Microsoft’s Hyper-V coming to Windows 8

John Keller
-
7
Microsoft’s Hyper-V coming to Windows 8

image

image

Introduction

Hyper-V is the 2nd generation of Microsoft’s Virtualization Server Technology of its predecessor Virtual Server 2005 that was originally introduced in September of 2004 which was supported on Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows Server 2003 Host Platform Operating Systems (X86 and X64 CPU Architecture). Hyper-V was released in June – July time frame of 2008 as an add-on with certain x86-64 editions of Windows Server 2008 and the finalized version was released through Windows Update. Unlike Virtual Server 2005, Hyper-V requires a 64-bit system that has the current generation of 64-bit processors by Intel & AMD (For Intel Pentium Dual Core or Higher and AMD 64 X2 Series). You’ll also need a 64-bit version of Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard, Enterprise, Data Center Editions and when released Windows 8. Windows Server 2008 32 bit editions, IA64 editions, along with Web and Foundation editions of Windows Server 2008 are not supported. The target hardware will also need at a minimum of at least 4GB (8GB Recommended) of RAM. Hyper-V does support creation of both 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems in the VMs. Since Hyper-V initial release it is now has a free Stand-Alone Version like its predecessor and has been upgraded to Release 2 (R2) Status.

About Hyper V

Hyper-V’s dynamic memory allows memory needed by the VM to be allocated and de-allocated dynamically (you specify a minimum and maximum) and share unused memory between VMs. You can run 3 or 4 VMs on a machine that has 4GB of RAM.

As for user experience with VMs, Windows provides two mechanisms to peek into the Virtual Machine: the VM Console (Very Similar to the VM Console in Virtual Server 2005) and the Remote Desktop Connection.

The VM Console (also known as VMConnect) is a console view of the VM. It provides a single monitor view of the VM with resolution up to 1600×1200 in 32-bit color. This console provides you with the ability to view the VM’s booting process. However, this can be very limited in user’s experience of the Virtual Machine.

For a richer experience, you can connect to the VM using the Remote Desktop Connection (RDC). With RDC, the VM takes advantage of capabilities present on your physical PC. For example, if you have multiple monitors, then the VM can show its graphics on all these monitors. Similarly, if you have a multipoint touch-enabled interface on your PC, then the VM can use this interface to give you a touch experience. The VM also has full multimedia capability by leveraging the physical system’s speakers and microphone. The Host OS (i.e. the main Windows OS that’s managing the VMs) can also share its clipboard and folders with the VMs. And finally, with RDC, you can also attach any USB device directly to the VM.

For storage, you can add multiple hard disks to the IDE or SCSI controllers available in the VM. You can use Virtual Hard Disks (.VHD or .VHDX files) or actual disks that you pass directly through to the virtual machine. VHDs can also reside on a remote file server, making it easy to maintain and share a common set of predefined VHDs across a team. Hyper-V VMs also have the ability to use attached ISCSI Disk connectivity.

Hyper-V’s “Live Storage Move” capability helps your VMs to be fairly independent of the underlying storage. With this, you could move the VM’s storage from one local drive to another, to a USB stick, or to a remote file share without needing to stop your VM.

Another great feature of Hyper-V is the ability to take snapshots (Something that was not available in Virtual Server 2005) of a virtual machine while it is running. A snapshot saves everything about the virtual machine allowing you to go back to a previous point in time in the life of a VM, and is a great tool when trying to debug tricky problems. At the same time, Hyper-V virtual machines have all of the manageability benefits of Windows. Windows Update can patch Hyper-V components, so you don’t need to set up additional maintenance processes. And Windows has all the same inherent capabilities with Hyper-V installed.

As with any other Virtualization product, features or applications that depend on specific hardware will not work well in a VM. For example, games or applications that require processing with GPUs (without providing software fallback) might not work well.

Why Bring Hyper-V into Windows 8 ?

Whether you are a software developer, an IT administrator, or simply an enthusiast, many of us need to run multiple operating systems, usually on many different machines. Not all of us have access to a full suite of labs to house all these machines, and so virtualization can be a space, money, and time saver.

In building Windows 8 Microsoft worked to enable Hyper-V that has been part of the last 2 releases of Windows Server (2008 and 2008 R2), to function on the client OS as well. So for Many of Small business and Home Consumers that cannot afford that hefty price tag for the big enterprise server operating systems making it available to in a client based operating systems like the upcoming Windows 8 help meets Microsoft’s Consumers Needs.

Hyper-V enables developers and the small business consumers to easily maintain multiple test environments and provides a simple mechanism to quickly switch between these environments without incurring additional hardware costs. For example, old versions of Internet Explorer to support web developers or running an obsolete application your business still depends on a Virtual Machine that runs on the operating system that will support the applications functionality. You also know that many of use virtualization to try out new things without risking changes to your own Network Environment that you do not want to accidently try on your working PC or Server but safely know if you screw something up that there are no consequences to pay.

