WebM Survived MPEG LA, Nokia Right Back Down

Subject: General Tech | March 13, 2013 - 09:21 PM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: webM, MPEG LA, h.264

Apparently it is very difficult to make a free and clear video codec. Nothing says promote the advancement of science and the useful arts like having almost every industry player, big or small, scared to promote innovation because of patent holding firms and their lawyers.

Well Google, current owner of the VP8 codec, has just finished their long drawn-out conflict with MPEG LA. Google will be allowed access to all the patents which are essential to VP8 from the licensing firm and sub-license as they please. Everyone benefited from the deal.

And then... Nokia.

According to FOSS Patents, the day after the MPEG LA – Google deal to support VPx, Nokia sued HTC with VP8-based terms as a part of their suit. While this lawsuit is just ironically coincidental, Nokia is not a member of MPEG LA and thus could be the first of many others who have patent claims against Google's video decoder.

And now they know Google is willing to settle. Well I guess this fight is not over yet.

Source: FOSS Patents

Comments (0)

Deals for March 13th - Dell Inspiron 15R (5521) 15.6" Core i5 Laptop for $499

Subject: General Tech | March 13, 2013 - 01:02 PM | PCPer Staff
Tagged: deals

Top deal

Dell Inspiron 15R (5521) 15.6" Core i5 Laptop for $499.99 with Free Shipping (normally $688.99 - use coupon code HCV9LCWDGXR7WZ).

Laptops

15.6" Dell Inspiron 15R Special Edition Core i7 + 1080p + Radeon HD 7730M Laptop for $699.99 with free shipping (normally $1,000 - use coupon code ZB4W4PS0B8CH4B).

17.3" Toshiba Qosmio X870-BT3G23 Core i7 Quad-core Gaming Laptop w/8GB RAM, 750GB Hard Drive, 3GB GeForce GTX 670M, Backlit Keyboard & 1080p LCD for $1,099.99 with free shipping (normally $1,599.99).

Desktop

Dell Vostro 470 Core i7 Quad-Core Desktop w/Windows 7 Pro & Radeon HD 7570 for $649.99 with free shipping (normally $899.99 - use coupon code W9D06J14FX10WM).

Components

Refurb Linksys EA2700 App-Enabled Wireless-N600 Dual-Band Gigabit Router for $37.99 with free shipping (normally $100 - use coupon code HSDISH5).

Tablets

10.1" Dell Latitude ST 64GB Windows 7 Tablet (Refurbished) for $309.99 with free shipping (normally $450).

HDTV and Theater

Klipsch QUINTET 5.0 Speaker System for $373.19 with free shipping (normally $549).

LG 65LM6200 65" 3D 1080p 120Hz LED HDTV for $2,079.00 with free shipping (normally $3,000).

LG 47LM6700 47" 1080p 120Hz 3D LED HDTV for $865.00 with free shipping (normally $1,600).

Gadgets

Activator RX-9 Infrasonic Home-Security Alarm for $19.99 with free shipping (normally $100).

iFrogz Transport EarBuds with Mic (Green) for $15.99 with free shipping (normally $34.99).

Source: LogicBuy

Celebrate 10 years of Kingston with 16GB of DDR3-2400

Subject: Memory | March 12, 2013 - 05:30 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: kingston, hyperx, HyperX Genesis 10th Anniversary Special Edition, DDR3-2400

Kingston has put together a 16GB, 4DIMM quad (or dual) channel DDR-2400 kit with timings of 11-13-13-30 available for $160. They've designed compact heat spreaders for this kit so even with the tight confines of the CPU socket which have become common today you should be able to fit these in your system without much difficulty. From TechPowerUp's testing these DIMMs seem to be running all out at stock speeds, even upping the voltage only allowed them a stable 2468MHz perhaps not a problem on boards which cannot break 2400MHz in the BIOS. They do mention that the Anniversary Special Editions have limited availability so if their review tempts you, purchase this kit as soon as you can.

"To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the HyperX brand, Kinston has released a limited edition line up called the HyperX Genesis 10th Anniversary Special Edition. We take a look at the top-end 16 GB 2400 MHz CL11 kit, a blazing fast kit with performance to match."

Here are some more Memory articles from around the web:

Memory

Source: TechPowerUp

Welcome Richland, another refined die from AMD

Subject: Processors | March 12, 2013 - 02:52 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: VLIW4, trinity, Richland, piledriver, notebook, mobile, hd 8000, APU, amd, A10-5750

The differences between Richland and Trinity are not earth shattering but there are certainly some refinements implemented by AMD in the A10-5750. One very noticeable one is support for DDR3-1866 as well as better power management for both the CPU and GPU; with new temperature balancing algorithms and measurement the ability to balance the load properly has increased from Trinity. Many AMD users will be more interested in the GPU portion of the die than the CPU, as that is where AMD actually has as lead on Intel and this particular chip contains the HD8650G, with clocks of 720MHz boost and 533MHz base and increase from the previous generation of 35 and 37MHz respectively. You can read more about the other three models that will be released over at The Tech Report.

