What is Windows Home Server?

The Media Center Show #238 – CES 2010 Part 1

Andrew Edney

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Jan 12, 2010

Ian Dixon over at the Digital Lifestyle released the Media Center Show podcast number 238, from CES last week.

I am interviewed on the show (outside of the Apple Store in the Fashion Show Mall in Las Vegas) – and was also interviewed for some upcoming shows as well.

We all had a blast in Vegas at CES!

Here’s what Ian had to say about the show:

This week I am in Las Vegas at the Consumer Electronics Show and I have a great collection of interviews for you. In part one of the CES coverage I have pre and post keynote chat from bloggers Andrew Edney, Terry Walsh, Jim Clark, Dave McCabe and Garry Whittker plus interviews from Avermedia talking TV tuners including placeshifting and HD-PVR, D-Link taking about there network products including the new Boxee box.

Garry and I also chat about the first couple of days at CES

More interviews to come on the next show

To listen to the show, click here.

The Home Server Show Podcast 71 at CES

Andrew Edney

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Jan 12, 2010

0

Dave over at the Home Server Show released podcast 71 last week.

The whole show revolves around CES, and I was there with him and the guys at the show, although not for the late night recording of this one 🙂

I was however interviewed for a forthcoming show, plus we did a recording whilst I drove the guys around Vegas after a blogger party (that one’s coming soon)!

Here’s what Dave has to say about show 71:

In today’s episode Jim, Chris, and Dave get together in Vegas and discuss all that we have seen and done at CES. It’s only day one but we have a lot to talk about!

You can listen to it or subscribe to it here.

The Parrot AR Drone

News
Tech

Andrew Edney

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Jan 11, 2010

6

kLast week I saw the Parrot AR Drone in action at CES. I mentioned it in one of my posts last weej.

In fact, this little thing always had people around it, wanting to play with it, and Parrot took it to all the after CES parties for the Press and Bloggers, but also had a number of different areas in CES where people could see it and even have a go.

Here’s what Parrot have to say about the AR Drone:

Parrot, leader in wireless products for mobile phones, is unveiling the first quadricopter using augmented reality: Parrot AR.Drone.

With intuitive mobility and universal use, Parrot AR.Drone is piloted initially with an iPhone™ or iPod touch® and allows you to take a spectacular flying journey. In addition to the pleasure of flying, this unique quadricopter can be part of a large number of video games in the real world.

Streaming video on the iPhone™ or iPod touch® screen enables you to pilot the AR.Drone as if you were sitting in the pilot’s seat; the image processing allows for the integration of real-time special effects of augmented reality…

An unseen mix of captors (wide angle camera and high speed camera, MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanicals Systems), 3 axes accelerometer, 3 axes gyro, ultrasound sensor) associated with a powerful computer makes the piloting easy and accessible even for the youngest or non-technologically savvy person.

Thanks to the accelerometer of the iPhone™ or iPod touch® that detects users’ movements, the AR.Drone is very easy to pilot by leaning the iPhone™ forward to move forward or sidewise to corner and change direction.

On the touch pad of the iPhone™, command buttons also indicate some actions such as rise, down, rotate, move back, move forward… Observing the AR.Drone obey each movement of their hands is an incredible experience for the player.

Parrot AR.Drone: imagination has no limits

Parrot AR.Drone is designed for flying inside and outside.

For flying inside, a hull surrounds the propellers and protects the quadricopter if it hits an obstacle. For outside flights, a shaped hull reduces the area to the wind for better maneuverability of the quadricopter.

Every flight with the AR.Drone will always be a new experience. Outside, the user will have to take into account the changing elements of the real environment, such as the wind, the sunshine, shadowed areas or any obstacles that appear.

Parrot AR.Drone is also offering an unprecedented multi-player possibility.

Thanks to augmented reality, it is possible to recreate an aerial fight between two quadricopters. The worlds of video gaming and radio controlled models collaborate for the first time, simultaneously evolving in both universes.

Developers can sign up for the SDK here http://www.ardrone.org.

Pricing and availability have yet to be formalised, but all I can say is this thing is very cool, and everyone who saw it at CES wants one.

Take a look at this video I took, I particularly like the last few seconds 🙂 Although have to say it really took a beating and was flying a few seconds later – now that’s cool!

CES 2010 live from Las Vegas

Windows Home Server

Timothy Daleo

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Jan 8, 2010

1

Sorry about the chair comment. As I sit on the floor writing this, I get it.

