What is Windows Home Server?

Happy 30th Birthday to the Commodore 64

News
Tech

Andrew Edney

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Aug 2, 2012

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When I was a kid I had a ZX Spectrum – our arch rival was the Commodore 64, and yesterday it turned 30!

The Commodore 64 made it’s debut at CES and it took until the Autumn to actually get released.

This is what Wikipedia say about it:

The Commodore 64, commonly called C64, C=64 (after the graphic logo on the case) or occasionally CBM 64 (for Commodore Business Machines), or VIC-64, was an 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International.

Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$ 595.Preceded by the Commodore VIC-20 and Commodore PET, the C64 took its name from its 64 kilobytes (65,536 bytes) of RAM, and had favourable sound and graphical specifications when compared to contemporary systems such as the Apple II, at a price that was well below the circa US$ 1200 demanded by Apple.

During the C64’s lifetime, sales totalled between 12.5 and 17 million units, making it the best-selling single personal computer model of all time. For a substantial period of time (1983–1986), the C64 dominated the market with between 30% and 40% share and 2 million units sold per year, outselling the IBM PC compatibles, Apple Inc. computers, and Atari 8-bit family computers. Sam Tramiel, a later Atari president and the son of Commodore’s founder, said in a 1989 interview “When I was at Commodore we were building 400,000 C64s a month for a couple of years.”

Part of its success was because it was sold in retail stores instead of electronics stores. Commodore produced many of its parts in-house to control supplies and cost. It is sometimes compared to the Ford Model T automobile for its role in bringing a new technology to middle-class households via creative mass-production.

Approximately 10,000 commercial software titles were made for the Commodore 64 including development tools, office productivity applications, and games. C64 emulators allow anyone with a modern computer, or a compatible video game console, to run these programs today. The C64 is also credited with popularizing the computer demoscene and is still used today by some computer hobbyists.

Did you have a Commodore 64? Share some of your memories with us by leaving a comment below.

Review of the HTC One S Android smartphone

Andrew Edney

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Aug 2, 2012

0

Review of the HTC One S Android smartphone

Over the last few weeks I have had the opportunity to test a few different smartphones, and so it’s time to the review the HTC One S Android Ice Cream Sandwich powered smartphone.

HTC One S boasts a head-turning design on our thinnest phone yet. With beauty both inside and out, our new display delivers a rich viewing experience like you’ve never seen before. You’ll love the camera that captures every moment (even in low light) with crisp, vivid, beautiful photos.

Specifications

What’s in the Box?

We didn’t have the full retail box, so what we got was the HTC One S, a set of earphones and a charger.

A Closer Look

The phone has three buttons on the front – I just spent a few weeks using a Samsung Galaxy S3 so it took me a little time to get used to the buttons being the other way around on this phone.

Game Review: Spy vs Spy for the iPad

Andrew Edney

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Aug 1, 2012

0

Robots and Pencils, together with First Star Software, Inc. and Warner Bros. have launched Spy vs Spy for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, featuring the famous Black and White spies from DC Entertainment’s MAD Magazine with online and local multiplayer matches, 16 new embassies (plus the original 8), and a pixel perfect retro mode as well as a modern mode.

Based on the original “Spy vs Spy” game, the iOS title brings back all the humour, action and fisticuffs that made the original an all-time, multi-million-unit-selling hit.

This modern update takes the original gameplay as designed, developed, and published by First Star Software in 1984 for the Apple II, Atari 400/800 and Commodore 64, and adds HD visuals; support of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Apple’s GameCenter as well as four remixes of the original music and many other new features.

Spy vs Spy features:

· Online + Local Multiplayer Support – sabotage and intrigue included.

· 16 Brand New Embassies – for a total of 24.

· Play alone in Custom Matches for all 24 embassies, each with 5 levels of difficulty – you select the IQ of the opposing spy.

· Retina graphics for the new iPad and iPhone.

· New, full screen club-to-club Combat in Modern mode.

· Modern & Retro game modes – both featuring Simulvision™, Simulplay™ and your very own Trapulator™.

· 5 types of Booby-Traps – play as the famous Black and White spies from MAD Magazine.

