A Nigerian SysAdmin's reflections on all things IT

2011-04-22T19:51:00.000+01:00

Google posted a video tour of one of its data centers today, highlighting some of the steps it takes to keep data secure and maintain reliability.

Google has been notoriously tight-lipped about its data centers, and doesn't even disclose exactly how many it operates.

So why the sudden openness? There are several likely reasons:

Yesterday's Amazon Web Services outage is creating new questions about the viability of cloud computing -- including services like Google Apps

Also yesterday, environmental activists Greenpeace released a scathing report on data center efficiency and use of dirty energy sources like coal (PDF here). The group admitted it didn't have all the information it needed to make the report perfectly accurate, but blamed data center operators for not sharing enough information. The group had some particularly harsh words for Google, giving it an F on transparency.

Last week, Microsoft called into question whether Google Apps was secure enough for government use. Google's slow response made it look like it had something to hide.

Earlier this month, Facebook made Google look silly by open-sourcing the details of its own highly efficient data center design. Facebook's move is also meant to undercut Google's big data center advantage by letting the rest of the industry work together to improve efficiency.

Google isn't exactly going the Facebook route, but today's video is a big step given how secretive the company has been so far.

Test Post

2011-04-17T09:07:00.001+01:00

Mpgpjwdmd
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from X

2011-04-17T09:01:00.001+01:00

I am a very big fan of Androids. I have used at least 6 different android phones within the last 2 years.
Currently using the EVO 4G and the Google nexus one classic. Androids are great on phones and not so great on tablets that's why I choose to go with Apple's iPad when I was shopping for a tablet to fill that void that didn't really exist in the first place.

Apple's tablet is a great piece of hardware and I have to admit I love it, but just like every Apple device I know of, you tend to be fully boxed into the platform.

need itunes to copy files
no usb port
no memory card reader
no 1080p video
no camera
the list goes on and on.

Being a Google fan, the options were very limited with the Samsung galaxy tab not really offering me the experience I craved on a tablet medium.
Enter Google's Honeycomb and the new Motorola Xoom and I think the tides may have changed.
While I don't own one just yet, the reviews I have seen online say this is a pretty amazing alternative to the iPad and because I love the whole "free" concept of android this will probably be the gadget for me.

Below are a few videos I found via Youtube showing the Motorola Xoom

2010-11-15T16:53:00.000+01:00

Just what is Apple up to again ?

Ok so here I am surfing the web like i do, checking a couple of websites just to keep updated and guess what I stumled upon ( all pun intended).

I came across the image above, apparently when you visist www.apple.com right now this is what you get.
It appears Steve and his boys at Apple still have something awesome planned for us this year. This year has been such a success for Apple as they have enjoyed amazing success in all their new releases this year.
What's surprising about this teaser though is that absolutely no one saw it coming, Apple remains the king at keeping it's releases top secret.

What do you thing Apple will be announcing this time around ?
A new Macbook lineup ?
A new Imac range?
A new server range considering they just scrapped their Xserves?
Some sort of cloud service?
iPads with usb drives, full flash support, 1TB storage, native support for divx and mkv file formats, HD camera with dslr capabilities ?
We can't be seeing 10.7 so soon can we ?

Only time will tell, let's just wait and see

2010-10-31T23:12:00.001+01:00

BEST VIDEO PLAYER FOR APPLE IPAD - VLC vs BUZZ Player

One of the reasons, i didn't want to get an iPad was because of the limitation to be expected when playing videos. I wouldn't be able to play mkv, mov and divx format videos plus a lot of other video formats. Because of this i kept off the iPad.

So it was great news to me when VLC for iPad was announced, finally an app that would allow me play other video formats and if this iPad version was anything like its PC or Mac brother then it was sure to be an awesome app.
This single application influenced my decision to buy an iPad.

VLC is a free and open source multimedia player. It reads almost every video file, yet it's very powerful and simple to use.

VLC for ipad plays so many video formats that i was simply blown away but i was shocked when VLC for iPad choked on my mkv files. When ever i tried to play a mkv file i get an error telling me my iPad is probably to slow o play the file, when i tell it to play the file anyway, the audio plays flawlessly but you get no video.

This wasn't acceptable to me as i had grown the habit of converting most of my video files to mkv format to save space and retain quality so off i went in search of a better Video Player for my iPad and i boy did i find one.

At just $2, Buzz Player is in my opinion the best Video player available for the iPad. So far i am yet to come across a video file that it doesn't play.

BUZZ Player HD is a multimedia player supporting many audio and video codecs and file formats, and various streaming protocols.

☆ BUZZ Player can play almost anything, including:
+) Container formats: 3GP, AVI, ASF, FLV, MKV (Matroska), MOV (QuickTime), MP4, NUT, Ogg, OGM, RealMedia, Bink, WMV, XVID, DIVX.
+) Video formats: Cinepak, DV, H.263, H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, HuffYUV, Indeo, MJPEG, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 Part 2, RealVideo, Sorenson, Theora, WMV, Bink
+) Audio formats: AAC, AC3, ALAC, AMR, DTS, FLAC, Intel Music Coder, Monkey's Audio, MP3, Musepack, RealAudio, Shorten, Speex, Vorbis, WMA, Bink.

Supported video quality:
Up to full HD quality (1920 x 1080 pixels) for Quick Time media files (mp4, mov, m4v, mpv)
Up to DV quality (720 x 576 pixels) for other media files (flv, mkv, wmv, avi, asf, divx, xvid, dat, vob, mpg…)

☆ BUZZ Player support almost subtitle types including srt, a*s, ssa, msi, sub and embedded subtitle, it also can display almost languages such as Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, English, French, Italian, German, Thai, Vietnamese… BUZZ Player also allow user to change various settings of subtitle such as font color, font size, font type, position, timing offset.

☆ BUZZ Player supports various protocols: RTP, RTSP, HTTP, FTP, MMS, Netstream (mpst://), SMB, ffmpeg://, that allows user not only play media files from local but also play media files from remote servers and devices. User can use BUZZ Player to connect to their IP cameras and servers to play media from them.

☆ BUZZ Player also Built-in Network Browser allows user to play and copy files from Widows/Mac/Linux PC, remote FTP servers and Media Server (uPnP). (SMB & FTP & uPnP Support).

My ipad wouldn't be complete without BUZZ Player.

Top iPad deals from AMAZON

2010-10-24T21:58:00.001+01:00

The World's Most Secure Data Center

The Swedish carrier Bahnhof offers its clientele bombproof bits.

If the whistleblower organization Wikileaks wanted to bolster its image as a league of invulnerable digital superheroes, it's found the right subterranean lair. Swedish broadband carrier Bahnhof confirms that some Wikileaks servers are now hosted in its Pionen data center, converted from an underground Cold War-era nuclear bunker in downtown Stockholm. The server farm, carved out of a 100-foot-tall granite hill, has a single entrance, protected by 20-inch-thick steel doors. Bahnhof Chairman Jon Karlung says the facility sends a message to clients: Your data are safe from all intrusions, physical or legal. "The resemblance to a James Bond setting is purely intentional."

