Movies Games and Tech

Samsung Announces new GALAXY Tab 2 Tablets at MCW 2012

Andrew Edney

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Feb 26, 2012

Samsung Announces new GALAXY Tab 2 Tablets at MCW 2012

Samsung introduces its first line-up of tablets for 2012 with the launch of the GALAXY Tab 2 series, expanding the choice of tablets to customers.

The GALAXY Tab 2 series includes a 7″ version and a 10.1″ version. Starting from UK, the GALAXY Tab 2 series will be launched in global market from March.

No news on pricing yet, so watch this space! March is also the rumoured release date for the iPad 3 so it could be an interesting time for tablet buyers!

The GALAXY Tab 2 series is available in 3G and WiFi versions, as well as in 7″ and 10.1″ variants. Light and portable, the GALAXY Tab 2 (7.0) is the ideal personal on-the-go device; while the larger GALAXY Tab 2 (10.1) is well-suited for home and family use.

Samsung GALAXY Tab 2 (7.0) Product Specifications

Network
HSPA＋ 21Mbps 850/900/1900/2100
Processor
1 GHz Dual-Core Processor
Display
7″ WSVGA(1024×600) PLS TFT
OS
Android 4.0(Ice Cream Sandwich)
Camera
Main(Rear): 3 Megapixel Camera
Sub(Front): VGA for Video Call
Video
Codec: MPEG4, H.263, H.264, VC-1, DivX, WMV7, WMV8, WMV9, VP8
Format: 3GP, ASF, AVI, MP4, WMV, FLV, MKV, WebM
Playback/ Recording: Full HD@30fps, HD@30fps
Audio
Codec: MP3, AAC, AC-3, AMR, FLAC, MID, WMA, WAV, OGG
Music Player with SoundAlive
3.5mm Ear Jack
Value-added Features
Samsung TouchWiz/ Samsung L!ve Panel
Samsung Apps
Samsung Hub＊
– Readers Hub/ Music Hub/ Game Hub/ Video Hub
Samsung Hub Widget＊
– Music Hub/ Game Hub/ Video Hub
Samsung S Suggest＊ (App recommendation service)
Samsung ChatON mobile communication service
Samsung AllShare Play＊
Samsung Kies / Samsung Kies air
GoogleTM Mobile Services
– Android Market™, Gmail™, YouTube™, Google Maps™,
Syncing with Google Calendar™, Google Search, Google ＋
Polaris document editor
A-GPS, Glonass
Connectivity
Bluetooth technology v 3.0
USB 2.0 Host
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct
Sensor
Accelerometer, Digital compass, Light
Proximity(＊ Available on 3G version only)
Memory
8/16/32GB User memory ＋ 1GB (RAM)
microSD (up to 32GB)
Dimension
193.7 x 122.4 x 10.5 mm, 345g
Battery
Standard battery, Li-ion 4,000mAh
＊ Availability and launching time of the services may differ by region.
＊ All functionality, features, specifications and other product information provided in this document including, but not limited to, the benefits, design, pricing, components, performance, availability, and capabilities of the product are subject to change without notice or obligation.

Samsung GALAXY Tab 2 (10.1) Product Specifications

Network
HSPA＋ 21Mbps 850/900/1900/2100
Processor
1 GHz Dual-Core Processor
Display
10.1″ WXGA(1280×800) PLS TFT
OS
Android 4.0(Ice Cream Sandwich)
Camera
Main(Rear): 3 Megapixel Camera
Sub(Front): VGA for Video Call
Video
Codec: MPEG4, H.264. H.263, VC-1, DivX, WMV7, WMV8, WMV9, VP8
Format: 3GP, ASF, AVI, MP4, WMV, FLV, MKV, WebM
Playback/ Recording: Full HD@30fps, HD@30fps
Audio
Codec: MP3, AAC, AC-3, AMR, FLAC, MID, WMA, WAV, OGG
Music Player with SoundAlive
3.5mm Ear Jack
Value-added Features
Samsung TouchWiz / Samsung L!ve Panel
Samsung Apps
Samsung Hub
– Readers Hub/ Music Hub/ Game Hub/ Video Hub
Samsung Hub Widget＊
– Music Hub/ Game Hub/ Video Hub
Samsung S Suggest＊ (App recommendation service)
Samsung ChatON mobile communication servicea
Samsung AllShare Play
Samsung Kies / Samsung Kies air
GoogleTM Mobile Services
– Android Market™, Gmail™, YouTube™, Google Maps™,
Syncing with Google Calendar™, Google Search, Google ＋
Polaris document editor
A-GPS, Glonass
Connectivity
Bluetooth technology v 3.0
USB 2.0 Host
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct
Sensor
Accelerometer, Digital compass, Light
Memory
16/32GB User memory ＋ 1GB (RAM)
microSD (up to 32GB)
Dimension
256.6 x 175.3 x 9.7 mm , 588g
Battery
Standard battery, Li-ion 7,000 mAh

