SteelSeries has just updated their SteelSeries Engine software and it includes firmware upgrades for Kana and Kinzu v2.
SteelSeries Engine brings you a single user interface that will allow you to control your mouse and keyboard from one easy-to-navigate location. From driver updates to quick setting changes, the SteelSeries Engine becomes a users one-stop-shop for your complete desktop peripheral management.
Download the latest version here
Over the next 5 days Microsoft’s search engine – Bing – will showcase the work of five small UK charities, enabling each cause to talk about the valuable contribution they are making to the communities they work in.
The first of the five charities to be featured (today) is Magic Breakfast which delivers free, healthy breakfast foods to UK primary schools because children start the day too hungry to learn. Magic Breakfast provides food to 6,000 children across the country each morning, and this improves child attendance, punctuality, concentration and behaviour – all for just 22p a day.
Additional information about the challenges that these charities seek to tackle are available by clicking on the Bing homepage hotspots. You can also watch in-depth videos with the founders and staff and find out more about each cause, including details of how you can make a donation or help, by visiting www.bing.com/HelpYourBritain.
The five charities featured throughout the week will mark the start of a longer ongoing campaign, with Bing handing over its Homepage to a new UK charity on the final Friday of every month. This is where Bing users have the opportunity to nominate a charity that they would like to see featured on the Bing homepage by submitting entries via the Help Your Britain page on Bing.com.
Last week we told you about the new Untethered Jailbreak for iPhone 4S and iPad 2 with GreenPois0n Absinthe. At the time it was only for the Mac, now there is a Windows version.
Here is the link for the Windows version.
I tried the Mac version on Friday evening with my iPad 2 and it worked perfectly.
Let us know your experiences.
Kingston Digital Europe today announced the latest addition to its SSDNow range, the SSDNow V+200.
The new Kingston SSDNow V+200 solid-state drives are the ideal high-performance upgrade solution for the performance minded yet cost-conscious business or home user.
The SSDNow V+200 features the second-generation high-speed SATA 3.0 (6Gb/s) SandForce SF-2281 Processor and outstanding sequential read and write speeds of up to 535MB/s and 480MB/s. The SSDNow V+200 enables fast system start-up, rapid data access and speedy copying of large files such as videos, presentations and graphics illustrations.
“Kingston constantly strives to offer the perfect upgrade solution to cover each market segment. The SSDNow V+200 drive has been specifically designed to meet the needs of both business and home users looking for an inexpensive yet powerful upgrade,” says Krystian Jaroszynski, Product Marketing Manager, Flash, Kingston Technology Europe. “The SSDNow V+200 is equipped with all essential tools needed to extend the lifecycle and boost a system’s performance to the maximum. The balance between performance and price makes this SSD deliver the best ROI as an upgrade for a fleet of corporate notebooks or desktops or the home PC,” Jaroszynski continues.
The SSDNow V+200 is available in 60GB, 90GB, 120GB, 240GB and 480GB capacities as either a stand-alone drive or as an upgrade kit to make installation easy and quick. Kits include cables, brackets, cloning software and HDD enclosure — everything the business or home user needs to get started.
Kingston SSDs are backed by a three-year warranty and 24/7 live technical support. For more information visit www.kingston.com/europe
Kingston SSDNow V+200 Features & Specifications:
· Dramatic performance for any system upgrade
· Multiple Capacities: the right capacity to meet your storage standards
· Endurance: Data Integrity Protection featuring DuraClass™ Technology
· Dependable: RAISE™ for advanced data reliability
· Secure: Self-encrypting drive technology
· Durable: DuraWrite™ optimizes writes to extend endurance
· Form Factor: 2.5²
· Interface: SATA Rev. 3.0 (6Gb/s), SATA Rev. 2.0 (3Gb/s), SATA Rev. 1.0 (1.5Gb/s)s
· Capacities1: 60GB, 90GB, 120GB, 240GB, 480GB
· Sequential reads: SATA Rev. 3.0: 535MB/s
SATA Rev. 2.0: 280MB/s
· Sequential writes: SATA Rev. 3.0: 60GB – 460MB/s; All Others – 480MB/s
SATA Rev. 2.0: 260MB/s
· Sustained Random 4k Read/Write2
60GB – 12,000/47,000 IOPS
90GB – 20,000/47,000 IOPS
120GB – 20,000/44,000 IOPS
240GB – 36,000/43,000 IOPS
