What is Windows Home Server?

Samsung GALAXY S III available now on Three

Andrew Edney

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May 30, 2012

Samsung GALAXY S III available now on Three

The Samsung GALAXY S III is now available on Pay Monthly from all Three stores or online at Three.co.uk.

The Samsung GALAXY S III is inspired by nature and designed for humans. It has a stunning design with gentle curves, is easy to hold and comes in marble white and pebble blue. It’s able to make calls by simply moving the phone towards your ear, tags your Facebook friends automatically after taking a photo and can wake up from the lock screen with a simple voice command. Add to this a screen with stunning clarity and colour, superfast processing and you get an amazing experience all round.

The Samsung GALAXY S III has a large 4.8” HD Super AMOLED screen which brings videos, web pages and games to life. Boasting Samsung’s first quad-core processor, the GALAXY S III is also incredibly speedy, so people won’t be left waiting for their favourite TV programmes to stream or apps to load. In addition to the powerful processor and stunning screen, Samsung’s flagship device has a big battery life too, so people can make the most of this phone and its features.

Nigel Field, Director of Devices at Three said: “From top specs, top design and intuitive features, the Samsung GALAXY S III is an incredibly well thought out smartphone and really does have it all and along with our highly competitive One Plan, we’re confident that customers using the Samsung GALAXY S III on Three will have the best experience.”

The Samsung GALAXY S III is available for free on Three on The One Plan for £34 per month, offering a fear-free mobile internet experience, with a guarantee of no surprise out of bundle data charges.

Check out our hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy S III

TomTom releases Summer map update

Andrew Edney

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May 30, 2012

0

TomTom yesterday releases its Summer map. This latest map update includes road changes and Points of Interest (POI) related to major events across Europe this Summer.

New stadiums, temporary and permanent event venues and park & rides across the UK, Poland and the Ukraine are included. Surrounding areas have been checked and surveyed to ensure complete mapping accuracy around important events.

In total, 1.5 million km of new roads have been added to TomTom’s global map between May 2011 and May 2012. Major map changes include adding 107,000 km of new road networks in Brazil, and updating 12,000 km of motorways in Spain. Maps have been extended to cover greater areas of Mexico, Malaysia and Indonesia. Southern Africa maps now include more unpaved roads in rural areas for better routing and more accurate estimatedtimes of arrival.

“At TomTom, we know how important it is for the maps we provide to our customers to be as accurate as possible and include the latest road network updates,” says Corinne Vigreux, Managing Director of TomTom. “Roads are always changing and this Summer is no exception. TomTom’s latest map update will give the best routes and most accurate directions wherever you are driving.”

TomTom Summer maps are available on all new TomTom devices through the latest map guarantee, or to existing customers through Map Update Service.

Sony talks about Ice Cream Sandwich updates for Xperia Smartphones

Andrew Edney

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May 30, 2012

0

Sony talks about Ice Cream Sandwich updates for Xperia Smartphones

Sony have made a statement about Ice Cream Sandwich updates for it’s Xperia smartphones.

This is what Sony said:

First up, the rollout plans for the Xperia NXT series (Xperia S, Xperia P and Xperia U) are progressing as planned. The first smartphone to be upgraded will be Xperia S, starting from the end of June. Then Xperia P will follow, whilst Xperia U will receive it a little later in Q3. As always we will keep you in the loop with the latest info as soon as we can.

For our 2011 range, as you know, we began our Ice Cream Sandwich software upgrade with Xperia arc S, Xperia ray and Xperia neo V last month.

Now, we are happy to confirm that the remaining 2011 smartphones; Xperia arc, Xperia neo, Xperia mini, Xperia mini pro, Xperia pro, Xperia active and Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman will start to receive their updates starting from next week.*

This software upgrade will be Android version 4.0.4 and the good news is that this latest version will also be made available for Xperia arc S, Xperia ray and Xperia neo V users, who received Android 4.0.3 the first time around.

In regards to Xperia PLAY, after extensive in house testing with our developer teams and working with our partners, we have concluded that a consistent and stable experience, particularly with gaming, cannot be guaranteed for this smartphone on Ice Cream Sandwich – therefore, we will not make the Android 4.0 upgrade available for Xperia PLAY.

This decision was also verified when we received similar feedback from the developer community; both experienced developers and advanced users, along with game content providers following our ICS beta ROM for unlocked Xperia PLAY smartphones.

Our priority has and always will be, to provide the best possible user experience on Xperia smartphones. In this instance the ICS upgrade would have compromised stability, where we look to ensure a quality gaming experience with games optimized and developed for Xperia PLAY.