Don't forget Josh either!

"AMD has formally introduced the first members of its Richland APU family. We have the goods on the chips and Richland's new power management tech, which combines temperature-based inputs with bottleneck-aware clock boosting."

Here are some more Processor articles from around the web:

Processors

Source: The Tech Report

Lenovo still might have a taste for Blackberrys

Subject: General Tech | March 12, 2013 - 02:05 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: blackberry, Lenovo, rumour, purchase

As we have heard before there are rumours that Lenovo is interested in possibly buying Blackberry, or at least trying. The hurdle they face is not economic, not only do they have 2 billion in cash lying around looking for something useful to do they managed to make some impressive profits in the PC business at a time where their competitors were feeling the downturn in the economy. The hurdle will be regulatory, as mentioned before the Canadian Government is leery of trend for major Canadian companies to sell themselves to foreign investors. On the other hand, would the government be willing to watch a company go down the path Nortel was forced to travel, with the entire company and IP being sold piecemeal? It is hard to predict, especially since this is still at the rumour stage, but from the information The Register published it would seem that the rumours were enough to float Blackberry's stock up by 10%.

"Shares in BlackBerry, the company formerly known as both RIM and a world leader in smartphone shipments, jumped up ten per cent on Monday after Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing said that a buyout "could possibly make sense."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

Source: The Register

Deals for March 12th - Seagate Barracuda 2TB SATA 6Gb/s Hard Drive for $94

Subject: General Tech | March 12, 2013 - 11:47 AM | PCPer Staff
Tagged: deals

Top deal

Seagate Barracuda 2TB SATA 6Gb/s Hard Drive for $94.99 (normally $120).

Laptops

15.6" Dell Inspiron 15 (3521) Core i5 Ivy Bridge Dual-core Laptop w/4GB RAM, 500GB Hard Drive for $479.99 with free shipping (normally $649.99).

17.3" Toshiba Qosmio X870-BT3G23 Core i7 Quad-core Gaming Laptop w/8GB RAM, 750GB Hard Drive, 3GB GeForce GTX 670M, Backlit Keyboard & 1080p LCD for $1,099.99 with free shipping (normally $1,599.99).

Components

2TB WD My Passport USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive for $124.99 with free shipping (normally $149.99 - use coupon code DIG5).

Linksys E2500 Simultaneous Dual-Band Wireless-N Router (Refurbished) w/90-day warranty for $33.24 with free shipping (normally $59.99 - use coupon code HSDISH5).

Office

Alera Neratoli Mid-Back Slim Profile Chair for $176.89 with free shipping (normally $449).

Mayline Eastwinds Argo Mobile Metal Computer Desk for $96.01 with free shipping (normally $192).

Gadgets

Uniden UDW155 Wireless Security Surveillance System w/rechargeable 3.5" color LCD & two outdoor cameras for $119.99 with free shipping (normally $249).

Miikey Wireless Rhythm Bluetooth Headphones (4 color options) for $79.99 with free shipping (normally $149).

iFrogz Transport EarBuds with Mic (Green) for $15.99 with free shipping (normally $34.99).

Source: LogicBuy

Comments (0)

Serious sattelites and sub from AlienVibes; featuring Full Wood!

Subject: General Tech | March 11, 2013 - 07:15 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: audio, AlienVibes W401, portable speakers, subwoofer

If you are shopping for 2.1 desktop speakers that offer better sound than the cheap plastic ones for sale everywhere you might want to check out LANOC's latest review. They took a look at the AlienVibes W401 speaker set, with a pair of satellite speakers each with a pair of 3" speakers and a 1" tweeter as well along with a serious looking sub-woofer that has a pair of 4" speakers and volume, bass and treble dials front and centre on the box. They claim full wood construction and from the quality of sound LANOC described AlienVibes constructed the housings properly. Want more good news? They should retail for less than $90 which makes them less expensive than many audio headsets which simply cannot deliver the quality of bass a good sub can.

"Being a headphone guy myself, when Wes told me I was being shipped some speakers, my first instinct was either a portable speaker set for laptops or mobile listening, or maybe a small set of speakers for a desktop setup. To my surprise AlienVibes sent out one of their W401 model speakers. This is part of a new larger line of speakers that AlienVibes recently released. The W401 is a full size desk speaker setup with subwoofer. After clearing off some room around my desk it’s time we take a look and see what these guys are capable of."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Audio Corner

Source: LANOC

A semi-modifiable watercooler from Swiftech

Subject: Cases and Cooling | March 11, 2013 - 03:20 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: swiftech, H220 Compact Drive II, AIO, water cooler

Swiftech has made an All In One watercooler with a bit of a difference, not only will it work straight out of the box, changing the fluid and tubing will not void your warranty like many other AIO coolers. The 269mm x 127mm x 29mm radiator has a pair of 120mm fans cooling it, an unsealed Fill Port for changing your cooling liquid and two ports for 5/8" outer, 3/8" inner tubing which can also be swapped out. Pro-Clockers found it to be a decent performer though somewhat outclassed by coolers using 140mm fans but far more flexible and upgradeable. If you are looking for an AIO cooler that you can add to later on then keep your eyes our for the Swiftech H220 which should be for sale in the very near future.