· Integrated Game Center Leaderboards and Achievements.

· Includes the original theme music plus 4 new remixes.

· Universal app – play on iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch

The Retro mode is fun – I remember playing it on my trusty Spectrum, many, MANY years ago and it really brought back memories.

Basically you can’t go wrong for $0.99 and it’s a lot of fun! The addition of Retina graphics really make a difference too.

The gameplay can get a little frustrating at time, but that’s half the fun with Spy vs Spy. If you want to relive some of your childhood, and have a fun time, go get Spy vs Spy now.

Spy vs Spy is now available on the iTunes App Store: http://itunes.apple.com/app/spy-vs-spy/id514737089

Have you played it? Tell us what you think by leaving a comment below.

Crucial introduces the v4 Solid State Drive range for older systems

Andrew Edney

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Aug 1, 2012

0

Crucial introduces the v4 Solid State Drive range for older systems

Crucial has introduced a new range of Solid State Drives (SSDs) called the V4 range designed to provide SATA 2 (3Gb/s) Systems with Enhanced Start-Up Times, Transfer Speeds, and Durability.

The Crucial v4 SSD offers read speeds up to 230MB/s and write speeds up to 190MB/s, enabling faster start-up times, faster application downloads, faster transfer data speeds, and increased reliability compared to traditional hard drives. The v4 SSD joins the m4 SSD and Adrenaline Solid State Cache Solution to round out the award-winning Crucial SSD portfolio.

Leveraging the industry-leading memory, design, and manufacturing capability of Micron Technology, Inc., the Crucial v4 SSD is backed by a three-year limited warranty, and is compatible with both PC and Mac systems.

Available in 32GB, 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB capacities with MSRPs of £31.99, £44.99, £63.99, and £122.99 respectively, the Crucial v4 SSD can be purchased now from www.crucial.com/uk.

Celebrate London with Jubilee and London Souvenir Coasters

Andrew Edney

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Aug 1, 2012

0

Celebrate London with Jubilee and London Souvenir Coasters

This year is rather important to London and the UK – we had the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, and we also have the 2012 Olympics. To celebrate that there are a number of items available to show the Pride of London including some Jubilee and London souvenir coasters.

The coasters are UK made, quality cork-backed drinks mats; mementos that can be used every day.

There are lots to choose from, including coasters featuring the official Jubilee logo, normally restricted Royal crests & marks and also London landmarks such as Buckingham Palace and Big Ben.

These coasters are available now from Play.com and Amazon.co.uk, and retail for £2.25 so they really won’t break the bank!

Learn more about the range from the Coaster Company website Celebrate London with Revell’s London Bus and Taxi model kits

Windows Store Now Open for Paid Apps

Microsoft

Jim McCarthy

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Aug 1, 2012

0

Earlier today, Microsoft announced that Windows 8 had gone to RTM. In addition, they announced that the Windows Store can now accept paid apps. Read on for details.

We told you about Windows 8 RTM’ing here. Now, we also see that Microsoft has opened up the Windows Store for paid apps. Up until now, developers could only populate free apps in the Windows Store. Here is what they announced:

Starting today, any qualifying business in a supported market can now submit a Metro style app for Windows 8! Companies qualify through account registration, which includes an account verification process.

Just so you know, to upload apps to the Store, you’ll need an RTM build of Windows 8. On August 15, we’ll be making the build available to MSDN subscribers and we’ll have a trial version available via TechNet. (Keep your eyes here and on the Windows 8 app developer blog for more info.) Until then, keep building your apps using the Release Preview, and don’t hesitate to register your company account now—it takes a little time to get a company account verified. Registering now will help ensure you can hit the ground running when the RTM build is released.

If you’re an individual looking to submit apps to the Store, stay tuned—we’ll have more info to share with you soon.

More markets

Not only is the Window Store now open for company accounts, but we’ve also taken a significant step forward toward our goal of providing a truly global Store – both for developers and for customers looking for great apps. At each major milestone – Consumer Preview and Release Preview – we’ve increased language and market support. With this latest release, this trend continues with more catalogs and app submission languages, as well as increased localization of our developer experience.