Relive Your Childhood with the Midway Arcade App for iOS

Andrew Edney

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Feb 25, 2012

2

Relive Your Childhood with the Midway Arcade App for iOS

As a child I spent a lot of time playing on arcade machines. Well now I can relive some of the games I played with the Midway Arcade app for the iPhone and iPad.

Midway Arcade provides the ultimate arcade experience with a virtual showroom equipped with 10 classic arcade games, tickets and virtual prizes. The app allows players to take their favourite arcade games, such as Spy Hunter, Joust, Rampage and more, along with four skill – based games, including Pool, Air Hockey, Roll Ball and Basketball, with them on the go.
Players also have the option to purchase additional Midway classics through In-App Purchase. The extra fun in the Fantasy Game Pack includes Gauntlet I, Gauntlet II and Wizard of Wor, while the Action Game Pack unlocks APB, NARC and Total Carnage. Players compete against their friends, earn achievements and dominate online leaderboards.

The complete Midway Arcade virtual showroom includes the following titles:

Spy Hunter: Race down a freeway in an armed sports car and destroy enemies while protecting civilian vehicles;
Rampage: Reduce the city to rubble as gigantic monsters George (a King-Kong-like gorilla), Lizzie (a Godzilla-like dinosaur/lizard), and Ralph (a giant werewolf);
Defender: Defeat waves of invading aliens while protecting astronauts in this 2D shooting game;
Joust: While riding a flying ostrich, fight to defeat enemy knights riding buzzards;
Root Beer Tapper: As the bartender, serve beer and collect empty mugs and tips without letting the thirsty patrons’ patience expire;
Arch Rivals: In this Basket Brawl, outscore opponents as a crowd pleaser, rebound king, a defensive giant and more;
Skill-Based Games: Beat your friends’ top scores in Pool, Air Hockey, Roll Ball and Basketball.

The two additional game packs, available through In-App Purchase, include

Fantasy Game Pack

Gauntlet I:Hack and slash through monsters as they try to exit the dungeon maze;
Gauntlet 2: The monsters return in this acclaimed sequel, with all new levels, and challenges;
Wizard of Wor: “ Worriors” must make their way through monster-infested dungeons to destroy the Wizard of Wor.

Action Game Pack

APB: Playing as Officer Bob, a rookie police officer, pursue law – breakers, cite and arrest criminals – and pick up donuts along the way;
NARC:Arrest and kill drug offenders, confiscate their money and drugs, to defeat Mr. Big;
Total Carnage:As a member of the Doomsday Squad, invade evil dictator’s General Akhboob’s base and destroy mutants, rescue hostages and capture Akhboob.

The Midway Arcade App is available for £0.69 from the App Store on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. The Fantasy Game Pack and Action Game Packs are available for €0.79/£0.69 each through In-App Purchase.

Exclusive Unboxing of the Viridian PC VHS-3HC Windows Home Server 2011 Server

Andrew Edney

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Feb 25, 2012

6

Exclusive Unboxing of the Viridian PC VHS-3HC Windows Home Server 2011 Server

Earlier this month we told you about the new Viridian PC VHS-3HC Windows Home Server 2011 Server. Here is our exclusive unboxing.

The new entry-level model is specifically to run Microsoft Windows Home Server 2011 and powered by Intel ‘Sandy Bridge’ processors with 4Gb of DDR3 memory as standard. The VHS-3HC, like our other ‘Sandy Bridge’ models, features dual server-class Intel network adapters and a server chipset (Intel C206).

In base specification the VHS-3HC features an Intel Celeron G530T dual-core CPU, 4Gb of DDR3 RAM and160Gb drive for the operating system and three free hot-swap drive bays. Upgrades to the system drive are available including mirrored drives and/or solid state drives

Specifications

CPU : Intel Celeron G530T, 2.2GHz, dual core, 64bit, 3MB cache (other processor options available)

Chipset : Intel C206

Memory : 4Gb DDR3 1333MHz, Max 8Gb

Networking : 1 x Intel 82574L Gigabit LAN port, 1 x Intel 82574LM Gigabit LAN port

Storage : 3 x free SATA hot-swap drive bays, 1 x 160 Gb SATA drive

Graphics : Intel Integrated Graphics

USB : 6 x USB 2.0 (2 front & 4 Rear)

Expansion slots : 1 (x16) PCI-Express

Power supply : 200wPhysical dimensions : 9.85” x 7.88” x 11.82” (H x W x D)

2 years return-to-base warranty as standard.

