Plextor announce plans to launch M5 Pro Series SSD

Plextor has released details of the forthcoming M5 Pro Series, a new performance line of SSDs due to launch this September across UK and Europe.

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The M5 Pro has been engineered with prosumers, businesses, and SMEs in mind. As the first Plextor SSD to incorporate the latest 3rd generation multi-core Marvell 88SS9187 controller, it will handle extremely high loads making it suitable for use in a heavy workstation, server role, or Raid 0 configuration environment.

In line with user needs, the M5 Pro will feature a unique data protection technology within the firmware, as well as the renowned True Speed Technology to prevent the drastic performance drop seen in some SSDs after intense or long-term usage. This combination of firmware, technology and reliability means the M5 Pro will set new performance records, featuring a sustained random read / write speed up to 94,000 / 86,000 IOPS as well as continuous read/write speeds up to 540/450 MB/s.

Expected to retail in capacities of 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB, the M5 Pro Series is an extension of the recently announced M5 Series range, and will deliver truly high-performance professional grade SSDs to the market.

Each M5 Pro SSD will be backed by an industry leading five-year warranty alongside Plextor’s extensive international support infrastructure.

The M5 Pro Series is expected to be available in UK and Europe in September 2012.  Details on pricing and specifications are to be confirmed.

Check out our review of the Plextor M3 Pro PX-128M3P SSD

Microsoft talk about Growing Beyond 25 Users with Windows Server 2012 Essentials

Microsoft have posted a very interesting article on their blog about growing beyond 25 users with Windows Server 2012 Essentials – and this could be a very big deal for small businesses.

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This was posted today on the Windows Server Essentials and Small Business Server Blog:

Hi, I’m Cristian Molina, Lead Program Manager on the Windows Server Essentials team, and today I want to share with you more information around our growth story for moving past 25 users in Windows Server 2012 Essentials (Essentials).

One of the major pieces of feedback about the previous version, Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials, was that after a customer had grown beyond the 25-user limit, they had to migrate to Windows Server Standard. After the migration, key Windows SBS-specific features that they had come to depend on (such as client backup, Remote Web Access, and the Dashboard) were no longer available. We wanted to address this issue in Windows Server 2012 Essentials, so now we enable customers to do an in-place license transition to Windows Server 2012 Standard.

The process for performing the transition is documented on the TechNet page, Transition from Windows Server 2012 Essentials to Windows Server 2012 Standard. Customers need to purchase a copy of Windows Server 2012 Standard, and because Essentials does not have any client access licenses (CALs), they will also need to purchase the appropriate number of Windows Server 2012 CALs for their environment (these can be either Per User or Per Device CALs, but Per User CALs are more common). For example, if an organization with 26 users is performing the transition, they will need 26 Windows Server 2012 Per User CALs to be license-compliant.

After you have transitioned to Windows Server 2012 Standard, the Windows Server 2012 Essentials limits are removed, including restrictions on user accounts, number of devices, the Hyper-V role, and Active Directory. Instead, you will be subject to the limits and restrictions of Windows Server 2012 Standard. The Essentials features will still be there with the exception of the media features, which no longer work due to technical limitations. The removal of media functionality means that media features in other parts of the Essentials experience will be removed (for example, the ability to access media via Remote Web Access, media settings in the Dashboard).

After an in-place license transition to Windows Server 2012 Standard, the Windows Server 2012 Essentials features can support up to 75 user accounts and 75 devices. Note that there are no restrictions placed on the number of users and devices that can be added to a Windows Server 2012 Standard environment. For the Essentials features to function properly, the Windows Server 2012 roles and the features they depend on must not be removed or reconfigured, such as the Active Directory Domain Services role, the Web Server role, or others. Our goal is for Essentials features to work after the in-place transition for up to 75 user accounts and 75 devices. We used this goal to help scope our testing effort as well as our support statement. Customers can, of course, make any number of changes to their systems, but we had to strike a balance here of enabling customers to grow while also having a stable and supported system.

