Monday, June 20, 2011

Microsoft reveals new Windows 8 UI

Today, at the All Things Digital D9 Conference, Steve Sinofsky demonstrated the next generation of Windows, internally code-named ?Windows 8,? for the first time. Windows 8 is a reimagining of Windows, from the chip to the interface. Windows 8-based PC will become a new kind of device, one that scales from touch-only small screens through to large screens, with or without a keyboard and mouse.

The demo showed some of the ways Microsoft reimagined the interface for a new generation of touch-centric hardware. Sinofsky also revealed that Windows 8 will not require any additional hardware requirements above and beyond Windows 7.

 

More information at source


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UK mobile networks team up for NFC ambitions

Orange, T-Mobile, O2 and Vodafone all in
UK mobile networks team up for NFC ambitions. phones, mobile phones, nfc, o2, vodafone, T-Mobile, orange, Everything Everywhere,  0

NFC for the masses (the British masses at least) just got a step closer as the big four UK networks all agreed to play nicely and form a joint venture to enable "the rapid development and delivery of new mobile marketing and payment services".

Vodafone, O2, T-Mobile and Orange (under their Everything Everywhere banner) are all in and, as such, we should expect to see NFC marketing and payment options becoming more common, with mobile wallets becoming the norm and promotional tools (such as advertising, coupons and the like) being aimed at mobile users more frequently.

Tom Alexander, CEO of Everything Everywhere, said:?"This groundbreaking new business will unlock the true potential of commerce in the wire-free world.

"The benefits will be felt across the whole industry, allowing people to manage their money and make payments using their handsets, helping advertisers reach their customers on the move, and helping banks provide their clients with an easy and convenient way of making payments."

Guy Laurence, chief executive officer of Vodafone UK, added: "Currently people take their mobile, wallet and keys when they leave home. In the near future, people will now start leaving their wallet at home, and in the mid term their keys may also be integrated into their mobile as NFC allows the mobile to act as a digital access card. The joint venture is the next phase in realising that ambition."

This m-commerce move is being touted as "the first of its kind in the UK" and is on course for a 2011 launch.

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Tags: T-Mobile Everything Everywhere Phones Mobile phones NFC O2 Vodafone Orange

UK mobile networks team up for NFC ambitions originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 16 Jun 2011 13:08:00 +0100

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Find Link and Leverage Opportunities

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Smith & Tinker back with Marvel iOS superhero game

Smith & Tinker, a once high-flying Bellevue game startup, is resurfacing this week with a new Marvel superhero game for Apple's iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch.

"Marvel Kapow!" features characters such as Thor, Wolverine, Spider-Man and Captain America. Players uses touchscreen gestures such as flicks to slash enemies with Wolverine's claws or shoot them with Spidey's web.

Marvel_KAPOW!_ Screenshot3_1024x768.jpg
Smith & Tinker was started in 2007 by Jordan Weisman, a former Microsoft creative director. The company raised more than $29 million from a-list backers including Paul Allen and a group of venture capitalists.

The money was mostly used to develop a line of handheld game players aimed at young boys and built around a sci-fi monster game called Nanovor that launched in 2009.

That project was dropped last year after a restructuring that eventually cut the number of employees from around 55 to under 10. A recent check found Nanovor gear for 99 cents at Amazon.com, although the game's no longer supported.

Weisman remains on the board and contributes to creative work but the company's now led by Disney veteran Joe Lawandus. The company also relocated from Bellevue to space near the downtown Seattle waterfront.

"We've had a pretty interesting ride over the past few years," Lawandus said.

Lawandus said the company still has enough cash to build at least one more game based on Marvel characters. The company last year reached a licensing deal with Disney, Marvel's owner, that enables it to build casual games based on all characters in the Marvel universe.

"We're super excited about what we think tablets can bring to the mobile gaming space," he said, adding that the company is trying to reach big audiences with the brands used in its games.

"Marvel Kapow!" is available through iTunes in free versions with seven levels and advertising, or ad-free versions with 26 levels and additional characters that cost $1.99 for iPhone and iPod or $3.99 for iPads. Later the company may develop versions for Android and perhaps Windows, he said.

Marvel_KAPOW!_ Screenshot2_1024x768.jpg

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Lomography LomoLab officially launches

Remote film processing service goes live
Lomography LomoLab officially launches

Analogue camera brand Lomography is now offering the LomoLab? remote processing service to all UK customers. The new service, which was exclusively revealed to Pocket-lint back in February 2011, is now live, having been in beta-testing mode since March.