The VHS-3HC Colorado Edition is available now, with prices starting at £441.67 excluding VAT.

Our review will be ready soon – so keep checking out UWHS!

Learn more from the Viridian PC website

Batman: Arkham City Lockdown game for iOS Updated

Andrew Edney

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Feb 25, 2012

0

Batman: Arkham City Lockdown game for iOS Updated

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment announced that a new update for the Batman: Arkham City Lockdown game for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch is available.

In Batman: Arkham City Lockdown, the inmates have escaped and Batman has his hands full defeating an army of henchmen and some of his most iconic villains. Scour the rooftops and the seedy underbelly of Gotham City through a series of one-on-one battles with The Joker, Two-Face and more, as well as the Batman: Arkham City Lockdown exclusive enemy – Deathstroke. Choose from several Batman skins and power-ups as you punch, kick and combo your way to cleaning up Gotham City.

The update includes a brand new level featuring Harley Quinn, a Bruce Wayne skin and achievements, all for free. In addition, the Batman, Inc. skin is now available for purchase.

The new level expands the world of Gotham City as Batman must track down the infamous Harley Quinn. Players must fight their way through Harley’s henchmen and can enjoy all new gameplay elements, using Batman’s Batarangs in a timed showdown.

The Batman: Arkham City Lockdown App is available for £3.49 from the App Store on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch.

Free games offered in celebration of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 launch

Andrew Edney

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Feb 25, 2012

0

Free games offered in celebration of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 launch

If you are a BlackBerry PlayBook owner you can get two free games in celebration of the launch of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0.

To celebrate the launch of BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 this week, ALL BlackBerry PlayBook users can download TWO FREE games – Asphalt 6 Adrenaline HD and Modern Combat 2 Black Pegasus HD – free of charge from now until June 20^th.

Compliments of BlackBerry PlayBook users can complete the mission of one of the most acclaimed FPS games for smartphones in Modern Combat 2 Black Pegasus HD, and feel the thrill of arcade racing like never before in Asphalt 6 Adrenaline HD. Enjoy an immersive gaming experience on the PlayBook’s 1 GHz dual-core processor offering blazing speed and glorious graphics.

Both games are available from BlackBerry App World now – http://appworld.blackberry.com/webstore/search/free%20playbook%20games/

Gotham City Impostors DLC for Xbox 360 now available

Gaming
News

Andrew Edney

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Feb 25, 2012

0

Gotham City Impostors DLC for Xbox 360 now available

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment announced that a free downloadable content pack for Gotham City Impostors is available now in the Xbox LIVEMarketplace for Xbox 360.

Gotham City Impostors allows up to 12 players to battle for control of an unhinged Gotham City overrun by Impostors inspired by the DC Comics characters Batman and The Joker.

The DLC pack includes:

· Matchmaking Fixes: Numerous additional fixes to matchmaking have been made, including join-in-progress functionality!
· New Maps, Weapons, Gadgets and More: The 25^th Floor map, the Kingmaker and Falcon Blade weapons, the Toxic Gas Support Item, and a new Fun Fact are all available right now!
· New Costume Choices: Dress up your Impostor like a lunchador, a corporate schlub gone mad, and so much more!

The content will be available for PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system and Windows PC in the near future.

The cost for Gotham City Imposters is 1200 Microsoft Points for the Xbox 360 version and £11.99 on PSN and Windows, the DLC pack is free.

Check out the video below:

Gotham City Imposters

We Sing Pop! for Wii unveils next eight songs

Gaming
News

Andrew Edney

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Feb 25, 2012

0

We Sing Pop! for Wii unveils next eight songs

The PS3 may have SingStar, but the Wii has We Sing, and the latest instalment, We Sing Pop! is due for release next month and the next eights songs have been revealed.

The We Sing Pop! countdown, in collaboration with Spotify, continues as the next eight songs on the poptastic 30 strong tracklist are revealed.

Bruno Mars, this year’s winner of the International Male Solo Artist BRIT Award, released Just the Way You Are in September 2010. It is a Grammy award winning track and was the singer’s second single in the UK that went straight in at number one for a week and then re-entered the charts in October in the top spot for a further three weeks.

