StableBit DrivePool Moves to Beta M3 Build 4063

There has been another beta build from CoveCube! StableBit development marches on – now is build 4063.

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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:

1.0.0.4063 ———-

* Ensure SYSTEM and Guest have proper access to root of all drives part of the pool and all pool part folders.

* [D] Fixed memory access violation that was causing a system crash, when not using Direct I/O.

Get More Information About the Beta Here Download Stablebit Drivepool build 4063 here

Facebook for iPad is Now Available

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After what seems like an eternity, the Facebook App for the iPad is now available in the Apple App Store.

Facebook

What’s New in Version 4.0

Facebook for iPad
With high-res photos, games, chat and more, now you can get the best of Facebook—on your iPad.

– Enjoy bigger, better photos: Your photos are high-res and easy to flip through, like a real photo album
– Navigate anywhere, fast: Just tap, slide or pinch to move from one screen to another
– Play games on the go: Access your favorite Facebook apps and games, wherever you are
– Focus on what matters: Zoom in on your friends’ photos, updates and stories
– Never lose your place: Share a photo, update your status or send a message without leaving News Feed
– See who’s nearby: Check out the Nearby map to see what your friends are up to

Facebook for iPhone
Facebook for iPhone lets you stay connected and share with friends on the go. Start a chat, keep up with friends’ photos and status updates, look up a phone number, upload photos to Facebook and more—right from your iPhone.

What’s New in Version 4.0
With improved search and browsing, the facebook.com features you use most are now just a touch away. It’s a faster, fuller Facebook for iPhone.
– Games & Apps: Play games and access your favorite apps on the go
– Navigation: Send a message or see your notifications from any screen, and swipe to browse Facebook without losing your place in News Feed
– Bookmarks: Your groups, pages and apps are all in your left-hand menu, and the ones you use most are right on top
– Search: Search for anything on Facebook—people, apps, pages and more—without having to click around or switch views
– Security: We’ve added a few updates to make the app more secure

And when you have installed it, why not Like us on Facebook?

PCTV Systems’ Broadway 2T Receives Full Android Support

Access your favourite TV shows LIVE through your Android device, from anywhere in the world with the PCTV Systems Broadway 2T!

Broadway 2T

Here’s the press release:

London 10 October 2011PCTV Systems, a division of Hauppauge Digital Inc, today announced Android support for the recently launched Broadway 2T. The Broadway will now allow users to redirect their home TV and personal video content to Android devices (version 2.2 and above with Adobe Flash capable browser), as well as iPhones, iPads, netbooks, notebooks or Mac computers, anywhere in the world. All personal home content and TV channels are accessible via the web browser anytime, anywhere in the world without the need for any third party apps or any additional purchases.

“It has been predicted that Google’s Android mobile-operating system will represent 40% of smartphones in 2011. Currently the operating system is available on over 300 different smartphones and tablets. The Broadway has been well received by Apple users so far, so offering Android support is a natural business decision for us ensuring we fulfil the demands and requirements of all our customers,” said Yehia Oweiss, Vice President of Sales EMEA of Hauppauge Digital. “Holiday season is the perfect time to take advantage of the Broadway. We have all been stuck in a foreign country not being able to understand local language TV. If you are away on business and you don’t want to miss England play the World Cup, or if you are trying to entertain your family whilst in a villa in France or a chalet in Switzerland, the Broadway’s ability to direct your home TV or other connected video signals live to your mobile device allows you to easily get around that problem. You don’t have to miss any of the great sporting events lined up or the next episode of your favourite TV show. No matter where you are in the world, your home TV is always with you – It’s that simple,” Oweiss continued.

The Broadway 2T is available from £199.99

Existing users can download the new firmware here.

Bridging the Gap between TV and the Internet

  • Connect wirelessly.
  • Send Live-TV or video signal feeds via internet to host device.
  • Sophisticated MPEG-4 H.264 hardware compression.
  • Integrated 802.11n WLAN for wireless streaming of television signals to host device.
  • No additional software (app) required – including iPod and iPad.
  • Control your home content; schedule recordings, play pre-recorded content.
  • Audio/Video input to turn iPad or iPhone into remote surveillance solution by connecting analog camera.

Apple Say iPhone 4S Pre-Orders Topped One Million Phones in a Single Day

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While the announcement last week about the iPhone 4S wasn’t the iPhone 5 everyone wanted, and most people seemed disappointed, it hasn’t stopped people from pre-ordering it and breaking Apple’s previous record.