Until now, Lomo users have had to go into one of the Lomography Gallery stores in order to get their films developed, or alternatively take them to a high-street shops, not all of which are set up for coping with Lomo elements such as cross processing and sprocket film developing.

The LomoLab mail order service means that you can simply visit the website, order the services you require and send in your films in the envelope provided (you'll get a new one each time you get your prints back). As soon as your films have been processed, you'll be sent a link so that you can view and download them straight away with your prints and negatives following on in the post.

The LomoLab itself is housed in the basement of the Lomography Gallery Store East London, where the team of operators includes photography graduates with years of professional photo-processing experience and is led by the 'LomoLabRat' (aka Mr Jack Quick). The LomoLab can cope with most types of processing including 35 and 120mm film, standard colour, black and white, cross processing, panoramic shots and sprocket hole photography.

The service has been set up in response to the dimishining number of photography labs that are able to cope with all sorts of film. Lomography UK's online manager, Heidi Mace, told Pocket-lint: "Labs closed down left right and centre as digital photography became all the rage. However the Lomographic community is evidence that people still love shooting film. We sell more cameras and more film every single month, the analogue photography community is growing and growing, and those people need somewhere to get their precious films developed that will treat them with the individual love and care they deserve.

"The LomoLab experts don’t just chuck your films in a machine and forget about them, they lovingly put their years of experience to use, to make sure you get the best quality service to reward the effort you've gone to, to shoot a great roll of film.

"The LomoLab has been running in London for a while, and we are regularly asked by people all over the country where they can process their films, so we are really excited to be able to offer our services to every roll of film in the UK, whether you live in Betty Hill, Penzance, or anywhere in between."

Related links:

Tags: Cameras Lomography Lomo

Lomography LomoLab officially launches originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 15 Jun 2011 15:14:47 +0100

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Icann vote enters the web into a new domain

Move over .org and .com, there are some new kids in town
Icann vote enters the web into a new domain

The web is set for its biggest shake up since the arrival of the lolcat after the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann) voted to dramatically increase the number of domain endings.

Currently there are 21 generic top-level domain (gTLD) names - aero, asia, biz, cat, com, coop, edu, gov, info, int, jobs, mil, mobi, museum, name, net, org, pro, tel, travel and the seedy xxx - but the move means that companies and individuals will be able to pay $185,000 to set up one of their choosing.

Any word is up for grabs, in any language and in any script. So expect to see sites such as www.refreshing.coke, www.ronaldo.football or www.bieber.annoying pop up, as well as a multitude of phishing sites with confusing names and characters set to bamboozle unsuspecting victims.

"Today's decision will usher in a new internet age," said Peter Dengate Thrush, chairman of Icann's board of directors. "We have provided a platform for the next generation of creativity and inspiration. Unless there is a good reason to restrain it, innovation should be allowed to run free."

There's a mammoth 360-page-long application form should you wish to register a new domain and companies will be required to state a legitimate claim for the domain - to stop rivals parking in their spaces.

The move does not affect the 250 or so country level domains (such as .co.uk and .fr).

Read

Tags: domain names ICANN IPv6 Internet Online

Icann vote enters the web into a new domain originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 20 Jun 2011 10:03:00 +0100

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Building mHealth Apps

Hey, my name is Sean and I usually share my thoughts online at my Family Health Guy blog, but I?ve got some pretty exciting news, so the Windows Phone guys were kind enough to share their space with me.

There?s a huge groundswell of investment and activity around ?mobile health? --- technologies like Windows Phone 7 are helping people become safer, healthier, active and independent. ?Health and Fitness? is one of the hottest categories in the Windows Phone Marketplace, and developers like you have contributed hugely to the breadth and quality of those apps.

We are super-excited to announce that we?ve just enabled Microsoft HealthVault, an online service that helps consumers manage, store and share their health information, for mobile development--- so you can be part of the mHealth Revolution. Woo hoo!

Using HealthVault will make your mobile health apps safer and more secure, but the REALLY cool thing is how they?ll become connected to the rest of the HealthVault ecosystem. HealthVault already has connectivity to dozens of health and fitness devices --- it can import medication records from Walgreens and CVS, lab results from Quest and LabCorp, medical images from discs (X-Ray viewer for WP7 anybody?), and much more --- combining mobile capabilities like location and social networking, the potential is pretty wicked.

To learn more and get started coding, check out the WP7 HealthVault library on Codeplex. We can?t wait to see what you build!