Big Girls Don’t Cry, taken from Fergie’s debut solo album The Duchess, sold 3,080,000 copies and became her third number one track to top the Billboard 100 in America. Produced by her fellow band member from the Black Eyed Peas Will.i.am, the song is a three times platinum selling single. It was the 8^th most successful song of the 2000s.

One of the best selling singles of all time, Lady Gaga first teased the world with Born This Way at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards but the song wasn’t officially released until February 2011. It was the lead single on her second studio album also titled Born This Way. On release it was the fastest selling single on iTunes, selling 1 million copies in five days.
I’m Yours by Jason Mraz spent an incredible 76 weeks in the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and now holds the record for a song that has spent the most time in the charts. Originally released on the limited edition EP titled Extra Credit in 2004, it was then re-released on their album We Sing We Dance We Steal Things.

The 80’s influenced track, Fireflies, by Owl City, is a song about fireflies, summer and insomnia but with a child-like twist on the lyrics. The song topped the charts in a number of countries including the UK, US, Australia and Finland.

The toe-tapping I Don’t Feel Like Dancing by Scissor Sisters spent 27 weeks in the Official UK Top 40. Written by the one and only Elton John, it was the bands first UK number one and remains their most recognisable song.

Vanilla Ice’s, Ice Ice Baby is always a hit on a karaoke tracklist and 23 years later this remains Ice’s biggest selling track. It was the first single in its genre to be featured in the Billboard Top 100 and helped to introduce Hip Hop to a more mainstream audience.

The 15^th track to be revealed is Wet Wet Wet’s Love Is All Around, released in 1994 after it was featured in the highly popular Hugh Grant film Four Weddings and a Funeral. It spent two weeks at the top of the UK singles chart and then a further 35 weeks in the top 40. By 2011 the song sold 1,298,131 retail copies in the UK.

“From these eight tracks you can truly grasp how strong We Sing Pop’s full tracklist is going to be,” says Nik Blower, Sales and Marketing Director for Nordic Games. “When choosing the tracklist we looked into what pop songs performed strongest in the charts and these are a selection of those that have had long running success.”

We Sing Pop! will be released on March 23^rd 2012, exclusively for Nintendo Wii. Seven more songs will be unveiled next week.

Is this something you might buy and sign along to? Let us know.

Dropbox App for Android Updated

Andrew Edney

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Feb 25, 2012

0

The Dropbox app for Android has been updated, bringing with it a number of performance improvements and fixes.

Dropbox lets you bring all your photos, docs, and videos anywhere.

Dropbox is a free service that lets you bring all your photos, docs, and videos anywhere. After you install Dropbox on your computer, any file you save to your Dropbox will automatically save to all your computers, your Android device, and even the Dropbox website! With the Dropbox app, you can take everything that matters to you on the go.

Read your docs or flip through your albums when you’re out and about. Save photos or videos to your Dropbox and share them with friends in just a couple taps. Even if you accidentally leave your Android in a taxi, your stuff is always safe on Dropbox.

Features:

• Always have your stuff with you, no matter where you are.
• Save photos and videos to your Dropbox.
• Share your photos and docs with family and friends.
• Save email attachments straight to your Dropbox.
• Easily edit docs in your Dropbox.

What’s in this version:

• Allows you to automatically uploads photos and videos in the background using Wi-Fi or data plan
• Up to 3 GB of free space for uploading photos automatically (in 500 MB increments)
• Upload files of any size
• Various performance improvements & bug fixes
We now store your Dropbox credentials in Android’s secure Account Manager. This means Dropbox can’t be installed on your SD Card and requires the “Your Accounts” permissions. These permissions only allows us to access accounts we create.

Download now from the Android Market

Working with Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials E-Book Now 50% Off

Andrew Edney

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Feb 25, 2012

2

Working with Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials E-Book Now 50% Off

My publisher, O’Reilly, often do special deals on certain books, and one of those is my Working with Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials e-book, which can be yours today for 50% off.

Here is the description for the book:

Get up and running quickly with Windows® Small Business Server 2011 Essentials—and learn how to use this network solution to organize and help protect your business data. This hands-on guide provides extensive walkthroughs and tips to help you successfully deploy, manage, and support your company’s network and applications. All you need is minimal IT knowledge.