"Swiftech has been sitting back in the cut watching the market and seeing what to do and what more they can do to make their entry into the lower cost AiO market. That entry is the H220 Compact Drive II CPU Cooler. Gabe and company has release a cooler than is more than “an install it and leave it type” solution. This new cooler can be upgraded in many ways. Meaning you can add water blocks as your system grows, refill with the liquid of your liking, add more tubing to accommodate the added blocks as well as other steps to assure that you have a water-cooling system for a life time."

Here are some more Cases & Cooling reviews from around the web:

CASES & COOLING

Source: Pro-Clockers

Know someone who uses Kaspersky Internet Security that is having trouble today?

Subject: General Tech | March 11, 2013 - 02:27 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: Kaspersky Labs, patch

It would seem that a single specially malformed IPv6 packet is enough to completely lock up a PC protected by several versions of Kaspersky Internet Security. There is currently a private patch available for machines suffering from this issue and there will be an official patch pushed out in the very near future. According to The Register this flaw was originally reported to Kaspersky in January but as they had not released a patch the original discoverer of the flaw has gone public, which was obviously what it took to get them to fix the issue. If you run into problematic PCs over the next few days you might want to check for Kaspersky Labs software before you really get into troubleshooting.

"After receiving feedback from the researcher, Kaspersky Lab quickly fixed the error. A private patch is currently available on demand and an autopatch will soon be released to fix the problem automatically on every computer protected by Kaspersky Internet Security 2013."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

Source: The Register

Would you touch a Green Cherry?

Subject: General Tech | March 8, 2013 - 02:29 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: cherry mx green, mechanical keyboard, model m, coolermaster, CM Storm Trigger

The Tech Report got their hands on a keyboard using a new type of Cherry MX switch, the CM Storm Trigger. This is a keyboard for the heavy handed, both the force required to actuate a key and the bottom out is significantly higher than any other Cherry switch as well as the venerable IBM Model M, especially the larger sized keys. That might be well received by those who find other keyboards to be spongy, or gamers who want the feel of a buckling spring on a better looking keyboard than the old IBM one. Check out the review to hear the keyboard in action.

"Cooler Master has released a keyboard based on a little-known mechanical key switch: the Cherry MX greens. We've compared this offering to an IBM Model M and another keyboard based on Cherry's more popular blue switches."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

Source: The Tech Report

That old hat again? Intel and Apple living together ...

Subject: General Tech | March 8, 2013 - 01:27 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: apple, Intel, rumour, running gag

Once again the old rumour has resurfaced and discussions of what will happen to the market if Apple chooses Intel to manufacture their mobile chips. As we heard at the end of last year, Intel might be willing to fab ARM processors for iPhones if Apple is willing to move to x86 processors for other larger mobile products. Today via The Register we heard more about the possibility of the two companies working together, though no real confirmation has yet been made. This move makes sense for Intel who are not making revenue from the mobile market and even more sense for Apple who are in the midst of suing their current chip provider Samsung in multiple cases across the planet.

"Rumors are again swirling that Apple and Intel are in discussions about Chipzilla baking the chips Cupertino uses to power its iDevices.

"A source close to one of the companies says Intel and Apple executives have discussed the issue in the past year but no agreement has been reached," Reuters reported on Thursday."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

Source: The Register

Seagate Introduces SSHD Lineup with Dual Mode NAND Cache

Subject: Storage | March 8, 2013 - 09:20 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: sshd, solid state, Seagate, Intel SRT, cache, adaptive memory

Following the announcement that the company would be axing 7200 rpm notebook drives, Seagate has introduced its third generation hybrid hard drives. The new Seagate Solid State Hybrid Drives (SSHD) will initially launch with two notebook drives and a single desktop-sized drive. The hybrid drives will combine a spinning platter drive with 8GB of NAND flash with Seagate’s Adaptive Memory tech that will reportedly cache reads as well as writes.

The 2.5” notebook SSHDs include a 7mm model that combines 500GB of mechanical storage and 8GB of Adaptive Memory cache. This model will retail for around $80. There will also be a slightly larger 9.5mm with 8GB of cache and 1TB mechanical hard drive capacity. The 1TB model utilizes two 500GB, 5400RPM platters and will retail for just under $100.