Finally got here and waiting to meet up with Andrew. If anyone else is here and wants to meet up just Tweet me at jpltim.

Lets hope for some good articles to come out of this!

Tim

More Information on the LaCie Windows Home Server

Andrew Edney

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Jan 8, 2010

5

Earlier this week, we reported that LaCie had announced their entrance into the Windows Home Server market. In case you missed that, you can read it here.

Today at CES, I managed to get a hands on closer look at the LaCie 5BIG Backup Server as it was referred to here at CES.

The front of the server is silver, with nothing but a blue circle.

On the back of the server however, this is where the real action is. There are 5 removable drive bays, each one lockable, along with the usual assortment of connectors, including 4 USB sockets and an eSata port. It certainly is different to see the drive bays in the back of a Windows Home Server for a change.

The specifications for the LaCie 5Big Backup Server are as follows:

Atom based 64-bit chipset, with a single core (the new Pinetrail chip)

1GB RAM

5 drive bays (as you can see above)

178 x 220 x 196 mm

It will be sold in the US, Europe, Australia and Asia.

It also contains the Wuala software which is an online P2P backup solution).

One thing I can say for sure, is that if you have 5 drives in the server, the data will be safe – mainly because the thing weighs a tonne!

More information and a full review over the coming months.

Windows Home Server at CES

Andrew Edney

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Jan 8, 2010

0

Here at CES, the only Windows Home Server news has been the announcement from LaCie. Obviously this is very disappointing for those of us waiting for news of Windows Home Server v2 (or Vail as it is known).

Outside of the Central Hall, the Windows Home Server team once again hand Windows Home Server posters up on the columns. Those of you with good memories may remember that the team did this last year as well.

I took some pictures of them for you:

Inside, as usual, Microsoft had a very large exhibition area, only this time Windows Home Server had a very small bit, next to Windows Media Center. In fact, there were no signs at all for Windows Home Server!

The guys were demoing the new LaCie, the Lenovo and the Asus Windows Home Servers.

Lets hope we have some new Windows Home Server news in the not too distant future. As usual we will let you know anything as soon as we can.

LaCie Debuts Extra Small Full HD Media Center at CES – the LaCinema Mini HD

Andrew Edney

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Jan 7, 2010

4

Hot off the heels of their announcement about a new Windows Home Server, LaCie have announced a new Full HD Media Center pc, that is very, and I do mean VERY tiny!

LaCinema Mini HD is available in a 500GB capacity in Europe and will be available worldwide later this quarter through the LaCie Online Store, LaCie Reseller+, and LaCie Corner, starting at the suggested retail price of $299.99. For more information, visit www.lacie.com.

Needless to say I want one 🙂

Here is what LaCie has to say about the device:

Amazingly small and stylish, the LaCinema Mini HD provides uncompromising quality, adding stunning 1080p playback through HDMI on your HDTV. No matter the video, music or photo format and resolution, the Mini HD will play it seamlessly with clear sound and the vivid images that you’ve come to expect from HD. It’s compatible with all the most popular video formats on the market, from DivX and MKV, to AVC and H.264, and comes with Dolby Digital surround sound.

It’s easy to play your movie library on your HDTV: Attach the LaCinema Mini HD to your computer via the bus-powered USB 2.0 connection to quickly transfer your movies, then connect it to your TV for instant playback. No other configuration is required. The LaCinema Mini HD also comes with 802.11n WiFi technology to ensure maximized performance for HD movie streaming. Embedded inside an ultra compact design, LaCinema Design, Design by Neil Poulton, will elegantly integrate into your HDTV setup.

Its UPnP^™/DLNA^™ capabilities ensure that the LaCinema Mini HD works in tandem with your home network, connecting easily to your PC or network storage (like a (URL)LaCie Network Space 2) so it’s simple to populate with your media.With one click, you can turn the LaCinema Mini HD into a powerful media server that will allow you to use it as a central location for all of your media. You can even share content with a Playstation®, Xbox®, or other audio or video DLNA player.

With up to 500GB of storage available, you can store your entire digital media library in one location. A user-friendly navigation and remote control have been designed to enhance your entertainment experience. You can even quickly connect a USB storage key to the front of your LaCinema Mini HD to instantly watch movies on your TV.

