ReTrak launches Flavours range of multi-colours retractable accessories

ReTrak launches Flavours a new line up of multi-coloured retractable accessories to suit fashion conscious consumers on the go.

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ReTrak’s unique, retractable accessories just got brighter! Consumer demand for mobility and ease of use coupled with fashion diversity has encouraged Emerge Technology to launch 5 new and unique range of accessories in various colours to suit tastes for every consumer.

“Our range of retractable cables have been very well received in the UK and so it was natural for us to extend our range to more fashion and colour conscious consumers” says Scott Ledbetter, CEO of Emerge Technologies. He continues “Our aim is to bring high quality great value products to all consumers that need accessories that match their hectic and mobile lifestyles without having to compromise on their choice and taste”.

All products are available in five different colours and come with a 3 year warranty:

Retractable Headphones  PINK GREEN PURPLE BLUE ORANGE  £9.99
Retractable 3.3 to 3.5 Audio cable  PINK GREEN PURPLE BLUE ORANGE  £9.99
Retractable Splitter cable  PINK GREEN PURPLE BLUE ORANGE  £9.99
Retractable Micro USB cable  PINK GREEN PURPLE BLUE ORANGE  £9.99
Retractable iPod/iPad/iPhone cable  PINK GREEN PURPLE BLUE ORANGE  £9.99

Check out our review of the ReTrak Notebook charger

StableBit DrivePool for Windows Home Server 2011 Beta 1.0.2.6229 released

There has been another beta build from CoveCube! StableBit DrivePool development marches on – now its version 1.0.2.6229.

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Here is how CoveCube describes this application:

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

This beta version’s change log

1.0.2.6229

* Fixed settings / state getting reset on upgrading.
* Added UI option for network I/O prioritization to the Disks DrivePool tab.
After some testing, this option seems to be effective at minimizing stutter when streaming high bandwidth media
directly from the server (such as BluRay).
* Moved read striping option to the Disks DrivePool tab.
* [D] Added a new read striping algorithm called “block mode” after conducting some testing with read striping.
CoveFS will select the correct algorithm to use in real-time.
Added a number of read striping options to .config:
CoveFs_ReadStripingBlockMode
CoveFs_ReadStripingStripeSize
CoveFs_ReadStripingBlockModeNoCache
* [D] Added performance measuring instrumentation into the driver.
* Exposed CoveFS performance measurements, in real time, into the Dashboard.
Hidden feature exposed by hitting ‘P’ on the DrivePool tab.
* Added read striping and network I/O boost real-time visualizations to the DrivePool Disks tab.
When these features are actively working, you will see how much pool I/O is being affected, in percentages.
* Fixed installer service not starting on fresh install.
* Fixed delayed action firing too often, affecting much of the application. Delayed actions are used in the service
and Dashboard, not in the file system.:

Learn more from the new Stablebit DrivePool home Download Stablebit Drivepool version 1.0.2.6229 here

QNAP Updates Peripheral Support for TurboNAS

QNAP added several printers, a multimedia player, a hard drive and even several SSD’s to their compatibility list today.  Read on for details.

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QNAP updated their compatibility lists today.  Here is what they announced:

QNAP Expands its Turbo NAS Peripherals Compatibility List, Adding Two New Printers, One 2.5-inch Internal SATA Hard Drive, Thirteen 2.5-inch Internal Solid State Drives, Four 3rd Party Backup Applications and One Multimedia Player
Taipei, Taiwan, May 30, 2012 – QNAP®Systems, Inc. is extending the number of compatible peripherals for its Turbo NAS products. The additions, including two printers, one 2.5-inch 128GB internal SATA hard drive, thirteen 2.5-inch 60GB to 480GB internal Solid State Drives, four 3rd party backup applications, and one multimedia player are now fully compatible. The expanded peripherals are expected to give users greater convenience and deployment flexibility.The compatible printers are listed below:

  • Brother® – DCP-7065DN
  • EPSON® – AcuLaser M1400

The compatible 2.5″ internal SATA Hard Drive is listed below:

  • Crucial® – CT128M4SSD2 (128GB)

The compatible 2.5″ internal Solid State Drives (SSD) are listed below:

  • Kingston® – SVP200S3/60G (60GB), SVP200S3/90G (90GB), SVP200S3/120G (120GB), SVP200S3/240G (240GB), SVP200S3/480G (480GB)
  • Corsair® – CSSD-F120GB3-BK (120GB), CSSD-F180GB3-BK (180GB), CSSD-F240GB3-BK (240GB), CSSD-F480GB3-BK (480GB), CSSD-F120GBGT-BK (120GB), CSSD-F180GBGT-BK (180GB), CSSD-F240GBGT-BK (240GB), CSSD-F480GBGT-BK (480GB)

The compatible 3rd party backup applications are listed below:

  • Veeam® – Veeam Backup & Replication 5, Backup & Replication 6
  • Altaro – Altaro Hyper-V Backup
  • DataCore™ – SANsymphony™-V

The compatible multimedia player is listed below:

  • Mede8er™ – MED450X2

Visit www.qnap.com for more information.

About QNAP Systems, Inc.

QNAP Systems, Inc. is a privately held company founded in 2004 and is dedicated to bringing world class NAS storage, professional NVR video surveillance, and network video players to consumer, small/medium business, and entry level enterprise market segments. QNAP leverages not only hardware design but also a growing core competency in software engineering that is precisely focused on bringing to market products that offer the highest available performance coupled with outstanding reliability, scalability, and ease of installation and use. QNAP is a multi-national company with headquarters in Taipei, Taiwan, and subsidiary offices in China and the United States.

 

It’s nice to see DataCore’s SANsymphony™-V backup application added, and more hard drive, SSD and printer options doesn’t hurt either!

QNAP Updates Compatibility List

Phones 4u stocking limited edition The Dark Knight Rises Nokia Lumia 900 Windows Phone

Phones 4u have confirmed that it will be exclusively stocking 900 of the hotly anticipated Limited Edition ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ Nokia Lumia 900 smartphone, in selected flagship stores across the UK from 1st June.

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The smartphones will also be exclusively available to preorder from the Phones 4u website from 29th May, ideal for those who want to be amongst the very first to get their hands on Nokia’s highly exclusive new design.

Nokia has released the limited edition smartphone to celebrate the launch of The Dark Knight Rises- the latest installment in the hugely successful Batman blockbuster movie franchise, releasing nationwide on July 20th.  Perfect for Batman fans and film buffs, the smartphone builds on the signature sleek and attention-grabbing design of the 900 range. Available in matte black, it is embossed with the famous Batman logo and also comes presented in limited edition packaging, with a Nokia exclusive app for the movie.

Throughout June all Phones 4u customers who order any Nokia Lumia 900 device – either the classic design or The Dark Knight Rises Limited Edition – will receive a pair of complimentary tickets to The Dark Knight Rises in cinemas! And as if that isn’t enough, every customer who purchases a Nokia Lumia smartphone will be entered into a competition for the chance to win once-in-a-lifetime, VIP experience tickets to the London premiere of The Dark Knight Rises movie.

Exclusive to Nokia, the official app for the The Dark Knight Rises is also included. Bringing exclusive The Dark Knight Rises content, including trailers, wallpapers and ringtones. Play the location-based challenge “Claim Gotham City”: choose a side – Batman or Bane – and check in using Foursquare at nearby locations to get points and unlock rewards. Find theaters near you and get directions to the show. Get info about the film, the cast and the social buzz on The Dark Knight Rises.”

The Nokia Lumia 900 smartphone features a 4.3-inch AMOLED ClearBlack Display for rich, bright images and Nokia’s highest capacity battery making it the perfect smartphone for enjoying media and entertainment on the move all day long. The primary camera on the Nokia Lumia 900 has exclusive Carl Zeiss optics, a large aperture for improved performance in low light conditions and wide angle focal length for capturing full 16:9 images.  It also features a front-facing 1 MP HD camera, with large aperture and wide-angle lens for sharp, bright images and video calling.

Available free on contract from £31 a month or SIM free from £599.95, the Limited Edition The Dark Knight Rises Nokia Lumia 900 will be available online and in-store at flagship stores across the UK from 1st June. For those who can’t wait the smartphone can be preordered from Phones 4u from 29th May.

Learn more and order from the Phones 4u website

Google announce the Chromebox compact desktop PC

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After the less than warm reception of the Chromebooks, Google are trying again, this time with a desktop variant called the Chromebox.

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This is what Google posted on their blog:

Our partner Samsung has just announced a new Chromebook and the industry’s first Chromebox. Like its predecessor, the newest Chromebook is a fast and portable laptop for everyday users. The Chromebox is a compact, powerful and versatile desktop perfect for the home or office.

Speed
Speed is integral to the Chrome experience. The new Chromebook and Chromebox, based on Intel Core processors, are nearly three times as fast as the first-generation Chromebooks. And support for hardware-accelerated graphics, a built-from-scratch multi-touch trackpad and an open-source firmware stack provide a much faster and more responsive computing experience. The new Chromebook boots in less than seven seconds and resumes instantly. With the Chromebox, you can be on a video conference while continuing to play your favorite role-playing game on the side.

An app-centric user interface
With the new user interface you can easily find and launch apps, and use them alongside your browser or other apps. You can pin commonly-used apps for quick access, display multiple windows side-by-side or experience your favorite apps in full-screen mode without any distractions.

Be much more productive…or not
Get more stuff done, online or offline: With the built-in ability to view Microsoft Office files and dozens of the most common file formats, you can access all your content without the hassle of installing additional software. Google Drive makes it easy to create, store and share with just one click. Drive will be seamlessly integrated with the File Manager and support offline access with the next release of Chrome OS in six weeks. With Google Docs offline support (rolling out over the next few weeks), you can keep working on your documents even when offline and seamlessly sync back up when you re-connect. In addition, there are hundreds of offline-capable web apps in the Chrome Web Store.

Have more fun: The revamped media player and a built-in photo editor and uploader enable you to easily play and manage your personal media collections. Through the Chrome Web Store, you can access entertainment apps such as Google Play, Netflix, Kindle Cloud Reader and Pandora, and thousands of games including popular games like Angry Birds and console titles such as Bastion.

Carry your other computers…inside your Chromebook: With Chrome Remote Desktop Beta, you can now securely connect to your PC or Mac from your Chromebook or Chromebox. With the underlying VP8 technology, it’s almost like you’re in front of your other computers in real time.

The (always) new computer
We’ve released eight stable updates over the past year, adding a number of major features and hundreds of improvements to all Chromebooks through our seamless auto-update mechanism. There’s a lot more on the way, so all you need to do is sit back and enjoy the benefits of the (always) new computer.

For those who want to try the Chromebook and Chromebox first-hand, they are expanding the Chrome Zone experience centers. In the U.S., Chromebooks will be available to try out in select Best Buy stores in the coming weeks. In the U.K., they’re now available in a growing list of PC World and Currys stores.

Starting today, you can get the new Chromebook and Chromebox from their online retail partners in the U.S. and U.K., and in other select countries over the coming weeks.

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.

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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

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.

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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.

Learn more from the TomTom website Check out our review of the TomTom app for the iPhone

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.

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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

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

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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

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

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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.

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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.

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What’s in the Box

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

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A Closer Look

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All the ports are on the sides of the XPS:

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Microsoft offer Xbox LIVE Gold access free this weekend

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

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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

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.

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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

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

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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.

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Download now from the Apple App Store