The desktop SSHDs come in 3.5” form factor and will initially use 7200 RPM platters. Seagate will offer up to 2TB of mechanical storage with its SSHDs and 8GB of NAND flash for caching. Seagate claims that its desktop SSHD is up to four times faster than other mechanical hard drives, (according to PC Mark Vantage) which is likely due to the Adaptive Memory technology caching frequently used data on the flash memory and the use of 1TB platters. The 1TB and 2TB SSHD will cost around $100 and $150 respectively. Naturally, the SSHDs will carry a small premium over traditional mechanical hard drives. They will still be much more price-efficient than Solid State Drives for the storage offered (though I would still like to see a larger NAND cache).

Interestingly, Tech Report was able to glean a few more details about Seagate’s third generation hybrid drives. Reportedly, the drives will be capable of writing as well as reading to/from the NAND cache. That is a major step up from previous generation’s which limited the drive’s flash storage to a read-only cache. Seagate has reportedly built the drives such that they will have enough capacitance to flush the write cache in the event of a power failure (so that you will not lose any data). The dual mode NAND term stems from Seagate’s ability to use SLC for boot data and the write cache and address the remaining NAND as MLC flash. Unfortunately, details are scarce on how Seagate is doing this.

The SSHDs will come with three year warranties, but Seagate has rated the NAND flash at a lifespan of at least five years. In an neat twist, Seagate is also allegedly working on another SSHD implementation that will combine a mechanical hard drive and a larger NAND cache. However, the flash memory will be managed by Intel’s Smart Response Technology instead of Seagate’s own Adaptive Memory tech (which doesn't need additional drives, unlike SRT). Using the port multiplexing aspect of the SATA spec, Seagate will be able to put both drives into a single 3.5” form factor hybrid drive. Admittedly, this is the Seagate SSHD that I am most excited about, despite the fact that it’s also the drive I know the least about. I’m interested to see what kind of performance Seagate can wring out of the larger cache!

Source: Seagate

NVIDIA Allegedly Launching Quadro K6000 GK110 GPU For Professionals

Subject: Graphics Cards | March 8, 2013 - 09:17 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: quadro, nvidia, kepler, k6000, gk110

Earlier this week, NVIDIA updated its Quadro line of workstation cards with new GPUs with GK104 “Kepler” cores. The updated line introduced four new Kepler cards, but the Quadro 6000 successor was notably absent from the NVIDIA announcement. If rumors hold true, professionals may get access to a K6000 Quadro card after all, and one that is powered by GK110 as well.

According to rumors around the Internet, NVIDIA has reserved its top-end Quadro slot for a GK110-based graphics card. Dubbed the K6000 (and in line with the existing Kepler Quadro cards), the high-end workstation card will feature 13 SMX units, 2,496 CUDA cores, 192 Texture Manipulation Units, 40 Raster Operations Pipeline units, and a 320-bit memory bus. The K6000 card will likely have 5GB of GDDR5 memory, like its Tesla K20 counterpart. Interestingly, this Quadro K6000 graphics card has one less SMX unit than NVIDIA’s Tesla K20X and even NVIDIA’s consumer-grade GTX Titan GPU. A comparison between the rumored K6000 card, the Quadro K5000 (GK104), and other existing GK110 cards is available in the table below. Also, note that the (rumored) K6000 specs put it more in like with the Tesla K20 than the K20X, but as it is the flagship Quadro card I felt it was still fair to compare it to the flagship Telsa and GeForce cards.

	Quadro K6000	Tesla K20X	GTX Titan	GK110 Full (Not available yet)	Quadro K5000
SMX Units	13	14	14	15	8
CUDA Cores	2,496	2,688	2,688	2,880	1536
TMUs	192	224	224	256	128
ROPs	40	48	48	48	32
Memory Bus	320-bit	384-bit	384-bit	384-bit	256-bit
DP TFLOPS	~1.17 TFLOPS	1.31 TFLOPS	1.31 TFLOPS	~1.4 TFLOPS	.09 TFLOPS
Core	GK110	GK110	GK110	GK110	GK104

The Quadro cards are in an odd situation when it comes to double precision floating point performance. The Quadro K5000 which uses GK104 brings an abysmal 90 GFLOPS of double precision. The rumored GK110-powered Quadro K6000 brings double precision performance up to approximately 1 TFLOPS, which is quite the jump and shows that GK104 really was cut down to focus on gaming performance! Further, the card that the K6000 is replacing in name, the Quadro 6000 (no prefixed K), is based on NVIDIA’s previous-generation Fermi architecture and offers .5152 TFLOPS (515.2 GFLOPS) of double precision performance. On the plus side, users can expect around 3.5 TFLOPS of single precision horsepower, which is a substantial upgrade over Quadro 6000's 1.03 TFLOPS of single precision floating point. For comparison, the GK104-based Quadro K5000 offers 2.1 TFLOPS of single precision. Although it's no full GK110, it looks to be the Quadro card to beat for the intended usage.