DETAILED SPECIFICATIONS:

Item Number :
301914KUA

Capacity :
500 GB

Interface :
USB 2.0

Maximum Resolution :
1920 x 1080p

Supported File Systems :
NTFS (Windows®), HFS+ (Mac®), FAT32 (Mac/Windows)

Video Codecs :
AVI, MKV, MOV, DIVX, MPEG, TS, MP4, WMV, DVD-Video (ISO, Video_TS), MPEG1/2/4, DIVX/HD, XVID H.264, VC1

Audio Format :
MP3, WMA, AAC**, MP4, WAV, OGG, FLAC

Subtitles :
SRT, SSA, SUB, SMI, PSB, ASS

Playlist :
PLS, M3U, WPL (Windows Media Player, Winamp compatible)

Photo :
JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF

Output :
HDMI 1.3, Audio Video RCA, Digital Optical Audio

Network Compatibility :
WiFi: 802.11b/g/n
Wired: Ethernet 100Mbps

Dimensions :
118 x 118 x 40 mm / 4.7 x 4.7 x 1.5 in.

Weight :
450 g / 15.9 oz.

System Requirements :
Computer with an Ethernet network adapter
Latest version of Windows® XP, Windows Vista®, Windows 7 / Mac OS X 10.4, 10.5, 10.6 / Linux 2.6
Minimum free disk space: 600MB recommended
Ethernet switch or router

Box Content :
LaCinema Mini HD
External power adapter
Remote control (includes 2 x AAA batteries)
HDMI cable
Composite audio video cable
USB 2.0 cable
Ethernet (network) cable
PV TwonkyMedia Server 5.1

Comments :
*1GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes. Total accessible capacity varies depending upon operating environment (typically 10–15% less).
**Supports iTunes-encoded songs. The LaCinema Mini HD cannot be used in violation of any copyright or other IP (Intellectual Property) rights. It may only be used in connection with materials legally owned or licensed to the user and only to the extent such ownership or license rights permit such use.

Warranty :
2-Year Limited Warranty

Speci?cations and appearance are given as guidelines and may change without notice.

Monster Introduce World’s Fastest Powerline Solution- the Powernet 1G

Tech

Andrew Edney

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Jan 7, 2010

4

As you are probably aware, sometimes you cant get a decent wireless signal in your home or office (or here at CES!) and a wired solution just isn’t practical either.

That is where powerline products come in. They use your home’s electrical wiring system as a network enabling you to connect one end to your router and the other end anywhere else in the house and then connect any device to it, thus giving you full network connectivity.

These devices are great, I use some myself at home, and the biggest issue has always been speed – for example, if you want to stream HD quality movies you really need a fast connection, and the devices do not always provide that speed.

This is where the new Powernet 1G product comes in giving a speed of 1 GPS!

These look very interesting and I look forward to getting my hands on them soon!

For the full press release see below:

MONSTER INTRODUCES “POWERNET™ 1G” FEATURING THE WORLD’S
FASTEST POWERLINE COMMUNICATIONS DATA TRANSFER SPEED

— New Product Offers Unique “No New Wires” Networking Solution; Provides Speeds Fast

Enough to Reliably Support Multiple 1080p Datastreams –

LAS VEGAS, January 6, 2010 – Monster, the world leader in power conditioning and surge protection products, today introduced the world’s fastest PowerLine Communication (PLC) product with its PowerNet 1G (SRP: $299.95). Monster® PowerNet™ with PLC technology instantly turns a home’s electrical wiring system into a high speed Ethernet network – empowering users to bring a reliable and secure broadband connection into any room at speeds as much as 5X faster than all PLC products currently on the market.

World’s Fastest PLC Data Rates for Smooth Movie Streaming, Glitch-Free Online Gaming, and Network File Data Transfers
The product achieves its unprecedented speed using the advanced Atheros AR7400 chipset, enabling a data throughput of 1 GPS (quintupling the 200mps rates of its closest competitors). At this previously unattainable speed, users of the PowerNet 1G can simultaneously stream and download 1080p content on demand to their Blu-ray Disc™ players, DVRs and TiVo®, network TVs, game consoles, and other devices.

Home Ethernet Networking Speeds Maximized with Monster Proprietary PLC Filter
The Monster PowerNet 1G also features proprietary PLC filters that help prevent added noise on the home’s AC power lines. The result is a cleaner data signal at much higher bandwidths to enable the speeds needed to deliver multiple 1080p file streams simultaneously.