Article Controls

1. CONFERENCE ROOM A glass conference room is embedded in the cave's rock ceiling with eight 13-foot-long steel bolts.

2. NETWORK OPERATIONS CENTER The room now holding Bahnhof's NOC was built to command Stockholm's civil defense during a nuclear winter.

3. ENTRANCE The data center offers only one way in or out. A planned "Batcave"-like chute from the surface was nixed due to budget concerns.

4. GENERATORS The facility's two backup generators were originally designed for German submarines.

5. SERVER HALL Would Pionen's 8,000 servers survive a nuclear blast? "I'm not sure about the people, but the machines would survive," says Bahnhof Chairman Jon Karlung.

2010-10-24T13:04:00.001+01:00

Lagos says yes to WIMAX

Nigeria’s largest city, Lagos, is about to receive a boost in its Internet connectivity. According to goingwimax.com, Swift Networks has already begun testing a WIMAX network system in different parts of the city. The tests involve five hundred participants, who were chosen based on their Internet broadband requirements.

Chuma Okoye, COO of Swift Networks, said that the new network is aimed at addressing connectivity needs in terms of video, fax, phone service, and broadband. If successful, the service will see local businesses and banks strongly benefiting from the higher speed of the 4G WIMAX network.

2010-10-20T23:51:00.001+01:00

Microsoft Rolls Up Cloud Services Into Office 365, Takes Aim At Google Apps

Today at an event in San Francisco, Microsoft’s Office division is unveiling a new product: a suite of the company’s productivity services called Office 365.

Before now, Microsoft’s business-facing cloud services have been broken up in a few places: SharePoint, Lync Online, Exchange, and Office web apps. Office 365 looks to unify these. Microsoft SVP Chris Capossela says “This is everything we know about productivity brought to the cloud”.

The messaging here seems to indicate that Microsoft is more directly targeting Google Apps, the suite of online products that have been increasingly encroaching on Microsoft’s enterprise market. In what may have been a jab at Google, Capossela says “We can differentiate from our competition, particularly those coming from the consumer space, by making sure our servers are far more reliable”. I’m sure Google would object to this, as it often beats its chest about the security of Google Apps.

Microsoft is going to target small businesses in a way it hasn’t previously: for a business with under 25 employees, Microsoft will charge $6 per user per month; for larger companies, plans start at $2 per user per month for email alone — prices scale up to $27 per user a month, which includes telephony features (voicemail in your inbox) and video/voice conferencing. There’s also a single sign-on to access all of these services. Before now, Microsoft sold its Business Productivity Online Suite for $120/user/year; In contrast, Google Apps runs $50 per user per year, so Microsoft’s new price points are more competitive.

Microsoft says that before now it could only traget around 15% of an enterprise’s budget, because it was only selling software. Now it’s also helping run their infrastructure, which expands the potential market.

Office 365 is going to launch to the public in a worldwide release next year. For now, Microsoft is kicking off Office 365 with a limited beta rollout.

You’ll be able to learn more at Office 365.com, which Microsoft isn’t throwing live for another three hours for reasons that I’m sure make sense to them.

2010-10-20T13:26:00.000+01:00

Nikon D7000 sold at Best Buy a little early, gets unboxed immediately

Best Buy's been a naughty retailer again by letting some people purchase Nikon's D7000 a few days ahead of its proper retail launch. Of those lucky buyers, a couple inevitably chose to document the unboxing experience and consequently we now have two videos awaiting you after the break, detailing just how neatly that black and gold box is arranged. The actual contents will hardly surprise you -- a neck strap, LCD protector, all the usual cables, plus an 18-105mm kit lens with soft pouch and petal-shaped hood are all present and accounted for -- but the thrill is in seeing the D7000 itself emerging from its plastic wrappings. You may do so just past the break.

2010-10-20T12:30:00.000+01:00

11.6-inch MacBook Air detailed

So, we've just been discussing the rumored, and long overdue, MacBook Air refresh with a trusted source. This person recently had a working model in their possession for a few minutes and managed to glean quite a bit of detail that would seemingly confirm Apple's plan to announce an 11-inch MacBook Air at the "Back to the Mac" event later today. Here's what we've been told to expect:

Smaller 11.6-inch display.
2.13GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (with a 2.33GHz option possible).
2GB of memory in the base configuration.
No optical drive, naturally.
Mini DisplayPort, USB, and SD card reader along the left-hand side and USB and power on the right (that's 2x USB).
The trackpad has been updated to match that of the new MacBook Pros.
Although smaller due to the 11.6-inch display, it's still about the same thickness as the current MacBook Air.
A black power key now sits immediately to the right of a smaller eject key on the MBA's keyboard -- the round aluminum power button is gone. A design decision that might support the MBA's rumored instant-on capabilities though our source didn't see this functionality exhibited (possibly because it was running OS X 10.6.4).

Unfortunately, our source couldn't identify the graphics or the storage related to the rumored "SSD Card." So where does that leave us? Well, it looks like a smaller (and presumably, cheaper) MacBook Airoriginally rumored by AppleInsider is in the bag for a Steve Jobs announcement later today as is arefresh to the 13.3-inch model we broke last week (pictured nekkid above). So check back in a few hours and watch the reveal live, won't you?

2010-10-20T06:53:00.000+01:00

The first million dollar laptop

March UK-based bespoke luxury goods creator Luvaglio has created the first million dollar laptop. That’s what the first of their luxury laptops will sell for. Full details of the laptop have not been released at this point, but it is known that it incorporates a 17" widescreen LED lit screen with a specially designed anti-reflective glare coating for clear and brighter image, 128GB of Solid State Disk space and a slot loading Blue-Ray drive. There is an integrated screen cleaning device and a very rare coloured diamond piece of jewellery that doubles up as the power button when placed into the laptop and also acts as security identification. Images here, videohere.

Luvaglio CEO Rohan Sinclair Luvaglio told Gizmag earlier today: “Unlike many of the highly priced products being released, we took our time to develop something out of the ordinary with real attention to detail. “

“I didn't want us to simply re-house a laptop into a diamond studded casing, or diamond encrust the entire thing simply to make it expensive. We've put thought in from the keyboard down to the power charger. There is an integrated screen cleaning device and a very rare coloured diamond piece of jewellery that doubles up as the power button when placed into the laptop and also acts as security identification. We have used diamonds elsewhere but have given them purpose.”

According to Luvaglio, “the brand is committed to re-defining luxury in a few sectors, technology being one of them.

“Many claim to produce luxury goods but we believe that the true element of luxury is having something that says "YOU", that money can't buy.

“At present and from our previous luxury work, our initial clients will be chosen from this selection as we have already established trust.

“The range to be released shortly would allow the owner to become the creator and visit our showroom at two or three well known upmarket stores we are in discussion with, whereby our selection of materials, finishes and accessories will be available to view and a choice selected.

“The choice will be based on our selection but of course other colours and finishes can be done on request. We have access to diamonds that are simply rare and near impossible to get hold of, so are able to offer a very embodied choice.

“The presentation boxes are of course supplied and finished in the choice that is selected by the client. Exact figures I am unable to provide at present due to negotiations but will certainly be more obtainable then our master piece.”

