Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Collection #3: Chaos Pack is available now available

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The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Collection #3: Chaos Pack is available to purchase for gamers on Xbox Live. The Collection #3: Chaos Pack will introduce gamers to the brand new Special Ops Chaos Mode, in addition to offering three all new FACE OFF Maps and four new Special Ops Missions.

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Call of Duty: MW3 Collection #3: Chaos Pack features the four brand new Special Ops Missions — Vertigo, Arctic Recon, Light ‘Em Up and Special Delivery — and the three new FACE OFF maps — Vortex, U-Turn and Intersection. Collection #3: Chaos Pack also introduces a new way to play Call of Duty. Special Ops Chaos Mode delivers a frenetic form of combat that demands players to outlast waves of enemies, while chaining kills on maps littered in power-ups to achieve the highest possible score on fan-favourite multiplayer maps Resistance, Village, Underground and Dome.

Check out the video preview below:

Collection #3: Chaos Pack is available now on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft for 1,200 Microsoft Points.  Collection #3: Chaos Pack will be released on other platforms at a later date.

Check out our review of Call of Duty: MW3

Have you tried any of the packs yet? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Amazon Cloud Player Now Available on Sonos Wireless HiFi System

Amazon today announced that Amazon Cloud Player is now available on the Sonos Wireless HiFi System, allowing Amazon Cloud Player customers to listen to their music library throughout their home wirelessly.

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Amazon Cloud Player enables customers to securely store music in the cloud and play it on any Kindle Fire, Android device, iPhone, iPod Touch, Mac and PC, and now in any room via Sonos.

“Our goal is to enable customers to enjoy all their music, wherever they are, and on any device. Launching on Sonos today is an important part of that strategy, as our customers have been asking us to add Sonos to the list of compatible Cloud Player devices ever since we first launched Cloud Player,” said Steve Boom, vice president of Digital Music for Amazon. “We will continue to add support for more devices and platforms later this year.”

There are already millions of customers using Amazon Cloud Player to download, manage and stream their music in the cloud and on Kindle Fire, Android devices, iPhone, iPod Touch, Mac and PCs. Now with availability on Sonos, Amazon Cloud Player continues to offer a broad selection of cloud playback solutions.

For more information about Amazon Cloud Player on Sonos, visit: www.amazon.com/cloudplayerforsonos

Have you tried it yet? If so leave us a comment below letting us know what you think of it.

App Update: WordPress for iOS updated to version 3.1, gets a major facelift

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The WordPress app for the iPhone and iPad has been updated to version 3.1.

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It’s easy to manage your WordPress blog or site from your iOS device. With WordPress for iOS, you can moderate comments, create or edit posts and pages, and add images or videos with ease. All you need is a WordPress.com blog or a self-hosted WordPress.org site running 2.9.2 or higher.

What’s New in Version 3.1

★ Major UI Refresh!
– New sidebar menu for quick navigation.
– Sliding panels on the iPad for greatly improved navigation and ease of use.
– Updated colors and graphics.
– Improved sign up experience.
– New app icon.
★ Support for Post Formats.
★ WordPress.com Reader and Quick Photo added for the iPad.
★ New Simple post preview feature for the iPad.
★ All-new WordPress.com stats.
★ New WordPress.com Friend Finder feature helps you find your friends blogging on WordPress.com.
★ Landscape orientation support throughout the app.
★ Easy access to your site – view it and access the web dashboard right from the app.
★ Last but not least – many reliability improvements and performance tweaks.

Download from the Apple App Store now

The Home Server Show Episode 192 Out Now

Dave at the guys at the Home Server Show have released episode 192.

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

The gang is all here this time and we go over my move and how to best safeguard your data while moving PC’s, servers, and data, from one place to the next. We’ll also be talking Synology, Drobo, ioSafe, and Windows Essentials.

Listen to the show from here.

QNAP Updates Turbo NAS Firmware to 3.7.3 Build 081

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QNAP has updated their Turbo NASs firmware to 3.7.3 Build 081.  Read on for details.