Noel Lee, Head Monster, noted: “At Monster, our goal is to provide products that truly complete the home entertainment and TV watching experience for our customers. These days that means making it easy for people to access the Internet, which has become a primary source for all kinds of entertainment, including games, movies, music and more. According to industry estimates, Internet movie rentals and downloads alone will exceed 2.14 billion by 2010, and more and more home entertainment products, including TVs, now feature built-in Internet. The majority of consumers, however, do not have an Ethernet connection in every room where they may want to access it. Our PowerNet products make it fast and easy to add an Ethernet interface to any room. And with our new high-speed PowerNet 1G, people will be able to enjoy the full power of the Internet so they can maximize all their entertainment opportunities, including 1080p programming, without adding any new wires.”

PowerNet 1G joins Monster’s full line of comprehensive PowerNet products, including the new Digital Life™ PowerNet 350wifi (SRP: $249.95) extender, which provides both wired and wireless 802.11 solutions for connecting consumer electronics devices in a home network, as well as the Monster PowerNet 100 (SRP: $99.95), PowerNet 200 (SRP: $179.95), and PowerNet 300 (SRP: $199.95), empowering consumers to bring the Internet to their home entertainment equipment throughout the house.

Benefits of Monster PowerNet 1G include:

Blazing fast speeds of 1G for multiple 1080p connections to the Internet or streaming high definition audio and video.

All the advantages of a wired home without having to pay contractors for expensive wire pulling and installation.

PLC Clean Power® noise filtering that improves network speed compared to other PLC devices.

About Monster
Monster was founded by Head Monster Noel Lee with a commitment to creating products under the Monster Cable® brand to literally “make music sound better.” Today, Monster has grown and diversified to become the world’s leading manufacturer of connectivity solutions for high-performance audio, video, car audio, computer, console and computer gaming, as well as a leading innovator in the field of iPod® and iPhone™ accessories and professional audio and sound reinforcement. As part of its commitment to improving the music listening experience, Monster worked with Dr. Dre and Interscope Geffen A&M Chairman Jimmy Iovine to create the Beats™ by Dr. Dre™ headphone line, including the new Heartbeats by Lady Gaga headphones. The company is also continuing to innovate with its own line of Monster brand headphones, including “Turbine Pro™ In-Ear Speakers™,” the first in-ear headphones geared for use by music professionals and audiophiles. Additionally, under its Monster Power® brand, the company is the leading manufacturer of high-performance AC power line conditioning and protection products for audio/video systems.

Explore the world of Monster at http://www.MonsterCable.com

Explore the world of Monster Power® at http://www.MonsterPower.com

CES News Round Up – Day 2 (Sort of)

Andrew Edney

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Jan 7, 2010

0

Well yesterday saw the 2nd day of CES, even though CES doesn’t really start until today when the show itself opens it’s doors.

Yesterday was again a hectic day of press conferences and events (it’s a hard life)!

I met up with Dave McCabe from the Homeserver Show podcast, Terry Walsh from We Got Served, Ian Dixon and Garry Whittaker from The Digital Lifestyle Show podcast and we spent a lot of time going to see different things, and trying desperately to get a working wireless connection (you wouldn’t think it was the worlds largest consumer electronics show, would you)?

A brief round up follows, and again I will post some of the things in much more detail when time permits later in the week 🙂

Toshiba Europe

The morning started with us all heading over to the Toshiba Europe press event, which primarily dealt with some very cool new televisions, including one that frankly can only be described as out of this world, and that goes for the price tag as well.

They also announced the new NB300 and NB305 netbooks, which have a battery life of around 11 hours and look great (I’m currently using an NB200 – so if anyone from Toshiba is reading this, any chance of an upgrade) 🙂

Lenovo

Lenovo were talking a lot about the new smartphone, the LePhone, and also about some of their other new products, including a smartbook that is really thin and runs all day! More on that later in the week.

They also had an entertainment section that had a very small net top PC (with a cool hand held keyboard) and also the Lenovo Windows Home Server (it was very nice to see it there as Windows Home Server news has been very thin on the ground – although its not news as its been out for a while, but you know what I mean!)

The Keynote

I didn’t attend the live keynote in the end, I watched the live webcast instead as I had some other meetings just before it (including the Lenovo press conference).

There was no Windows Home Server news, but there were a few Media Center announcements – why not watch the webcast for yourself by clicking here.