The first such masterpiece will sell for more than US$1,000,000.

2010-10-20T06:50:00.001+01:00

OFF Technologies High End multimedia device

This device reads all available audio and video file formats, combining the functionality of several traditional devices. It offers the user the possibility of browsing photos on the Internet, listening to radio broadcasts, playing CDs and DVDs.

The prototype was constructed manually by the best polish technicians and manufactures with a supervision of the designer himself – Mr Janusz Kaniewski. The device was introduced on the Audio Show 2009 in November, which took place in Hotel Sobieski, Warsaw, Poland. A huge interest was generated, as the device was considered quite innovative. The device was manufactured from copper, silver compounds, glass and pespex. The project aroused interest between computer scientists, investors and also modern design fans. Every device will be individually customized to the future owner’s requirements and it will cost about $2000.

Via Press Release

2010-10-20T06:46:00.000+01:00

BlackBerry PlayBook 64GB variant confirmed, strapped to a 5,300mAh battery (video)
By Vlad Savov posted Oct 19th 2010 6:27AM

You already know most of the spec sheet delicacies that RIM has in store for its PlayBook, but here are a couple more details to complete the picture. The PlayBook will indeed match the iPad in having 16GB, 32GB and 64GB variants available, and will also come equipped with a pretty huge 5,300mAh battery. That'd be a generously proportioned cell for a full-sized laptop, we imagine it'll turn the PlayBook into quite the endurance champ.

2010-10-20T06:44:00.001+01:00

While it now looks like i will be getting an iPad i just found out my dream tablet, the Samsung Galaxy Tab costs €730 from Vodafone.de, €300 if bought with a two-year data plan

You can kind of tell we're growing ever closer to the Galaxy Tab's promised November 1 retail launch asprices for this slate just keep coming out of the woodwork, looking ever more solid with each passing day. Vodafone Germany is the latest to reveal the wallet damage Samsung's 7-inch Android tablet will demand, with a €730 ($1,017) levy for the 16GB version sans contract, or a €300 ($418) cost for those willing to commit to a two-year data plan at €35 a month. We'd advise against taking those direct currency conversions to heart, but the Tab's pricing here is €30 more than the 32GB iPad WiFi + 3G, making us scratch our heads as to how Samsung believes it'll manage to convince anyone to buy its smaller, less capacious alternative.

2010-10-20T06:42:00.000+01:00

Came across the below article on one of my favorite websites, engadget.com and felt you would all like to read this.How much will a gold Vertu Constellation Quest set you back? About $27K, turns out

Feeling that Constellation Quest, but think it'd look a little better in brilliant yellow? Break open that piggy bank. Oh, and while you're at it, break open several dozen more piggy banks... and maybe even a real bank or two. We're hearing that the world's Vertu boutiques will be selling a yellow gold version of the Symbian-powered work of art for a cool €19,500 including VAT, which works out to about $27,000. Sure, that can buy a car -- but you already own the fleet of Bentleys and Bugattis, so let's be honest, another car would seem a bit excessive.

2010-10-19T23:40:00.000+01:00

N7700+

Ultimate Network Attached Storage

Looking to get one of this enterprise grade NAS solutions? send me an email olumartins@gmail.com

Feature

Ready For the Future (10 GbE NIC Compatibility List)
Future technologies are around the corner, and the N7700+ is ready. With its PCI-e slot, the N7700+ can accommodate a number of emerging technologies. Add a 10Gb Ethernet adaptor and experience the lightning-fast file transfers. With PCI-e expansion, the N7700+ is ready for whatever may come.
Unique Dual DOM™ Design In business, having access to mission-critical data at all times is crucial. The N7700+ is equipped with a dual Disk On Module (DOM) design to ensure flawless operation and maximum uptime.
Stackable Storage and iSCSI ReadyThe N7700+ supports iSCSI initiators, which allows servers to access it as a direct-attached-storage device over LAN or Internet with excellent transfer speeds. With this capability, users can centrally manage and deploy storage for their entire network. In addition, the N7700+ is also stackable, enabling users to connect their unit with up to five additional N7700+s via a master system as a large data pool. With iSCSI and stackability, expanding the capacity of application servers is both quick and easy.
Maximum Flexibility and ExpansionAside from being iSCSI ready, the N7700+ offers unmatched flexibility. Support for multiple file systems including Ext3, XFS and ZFS, as well as online RAID migration and expansion, means that the N7700+’s data protection and capacity are upgradable and can be integrated into virtually any company network with ease. Users can add larger hard disks to available slots and join an existing RAID volume. The N7700+ will automatically rebuild the RAID array and increase storage capacity.
Handy Snapshot Feature for Version Control The N7700+ is capable version control via a snapshot function with the ZFS file system, allowing users to efficiently create and restore remote backups. For users, the result is total data security and peace of mind.

Looking to get one of this enterprise grade NAS solutions? send me an email olumartins@gmail.com

The 7-bay NAS is shaping up to be the go-to desktop NAS device for users who require both massive storage and blazing performance. Today, Thecus® Technology is pleased to introduce the N7700+, a seven-bay storage server that retains all of the robust functionality of the N7700, but ups the ante with aPCIe x8 slot suitable for 10Gb Ethernet cards.

Thecus® constantly engineers new ways to squeeze the maximum performance from existing technologies. The N7700+ one-ups its predecessor by including an internal PCIe x8 slot. Compared to the x1 slot found in the N7700, the N7700+’s PCIe slot offers up to eight times more bandwidth, which makes it perfect for 10Gb Ethernet cards. Outfitted with one of these cards, the N7700+ is fully compatible with the latest 10Gb networks, delivering unprecedented data transfer rates for the most demanding users.

Of course, the N7700+ still includes the extensive feature set of the N7700. A wide selection of RAID modes including RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, and JBOD are there, allowing system admins to choose the optimal level of data protection. The N7700+’s Dual DOM design gives added system reliability by reprogramming the primary DOM with a secondary DOM in case of a failure. System administrators don’t have to worry about the N7700+ not being compatible with their existing network as the N7700+ supports Ext3, XFS, and ZFS file systems, and is fully compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux. Admins will also love the fact that the N7700+ comes with online RAID expansion and migration, making it easy to administer from anywhere on the network.

The N7700+ is powered with an Intel® Celeron™ M CPU and 2GB compliment of high-speed DDR2 memory, enabling it to achieve data transfer speeds of up to 300MB/s by adding a PCI-e 10Gb Ethernet adapter. This power can easily manipulate the up to 14TB of storage space offered by the N7700+’s seven 3.5” hard disk bays. And if 14TB isn’t enough, the N7700+ is also stackable with up to five other N7700+es, and all of these can be accessed via the master system for ultimate convenience. The N7700+ is even compatible with iSCSI initiators and supports iSCSI thin provisioning for added performance and flexibility With the popularity of VMware, virtualization technology is now widely used in the IT world. Thecus® is now the member of Technology Alliance Partner (TAP), and N7700+ is now officially VMware® Ready certified.