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Here is what Apple said:

Apple® today announced pre-orders of its iPhone® 4S have topped one million in a single day, surpassing the previous single day pre-order record of 600,000 held by iPhone 4. iPhone 4S is the most amazing iPhone yet, packed with incredible new features including Apple’s dual-core A5 chip for blazing fast performance and stunning graphics; an all new camera with advanced optics; full 1080p HD resolution video recording; and Siri™, an intelligent assistant that helps you get things done just by asking.

“We are blown away with the incredible customer response to iPhone 4S,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “The first day pre-orders for iPhone 4S have been the most for any new product that Apple has ever launched and we are thrilled that customers love iPhone 4S as much as we do.”

iPhone 4S will be available at all 245 Apple retail stores in the US beginning at 8 a.m. local time on Friday, October 14. Every customer who buys an iPhone 4S at an Apple retail store will be offered free Personal Setup service, helping them customize their iPhone 4S by setting up email, showing them new apps from the App Store™ and more, so they’ll be up and running with their new iPhone before they leave the store.

iPhone 4S includes iOS 5, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system with over 200 new features, and iCloud®, a breakthrough set of free cloud services that work seamlessly with your iPhone, iPad®, iPod touch®, Mac® or PC to automatically and wirelessly store your content in iCloud and push it to all your devices.

Have you ordered one? Go on, you can tell us!

WHS 2011 Add-in: Drive Bender v1.2.0.1 (RC1) Available Now

Drive Bender for Windows Home Server 2011 has been updated again – now its version 1.2.0.1.

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Here is what they said:

DriveBenderWHS v1.2.0.1

(11M)

Release v1.2.0.1 release candidate 1 update (2011-10-07)
– Bug fix: A number of cosmetic issues were fixed.
– Bug fix: Installing on a x86 platform was throwing an error.
– Bug fix: Cleaning up orphaned Drive Bender temp files has been improved.
– Update: Manual included with installer.

To purchase a Drive Bender license at the limited, pre-release sale price of $20 USD, click here.

For more information check out the Drive Bender website

WHS 2011 Add-In Update: Drive Bender Going Gold This Week

The Windows Home Server 2011 Drive Extender replacement add-in Drive Bender will be going gold this Friday.

DB Logo

Here is what Anthony posted this morning:

Well the day has finally arrived… come this Friday the 14th of October, Drive Bender will be officially released. Thanks to the work of our dedicated user base, the release has a host bug fixes and updates.

However we are not stopping there. Starting next week we are straight into the first release update. Here are some of the major things we are doing.

– Implementing unsupported API’s
– Improving performance (there have been no complains to date… but hey if we can go faster, why not).
– Improvements to Smooth Stream.

Finally if you want to take advantage of the pre-release sale, you need to do so before the 14th of October, once Drive Bender has been release, the sale ends.

Learn more from the Drive Bender website

Microsoft Release TV Tuner Update for Windows Media Center

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An update to the TV tuner functionality in Windows Media Center is available for Windows 7.

header-WMC

Here is what the update says:

An update is available for Windows Media Center in Windows 7. This update fixes a deadlock issue that occurs when you use a TV tuner in Windows Media Center. When this issue occurs, you may experience one of the following symptoms:

  • You receive an error message that resembles the following when there is no apparent tuner conflict:Tuner Conflict
  • You receive an error message that resembles the following when there are available tuners:No tuner available to satisfy the current request
  • The Windows Media Center Receiver Service (Ehrecvr.exe) stops responding and you have to restart the computer to recover this service.

Notes

  • This issue may occur if you change channels fast and frequently (also known as “channel surfing”), in Windows Media Center.
  • These symptoms may be caused by other issues that are not related to this update. For example, you may receive similar symptoms when you try to query current state of a TV tuner or of a malfunctioning hardware device.

All supported x86-based versions of Windows 7 Download the update package now.

All supported x64-based versions of Windows 7 Download the update package now.

BYOB Podcast Episode 61 Out Now

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The guys over at the BYOB podcast, including our very own Tim Daleo have just released episode 61.

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Here is what is included in this weeks show:

[box style=”rounded” border=”full”]This week we talk about the new Kindle Fire, Memory testing, Logitech Link, Lian Li PC-A04B, BF3 Beta testing, and Michael talks about using Hyper-V with Untangle. As always we look forward to your feedback. A special thanks to those who joined us live and were patient in putting up with technical problems.[/box]

As usual you can listen to the show from here.