Today, we add 54 new markets to our list of distinct catalog offerings, giving developers more specific market opportunities and more chances to provide truly relevant apps to customers.

We’ve also added 24 new app certification languages, bringing our total to 38 app submission languages and more than doubling the number we supported in the Release Preview. Developers can, of course, also choose to make their apps also available in other languages beyond those used for app certification, so that they’ll be available in other Windows Store app catalogs. We’re excited to expand that number and give developers more language choices for submission and publication in the Store.

The developer dashboard is now available in an additional 11 languages, allowing you to choose the language you want for submitting apps, checking the certification process, and viewing analytics. And, as we noted at previous milestones, we will keep expanding.

Paid apps

Previous posts described how to implement trials, paid apps and in-app purchases. Transaction support is now enabled, and registered developers can submit paid apps to the Store, including in-app purchases.

The Application Developer Agreement (ADA) has been updated to reflect the financial details we announced back at our Store Preview event: the base Store fee is 30% of revenue for any transactions occurring through our transaction platform; we reduce the fee to 20% for any app that achieves $25,000 USD (or equivalent) in total revenue using our transaction platform, and for the lifetime of that app.

We’re excited to release full transaction support as part of the platform and offer industry-leading economic terms to developers. But we don’t require developers to use our transaction services for their in-app purchases. Favorable economics and flexibility in transaction providers are critical to maximizing the business opportunity for every developer.

Go ahead and read the whole post; there are some new procedures to follow when submitting apps, but you can now load up paid apps into the Windows Store.

Windows Store Blog Post

Windows Server 2012 is Released to Manufacturing

Microsoft

Jim McCarthy

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Aug 1, 2012

0

On the heels of announcing that Windows 8 is RTM, now Microsoft announces the release of Server 2012 to manufacturing. Read on for details.

Microsoft also just announced that Server 2012 has been released to manufacturing. Here is what they said:

Howdy! Today is the day we’ve all been waiting for. I’m proud to announce that Windows Server 2012 has been released to manufacturing. That means the final code is complete and we are delivering it to our hardware and software vendor partners this week. We will also make the software available to our volume licensing customers in the next couple of weeks.

Get out your calendars and free up some time on September 4. That’s when Windows Server 2012 will be generally available for evaluation and purchase by all customers around the world. On that day we will also host an online launch event where our executives, engineers, customers and partners will share more about how Windows Server 2012 can help organizations of all sizes realize the benefits of what we call the Cloud OS. You will be able to learn more about the features and capabilities and connect with experts and peers. You’ll also be able to collect points along the way for the chance to win some amazing prizes. You don’t want to miss it. Visit this site to save the date for the launch event.

On behalf of the Windows Server engineering team, I can tell you it has been a thrill and honor for us to deliver this product. Most importantly, we thank the many thousands of you who have provided your input and guidance throughout the process of designing and building it. So far the hands-on feedback on the product from you, industry analysts and press has been phenomenally positive. I attribute that to the fact that, from the outset, we committed ourselves to building Windows Server 2012 around the needs and goals of our customers and partners. It feels great to ship software that so squarely addresses customer objectives, both in the here and now and in the future.

General availability will be on September 4, 2012, just around the corner.

Server 2012 RTM Blog Post

Windows 8 Is Now Released to Manufacturing

Microsoft

Jim McCarthy

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Aug 1, 2012

1

Microsoft announced today that Windows 8 has been RTM’d. Read on for details.

Microsoft announced today that Windows 8 has been released to manufacturing, meaning that hardware partners are now getting the final code to implement into new hardware. Here is what they announced:

Today, I am excited to announce that Windows 8 has been released to manufacturing (RTM)! This means we’ve completed the product development and testing of the product and have started handing off the final code to our OEM partners. They can now begin preparing new Windows 8 PCs and devices they’ll introduce starting with General Availability. For more on RTM, I suggest reading this blog post from Steven Sinofsky on the Building Windows 8 blog.

So when will folks be able to get their hands on the new Windows 8 RTM code?