“The N7700 offered unprecedented performance, and with the new N7700+, Thecus® has raised the bar yet again,” said Florence Shih, Thecus® Technology General Manager. “With the new PCIe x8 slot, N7700+ users will be able to connect the latest 10GbE NICs and enjoy next-generation transfer speeds in their corporate environment.”

Looking to get one of this enterprise grade NAS solutions? send me an email olumartins@gmail.com

2010-10-13T22:20:00.000+01:00

More on QNAP NAS solution

QNAP continues to lead the industry with innovations in design and technology. Their products have gained worldwide recognition. For example, TS-809 PRO was awarded the "2009 Best in Class of Enterprise NAS" from BenchMark Reviews (US), "2009 Technology Award" from PC World (Hungary), and "2009 Excellence Award" from WhichNAS.com (US) etc. The NMP-1000 was honored with the "2009 Gold Award" from Hardware.info (Netherlands), "2009 Best Buy" - PC World (Poland), and "2009 Expert Choice" - IT Expert (Russia) etc.

QNAP has also made huge advances with their new and much improved AJAX Web Interface and MAC friendly design.

What Makes QNAP NAS Different?

The Most User-friendly User Interface
Hot-Swappable Hard Disks & Automatic Data Rebuilding
RAID Level Disk Configurations + Hot Spare
Leading RAID technology - RAID Recovery
LCD Display
Hot-swappable & Redundant Power Protection
Remote Data Management
Data Backup & Remote Replication
Embedded Linux

Cross-platform Support
Built-in DNS & DDNS Support
Web Page Management
User Quota
Journaling File System
SNMP Management & E-mail Warning
WINS Server
Backup/Restore User's Setting
System Upgrade

2010-10-12T20:03:00.000+01:00

TS-859 Pro Turbo NAS in Nigeria

We have recently received shipment of a few units of TS-859 Pro Turbo NAS in Nigeria. The stock is limited and is guaranteed to run out very quickly.

You can also contact us to place orders for all QNAP range of products, all orders are backed up with full manufacturer’s warranty and support.

Please feel free to contact us to reserve one of the available units – qnap@24cube.co.uk

Modern business faces the challenge of dramatic growth of digital data, including documents, emails, applications, and so on. To deploy the IT environment with a reliable, affordable and expandable storage center to securely store, share, and back up the digital assets has become an important task for the server managers of the SMB and entry-level enterprise nowadays.

The TS-859 Pro is the powerful 8-bay network attached storage (NAS) server, which is designed to provide an affordable and easy-to-management solution with iSCSI service for virtualized and clustered environment. The TS-859 Pro also offers versatile business applications to maximize the efficiency of the data center in the business environment.

Incorporating the next-generation Intel® Atom™ Dual-Core processor and 1GB DDRII RAM, the Turbo NAS delivers exceptional performance and maintains high reliability for multiple concurrent applications and intensive data transfer with guaranteed low power consumption.

Brand New Turbo NAS Series for Business
The Most Affordable and Flexible Virtualization Solution
The TS-859 Pro is certified as compatible with VMware® vSphere4 (ESX 4.0 and above) virtualization platform. The NAS can be utilized as the networked shared storage of VMware virtualization environments and Windows cluster servers. Comparing with traditional SAN (Storage Area Network), the Turbo NAS is a competitive alternative with much lower setup and maintenance costs in an IP SAN.

The Feature-rich and Integrated Applications for Business
The NAS supports file sharing across Windows, Mac, Linux, and UNIX platforms. Versatile business applications such as file server, FTP server, printer server, web server, and Windows AD support are provided. The dominant features, such as WebDAV, Share Folder Aggregation (also known as DFS), IPv6 and IPv4 dual-stack, Wake on LAN, schedule power on/ off, HDD S.M.A.R.T, comprehensive log systems, and policy-based unauthorized IP blocking are all included features of a QNAP NAS server.

New iSCSI for Virtualization Deployments
The Turbo NAS provides flexible and secure storage server deployment with the following enhanced iSCSI features:

NAS + iSCSI storage solution
The Turbo NAS can serve as a NAS for file sharing and iSCSI storage concurrently.
Flexible multiple LUNs management
The NAS supports multiple LUNs (Logical Unit Numbers) and iSCSI targets. The LUNs can be flexibly mapped to, unmapped from, and switched among different iSCSI targets.
Secure IP SAN environment deployment
Designed with CHAP authentication and LUN masking, the advanced ACL (Access Control List) offers you the capability to block unauthorized access from the initiators.
Designed for virtualized and clustered environments
Comparing with the high cost of Fibre Channel SAN, the Turbo NAS is an affordable system that can be deployed as a storage center for virtualized and clustered server environments, such as VMware and Microsoft Windows Failover Cluster.

iSCSI feature	QNAP NAS	Other NAS
VMware Ready® certified iSCSI array
SPC-3 for clustered environment deployment
MC/S for failover, load balancing and performance gain
MPIO for failover and load balancing.
LUN masking for advanced security
LUN mapping for flexible management
Thin Provisioning for efficient disk usage

Virtual Disk Drive (VDD) adds flexibility to storage expansion along with ease of management
The unique “Virtual Disk Drive” adds flexibility to expand the capacity of NAS. By using the built-in iSCSI initiator, the NAS can connect to other iSCSI targets on the network and turn them into virtual disks, which become multiple single volumes on the NAS. Up to 8 virtual disks can be stacked. The NAS serves as the storage stack chaining master. The user only needs to connect to this single entry (QNAP NAS) and is able to reach and use all the iSCSI LUN on the network.

Superior Performance and Eco-friendly Design
The NAS delivers superior performance and high reliability for critical business applications. It is optimized to achieve low noise and low power consumption for environment protection.

NetBench

Testing benchmark program: ZD NetBench version 7.0.3
Client PCs (20 Total): Intel Celeron 1.6GHz CPU, 1GB DDRII 667, Atheros AR8121 GbE Chip, Windows XP SP1

SAMBA/ FTP Access

FTP/SAMBA Testing Environment: Intel Core2 Quad CPU Q8300 2.50GHz/ 4GB DDRII RAM, WD640AAKS 640GB, Windows 7 Enterprise 32 Bits,Intel PRO 1000 PT Dual Port Server Adapter 82571
FTP/SAMBA Testing Method: Connect the TS-859 Pro and PC to switch, upload/download 5GB File without Jumbo Frame, FTP Tool: File Zilla

Power Consumption (with 8 hard drives installed)

Abundant Business Features
The Turbo NAS provides diversified server applications in the business environment.

1		FTP Server: You can establish your own FTP server by the Turbo NAS and share the files conveniently with your friends or customers.
2		Encrypted Remote Replication: The data on the Turbo NAS can be backed up to or from other Turbo NAS or Rsync servers over the network.
3		File Server: The Turbo NAS allows file sharing across Windows, Mac, Linux, and UNIX platforms. It also supports WebDAV for you to access the share folders via HTTP/HTTPS protocol remotely.
4		Printer Server: The Turbo NAS supports USB printer sharing over the network (max. 3 USB printers).
5		Backup Server: The Turbo NAS offers you the most complete backup solution with Apple Time Machine support, remote replication to an Rsync server, Windows client backup software NetBak Replicator, and third party backup software support, and so on.
6		Web Server: You can easily create a website to publish information over the Internet using the built-in web server by the Turbo NAS.
7		Surveillance Station: The Turbo NAS enables you to configure and connect multiple IP cameras simultaneously for remote monitoring, video recording and playback.
		IPv6: The Turbo NAS supports IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version 6) which makes your NAS a dual-stack IP host running IPv4 and IPv6 at the same time.

