

The guys over at the BYOB podcast, including our very own Tim Daleo have just released episode 76.

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Here is what is included in this weeks show:

[box style=”rounded” border=”full”]AMD Hondo, iHomeserver, D-Link DAP-1522, Vertex 3 Max IOPS 240GB, and Raspberry Pie?[/box]

As usual you can listen to the show from here.

UWHS Giveaway : Win a Fractal Design Array R2 Case

Andrew Edney
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14
UWHS Giveaway : Win a Fractal Design Array R2 Case

It’s time for another one of our giveaways – this time our friends at Fractal Design have given us an Array R2 case to giveaway to one lucky reader.

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We reviewed the Array R2 case last year, and we loved it. You can check our our review here.

So what do you need to do then?

This one is simple, all you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is:

1 – Like UWHS’s Facebook page

2 – Like Fractal Design’s Facebook page

3 – Visit the giveaway event page and post a short comment and then click “ATTENDING”/”GOING” to confirm your entry.

And that’s it – very simple!

The giveaway will end at 4pm (UK time) on Saturday 11th February 2012, and the winner will be announced soon after.

This giveaway is open to everyone – Fractal will ship the Array R2 anywhere in the world.

Our usual competition rules apply.

And a very big thank you to our friends at Fractal for the case.

Good luck!

Apple Updates iBooks 2 to version 2.0.1

Andrew Edney
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0
Apple Updates iBooks 2 to version 2.0.1

Last month we told you about iBooks 2 for iPad, featuring iBooks textbooks, an entirely new kind of textbook that’s dynamic, engaging and truly interactive. Now Apple have updated the app.

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This is what Apple said about iBooks 2 last month:

iBooks textbooks can be kept up to date, don’t weigh down a backpack and never have to be returned. Leading education services companies including Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, McGraw-Hill and Pearson will deliver educational titles on the iBookstore℠ with most priced at $14.99 or less, and with the new iBooks Author, a free authoring tool available today, anyone with a Mac® can create stunning iBooks textbooks.

“Education is deep in Apple’s DNA and iPad may be our most exciting education product yet. With 1.5 million iPads already in use in education institutions, including over 1,000 one-to-one deployments, iPad is rapidly being adopted by schools across the US and around the world,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Now with iBooks 2 for iPad, students have a more dynamic, engaging and truly interactive way to read and learn, using the device they already love.”

The new iBooks 2 app is available today as a free download from the App Store. With support for great new features including gorgeous, full screen books, interactive 3D objects, diagrams, videos and photos, the iBooks 2 app will let students learn about the solar system or the physics of a skyscraper with amazing new interactive textbooks that come to life with just a tap or swipe of the finger. With its fast, fluid navigation, easy highlighting and note-taking, searching and definitions, plus lesson reviews and study cards, the new iBooks 2 app lets students study and learn in more efficient and effective ways than ever before.

What’s New in Version 2.0.1

iBooks 2.0.1 addresses an issue where iBooks textbooks may not open.

iBooks 2 is available now for free in the App Store
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