480GB – 43,000/30,000 IOPS
Max Random 4k Read/Write2
60GB – 85,000/60,000 IOPS
90GB – 85,000/57,000 IOPS
120GB – 85,000/55,000 IOPS
240GB – 85,000/43,000 IOPS
480GB – 75,000/34,000 IOPS
· Power Consumption: 0.565 W (TYP) Idle / 1.795 W (TYP) Read / 2.065 W (TYP) Write
· Storage Temperatures: -40° C to 85° C
· Operating Temperatures: 0° C to 70° C
· Weight: 115g
· Vibration Operating: 2.17G
· Vibration Non-operating: 20G
· MTBF: 1,000,000 Hrs
· Warranty/Support: three-year warranty with 24/7 support
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Kingston SSDNow V+200 Solid-State Drives |
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|
Part Number |
Capacity and Features |
MSRP (excl. VAT) |
|
SVP200S3/60G |
60GB 2.5″ SATA SSD (stand-alone drive) |
£77 |
|
SVP200S3/90G |
90GB 2.5″ SATA SSD (stand-alone drive) |
£108 |
|
SVP200S3/120G |
120GB 2.5″ SATA SSD (stand-alone drive) |
£138 |
|
SVP200S3/240G |
240GB 2.5″ SATA SSD (stand-alone drive) |
£264 |
|
SVP200S3/480G |
480GB 2.5″ SATA SSD (stand-alone drive) |
£535 |
|
SVP200S3B/60G |
60GB 2.5″SATA SSD (upgrade bundle kit) |
£85 |
|
SVP200S3B/90G |
90GB 2.5″SATA SSD (upgrade bundle kit) |
£116 |
|
SVP200S3B/120G |
120GB 2.5″SATA SSD (upgrade bundle kit) |
£143 |
|
SVP200S3B/240G |
240GB 2.5″SATA SSD (upgrade bundle kit) |
£272 |
|
SVP200S3B/480G |
480GB 2.5″SATA SSD (upgrade bundle kit) |
£543 |
Dojo North Software have just released beta 1 of their Home Server SMART 2012 add-in for Windows Home Server 2011.
Home Server SMART 2012 is the second-generation add-in for SMART disk monitoring for Windows Home Server. The first generation product, Home Server SMART, is designed to be used on Windows Home Server, which is colloquially known as Windows Home Server “v1.” Home Server SMART 2012, formerly known as Home Server SMART 2011, is designed to run on Microsoft’s Windows Server Solutions family of products, which consists of Windows Home Server 2011, Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials and Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials.
Home Server SMART 2012, or HSS, is installed into WHS 2011 (I’ll use WHS or WHS 2011 to collectively refer to all Windows Server Solutions products) through the use of a WSSX installer file. The WSSX file can be run on the server itself, or from a client connected to that server via the Launchpad. HSS consists of two main components, a user interface and a service. The user interface is where you can see the health of your disks, view detailed analysis and configure settings. The service, on the other hand, runs continuously, monitoring your disks at pre-determined intervals (default 10 minutes; you can change this). The service can raise WHS alerts and send email notifications when problems are detected. You do no need to be logged into the server for the service to run.
Home Server SMART 2012 has all the features you knew and loved from Home Server SMART for WHS v1, plus a bunch of new features.
via: HSS Forums
Waterloo, ON-based Research In Motion announced the replacement of their two co-CEO’s today. Read on for details.
Research In Motion acted today to replace their two co-CEO’s, Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie, with one President and CEO, Thorsten Heins. Here is the press release:
Research In Motion Names Thorsten Heins President and CEO
• Board Acts on Recommendation of Co-CEOs to Implement Succession Plan
• Mike Lazaridis Named Vice Chair of the Board
• Jim Balsillie Remains a Director
• Barbara Stymiest Named Independent Board Chair
• Prem Watsa Named Independent DirectorWaterloo, ON – The Board of Directors of BlackBerry® maker Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced that, acting on the recommendation of its Co-Chief Executive Officers to implement the succession plan they previously submitted to the Board, it has unanimously named Thorsten Heins as President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Heins was also appointed to RIM’s Board. The Board acted after conducting its own due diligence. Both appointments are effective immediately.
Mike Lazaridis, former Co-Chair and Co-CEO, has become Vice Chair of RIM’s Board and Chair of the Board’s new Innovation Committee. As Vice Chair, he will work closely with Mr. Heins to offer strategic counsel, provide a smooth transition and continue to promote the BlackBerry brand worldwide.
Mr. Heins said he looks forward to continuing to work with Mr. Lazaridis, globally recognized as a technology pioneer. He said, “Mike created a whole new way of communicating and I look forward to continuing our close collaboration.”
