Hasta La Gadget!

This article was written on February 19, 2007 by CyberNet.

Back in January when CES was underway, we mentioned Windows Home Server, but haven’t really had much else to say about it since then. To refresh your memory, Windows Home Server works without interaction to simplify tasks among the computers in your home. Units are headless and embedded only.  This means that interaction with it is entirely client software based, or done over SMB. It would manage backups, and supports full disk images and versions. 

It’s set to get released to the manufacturer on June 22nd, and would come as a hardware/software package, or just a software package to system builders. WHS has three main purposes:

1. Automated Computer Backups – Home Server will sit in the middle of your house and completely backup the entire hard drives of every computer connected to it, automatically.  Lose anything, even an entire computer, and you will be able to restore it.  You will even be able to restore older versions of files, taking advantage of a valuable feature in Windows Vista.
2. Access everything from anywhere – With a Home Server, you will be able to access all of your files from any computer, inside or outside your home, as well as accessing your home computers from outside the home.  You will centrally store your files to make them easier to access at all times.
3. Grows with you – Home Server will be designed to make it easier for users to expand its capabilities, especially making it easy to add more hard drives.

Here’s your chance to get in on the beta. Last Monday, they announced that you could take a survey  which will put your name it so that when they’re ready to expand the beta, you could possibly get invited. The Beta program started with 1000 Microsoft employees, and is now moving on to Beta 2. This is a software only Beta which means that you would need to have a system capable of being a dedicated machine for testing purposes.

As of Wednesday, they already have 20,000 people that have registered. To get involved, there are a few requirements.  First, you need to have two or more PCs.  Secondly, you need a broadband connection and router.  Third, you’ll need a spare PC or server that can be dedicated to Windows Home Server Software.

If you meet all of those requirements, you can find the survey here. After filling it out, you’ll have to sit tight and wait to see if you’re one of the lucky chosen ones that gets to be a Beta tester. Until then, here are a few screenshots of WHS from Neowin. From left to right: Welcome Screen, New User Permissions, Shared Folders, Server Health. (Click to enlarge)

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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It’s hard to believe, but with the show still six months away, we’re already getting bombarded with CES-related e-mail. We do have one piece of intriguing news to report at this early stage of the game: Steve Ballmer is set to kick off the festivities with the preshow keynote on January 9th and it’s a safe bet the presentation will be loaded with Windows 8 goodness. Now, what exactly we’ll see when the reliably excitable Microsoft CEO takes the stage is still a mystery, but WinRumors‘ little birdies have been whispering about a public beta of the upcoming OS and demos of both Intel- and ARM-based tablets — predictable, but still exciting prospects. Check out the PR after the break.

Continue reading Steve Ballmer to deliver CES keynote, Windows 8 will be the real star

Steve Ballmer to deliver CES keynote, Windows 8 will be the real star originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jul 2011 08:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How’s hog-tying search terms sound as an alternative to plain old cut and paste? Well, according to Microsoft, it sounds mighty fine. The software giant just announced Lasso, a new touch-friendly search tool for the Bing iPad app that allows you to rope in your internet queries by circling a word or phrase. Once you’ve drawn the circle, Bing automatically generates a search using the selected words. No word on how this will work out for us chubby-fingered searchers, but if you’ve given it a go ’round the ole corral, let us know how it’s treating you in the comments.

Bing introduces Lasso for iPad app, does cut and paste the cowboy way originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jul 2011 16:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Last week, Microsoft quietly confirmed that cloud data stored on its European servers can still be handed over to American investigators — and the EU is none too pleased about it. As it turns out, the revelation has shed new light on a fundamental conflict between US law and the EU’s Data Protection Directive — an edict requiring that companies notify consumers whenever sharing their personal information. The bi-lateral Safe Harbor agreement calls for similarly strict protocol, but under the Patriot Act (which trumps all else), companies like Microsoft could be forced to hand over private data without informing targeted individuals. In response, some members of the European Parliament are calling upon legislators to take action and to implement safeguards that can’t be overridden by third-party governments. It remains to be seen whether or not this leads to any new laws or transatlantic tensions, but if we’ve learned anything, it’s that Europeans take their clouds very seriously.

Microsoft’s Patriot Act admission has the EU up in arms originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jul 2011 09:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The saga continues for Google’s voyeuristic mapping service, but this time Microsoft Streetside and Aol’s MapQuest 360 View may be the Bonnie to Street View’s Clyde. Transcenic, Inc. is suing the tech giants for acquiring the tools necessary to offer 3D mapping by less-than-legitimate means. The Louisiana-based company alleges that all named parties borrowed, without permission, a bit from a patent it owns on a 3D cartography technology that captures spatial reference images and uses a database to navigate them on command. Google has been in hot water for its maps before, but it no doubt hopes this legal tiff ends as well as its one for trespassing, where it only paid a pack of gum’s worth of damages. If you’re into reading all the current legalese, check out the source for the full complaint. Meanwhile, we’ll find out if Cousin Vinny’s on the case.

[Disclosure: Aol is the parent company of Engadget.]

Google, MapQuest, Microsoft and Aol sued for allegedly infringing 3D mapping patent originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jul 2011 05:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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