The Digital Experience Show

In the evening there was a 4 hour event called the Digital Experience Show, also known as Pepcom. It was a really great event with a large number of exhibitors talking about their products, doing demos and everyone having a good time (along with loads of food and drink). Completely irrelevant to this post, but the theme was safari and there were loads of stuffed animals, jeeps, and lovely ladies in full body makeup as lions and other animals (and no, before you ask, I am not posting any pictures of them, I thought it best not to take pictures!) 🙂

I will post more later on some of the cool things I saw, and believe me there was a lot to see, including more things from D-Link, Toshiba, HP and many others.

Tranquil Launch Series 2 SQA-5H Windows Home Server Powered by Intel D510 CPU

Andrew Edney

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Jan 7, 2010

2

Windows Home Server news here at CES has been pretty thin on the ground, with only LaCie announcing their forthcoming Windows Home Server product. There wasn’t even any mention of Windows Home Server in the CES keynote yesterday.

So it is great to see that today Tranquil PC have announced the launch of their new SQA-5H Windows Home Server which is powered by the new Intel D510 CPU.

We did a review of the Series 1 model last year which you can read by clicking here.

We hope to have one for review shortly, so watch this space.

Click here to place your order.

For now, you can read more below.

Tranquil PC – Manchester UK

7^th January 2010

Home Server Powered by latest Intel D510 CPU

Tranquil PC are pleased to announced the immediate availability of the SQA-5H Series 2 Home Servers.
The established 5x HDD Home Server systems are powered by the latest D510 CPUs from Intel. This latest CPU is a two chip solution (The D510 – CPU/GFX and the NM10 – I/O) – compared to the previous regular 3 chip solution. This new CPU + controller has a total TDP of 15W – over 50% power saving when compared to the original systems.

Running the very latest builds of Windows Home Server (PP3) from Microsoft and the AVA Media Add In, the SQA-5H are ideal not only for Home Server duties, but as a tool for automatically creating and centralising your Home Media

The SQA-5H Series 2 systems are now available – and are shipping at the same prices as the original SQA-5H Home Servers

Microsoft Keynote at CES – Starting Soon

Andrew Edney

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Jan 7, 2010

0

Here at CES in Las Vegas, the night before the fun really starts, there is always a keynote speech by Microsoft. It starts at 6.30pm (so in about 30 minutes time) and if you want to watch it live you can watch a webcast.

Here is what Microsoft say about the keynote:

Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer of Microsoft, and Robbie Bach, president of the Entertainment & Devices Division, deliver the pre-show keynote address in Las Vegas to kick off the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Coverage begins on Jan. 6, 2010, at approximately 6:30 p.m. PST with the live, streaming keynote.

So, if you want to watch the live stream (or the recording if you miss the live event), you can do so by clicking here.

Also, a few of the guys – Ian Dixon, Terry Walsh, Garry Whittiker and Dave McCabe are actually there right now, in the front row would you believe! Well, they did queue up for about 4 hours to get in, so well done guys. I couldn’t go with them as I had a few meetings to go to.

Ian is actually doing a live blog post as well : to see it click here.

D-Link Pebble Media Player Unveiled

Tech

Andrew Edney

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Jan 6, 2010

2

Seems D-Link are busy bunnies this week here at CES. Not content with announcing their new Home Monitoring Solution, they have announced a new media player, called the Pebble.

As you know, we here at Using Windows Home Server love media players, so we are quite excited about this new one as well.

I will be looking closely at this during the week and will report back.

For now, here is the press release:

D-LINK TOSSES ‘PEBBLE’ INTO MEDIA PLAYER POND AT CES 2010

LAS VEGAS, CES Booth 36232, South Hall, LVCC, Jan. 6, 2010 -D-Link, the end-to-end networking solutions provider for consumers and business, today introduced a stylish addition to any home entertainment environment — the D-Link® Pebble™ — a uniquely designed media player that lets users play virtually all of their media in an attractive, easy-to-use and compact device.

Lightweight, decorative and functional, no other media player of its style and price offers full network capabilities in such a compact package. Pebble streams music, photos and video wherever they are stored – on external hard drives, in USB thumb drives, SD/XM/Flash memory cards, network attached storage (NAS) devices, PCs or the Internet. An optional dongle is available for wireless 802.11n connectivity.