Sean Nolan
Distinguished Engineer, Health Solutions Group

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HP TouchPad on sale July 1, $500-$600

Hewlett-Packard finally released the launch date and pricing of its TouchPad tablet device based on the WebOS platform.

The TouchPad was unveiled in February with a promise to launch in the summer. It's going to be available July 1, with pre-orders starting just in time for Father's Day - on June 19.

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A 16 gigabyte version will cost $500 ($499.99 ...) and a 32 gig version will be $600. Those are WiFi only (802.11n). HP will also offer versions that connect to AT&T's wireless network, prices of which aren't available yet.

The tablet has a 9.7-inch touchscreen display, video calling capabilities and a dual-core, 1.2 gigahertz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.

HP will also offer a vinyl cover that looks just like Apple's Smart Cover for the iPad. When the cover's in place, peope won't know which tablet you're carrying.

The July launch is in the U.S. HP said the device will go on sale in Canada, the U.K., France and Germany "a few days later" and in other countries "later this year."

It's a nice tablet with business friendly features such as Microsoft Exchange support, but some of its sync features only work with HP's WebOS phones that aren't widely used.

From HP's release:

With webOS, HP TouchPad users have a next-level multitasking experience, access to the web, premium audio playback with stereo speakers and Beats Audio technology, the ability to find information on the device or in the cloud using the Just Type feature, integrated access to their information with HP Synergy, and HP's exclusive Touch to Share capability for sharing web addresses between HP TouchPad and compatible webOS phones.

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iControl Lands Over $50 Million For Broadband Home Management Software

iControl Networks, a provider of broadband home management software solutions, this morning announced that it has raised over $50 million in Series D funding, bringing total investment in the company to more than $100 million. The round was led by energy and clean tech investors, with notable backers like Cisco, Comcast Ventures, Intel Capital, Charles River Ventures, the Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers iFund, Rogers Communications and Tyco International also participating.

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Startup Resources: Banks



These are companies providing Banks to startups (from the Seattle 2.0 Service Providers Directory):










Silicon Valley Bank
SVB provides a full range of banking products and services, including loans, to startup technology and life sciences companies.
More information...


Square 1 Bank
Commercial Banking for startups at all stages
More information...


Find other services for your startup or add your business if you provide services to startups.


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Android Panasonic Toughbook tablet on the way

Invinci-droid
Android Panasonic Toughbook tablet on the way. Toughbook, Panasonic Toughbook, Laptops, Computers, Panasonic, Tablets, 0

Panasonic has been turning out its Toughbook laptops for some time now to those that need something a little more study. The almost invincible range of computers are famed for their reliability and battery life. Weight and size however has always been a problem.

Enter the Toughbook tablet, an enterprise grade portable from Panasonic that will make use of Google's Android OS. Aimed at those who need a bit of hardiness to their electronics, the tablet will undoubtedly turn up in the hands of soldiers, government personnel, Everest climbers, desert crossers, and Fringe Division. The clumsy will probably also appreciate the Toughbook tablet.

The tablet incorporates a 10.1 inch XVGA high-brightness daylight viewable screen and even an active stylus suggesting a resistive rather than capacitive screen. The Toughbook is also ultra-secure, at a hardware level, has satellite based GPS, integrated 3G/4G connectivity and 'full-shift battery life'.

Sadly no idea of cost of release date just yet, but don't expect things to be particularly cheap, all this toughness comes at a price.?

Related links:

Tags: Toughbook Panasonic Toughbook Laptops Computers Panasonic Tablets

Android Panasonic Toughbook tablet on the way. Toughbook, Panasonic Toughbook, Laptops, Computers, Panasonic, Tablets, 1 

Android Panasonic Toughbook tablet on the way originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 17 Jun 2011 11:25:00 +0100

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Sunday, June 19, 2011

Patent Policy Controlled by Giants Like GE and Apple, Not the Public

More new evidence that huge corporations with tens of thousands of patent monopolies are those which also control policy

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E3 Quick Play: Fable: The Journey

E3 2011: Walkthrough of what to expect
E3 Quick Play: Fable: The Journey. E32011, Gaming, Microsoft, Xbox 360, Fable The Journey, Microsoft Kinect, quick play 0

The next Fable has been announced, but before you run to play Fable 3 again in?preparation, it's not Fable 4. This time Molynuex and the gang have turned to the Kinect sensor for the Xbox 360, creating a game that?exists?in the Fable world but doesn't feature any of the characters. But does that work? Will you want to play it? And what's all this fuss about the new game being "on rails". We find out.