Have you got an Xperia? Let us know when you get updated.

Microsoft releases Photosynth for Windows Phone

Andrew Edney

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May 30, 2012

0

Microsoft releases Photosynth for Windows Phone

Microsoft has just released it’s Photosynth app for the Window Phone.

Photosynth for Windows Phone is the panorama app that makes it easy and fun to capture and share interactive panoramas of the places, people, and events that are important to you.

Using the latest in computer vision techniques, Photosynth is the acknowledged leader in mobile panorama creation. It is the only app available on any mobile platform that allows you to capture 360 degrees horizontally and vertically, making a perfect “sphere.” Once you’ve created a Photosynth, you can share it as an interactive panorama experience on Facebook and Twitter (using the free Photosynth.net service) or as a simple image.

You can also publish your panoramas to Bing where millions of people will see your panoramas, on Bing Maps and in Bing search results for the places you’ve captured. And check out our featured list, where we show off the best of what you and your fellow users create and share.

Download Photosynth from the Windows Marketplace

StableBit Scanner 2.0 for Windows Home Server 2011 Beta Updated to 2.0.0.2122

Andrew Edney

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May 30, 2012

0

StableBit Scanner 2.0 for Windows Home Server 2011 Beta Updated to 2.0.0.2122

StableBit Scanner 2.0 for Windows Home Server 2011 is now available in beta and has been updated to version 2.0.0.2122.

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.

2.0.0.2122

* Fixed a few Dashboard crashes.

* Included the service .config with installer (See C:\Program Files (x86)\StableBit\Scanner)

* UI settings were being reset on upgrading.

* Disk scan start synchronized to protect against multiple unintentional disk scans.

Download the latest beta version from here

Review of the Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook

Reviews
Tech

Andrew Edney

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May 29, 2012

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We have reviewed a number of different Ultrabooks here at CDW, and it was time to take Dell’s first entry, the XPS 13, out for a spin.

Specifications

As will all Dell kit, there are a number of options and specifications. Dell often update these so it’s worth checking for the latest available options.

What’s in the Box

The box contains the XPS 13, a power adaptor and cable, some discs and some documentation.

A Closer Look

b

All the ports are on the sides of the XPS:

Microsoft offer Xbox LIVE Gold access free this weekend

Andrew Edney

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May 29, 2012

0

Microsoft are offering Xbox LIVE users who do not have a Gold account free access to the Gold services for this weekend only.

This is what Major Nelson posted:

We’re also unlocking our Xbox LIVE Gold subscription service in various regions from Friday, June 1 through Sunday, June 3 – no Xbox LIVE Gold membership required for this time. Through this promotion, anyone In the U.S., Japan, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia and Chile with an Xbox will be able to enjoy multi-player gaming experiences featured on the Xbox LIVE service.

So if you are in one of those regions and don’t have an Xbox LIVE Gold subscription, why not take advantage while you can.

Introducing the Amazon Instant Video app for Xbox LIVE

Andrew Edney

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May 29, 2012

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Introducing the Amazon Instant Video app for Xbox LIVE

Amazon.com and Microsoft today introduced a new Amazon Instant Video app for Xbox LIVE Gold subscribers that gives customers access to movies and TV episodes on their Xbox 360 console.

The app also offers access to Prime Instant Video, a service with more than 17,000 movies and TV episodes available to Prime members at no additional cost. Customers who are Xbox LIVE Gold subscribers can find the free Amazon Instant Video app in the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360. For more information on how to watch those videos on Xbox 360 visit, http://amazon.com/instantvideo/xbox.

“Amazon Instant Video on the Xbox 360 console is among one of the most requested video features from our customers, so we are excited to offer yet another way for customers to enjoy Amazon Instant Video,” said Anthony Bay, Amazon.com vice president for video. “With Amazon Instant Video on Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE Gold members can start enjoying new release movies, current TV episodes and Prime Instant Video right away. Our integration with Kinect for Xbox 360 lets customers play and search for videos with the wave of a hand or the sound of their voice, and our Whispersync technology allows customers to seamlessly switch between watching on their Kindle Fire and their Xbox 360 console, without losing their place. Also, Watchlist is a great new feature that lets customers keep a running queue of videos they want to see in the future.”

“Working with Amazon.com marks a significant milestone in our mission to make the entertainment you love more amazing on Xbox,” said Ross Honey, general manager of Xbox LIVE Entertainment and Advertising, Microsoft Corp. “By bringing the Amazon Instant Video app to Xbox LIVE and adding voice search and voice control through the magic of Kinect, we’re transforming the way people discover and experience entertainment.”