Advanced RAID Management with Hot-swap Design
The NAS offers RAID 0, 1, 5, 5+spare, 6, 6+spare, single, and JBOD disk configurations. It also supports hot-swap design that a failed member drive of a RAID configuration (RAID 1 or above only) can be replaced by hot swapping without turning off the server.

Online RAID Capacity Expansion
The storage capacity of a RAID configuration can be expanded by replacing the larger hard drives. All the data will be kept and seamlessly moved to the newly installed hard drives without turning off the server.

Online RAID Level Migration
You can upgrade the disk configuration to higher RAID level with the data retained without turning off the server.

The Most Complete Backup Solution
The NAS offers complete backup solution for data protection, including cloud-based storage backup (Amazon S3),Apple Time Machine support, encrypted remote replication, third party software backup, one-touch-copy backup and QNAP exclusive Windows-based utility NetBak Replicator. The users can choose different backup modes for redundant data backup.

Benefits of Dual LAN Deployment
The Turbo NAS supports multiple bonding modes: Balance-rr (Round-Robin), Active Backup, Balance XOR, Broadcast, IEEE 802.3ad, Balance-tlb (Adaptive Transmit Load Balancing) and Balance-alb (Adaptive Load Balancing)

Scenario	Benefits to your company
Failover	Provides continuous services when one network port fails.
Load Balancing	Aggregates bandwidth to boost the file transfer speed. Data traffic is evenly distributed to balance network loading.
Multi-IP Setting	Allows sharing among different workgroups in two different subnets.

Practical System and Authority Control Management Tools

	Instant SMS and Email Alert You can configure the SMTP server and SMSC server settings on the NAS in order to receive instant system warning or error messages by email and/or SMS.
	SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) You can collect the information, warning or error of the NAS and send to maximum 3 SNMP servers for centralized management and real-time monitoring.
	Comprehensive Event Log System Detailed logs of file-level data access to the NAS via SAMBA, iSCSI, FTP, AFP, HTTP, HTTPS, Telnet, and SSH, and networking services accessed by online users are all recorded.
	Wake on LAN Enable this option to power on the Turbo NAS remotely by Wake on LAN. Wake on LAN helps you manage your NAS conveniently.
	S.M.A.R.T. & Advanced HDD Health Scanning (HHS) S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology) helps you to monitor the HDD status. Moreover, the Turbo NAS is embedded with HHS (HDD Health Scan) which supports disk checking and bad blocks scanning.

Windows Active Directory (AD)
The Windows AD feature enables you to retrieve the user accounts from the Windows AD server to the NAS to reduce the time and effort for account setup. Users can use the same set of login name and password to access the NAS.

Shared Folder Aggregation
You can easily access the share folders of other servers on Microsoft Networking through the “portal folder” on the Turbo NAS. This saves your time and effort to login different servers one by one.

AES 256-bit Volume-based Data Encryption
The disk volume with AES 256-bit encryption can only be accessed by an authorized encryption password or key. This prevents the NAS data from unauthorized access and data breach even if the hard drives are stolen.
*Data encryption functions may not available in accordance to the legislative restrictions of some countries.

DOM Architecture and Fail-safe Dual OS
Two operating systems are built on the DOM of the Turbo NAS for system booting alternatively upon every system startup. When one fails, the other one will be used to boot up the NAS, and the failed OS is recoverable from the other healthy OS.

Touch-N-Go PC-less Installation
You can use the handy front panel LCD display to complete the first time installation in a few simple steps. The Turbo NAS will automatically complete the hard disk formatting and RAID building.

Software Expansion via QPKG
The QPKG feature enables the users to maximize the usage of Turbo NAS by installing additional software packages developed by the users and community worldwide.

Please feel free to contact us to reserve one of the available units – qnap@24cube.co.uk

2010-10-11T20:41:00.000+01:00

Google Testing Chrome OS Release Candidates. Official Release 1 Month Away?

It was last July that Google dropped a nuclear bomb in announcing Chrome OS, their operating system based around their Chrome web browser. The world was different back then — namely, Google’s Android mobile operating system wasn’t nearly as powerful as it is now. But its rise has led some to wonder why exactly Google is pushing ahead with Chrome OS — or if they might abandon it? (Remember, they did losetheir key Chrome OS engineer to Facebook.) Well, they’re not. All indications are that it is coming very soon now. In fact, it may even launch a month from today.

At their official unveiling event 11 months ago, Google promised that Chrome OS would be ready to by the end of this year — before the holiday season. It looks like they will be able to keep that promise, as bug comments on their Google Code site for the project indicate that the OS has already hit “RC” status — also known as “Release Candidate”. As far as I can tell, it achieved this milestone in the past few days or so, and the most recent build would seem to be 0.9.78.1 (or RC 78.1). When that number evens out to “1″, we can probably expect Chrome OS to be ready to go.

Further, the most recent updates in this thread from three days ago twice have a Google employee referencing a November 11 date. “We will push this after November 11,” the employee writes in response to a question about a specific feature. The same employee then references that date again later. It’s hard to tell for sure if that’s the date Google is targeting for the Chrome OS launch, but it certainly seems inline with everything else we’ve heard.

It’s also possible that November 11 will be a final code freeze and Chrome OS could ship a week later — maybe on the 1 year anniversary of their unveiling event last November? It’s worth nothing that the Chrome Web Store is due out this month — that will obviously be very useful for Chrome OS as well. And yes, you can probably expect at least one U.S. carrier to be on board with the official launch.

More indications that Google is quickly approaching a first build of Chrome OS includes what they’re actually working on now. Screensavers, sign-in screens, and highlight colors — in other words, a lot of UI elements, the icing on the cake.

2010-10-11T20:32:00.002+01:00

TDK develops 1TB optical disc, leaves other optical storage feeling emasculated

By Ben Bowers courtesy engadget.com

We've heard about 1TB-sized optical discs in the past, but TDK has now revealed a 1TB monster of its own at CEATEC. Unlike existing Blu-rays which use four recording layers at most, TDK's creation features 16 layers on both sides of the disc, each capable of storing up to 32GB apiece. If you're keeping track of the optical storage arms race, that's seven more gigabytes per layer than Pioneer's 400GB and 500GB disc achievements made back in 2008. TDK's prototype also has the potential to leverage existing Blu-ray technologies, since it's made from a material already found in BDs and shares the same beam aperture. On the down side, the current version's recording layers measure 260μm -- that's more than twice as thick as its Blu-ray counterpart -- and causes aberrations in today's fat-layer-hating optical lenses. Outside of its Biggest Loser qualifications, though, TDK says "its commercialization depends on disc manufacturers." Considering the company has yet to sell the 10-layer 320GB discs revealed at CEATEC 2009, however, we're doubtful this 1TB improvement will hit stores anytime soon.