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QNAP has updated Turbo NAS to 3.7.3 build 081.  This is a minor update that it primarily bug fixes and enhancements for the ARM architecture units.  Here is the change log for the TS-419+ unit:

[Version & Build]

3.7.3 Build0801

[Checksum]

TS-419P/419P+/419P II: 1541930685

[What’s New]

– None

[Enhancements]

– [ARM] Upgrades to PHP 5.3.14

– [ARM] Improves NTFS external drive compatibility

[Major Bug Fixes]

– Fixed OS X Mountain Lion Time Machine backup compatibility issue

– NAS may not be able to recognize some HFS+ external drives formatted by Mac OS X

– Change Date/Time format to DD-MM-YYYY could cause LDAP Server user creation to fail

– Cancel the operation during file extraction in Web File Manager would cause unresponsive UI

– [ARM] User Home Folders may not work properly in some conditions

– [ARM] Improved the security for web administration login session (cross-site scripting vulnerability)

– [ARM] Invisible “Manage Album” button for administrators (only the “admin” user could see it)

If you are on an earlier version, open Finder, click on Tools and select Upgrade Firmware to automatically apply this patch.

Walkers provides real-time weather forecast with your packet of crisps

Fancy having lunch outside the office but don’t know whether the sun will shine or the British rain will strike again? Walkers has worked with mobile visual discovery platform Blippar to come up with a nifty solution – the first-ever augmented reality weather forecasts straight from your packet of crisps.

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Walkers is helping people plan where to enjoy their lunch break by letting them get the weather forecast via their crisp packet with Blippar’s free app. Walkers fans will be able to open the free app on their smartphone, hover it over the packet and see the weather forecast for today and tomorrow appear instantly on their phone screen. They can then share the forecasts with their friends via their social networks, helping them arrange group outings really easily.

The forecast is updated in real-time so users can always be guaranteed to get the latest information. The blipp will be available throughout August and September from all packets of Walkers crisps, letting people make the most of any summer sunshine while it lasts.

In case you haven’t heard about Blippar, it’s the first image-recognition app for smartphone targeted at brand-customer interaction. A free-to-download app, Blippar opens up in camera mode and becomes a single, magic ‘lens’ through which favourite products, newspapers, magazines and advertising in the real world are instantaneously recognised and converted into fun, informative digital experiences.  Having taken Europe by storm throughout 2011, Blippar is now launching its model into the USA and internationally.  The Blippar app is available for free in the Apple App Store and Android Market (variable experience subject to handset).

And here is a short video of it in action:

I can see this being a really good excuse to eat more crisps!

Have you tried it yet? Let us know what you think by leaving a comment below.

Xbox LIVE Gold members can watch the Kaiser Chiefs concert free this weekend

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To celebrate the closing weekend of the Xbox LIVE Summer Stadium campaign with charity partner Right To Play, Xbox LIVE Gold members will have the chance to enjoy an intimate gig by acclaimed British indie rock band, the Kaiser Chiefs.

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Taking to the stage at London’s Century Club last week the band performed a one-off thrilling gig for 50 lucky competition winners and guests, captured especially for Xbox LIVE and MUZU.TV. An unmissable show, the Kaiser Chiefs are in fine form performing for an intimate, invite-only audience with the same verve and passion normally reserved for their festival and stadium performances.

Watch the intimate performance from 6pm on Friday 10th August until Sunday 12th August only on Xbox LIVE via the MUZU.TV app in the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium, Denmark, Finland and Norway.

Details on the international charity and ways you can donate can be found here.

Raspberry Pi Gertboard now available

If you have a Raspberry Pi you might want to get your a Gertboard – read on for more.