In closing, I think Microsoft is making the right step incorporating their server virtualization technology in their next release of their Client/Desktop Operating System. This will help close the loop between their Enterprise and Small Business/Home office Consumers in Microsoft’s arsenal of varying products. This will also give Microsoft the competitive edge with VMware’s Workstation desktop virtualization appliance. Just think why a consumer would pay $190 dollars to put something on a Windows OS when starting with Windows 8 you can almost get the same product advantages for free with your Business or small Office Client OS. Granted $190 dollars is not that bad of a price tag for most people but for those IT Departments or even Home Office consumers that are pinching pennies Hyper-V maybe the most cost effective way to go in choosing what type Virtualization to go with, especially if it offers almost the same services as VMware Workstation.

Guest Operating Systems Legality

It is the responsibility of the user to obtain the legal licenses and genuine copies of any operating system that is used for the Virtual Machine on the Virtual Appliance. Even if the OS is not being installed on a physical machine the same legal rights do apply to all virtualized Guest Operating Systems.

Acknowledgements

I want to give a special thanks to our own Jim McCarthy from our UWHS staff in bringing this new addition into Microsoft’s next version of their Client/Desktop Operating System Windows 8 to my attention. I would also like to give a big thanks to Mr. Steven Sinofsky over at MDSN for his article breaking the news of Hyper-V making its way into Windows 8, much of what I wrote here is based on that article.

References

Virtual Server 2005 R2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_Server_2005_R2

Hyper-V http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyper-V

The Digital Lifestyle Show #319 – Windows Media Center is in Windows 8, hooray

Andrew Edney
-
0
The Digital Lifestyle Show #319 – Windows Media Center is in Windows 8, hooray

This weeks Digital Lifestyle Show has just been released – its show 319.

DLS Show

Here’s what Ian says about this week show:

Welcome to show 319, we have a packed show for you this week. We have a great voicemail from Rich McAdams asking for help with audio problems, we talk about Windows Media Center being confirmed in Windows 8, Mediaroom 2.0, Freeview HD IPTV, Apple to launch a TV? Amazon tablet, Media Center addins, PowerDVD updates, Tranquil PC bare bones and of course the top story of the week Sainsburys iPad trolleys!

You can listen to or download the show from here.

HP TouchPad Availability Update

Jim McCarthy
-
0
HP TouchPad Availability Update

Today, HP emailed me with an update about the HP TouchPad tablet.  Read on for details!

TouchPad_edm

HP emailed information about availability of the TouchPads that I ordered for myself and my father.  I was lucky enough to get an order in before the HP Small Business Store cut off orders on August 22nd.  Here is the text of the email that HP sent to me:

HP Small and Medium Business Customer,
Thank you for your interest in webOS and the HP TouchPad – the response to our price reduction has been overwhelming – both in terms of volume and in the energy and enthusiasm it has generated in our customers.

It has taken us longer than anticipated to work through the high volume of orders that were received. We apologize for any uncertainty this caused, but we are now in a position to understand our ability to fulfill your order.

Your order will be fulfilled at the discounted price. However, we do not have enough stock to satisfy your order at this time. It will take 6-8 weeks to build enough HP TouchPads to meet our current commitments, during which time your order will then ship from this stock with free ground shipping. You will receive a shipping notification with tracking number once your order has shipped. We apologize that these timelines are longer than indicated on the website at time of purchase.
At the significantly reduced price, the HP TouchPad does not qualify for our standard 30 day return policy and is not returnable.

If this delay is not acceptable, please send an email to TouchPadCancel@hp.com with your instructions for cancellation within a week. Be sure to include your HP order number and the name and ship-to address on the order. Also please indicate clearly if this is the only order requiring cancellation or if you wish all orders in your name to be canceled. You will receive an automated cancel notification when your order cancellation request has been processed. Please be aware, however, that cancellations cannot be reversed, and our US SMB store has sold out of HP TouchPad and will not make any further available for sale.

We are pleased that we will be able to fulfill your order and look forward to you joining the exciting community of webOS!

Sincerely,
Your HP Small and Medium Business Team
http://www.hp.com/go/touchpadFAQ

Since HP is cranking up production to meet my order, I’ll have to wait 6-8 weeks before I’ll get my units, but at least I’ll be getting my order filled.  My father will use one unit to get onto the internet and I’ll keep one to be able to support him.

