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MobilEcho 3.0 gives iPhone users access to Windows servers
Making Macs into full network citizens has been the business of GroupLogic for quite a while; the 23-year old ISV has been selling its flagship ExtremeZ-IP server extension tool since 1999, giving Windows server administrators a solid and dependable way to extend their services to Mac clients. Back in May of this year, the company took a leap onto iOS with MobilEcho, which delivered Windows fileserver access to iPads while helping enterprise IT admins keep a grip on files and user rights. Now the new 3.0 version of MobilEcho is arriving in the App Store, and it's adding access for another population of iOS devices: iPhones. Along with support for the smaller screens, the new version includes in-app PDF preview and annotation (avoiding the need to round-trip files to other tools), AD home directory access, better device management and password controls, and one-way push sync from the server to the device for versioning. GroupLogic is also partnering with device admin vendor MobileIron to bundle mobile device management (MDM) services to allow MobileIron customers to run MobilEcho file services within the MobileIron MDM framework. I spoke to GroupLogic CEO Chris Broderick and product manager Brian Ulmer last week, and both are very excited about the potential new audience for the company's products. For years, GroupLogic's customer base has largely drawn from the Mac's traditional vertical markets: publishing, advertising, education. Within 36 hours of announcing MobilEcho at TechCrunch Disrupt, the first licensee was signed up -- and it was a client that GL had never talked to before, who found them via Twitter (of course). They're now talking to new customers across many industries and vertical markets, from small companies all the way up to major Fortune 500 enterprises. The iPad's momentum in the business market is improving the outlook for all sorts of companies that help it work better with existing systems. As you might expect for an enterprise platform, MobilEcho isn't cheap. The server software starts at US$795 and goes up from there, but there is a 21-day free trial to let you test it out in your environment.
Planex MZ-04G router sports USB, BitTorrent compatibility
External P2P clients with a hint of NAS aren't unheard of, but it's still refreshing to see a new face joining the relatively small clan. Planex's MZ-04 takes a four-port gigabit Ethernet router, throws in wireless functionality, a pair of USB 2.0 ports, and gives the BitTorrent savvy the ability to hook up an external HDD and keep those downloads / uploads rolling through the night even when the PC catches some shut eye. Additionally, the firm suggests that customers could take advantage of the iTunes server function to stream music via Ethernet / WiFi, and the obvious NAS characteristics and PlayStation 3-compatibility are nice touches as well. Unfortunately, we've no idea how soon (or not) this feature-packed router will hit store shelves, but here's to hoping it makes the journey to American soil.[Via AkihabaraNews]
