Microsoft's Windows Home Server is saying balls to its dicey launch year and rallying the troops for a holiday hardware blitz. Its original hardware launch partner HP's on-sale-again-off-sale-again MediaSmart Home Server is officially back and on sale (huzzah!), and multiple hardware partners are (re)announcing their own boxes.

Up to bat with new and "new" WHS hardware: Fujitsu-Siemens, Gateway, Iomega, LaCie, Leo Computers, LifeWare, Maxdata, Medion, and Tranquil. Sure, some have already announced, but those named today will either be introducing new WHS gear in short order, or at least intend to in the next quarter. Also getting official and on sale today: Velocity Micro's NetMagix (previously VMHS). Expect it with a Core 2 Duo, 1GB of RAM, eSATA, gigabit Ethernet, front / rear USB, and up to 4TB of storage (starting at $1000 for 1TB).

P.S. -We're sure Microsoft would like us to remind you of the burgeoning WHS software add-on scene, with the dozens of apps now written for the platform. That's all well and good, but we'll worry about getting that hardware first, then take a look at that software.

Earlier this month, we gave you a glance at Exceptional Innovation's (producer of Life|Ware) quad-CableCARD media server, and now the outfit is finally making things (extra) official. Two machines will initially be offered up with (count 'em) four CableCARD tuners within, and neither are likely to run ya cheap. Up first is the flagship LMS-754, which packs a quad-core Intel Core 2 Extreme processor, 4GB of RAM, 4TB of hard drive space in a RAID 5 array, Ethernet, a slew of USB 2.0 ports, audio in / out, and a FireWire connector to boot. The slightly more affordable LMS-654 will probably ratchet things down a bit in the storage and CPU department, and while no specific prices are given, we are told that the Life|Media line now ranges from $3,500 to $15,000. Additionally, the firm introduced 8.9-inch and 12.1-inch widescreen Life|point touch panels with the new Life|slide function, both of which offer up 720p resolution and enable the user to "gesture right or left to quickly navigate the Life|ware gallery." Click on through for a shot of the front.

Exceptional Innovation's endeavor into the media center PC realm was apparently about more than just fitting in, as the Life|ware Life|media machines pack some seriously potent hardware with matching pricetags to go along. The high-end machines will be packing hardware such an Intel's 2.13GHz Core 2 Duo or 2.4GHz quad-core CPU, up to 4GB of RAM, 4.5TB of hard drive space in a RAID 5 array, CableCARD, NTSC / ATSC tuner options, forthcoming HD DVD and Blu-ray drive choices, optical audio out with Dolby Master Studio decoding, a 28-in-1 multicard reader, NVIDIA's GeForce 8800 GTS, and a host of ports including HDMI, DVI, S-Video, composite, serial, USB 2.0, FireWire, IR controller, and 12V trigger relays and contact closure devices "for screens, shades, contacts, relays, etc." Of course, all of the units (LMS-300, 400, 500, 600, and 700) will run Windows Vista, and while these Life|media servers start at around $4,500, there's honestly no telling what the top-end configuration will set you back when it lands this summer.

After hearing about Best Buy's ConnectedLife.Home we wanted to see what all the fuss was about, so we headed over to the NextGen Home Experience. This home was a gadget lovers dream with every appliance in the house connected and all accessible via touch panels throughout the house. While we were very impressed with this level of home automation, $6,999 for a 12.1 touch panel seems a bit wacked.

While there's been a plethora of new kit flowing from CES, media center extenders has certainly not stolen the limelight. Oddly enough, one of the first to announce such a device comes from the cabling company we all love to hate, as it introduces its forthcoming lineup of media center PCs and extenders. Additionally, Monster has partnered with Exceptional Innovation to bring Lifeware automation software onto their HTPCs, dubbing the customized package "Experience Lifeware." While details are all but nil on each, Monster said that the new lineup would fall in its newly-unveiled "Monster Life" brand, which seeks to create media-centric PCs for "distributing media around the home." Notably, the extenders could actually be integrated into PowerCenters, which are those unsightly devices that reportedly protect anything connected from a small nuclear disaster (or similar), potentially meaning that you'll be forced to purchase 18 additional AC outlets that you have absolutely no use for to take advantage of Monster's media center extender. Per usual, no word on pricing or availability just yet aside from knowing that the "package will be available through select (read: Best Buy) retailers," but history tells us that those who admire a good dollar-to-utility ratio will probably pass on this one.

Every few months it seems like some company comes out with some new hotsy-totsy media server setup. CES is no exception, with Russound and Lifeware announcing that they're putting their heads together to create the Viiv-compliant Media Console, complete with a keypad that can display metadata. We don't know much about what exactly these consoles can do (as in specs), nor what they'll cost, but CEPro reports that the higher-end systems will be around $6,000 or $7,000, with two other more inexpensive models sometime in May or June of this year. That said, ZDNET spied a demo model with a Russound multi-zone audio distribution system along with a trio of Lifeware components in a concept house -- however, while the reporter was checking it out, the system had to be rebooted in order while MCE froze. So on second thought, a waiting for a few months might not be such a bad idea after all.

[Via ZDNET]

You know, there are all kinds of people in the military these days. And we just know that the geekiest of our armed forces are going to go gaga over this new UMPC, called the Catcher. This new rugged, superportable computer has 802.11a/b/g support, Bluetooth, dual-mode CDMA / GSM data, fingerprint reader, GPS, iris scan, a pair of VGA cameras (one pointing toward the user, and one away), and an "emergency alert feature" that sends an auto tracking signal back to the server. The Catcher is also designed to support a three foot drop and up to 50 Gs of shock -- slightly better than our consumer-grade laptops, hey? We've got zero intel on price or availability, but surely Uncle Sam spares no expense for our elite fighting force. And we're sure that our men and women in uniform running around Saddam's former palaces are going to want something like the new application Lifeware to control audio and video systems that they surely have spread throughout the house. Lifeware promises to control everything from temperature to audio controls, but no word on if our soldiers will be able to run military applications, control their in-base audio systems, and play solitare all on the same device, which would clearly be the holy grail in convergence.

[Via jkOnTheRun and eHomeUpgrade]