Here is some detail on the Small Business Store orders:

For orders placed after 4am CT on Monday 22nd August, US SMB had already Sold Out of HP TouchPad and had posted this on our SMB webstore. Due to this overwhelming response to webOS, we are unable to fulfill these orders. All of these orders have been canceled. If you saw a reserve hold for the amount of your order on your credit card, no actual charges have been made and this reserve hold will be released now that the order has been cancelled.

If you placed an order prior to 4am CT Monday, August 22, we are working through the large volume of orders, verifying payment details and seeking to source inventory for fulfillment. This process is taking longer than first anticipated. We apologize for any uncertainty this caused, but we are now in a position to understand our ability to fulfill your order.

As long as your order passed all payment verification, your order will be fulfilled. However, we do not have enough stock to satisfy all orders at this time. It will take up to 6-8 weeks to build enough HP TouchPads to meet our current commitments, during which time your order will then ship from this stock with free ground shipping. You will receive a shipping notification with tracking number once your order has shipped. We apologize that these timelines are longer than indicated on the website at time of purchase.

Thanks to HP for striving to fill my order, and I look forward to being able to review this tablet in detail.  Stay tuned for my review in a few months’ time and I’ll also keep you posted on webOS developments as they occur.

HP TouchPad Order FAQ

QNAP TurboNAS Firmware 3.5 Deep Dive Part One: ISCSI Target

Jim McCarthy
-
12
QNAP TurboNAS Firmware 3.5 Deep Dive Part One: ISCSI Target

QNAP recently updated the TurboNAS firmware that they us to version 3.5.  I told you about that here.  One of the interesting features is setting up a ISCSI target to use with virtual machines.  Read on for details!

qnaplogo

This is the first in a series of articles about the Turbo NAS v3.5 firmware.  QNAP was good enough to lend me two units to review and I used a TS-459 Pro+ for this post.  Stay tuned for more on the Turbo NAS over the next week or so.

Here is how QNAP describes ISCSI:

What is iSCSI and how can one benefits from it?

iSCSI, (Internet Small Computer System Interface), an Internet Protocol (IP)-based storage networking standard for linking data storage facilities. By carrying SCSI commands over IP networks, iSCSI is used to facilitate data transfers over intranets and to manage storage over long distances. iSCSI can be used to transmit data over local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), or the Internet and can enable location-independent data storage and retrieval. (quoted from Wikipedia)

An all-in-one storage solution with high ability of expansion and low establishment cost is alway seeked by most SMB storage infrastructure planners who have budget concerns and overall ease of delpoyment. With the iSCSI service on QNAP Turbo NAS it can instantly be served as your storage expansion or backup destination of the application servers, such as database server, mail server, or Time Machine (for Mac OS X 10.5 or later) in the business environment. This article demonstrates how you can use the iSCSI target service on QNAP NAS for storage expansion on different operating systems. See below for the usage scenario.

iscsi-target-s02

This means that you can establish a storage array in a cabinet separate from the main computer and connect to it using ethernet cabling.  That really comes in handy when setting up virtualized solutions as you can set up storage separate from the server and communicate with the storage solution over regular ethernet rather than the expensive cabling that used to be required.

Setting this up is pretty easy.

Log in and you get this screen.

image

Click on Disk Management.

image

Click on ISCSI Target.  Enable the ISCSI target service and note the port used (3260 here).

image

Seagate Announce 4TB GoFlex External Hard Drive

Andrew Edney
-
0
Seagate Announce 4TB GoFlex External Hard Drive

Today Seagate announced a new 4TB GoFlex external hard drive – yes, 4TBs!

goflex-desk-4tb-250x302

Here is the press release:

CUPERTINO, Calif. – September 7, 2011 – Seagate (NASDAQ:STX) today announced it is shipping a new 4TB GoFlex® Desk external hard drive – the highest capacity hard drive in the industry. This latest addition to the GoFlex Family of external hard drives showcases Seagate’s new desktop design. The streamlined industrial design delivers a smaller footprint and better reflects the aesthetic of today’s modern offices while still providing all of the benefits of previous generations of the GoFlex drives. The new 4TB GoFlex Desk drive is now available from http://www.seagate.com and will be available from select online retailers within the month for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $249.99 USD. The entire line of GoFlex Desk products will also adopt the new industrial design in the coming weeks. The GoFlex Desk for Mac external drive featuring both FireWire 800 and USB 2.0 will be available in Apple stores by the end of the month.

“Yet another industry first for Seagate, we have reached a new high-capacity in the 3.5-inch hard drive form factor. At Seagate, we are committed to pushing the limits for our customers and will continue to adapt and innovate our products based on customer needs,” said Patrick Connolly, vice president and general manager of Retail products for Seagate. “This latest GoFlex® Desk drive offering, with its new industry-leading capacity point, is a statement of our continued commitment to meet consumer needs.”