Customers can visit the Amazon Website to shop for any of the more than 120,000 movies and TV episodes. Purchased or rented movies and TV episodes appear automatically in Your Video Library on the Amazon Instant Video app for Xbox 360. Amazon Instant Video offers the latest hit movies like Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, We Bought a Zoo, and The Grey, and popular TV shows Mad Men, Fringe, Vampire Diaries and Once Upon A Time.

Prime Instant Video includes hit TV shows like Glee, Downton Abbey and Sons of Anarchy and classic movies such as Office Space, The Graduate and Brokeback Mountain. In addition to receiving free two-day shipping on millions of items and access to thousands of books from the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library, Prime members can instantly stream more than 17,000 TV episodes and movies, all for just $79 a year. If you are not a Prime member you can start a free one-month trial today.

The new Amazon Instant Video app for Xbox 360 includes:

The ability to browse and play videos with the Xbox 360 remote control or Kinect voice and gesture commands.
Instant streaming of thousands of high-definition movies and TV episodes that start and resume in just seconds.
Watchlist for Amazon Instant Video – allows customers to create a list of things they want to watch, and find those movies and TV episodes easily.
Whispersync – lets customers seamlessly switch from one device to another. Customers can start streaming a movie on Kindle Fire, then pick up right where they left off on their Xbox 360 console and avoid the frustration of having to find their spot.
Your Video Library – customers can access their purchases from Amazon Instant Video on the Xbox 360 or any of the hundreds of other devices enabled for Amazon Instant Video. For a list of compatible devices click here.

If you try it let us know.

Spotify App for iOS Updated to Version 0.5.1

Apple
News

Andrew Edney

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May 29, 2012

0

The Spotify app for iOS has been updated to version 0.5.1.

Get free access to Spotify Premium now! With Premium you’ll get access to 15 million tracks from thousands of albums and artists on your iPhone, iPod Touch & iPad. If you haven’t tried Premium before, you can try it on your mobile for 48-hours, completely free. You don’t even have to enter credit card details. Simply download this app and log in.

Great features

– Instant access to over 15 million tracks
– Stream online
– Listen offline – no mobile connection needed
– Share music with your friends
– Star your favourite tracks
– Wirelessly sync your own MP3s to your iPhone, iPod Touch & iPad
– Create and sync playlists
– Send the tracks you listen to direct to Last.fm & Facebook

* If you don’t have log in details – simply register for a free Spotify account on the Spotify website. Full mobile terms of Use & 48-hour free trial terms and conditions can also be found on the Spotify website.

What’s New in Version 0.5.1

• New: Push notifications. Receive notifications when your subscribed playlists are updated, you get new subscribers, and more. You can choose which notifications to receive in Settings.
• New: Intro guide for new users.
• Fixed: Missing retina graphics on log in screen (iPad).
• Fixed: Retina album art is now always synced when you offline sync playlists.
• Fixed: App could sometimes become unresponsive after scrolling and navigating at the same time.
• Other improvements to Facebook login, screen locking when offline syncing, performance and stability.

Download now from the Apple App Store

Samsung Launches Music Hub, Offering the Ultimate Mobile Music Service

Andrew Edney

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May 29, 2012

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Samsung Launches Music Hub, Offering the Ultimate Mobile Music Service

Samsung today announced the arrival of the much anticipated new Music Hub – the first completely integrated, all-in-one mobile music service.

Initially available on the Samsung Galaxy S III and hitting European markets today, Music Hub vastly simplifies and enhances the everyday experience of listening to music. Whether you’re an avid collector wanting easy access to your own music collection, someone with ever-changing music tastes, someone who likes to sample a broad selection of music and genres or a passive listener who prefers radio, Music Hub provides a richer music experience for everyone.

Based on the technology services of mSpot, a leading mobile content service provider recently acquired by Samsung, the new Music Hub service will initially be available on the Samsung GALAXY S III and will soon be offered on a wider selection of devices.

“When you ask yourself, ‘what do I want to listen to?’ there is now one simple answer, for every mood, every place and everyone,” stated TJ Kang, Senior Vice President of Samsung Electronics’ Media Solution Center. “With the new Music Hub, we’re bringing the joy back to music – listening, collecting and sharing.”

“We believe that today’s mobile market must have an open mobile music system – one that offers all kinds of services across different devices. Music Hub removes all the barriers to your music,” stated Daren Tsui, CEO of mSpot.