Discover how to:

Plan your network infrastructure as your first, critical step

Configure and maintain the network to help protect your data

Create user accounts and connect client computers

Manage shared server folders and set up permissions

Install network printers and determine how they’re shared

Inspect your network’s health with Performance Monitor

Provide security-enhanced remote access via the web or a VPN

Troubleshoot problems and be prepared in the event of a system failure

Buy the E-book today for $17.99

Apple Release New EFI Firmware Updates

Apple
News

Andrew Edney

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Feb 24, 2012

0

Apple has released an EFI firmware update for a number of their products, including the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro.

This update fixes several issues to improve the stability of MacBook Air (Mid 2011) computers and is recommended for all users.

This update improves the reliability of booting from the network, addresses an issue that can prevent HDCP authentication after a reboot, and resolves an issue with boot device selection when a USB storage device is hot-plugged.

The Home Server Show Episode 172 Out Now

Andrew Edney

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Feb 24, 2012

0

Dave at the guys at the Home Server Show have released episode 172.

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

We have been away for two weeks and there are a lot of news items to catch up on. We’ll also go over UR2 and some issues found with it and Jim troubleshoots a WHS 2011 issues during the show.

As usual you can listen to the show from here.

StableBit DrivePool Moves to Beta M4 Build 5805

Andrew Edney

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Feb 24, 2012

1

StableBit DrivePool Moves to Beta M4 Build 5805

There has been another beta build from CoveCube! StableBit development marches on – now its beta M4 build 5805.

Here is how CoveCube describes this application:

Combine all your hard drives into one big storage pool (except the system drive with the OS).
Add and remove drives from the pool at any time without re-partitioning or manually moving folders.
Create duplicated folders on the storage drive pool that are protected against single drive failure. If a drive fails on which a duplicated file was stored, the contents of that file will remain readable even without the drive.
All your data is stored in standard NTFS files. You can always access your files even if the Windows Home Server completely crashes or this add-in can’t be used.

This version’s change log:

1.0.0.5805

* When removing drives from the pool, cleanly abort all duplication / re-balancing runs while the removal is in progress.

* After hashing files to verify consistency during duplication, if the files are identical, synchronize the last modification times to prevent hashing them again in a future duplication run. Having different file modification times on file parts from duplicated files would have lead to extremely long duplication times because the duplication process would hash each file part to verify consistency.

* When background duplication / de-duplication needs to hash files because of a file modification time mismatch, the hashing process should be abortable and completely transparent to other I/O.

* Do not crash the Dashboard if indexing services are disabled.

* Fixed null error on drive removal.

* Missing disk alert is now cleared if a pooled disk is disconnected, then system is shut down and the disk is reconnected before the next boot up. Previously, the alert would get stuck in the on state.

* Balance ratio is immediately re-calculated after a re-balance.

* [D] After manually deleting a pool part folder, the entire pool stopped working until the server rebooted.

* When re-balancing files or duplicating files in the background, if another application requests write access to the file we cleanly abort what we were doing and move on the the next file. The application that requested access is then given access without an error.

Get More Information About the Beta Here Download Stablebit Drivepool build 5805 here

The Gadget Show rebooted for 2012

Andrew Edney

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Feb 23, 2012

0

Channel 5 today announced that The Gadget Show will return to our screens this Spring in a new, revamped format.

The brand new series will take the show on the road, as presenters Jason Bradbury and Pollyanna Woodward travel the globe to test the latest in consumer gadgetry.

Each week The Gadget Show: World Tour will see Jason and Pollyanna undertake an international gadget road trip. From Abu Dhabi to Silicon Valley, from New York to Monaco, our pair of gadget experts will give their verdict on the very latest high-street tech, as well as stopping off to showcase more cutting-edge technology.

Ian Dunkley, Factual Entertainment Commissioner says, “After 16 successful series it felt time for the show to go global and have some more fun. Our love of gadgets remains undimmed, and now the testing will be bigger, better, and in more exotic locations.”

On its travels, the show will be visiting Japan, the USA, the Mediterranean, and the UAE to test the best smartphones, laptops, TV’s, gaming consoles and cameras on the market. In the first episode, the show lands in Tokyo in search of parts to build a winning robot for a robot fighting tournament.

So what do you think about this? Will the Gadget Show be the same without Suzi, John and Ortis?

Xbox Companion App for Window Phone Updated

Andrew Edney

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Feb 23, 2012

0

Xbox Companion App for Window Phone Updated

The Xbox Companion app for Windows Phone has just been updated – although there are no specifics as to what the update contains.

Discover great entertainment with the power and convenience of your Windows Phone! Search for your favourite movies, TV shows, music, and games, and play them on your Xbox from your phone. Xbox 360 console and Xbox LIVE membership required.