The world’s first 4TB hard drive, Seagate GoFlex Desk, available now for $249.99.

As more of our entertainment and personal data become digitized, the significance of greater access to local storage becomes increasingly more valued. The new GoFlex Desk 4TB drive has the space to contain over 2,000 HD movies. This new GoFlex Desk external drive comes at a time when people are archiving more of their memories in the form of digital photo and video.

“IDC foresees there being an increase in global demand for personal storage capacity driven by the growing creation and acquisition of digitized videos, photos and music,” said Liz Conner, senior research analyst, Storage Systems, IDC.

Debuted in May of 2010, the award-winning GoFlex Family of hard drives provide an alternative approach to external storage solutions by allowing users to change interface adapters to stay current with the latest in interface technology. With USB 3.0 still undergoing adoption and the emergence of Thunderbolt technology in the coming months, the GoFlex adapter concept has been proven as an idea that works and Seagate plans to continue with this design for future iterations of the company’s external hard drives. The GoFlex drives are also Windows and Mac OSX compatible and have the flexibility to go between both operating systems. In addition to cross-platform compatibility, the GoFlex Desk drive can also be utilized with the GoFlex Home adapter if one chooses to use it as a network drive.

With the pre-loaded back up software, the GoFlex Desk external drive provides automatic, continuous back with encryption for all your files. The included USB 3.0 adapter also works with USB 2.0 ports making it easy to connect to your Windows or Mac computer. The adapter also features an illuminated gauge to display available space on the drive.

UWHS Giveaway – Win a Drobo, well TWO Actually – The Winners

Andrew Edney
-
2
UWHS Giveaway – Win a Drobo, well TWO Actually – The Winners

Recently we had our biggest ever UWHS giveaway to win TWO Drobo 2nd Generation 4 Bay devices worth $399.00 each! Now it’s time to finally announce the winners!

Drobo_Front

Drobo 2nd Generation – 4 Bay FW800 & USB 2.0 Storage Array

No Headache Data Redundancy

Drobo utilizes a revolutionary storage technology that makes it simple for anyone to use, yet is powerful enough for business. Once you experience the power of Drobo, the idea of keeping multiple external drives or a RAID 5 array will seem as antiquated as that 28.8Kbps modem in the back of your closet.

Incomparable Expandability

Your library of data grows every moment. Now, your storage solution expands in seconds, too. Drobo holds up to four hard drives, can expand at any time, and supports up to 16TB on a single volume as disk sizes increase. Choose how big you want your Drobo today with any combination of drives capacities.

Note that the 4-bay Drobo does not yet support 3TB drives.

Speed Demon: FireWire 800 & USB 2.0

Why compromise? Safety and accessibility now go hand in hand. Experience Drobo with both FireWire 800 and USB 2.0. It’s the data protection and peace of mind you need with the performance and interface you want.

The Winners

As we said, this was our biggest ever giveaway, and we had the most entries we have ever had as well, which is why it has taken a little while to sort through them all and choose the winners.

The two winners were selected by Drobo, and without further ado, they are:

Rob Vinson

Jason Stevenson

Congratulations guys, Drobo will be in touch with you about your prize.

And a very special thank you to our friends at Drobo!

AVG Release Anti-Virus Software for Windows Phone 7

Andrew Edney
-
3
AVG Release Anti-Virus Software for Windows Phone 7

AVG have released a free Anti-Virus product for Windows Phone 7.

Screen Shot 2011-09-08 at 00.22.04

Here is how AVG describe it:

Combats viruses and malware, which are becoming more and more prominent on the mobile web, as well as providing loss and theft protection through the ability to track and control your smartphone remotely if you should become separated from it is.

Right now there are no known viruses or malware for Windows Phone 7, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t any just around the corner!

Learn more and download from here

Google+ App for iOS Gets Updated to 1.0.3.2124

Andrew Edney
-
0
Google+ App for iOS Gets Updated to 1.0.3.2124

Today saw Google update it’s Google+ app to 1.0.3.2124.

G_thumb

What’s New in Version 1.0.3.2124

  • Support for reshare
  • Bug fixes and performance improvements

Go get it now from the Apple App Store.

 

Watch Windows Small Business Server Essentials has arrived Video

Andrew Edney
-
0
Watch Windows Small Business Server Essentials has arrived Video

Microsoft Canada has just published a video called Windows Small Business Server Essentials has arrived!

Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials

Here are the details of the hour long video:

Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials is an affordable easy-to-use first server solution ideal for small businesses.

Ideal as a first server for small businesses with up to 25 users, Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials provides a cost-effective and easy-to-use solution to help protect client/server data, organize and access business information from virtually anywhere, support the applications needed to run a business, and quickly connect to cloud-based services for e-mail, collaboration and line-of-business applications.