The new Music Hub service will be offered for free and also in a Premium version:

Music Hub Store: (free)
Offering a vast, 19 million song catalog provided by 7digital, Music Hub Store enables you to buy songs and albums, as well as listen to 30-second previews of all songs. Purchased music is stored in the cloud and automatically appears on all of your devices, while music can also be stored locally on devices for offline listening.
Music Hub Premium: (€/£9.99 per month)
For €/£9.99 per month, you can upload and access your entire music collection anywhere, enjoy unlimited streaming from the millions of songs in the Music Hub catalog and discover new songs with radio stations based on the artists you like.

Music Hub features include:

Scan & Match Cloud Locker: Upload your music to the cloud so you can play it anywhere. Music Hub utilizes scan & match technology to decrease upload time and ensure high-quality playback. Any unmatched songs are directly uploaded from your library so you can access rare or personal recordings (100 GB of storage for all unmatched songs). When you edit playlists or purchase music, your collection stays automatically updated across all authorized devices.
Catalog of millions of songs: Enjoy full access to our entire catalog to stream or purchase, with unlimited plays and no advertisements. Search for new music, create playlists, share songs with friends, and view lyrics and album information.
Radio: Relax and listen to the music you like with personal radio and programmed stations. Create personal stations based on songs and artists you love, or browse genre stations recommended and tailor-crafted by the Music Hub team. Hear a song you like? Tag it so you can find it later and play it again whenever you want.
Recommendations: Discover great new music all the time with customized recommendations for songs, artists, albums and radio stations. The more you listen, the better recommendations you’ll get.
Optimized for Mobile: Music Hub is optimized specifically for your Samsung device. Advanced streaming and downloading options let you save storage space, play music when offline, and cut down on cellular data usage. Audio settings are designed to prolong battery life and ensure smooth streaming even under spotty network coverage.
Web Player: In addition to the mobile app, users can access their music library and the Music Hub catalog/store online at http://www.musichub.com. The Web Player allows users the freedom to play their music easily on any PC.

N.B.: Users must initially register on a Galaxy S III phone using a Samsung account.

Covecube release StableBit DrivePool Utilities

Andrew Edney

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May 29, 2012

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The guys at Covecube have released two utilities that you might find useful.

Windows Server Solutions Troubleshooter

This is a wizard that automates fixes to the WSS system.

The wizard supports the following tasks:

Media Streaming Repair

Use this when you are having trouble seeing audio / video that is set to stream from the server. You should also run this when you see duplicate media files.

In order to run this fix, the troubleshooter must be placed in C:\Program Files\Windows Server\Bin on the server.

Restore DrivePool Shares

Use this after re-installing the operating system, and you have an existing pool connected to the system. Folders on the pool will be automatically re-shared.

This fix can run from any folder on the server. Before running this fix, make sure that DrivePool is installed.

DrivePool Command Utility

Lets you work with the pool using a command line.

Commands:

SetDuplicationCount – Sets the duplication count on any folder. Can be used on non-shared folders and also with duplication counts that are greater than 2.

Download the utilities from here

LG unveil premium personal TV and monitor combination

Andrew Edney

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May 29, 2012

0

LG unveil premium personal TV and monitor combination

LG Electronics (LG) unveiled a new line-up of premium personal TVs which combine a TV and a monitor in a single unit.

On LG’s DM2752 and M2752 monitors, users can enjoy a range of multimedia entertainment ranging from terrestrial HD broadcasting to any content served up by a PC at Full HD resolution. Both personal TVs feature IPS panels, boasting lifelike color and extremely wide viewing angles.

“With the integration of multimedia entertainment and the internet, LG is at the frontier of cutting-edge TV technology,” said J.J. Lee, Executive Vice President and Head of IT Business Unit of LG Home Entertainment Company. We are developing unique personal TVs designed to meet the needs of changing consumer habits, whether that customer’s passion is 3D gaming, internet browsing or simply watching their favorite sitcom.”

The personal TVs boast Picture-in-Picture (PIP) capabilities, enabling viewers to open multiple screens simultaneously and watch TV while working on their PC. The personal TVs also feature Infinite Surround Sound for a full-depth surround sound experience. Two HDMI ports are included, making it a snap to connect game consoles, set-top boxes and more. In addition, a USB Quick View feature eliminates long computer boot-up times and enables users to view content such as movies, video clips and pictures quickly and easily.

LG personal TVs are equipped with In-Plane Switching (IPS) panels instead of conventional Twisted Nematic (TN) panels. IPS boosts color consistency and reduces color fluctuations, enabling the personal TVs to reproduce the most lifelike colors. Smooth Color Change eliminates blur generated by rapid motion in action scenes, sports or video games resulting in extremely sharp and clear images. Thanks to an impressive wide viewing-angle (178 degrees), viewers can enjoy high quality images without any color shift – sitting, standing or lying down. The combination of all these technologies provides a rich, comfortable viewing experience.