Name

Fable: The Journey

What platform is it on?

Xbox 360

When's it due out?

2012

What other game is it like?

Fable series

Does it use any new tech like 3D, PlayStation Move, or?Kinect for Xbox 360?

Yes – the Kinect

The pitch

Fable: The Journey is poised to take the cherished action-adventure series to Kinect for Xbox 360. Under Microsoft's licensing agreement with Epic, Lionhead is equipped with the latest Unreal Engine technology to bring powerful new experiences to the critically acclaimed Xbox 360 exclusive franchise that has sold more than 9 million copies.

The storyline

Back in Albion Fable: The Journey follows a different path to the one in the Fable games, however exists in the same environment. Set soon after the events of?Fable 3,?The Journey?puts players in control of a new hero who has just come upon Theresa; the blind fortune teller featured prominently in the?Fable series. Tasked with bringing Theresa to the Spire, our hero will have to venture through an Albion that will feel somewhat familiar.

Trailers, demoes, and video

Our first impressions

We enjoyed two outings of Fable: The Journey across the course of E3 in Los Angeles.?First at the Microsoft press conference at the start of the week at the E3 gaming convention, and then again in a behind closed doors session with Peter Molyneux himself.

Between the two we’ve managed to get a good grasp of the game, seeing different elements and grilling Molyneux at the same time.

What we do know is that the game will be a complete Kinect experience when it hits the shops some time in 2012, and that you won't need to use the controller at all.

“In the past Fable has been about walking, jogging or running,” Molyneux explains to Pocket-lint. “This time you can play the game entirely sitting down.”

Worried that driving around Albion in a car wouldn’t a) fit in and b) involve you having to hold your hands out in front of you – something that would be tiring, you’ll play a gypsy riding a horse and caravan with you arms controlling the reigns of the horse to move forwards, faster, slower, left and right.?Pull the reigns up and your horse will move forward, to the right it moves in that direction, and so forth just like driving a real horse. Molyneux tells us whips will be available at a later stage in the game (moral choices and all that).

But it's not just about moving your arms. Molyneux is hoping to include voice control as well so you’ll be able to “click click” or “whooo boy” your horse ditching the arm controls altogether.

Why’s all this important, well from what we can gather it’s going to be the main stay of the game with you riding around in your caravan breaking?occasionally?to interact with things on the side of the road.

The game focuses around life-force Molyneux explains. Everything has life force and you can take it from creatures, animals, people, pretty much anything in the game. Take too much and they die bringing in a moral choice that we’ve seen in previous Molyneux games.

“It’s not on rails,” Molyneux affirms. “You’ll be chased, you’ll chase.”

That said we immediately go into an area on rails (a pre glide path that sees the game push you along into the action like you are on a train track rather than free movement as in previous Fable games) to take on a group of ghouls. It’s a chance to show off the magic element of Fable: The Journey.

Magic can be wielded with one hand, or both, and depending on your hand movements will depend on what magic you can create and how it is cast. Holding your hands together lets you create the magic and depending on what you do with your hands thereafter will depend on what happens on screen.

We see magic being squished together to create stronger magic, as well as something Molyneux refers to as Creation magic that lets you create shields, spears, fishing rods, and even a telescope. It's magical for the lack of a better word.

Sadly we were only treated to seeing the magic used for the shield and spear elements in our demos, but you get the sense that you'll really feel like a magician casting your spells and setting them off on their short journeys.?

Trying to drive home the fact that Fable: The Journey isn’t about a rails game on foot, Molyneux again tells us that “There isn’t many times when you are on foot.”

It’s something that we are going to have to take with a pinch of salt for that’s all we’ve seen, but other titbits to note is that it's the same team that developed the now halted Milo and Kate venture demoed for Kinect last year and not the Fable 3 team. That means plenty of emotional tugs on the heart strings no doubt and something more than Molyneux has been able to show us in our 15 minute demo.

As to why it’s not called Fable 4? According to Molyneux he didn’t want to be bound by the Fable world. This route allows him to enjoy its surroundings without having to worry about the characters from the previous games or the affecting the storyline.

Our time as always was brief and from what we’ve seen we are really sure what to make of Fable: The Journey. If the walking elements are on the infrequent side then that means a lot of staring at a horse’s arse and we are sure that’s a game we want to play either.