Attend this webinar to see this new server in action.

Join us as we introduce Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials to you.

Agenda for the session:

What is Small Business Server 2011 Essentials and how is it different from the more traditional Small Business Server 2011 Standard?

Demo: Managing Small Business Server 2011 Essentials.

Demo: Understanding extensibility: “add in’s”, “add on’s”, and the cloud.

Hardware Requirements.

Register and watch the video from here And don’t forget my Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials Book

PlayBook Review Update: Road Warrior Edition

Jim McCarthy
-
0
PlayBook Review Update: Road Warrior Edition

A buddy of mine recently took a PlayBook for a few days to test out BlackBerry Bridge and to see if he would carry it while travelling.  Remember that I reviewed the PlayBook here and promised an update.  Here it is!  Read on for his impressions!

PlayBook_onBlack_front

First off, let me tell you a bit about my buddy David.  He is a road warrior.  Now, when I tell you this, I really mean it!  He has had years where he racked up enough frequent flyer miles to be recognized by United Airlines as being in their top 10% of miles earners.  In his current role, he’s as likely to be in Italy, Germany, Belgium, China, South America or India as he is to be in the office.  When he travels, he carries everything on the plane with him and he hates extra weight in his bag.  He is also a longtime BlackBerry user and currently carries a Torch 2 from RIM.  In short, he’s BlackBerry’s target customer for the PlayBook.  He carries an iPad2 for personal use while travelling today, and compared the PlayBook with carrying his iPad2.  With that introduction out of the way, what were his impressions?  Keep in mind that what is written here is all David’s opinion.  I’ve edited his comments some, and added comments as noted by the bracketed content, but the evaluation is his.

Pros:

  • Synchronizing to the phone [he is talking about BlackBerry Bridge] is advantageous vs. a pc for business. Much of what I do is updated on the phone. In many cases I am trying to get away from using a pc at all when traveling. Synching with the phone is good via Bluetooth as it eliminates the need for a wifi connection, which is frequently not available, or requires special charges/fees in airports and hotels.
  • BlackBerry’s system is better aligned to a normal drag and drop for files and is more user friendly vs. the Apple’s app center.
  • Better flexibility for MS products (spreadsheets, Word, PowerPoint).
  • Size is good for planes and fits hand well easy to manage and although small works for business.
  • Flash support in the web browser is a big plus.
  • There is easier access to all data (files etc.) vs. iPad.  [David mentioned that managing content is much easier in his opinion than on the iPad.  Like me, he hates using iTunes to manage content onto his iPad.  While you still use some software to load data onto the PlayBook, it is more streamlined and easier to use in our opinion.]
  • It is a little easier to type on than the iPad.
  • There is good sound from the unit with dual outputs from the front – it is easy to hear.

 

Cons:

  • The screen was really cumbersome to navigate and manipulate. It got a little easier after a few days but changing back and forth between programs was not easy. It would take multiple swipes for response too often to shrink the open program.  [The Playbook uses the bezel as the starting point for touch interaction with the screen.  I also found this to be a little confusing at first.]
  • The touch sensitivity was not good and especially when browsing on the internet. It required several touches to activate buttons when on web sites. This is also where the size came in; because it was smaller, frequently when it did activate, it picked the adjacent item.  [This is a problem with the size.  At 7 inches or so, the screen is small enough to require plenty of zooming when on the web.]
  • It was slower than iPad.
  • The size was smaller than I liked when using it for personal use [primarily web surfing and controlling movie playback].
  • The battery life was marginal.

Conclusion:

My biggest complaint focused around screen issues and lack of sensitivity which was very frustrating during the test usage. I would definitely use the PlayBook for a primary work-focus device and the size is great for travel. That said, most companies do not provide these devices; therefore, people that have them tend to use them heavily for personal uses along with business. BlackBerry seems to have missed that on the size element, which becomes more of an issue on the personal use side of the equation.

The other issue is phones for RIM. Even if I loved the PlayBook, the only way I would buy one is to use it with a BlackBerry phone product. Today, there is not a BlackBerry phone that I would want. The Torch is their flagship and not everyone wants a manual keyboard and a sliding mechanism. RIM products are not fun and lack bells and whistles for personal use. People like myself grew up on RIM products, but they are no longer just ‘work’ tools; they are hybrids, especially as more companies have the user pay for the device.  They are used for work and play and no one wants to maintain two devices.

In the end, David rated this one a 3/5 on the UsingWHS.com scale, Worth a Look.  He really does not think it worth the spend unless you carry a BlackBerry phone, and cautions that the form factor may be too small for easy use while web browsing and controlling video playback.  I have to agree with his overall sentiment.  David, thanks for your time in evaluating the PlayBook for us, and happy travels!

