What is Windows Home Server?

Microsoft Surface 2.0 SDK and Runtime Update Released

Andrew Edney

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Feb 6, 2012

Microsoft Surface 2.0 SDK and Runtime Update Released

Microsoft have updated their Surface 2.0 SDK and runtime bits to include improved support for Windows Touch Enabled devices.

This is what Microsoft said about the update:

There were some issues in the Microsoft Surface Input Stack handling of reports sent by a digitizer in serial mode. These issues caused the input stack to not report all touches reported by the digitizer reliably. The new build handles input from serial and parallel/hybrid digitizer more robustly.

We encourage you to use this update, especially if you are building applications that will run on Windows 7 touch enabled PCs. With the Microsoft® Surface® 2.0 SDK, you can easily create applications to take advantage of the next generation Surface computing device. The applications you create can be adapted for other Windows 7 touch-enabled devices as well.

You can find the bits at http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?displaylang=en&id=26716

Exclusive Review of the Tranquil PC Riley SU8 Windows Home Server Storage Unit

Andrew Edney

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Feb 5, 2012

2

Exclusive Review of the Tranquil PC Riley SU8 Windows Home Server Storage Unit

Last week we brought you the exclusive unboxing of the Riley RU8 and our exclusive review of the Riley CP30 Storage Processor. Today we bring you our exclusive review of the Riley SU8 Storage Unit.

This is how Tranquil describe the Riley server:

The Riley Server is possibly the finest server design ever created, it is now available. Hewn from a single billet of aerospace grade aluminium, and then hand finished to a soft satin texture, the Riley SU8 is simple and beautiful.

Who Are Tranquil PC?

From their website:

Tranquil PC, a UK based family company, was formed in the early part of 2003, by Managing Director, David Thompson. David is a passionate designer and entrepreneur, who has always committed his time and invested his skills into developing innovative products and building business to supply new markets. He started his first business at 16 years of age and went on to win the prestigious Queens Award for Enterprise in 1982. Tranquil PC is now a world leader in the field of low energy IT systems. The move to brand new premises in 2007, and the appointment of new technical / sales staff has broadened the range of products and services offered.

Specifications

What’s in the Box?

The box is very well packaged, and comes in a very sturdy black box and everything is seated nicely inside.

Along with the Riley SU8 there is power supply and an eSATA cable.

Riley Server SU8 Storage Unit
4x 2TB HDD (depending on which version you buy)
External PSU (12v DC) Universal 120-240VAC (50/60Hz)
eSATA cable
36 month RTB (return to base) warranty

Microsoft Reduces Licences for TechNet Professional Subscriptions

Andrew Edney

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Feb 5, 2012

4

A really good way to test various Microsoft software offerings is with a TechNet subscription. You get a number of licences per product to test. Now Microsoft are reducing this number!

From February onwards, Microsoft will only provide 3 licences per Office product and 3 licences per Operating System product.

I assume this is to combat the misuse of TechNet for people wanting cheap software licences. The conditions for using TechNet licences are supposed to be for testing purposes, in a non-production environment and only for the duration of the TechNet subscription.

However, most people just buy a TechNet subscription and get access to multiple copies of everything often at a cheaper price than buying a single licence, and there really is no way for Microsoft to check up on the use.

Do you have a TechNet subscription? How do you feel about this change.

Apple Removes Standard OS X 10.7.3 Update – Offers Combined Download Instead

Apple
News

Andrew Edney

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Feb 5, 2012

0

Apple Removes Standard OS X 10.7.3 Update – Offers Combined Download Instead

Earlier in the week we told you that Apple had released OS X 10.7.3, however there have been problems so Apple have now removed the update and are offering a different download.

The update seems to have caused some CUI issues and also some application crashing issues. Personally I haven’t experienced those problems so far, but if Apple have removed the download from their update servers and have offered a manual download then it’s worth taking notice.

Download the combine 10.7.3 update from here

BYOB Podcast Episode 76 Out Now

News
Tech

Andrew Edney

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Feb 5, 2012

0

The guys over at the BYOB podcast, including our very own Tim Daleo have just released episode 76.

Here is what is included in this weeks show:

[box style=”rounded” border=”full”]AMD Hondo, iHomeserver, D-Link DAP-1522, Vertex 3 Max IOPS 240GB, and Raspberry Pie?[/box]

As usual you can listen to the show from here.

UWHS Giveaway : Win a Fractal Design Array R2 Case

Andrew Edney

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Feb 4, 2012

14

It’s time for another one of our giveaways – this time our friends at Fractal Design have given us an Array R2 case to giveaway to one lucky reader.

We reviewed the Array R2 case last year, and we loved it. You can check our our review here.

So what do you need to do then?

This one is simple, all you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is:

1 – Like UWHS’s Facebook page

2 – Like Fractal Design’s Facebook page

3 – Visit the giveaway event page and post a short comment and then click “ATTENDING”/”GOING” to confirm your entry.

And that’s it – very simple!

The giveaway will end at 4pm (UK time) on Saturday 11th February 2012, and the winner will be announced soon after.

This giveaway is open to everyone – Fractal will ship the Array R2 anywhere in the world.

Our usual competition rules apply.

And a very big thank you to our friends at Fractal for the case.

Good luck!

Apple Updates iBooks 2 to version 2.0.1

Apple
News

Andrew Edney

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Feb 4, 2012

0

Last month we told you about iBooks 2 for iPad, featuring iBooks textbooks, an entirely new kind of textbook that’s dynamic, engaging and truly interactive. Now Apple have updated the app.

This is what Apple said about iBooks 2 last month:

iBooks textbooks can be kept up to date, don’t weigh down a backpack and never have to be returned. Leading education services companies including Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, McGraw-Hill and Pearson will deliver educational titles on the iBookstore℠ with most priced at $14.99 or less, and with the new iBooks Author, a free authoring tool available today, anyone with a Mac® can create stunning iBooks textbooks.

“Education is deep in Apple’s DNA and iPad may be our most exciting education product yet. With 1.5 million iPads already in use in education institutions, including over 1,000 one-to-one deployments, iPad is rapidly being adopted by schools across the US and around the world,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Now with iBooks 2 for iPad, students have a more dynamic, engaging and truly interactive way to read and learn, using the device they already love.”

The new iBooks 2 app is available today as a free download from the App Store. With support for great new features including gorgeous, full screen books, interactive 3D objects, diagrams, videos and photos, the iBooks 2 app will let students learn about the solar system or the physics of a skyscraper with amazing new interactive textbooks that come to life with just a tap or swipe of the finger. With its fast, fluid navigation, easy highlighting and note-taking, searching and definitions, plus lesson reviews and study cards, the new iBooks 2 app lets students study and learn in more efficient and effective ways than ever before.

What’s New in Version 2.0.1

iBooks 2.0.1 addresses an issue where iBooks textbooks may not open.

iBooks 2 is available now for free in the App Store

Apple Updates iBooks Author App EULA

Apple
News

Andrew Edney

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Feb 4, 2012

0

Last month Apple launched an app called iBooks Author, which enables anyone to create a book for the iPad. There was immediate uproar because of issues with EULA. Now Apple have changed it!

The issue seemed to be the wording in the EULA which implied that Apple owned the content created to anything created using iBooks. That’s kind of like say that Microsoft own the content to my books because I wrote them using Word!

Now that it appears to have been resolved, I might consider publishing some of my current, and possibly future books there.

What’s New in Version 1.0.1

This release provides an updated version of the End User License Agreement.

Download iBooks Author from the App Store now

T-Mobile Caps The Now Not So Full Monty Phone Package

News
Phones

Andrew Edney

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Feb 4, 2012

0

Earlier this week we told you about T-Mobile’s new Full Monty package which includes unlimited data. Well it turns out that while it’s unlimited, it’s actually capped at a maximum speed of 1Mb/s.

This is what T-Mobile are offering:

Unlimited internet, texts and T-Mobile calls
Plus 2000 minutes to other networks

From just £36 a month (24 months)

This is what was just revealed via a tweet with T-Mobile support:

So while the tariffs are still unlimited, they are capped at a MAXIMUM speed of 1Mb/s, which I have to say is very disappointing.

What do you think?

Google TV 3.2 Update Enhances HLS Video Streaming Support with Plex

Andrew Edney

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Feb 4, 2012

0

Google TV 3.2 Update Enhances HLS Video Streaming Support with Plex

The latest Google TV 3.2 update brings with it some HLS enhancements and Plex updates.

This is what Plex posted to their blog:

Yep – it’s rolling out as we speak! We started receiving reports a couple days ago from users that the latest patch release for Google TV is being rolled out and happily we can confirm that it does include the enhanced HLS support we’ve been talking about for so long. So go grab the new Plex release to make sure Plex will make use of the new enhanced HLS support – bringing you broader video support, more channels, subtitles and more.

–
What does it all mean?

World peace!? Well maybe not quite – though we’d like to think that it brings us one step closer!

We’ve covered what this will mean for you in some detail in my previous blog post – but here’s the quick summary:

Subtitle support – please refer to the wiki for detailed instructions.

Support for selection of audio streams – from the client’s video detail pane.

Broader support for video playback – because Plex will now be able to transcode videos that aren’t in formats friendly to the Google TV.

More channels – again because of transcode support and channels that use flash and silverlight video (from Windows and OSX Plex Media Servers) will now work.–
What more?

Here’s the full set of fixes in the 2.0.3.3 release for Plex for Google TV:

Auto-update Plex configuration upon detection of Google’s Enhanced HLS Patch (as discussed above).

Improved video playback error handling and messaging.

Fix so that clicking on the play button from details plays the correct movie.

Fix for video playback problems on a variety of channels.

Fix so that video controls disappear / reappear as they should (AGAIN).

Do you use Plex and Google TV? Let us know what you think….

WHS Add-in Update: CloudBerry Backup Updated to Version 2.6.2

Andrew Edney

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Feb 4, 2012

0

WHS Add-in Update: CloudBerry Backup Updated to Version 2.6.2

Our friends at CloudBerry Labs have been in touch to tell us that their CloudBerry Backup software has been updated to version 2.6.2.

The new release comes with few minor but important enhancements.

1. Force schedule full backup. This might be necessary for the following reasons:

a. The total size of differential backups outgrow the size of the full backup.

b. To make for a more efficient restore so that you don’t have to restore one year old full backup and then roll over a large number of differential backups

c. To make more efficient retention where you can purge older unnecessary differential backups after the new full backup is completed.

more info

http://blog.cloudberrylab.com/2012/02/cloudberry-backup-block-level-backup.html

2. Bandwidth settings improvements. There are two improvements. First, we have split local and cloud bandwidth settings, second, you can now change the bandwidth settings and apply it to the running backup plan. No need to restart it any more.

more info

http://blog.cloudberrylab.com/2012/02/cloudberry-backup-online-bandwidth.html

Elgato Update EyeTV Mobile App for iPad

Apple
News

Andrew Edney

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Feb 3, 2012

0

Today saw Elgato update their EyeTV Mobile app for the iPad, bringing with it a few new features.

What is EyeTV Mobile?

Turn your iPad 2 into a mobile television! Use this App with Elgato’s TV tuner, EyeTV Mobile, to enjoy live broadcasts anywhere you go!

App Features
• Watch, pause, rewind and record over 8 hours of live TV on your iPad 2
• No internet connection required
• View up to seven days of programme guide (EPG) data including details
• Email, tweet and print program details or screenshots to share what you’re watching
• NEW: record while the EyeTV Mobile app is in the background (requires iOS 5)
• NEW: built-in web browser in portrait mode – watch TV and surf the web at the same time!
• NEW: Teletext

About the EyeTV Mobile Tuner

This app requires an Elgato EyeTV Mobile device. EyeTV Mobile connects directly to the dock connector and receives the television signal from a miniature telescopic aerial. It does not require an internet connection and gives you unlimited TV without touching your data plan.

What’s New in Version 1.1

• NEW: record while the EyeTV Mobile app is in the background (requires iOS 5)
• NEW: built-in web browser in portrait mode – watch TV and surf the web at the same time!
• NEW: Teletext

Download the Elgato EyeTV app from the App Store

StarTech Announce New Video over IP Extenders

News
Tech

Andrew Edney

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Feb 3, 2012

0

StarTech Announce New Video over IP Extenders

StarTech.com, a leading manufacturer of hard-to-find connectivity parts has announced the release of two new Video over IP Extenders.

The IPUSB2VGA VGA over IP Extender and the IPUSB2HD2 HDMI® over IP Extender, which enable users to extend video and the accompanying audio signals from a PC to remote locations over an IP-based network connection. The IP video extenders/adapters support display resolutions up to 1080p (1920×1080) and can extend video signals and the accompanying audio over a network connection by distances of up to 100m (330ft).

“The IPUSB2VGA and IPUSB2HD2 are perfect solutions for video distribution in boardrooms or office environments where multiple users may need to connect to a projector” said John Mardinly, Senior Product Manager for StarTech.com’s Audio-Video and Digital Signage products lines. “Simply install the software on the computers you want to connect to the unit and users will be able to connect to the projector or display over a network connection.”

Features of VGA over IP Extender (IPUSB2VGA) include:

· VGA over IP conversion, for shared access over a network

· Supports resolutions up to 1920×1080 (1080p)

· Supports audio over 3.5mm connection

· Support for Windows Aero®

· 2 USB ports for peripheral connections (display side)

Features of HDMI over IP Extender (IPUSB2HD2) include:

· HDMI® over IP conversion for shared access over a network

· Supports resolutions up to 1920×1080 (1080p)

· Audio over HDMI

· Support for Windows Aero®

· 2 USB ports for peripheral connections (display side)