What is clear is that it’s typical bold stuff from the creator of classics like Black and White and the original Fable series and it will be interesting to see how Fable: The Journey develops over the coming months. This is one game where the verdict is still very much out.

Fable: The Journey is out some time in 2012.

Please note

The E3 games convention is a fantastic chance to see the latest games due out over the coming year, as well as, letting us get a glimpse into what is going to be the big titles and the ones to avoid like the plague.

The big problem however is that for most of the titles that glimpse is, well, just that. At the show you'll get to play a level here or a multiplayer map there or even have a product manager walk you through a specific level.

So with that in mind we present you with our Quick Play.

What we've done is broken down the key facts you need to know and then given you our first impressions based on around 15 minutes of?gaming. For us that 15 minutes isn't enough to do a First Look review or even a review. How can you rate a game that offers over 30 hours of gaming on just 15 minutes of play? However it should hopefully give you an idea, a feeling, a notion, of what to expect come launch day.

Tags: E32011 Gaming Microsoft Xbox 360 Fable The Journey Microsoft Kinect quick play

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E3 Quick Play: Fable: The Journey originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 17 Jun 2011 12:03:00 +0100

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BBC focused on dual screen iPad experience

EXCLUSIVE: Future media boss details iPad navigation for iPlayer
BBC focused on dual screen iPad experience

The BBC's director of future media has told Pocket-lint that the corporation is working on an iPad navigation platform for its online content.

Sitting down for a one on one with us at the BAFTA HQ in London after formally launching the BBC News app for Samsung TVs, Ralph Rivera explained that the convergence of online media, and the Beeb's focus on "One service, Ten products, Four screens", meant that a cross over between connected devices was inevitable.

"We, along with a lot of other people are seeing the emergence of the post PC world and we embrace that as an opportunity to deliver our experiences to audiences on whatever piece of glass they choose," he said.

"There's this notion of connected devices working in concert with each other, we refer to it as 'orchestrated media' - the notion that devices are aware of each other.

"Each take on a role in delivering an experience and so, if you have an iPad, and you're watching BBC programming and it recognises that, then the iPad becomes a complimentary device to what is showing on your big screen and might give you abilities to navigate to related content."

When questioned as to whether this was an actual service that the BBC's boffins were working on he stated that it was and said that "the dual screen is very much something that we're focused on for those sorts of experiences."

During his presentation for the BBC News app unveiling, Rivera also explained how the rise in tablet popularity wasn't going unnoticed at Auntie's HQ. He produced a slide stating that, although the PC was still the most common way to stream BBC iPlayer programming, tablet usage had gone up by a staggering 2500 per cent in a year.

"The iPlayer is on over 200 devices, but one of the things that I would point your attention to is the computer version may still have the majority - but if you look at the growth, it's in the device segment. The tablet is essentially becoming the second television in the home."

Rivera highlighted to Pocket-lint how the variation of standards between devices (no Flash on iDevices and the like) meant that the BBC had to be flexible to reach the maximum audience possible, but explained how this was inevitable.

"I think the tech space and the internet has seen fragmentation and convergence as the ying and yang - you can't have one without the other basically, so what we do to navigate through that is to set a certain set of standards. There isn't just one way to do it."

?

Tags: BBC iplayer iPlayer Home Cinema iPad apps BBC

BBC focused on dual screen iPad experience originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Fri, 17 Jun 2011 14:34:00 +0100

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Google Nexus 4G: Details revealed?

Spec sheet for the first Ice Cream Sandwich device?
Google Nexus 4G: Details revealed?. phones, mobile phones, Google, Nexus Three, Google Nexus 4G, Ice Cream Sandwich, Android 4.0 0

BGR reckons that it has got the low-down on the next Nexus device, which it is labelling the Google Nexus 4G, and if proved correct we're looking at an absolute monster of a phone.

For starters how does a 720p resolution screen sound? We know - it sounds like a tiny icons party, but we're still impressed. To make room for the HD display the phone is likely to be sporting a mammoth screen - although space will be saved because the Nexus 4G is going to ditch the physical Android buttons.

Speaking of Android, and the handset will come a rocking with Ice Cream Sandwich, aka Android 4.0. This would tie in with what Android supremo Andy Rubin said back in February at MWC; that each new version of Android would be launched with new kit. He stated that it was important that new versions were not "just a thought experiment", and that "each software release be accompanied by a hardware component".

Back to the device in question and it will also be packing a 1.2GHz or even a 1.5GHz dual core processor - either an OMAP or a Snapdragon (no Nvidia Kal-El love here apparently) - according to the report. This will be backed up by 1GB of RAM.