When attached to a home network – either wired or wireless — the D-Link Pebble accepts media files from any PC on the network or NAS device, and allows playback on the entertainment center TV and stereo with high-resolution quality and crystal clear sound. The intuitive graphical user interface (GUI) makes user navigation quick and point-click-and-play easy.

The USB 2.0 ports support an external hard drive, thumbdrives, various memory card formats and a USB wireless dongle. HDMI 1.3 and analog video output and composite audio also are built into the Pebble for the ultimate viewing and listening experience.

Price and Availabiilty

The D-Link Pebble will be available in the first half of 2010 through the company’s vast network of retail and etail outlets, and at D-Link’s online store, http://www.dlinkshop.com, for the Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Prices (MSRP) of -$119.99.

About D-Link

D-Link is the global leader in connectivity for small, medium and large enterprise business networking. The company is an award-winning designer, developer and manufacturer of networking, broadband, digital electronics, voice, data and video communications solutions for the digital home, Small Office/Home Office (SOHO), Small to Medium Business (SMB), and Workgroup to Enterprise environments. With millions of networking and connectivity products manufactured and shipped, D-Link is a dominant market participant and price/performance leader in the networking and communications market. D-Link Systems, Inc. headquarters are located at 17595 Mt. Herrmann Street, Fountain Valley, CA, 92708. Phone (800) 326-1688 or (714) 885-6000; FAX (866) 743-4905; Internet www.dlink.com.

D-Link, Pebble and the D-Link logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of D-Link Corporation or its subsidiaries. All other third party marks mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. Copyright © 2009. D-Link. All Rights Reserved.

CES News Round Up – Day 1 (Sort of)

News
Tech

Andrew Edney

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Jan 6, 2010

5

CES doesn’t officially start until Thursday 7th January, but today (Tuesday) and tomorrow there are various events taking place for the press.

I attended a couple of events today, and so I thought I would post a brief run down on some of the things I saw (and some of these things will be covered in greater depth in the next few days when time permits):

ASUS Briefing

At the ASUS briefing this afternoon, Johnny Shih, the Chairman of ASUS talked about a number of new products, including a new gamer laptop, the G73 (that contains the Intel Core i7-720QM chip), the new U53 laptop made from Bamboo and the NX90, which has been designed with Bang and Olufsen, which frankly looks fantastic!

He also talked about some new concepts known as Waveface, including a wearable smartphone (that looks like a bracelet), a personal tablet and some home entertainment devices called Casa, all providing the “right information at the right time”.

More information on these over the next few days.

CES Unveiled

Before the start of CES, the press are invited to a gathering of a number of exhibitors to give them a bit of a sneak preview – and there is food and drink, which always gets people there.

There were a number of really interesting things on show, too many to go into now (I’m feeling rather jet lagged still), but I did get to see the D-Link Boxee up close and personal, and all I can say is that I want one more than ever!

There was also a cool hover drone from Parrot that looked like it was straight out of Terminator, plus some very cool e-book readers, to name but a few.

LaCie were also there but they didn’t have their new Windows Home Server with them – for that we will have to wait until Thursday!

If the main event is anything like Unveiled, then we are in for some great gadgets.

And it was great to catch up Garry Whittaker, who I haven’t seen since the UK Media Center and Windows Home Server User Group meeting last year (thanks again for the Pepsi Garry) 🙂

So, I’m going to try and get some sleep now, but stay tuned as there is lots to report already and there is still a full day before the event actually opens, and believe me tomorrow is going to be a long, and busy day!

Western Digital Introduce My Book 3.0 Drives

Tech

Andrew Edney

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Jan 6, 2010

0

Today Western Digital introduced the fastest ever external hard drive in the shape of the USB 3.0 supporting My Book 3.0 external hard drive.

USB 3.0 is the latest and greatest incarnation of USB, and SuperSpeed USB 3.0 transfers data at 5 gigabit per second. That’s up to 10 times faster than USB 2.0.

We hope to have one soon to review – so watch this space.

Here is the full press release:

WD® INTRODUCES ITS FASTEST EVER MY BOOK® EXTERNAL DRIVE

My Book® 3.0 External Hard Drives are the First Certified SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Storage Devices Available on the Market

WD® (NYSE: WDC), the world’s leader in external storage solutions, today introduced its fastest My Book® external hard drive ever — the new My Book 3.0 desktop external drives are among the first devices certified with the SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interface. With an interface that’s up to 10 times faster than the previous-generation USB 2.0 interface, the high-performance My Book 3.0 drive significantly reduces the time it takes to open and save large files.