2010-10-11T19:57:00.000+01:00

HTC 7 Mozart and 7 Trophy set out to conquer the WP7 world, 7 Pro coming to Sprint next year

By Vlad Savov Courtesy of Engadget

HTC's kicking the Windows Phone 7 era off in style today with no less than three new phones scheduled to debut on October 21 in Europe: the HD7, the 7 Mozart, and the 7 Trophy. Both the Mozart and Trophy offer a WVGA LCD screen, a 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8250 chipset, 576MB of RAM, 8GB of built-in storage, and 720p video recording. Where the 7 Mozart sets itself apart is in having an aluminum unibody construction wrapped around its 3.7-inch display, together with a more advanced 8 megapixel imager and a Xenon flash. The 7 Trophy makes do with an LED flash illuminating 5 megapixels' worth photons, but it does also come with HTC's promise to be the most aggressively priced WP7 handset from the company. It'll be a Vodafone exclusive across the big red network's global footprint, while the Mozart will be exclusive to Orange in the UK, France, Spain, and Switzerland, exclusive to Deutsche Telekom in Germany, and available on a choice of carriers elsewhere. No peep of an American release for either handset, however.

For the home crowd, Sprint is set to deliver a HTC 7 Pro with a QWERTY keyboard that slides out and tilts -- you can see it pictured in the gallery below -- at some point in the first half of 2011. It too goes with the same old 1GHz Snapdragon, 576MB of RAM, 5 megapixel cam plus 720p video, and WVGA display resolution (on a 3.6-inch screen), but it gets a bump in storage to 16GB. Full spec sheets for all three phones, along with HTC's big Windows Phone 7 announcement, await just past the break.

MONDAY, 11 OCTOBER, 09.30 EST (New York)

HTC GOES BIG WITH MICROSOFT; LAUNCHING FIVE NEW WINDOWS PHONE 7 SMARTPHONES

HTC brings its trademark innovation and design to a fresh, new Windows Phone 7 portfolio – HTC 7 Surround, HTC 7 Mozart, HTC 7 Trophy, HTC 7 Pro and HTC HD7

NEW YORK – October 11, 2010 – HTC Corporation, a global designer of smartphones and long-time Microsoft partner, today unveiled five new Windows Phone 7 smartphones: HTC 7 Surround, HTC 7 Mozart, HTC 7 Trophy, HTC 7 Pro and HTC HD7. This strong and diverse family of phones features Microsoft's new Windows Phone 7 platform and embodies the stand-out design and innovation for which HTC has come to be known. Each new phone includes a variety of cutting-edge technologies and a series of unique HTC applications that can be accessed through the new HTC Hub that complements the Windows Phone 7 Hub and Tile experience.

"Windows Phone 7 is an entirely fresh mobile experience, on which HTC is excited to be going big. We see tremendous customer opportunities with the integration of Microsoft's most popular services like Xbox LIVE and Zune," said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corporation. "The value Microsoft is bringing to mobile customers around the world sets a new benchmark for the industry. HTC will be introducing five new HTC Windows Phone 7 smartphones at launch to support our customers with a broad variety of choice."

"HTC has been a partner with Microsoft since we launched our first phones nearly a decade ago, and we couldn't be more excited to continue this journey with the launch of Windows Phone 7," said Andy Lees, President of the Mobile Communications Business at Microsoft. "Windows Phone 7 characterizes a new direction for Microsoft and its partners, and HTC is stepping up to support this in a significant way by bringing five new Windows Phones to market."

Windows Phone 7
Windows Phone 7 has been carefully crafted to help people get more done in fewer steps with a unique Hub and Tile interface. The Windows Phone 7 Hubs offer quick and easy access to a person's latest and most valuable information and include People, Pictures, Games, Music & Video, Office and Marketplace content. Windows Phone 7 also integrates with many popular Microsoft consumer services such as Xbox LIVE, Windows Live, Bing and Zune.

HTC Windows Phone 7 portfolio
HTC has brought its innovative design and creativity to its new Windows Phone 7 smartphone portfolio by embracing distinctive materials and unique design elements while providing an exciting set of cutting-edge features and technologies. With the new HTC Hub, HTC is providing an exclusive series of applications and utilities that include a new weather and stocks application and a new photo enhancer that enables a person to apply special effects before sharing photos with friends.

HTC 7 Surround
Whether it be gaming, movies or music, HTC 7 Surround is the ultimate multimedia device. With a unique slide-out speaker and integrated kickstand with integrated Dolby Mobile™ and SRS WOW HD™, the HTC 7 Surround delivers high-fidelity audio and virtual surround sound that enable people to share their favorite music and videos with their friends in style. No longer are they forced to use headphones for a great
surround sound experience because the HTC 7 Surround speaker makes the listening experience natural and comfortable.

HTC 7 Mozart
Crafted from a single piece of anodized aluminum, the HTC 7 Mozart feels great in the hand and takes HTC's unibody design aesthetic to the next level. The slim, solid and smart HTC 7 Mozart sounds as good as it looks and integrates Dolby Mobile™ and SRS WOW HD™ for high-fidelity, virtual surround sound. With Microsoft Zune integration, people can synchronize the HTC 7 Mozart with their PC, enabling them to take their music and video library with them wherever they go.

HTC 7 Trophy
HTC 7 Trophy harnesses the power of Xbox LIVE. Gamers will enjoy the speed and responsiveness of fast action gameplay supported by the phone's high-performance 1GHz Snapdragon processor, and controlled through the vivid WVGA 3.8" touchscreen. High-fidelity, virtual surround sound - through SRS WOW HD™ - brings a rich audio experience whether the user is playing a game, watching a video or listening to their favorite music.

HTC 7 Pro
The development of the HTC 7 Pro was inspired by power users who want to combine the ultimate in business efficiency with the ability to take full advantage of their leisure time. The sleek handset slides opens and tilts to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard for fast, comfortable typing, while productivity features such as the ability to sort, scan and manage Outlook email, open and edit the latest Office documents on the phone and keep track of the markets with HTC's stocks application, offer new ways to maximize the business day.

HTC HD7
HTC HD7 owners can enjoy their favorite videos and movies in cinematic-style thanks to the large 4.3" high-resolution screen, while its kickstand allows them to sit back and enjoy the action handsfree. For those who refuse to compromise on their mobile gaming experience, the HTC HD7 realizes the power of Xbox LIVE,bringing gameplay to life in a way that takes console gaming beyond the home.

Availability
The five new HTC smartphones will be available through mobile operators and retailers across major European, Asia-Pacific and North American markets from late October.

North America
• HTC 7 Surround will be available exclusively in the United States with AT&T as the HTC Surround.
• HTC HD7 will be exclusively available in the United States with T-Mobile.
• HTC 7 Pro will be available in the first half of 2011 with Sprint.
• HTC 7 Surround will be available exclusively with Telus in Canada.