Of course, Quadro is more about stable drivers, beefy memory, and single precision than double precision, but it would be nice to see the expensive Quadro workstation cards have the ability to pull double duty, as it were. NVIDIA’s Tesla line is where DP floating point is key. It is just a rather wide gap between the two lineups that the K6000 somewhat closes, fortunately. I would have really liked to see the K6000 have at least 14 SMX units, to match consumer Titan and the Tesla K20X, but rumors are not looking positive in that regard. Professionals should expect to see quite the premium with the K6000 versus the Titan, despite the hardware differences. It will likely be sold for around $3,000.

No word on availability, but the card will likely be released soon in order to complete the Kepler Quadro lineup update.

Source: Tech Power Up

Intel Celeron 847 Benchmarked Against Atom and AMD APU-Based Low-Power Systems

Subject: Motherboards | March 8, 2013 - 06:30 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: roundup, motherboards, mini-itx, celeron 847, APU, amd e-450

While high end motherboards and processors tend to get the most attention from enthusiasts, sometimes less is better (*waits for Josh to stop laughing on the podcast). More often than not seen integrated in small form factor OEM boxes, there are a few motherboards out there that come as a bare board and integrated processor to be the basis of low power desktops, network devices, and home theater PCs. Both Intel and AMD have hats in the low power game, and Hartware.de has pitched four such low power boards against each other. The MSI C847MS-E33-847 and Biostar NM70I pack Intel Celeron 847 CPUs, The Zotac D2550-ITX WIFI hosts an Intel Atom D2550 processor plus a NVIDIA GT 610 IGP, and the ASUS E45MI-M Pro is powered by an AMD E-450 APU.

Four low-cost motherboards with integrated processors benchmarked by Hardware(dot)de.jpg

Hartware.de puts several low power boards into the thunderdome to see which one(s) reign supreme.

As it turns out, the results are nearly in line with what one might expect. The Atom D2550-powered system was the slowest, the APU and ASUS motherboard was the fastest, and the Celeron was somewhere in the middle. The AMD E-450 APU used the most power, and the system was one of the most expensive, however. Interestingly, the Atom system was not all that much more power efficient than the Celeron despite the lower performance and weaker hardware. The Celeron 847 chip had decent CPU performance, and mid-range power and some of the best thermals. All of the configurations were able to playback media, but the AMD system gave the most fluid results.

If you are in the market for low power system parts, the review is worth checking out.

Here are some additional Motherboard reviews from around the web:

I'm pleasantly surprised at all the Mini-ITX motherboards being made lately.

Source: Hartware.de

Steam Box Prototypes Will Reach Developers Within The Next Four Months

Subject: General Tech | March 8, 2013 - 05:26 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: valve, Steam Box, steam, pc gaming, gaming, console, big picture mode

In talking with the BBC, Valve CEO Gabe Newell revealed several details regarding the company’s upcoming Steam Box gaming PC. The console competitor will go up against Sony’s PlayStation 4 (PS4) and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 successor. So far we know that the Steam Box will utilize Valve’s Steam distribution service and its Big Picture Mode user interface. Valve will be manufacturing its own reference design, but third parties will also be allowed to construct Steam Boxes that will tap into Valve’s gaming library. Xi3 in particular looks to be at least one of the likely Steam Box partners to produce hardware.

Newell indicated that Valve would be sending prototype devices to customers within “the next three to four months.” The designs are not yet finalized, however, as evidenced by Newell’s statement that the prototypes would be used to gather feedback, and Valve is still working on balancing heat, noise, and performance.

“We're working with partners trying to nail down how fast we can make it.” - Gabe Newell in an interview with BBC before receiving an award for Portal 2.

Further, Valve has not yet determined exactly what it wants the controller to be. It will reportedly be shipping several different prototype controllers along with the Steam Box PCs. One area that Newell is particularly interesting in is in gathering bio-metric data -- such as heart rate -- and using that data to change the game experience for the gamer. This would be one area that Valve could focus on and have an advantage over other consoles. As a fully-fledged PC, the Steam Box could tap into existing bio-metrics technology and easily have the horsepower to effectively parse the bio-feedback. I can only think of a few situations in which such data would be useful (horror games, party/dancing/exercise games), but I do see it as being at least as beneficial as the Kinect was/is to the Xbox.

With that said, we still do not know much about the Steam Box. Much like the PS4, we still do not know what the actual hardware will look like (though we have at least been shown the PS4 controller). Pricing is also one of the major unknowns, and BBC reporter Leo Kelion quoted an industry analyst Lewis Ward (IDC) as noting that Valve will likely not be able to subsidize the hardware nearly as much as the other major console players (Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo) are able to. The Steam Box is inevitably going to be priced more in like with PCs than with consoles, as a result. On the other hand, gamers that buy a Steam Box can look forward to getting games that are much cheaper than the console equivalents. Give Steam Box gamers a couple of Steam holiday sales and they will easily make up the price difference!

What do you expect the Steam Box to be, and will it finally take PC gaming to the masses?