Offered standalone, or in a kit that includes a USB 3.0 PCIe (gen2) adapter card, the 1 TB My Book 3.0 drive is available now at select retailers and www.shopwd.co.uk . The 2 TB model is expected later this week.

The SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interface on My Book 3.0 drives provides transfer rates[1] of up to 5 gigabits-per-second, allowing users to open and save files up to 4.7 times faster than USB 2.0. The new My Book 3.0 drive is compliant with the USB-IF SuperSpeed USB 3.0 standard to provide compatibility with other USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 products. SuperSpeed USB 3.0 is backwards compatible with USB 2.0 and USB 1.1.

Market research firm In-Stat expects the worldwide market for SuperSpeed USB 3.0 to reach over 1 billion units in 2013, representing over 25 percent of the market by 2013 (Sept. 2009).

“Consumers no longer have to wait for technology to keep up with their ideas. With the new super speed My Book 3.0 drives, consumers have the speed they need for resource-intensive video editing, animation, and graphic design applications,” said Dale Pistilli, vice president of marketing for WD’s branded products group.

Price and Availability

The new My Book 3.0 drives have 1 TB capacity and a 2-year limited warranty. My Book 3.0 drives are available now at select retailers and online at www.shopwd.co.uk. MSRP for the My Book 3.0 drive 1 TB is $179.99 USD. MSRP for the My Book 3.0 drive in a kit that includes a USB 3.0 PCIe (gen2) adapter card is $199.99 USD. The 2 TB My Book 3.0 drive is expected later this week.

My Book 3.0

The new My Book 3.0 drives feature:

– SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interface with transfer speeds up to 10 times faster than USB 2.0 to accelerate data transfers with the fastest available interface;

– Ideas accelerated – resource-intensive video editing, animation, graphic design, and large media files can be saved so quickly that you no longer have to wait for the technology to keep up with your ideas;

– Sleek, streamlined design features a premium finish that will look great sitting on your shelf;

– Compatible[2] with USB 2.0 ports – USB 3.0 interface is backward compatible with USB 2.0 with no additional hardware needed;

– WD quality inside and out – designed with the same commitment to quality that has made My Book external hard drives the number one selling drives in the world;

– Planet-friendly, small retail recyclable box made from recycled materials to minimize waste;

– Ready to plug-and-play with Windows® PCs; and,

– Two-year limited warranty.

Some actual performance results:

Transfer of 2000 photos (small file format test):

WD My Book 3.0: 1 minute 51 seconds

WD My Book 2.0: 6 minutes 16 seconds

Result Factor: 3.4 X faster

Transfer of 500 photos (small file format test):

WD MB 3.0: 23 seconds

WD MB 2.0: 1 minute 12 seconds

Result Factor: 3.1 X faster

2 Hour HD Movie (large file format test):

WD MB 3.0: 2 minutes 45 seconds

WD MB 2.0: 13 minutes 18 seconds

Factor: 4.8 X faster

About WD

WD, one of the storage industry’s pioneers and long-time leaders, provides products and services for people and organisations that collect, manage and use digital information. The company designs and produces reliable, high-performance hard drives and solid state drives that keep users’ data accessible and secure from loss. Its advanced technologies are configured into applications for client and enterprise computing, embedded systems and consumer electronics, as well as its own consumer storage and media products.

WD was founded in 1970. The company’s storage products are marketed to leading OEMs, systems manufacturers, selected resellers and retailers under the Western Digital® and WD brand names. Visit the Investor section of the company’s Web site (www.westerndigital.com) to access a variety of financial and investor information. This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements relating to the market for SuperSpeed USB 3.0. These forward-looking statements are based on current management expectations, and actual results may differ materially as a result of several factors, including: challenges faced in new product development, business conditions generally, and other risks and uncertainties listed in WD’s recent SEC filings, including its Form 10-Q for the first fiscal quarter of 2010. WD undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect new information or events or for any other reason.

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Western Digital, WD, My Book and the WD logo are registered trademarks; My Book 3.0 is a trademark of Western Digital Technologies, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. Other marks may be mentioned herein that belong to other companies. All other brand and product names mentioned herein are the property of their respective companies. As used for storage capacity, one gigabyte (GB) = 1 billion bytes. One terabyte (TB) = one trillion bytes. Total accessible capacity varies depending on operating environment.