On the transition to CEO by Mr. Heins, Mr. Lazaridis said, “There comes a time in the growth of every successful company when the founders recognize the need to pass the baton to new leadership. Jim and I went to the Board and told them that we thought that time was now. With BlackBerry 7 now out, PlayBook 2.0 shipping in February and BlackBerry 10 expected to ship later this year, the company is entering a new phase, and we felt it was time for a new leader to take it through that phase and beyond. Jim, the Board and I all agreed that leader should be Thorsten Heins.”Jim Balsillie remains a member of the Board. “I agree this is the right time to pass the baton to new leadership, and I have complete confidence in Thorsten, the management team and the company,” he said. “I remain a significant shareholder and a Director and, of course, they will have my full support.”
Mr. Lazaridis said that he decided to move from Co-Chair to Vice Chair of the Board in order to return the public’s focus to what is most important: “the great company we have built, its iconic products, global brand and its talented employees.”
Mr. Lazaridis added, “Thorsten has demonstrated throughout his tenure at RIM that he has the right mix of leadership, relevant industry experience and skills to take the company forward. We have been impressed with his operational skills at both RIM and Siemens. I am so confident in RIM’s future that I intend to purchase an additional $50 million of the company’s shares, as permitted, in the open market.”
Mr. Heins said he believes that RIM has tremendous potential. He joined RIM from Siemens Communications Group in December 2007 as Senior Vice President for Hardware Engineering and became Chief Operating Officer for Product and Sales in August 2011.“Mike and Jim took a bold step 18 months ago when RIM purchased QNX to shepherd the transformation of the BlackBerry platform for the next decade,” Mr. Heins said. “We are more confident than ever that was the right path. It is Mike and Jim’s continued unwillingness to sacrifice long-term value for short-term gain which has made RIM the great company that it is today. I share that philosophy and am very excited about the company’s future.”
Mr. Heins said that RIM has a strong foundation on which to build. “We have a strong balance sheet with approximately $1.5 billion in cash at the end of the last quarter and negligible debt. We reported revenue of $5.2 billion in our last quarter, up 24% from the prior quarter, and a 35% year-to-year increase in the BlackBerry subscriber base, which is now over 75 million.”
Mr. Heins said, “BlackBerry 7 has been well received. We are very excited about PlayBook 2.0 and BlackBerry 10. The reception of our products at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show was encouraging.”
He continued, “RIM earned its reputation by focusing relentlessly on the customer and delivering unique mobile communications solutions. We intend to build on this heritage to expand BlackBerry’s leadership position.”
Mr. Heins said that RIM has grown quickly. “As with any company that has grown as fast as we have, there have been inevitable growing pains,” he said. “We have learned from those challenges and, I believe, we have and will become a stronger company as a result.
“Going forward, we will continue to focus both on short-term and long-term growth, strategic planning, a customer- and market-based product approach, and flawless execution. We are in the process of recruiting a new Chief Marketing Officer to work closely with our product and sales teams to deliver the most compelling products and services.”
Barbara Stymiest, who formerly served as a member of Royal Bank of Canada’s Group Executive and has been a member of RIM’s Board since 2007, has been named the independent Board Chair. John Richardson, formerly Lead Director, will remain on the Board. Prem Watsa, Chief Executive Officer of Fairfax Financial Holdings, also was named to the Board, expanding it to 11 members.
Speaking on behalf of the Board, Ms. Stymiest said: “We believe that Thorsten is the right executive to succeed Mike and Jim. He has 27 years of telecommunications experience, including four years at RIM in senior management positions. As a Board, we have been impressed with his outstanding management skills, his leadership and his accomplishments within the company.”
Ms. Stymiest also expressed the Board’s respect and admiration for Messrs. Lazaridis and Balsillie, the company they built, and the steps they have taken to position RIM for the future.“They created RIM, nurtured it, and in the process not only built an iconic brand, but literally pioneered the smartphone industry,” she said. “It is Canada’s largest tech company and one of the largest in the world.”
Conference Call and Webcast
A conference call and live webcast will be held beginning at 8 am ET, January 23, 2012, which can be accessed by dialing 1-800-814-4859 (North America), (+1)416-644-3414 (outside North America) or through your personal computer or BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet at http://www.rim.com/investors/events/index.shtml. A replay of the conference call will also be available at approximately 10 am ET by dialing (+1)416-640-1917 and entering passcode 4509630#. A replay of the webcast will be available on your personal computer or BlackBerry PlayBook tablet by clicking the link above. This replay will be available until midnight ET, February 6, 2012.
Do you have an iPad or another tablet device, and want to expand storage options? Kingston was nice enough to provide me with a 16GB Wi-Drive that helps you to do just that. Read on for the review.
First of all, here is how Kingston describes itself:
Kingston Technology Company
In 1987, Kingston® entered the market with a single product. Founders John Tu and David Sun fulfilled a severe shortage of surface mount memory chips with a memory module that would serve to redefine industry standards for years to come.