Using a Favicon With Your WordPress Site

I  act as the volunteer webmaster for the parent-teacher club for my daughter’s school and implemented a favicon for that website this weekend.  Read on for details on how I did that!

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My daughter’s grade school has a parent’s club, which raises money for the school and supports the teachers with various programs.  It also had a disaster of a website, and when my wife volunteered to be the organization’s treasurer, she volunteered me to be the webmaster.  I implemented a WordPress site using the theme Arjuna X and the NEXTGen gallery add-in to provide a cutting edge site, but it nagged at me that the theme did not have support for favicons out of the box.  I decided to implement one on my own.

First, a little background from Wikepedia on favicons:

A favicon  /ˈfævɨkɒn/ (short for favorites icon), also known as a shortcut icon, Web site icon, URL icon, or bookmark icon, is a file containing one or more small icons, most commonly 16×16 pixels, associated with a particular Web site or Web page. A web designer can create such an icon and install it into a Web site (or Web page) by several means, and graphical web browsers will then make use of it. Browsers that provide favicon support typically display a page’s favicon in the browser’s address bar and next to the page’s name in a list of bookmarks.  Browsers that support a tabbed document interface typically show a page’s favicon next to the page’s title on the tab, and site-specific browsers use the favicon as desktop icon.

Wikipedia tells us that IE5 was the first browser to implement favicons.  Cool!

UsingWindowsHomeServer uses a favicon that looks like this:

UWHS favicon

I was looking to replace the browser icon with an image that would tie in better to the school.  Since my daughter’s school is called The Royals and since they use a crown symbol on their website, I decided to use that graphic as the basis for a favicon.  Here is what I wanted to use:

dgspc favicon

The process is pretty simple and is laid out well in this MSDN article:

Creating and Installing a Site Icon

The easiest way to create a site icon is by using X-Icon Editor. X-Icon Editor is a free application (based on HTML5 Canvas) that allows you to create high resolution icons directly from within the browser. X-Icon Editor creates high-resolution icons in sizes that are suitable for Pinned Sites, as well as the address bar and New Tab page in Internet Explorer 9.

After you have created your icon, download it from X-Icon Editor and save it locally. To use the site icon in your website, add a link element to the head section of your webpage, like in the following example:

<link rel=”shortcut icon” href=”/favicon.ico” />

The site icon file can be located anywhere in the site directory tree.

Because site icons are used both by Internet Explorer and Windows, only the .ICO file format is supported. If you change your site icon during development, you might need to clear the browser cache or rename the file to cause Internet Explorer to refresh its copy of the site icon.

To learn more about site icons, see How to Add a Shortcut Icon to a Web Page.

Next Steps

At this point, you have create a static Jump List and high-resolution site icon. In the Prompting Users to Pin your Site task, you’ll learn how to promote the site pinning features you have implemented.

The site icon can also be used in the body of your page to prompt users to pin your site. The drag-to-pin image acts just like the site icon in the address bar or tab. For more information, see Dragging an Image to Pin the Site.

I  saved the graphic from the school website, loaded it to the X-Icon webpage, processed the image and saved it to my PC.  Voila, I had an icon file (favicon.ico) ready to load to the WordPress site!

Simply load the file to the root directory of the website that you want to use it for and tweak the head.php/header.php file as shown here:

<link rel=”shortcut icon” href=”/favicon.ico” />; update the path to read the complete path to the favicon file on your server.

WordPress should now display the icon in the address bar, in your favorites and as an icon if you pinned the site to your Windows taskbar if you are using Internet Explorer 9.

I found that I had to delete cached pages and browsing history in IE9 for the change to show up.  It showed up immediately in the Android browser on my phone, as well as in IE8 after deleting cached pages…so if it does not work, delete temporary internet files, restart the browser and try again.

So if you want to add a favicon to your WordPress installation, go ahead and get it done!  It’s a simple way to dress up your website.

Wikipedia Entry on Favicons MSDN Entry on Favicons

Review of the Samsung Series 830 256GB SSD Part 2 – The 6Gb/s SATA Test

Recently we reviewed the Samsung Series 830 SSD connected to a 3Gb/s SATA connection. Now we have the second review which specifically looks at connecting the SSD to a 6Gb/s SATA connection.

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The Samsung SSD 830 Series boasts superior random read speeds (up to 80,000 IOPS) and faster sequential read and write speeds (up to 520 MB/s & 400 MB/s respectively). It’s the ideal solution for your everyday computing needs, such as web browsing, document creation, viewing or editing multimedia files, playing PC games, etc.