With the newest in CINEMA 3D technology, the DM2752 premium personal TV offers comfortable 3D viewing with extremely light, flicker-free glasses. And the DM2752 includes an easy-to-use 2D to 3D conversion engine so viewers can watch unlimited high-quality 3D content on the fly. The 3D Effect Mode sharpens the converted images to offer a clearer and more immersive 3D experience. The conversion function works with or without a PC and engages automatically for games, delivering the ultimate 3D gaming experience. What’s more, LG`s Dual Play function enables competing gamers to see two different full screen images at the same time on the same TV, making for incredible head-to-head action.
Europeans have taken notice of LG’s line-up of personal monitor TVs for their technology and versatility. According to a review conducted by CHIP, one of the most widely read computer publications in Germany, LG’s 23/24-inch premium M2382 was recognized as the top choice among all monitors reviewed with TV capability.

LG DM2752 will be available starting in July while the M2752 is now available in select markets throughout Europe.

ITV Player App for iOS Updated to Version 2.0

Apple
News

Andrew Edney

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May 28, 2012

0

The ITV Player app for the iPhone and iPad has been updated to version 2.0.

Description

ITV Player on iOS is ITV’s new video catch-up service for mobile and tablet devices. This is the first iOS application that allows you to view ITV programmes on your handset – we hope you enjoy using it and would love to hear your feedback as we enhance the application.

You can watch all ITV programmes that we have the rights to show on mobile, for up to seven days after broadcast.

– Works on your iOS mobile and tablet devices – iPhone and iPad
– Requires a WiFi connection to play programmes
– Catch up on programmes from ITV1, ITV2, ITV3 and ITV4
– Free to download with unlimited usage
– Browse recommended programmes
– Search for programmes by channel or alphabetically
– Navigate using portrait or landscape orientation

To use this application you need a mobile phone or tablet device that runs iOS 4.3 and is connected to wireless internet.

You must be in the UK to view our programmes. People in some regions will be restricted to only viewing ITV2, ITV3 and ITV4 programmes. For more information, please see our support pages.

When you first use the app, we give you the option to submit your email address. This is so we can keep you informed about improvements and other exciting developments at ITV. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in the welcome email that you will receive.

What’s New in Version 2.0

ITV Player for iOS v2.0 brings you:
– Live Channels
You can now access ITV1 and ITV2 Live streams, over both Wifi and 3G.
– Live Events
When we have an event that isn’t on ITV1 or 2, we’ll provide an extra stream so you can enjoy our broadcasts on your iOS device.
– AirPlay Mirroring support
You can now connect to an Apple TV via AirPlay mirroring, using iPhone 4S, iPad 2 and New iPad, and enjoy ITV content in full screen on your TV – just make sure you’re running iOS5.
– Content switching within the Player
So you no longer have to close the Player if you want to browse other ITV content, we’ve enabled content switching within the video player. You can switch between Live Channels and our Most Watched selection with more options to follow in our next release.
– Improvements to our location services and postcode journey – we’ve read your feedback about not receiving ITV1, so we’ve improved our messaging on why this is occurring.
We use a GPS check or postcode input to determine where you are and therefore what channels we can give you. If you’re not in an ITV1 region, or you don’t enable GPS or input a postcode, we can’t provide you ITV1 content.
– Retina graphics for users with the New iPad

Download now from the Apple App Store

Custom Ice Cream Sandwich ROM for the AndyPad Pro released

Andrew Edney

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May 28, 2012

0

Custom Ice Cream Sandwich ROM for the AndyPad Pro released

Over on the AndyPad forums, a user called Csharp has released a custom Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) ROM for the AndyPad Pro.

This is what he posted on the forums:

After a long night of work I finally got things together & completed my first release for the AndyPad Pro ICS.

My goal with this ROM was not to remove as many as I could (which I did on the GB releases). I wanted to create a standard Google tablet instead, without all the bloatware that comes with some firmware.

This first release includes:

Android 4.0.4 (running on 3.0.8 kernel released with stock rom)
All Google apps (Play Store, Talk, Face-unlock, Gmail, Youtube HD)
Face-unlock (Settings -> Security)
Apex Launcher as the default launcher
Latest Superuser (if you don’t want this, you can remove the su binary from /bin using the Android SDK)
Ad-hoc support (Tethering from phone / Windows 7)
Zipaligned apk
Bootloader v2.14, which allows custom recoveries. Expect CWM soon.
Busybox (without the symlinks)

You can learn more from here.