Europe
• HTC HD7 will be available from Telefonica O2 in Germany and exclusively in United Kingdom and Ireland.
• HTC HD7 will also be available with Telefonica Movistar in Spain. • HTC HD7 will be available from Bouygues Telecom in France.
• HTC 7 Mozart will be exclusively available in France, United Kingdom, Switzerland and Spain with Orange.
• HTC 7 Mozart will be exclusively available in Germany with Deutsche Telekom AG.
• HTC 7 Mozart will be available in Austria with Deutsche Telekom AG.
• HTC 7 Mozart will be available in Austria with Orange.
• HTC 7 Trophy will be available exclusively in Germany, France, Spain, United Kingdom, Austria and Switzerland with Vodafone.
• HTC 7 Mozart and HTC HD7 will be broadly available in Italy.

Asia-Pacific
• HTC HD7 will be exclusively available with Telstra in Australia
• HTC HD7 will be exclusively available with Telecom New Zealand.
• HTC HD7 will be exclusively available with Singtel in Singapore.
• HTC HD7 will be exclusively available with Maxis in Malaysia.
• HTC HD7 will be available with Taiwan Mobile in Taiwan.
• HTC HD7 will be available in Hong Kong with CSL, 3 and China Mobile.
• HTC 7 Mozart will be exclusively available with Telstra in Australia.
• HTC 7 Mozart will be exclusively available with Starhub in Singapore.
• HTC 7 Mozart will be available in Hong Kong with CSL, 3 and China Mobile.
• HTC 7 Mozart will be available with Chunghwa Telecom in Taiwan.
• HTC 7 Trophy will be exclusively available with Vodafone in Australia and New Zealand.
• HTC 7 Trophy will be exclusively available with M1 in Singapore.

2010-10-11T19:54:00.002+01:00

Samsung OMNIA 7 Delivers Breakthrough Entertainment for Your Life in Motion

Samsung's First Phone with Windows® Phone 7 to bring more choices for consumers to meet their lifestyles

October 11, 2010, SEOUL, Korea – Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., a global leader in mobile technology, today announced the launch of the Samsung OMNIA 7 (Model: GT-I8700). Designed for a lifestyle in motion, the smartphone will be the first device to launch from Samsung with Microsoft's Windows® Phone 7 platform across Europe and Asia. Samsung OMNIA 7 supports a 4-inch SUPER AMOLED touch screen, 1GHz application processor and a 5 megapixel camera. The phone offers an unparalleled entertainment experience directly on the mobile with Xbox LIVE® features and games, and Zune® music and video. The OMNIA 7 will be available in select markets during the holiday 2010 timeframe.

"The Samsung OMNIA 7 is our first Windows Phone 7 smartphone and we anticipate that consumers will be drawn to the premium entertainment experience. The device demonstrates our commitment to satisfying consumers with a choice of platforms that fit diverse needs," said JK Shin, president and head of the Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics. "We are excited to partner with Microsoft for this milestone," he said.

"Samsung has been a key partner to Microsoft in bringing Windows Phones to customers all over the world," said Andy Lees, President of the Mobile Communications Business at Microsoft. "Their launch of the Samsung OMNIA 7, a new Windows Phone, marks a significant step in delivering to customers a different kind of phone that will stand out amongst the competition. We are thrilled to continue our strong partnership and embark on this journey with a smartphone industry leader."

Breakthrough hardware

Featuring Samsung's crisp and clear 4-inch SUPER AMOLED touch screen, the OMNIA 7 delivers a brilliant viewing experience, even outdoors. With surround sound and clear voice quality, users can talk to a friend or conduct a conference call as if they're in the same room. The OMNIA 7's good looks and metallic body make it a stylish companion for any setting and the phone's minimalist design and clean finish will entice consumers who don't want compromise style for technology.

Ultimate entertainment

With Samsung OMNIA 7, users can access Xbox LIVE® and Zune® directly on the mobile for the ultimate entertainment experience. Gamers will enjoy a diverse lineup of titles through Xbox LIVE whilst multimedia buffs will be keen to access a host of video and music content through Zune. The OMNIA 7 enables users to automatically synch content from their PC via Wi-Fi so that they can enjoy music and videos anywhere.

Life in motion

Samsung OMNIA 7 offers a different kind of experience that lets users keep up with lifestyle. Users will love the intuitive, dynamic user interface of Windows Phone 7 whilst the Windows Phone Hubs help them to organize information and simplify tasks. The phone's customizable Start Screen features live Tiles that display real-time updates from the web, news, appointments, or social media status directly to the home screen.

Enhanced media sharing is another feature of a life in motion. On the OMNIA 7, users will have access to an expanded catalog of social networking and photo sharing sites and can share images and media files with friends with a single touch. The device even includes a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash so that you capture, create and share your life in motion.

2010-10-11T19:53:00.000+01:00

Dell Venue Pro (aka Lightning) first hands-on!

By Joanna Stern Courtesy of Engadget

You see that? That, comrades, is what happens when Lightning strikes! Or, you know, when Venue Prostrikes. So, it doesn't quite have the same ring to it, but no matter what you call Dell's Windows Phone 7portrait slider, it's downright awesome. We got a chance to play around with an early build of the phone a few weeks ago -- as you'll hear us say in the video below, it was still codenamed the Lightning -- and we haven't been able to get it out of our minds since. The handset has a very similar look and feel to its Android brother, the Thunder -- its rounded chrome sides are reminiscent of an iPhone 3G/S, the black contoured back has a nice grippy feel, and the curved, WVGA AMOLED, Gorilla Glass screen is just stunning. The 4.1-inch capacitive, multitouch display is joined by additional back, home and search touch-sensitive buttons, all of which seemed responsive in our short time with the device. The back is also home to a 5 megapixel cam with flash while there's a 3.5mm headphone jack on the top of the device and a micro-USB port on the bottom edge.

But obviously, it's that glorious slide-out QWERTY keyboard that makes the Venue Pro, well, so pro. The rubber-feeling keys remind us a lot of those on the Droid 2 -- though, they feel a bit firmer -- and the slider mechanism felt sturdy when we slid it open and closed a number of times. On the spec front, we were told it was packing a Snapdragon processor, and while the phone seemed to briskly run an early build of WP7, we didn't get to test much out as Dell was lacking both a SIM and a nearby WiFi network. We'll be hoping to grab some more time with the T-Mobile version today, but from what we've seen so far we're fairly confident that Dell's struck pretty darn close to gold here.