In the event that you grow beyond 75 user accounts or 75 devices, or you want to move to a different solution for specific pieces of Windows Server 2012 Essentials functionality, the Essentials features can then be turned off, which is also documented on the TechNet page. After the Essentials features are turned off, it is not possible to turn them back on.

Summary

Windows Server 2012 Essentials enables customers to grow beyond 25 users by doing an in-place license transition to Windows Server 2012 Standard. After making this transition, you will be able to continue using Essentials features with the exception of media features. Essentials features are supported for up to 75 users and 75 devices. If you grow beyond 75 or want to change the configuration of the server, we recommend that you turn off Essentials features.

So this is certainly good news for businesses who want to take advantage of more than 25 users!

Review of the Nintendo 3DS XL

On the 28th July, Nintendo launched their next handheld games console, the Nintendo 3DS XL and we got one to play with.

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Specifications

Top Screen: 4.88 inches

Bottom Screen: 4.18 inches

Length 15mm x width 93mm x height 22mm (closed)

4GD SD card

Weighs 336g

What’s in the Box?

The box contains the 3DS XL, a quickstart guide, operations manual, support documents, a pack of AR cards, a warning note for parents and a pin code for Club Nintendo.

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What’s NOT in the box?

That would be an AC adaptor! Yes, that’s right, in order to keep the cost of the console down Nintendo are not including an AC adaptor with it. Personally I think that is a strange move as all that will happen is there will be some disappointed people if they don’t realise one isn’t included.

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To be fair, the box does show “AC Adaptor is NOT included” on the box, but still, why not include the £6.99 adaptor with it? I think Nintendo assume that you already own a previous console and will use that adaptor, although they say it’s to keep it at a reasonable price.

A Closer Look

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The 3DS XL may have 90% bigger screens than it’s predecessor, but it’s still able to be held in your hand.

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LaCie updates entire USB 3.0 product range to include 2nd generation products

LaCie haved announced that it has updated its entire USB 3.0 portfolio to include 2nd generation USB 3.0 products. The next generation USB 3.0 products will be available in Apple retail locations this summer.

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For the last three years, LaCie has delivered premium USB 3.0 solutions to millions of Mac and PC customers. Building on this industry experience and momentum, LaCie has re-engineered its USB 3.0 range to take full advantage of computers that include Intel’s Ivy Bridge processor with native USB 3.0 interfaces. LaCie’s new USB 3.0 storage solutions will also benefit from performance enhancements within OS XÒ Lion and Mountain Lion. Thanks to UAS (USB Attached SCSI Protocol), people with the latest Macbook Air, Macbook Pro and Macbook Pro with Retina Display will experience maximum USB 3.0 performance.

“At LaCie we’re dedicated to USB 3.0. As a result, we’ve been able to deliver the widest range of USB 3.0 storage peripherals on the market,” said Erwan Girard, Professional Business Unit Manager, LaCie. “We’ve leveraged the exhaustive expertise of demanding content creators to develop best in class products for Mac users. LaCie’s 2nd generation USB 3.0 products will exceed expectation and deliver the fastest, most seamless user experience available.”

Everything from cables and USB keys, to professional RAID storage solutions have been re-engineered for advanced performances. LaCie’s recently announced RuggedKey achieves top speeds up to 150MB/s in 32GB of flash memory – making it one of the fastest USB keys on the market. LaCie’s popular Rugged Triple, and Porsche Design P’9223 and P’9233 have also been optimized for Mac and will be coming to the Apple retail locations this summer.

LaCie’s 2nd generation USB 3.0 solutions will be available worldwide through Apple resellers, LaCie resellers and the LaCie Online Store.

Sky Movies dedicated James Bond 007 channel coming in October

Sky have announced that they are launching a dedicated Sky Movies 007 channel in October showing all of the James Bond films.

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All 22 official EON productions films from Dr No all the way up to Quantum of Solace will be shown, along with the 1967 spoof Casino Royale with Peter Sellars and the awful Never Say Never Again (sorry if you liked that one).

All the movies will be shown in both standard definition and high definition and will be available on Sky Anytime+ and Sky Go.

Personally I can’t wait!