As the name suggests it'll also have a 4G LTE connection (possibly with AT&T in mind) and will be capable of 1080p playback and recording. It will also boast a 5-megapixel camera that with an advanced sensor "delivering class-leading image quality in addition to superior low-light performance". There will also be a 1-megapixel snapper on the front.

A Thanksgiving (24 November) date is scheduled for the Nexus 4G's release, which is realistic considering Rubin admitted in May that: "The Nexus has been the thing that we used to set the bar, and there's always going to be new ones coming out in the market…we'll make an announcement at some point in the future."

However, the BGR report also claims that the super phone could come to market sans the Nexus label, as the Motorola Xoom did when it carried the Honeycomb flag.

No word on who's going to make the Android beast, although we've heard rumours that LG could be in the fold for a crack at a premier Android device.

Read

Tags: Google Nexus Three Google Nexus 4G Ice Cream Sandwich Android 4.0 Phones Mobile phones

Google Nexus 4G: Details revealed? originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 15 Jun 2011 17:23:35 +0100

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Announcing the RC of the Windows Home Server 2011 Windows Phone 7 Connector

Today we are pleased to announce the Release Candidate of the Windows Server Solutions Phone Connector for Windows Home Server 2011 (aka Integrating Windows Phone 7 with your WHS 2011 Server).  The purpose of this Add-in is to enable Remote Server Management tasks and relay Media Streams for WHS 2011 including:

Alerts

clip_image004After you complete the authentication steps with the server that you are trying to connect to, an alerts listing is the first panorama item that the application launches into. This feature brings the Alert Viewer that you know from the server, to the phone.

If an alert is displayed white, it is active and included in the alert count. If an alert is dimmed, that means the alert is disabled, and it is not included in the alert count. Any alert item can be clicked to view the full alert text just as on a computer. Contextual menu options include enabling or disabling an alert, and performing a repair action if one was assigned to this alert.

·

 

Users

clip_image006The user-panorama item performs basic user management tasks, including:

  • Viewing user account details
  • Enable or disable a user account
  • Change a user account password

If you disable a user account, that is a reversible action. The moment a user account gets disabled, it causes the same effect as it would if you disable it by using the dashboard. The user’s access to Remote Web Access, the phone application, and any server resources is turned off.

·

Devices

clip_image008“Devices” is a panorama item that lets you:

  • View server-joined computer and Mac details.
  • View the backup status that every device last reported to the server.
  • Start or stop a backup for any computer or the server (from the contextual menu).

 

 

 

 

Media

The Media panorama lets you discover and view streams of media elements that you stored on your server in the appropriate shared folders (such as Music, Video and Picture shares).

clip_image010Music

MP3 non-Digital Rights Management-protected songs will be streamed directly from the server to your phone. Album art is also transported. Your library is searchable and can be organized in different views to help find what you want fast.

 

 

 

 

clip_image012Pictures

“Pictures” has a variety of functions:

  • Discover all .png and .jpg images that are stored in the Pictures shared folder on the server. Subfolders are recognized.
  • Open a picture full-screen to view it on the phone.
  • Save a copy of the picture to the phone, using its original dimensions and resolution  (to be viewed later in the built-in Pictures hub of any Windows Phone 7).
  • Take a picture with the phone’s camera and upload it to the server.
  • Upload any picture that is stored in the Pictures hub of the phone to the server.

clip_image014Videos

The “Videos” feature allows you to discover and view videos that are stored on your server in the Videos shared folder.

Even though discoverable by this feature, the variety of video formats is high and not all formats can be streamed. For details about which video formats can be streamed from the server and accepted by the phone, see Supported Media Codecs for Windows Phone.

 

 

 

 Live Tile Support

imageIf you pin the application to the home screen of your Windows Phone 7, you will be able to see a variety of at-a-glance information without launching into the application. An opt-in using the settings menu is required.

The at-a-glance information includes:

  • Count and type of network health alerts.
  • Percentage of storage use of your main disk.
  • Server name sending this information.

The Windows Phone 7 application requires both a server sided add-in to be installed on the WHS 2011 Server, as well as Windows 7 Phone application downloadable via marketplace.

For further information, and access to the downloads to start testing today, please visit http://connect.microsoft.com/windowshomeserver. Please note this is a release candidate and as such is for testing purposes only.

Rachael Leigh Cook Elisha Cuthbert Ciara Rachel Hunter Heidi Montag