Source: BBC

Comments (0)

Synology Launches DSM 4.2 NAS Management Software

Subject: Storage | March 8, 2013 - 12:21 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: synology, storage, networked attached storage, NAS, dsm 4.2

Synology recently took the wraps off its latest NAS management software, called DiskStation Manager (DSM) 4.2. The new software suite is available as a free update for a number of its products.

Diskstation Manager provides a number of features for home and business uses. Business users are now able to take advantage of Synology High Availability duplication on all x86-based NAS products. A RAIDIUS server, SSL encryption between devices and Diskstation Cloud, and two step authentication are among the available security features with DSM 4.2.

DSM 4.2 comes with a web-accessible user interface and desktop-like environment. You can access all its features in a GUI, see disk/RAM/CPU usage, schedule tasks, and even PXE boot other networked machines. Some of the updated software bits include Cloud Station, Photo Station, File Station, Video Station, and Audio Station.

Cloud Station now has 52% faster file transfers to Mac OSX computers. Further, DSM 4.2 supports almost-unlimited user accounts, LDAP, Active Director, and Amazon’s Glacier backup service. File station now supports hot keys. Video Station has a revamped user interface that supports MKV subtitles, HDHomerun DVB-T tuners with mutli-channel TV streaming and recording. Users can also watch movies over the network on DLNA devices or Apple’s AirPlay. DSM 4.2 supports the use of smartphones as remote controls to control playback of media. Finally, Audio Station has added Bluetooth A2DP streaming support, and Photo Station supports file drag and drop and improved thumbnail generation speeds.

DiskStation Cloud now supports automatic backup and file synchronization of media stored on iOS and Android devices. DiskStation Video adds support to stream media to smartphones and DiskStation Photo+ has the Dropbox-like automated backup of photos from your smartphone. DSM 4.2 further features QuickConnect, which takes care of port forwarding automatically. QuickConnect is compatible with DS Photo+, DS Audio, and DS Cloud.

According to Synology, the following devices are eligible for a free update to DSM 4.2. Users can update by manually downloading and applying the update or by going through the updater in the DSM software itself.

"Synology DSM 4.2 is free to download for users who own a DiskStation or RackStation x09 series and onward. Supported models include: DS213+, DS413, DS213, DS413j, DS213air, DS2413+, DS713+, RS10613xs+, RS3413xs+, DS712+, DS212, DS212+, DS212j, RS212, RS812, DS1512+, DS1812+, DS3612xs, RS3412xs, RS3412RPxs, DS112j, DS112, DS412+, RS812+, RS812RP+, RS2212+, RS2212RP+, DS112+, DS3611xs, RS3411xs, RS3411RPxs, DS2411+, RS2211+, RS2211RP+, DS1511+, RS411, DS411, DS411+II, DS411+, DS411j, DS411slim, DS211+, DS211, DS211j, DS111, DS1010+, RS810+, RS810RP+, DS410, DS410j, DS710+, DS210+, DS210j, DS110+, DS110j, DS509+, RS409+, RS409RP+, RS409, DS409+, DS409, DS209+II, DS209+, DS209, DS209j, DS109+, DS109, DS109j, and DS409slim"

Also read: ioSafe N2 - The Performance NAS is now Disaster-proof @ PC Perspective.

Source: Synology

Comments (0)

ADATA sneaks a new revision of Sandforce into their SSDs

Subject: Storage | March 7, 2013 - 07:53 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: Sandforce SF2281, adata, sx900

Allyn reviewed the ADTA SX900 back in February which might make you question why we are revisiting this drive in this [H]ard|OCP review. The reason lies in the controller as the SSD Al reviewed contained the SF-2281VB1-S0C while the drive [H] received contains a 2281VB2-SPC controller. [H] had many of the same worries as Al, with ancient firmware being the most relevant, with [H] specifically stating that '5.0.2a firmware does not have working TRIM functionality,' which should cause concern for anyone considering this drive. They also notived power usage above 10W which they felt was odd on a drive marketed as having improved power consumption and ended up unable to recommend this drive.

"The ADATA SX900 128GB SSD came to us with a surprise under the hood, the new B02 version of the SandForce SF-2281 controller. This new stepping is designed to provide revolutionary improvements in power efficiency with no loss of speed. We test the SX900 and the SF-2281VB2-SPC controller to see how it stacks up against the competition."

Here are some more Storage reviews from around the web:

Storage

Source: [H]ard|OCP

Podcast #241 - Sony VAIO TAP 20, ioSafe N2 NAS, new Z77 motherboards and more!

Subject: General Tech | March 7, 2013 - 04:00 PM | Ken Addison
Tagged: podcast, sony, tap20, vaio, iosafe, n2, synology, NAS, Z77, dragon, msi, pata, apacer, seasonic, thermaltake, urban

PC Perspective Podcast #241 - 03/07/2013

Join us this week as we discuss the Sony VAIO TAP 20, ioSafe N2 NAS, new Z77 motherboards and more!

You can subscribe to us through iTunes and you can still access it directly through the RSS page HERE.