People will be able get Windows 8 starting on October 26^th either by upgrading for $39.99 or on a new PC or device. And if you buy an eligible Windows 7 PC today, you will be able to purchase an upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for $14.99 (U.S.) through the Windows Upgrade Offer.

However, we have a number of programs that provides various audiences early access to the Windows 8 RTM code to help prepare for Windows 8 as it enters the marketplace this fall:

August 15th: Developers will be able to download the final version of Windows 8 via your MSDN subscriptions.

August 15th: IT professionals testing Windows 8 in organizations will be able to access the final version of Windows 8 through your TechNet subscriptions.

August 16th: Customers with existing Microsoft Software Assurance for Windows will be able to download Windows 8 Enterprise edition through the Volume License Service Center (VLSC), allowing you to test, pilot and begin adopting Windows 8 Enterprise within your organization.

August 16th: Microsoft Partner Network members will have access to Windows 8.

August 20th: Microsoft Action Pack Providers (MAPS) receive access to Windows 8.

September 1st: Volume License customers without Software Assurance will be able to purchase Windows 8 through Microsoft Volume License Resellers.

Please note: if a program you are in is not mentioned, please be patient as dates for Windows 8 RTM code availability for other programs will be communicated when the information becomes available.

For more information on what the RTM of Windows 8 means for businesses including Volume License customers, see this blog post from Erwin Visser on the Windows for your Business Blog. This post, also from Erwin, on how Windows 8 will work in your business is also a good post to read.

On August 15^th, developers will be able to visit the Windows Dev Center to get access to all the tools and resources they need including the final build of Visual Studio 2012 to design, build, and sell apps in the Windows Store. Keep your eyes on the Windows Store for developers blog and Windows 8 app developer blog for more information. I am super excited to see the kinds of apps developers build for Windows 8! If you have the Windows 8 Release Preview installed, you can already check out some apps developers have created for Windows 8 today.

In the meantime, if you’d like to give a pre-release version of Windows 8 a test-run, feel free to download the Windows 8 Release Preview! You can also read about my personal experience with the Windows 8 Release Preview here (hint: I put it on all my PCs!).

Good news! Windows 8 is on track for October 26th general availability.

Windows 8 RTM Blog Post

DVBLogic giving DVBLink EPG Loader EpgData.com away for free

Andrew Edney

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Aug 1, 2012

0

Today DVBLogic announced that they are giving away their DVBLink EPG Loader for EpgData.com for free.

Here is what they said:

This is a very special announcement for DVBLink users!

As a part of our new promotional campaign we give away DVBLink EPG Loader for EpgData.com for free!

Yes, you read it right! Just download DVBLink EPG Loader for EpgData.com product, install it and activate with your regular DVBLink license portal credentials.

Try it! With high-quality EPG data from EpgData.com your TV experience will be even more enjoyable.

The installers can be downloaded from the main page of the website www.dvblogic.com.

Hitman: Sniper Challenge PC version now available

Gaming
News

Andrew Edney

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Aug 1, 2012

0

Hitman: Sniper Challenge PC version now available

IO Interactive A/S, a Square Enix studio, today announces the launch of the HITMAN: SNIPER CHALLENGE PC version. An exclusive standalone pre-order sniper experience available to play from the moment customers pre-order their copy of HITMAN: ABSOLUTION.

For the past few months, players all over the world have been competing for the top leaderboard spots, to see who the ultimate sniper assassin is on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Now it’s time for all PC marksmen to scope, score and come back for more.

“IO is fully committed to delivering a PC version of Hitman: Absolution that lives up to the high standards of our PC community,” said Jon Brooke, Brand Director of the Hitman Franchise. “Hitman: Sniper Challenge will give them a first taste of what’s to come.”

And if you happen to win the challenge? Well, you will be in a future Hitman game.

I will be trying the PC version later today – my scoring can’t be worse that it was on the Xbox!

Square Enix plans to showcase the PC version of Hitman: Absolution for the first time at Gamescom 2012 in Cologne Germany.

HITMAN: ABSOLUTION is scheduled for global release on November 20^th 2012 for the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows PC. Developed by IO Interactive A/S, a Square Enix studio, HITMAN: ABSOLUTION is not yet rated.