Will you be watching? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Today’s Google doodle reminds me of Daley Thompsons Decathlon

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Google have had an Olympics themed doodle every day since the game began, and today’s doodle allows you to take control of a hurdler.

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As a kid I remember breaking a few joysticks playing Daley Thompsons Decathlon!

Good times – nice one Google.

What do you think of the Google doodles? And what are your memories of Daley Thompsons Decathlon? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Canon releases EOS 7D firmware V2 bringing lots of new features

Canon have today released firmware V2 for it’s EOS 7D camera, bringing with it a number of new features.

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Firmware v2 now offers greater control of image settings and functionality, including a higher maximum RAW burst rate, now up to 25 RAW files or 130 JPEGs. Giving photographers greater control over images directly after capture, a new range of in-camera editing functions includes processing of RAW files, as well as the ability to easily adjust white balance, sharpness and Picture Style.  Enhanced control over Auto ISO levels during both still and movie shooting now allows users to limit ISO speeds to within the native ISO 400-6,400 range, perfect for manipulating exposure in different situations.

During movie shooting, amateur videographers will also benefit from new manual control of audio levels, with the ability to choose from 64 different sound levels. New compatibility with Canon’s high-performance GPS unit, the GP-E2, enables photographers to track the locations of their images using longitude, latitude and altitude geo-tagging.

Canon EOS 7D firmware v2 – new features:

· Improved maximum burst for RAW images (up to 25)

· In-camera RAW image editing

· In-camera Image Rating

· In-camera JPEG resizing

· Maximum Auto ISO setting (ISO 400-6400)

· Manual audio level adjustment in movie recording

· GPS compatibility

· File name customisation

· Time zone settings

· Faster scrolling of magnified images

· Quick control screen during playback

Firmware v2 is available to download now from: http://software.canon-europe.com/

Have you got an EOS 7D – tell us what you think of the new firmware by leaving a comment below.

Mac Mountain Lion Compatibility With WHS 2011, SBS 2011 Essentials and Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials

Microsoft have published a Wiki article on Mac Mountain Lion Compatibility With WHS 2011, SBS 2011 Essentials and Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials.

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If you have upgraded to Mountain Lion then take a look at the article.

 

Star Wars Scalextric Battle of Endor race set

Last month saw a number of Christmas in July events. These are designed to showcase all the cool and interesting things coming for Christmas. At the Amazon Christmas Wish List event several things caught my eye, including a Star Wars Scalextric–Battle of Endor set.

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Scalextric embraces the worlds of Star Wars with a 1:32 scale Scalextric Start set. Famous characters and iconic vehicles are faithfully reproduced in precise detail, with speeder bikes on the woodland scene printed track. On over four metres of track race two Speeder Bikes piloted by Luke Skywalker and a Scout Trooper across the printed woodland scene track and duck through the card accessories depicting the famous scene from Episode VI – Return of the Jedi.

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  • Skill level hand throttles–twist the dial on the side for the novice setting so that cars won’t come off the track or set it to advanced for more skill-based realistic racing.
  • 4.3 metres of track (170 cm x 170 cm of space required).
  • Track-side features depicting some of the film’s most famous scenes.
  • Carefully painted and detailed models of Luke Skywalker and a Biker Scout ride Speeder Bikes built for easy change pick-ups and Magnatraction.
Box Contains
  • 1 x Transformer
  • 1 x Straight Track/Power Base Assembly M
  • 1 x Straight Track
  • 8 x Curved Track
  • 2 x Hand Controller
  • 1 x Speeder Bike Luke Skywalker
  • 1 x Speeder Bike Scout Trooper
  • 4 x Card Piece
  • 1 x Pack Of 4 Braid Plates
  • 1 x Leaflets Pack
  • 7 x Support Foot Large
  • 1 x Instruction Leaflet

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This was really fun to play – I had to literally drag myself away from it!

The cost of this scaletric kit is £99.99 – why didn’t they have this when I was a kid?

What do you think of it? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

YouTube app no longer included with iOS 6

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I have just installed beta 4 for iOS 6 onto my iPhone and I have noticed that the YouTube app is no longer there.