Samsung’s first entry into the world of SSD’s came earlier in the year with the the Series 470 SSD, which we loved. Now, it’s time to introduce it’s successor – the Series 830 SSD.

As the world’s #1 DRAM, NAND Flash, and SSD supplier, Samsung has unique, industry-leading engineering resources, technologies, and manufacturing processes as well as more stringent quality and testing standards. All Samsung SSDs are designed and built completely in-house, rather than sourcing generic parts from the market. The Samsung SSD 830 Series is optimized for exceptional, sustained performance and unrivalled reliability through its specially-engineered wear-levelling and garbage collection algorithms.

There are 4 different models – the 64GB, 128GB, 256GB and the whopping 512GB. There are also 3 different kits – the basic kit (which comes with the SSD, a full version of Norton Ghost 15.0, software and manuals), the laptop installation kit (with comes the same as the basic kit plus a mounting space and SATA data and power cable) and the desktop installation kit (with comes the same as the basic kit plus a 3.5” bracket with screws and SATA data and power cables).

For this review we have the 256GB drive basic kit version.

SSDs

Solid State Drives, or SSDs, are innovative data storage devices that deliver high performance, reliability, and quality by using NAND Flash memory instead of the magnetic disks used in traditional Hard Disk Drives (HDDs). SSDs provide very fast PC booting and application loading speeds and perform exceptionally well in multi-tasking environments – all while consuming less power, emitting very little heat, producing no noise, and offering outstanding stability compared to conventional HDDs.

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Specifications

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AVA Media Release Zara Ripping Server

AVA Media have released a new ripping server made from a single piece of aluminium – she is called Zara.

Zara 2

The new Zara ripping server has been optimized for audio ripping and storage and is ready to serve network playback devices such as the Linn DS and many other network audio players. All data is duplicated on another internal disk ensuring integrity.

The newly designed Zara is created from a single piece of aerospace grade aluminium. Precision engineered in our own factory to exacting standards, the Zara will fit perfectly with any high end audio system.

Zara 1

Features
  • Near silent operation (<9dBA)
  • 2x 1TB hard disks pre-installed
  • Very low power consumption (approx 22W)
  • Low profile – 338(W) x 224(D) x 55(H)mm
  • Extremely high quality seamless chassis
  • Very simple to use – just insert CD
  • Lifetime subscription to premium meta data
  • Designed, made and supported from UK!!
Learn from the AVA Media website

StableBit Scanner 2.0 for Windows Home Server 2011 Beta Updated to 2.0.0.1168

StableBit Scanner 2.0 for Windows Home Server 2011 is now available in beta and has been updated to version 2.0.0.1168.

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An advanced hard disk surface scanner, monitor and more.

Monitors all your hard drives and ensures that every bit holding your precious data is readable.

2.0.0.1168 ———-

* Disk usage tree map (still a bit rough).

* Standby command in drive context menu.

* Standby timer control. * Display idle unload capability.

* Display power state of drives in a new column.

Download the latest beta version from here

Plextor Launch M2P Series Solid State Drive with True Speed Technology

Plextor are expanding their existing quality SSD range with the launch of the M2P Series SSD with ‘True Speed’ technology, providing speedy and sustained levels of high performance to users.

M2P-01(1)

Plextor aims to create SSD products that achieve the best-in-class performance across realistic tests, which are efficient in every application and run at sustained speeds for their entire lifetime. The M2P Series, a successor to the M2S series announced earlier this year, is a 2.5” internal solid state drive (SSD) which meets this vision, with improved random and sequential performance.

With advanced firmware ensuring that speed and reliability keeps consistent throughout the product lifespan, the M2P Series remains close to the promised performance even after years of continuous use, making it a preferable choice for consumers and businesses who want to make sure essential data is secure and safe.

The launch of the M2P series – the second SSD this year from Plextor – demonstrates the company’s focus and dedication towards the SSD industry. With the storage market ever growing, SSDs continue to complement existing systems alongside HDD in the short and mid-term and in the longer term may replace them entirely to host the OS and working environment as a stable and faster solution to HDD. With the cost difference decreasing, SSDs are fast becoming seen as essential upgrades by many technology experts.