3-Black

My PlayBook Review

StableBit DrivePool Moves to Beta M3 Build 3790

Andrew Edney
-
0
StableBit DrivePool Moves to Beta M3 Build 3790

There has been another beta build from CoveCube! StableBit development marches on – now is build 3790.

600px-Stablebit_drivepool_screen_thu16

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:

1.0.0.3790
———-
* Fixed theme compatibility with StableBit Scanner 2.0.
* Do not fail to start the DrivePool service if can’t start backup service.
A more concrete fix for this is coming later.
* Fixed error in error handling logic when moving non-shared folder (i.e. backup).

Get More Information About the Beta Here Download Stablebit Drivepool build 3790 here

BlackBerry App World 3.0 is now available for BlackBerry smartphone users

Andrew Edney
-
0
BlackBerry App World 3.0 is now available for BlackBerry smartphone users

The BlackBerry App World 3.0 storefront makes discovering and downloading apps, games, and themes easier than ever.

Screen Shot 2011-09-07 at 02.51.58

Users can personalise their BlackBerry smartphone, find the hottest games and entertainment and get apps to stay connected with the people who matter.

New features include:

·         Sleek New Design – The BlackBerry App World experience has been enhanced to help users discover the latest and greatest apps and content, starting right on the BlackBerry App World home screen where rotating spotlight banners show off all that’s new and exciting.
·         New Channels – Apps, Games, and Themes now have their own channels so users can get to what they want even faster.
·         Introduction of My Account – My Account makes managing BBID and payment options easy with direct access to all account information from the home screen.
·         New My World Features – My World gives users a streamlined view of their apps and status, and now at a glance, in addition to seeing which apps are installed and uninstalled, users can manage subscription content and services.  When new updates or subscription renewals are available for apps, users will be notified using push technology.
·         App Social Sharing – When a user finds an app they can’t live without, they can share it directly from the app details screen through BBM, Facebook, Twitter, email and SMS.
·         Evolved App Details Screen – At a glance, users can get a quick summary, check out reviews and star ratings, take a look at screen shots, and more.
·         More Search Options – Quickly find apps with a Search Bar now appearing on the storefront home screen and search results are presented across Channels as well as My World.  Search Bars are also within each Channel and users have the ability to filter by App Name, Price, Rating, Newest, Best Match, or Popular.

BlackBerry smartphone users running BlackBerry OS 5.0+ will see on-device upgrade notifications appear in the coming days.

Synology Launch DiskStation Manager 3.2

Andrew Edney
-
1
Synology Launch DiskStation Manager 3.2

Synology today announced the official release of DiskStation Manager 3.2 (DSM 3.2). In just 40 days, the beta program of DSM 3.2 attracted more than 60,000 downloads, drawing excited users to get their hands on Synology’s latest operating system.

DSM3_2_banner

In just 40 days, the beta program of DSM 3.2 attracted more than 60,000 downloads, drawing excited users to get their hands on Synology’s latest operating system.

“The NAS server’s evolution accelerates with the launch of DSM 3.2,” said Rosiel Lee, product manager of Synology Inc. “DSM 3.2 features a wealth of advances to streamline resources management, integrate new technologies and create a more engaging user experience.”
DSM 3.2 is packed with features which deliver the following values.

Business convergence and management efficiency – Synology’s comprehensive LDAP service incorporates the abilities to create an LDAP directory server and to integrate a DiskStation into users’ existing Mac® or Linux environments for easy account & privilege control. Syslog Server gathers all logs aggregated from multiple devices and facilitates troubleshooting with different types of search criteria. CIFS files in different servers can be shared via the same access portal using Remote Folder. Virtual Drive makes it convenient to mount distributed ISO images onto a DiskStation.

Business’ mobility – DSM mobile realises server management mobility. IT administrators can slide fingers left or right to enable or disable services as well as manage accounts and privileges of DiskStations on their iOS or Android™ devices. DSM 3.2 supports Google Cloud Print™, with which users can print documents from their mobile devices to distantly located printers over the Internet, without installing any drivers.

Rich multimedia experience – The brand new Photo Station 5 features a theme designer for album customisation and accelerates thumbnail generation. Users can strike a balance between their privacy and social life by protecting selected albums with passwords and importing photos to Facebook with support expanded to major file hosting sites, Download Station accelerates file hunting.

Mac-friendly solutions – Synology is among the first in the NAS industry to support Mac® OS X Lion and provides a reliable backup destination for Time Machine®. Surveillance Station has taken the lead by operating on the latest Safari® browser, delivering an easy to deploy and cost effective NVR solution on Mac. Moreover, camera grouping and batch editing as well as common privilege profile grants rapid large scale deployment.