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I did a quick bit of digging and found this comment from Apple on the Verge:

Our license to include the YouTube app in iOS has ended, customers can use YouTube in the Safari browser and Google is working on a new YouTube app to be on the App Store.

iOS 6 is expected to be available later this year.

What do you think about this? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Apple seeds iOS 6 beta 4 to developers

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Apple has seeded beta 4 for iOS 6 to developers.

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It is unclear yet what is included in beta 4 – I am installing it at the moment.

I tried beta 1 for a week and had to remove it as it was quite buggy and I found that the battery life of my 4S was dramatically reduced to the point it was almost unusable.

I gave beta 3 a try and was pleasantly surprised – the battery life was significantly better and I didn’t experience any real problems.

iOS 6 is expected to be available later this year.

Have you tried it yet? If so let us know by leaving a comment below.

Stylist magazine’s Olympic issue brought to life with Blippar

Stylist Magazine’s ground-breaking Olympic issue is brought to life with free image recognition app Blippar more than 150,000 times.

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Blippar is the first image-recognition app for smartphone targeted at media and brand to customer interaction. A free-to-download app, Blippar opens up in camera mode and becomes a single, magic ‘lens’ through which favourite newspapers, magazines, product and advertising in the real world are instantaneously recognised and converted into fun, informative digital experiences. The Blippar app is available for free in the Apple App Store and Android Market (variable experience subject to handset).

Stylist Magazine’s first-ever interactive issue, using Blippar’s image recognition technology, was accessed by 7% of the magazine’s readership with over 152,000 blipps in total, analysis by Blippar reveals.

Last week Stylist Magazine partnered with image recognition platform Blippar to create an unforgettable Olympic issue for the magazine’s 425,000 loyal readers. The issue, three months in the making, gave readers the opportunity to bring 21 of the free magazine’s 64 pages to life by simply downloading Blippar’s free app to their phone or tablet and holding it over the pages.

The cover of Stylist’s Olympic issue featured Team GB’s synchronised swimming team and was brought to life when blipped, showing readers an amazing choreographed routine.  Blippar allowed readers to get their very own daily Olympic leader board, wear and Tweet outfits from the fashion shoot and try out some of beauty’s most incredible new hair looks. Readers were also able to watch an exclusive video of actress Jessica Hynes in the comedy Twenty Twelve, vote on columnist Lucy Mangan’s Olympic thoughts and download recipes created by events caterer Lyndy Redding. The interactive Olympic issue can be seen in action here.

Blippar reminds me so much of books and papers in Harry Potter – it makes me smile every time I see one, well every time except the time I saw a Justin Beiber one, but let’s not got there!

Have you used Blippar yet for anything? If so, tell us what it was and what you thought of it by leaving a comment below.

App of the Day: Great British Chefs new Summertime App in partnership with Ocado

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Great British Chefs, the award-winning premium recipe website, is launching a new Summertime App in partnership with online grocer Ocado). Full of fabulous dishes worthy of the great British Summer of 2012, proceeds of the App will go towards Action Against Hunger, a global charity committed to ending world hunger while saving lives of malnourished children.

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Packed with over 100 lovingly crafted recipes, from 21 of the most talented British chefs including Marcus Wareing, Tom Aikens, Nathan Outlaw, Josh Eggleton, Richard Corrigan, Shaun Hill, Marcello Tully and Martin Wishart this incredibly beautifully crafted app will help people of all cooking abilities hone their skills, allowing them to create their own award winning dishes. From irresistible dinner party menus, glamorous picnics to sumptuous BBQ recipes and delightful summer puddings, there’s a summery dish for every food lover,no matter where they are.