Key Features:

* 2.5” Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

* True Speed Technology for sustained performance over time

* Improved random read and write speeds of 70,000 / 65,000 IOPS

* Uses server-grade Marvell 88SS9174 controller chip

* Supports SATA III 6Gb/s interface and highest quality Japanese NAND flash

* Boasts lowest average annual failure rate (AFR) across industry

* Bundles free upgrade software and 3.5” bracket for HDD to SSD conversion

* Unrivalled 3 year on-site warranty and service support

M2P Series offers sustained stability and performance with True Speed:

Many SSD manufacturers convey speeds reflecting compressed data in a simulated benchmark test, however in reality the performance is much lower since many formats of data (JPEG, MP3 etc) are already compressed. In addition, many benchmark tests are completed on an empty drive – and whilst the drive will provide the expected performance whilst empty, it will drop significantly after continued use.

What’s more, through extended use and data storage, some SSDs on the market reach a ‘dirty’ state over time, and some users have found a significant performance drop after 2-3 months as a result.

The Plextor M2P Series is different to other SSDs on the market and offers ‘True Speed’ technology – a welcome solution to these issues which utilises exclusive firmware to deliver stability and consistency and avoiding any loss in performance over time.

Instant Restore, Global Wear Levelling and Bad Block Management are three intelligent features which work together to make up ‘True Speed’ technology and ensure that users can experience high speeds and the promised performance levels consistently throughout the lifespan of the drive.

Improved read and write speeds with advanced controller technology:

The M2P Series offers improved read and write speeds to its predecessor (M2S Series), with random read and write speeds of 70,000 / 65,000 IOPS and sequential read and write speeds of up to 500MB/s and 440MB/s.

Powered by the server-grade Marvell 88SS9174 controller chip, the M2P supports the latest generation SATA III 6Gb/s interface and the highest quality Japanese NAND flash from industry leader Toshiba.

Stringent factory tests ensure the highest quality:

Speed and performance are not the only aspects which Plextor pay close attention to. Quality and service are also high priority, and the M2P Series SSDs undergo a number of stringent tests before they leave the factory, some of which are the highest standard in the industry.

Such tests include 22.5 hours of 60 degree celcius burn-in tests, Ongoing Reliability Test (ORT) and being put through the rigours of the industry’s highest level FLEXSTAR(r) testing machine to simulate a real working environment.

As a result, the M2P boast the lowest average annual failure rate (AFR) across the entire industry – a commendable 0.59%.

No-fuss software to help migrate from HDD to SDD:

The M2P Series bundles Acronis True Image Software, making it quick, easy and fuss-free to migrate data from a traditional HDD to the M2P Series SSD. The process clones the entire partition/drive, ensuring no data is lost during the upgrade and even eliminating the need to re-install the operating system.

The M2P Series also bundles a bracket which enables users to install the SSD inside 3.5” slots of desktop casings.

Exceptional warranty and service to offer complete peace of mind:

Plextor offers phone support across Europe in 11 languages with local phone numbers for users to dial, with additional email and website support.

Unlike many others of its kind, the M2P SSD offers an added level of reassurance with the Plextor ‘Fast Warranty Service’ – a 3 year on-site warranty across the EU, Norway and Switzerland (1 year elsewhere), enabling users to arrange repairs of non-working products directly with Plextor – so users can feel secure in the knowledge that this must-have device is covered for longer, and avoid the hassle of returning goods to the retailer/third party.

Pricing, Availability & Specifications:

The M2P will be launching in Europe and UK in October 2011. Pricing is as follows:

PX-128M2P (128GB) – Approx £200 inc VAT

PX-256M2P (256GB) – Approx £383 inc VAT

M2P-02(1) Retail Box 256GB

Ceton Diagnostic Media Center Plugin Beta Released

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If you are using a Ceton tuner card with Media Center, Centon have just released a plugin that provides diagnostic data from within Media Center.

ceton-diag-1-300x236

The plugin is currently in beta and is included in the latest InfiniTV drivers package.

Download:

Ceton InfiniTV Installer (1.5.4295.11-20111005)

Changelog:

  • 1.5.4295.11: Integrated Network Tuners into installer. Added Media Center app for Diagnostics.
  • 1.3.0.2: Fixes for using multiple InfiniTVs with multiple Tuning Adapters
  • 1.3.0.0: Allow for silent installation with “/S” flag
  • 1.2.0.9: Fix crash in diagnostic tool. Improve discovery time
  • 1.2.0.5: Resign drivers with non-expired cert. Fixes for bluescreens in tight memory situations. Fixes for handling multiple InfiniTV’s with Tuning Adapters.

via: DMZ