Enhanced user experience – The revamped Package Centre allows users to discover and install latest applications in a snap. Package Centre also makes it easy to update users’ selected applications after they receive desktop or e-mail notifications. DSM 3.2 incorporates advanced HTML5 capabilities and CSS3 style, engaging users through drag-n-drop support in File Browser and Download Station, and allowing them to upload files from their PC desktop. Synology Hybrid RAID makes volume ready for use 95% faster than before.

Availability
Synology DSM 3.2 is free to download for users who own a DiskStation x08 series and onward. Supported models are: DS3611xs, RS3411xs, RS3411RPxs, DS2411+, RS2211+, RS2211RP+, DS1511+, RS411, DS411+II, DS411+, DS411, DS411j, DS411slim, DS211+, DS211, DS211j, DS111, DS1010+, RS810+, RS810RP+, DS410, DS410j, DS710+, DS210+, DS210j, DS110+, DS110j, DS509+, RS409+, RS409RP+, RS409, DS409+, DS409, DS209+II, DS209+, DS209, DS209j, DS109+, DS109, DS109j, DS409slim, RS408, RS408-RP, DS508, DS408, DS108j

The download is available at http://www.synology.com/support/download.php
The live demo site is available at http://www.synology.com/products/dsm_livedemo.php

Parallels Desktop 7 for Mac with Lion Support Released

Andrew Edney
-
6
Parallels Desktop 7 for Mac with Lion Support Released

Today saw the release of Parallels Desktop 7 for Mac, which enables you to run virtual machines on your Mac, including the ability to run Windows. And this version fully supports Lion.

Parallels 7 for Mac box shot

I use Parallels 6 on my Mac at the moment, and I love it. I will be upgrading to 7 shortly.

Here’s a short video:

 

Here is the full announcement:

Renton, WA – September 1, 2011 – Parallels® today announced the September 6th availability of Parallels Desktop® 7 for Mac (www.parallels.com/desktop/seven), the fastest, most intuitive and immersive version yet of the No. 1 selling software for running Windows and Mac applications side-by-side on a Mac without rebooting. Over three million current Parallels Desktop users can upgrade to Parallels Desktop 7 starting today. More than 90 new and enhanced features in Parallels Desktop 7 include Mac OS® X Lion integration, performance boosts and a powerful new Parallels Mobile app and My Parallels services platform for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch devices. Parallels Desktop 7 is packed with features most desired by users, extending its lead as the best solution for businesses and consumers worldwide.

“As Macs have become more popular than ever, a growing number of Mac users, including enterprises, find they need to run critical Windows programs on their Macs. Parallels Desktop 7 for Mac lets you run popular apps like Windows Internet Explorer, Access, OneNote, Quicken and more, even the most demanding graphical programs, without rebooting and without compromise on speed and usability. Run Windows applications like they were made for your Mac,” said Parallels CEO Birger Steen. “The people have spoken and Parallels listened to make the best even better. Whether you’re a business, individual or student, Parallels Desktop 7 gives you the best Windows on Mac performance plus mobility from any iPad, iPhone or iPod touch.”

According to results from more than 4,000 benchmark tests conducted by independent publisher MacTech, Parallels Desktop 6 for Mac outperformed its closest competitor in 92 percent of 3D graphics tests and 84 percent of general performance tests.¹ Parallels Desktop 7 performance is even faster. It outpaces its competitor by 120 percent when copying files within Windows, and 40 percent when starting and resuming Windows, according to testing conducted by Parallels. It is also 60 percent faster than Parallels Desktop 6 for resuming Windows and up to 45 percent faster for 3D graphics in some applications.

Parallels Desktop 7 delivers the most immersive and integrated Windows on Mac experience ever so customers can enjoy the full benefits of the Mac hardware they love. Highlights include:

  • Enjoy Lion functionality including Full Screen, Launch Pad and Mission Control, for your Windows programs
  • Run multiple copies of OS X Lion or Windows and their applications on your Mac
  • Use your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch to watch and listen to Flash videos in Windows on your Mac; access and run your OS X, Windows, Chrome, Ubuntu and other operating systems, their applications and files on your Mac anytime from anywhere
  • Windows on Demand – purchase and automatically install Windows on your Mac right from Parallels Desktop 7 in the U.S. – Parallels does all the work for you!

For people who want to switch from PC to Mac, Parallels also announced the availability of Parallels Desktop 7 Switch to Mac Edition™, which includes Parallels Desktop 7 plus Parallels High Speed USB transfer cable, as well as almost two hours of video tutorials that make it easy to learn how to use your new Mac. Parallels Desktop for Mac Enterprise Edition (www.parallels.com/desktop/enterprise) empowers businesses and IT departments to support Windows based business applications for Mac users with a configurable, policy-compliant solution that easily fits into existing business processes and helps reduce the cost of deploying and maintaining client-based software.