CDW at the Cambridge Raspberry Jam - 5

What’s a Gerboard you may ask? This is what Liz over at Raspberry Pi said:

If you want to use your Raspberry Pi to drive motors to open doors, lift things, or power robotics; if you want to sense temperature and switch devices on and off; if you want to flash lights; if you want to teach it to play the glockenspiel; or if you want to learn about electronics from scratch, then Gertboard is for you. (This is the stuff I’m talking about when I blither on about physical computing here.) It comes with an assembly manual and a user manual (both of the above are direct download links to PDFs), which also act as a pair of teaching guides, bundled with plenty of programs to show you how to put things together.

Gertboard is packaged as a kit. It doesn’t come preassembled; you will have to solder it together yourself. Soldering is easy, as we’ve said before (seriously – if I can solder, so can you), and we encourage you to have a go. If you make mistakes they’re easy to correct, and once you’ve finished building your Gertboard you’ll have a very useful piece of hardware, a new skill, and a lovely warm sense of achievement.

Gertboard isn’t an official Raspberry Pi Foundation product, but it’s designed and produced by someone who’s right at the heart of the Foundation, it fits the Foundation’s goals perfectly, and we endorse it wholeheartedly; we hope to see lots of kids using it as a learning platform along with the Raspberry Pi. Go and preorder one now (lead times should be short); they’re only £30, and I predict they’re going to go like hot cakes.

And here is a picture of the man himself.

CDW at the Cambridge Raspberry Jam - 7

Have you ordered one? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Check out what happened at the Q&A session with the Raspberry Pi Foundation

Denon introduces Cocoon Home and Portable iDevice docks with AirPlay

Denon has introduced the Cocoon Home and Cocoon Portable, two £499 streaming speaker docks that support AirPlay.

Denon Cocoon Portable_side

Unlike conventional docks the Cocoon is compatible with every mobile device using
Apple iOS, Android or Windows via Denonʼs advanced App. Furthermore, AirPlay
technology makes it possible to stream music wirelessly throughout the house, to
multiple Cocoons simultaneously while using iTunes. A similar feature is offered with
Microsoft Windows Play To, letting you stream to the Cocoon from almost any PC,
Laptop or tablet. “Connectivity, ease of set-up, intuitive use and wireless audio
streaming are important for potential buyers at the moment”, says Richard van der
Avoird, Product Manager for Sound Systems at Denon. “With the Cocoon, we make
listening to digital music comfortable regardless of where it is stored in the home and
stylish on a whole new level, shaping the audio experience in a unique way”.

A two-way speaker system, a large acoustic chamber, Denon Dual Layer Cones, bass
ports and Denon amplification (comprising 4 x 25W Class D amps), all work in
combination with advanced DSP technology, to deliver the Cocoonʼs exceptional
sound. And with the ergonomic remote control, it is easy to operate the Cocoon while
the iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch is docked. Mirroring the Cocoon shape, this handset
also offers control of the built-in Internet radio or other sources.

New technologies and developments are key drivers for the speaker dock market and
they are present in the state-of-the-art Cocoon. This refers not only to sound itself – but
to interactivity and connectivity as well. It starts with the initial setup where the ʻNetLinkʼ
feature automatically connects the Cocoon to the iOS usersʼ wireless home network.
Unlike other docks it has sources built-in, such as Internet radio on board with the
possibility to store three favourite stations on the dock. Furthermore, it supports a wide
range of audio formats (MP3/WMA/WAV/FLAC/LPCM) and can access and play music
that is stored on any PC, Mac or NAS drive that is connected to the network. And with
the free-of-charge Denon Cocoon App on mobile devices, every function can be
controlled easily.

The name Cocoon derives from the shape of the devices. Its stylish, organic design
enhances any home. The form encases and protects the latest technologies, releasing
only perfect sound. Impressive attention to detail is reflected in every piece of the
construction. The luxurious feel comes from high quality covers, the heavy aluminium
base and the double shot injected back. This consists of a highly polished transparent
layer sitting above a high gloss layer below, resulting in an incredibly deep finish.