2010-10-11T19:51:00.000+01:00

HTC HD7 preview

Courtesy of Engadget.com

Alright, so by now we all know that HTC's HD7 is mostly a HD2 in imperial new clothes, but let's give the new phone a chance, shall we? We've just gotten to grips with the latest member of HTC's 4.3-inch brigade and predictably enough it feels just as snappy as the rest of the Windows Phone 7 devices introduced today. Navigation is blazingly quick, interrupted only by Microsoft's excessive fascination with animated screen transitions. Clearly, designing the new WP7 OS around hard-set minimum specs has paid off for Microsoft, whose end product exhibits a great deal of polish. T-Mobile, the HD7's exclusive carrier in the US, is keen to point out that it's the largest Windows Phone 7 launch device, so if size is atop your list of priorities, this will be the phone you'll want to start your journey with.
Much like the HD2 before it, the sheer size of the HD7 will be the first thing that grabs you. The 4.3-inch screen is again framed by a minimal bezel, lending a feel of efficient, raw, electronic prowess, and it just feels bigger without the HD2's hardware buttons in the way. We were less impressed by the display's viewing angles, however -- maybe the recent spate of AMOLED, IPS, and Super LCD panels has spoiled us, but the color degradation as you move off center is really offputting. We appreciate that a 4.3-inch superscreen is probably beyond any reasonable manufacturing budgets, but the fact remains that the HD7's current screen feels a step behind the competition, both in terms of pixel density and general performance. There was no faulting the capacitive digitizer, though, as every touch was responded to almost instantaneously in our brief tests and WP7's virtual landscape keyboard was a pleasure.

Build quality seems to be on par with HTC's recent efforts, with a metallic band accounting for most of the bezel and firm matte plastic covering the rear. A squeaky battery door left us feeling a little uneasy, however, and the kickstand's a fairly thin and weak affair, even if it does have a nice, solid click. The problem is that while the rounded edge of the stand looks neat, it actually serves to make the hefty device easier to topple. We're again left with the sense that the oversized form factor has limited HTC's budget and, consequently, options.

Flip the phone sideways, however, trust that kickstand to do its job, and the HD7 becomes a multimedia machine. A pair of front-facing stereo speakers, complete with Dolby and SRS Surround for extra branding points, will fire off anything you can magic up with the preloaded Netflix, Slacker Radio and T-Mobile TV apps. In our time with it, Netflix worked about as well here as it does on the iPhone, piping a very watchable framerate (but with considerable artifacting) over T-Mobile's 3G. Speaking of connectivity, we're afraid the HD7 won't feature the carrier's new HSPA+ transfer speeds -- T-Mobile reps said the HD7's silicon doesn't support it, and neither does Microsoft's spec.

The T-Mobile "Family Room" promises to be an interesting piece of software -- a cloud sharing app built on Microsoft Azure that lets individuals leave notes, pictures, calendar events and the like on a Metro UI-ified bulletin board of sorts. Though its appeal would be fairly limited if restricted only to high-end WP7 devices such as those currently on offer from T-Mobile -- which the kiddies aren't exactly liable to own any time soon -- the company stressed its brand is "about value," without letting us in on its plans.

You won't be surprised to hear that the biggest downer we found with the HD7 was its failure to advance the hardware spec (in any meaningful way) from the HD2. Then again, if specs mean less to you than overall user experience and the chance to jump aboard a shiny new bandwagon, the HD7 should tick your boxes quite competently. It certainly promises to fill many an early WP7 adopter's time with happy memories of snappy, oversized smartphone action.

Additional reporting done by Sean Hollister

2010-10-11T19:35:00.000+01:00

Microsoft announces ten Windows Phone 7 handsets for 30 countries: October 21 in Europe and Asia, 8 November in US (Update: Video!)

By Thomas Ricker posted Oct 11th 2010 9:34AM

It may have "Windows" in the branding, but Windows Phone 7 is not the desktop PC experience shoehorned into a cellphone. Microsoft tried that with Windows Mobile... and we all know how that turned out. Today, eight months after the Windows Phone 7 OS unveiling in Barcelona, we're finally seeing the official launch of the retail hardware: nine new WP7 handsets available October 21 in select European and Asian markets and early November in the US. The phones will find their way to over 60 cellphone operators in more than 30 countries this year. Microsoft tapped Dell, HTC, LG, and Samsung to deliver the Snapdragon-based handsets with a carrier list that includes AT&T, T-Mobile USA, Vodafone, TELUS, América Móvil, Deutsche Telekom AG, Movistar, O2, Orange, SFR, SingTel, and Telstra. And that's just for the first wave -- Microsoft has even more handsets coming in 2011 including the first for Sprint and Verizon in the US. Here's the lineup of 480 x 800 pixel (WVGA) phones announced today:

HTC 7 Surround -- The 3.8-inch T8788 with slideout speaker for AT&T and Telus
HTC HD7 -- Schubert comes of age as a 4.3-inch HD2 cousin for T-Mobile and beyond
HTC 7 Trophy -- the 3.8-inch Spark headed to international carriers
HTC 7 Mozart -- another heavily leaked int'l player with 3.7-inch display
Dell Venue Pro -- 4.1-inch portrait QWERTY slider for T-Mobile we broke as Lightning
Samsung Focus -- AT&T's 4-inch Super AMOLED slate we broke as Cetus
Samsung Omnia 7 -- the i8700 is a 4-inch Super AMOLED jobbie for Europe
LG Optimus 7/7Q -- the E900 is the official 3.8-inch global workhorse
LG Quantum -- AT&T's 3.5-inch landscape slider first seen as the C900

HTC 7 Pro -- a 3.6-inch QWERTY slider for Sprint (2011)

"Glance and Go," is the slogan Microsoft is using to differentiate itself from an already crowded smartphone market. Something we've already seen alluded to in that leaked AT&T ad. As Ballmer notes, "Microsoft and its partners are delivering a different kind of mobile phone and experience - one that makes everyday tasks faster by getting more done in fewer steps and providing timely information in a 'glance and go' format." He's referring to WP7's customizable Live Tiles, of course. Xbox Live integration is another biggie with EA Games just announcing its first Xbox Live-enabled wares coming to Windows Phone 7 in the fall including "Need for Speed Undercover," "Tetris," "Monopoly," and "The Sims 3." The other big differentiators are the slick Metro UI, integrated support for Zune media and Zune Pass subscriptions, Bing search and maps, Windows Live including the free Find My Phone service, and Microsoft Office Mobile.

Now quit stalling and jump past the break for the full list of handsets per carrier and country.

North America

AT&T
• HTC Surround, United States
• Samsung Focus, United States
• LG Quantum, United States

T-Mobile USA
• HTC HD7, United States
• Dell Venue Pro, United States

TELUS
• HTC 7 Surround, Canada
• LG Optimus 7, Canada
América Móvil
• LG Optimus 7, Mexico

Europe

O2
• HTC HD7, United Kingdom, Germany

Orange
• HTC 7 Mozart, including France, United Kingdom
• Samsung Omnia 7, including France, United Kingdom

SFR
• HTC 7 Trophy, France
• Samsung Omnia 7, France

Movistar
• LG Optimus 7, Spain
• HTC HD7, Spain
• Samsung Omnia 7, Spain

Deutsche Telekom AG
• HTC 7 Mozart, Germany
• Samsung Omnia 7, Germany

Vodafone
• HTC 7 Trophy, including Germany, Spain, United Kingdom
• LG Optimus 7, including Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom

Asia Pacific

SingTel
• HTC HD 7, Singapore
• LG Optimus 7, Singapore

Telstra
• HTC 7 Mozart, Australia
• LG Optimus 7Q, Australia

Vodafone
• HTC 7 Trophy, Australia