The URL for the podcast is: http://pcper.com/podcast - Share with your friends!

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Hosts: Ryan Shrout, Jeremy Hellstrom, Josh Walrath and Allyn Malventano

This Podcast is brought to you by MSI !

Program length: 1:04:57

Podcast topics of discussion:

0:01:25 We did a Tomb Raider stream
Week in Reviews:
1. 0:04:00 Seasonic Platinum Series 460 watt fanless PSU
2. 0:07:10 Sony VAIO Tap 20 Touchscreen AIO
3. 0:13:20 ioSafe N2 Performance, Disaster-proof NAS
0:22:2 00 This Podcast is brought to you by MSI!
News items of interest:
1. 0:24:25 ASUS PadFone Infinity from MWC
2. 0:27:10 Apacer Launches New PATA SSDs
3. 0:32:00 Seagate will cease 7200 RPM mobile HDDs this year
4. 0:34:50 Thermaltake launches Urban S21 case
5. 0:38:55 Double your HDD density with HGST
6. 0:43:00 MSI has new gaming series of MB coming out, based on Z77
7. 0:49:30 NVIDIA refreshes Quadro with Kepler GPUs
Closing:
1. 0:53:00 Hardware / Software Pick of the Week
  1. Ryan: AMD Mini-PC with A8-4555M
  2. Jeremy: When EyeFinity won't work this might save you
  3. Josh: Good board for cheeeap
  4. Allyn: Chrome beta shows which tabs are playing audio
  5. Morry: XPXS RX360 & old but still kicking

1-888-38-PCPER or podcast@pcper.com
http://pcper.com/podcast
http://twitter.com/ryanshrout and http://twitter.com/pcper
Closing/outro

Be sure to subscribe to the PC Perspective YouTube channel!!

Source: PC Perspective

Not quite an ultrabook but more than a tablet, Samsung's ATIV Smart PC

Subject: Mobile | March 7, 2013 - 03:34 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: Samsung, ATIV Smart PC Pro 700T, win8, digital audio converter, ultrabook

Samsung's ATIV Smart PC Pro 700T is a convertible tablet with aspirations to be an ultrabook, it is 1.97 lbs, with an 11.6" 1080p touchscreen powered by a Core i5-3317U with 4GB of DDR3-1600 in single channel configuration. For connectivity you get a a MicroSD port, a single USB 3.0 port, two USB 2.0 ports on the dock, Micro HDMI and analog audio with Wi-Fi, WiDi and Bluetooth 4.0. The Tech Report tested its battery life for both surfing and playing 720p video, seeing 6 hours in the first case and 5 hours in the second with very little difference when tested docked. The final verdict was mixed, while it is almost an ultrabook and almost a convertible tablet in many ways it inherited the worst of both worlds; though if you find yourself needing both devices in your life this ATIV might be a good compromise for you.

"This Windows 8 convertible has x86 ultrabook guts, an 11.6" 1080p display, and speedy solid-state storage. Attach it to the bundled keyboard dock, and it turns into a quasi-ultrabook. Is this the ultimate Windows 8 mobile machine, and is it worth the nearly $1,200 asking price?"

Here are some more Mobile articles from around the web:

Mobile

Source: The Tech Report

So, about that non-transferable Office 2013 license? Not so much.

Subject: General Tech | March 7, 2013 - 01:24 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: microsoft, office 2013

As many expected Microsoft has made an about face for the single machine licensing for Office 2013 which would permanently tie an Office 2013 serial number to a single machine. In fact the licensing was so strict that an OS reinstall on a machine with an Office license would invalidate that license. Now this would seem to be a way to convince customers to move to the subscription based Office 365 which has much a more lax licensing agreement when it comes to multiple machines. Now all versions of Office 2013, barring the OEM version which has always had a rather draconian license, will allow the transfer of licenses as long as that license is only ever active on one single machine. You can get more details on Microsoft's change of heart at The Register.

"Based on customer feedback we have changed the Office 2013 retail license agreement to allow customers to transfer the software from one computer to another," Microsoft's Jevon Fark said in a blog post on Wednesday. "This means customers can transfer Office 2013 to a different computer if their device fails or they get a new one."

Here is some more Tech News from around the web:

Tech Talk

Source: The Register

Subject: General Tech | March 13, 2013 - 09:21 PM | Scott Michaud Tagged: webM, MPEG LA, h.264

Subject: General Tech | March 13, 2013 - 01:02 PM | PCPer Staff Tagged: deals

Subject: Memory | March 12, 2013 - 05:30 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom Tagged: kingston, hyperx, HyperX Genesis 10th Anniversary Special Edition, DDR3-2400

Subject: Processors | March 12, 2013 - 02:52 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom Tagged: VLIW4, trinity, Richland, piledriver, notebook, mobile, hd 8000, APU, amd, A10-5750

Subject: General Tech | March 12, 2013 - 02:05 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom Tagged: blackberry, Lenovo, rumour, purchase

Subject: General Tech | March 12, 2013 - 11:47 AM | PCPer Staff Tagged: deals

Subject: General Tech | March 11, 2013 - 07:15 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom Tagged: audio, AlienVibes W401, portable speakers, subwoofer

Subject: Cases and Cooling | March 11, 2013 - 03:20 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom Tagged: swiftech, H220 Compact Drive II, AIO, water cooler

Subject: General Tech | March 11, 2013 - 02:27 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom Tagged: Kaspersky Labs, patch

Subject: General Tech | March 8, 2013 - 02:29 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom Tagged: cherry mx green, mechanical keyboard, model m, coolermaster, CM Storm Trigger

Subject: General Tech | March 8, 2013 - 01:27 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom Tagged: apple, Intel, rumour, running gag

Subject: Storage | March 8, 2013 - 09:20 AM | Tim Verry Tagged: sshd, solid state, Seagate, Intel SRT, cache, adaptive memory

Subject: Graphics Cards | March 8, 2013 - 09:17 AM | Tim Verry Tagged: quadro, nvidia, kepler, k6000, gk110

Subject: Motherboards | March 8, 2013 - 06:30 AM | Tim Verry Tagged: roundup, motherboards, mini-itx, celeron 847, APU, amd e-450

Subject: General Tech | March 8, 2013 - 05:26 AM | Tim Verry Tagged: valve, Steam Box, steam, pc gaming, gaming, console, big picture mode

Subject: Storage | March 8, 2013 - 12:21 AM | Tim Verry Tagged: synology, storage, networked attached storage, NAS, dsm 4.2

Subject: Storage | March 7, 2013 - 07:53 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom Tagged: Sandforce SF2281, adata, sx900

Subject: General Tech | March 7, 2013 - 04:00 PM | Ken Addison Tagged: podcast, sony, tap20, vaio, iosafe, n2, synology, NAS, Z77, dragon, msi, pata, apacer, seasonic, thermaltake, urban

Subject: Mobile | March 7, 2013 - 03:34 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom Tagged: Samsung, ATIV Smart PC Pro 700T, win8, digital audio converter, ultrabook

Subject: General Tech | March 7, 2013 - 01:24 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom Tagged: microsoft, office 2013

Subject: General Tech | March 13, 2013 - 09:21 PM | Scott Michaud
Tagged: webM, MPEG LA, h.264

Subject: General Tech | March 13, 2013 - 01:02 PM | PCPer Staff
Tagged: deals

Subject: Memory | March 12, 2013 - 05:30 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: kingston, hyperx, HyperX Genesis 10th Anniversary Special Edition, DDR3-2400

Subject: Processors | March 12, 2013 - 02:52 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: VLIW4, trinity, Richland, piledriver, notebook, mobile, hd 8000, APU, amd, A10-5750

Subject: General Tech | March 12, 2013 - 02:05 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: blackberry, Lenovo, rumour, purchase

Subject: General Tech | March 12, 2013 - 11:47 AM | PCPer Staff
Tagged: deals

Subject: General Tech | March 11, 2013 - 07:15 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: audio, AlienVibes W401, portable speakers, subwoofer

Subject: Cases and Cooling | March 11, 2013 - 03:20 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: swiftech, H220 Compact Drive II, AIO, water cooler

Subject: General Tech | March 11, 2013 - 02:27 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: Kaspersky Labs, patch

Subject: General Tech | March 8, 2013 - 02:29 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: cherry mx green, mechanical keyboard, model m, coolermaster, CM Storm Trigger

Subject: General Tech | March 8, 2013 - 01:27 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: apple, Intel, rumour, running gag

Subject: Storage | March 8, 2013 - 09:20 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: sshd, solid state, Seagate, Intel SRT, cache, adaptive memory

Subject: Graphics Cards | March 8, 2013 - 09:17 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: quadro, nvidia, kepler, k6000, gk110

Subject: Motherboards | March 8, 2013 - 06:30 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: roundup, motherboards, mini-itx, celeron 847, APU, amd e-450

Subject: General Tech | March 8, 2013 - 05:26 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: valve, Steam Box, steam, pc gaming, gaming, console, big picture mode

Subject: Storage | March 8, 2013 - 12:21 AM | Tim Verry
Tagged: synology, storage, networked attached storage, NAS, dsm 4.2

Subject: Storage | March 7, 2013 - 07:53 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: Sandforce SF2281, adata, sx900

Subject: General Tech | March 7, 2013 - 04:00 PM | Ken Addison
Tagged: podcast, sony, tap20, vaio, iosafe, n2, synology, NAS, Z77, dragon, msi, pata, apacer, seasonic, thermaltake, urban

Subject: Mobile | March 7, 2013 - 03:34 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: Samsung, ATIV Smart PC Pro 700T, win8, digital audio converter, ultrabook

Subject: General Tech | March 7, 2013 - 01:24 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: microsoft, office 2013