Today Parallels also separately announced (www.parallels.com/press) the new Parallels Mobile app with My Parallels service for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch devices works with Parallels Desktop 7 and is for sale in the App Store on (or shortly after) September 6th. The new Parallels Mobile app lets you remotely access and control both your Mac and Windows applications, and files from anywhere. Its new Windows features include audio support for Flash and the ability to copy and paste text between Windows programs on your Mac and your Apple mobile devices. Details are available at www.parallels.com/mobile.

Parallels Desktop 7 has more than 90 new and improved features including:

Simple Switching, Simple Daily Use

  • You asked for it: New look and feel delivers on top customer requests for usability
  • Make Windows programs roar: Enjoy Lion functionality including Full Screen, Launch Pad and Mission Control, for your Windows programs.
  • Keep your routine: Run Windows programs like they were made for your Mac, with seamless integration, improved virtual printing, shared folders and more.
  • Moving to Mac made easy: Move your programs, files, and user settings – even browser favorites – from your PC to your Mac with a complete set of switching tools. Make your new Mac just as familiar as your old PC.
  • Webcams: Enjoy using your Mac’s iSight or FaceTime HD camera in both OS X Lion and Windows programs
  • Windows on demand: U.S. customers can purchase and automatically install Windows on your Mac right from Parallels Desktop 7 – Parallels does all the work for you²

Speed and Performance

  • Fastest ever: Start, stop and resume Windows more quickly than ever. Access and work faster with Windows and Mac files.
  • Brilliant graphics: Experience Parallels’ maximum speed and performance for 3D and graphic intensive applications with improved full screen support and up to 1GB of video memory
  • Richer audio: Enjoy music, movies, videos and games more than ever before with support for 7.1 surround sound and a new 5.1 sound driver

Mobility and Manageability

  • Get more done: Work or play longer with improved battery life performance
  • Connect anytime, anywhere: Access Mac or Windows applications and documents from your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch with the new Parallels Mobile app – including new capabilities such as audio support and cut-and-paste within Windows applications running on your Mac
  • Flash video with sound on the go: New audio integration with Flash means you can watch and listen to Flash videos on your iPad and iOS devices by remotely running Windows Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player on your Mac with the new Parallels Mobile app
  • Multiple virtual machines: Run multiple copies of OS X Lion or Windows and their applications on your Mac. Easily open virtual machines created by other Parallels products as well import virtual machines created in third-party software.
  • Anti-Virus and Internet Security for both Mac and Windows: Enjoy peace of mind with a free 90-day trial of Kaspersky Anti-Virus for Mac and Kaspersky Internet Security for Windows.

Availability and Pricing
Parallels Desktop 7 for Mac is available today as an upgrade for current Parallels Desktop users. It will be available to the general public, both a downloadable version and packaged software for delivery, from www.parallels.com starting on September 6th. Packaged software will also be available starting September 6th at Apple retail stores, Apple.com, Amazon.com, Best Buy, Fry’s Electronics, MicroCenter and hundreds of other retail locations nationwide.

The standard retail price (SRP) of Parallels Desktop 7 for Mac is $79.99 and a student edition is available for $39.99. Parallels Desktop 7 Switch to Mac Edition is $99.99. Special pricing of $49.99 is available for customers currently using WMware Fusion who want to have a solution that is fully compatible with Lion. Upgrades are available now for existing Parallels Desktop for Mac customers for $49.99. Details are available online at www.parallels.com. Volume pricing and site-license opportunities for Parallels Desktop for Mac Enterprise Edition are available by contacting the Parallels Sales Team athttp://www.parallels.com/desktop/volume-licensing.

Parallels Desktop 7 for Mac is available in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Russian and Japanese. Additional localized versions will soon be available in, simplified and traditional Chinese, Korean, Czech, Polish and Portuguese.

A free trial of Parallels Desktop 7 for Mac is available starting September 6th, along with in-depth information, videos and screenshots of the new features at www.parallels.com/desktop/seven.

Customers who purchased Parallels Desktop 6 for Mac from an authorized reseller on or after August 1, 2011, are eligible to upgrade to Parallels Desktop 7 for Mac at no additional cost. If you purchased from parallels.com or have registered your product activation key you will automatically be emailed instructions on how to upgrade to Parallels Desktop 7 at no additional cost.

The new Parallels Mobile app is available in the App Store on (or shortly after) September 1 with a $4.99 introductory price; the standard retail price is $19.99. Current users of the free Parallels Mobile app will receive a free upgrade to the new Parallels Mobile app when it becomes available by simply updating the Parallels Mobile app on their mobile devices.

1...1,4521,4531,454...1,616Page 1,453 of 1,616