Combining one of the most extensive and stringent testing processes in the memory industry, an exceptional 24/7 free tech support center and a consistent roll-out of innovative technologies, Kingston Technology has continually set industry standards of quality and reliability throughout its history.
Reliability is the cornerstone of the Kingston product strategy. It has played a key role in maintaining the long-term relationships developed over the years with customers. Kingston remains committed to exceeding industry standards with every new development while maintaining the signature reliability of its products.
Kingston Today
Kingston has grown to be the world’s largest independent manufacturer of memory products. With global headquarters in Fountain Valley, California, Kingston employs more than 4,000 people worldwide. Regarded as one of the “Best Companies to Work for in America” by Fortune magazine, Kingston’s tenets of respect, loyalty, flexibility and integrity create an exemplary corporate culture. Kingston believes that investing in employees is essential and that each individual employee is a vital part of the company’s success.
Kingston serves an international network of distributors, resellers, retailers and OEM customers on six continents. The company also provides contract manufacturing and supply chain management services for semiconductor manufacturers and system OEMs.
And now for how they describe the Wi-Drive:
Wi-Drive
Kingston’s Wi-Drive is portable, wireless storage for your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. Wi-Drive lets you store and share your favorite content with your favorite people. It gives you up to 32GB of added storage for your Apple device and lets you share photos, videos, music and more with three users on their own iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. Download the free Wi-Drive App from the App StoreSM to access and and easily share the content on your Wi-Drive with Apple devices. Best of all, Wi-Drive is backed by legendary Kingston reliability, 24/7 tech support and a one-year warranty.
- Portable, wireless storage
- Works with iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch
- Share your data with 3 users simultaneously
- Integrated Wi-Fi 802.11g/n; 30-foot range
What’s interesting here is this device allows you to connect to it and stream content over Wi-Fi. Maximum size for this product is 32GB, and the unit that I received to review was 16GB. This is not a huge amount of storage, but since the device is slightly larger than an iPhone4, it is convenient to throw into a briefcase for a trip. Let’s see how it does!
Before using the Wi-Drive, you should top off the battery and charge it. That took a few hours to top mine off. There is an LED light that blinks green while charging and then goes solid green when done.
Attach the Wi-Drive to a Windows or Mac computer via the included USB cable. I used my Windows 7 desktop. Here is what you see:
I circled the entries that relate to the Wi-Drive. Your PC will see a drive that is labeleld a CD-ROM drive and another one that is labeled Wi-Drive one is where the content goes. Double click on it and double click on Content. Make whatever folder structures that you want to use here and drag and drop files here as well. When you are done, eject the drive by right clicking on the drive in this window and selecting Eject. Your Wi-Drive is now loaded with content and is ready to stream!
CloudBerry Labs have just updated their CloudBerry Backup Web Access.
Here is what CloudBerry had to say:
CloudBerry S3 Backup is a powerful Windows program that automate backup and restore processes to Amazon S3 cloud storage.
We have been running CloudBerry Backup Web Access for quite some time and it has become a fairly popular way to access backup storage from all over the places where you don’t have access to the local backup client.
We have recently updated the Web Access to make it more clean and easier to use.
With CloudBerry Backup Web Interface you can
- Access your backup storage everywhere from a computer with the internet access
- Login with the OpenID such as Google or Yahoo.
- Access your backup data across all your computers.
- Download the files
- View file properties
- View file versions
- Share the files.
Learn more from their new blog posting.
At CES Microsoft had a small section of their booth dedicated to “What’s Next”, one of which was the Printing Dress, which displays on the dress anything you Tweet!
You basically type your Tweet, on the keyboard attached to the dress and away you go!
Here is what Microsoft say about the Printing Dress:
You are probably familiar with the old saying, “You are what you eat” but how about, “You are what you tweet?” What if this concept were incorporated into garments of the future? Would you censor yourself, knowing you would reveal your statements to the world around you?
The “Printing Dress” is an artistic piece that explores the notion of wearable text and its potential impact on the future of fashion, as well as our social identity. Built almost entirely of paper, the dress enables the wearer to enter “thoughts” on to its fabric and wear them as public art. By selecting materials and technologies that draw on the past, present, and future of communication media, we encourage viewers to reflect on the path that has brought us to ubiquitous digital communication and to contemplate its forward evolution.
If you are interested, there is a paper from Microsoft Research about the Printing Dress which you can read by clicking here.
Intel had a huge booth at CES, and tucked in the corner was an area called Home Server and Ultrabook – so of course we took a look!
The “Home Server” in question wasn’t a Windows Home Server but a Iomega NAS device.
Intel’s message was clear – use home servers (NAS devices) and Ultrabook’s to create your own personal cloud and access it wherever you are.
Expect to hear more about this from Intel over the coming months.
Here is a video from CES 2012 talking about this very solution:
