What is Windows Home Server?

WHS Add-in Update : LDisk for Windows Home Server 2.0.0.6 Release Candidate

Windows Home Server

Andrew Edney

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Jan 9, 2012

B.J. from Intelisan has been in touch to tell us that their Windows Home Server add-in LDisk has been updated to version 2.0.0.6 and it’s the release candidate.

LDisk Windows Home Server Add-In adds iSCSI Target Storage capability to your Windows Home Server. Using LDisk, you can create a single appliance to provide all your storage and backup needs.

– iSCSI Target Storage for Windows Home Server

– IP SAN (Storage Area Network)- Block transfer

– iSCSI SAN interface over Ethernet

– Snapshot with schedules, revert, and convert to volume

– Fully protected data using SAN Volume duplication

– Supports all Internal or external drives

– Drive Extender for WHS 2011

– Storage Expansion through iSCSI for WHS 2011

Some of the changes in this version are:

Improvements:
1-    Improved error recovery for Failed Disks
2-    Automatic detection of new disks
3-    VMWare/ESX iSCSI support
4-    Online Help updates
Fixes:
5-    Corrections in pie chart % calculations

CES 2012: Belkin’s New Advanced N900 DB High-Performance Wireless Router Announced

News
Tech

Andrew Edney

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Jan 9, 2012

0

CES 2012: Belkin’s New Advanced N900 DB High-Performance Wireless Router Announced

Belkin today unveiled its best-in-class wireless networking solution for maximum speed, range and performance, the Advance N900 DB Wireless Dual-Band N+ Router.

With Belkin’s exclusive MultiBeam technology, the N900 creates a robust, blazing-fast network that supports an entire household of Wi-Fi devices and media-intensive activities like online gaming and 3D video streaming.

Dual-band technology with simultaneous wireless speeds of up to 450Mbps (2.4GHz) + 450Mbps (5GHz)
Exclusive MultiBeam antenna technology for high-powered wireless signal and maximum throughput
600MHz multi-thread processor to power through media-intensive multitasking
Two high-speed USB 2.0 ports for fast access to network storage or wireless printing
Download at gigabit speeds and stream from multiple devices at the same time
IntelliStream QoS prioritizes video and gaming streams
4 gigabit ports for ultra-fast wired connections
Guest network access for enhanced security
Self-healing feature automatically resolves potential network problems
Easy setup and pre-configured security

Featuring dual-band combined speeds of up to 900 megabits per second, the Advance N900 delivers maximum data speeds on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands simultaneously. Built for high speeds, the N900 uses the IEEE 3×3 standard to transmit data on three streams, which gives 50 percent better throughput. Additionally, Belkin’s exclusive MultiBeam technology delivers a high-powered signal that allows for higher and more consistent network speeds and minimizes the number of wireless dead spots. With 6 embedded MultiBeam antennas, the N900 enables optimized video streaming from multiple devices, throughout the whole home.

Though the Advance N900’s speed and range set the benchmark for the router’s performance, other features of the router combine to create the ultimate wireless home networking experience for laptops, tablets, smartphones and AV devices. IntelliStream quality of service (QoS) automatically prioritizes video and gaming streams to eliminate buffering for uninterrupted streaming, and a 600MHz multi-thread processor enables high-bandwidth multitasking across all devices on the network. The Advance N900 also includes two high-speed USB 2.0 ports for ultra-fast access to attached network storage or wireless printing, and gigabit wirespeed routing for downloading at gigabit speeds and streaming from multiple devices simultaneously. Furthermore, a hardware-based Network Address Translation is implemented in the core chipsets to enable lightning-fast NAT speeds (up to 900+ Mbps) and the ability to route at these speeds—without compromising the performance of the rest of your home network.

The Advance N900 is a snap to install with Belkin’s Easy Setup, a simple process for getting the router out of the box and online in three easy steps, and also comes with pre-configured encryption settings for built-in wireless security.

“An advanced wireless router like the Advance N900 is the backbone of the always-connected lifestyle brought on by the proliferation of the tablet and smartphone ecosystem and the explosion in streaming content,” said Mike Chen, Belkin’s Senior Director of Networking. “With faster speeds, greater range, and more powerful performance, the N900 opens the door for an entirely new way of thinking about the home network, one that enables richer media and entertainment experiences for the whole family, across the whole home.”

The Belkin Advance N900 DB Wireless Dual-Band N+ Router will be available for pre-sale on Amazon.com in January and at other U.S. retailers in April.

Belkin Advance N900 DB Wireless Dual-Band N+ Router (F9K1104) – $199.99

CES 2012 : Belkin Previews New Thunderbolt Express Dock

News
Tech

Andrew Edney

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Jan 9, 2012

0

CES 2012 : Belkin Previews New Thunderbolt Express Dock

Belkin today unveiled new details about its upcoming Thunderbolt Express Dock.

The latest version of Belkin’s Thunderbolt Express Dock is currently on display in Belkin’s booth, LVCC South Hall #30651, at the 2012 International CES.

The Belkin Thunderbolt Express Dock enables Macbook and Ultrabook users to instantly access multiple desktop peripherals with one cable. The dock allows users to simultaneously connect to multiple USB devices, watch movies in Full HD 1080p, transfer volumes of data in seconds, and view online content at gigabit Ethernet speeds. The dock provides an easy transition from a desktop workstation to unrestricted mobile productivity.

“People purchase MacBook Airs and Ultrabooks for ultimate portability, but constantly plugging-in and unplugging numerous cable-connected peripherals is an annoying and time consuming ordeal,” said Martin Avilla, general manager of Belkin’s Core Business Unit. “The Thunderbolt Express Dock provides a much-needed solution that creates a cleaner, faster, more productive workspace and reliable connectivity to desktop devices and the Internet.”

Belkin Thunderbolt Express Dock – $299

Quickly connects into a desktop workstation and instantly accesses multiple devices with a single cable
Adds reliable, gigabit Ethernet connectivity to your laptop
Includes three USB 2.0 ports, one Firewire 800 port, one HDMI port, one 3.5mm Audio port, one gigabit Ethernet port and two Thunderbolt ports (one upstream and one downstream) for daisy-chaining to another Thunderbolt compatible device.
Utilizes Thunderbolt Technology for data transfer rates of up to 10Gbps bi-directionally

Availability

The Belkin Thunderbolt Express Dock will be available in September 2012 at select retailers worldwide and on Belkin.com.

Parrot Announce the AR.Drone 2.0

Gadgets
News

Andrew Edney

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Jan 9, 2012

3

Last night at CES Unveiled, Parrot announced the new version of their AR.Drone – called the AR.Drone 2.0.

The AR.Drone 2.0, the new generation of its renowned high-tech quadricopter that can be controlled by Wi-Fi using a smartphone or tablet.

With a new high-definition camera, video recording, flight data sharing, new piloting mode, increased stability and brand-new look, the AR.Drone 2.0 offers an experience like no other!

I saw it last night at CES Unveiled and it was very cool! I am hoping to have a play on it this week during CES.

Here is the information on the new AR.Drone:

A flying HD camera

While in flight, the Parrot AR.Drone 2.0’s front camera transmits real-time what the quadricopter sees onto the pilot’s device screen.

For the first time the AR.Drone 2.0 camera, with a 1280×720 resolution, shows a view from the sky in high definition with smooth and unbelievable images.

The pilot enjoys an experience like never before, as if he was on board. For gaming purposes, this camera also can recognize specific shapes and colors to show augmented-reality elements on the smartphone’s screen.

Record and share flying experiences

Thanks to the new AR.FreeFlight 2.0 piloting application, players can record their own HD videos and watch them or share them with the AR.Drone community.
Additionally, with the “travelling” feature, the pilot can film HD video sequences like a professional! Simply select the direction

AR.FreeFlight 2.0, a new piloting and sharing platform

In addition to flying the AR.Drone, new application AR.FreeFlight 2.0 – available to download for free from the AppStoreSM and AndroidTM Market – offers players a new interface and several options:
FreeFlight: Access to the piloting application. The pilot can record flights, take HD videos or photos and save them in the piloting device. All the flight data (altitude, speed, duration and place) can be saved, checked by the pilot and shared with the community.
Guest Space: Access an overview of the AR.Drone 2.0, the best flight videos and practical information.
Drone Update: Access the AR.Drone 2.0’s free software updates.
AR.Drone Academy: Get geolocation data of the best flight zones, watch other pilots’ videos and access their shared flight data.
AR.Games: Access applications/games available for the AR.Drone.

‘Absolute Flight’, a revolutionary ultra-intuitive flight mode

After the AR.FreeFlight 2.0 pilot application has been loaded onto an iOS or AndroidTM smartphone or tablet, the Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 connects to the device via Wi-Fi. After connection, all the on-board instruments appear on screen with a cockpit view.
Press the take off button briefly and the four brushless motors turn on. The AR.Drone 2.0 takes off.

Flying is very simple. With your thumbs placed on either side of the screen, a control button automatically forms beneath:
Press and hold the left button and the AR.Drone 2.0 follows the movement of the pilot’s device: it moves forward, backwards or sideways when you tilt the tablet forward, towards you or to the left or right.
Slide your finger over the right button, and the quadricopter rises, descends or rotates right or left.

Thanks to Parrot’s patented new ‘Absolute Control’ mode, the player accesses an even more intuitive piloting system.

With a 3D magnetometer, the AR.Drone 2.0 knows its precise orientation with respect to the smartphone, which becomes the reference point. The pilot no longer needs to care about the orientation of the AR.Drone 2.0’s front camera, which will accurately track the smartphone’s motion and tilt.

Experienced players will select ‘Relative Flight’ mode, the conventional flight mode. This disables Parrot AR.Drone 2.0’s magnetometer. The pilot manages the quadricopter’s orientation with no assistance.

Surprising stability at any altitude

The heart of the AR.Drone 2.0 contains MEMS (microelectromechanical systems). A 3-axis accelerometer, a 3-axis gyroscope, a 3-axis magnetometer and a pressure sensor give the Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 surprising stability, complete with:

2 ultrasound sensors, which analyze flight altitude up to 6 meters. New! A pressure sensor completes the device and provides great vertical stability.
4 blades, specially designed for the AR.Drone 2.0, make it possible to carry out smooth flights.
A second camera, placed beneath the quadricopter and connected to the central inertial unit, measures the craft’s speed using an image comparison system.

2 hulls made for both types of flight

The Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 has 2 hulls with specially designed contours. Made of EPP (a material used in designing car bumpers), they are light, highly resistant and protect the quadricopter.

For outdoor flight, the contoured hull, available in three colors (orange/yellow; orange/green; orange/blue), reduces wind resistance and preserves the AR.Drone 2.0’s handling and stability.

When indoor, a second hull protects the blades from any impact. The black-and-white cockpit, underlined with a red stripe, reinforces the quadricopter’s mysterious, thrilling appearance.

Finally, light-emitting diodes (green in front, red in rear), positioned on the landing gear, help the pilot track the orientation of the AR.Drone 2.0 for easier flying.

Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 will be available for purchase at selected retailers in Q2-2012 in the United States for $299 MSRP.

Pure Launch the Contour 200i Air Wireless Audio System

Andrew Edney

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Jan 9, 2012

0

Pure Launch the Contour 200i Air Wireless Audio System

Pure have just launched the Contour 200i Air Wireless Audio System, and last night at CES Unveiled I had a demo.

Pure – the world leading maker of wireless music and radio systems – presents Contour 200i Air, a powerful and stylish wireless audio system with Apple AirPlay* that allows the user to play their music wirelessly via a PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch without the need to dock the device.

At an SRP of just £199.99, the Pure Contour 200i Air not only supports wireless streaming, but also includes a dock for iPad, iPhone and iPod for charging as well as music playback.

Says Colin Crawford, Pure’s director of marketing: “Some day we’ll wonder why we ever had to physically connect devices, and Apple AirPlay is leading that behavioural seachange. There is nothing to beat the convenience of sitting back in your armchair to control your music collection with your iPad or iPhone, while the music itself is played beautifully and powerfully by Contour 200i Air.”

Contour 200i Air connects simply to the user’s home network via Ethernet or WiFi, and produces 36W RMS of digital quality sound delivering an expansive, room-filling listening experience. The DSP corrected, high-efficiency audio amplifiers and custom designed 3.5 inch dual full-range speaker drive units ensure exceptional clarity and tonal richness.

Contour 200i Air is an ideal companion to the free Pure Lounge app which enables access to tens of thousands of internet radio stations, on demand content (podcasts and listen again programmes) and ambient sounds, as well as the ability to discover, explore and listen to millions of music tracks via the Pure Music subscription service**. All content from the Pure Lounge app including Pure Music, can be streamed wirelessly to Contour 200i Air.

‘Works with iPhone, iPod and iPad’ compliant, the Pure Contour 200i Air allows users to dock, charge and play their iPad, iPod or iPhone. When docked, music stored on the Apple device can be controlled using the supplied credit card style remote control. It is also possible to connect the Contour 200i Air to a home AV system using the digital audio ouput and there is an auxiliary input for connecting an MP3 player. A multi-coloured LED status indicator shows which source the Contour 200i Air is playing. Software updates are delivered seamlessly to Contour 200i Air over WiFi.

As well as being a key part of the expanding Contour dock family, Contour 200i Air is also part of the an EcoPlus programme, a statement of Pure’s ethical philosophy and ongoing commitment to looking after the environment. All Pure products are designed to minimise their environmental impact and manufactured in ethically approved and audited facilities. They have reduced power consumption in operation and standby, use recycled packaging materials, have the smallest possible packaging and components selected to minimise environmental impact.

Contour 200i Air is available from all good retailers. Please visit www.pure.com.

I saw this last night at CES Unveiled and I have to say I was pretty impressed. Expect a hands-on review in the coming weeks.

*AirPlay enables iTunes users to play their music library, hosted on a Mac, PC, iPad, iPhone or iPod touch on any AirPlay-enabled device such as the Pure Contour 200i Air. If the user has more than one AirPlay-enabled device, the user can control and run a multiroom music environment from a PC or Mac running iTunes.

**Pure Music is a subscription service, which is coming soon to the UK with an international roll out to follow during 2012; the Pure Lounge iPhone and Android App will support the service from the moment it goes live. People can register their interest at www.thelounge.com/puremusic

CES 2012 : Lenovo Launch the S2 Smartphone

Andrew Edney

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Jan 9, 2012

0

CES 2012 : Lenovo Launch the S2 Smartphone

Amongst the many other announcements from Lenovo yesterday, they also announced the new S2 Smartphone.

The S2 smartphone includes the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon technology and Android 2.3 operating system. The device includes a unique Kernel-level security system to protect personal data, prevent phishing, and control network and SMS traffic. Users can also take advantage of its 8MP super camera to capture amazing panoramic photos on the go. S2 is also ready for the Cloud, and instantly syncs photos, music, videos and personal information with a dedicated online storage space for easy sharing across multiple devices.

The S2 smartphone is available immediately in China. Lenovo will be releasing these products worldwide at a later date. More information on these products is available at http://www.lenovo.com.

CES 2012 – Lenovo Launch the 10 inch IdeaTab S2 Tablet

Andrew Edney

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Jan 9, 2012

0

CES 2012 – Lenovo Launch the 10 inch IdeaTab S2 Tablet

Thinner than its predecessors, the IdeaTab S2 10-inch is just one-third of an inch thin and, at a feather-light 1.1lbs, is one of the lightest 10-inch tablets available today.

IdeaTab S2 features the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8960 dual core CPU and Android 4.0 operating systems to offer a better multimedia experience. Running Lenovo Mondrian UI, the user-friendly IdeaTab S2 10” displays customized content and includes easy access to the Lenovo App Shop and the Android Market for thousands of useful apps, such as Amazon Kindle, ooVoo, Angry Birds and mSpot. Its detachable design, combined with a light keyboard dock, can deliver an incredible 20 hours of battery life, which is great for both entertainment and productivity.

The IdeaTab S2 tablet, are available immediately in China. Lenovo will be releasing these products worldwide at a later date.

CES 2012 : Lenovo Launch the K91 – the World’s First Smart TV to Run Android 4.0 OS

Andrew Edney

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Jan 9, 2012

0

CES 2012 : Lenovo Launch the K91 – the World’s First Smart TV to Run Android 4.0 OS

Here at CES 2012, Lenovo have launch their K91 Smart TV and it runs Android 4.0.

As the world’s first smart TV powered by QualComm’s 8060 Snapdragon dual core CPU, the K91 is also the world’s first smart TV running the Android 4.0 operating system – which will revolutionize technology in the living room. Its smart “Sandwich” UI unites three major smart TV functions, including Video On Demand (VOD), Internet applications and traditional TV programs. The online HD VOD is tailored to an individual consumer’s viewing history, and delivers the best picture and audio quality with 3D FPR technology delivering flicker-free video on a full HD IPS panel at 240hz with SRS TruSurround. Internet applications include thousands of choices from the Android Market and Lenovo Store, including console games.

Additional smart TV features include voice control with natural language processing and speech recognition technology, allowing viewers to use voice commands to control the remote. Video interaction is even possible with the built-in 5MP webcam, which integrates face recognition technology for security benefits and advanced parental control. With cloud support, consumers can access their favorite songs and videos with ease, share files between the TV and their tablet, smartphone or PC, and even control the TV via tablet and smartphone.

The K91 smart TV are available immediately in China. Lenovo will be releasing these products worldwide at a later date.

CES 2012: Lenovo Launch New Laptops and Desktops

News
Tech

Andrew Edney

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Jan 9, 2012

3

CES 2012: Lenovo Launch New Laptops and Desktops

Lenovo announced at CES 2012 an exciting lineup of new consumer laptops and desktops at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show, providing a variety of PCs to suit every computing need, style desire and palette preference, with the debut of new colors including Peony Pink, Electric Blue and Ruby Red.

New laptops in the IdeaPad U Series, Y Series, S Series and Z Series provide a full spectrum of styles, colors and performance for every consumer – from mobile professionals to students and everyone in between. New models of IdeaCentre desktops range from the performance K Series to the space-saving multi-touch IdeaCentre B Series All-In-One (AIOs).

“Our new lineup of consumer laptops and desktops for 2012 reflects our commitment to deliver bold products that set the standard for innovation and style in consumer technology,” said Peter Hortensius, president, Product Group, Lenovo. “But as technically innovative as these products are, we are more than ever focused on fun. With improved sound and entertainment capabilities on the inside and unexpected candy-colors on the outside, we believe that these new consumer devices will help deliver the complete computing experience that individual customers are seeking.”

IdeaPad U310 and U410 —Ultra Laptops for Style and Performance

Lenovo is expanding its Ultrabook™ portfolio following the recently announced IdeaPad U300s, with the IdeaPad U310 and U410, two “ultra” laptops with attractive price points. Powered by the Intel® Core™ Processor family, these thin and light performance laptops include Ultrabook versions with 64GB SSD drives for caching data, and versions with up to 500GB Hard Disc Drive (HDD) storage. Both versions feature ultra-responsive performance with fast boot times and quick resume from sleep thanks to Lenovo’s Windows 7 Enhanced Experience tuning. The PCs also features other smart elements including Lenovo Smart Update which automatically updates mailbox, instant messaging and social media messages even in sleep mode, with up to eight of hours of battery life.

The ultra slim and light U310 and U410 are ideal for any and all mobile needs, weighing 3.74lbs (1.7kg) and 4.18lbs (1.9kg) and measuring only 0.7” (18mm) and 0.83” (21mm) thick respectively. For optimal visuals when consuming or creating content, the U310 has a 13.3” HD 16:9 display featuring Intel® GMA 3000 HD graphics, while the U410 features NVIDIA® GeForce® 610M 1GB graphics. Weaving fun into a stellar computing experience, the U310 and U410 come with Intel® Wireless Display (WiDi) Technology1for wireless use on any big screen. Created with today’s fashion savvy consumer in mind, the U310 and U410 are available in an array of fun colors including Aqua Blue, Cherry Blossom, Graphite Gray, Ruby Red, Sapphire Blue and Spearmint.

The new IdeaPad U Series laptops will be available beginning in May from $699.

IdeaPad S200 and S206 — Say Hello to the Fashionable Mini Laptops

Lenovo introduced two mini laptops to fill the computing needs between the netbook and the notebook. The IdeaPad S200 and S206 are lightweight and super thin, without sacrificing computing excellence. Making mobile computing even more convenient, the S200 and S206 comes with a large 11.6 inch HD widescreen and are just 0.81 inches (20.7mm) thick2 and weigh 2.8 pounds (1.3kg). These slimmer-than-ever mini laptops also showcase design details beyond the standard netbook including, a high-quality tactile finish and Accutype keyboard with individual rounded keys.

The S200 comes with an Intel® Atom dual core processor and up to 32GB SSD3 storage, while the S206 features an AMD dual core processor. Created to be an ideal travel companion with up to 4 hours of battery life, these mini laptops allow users to get online in seconds and run basic apps without starting Windows thanks to the Lenovo Quick Start ‘instant on’ function. Additional features include an integrated 0.3M HD Webcam for seamless video chatting and Web calling, and 802.11b/g/n Wi-F. Select models also have integrated Bluetooth®3 capability. As a lightweight solution for Web browsing, both mini laptops are available in the following bold hues – Cotton-candy Pink, Crimson Red, Electric Blue, Graphite Grey and Pearl White.

The new IdeaPad S Series laptops will be available beginning in June from $349.

IdeaPad Y480 and Y580 — Laptops for Ultimate Entertainment

For a high-performance laptop capable of handling intensive multimedia applications, look no further than the new IdeaPad Y480 and Y580. Powered by the Intel Core Processor family, these new Y Series 14” and 15” full HD display laptops satisfy the highest level of graphics and processing performance when working on intensive multimedia and gaming, featuring up to NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX660M 2GB GDDR5 graphics.

Entertainment abounds with Dolby Home Theatre V4 enhanced audio, JBL® designed speakers and OneKey™ Theater II for one-touch audio-visual optimization providing clearer, brighter images and richer audio. The Y580 also supports back-lit keyboard and HD camera with night view. With an optional TV tuner3 and Intel® Wireless Display (WiDi) Technology1 users can take the advanced multimedia features to the largest screen in the house for an unbeatable and completely immersive experience.

The new IdeaPad Y Series laptops will be available beginning in April from $899.

IdeaPad Z580, Z480, Z380— Stylish and Colorful Laptops

Striking the right balance of value and performance, the new IdeaPad Z Series laptops fit the bill perfectly. With the latest processor and graphics technology options, the Z Series laptops are ideal for multimedia tasks and are available in a range of dazzling colors – Amber Orange, Apple Green, Cherry Red, Coral Blue, Graphite Grey, and Peony Pink.

The Z series comes with smart features like the Intelligent Touchpad for easy scroll, zoom and rotate functions, and the Lenovo OneKey® Rescue System for simple data backup and recovery. For a superior entertainment experience, the Z Series come with OneKey® Theater II for one-touch audio-visual optimization for clearer, brighter images and richer sound, and up to NVIDIA® GeForce® GT640M 2GB graphics with DirectX® 11. Available with screen sizes of 13.3, 14, or 15.6”, these laptops come with a backlit LED HD display (1366×768), 16:9 widescreen, integrated DVD reader or Blu-ray Disc™ drive4 and HD graphics support. HDMI output and Intel® Wireless Display (WiDi) Technology1allow for easy enjoyment of all multimedia on a large screen.

The new IdeaPad Z Series laptops will be available beginning in April from $599.

Lenovo G480, G580, G780 — Affordable, Essential Laptops

In addition to the other new laptops, we announced new laptop models in our G Series. The three new G Series laptops G480, G580 and G780 14”, 15.6” and 17.3” HD screens, OneKey® Rescue System for simple data backup and recovery, and Veriface facial recognition, offer durable build quality, smart Lenovo technologies and basic multimedia functions at an affordable price.

The new Lenovo G Series laptops will be available beginning in June from $399.

IdeaCentre B540 and B340 — High-Performance Touchscreen AIOs

The digital home gets a sleek upgrade with the new IdeaCentre B Series AIO desktops. The B540 uniquely combines a 23 inch full HD frameless screen with state-of-the-art multi-touch and optional 3D vision for a truly powerful and interactive entertainment experience. Powered by the Intel Core Processor family and supporting an adjustable VESA mount, it provides a rich entertainment experience anywhere in the living room. The IdeaCentre B540 also features superior graphics technologies for a great gaming experience with up to NVIDIA GeForce® GT 650M 2GB graphics with DirectX®11.

Featuring a compact design suitable for any room of the home, the B340 comes with a 21.5” full HD touch-screen display and Lenovo IdeaTouch for an enhanced range of touch-optimized multimedia applications. Along with the B540, the B340 can optionally be configured with OneKey® TV4 – a unique function to turn the desktop screen into an HD TV at the click of a button, making it easy to switch between TV and PC modes with the picture-in-picture (PIP) function. Users can even watch TV without powering on the PC as the TV hardware is independent of the PC itself. These new AIOs come integrated with entertainment features, such as the Lenovo High-Sense (720p HD) Webcam for high-quality video chats, and a DVD reader or Blu-ray Disc™ drive, making them a great PC for the family.

The new IdeaCentre B Series AIOs will be available beginning in June from $699.

IdeaCentre K430 — Performance and Upgradeability

The new IdeaCentre K430 traditional tower desktop takes performance and upgrade capabilities to new heights with powerful processing, optional dual graphics support3 and twin hard drives3 along with massive memory and storage. It packs a powerful punch with super-fast processing powered by the Intel Core Processor family and up to 32GB of DDR3 memory. For extreme gamers and those that need intensive multimedia support, the IdeaCentre K430 does the job with high-performance dual graphics cards featuring NVIDIA SLI or ATI CrossFireX technology and optional twin hard drives in a RAID0 configuration.

With the K430 users have plenty of storage space with its huge capacity of up to 4TB HDD and up to 128GB SSD storage. The K430 also comes with a custom designed portable 500GB hard drive complete with a Universal Storage Module (USM) interface dock on the front of the PC for convenience that is compatible with other USM portable hard drives. The energy-efficient Power Control Switch with three color-coded speed options, lets users choose between turbo, auto and cool running modes based on the computing load.

The new IdeaCentre K430 tower will be available beginning in May from $599.

Lenovo H520s— Slim, Easy-to-Use Desktop

The new Lenovo H520s offers a slim solution for home computing, at half the size of a standard desktop PC. The H520s combines affordability with a great range of entertainment and processing features, plus Lenovo Assistant – a simple new interface that helps organize favorites, clean history and junk files, and manage the PC’s network connections and energy consumption settings.

The new Lenovo H520s desktop will be available beginning in June from $499.

CES 2012: Acer Show Off their Next Generation Iconia Tab 2012

Andrew Edney

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Jan 9, 2012

0

CES 2012: Acer Show Off their Next Generation Iconia Tab 2012

Yesterday during the Acer press conference at CES 2012, Acer showed off their forthcoming next generation Acer Iconia Tab.

The new Iconia Tab will be one of the first Android tablets to feature a full HD display with a resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels.

It will come with the latest version of Google’s mobile OS, Android 4.0 (also known as Ice Cream Sandwich), and it is powered by NVIDIA’s new quad core Tegra 3 processor.

The demo of a full HD movies (Transformers Dark of the Moon) was stunning.

More news on the next generation Iconia Tab when we get it.

LOVEFiLM Drops Prices on the Day Netflix Hits the UK

Andrew Edney

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Jan 9, 2012

0

LOVEFiLM today confirmed that the price of it’s monthly unlimited streaming package will be £4.99, which is £1 lower than Nexflix.

Nextflix finally launched in the UK today, and so some might say the timing is impeccable, but for customers this is great news.

LOVEFiLM always announced that they now have 2 million paying subscribers!

Do you use either of these services? Let us know what you think.

Netflix Finally Launches in the UK

Andrew Edney

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Jan 9, 2012

1

Today saw Netflix finally launch in the UK, and you can get a free trial now.

This is part of what Netflix posted on their blog:

Today we’re bringing Netflix to the UK and Ireland. I am Neil Hunt, chief product officer at Netflix. I’m proud to have led the product team that brings Netflix to the country where I grew up, after spending most of my career in California.

Click-to-Watch TV Programmes and Films Over the Internet

Netflix is available now, and anyone can get a one month free trial: click-to-watch TV programmes and films streamed instantly over the Internet to your smart TV, game console, computer, tablet, or mobile device. After the free trial, it costs just £5.99 or €6.99. Our catalog is full of complete TV programmes such as The Only Way is Essex, Prison Break, and Damages (watch from the pilot episode all the way through the last complete season) and great films such as 3:10 to Yuma, Blitz and The English Patient, with new content added continuously.

Streaming to TVs, Computers, Tablets, and Mobiles

We have spent the last four years building and refining streaming players for the major game consoles, smart TVs, Blu-ray players, tablets, and mobile phones, as well as Mac and PC-based computers. We have honed and refined the apps based upon our experience in the Canadian, US, and Latin American markets. The current versions have some cool streaming technology that starts streaming the video instantly and quickly scales up to high definition with surround sound when your broadband connection supports it. If you don’t have a game console or smart TV, there are nifty smart TV adaptor products on the market that convert a regular television to an Internet-connected television starting at around £50.

So why not sign up for a free trial here.

Are you going to give it a try? Let us know….

CES 2012: Acer Preview AcerCloud for Anytime, Anywhere Access to Digital Media and Data

News
Tech

Andrew Edney

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Jan 8, 2012

0

CES 2012: Acer Preview AcerCloud for Anytime, Anywhere Access to Digital Media and Data

Acer also announced their AcerCloud, which Connects All Personal Devices Securely for
Anytime, Anywhere Access to Digital Media and Data.

Intelligent connectivity and storage — in a personal cloud space

Acer today previewed its upcoming AcerCloud, which securely connects all personal smart devices for anytime, anywhere access. Featuring Acer Always Connect technology, users can retrieve multimedia and data files anytime, even when their main PC is in sleep (standby/hibernation) mode. Users can enjoy these advantages knowing that their information is stored and transferred securely via strong encryption and authentication. Bringing users tremendous functionality and value, Acer will include the AcerCloud, without additional cost, on all new Acer consumer PCs.

Acer reduces the complexities of today’s fast-paced lifestyles by developing solutions that enable devices to communicate, simplifying the process of content sharing. With the ever-growing number of smart digital devices, users need to share and back up their multimedia and data files in a simple, smart way.

Create, acquire and consume on different devices

AcerCloud makes it easy to take photos on a smartphone while on the go, and then view them on a main PC at home or in the office, without the delay and complication of manually transferring files. It also allows users to purchase a movie from an all-in-one PC, and then watch it on a tablet or smartphone on a train or airplane. As long as the main PC is in sleep (standby/hibernation) mode, Acer Always Connect technology can wake it up through Wi-Fi® so media can be retrieved via a mobile device. AcerCloud, meanwhile, intelligently uses local and cloud storage together so all data is always available. Other features of AcerCloud include:

PicStream

Through PicStream

, users can take holiday snapshots on their smartphone, back them up on the main PC, and share them efficiently with other smart devices. Users can stream photos via clear.fi in the Cloud to PCs and other devices; photos are backed up permanently on their PC, and temporarily accessible for 30 days in their personal cloud and on other devices.

AcerCloud Docs

Professionals can update sales documents on a PC and save them, and the documents will be put into the personal cloud and streamed to other devices. They can then go to their meeting with their notebook or tablet PC and have immediate access to all the updated files. The files will be temporarily accessible for 30 days in the personal cloud and on the devices, or they can choose to download the files on to other devices for long-term storage.

clear.fi Media

With Acer’s unique clear.fi Media application, users can also access all their multimedia at any time. They can use clear.fi to connect to the personal cloud and stream live, or download and enjoy content offline for convenient on-the-go entertainment.
Acer Inc. President Jim Wong stated, “AcerCloud not only provides the simplicity and efficiency when accessing and sharing data, but it’s also free with a new Acer PC and gives our users peace-of-mind, knowing that their data is safely transferred in a personal cloud space.”

AcerCloud will be bundled on all Acer consumer PCs starting Q2 2012. It will support all Android devices, while future support is planned for Windows-based devices. The service will be available in America, Europe, Asia and China.

Having just sat through a live demo, which for the most part worked very well, AcerCloud looks very interesting.

CES 2012: Acer Announce Aspire Timeline Ultra

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Tech

Andrew Edney

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Jan 8, 2012

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CES 2012: Acer Announce Aspire Timeline Ultra

Acer has announced the newAspire Timeline Ultra, featuring long battery life, high performance, and Acer Green Instant On and Acer Always Connect technology.

LAS VEGAS, USA (January 8, 2012) — Since Acer rolled out the first Ultrabook in September 2011, the company has extended the product’s unique features across its mainstream line of notebooks with 14-inch and 15-inch models. Acer today unveils the Aspire Timeline Ultra featuring 8 hours of battery life, high performance and a 2-spindle design in an Ultrabook. They feature Acer Green Instant On for fast boot and resume, and Acer Always Connect technology, which lets users manage their multimedia and data on all their devices at anytime, anywhere —even from sleep.

The new Aspire Timeline Ultra are slimmer and lighter than earlier generations of the Timeline series, which reach a delicate equilibrium between computer lightness and battery life, providing an entire day of computing on a single charge. Aspire Timeline Ultra measure just 20 mm thin, boast more than 8 hours of battery life,1 the latest Intel® Core™ i processor performance, dedicated graphics for intensive 3D gaming, and even a slim DVD-Super Multi optical drive.

Instantly on and always connected

Innovative Acer Green Instant On and Acer Always Connect technologies enable data upload and retrieval anytime, anywhere, and deliver power-saving features as well.

Acer Green Instant On provides instant-resume functionality (in 1.5 seconds) and ensures battery life that lasts several weeks.

Acer Always Connect gets users online faster than conventional connections for better productivity and infotainment enjoyment. With their Facebook, Twitter and Outlook email accounts open, users can see updates instantly upon resuming. Furthermore, Acer Always Connect can wake up the Timeline Ultra from a remote device like a smartphone. Access to all documents, music, pictures and video files is fast and always available.

Performance and Timeline design heritage

The Aspire Timeline Ultra features the latest Intel® Core™ i Series processors, an SSD/HDD storage option, professionally-tuned Dolby® Home Theater® v4 surround sound, as well as HDMI® and USB 3.0 ports. They also retain the Timeline design heritage of more than 8 hours of battery life via the PowerSmart long-life battery pack (with a 3X longer life cycle than traditional batteries2) and a thermal technology that keep users comfortable even when the Timeline Ultra is placed on their lap.

The Aspire Timeline Ultra will start shipping in Q1 2012.