Have you played it yet? If so, tell us what your score was.

Amazon Instant Video App Now Available for iPad

Apple
News

Andrew Edney

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Aug 1, 2012

0

Amazon Instant Video App Now Available for iPad

Amazon.com today introduced the Amazon Instant Video App for iPad, enabling customers to stream or download Amazon Instant Video movies and TV episodes from their video library directly on their iPad. The app also makes more than 20,000 titles from Prime Instant Video available to Prime members to stream instantly on their iPad at no additional cost.

Amazon Instant Video is now playing on your iPad. Videos you’ve purchased or rented are already available on your iPad. If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you can also stream titles from the entire Prime Instant Video library.

Amazon Prime: Amazon Prime members have unlimited access to over 20,000 Prime Instant Videos at no additional cost.
Your Video Library: Your video purchases and rentals are available in Your Video Library on your iPad. Purchased or rented videos can be downloaded directly to your iPad so you can watch when and where you want, even without an internet connection.
Shop from Your iPad: You can now shop Amazon’s library of over 120,000 movies and TV episodes from your iPad’s Safari web browser. Once you purchase or rent a video it will show up in Your Video Library on your iPad in seconds.
Your Watchlist: Your Watchlist helps you keep track of the movies and TV episodes you want to view later. You can add favorites and new discoveries to your list – then come back anytime to watch instantly.

Get the app now for free.

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

Happy 30th birthday to the Dragon 32 computer

News
Tech

Andrew Edney

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Aug 1, 2012

0

Happy 30th birthday to the Dragon 32 computer

This year marks a number of 30th birthdays for computers and now it’s the turn of the Dragon 32.

For those of you who have never heard of the Dragon 32, this is a section from it’s Wikipedia page:

In the early 1980s, the British home computer market was booming. New machines were released almost monthly. In August 1982, Dragon Data joined the fray with the Dragon 32; the Dragon 64 followed a year later. The computers sold quite well initially and attracted the interest of several independent software developers, most notably Microdeal. A magazine, Dragon User also began publication shortly after the machine’s launch.

In the private home computer market, where games were a significant driver, the Dragon suffered due to its graphical capabilities, which were inferior to contemporary machines such as the Sinclair ZX Spectrum and BBC Micro.

The Dragon was also unable to display lower-case letters easily. Some more sophisticated applications would synthesise them using high-resolution graphics modes (in the same way that user-defined characters would be designed for purely graphical applications such as games). Simpler programs just managed without lower case. This effectively locked it out of the then-blooming educational market.

As a result of these limitations, the Dragon was not a commercial success, and Dragon Data collapsed in June 1984.

I never owned a Dragon 32, but I played with them quite a lot at our local computer shop when I was a kid.

Did you have a Dragon 32? Share your memories by leaving a comment below.

Google delays the launch of the Nexus Q

Andrew Edney

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Aug 1, 2012

0

Google today announced that it was delaying the launch of it’s Nexus Q music streaming device.

The Nexus Q was supposed to have launched in July, but it had received some mixed reviews.

Google have now said that they plan on making it better and for all those who pre-ordered one, they will get a Dev one for free, which is what visitors to the Google I/O conference received.

Did you pre-order one? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Android 4.0 is coming to the Raspberry Pi

Andrew Edney

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Aug 1, 2012

1

Android 4.0 is coming to the Raspberry Pi

There is lots happening in the world of the Raspberry Pi, and this includes getting Android 4.0 to run on it!

This is what Liz posted on the Raspberry Pi blog today:

Naren has been working on a port of Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) to Raspberry Pi, and as you can see from the screenshots and video below, he’s been making great progress. Hardware-accelerated graphics and video have been up and running smoothly for some time; AudioFlinger support is the only major missing piece at the moment.

This implementation uses a different kernel and VideoCore binary image from the one available on GitHub, which is why we’ve been keeping quiet about it so far. We’re investigating the feasibility of converging the two code lines to produce a single common platform as soon as we can, at which point we hope to release the sources for you to play with.

Looks interesting….

There is also a video below:

Let us know what you think of this by leaving a comment below.

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