The first generation of the Cocoon is made up of two models: the Cocoon Home and
the Cocoon Portable. The Cocoon Home is offered in white and black. The Cocoon
Portable, available in black, is the Cocoon Homeʼs smaller sibling and has a robust
monocoque cabinet. A built-in rechargeable li-ion battery ensures up to five hours
playback while the grille of this water resistant model, made of reinforced metal, and
the rubberized buttons prevent sand or dust to enter the product. Its remote control can
even be stored in a special repository. With its built in carry handle, it is perfect for
wherever the user wants to enjoy this brand new sound experience.

The new Cocoon models will be available from August 2012. For more information, visit
www.denon.eu/cocoon.

Denon Cocoon Home white_right Denon Cocoon Home_white_backDenon Cocoon Home_white_front Denon Cocoon Home_white_sideDenon Cocoon Portable_back Denon Cocoon Home_black_back

What do you think of these new devices? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Bethesda to release Skyrim Update 1.7 this week

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Bethesda will be releasing update 1.7 for Skyrim this week for the Xbox 360 and PS3.

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Update 1.7 contains:

  • Bug Fixes
  • General memory and stability optimizations.
  • Fixes crash related to new water shaders.
  • Fixes rare crash related to dragon landings.
  • Using vampiric grip and swimming no longer prevents swimming animation from playing afterwards.
  • XBox Note Fixes logic error with loading screens from add-ons.
  • XBox Note Improved recognition with Kinect voice commands.
  • XBox Note Kinect-enabled dragon language shouts for French, German, Italian and Spanish work properly.
  • XBox Note Fixes issue with Dawnguard Kinect-enabled dragon shouts for French, German, Italian and Spanish.

Do you play Skyrim? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Naughty Dog releases massive 1.13 patch for Uncharted 3

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Naughty Dog have released a massive patch for Uncharted 3.

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There is a LOT in this patch:

While new Labs, new DLC and the Tournament System are the major elements of Patch 1.13, there’s a laundry list of other changes and improvements we made to the multiplayer experience. Here’s a list of all the features added and gameplay changes that will arrive in patch 1.13.