The Summertime App also includes instructional videos to help perfect your cooking skills such as making a mayonnaise or tips on how to prepare an artichoke. Users can search by individual ingredient, specific course or level of cooking complexity and then simply click to buy all of their ingredients from Ocado.com. The app showcases recipes ranging from classics with a twist such as Kedgeree, Coronation chicken salad, Chicken and curry Kiev, Cod scotch eggs, Salmon skewers, Eton mess, to stunning summertime dinner party sensations such as Burrata with chickpea fritters & summer salad, Ceviche of Trout with Avocado Sorbet, Monkfish with tomato, ginger and garlic, Whole grilled sea bass with fennel and orange salad, Cod with pork belly, Asparagus, roast red onion and blue cheese tarts and Pimms and Hendricks jelly.

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The full list of chefs are as follows: Marcus Wareing, Nathan Outlaw, Tom Aikens, Martin Wishart, Dominic Chapman, Galton Blackiston, Alfred Prasad, Pascal Aussignac, Greg Malouf, Richard Corrigan, Christoffer Hruskova, Robert Thompson, Matt Tomkinson, Marcello Tully, Frances Atkins, Paul Heathcote, Shaun Hill, Josh Eggleton, Simon Hulstone, Paul Ainsworth, Shaun Rankin

Features of the Summertime App include:

–  Each recipe is beautifully shot and can be viewed through a stunning recipe image gallery

–  Each recipe is linked through to an aggregated shopping basket, enabling users to purchase all the related ingredients in a single click from Ocado.com

–  Intuitive navigation and search facility:

–  Integrated social media functionality allowing users to share the recipes, images and shopping list across the popular social network platforms and email

–  Voice control that allows people to cook without touching their iPad or iPhone

–  Comprehensive information about the chefs, their restaurants and cookbooks

–  A series of 25 “How to” films

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Ocado founder Jason Gissing commented “joining forces with Great British Chefs to create the Summertime app is hugely exciting for Ocado. For the first time you can create your own award winning menu and buy the ingredients from Ocado with a simple click. This unique function makes it easy for people to create a fine dining experience in their own home and have fun experimenting with Ocado’s super fresh and delicious summer ingredients.”

The Great British Chefs Summertime App follows the recent launch of the Feastive app and the original Recipes app.   As before, the app comes with the same award winning user experience, consistent and stunning photography and easy to follow information.

The Great British Chefs Summertime App is available for £1.99 for the iPad and iPhone.

Have you used it yet? If so, let us know how you got on and what you whipped up by leaving a comment below.

Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure live arena tour at Lollibop Festival

Activision  takes a monstrous step forward this summer with a live arena tour for 2012’s kids favourite, Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure.

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The tour is set to visit ten cities across Europe and will be at the Lollibop Festival in Regents Park, London on Friday 17 – Saturday 18 August. It will give children the chance to better get to know their favourite Skylanders and to visit the magical Skylands – in real life!

The tour will also give families a first look at Skylanders Giants which brings back all the well-loved elements of the original – and then some. Combining physical toys with virtual gameplay Skylanders Giants offers a gaming experience like no other; with new characters and new challenges, it is one massive adventure.

The fun-filled Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure Arena Tour will provide visitors with a wealth of interactive and entertaining activities including:

· Meet the Giants: The highlight of the tour, kids will be amongst the first in the world to have a look and play of Skylanders Giants.  There will be two Giants statues showcasing brand new characters – a huge photo opportunity!

· Trial Turrets: Game trials of both Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure and the new Skylanders Giants game will take place all day on eight trial turrets, each featuring screens – so everyone gets a chance to experience new virtual adventures

· Portal of PowerT Stage and Play Podium: Hosted on a giant Portal of Power, visitors will be encouraged to climb the podium throughout the day for  epic Skylanders play-offs and the chance to win a special prize

· The Green Screens: All kids will be able to take a little piece of the Skylands world home, with a souvenir photograph taken with their favourite Skylander within the magical Skylands world

· Activity Zone: Featuring face-painting, fake tattoos and games like ‘Match the Pairs’, this zone is packed full of fun ways for fans to immerse themselves in the Skylanders world

· Welcome to the Arena Rewards: Everyone who visits and experiences the magic of the Skylanders Arena will be given a wristband and a goody bag filled with treats

So now Skylanders Giants is bigger and better than ever before and now it’s time for them to truly come to life. For more information visit: http://www.skylanderstour.com