NEW FEATURES
  • 137 brand new custom parts among all skins
  • New Custom parts for every UNCHARTED character skin (75 total items)
  • 2 brand new character skins (Spyder and Djinn skin)
  • 25 new emblem parts
  • 11 new taunts for purchase in the PS Store
  • 25 new treasures sets, 50 new treasures to accompany the new head gear with stats (2 treasures per set per head gear)
  • 27 Custom Hero/Villain head gear with stats
  • New Cowboy items (2 full sets for Custom Heroes and 2 full sets for Custom Villains [torso, head, arms, legs and feet] for a total of 20 new parts)
  • Jak Goggles for every character (available for purchase only)
  • 10 trade show shirts for Custom Heroes/Villains (5 unique shirts for each) now available for purchase
  • 4 trade show long guns and 4 trade show pistols now available for purchase
  • The Last Of Us Shirts (Both FREE!, 1 for Custom Hero and 1 for Custom Villain, different color scheme for each)
  • Make.Believe skin, parts & taunts (all of the Make.Believe content is FREE!)
    • 1 Make.Believe Skin (Spyder)
    • 6 New Taunts
    • Custom M9
    • 1 New Custom Torso Item
    • 1 New Custom Head item
    • 1 New Custom Legs item
    • 1 New Custom Feet item
    • All new Make.Believe character parts are also available for the Custom Hero & Villain
  • The option to buy and use new or currently in-game items without having to reach the level requirement
  • Experimental Block Mesh Lab Maps
  • 50 New Trophies
    • 10 per DLC pack (3 Silver, 7 bronze per pack)
    • Must own the DLC pack to earn progression
    • User does not earn trophies based on previous activities
  • Tournament System
    • New Ticketing system. User gets 10 free tickets at the start of each tournament
    • New Tournament occurs on 1 week cycle
      • Bronze tier earns Gold AK, Gold G-MAL, Gold M9 (prizes are unlocked for the entire duration of the next tournament cycle)
      • Silver Tier unlocks Shade Jacket and Shade Armor (prizes are unlocked for the entire duration of the next tournament cycle)
      • Gold Tier unlocks Shade Clown Mask, Shade Skull Mask, Shade Glasses (prizes are unlocked for the entire duration of the next tournament cycle)
      • Leaderboard integration
      • Special long Term Prize (Djinn Skin for getting 6 Gold Tiers is unlocked permanently)
  • 2 New Legacy levels (Legacy 4 and Legacy 5) with an increased Cash requirement to complete
  • New Legacy items to unlock
  • Highwayman Mask unlocks at Legacy 4
  • Lucha Mask unlocks at Legacy 5
  • 5 Emblem Parts unlock at Legacy 5 (Two Skulls, Demon, Mad Scientist, Shade Skull, Super Skull)
  • Legacy 5 Level 75 unlocks new versions of the 4 clown masks, now with stats
  • New level badges
  • Sniper-Pistole TDM gametype has been added to the Advanced Game Settings
GAMEPLAY CHANGES
  • Increased recoil has been added to the G-MAL
  • Deathmatch will now appear in round 5 instead of round 3 in Team Objective game modes
  • Quitting out of Co-op will no longer count as a Competitive loss when signing-out/disconnecting
  • Lab games no longer count towards the Leaderboard
  • Death from Above medal now requires the player to be at least 2 meters off the ground
  • Players can earn more than 1 “Here, Hold This Medal” in a match
  • A collection of trophies have been added for each DLC pack available (50 total new trophies)
  • The TAU Sniper Pistol has been tuned so the rate of fire is up 30% and you pick 6 instead of 3 bullets upon collecting new ammo now
  • The M9 blindfire accuracy has been reduced by 10% efficiency
  • Cloaked level 3 is now immune to the effects of Disruption (it wasn’t working properly so we fixed it)
  • Marked Men now migrates properly to another player if the marked man drops form the game
  • Gunfire is no longer silent when using the shield
  • Teleporting with Smoke Bomb while holding the Idol is no longer possible
  • An issue with the shield that allowed players to remotely control the turret has been fixed

We made a few live updates for the patch today and here’s a quick rundown:

  • Golden Abyss Drake and Guerro Skins are now FREE!
  • If you had unlocked Redshirt Drake during the Subway Taste for Adventure, he is now available to you.
  • Fixed an issue with incorrect points calculation being awarded for winning a match while using a Tournament Ticket
  • Fixed an issue with the Spyder M9 having all mods unlocked (now set to Call Out and Max Ammo)
  • Corrected the points formula for the tournament system (see Tournament System heading)

Do you play Uncharted 3? If so, tell us what you think by leaving a comment below.

More Details on Windows Live Essentials 2012

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Microsoft has released some additional details on other Windows Live Essentials 2012 applications.  Read on for details.

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Earlier this evening, I told you about the Photo Gallery and Movie Maker applications that were updated as part of Windows Live Essentials 2012.  Microsoft also posted up about a few other applications, and there is a big caveat if you are using Live Mesh: installing Live Essentials 2012 will replace Live Mesh with SkyDrive.  Avoid this upgrade if you want to continue to use Live Mesh.  Here is what Microsoft posted:

What is included in Windows Essentials 2012?

Windows Essentials 2012 includes our new SkyDrive for Windows app as well as Windows Live Mail, Windows Live Family Safety*, Windows Live Writer, Windows Live Messenger, Outlook Connector Pack and Windows Photo Gallery and Windows Movie Maker.

I use Windows Live Mesh. What happens if I install the new Movie Maker or Photo Gallery as part of Windows Essentials 2012?

If you have Windows Live Mesh installed, it will automatically be removed if you install the new Movie Maker or Photo Gallery (available as part of Windows Essentials 2012).

Microsoft SkyDrive will be installed in place of Windows Live Mesh. To sync folders from the cloud to all of your PCs, you will need to install SkyDrive on all of your PCs or Macs.

What is the difference between Windows Live Mesh and SkyDrive?

Please read this article for more information.

Can I keep using Windows Live Mesh?

Yes. If you do not install Windows Essentials 2012 on any of your PCs, Windows Live Mesh will keep working just like before.

If you have uninstalled Windows Live Mesh, you can still reinstall it. It’s available as part of Windows Live Essentials 2011.

Please note that you cannot install and run both Windows Essentials 2012 (with the new Movie Maker or Photo Gallery) and Windows Live Mesh on the same PC.

Big hat tip to Jim Collison (@jcollison on Twitter) for pointing this issue out to me.  Jim, I owe you a beer!

Blog Post About WLE12 and Live Mesh

Seagate Completes Lacie Acquisition

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Seagate announced the completion of the Lacie acquisition.  Read on for details.

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We told you about Seagate’s pending purchase of Lacie here.  On Friday, Seagate announced the completion of the acquisition of a controlling interest in Lacie.  Here is what they announced on Friday:

CUPERTINO, CA and PARIS, FRANCE – Following their press releases issued on May 23, 2012 and June 14, 2012, Seagate Technology plc (NASDAQ: STX) and LaCie S.A. (Euronext: LAC) announced today the completion of the purchase by Seagate of all of the shares of Philippe Spruch and his affiliate, representing 64.5% of the outstanding shares of LaCie for a provisional price of €4.05 per share. The price payable to Philippe Spruch and his affiliate may be increased by 3%, to €4.17 per share, in the event that within six months following today’s date, Seagate holds at least 95% of the share capital and voting rights of LaCie.

The completion of the transaction follows the required clearances from the French Ministry of Finance and the US and German Antitrust Authorities.

As a result of the completion of the transaction, Seagate intends to file in the coming weeks with the French Autorité des marches financiers an all-cash simplified tender offer on the remaining LaCie shares.

As previously announced, Ricol Lasteyrie & Associés has been appointed as independent expert by the Board of Directors of LaCie on May 23, 2012.

Following discussions with the Board of Directors of LaCie, in particular with the independent members, Seagate has increased the proposed offer price at which it will file its tender offer to €4.50 per LaCie share (without an additional 3% price supplement in the event that a squeeze-out procedure is implemented). Seagate may carry out a squeeze-out procedure at the same price of €4.50 per LaCie share if it were to hold at least 95% of the shares and voting rights of LaCie.

The Board of Directors welcomes the revised offer price and intends to support the revised offer as long as the final report of the independent expert affirms the valuation.

Seagate will continue to purchase the remaining shares with an all-cash offer to take out the remaining shareholders.  Seagate’s rationale for the acquisition was offered up in our first article on this transaction:

“Seagate has a strong commitment to the growing consumer storage market and bringing the most dynamic products to market. LaCie has built an exceptional consumer brand by delivering exciting and innovative high-end products for many years. This transaction would bring a highly complementary set of capabilities to Seagate, significantly expand our consumer product offerings, add a premium-branded direct-attached storage line, strengthen our network-attached storage business line and enhance our capabilities in software development,” said Steve Luczo, Seagate chairman, president and CEO. “We are also excited that Philippe, who is a true visionary and leader in the consumer storage business, would join Seagate to run our consumer storage products organization.”

“With the proliferation of devices and content being shared and stored today, consumer demand for high-quality branded storage solutions continues to grow,” said Philippe Spruch, LaCie’s chairman and CEO. “We are excited about the potential for this combination to benefit customers and employees by creating significant scale and opening up new markets. We look forward to making the resources of a much larger company available to our customers around the world.”

The fit seems sensible here; with Lacie’s strength in the consumer space and the additions to the premium NAS line, Seagate seems to be strengthening their position in the consolidating storage market.

Seagate shares closed at $32.59, up $0.69.

Seagate Acquires Controlling Interest in Lacie NASDAQ: STX Quote