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VIA ARTiGO A1200 lets you roll your own miniscule, fanless PC
Most ultra-compact, fanless PCs are intended for the embedded market -- that is, not for the proletariat to tinker with directly. VIA's no stranger to serving that crowd, but it's making a point of addressing home users who want this class of PC for DIY projects, like home media servers, with the ARTiGO A1200. The new design is still using the dual-core, 1GHz Eden X2 of VIA's usual embedded PCs at its heart, but it comes wrapped in a smaller, more eye-catching package with HDMI video out and support for Windows 7. That's not to say that the A1200 represents a softening, inside or out. The PC can still survive temperatures between 32F and 113F with dust resistance in the bargain, and there's an array of ports you're still less likely to find on an everyday computer, such as a CFast slot (for storage) and dual gigabit Ethernet jacks. The $320 it costs to buy the new ARTiGO today won't get you an OS, RAM or a hard drive, but its ability to survive for years in a hot, dusty closet just might be worth the cost.
Ask Engadget: best (Windows) Home Server and universal remote solution?
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is coming to us from Tim, who's looking to take his living room (and digital life, by the sound of it) into the future. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com. "A while back I was looking at getting the HP Media Smart Home Server, but some time has gone by and I'm wondering if that is still the best solution going around. I want something that is ideally priced at a max of $1000; it has to be something small, not noisy or too power-hungry, and it has to be something that I can hide away. I'll use it for network storage, backup, streaming and remote access. I was also wondering if it's worth getting a good universal remote to dim lights, turn on the TV, amp, PS3 and maybe even some home server control -- or have the iPhone / Android apps become so good that they are now the best option? Thanks!" Great Qs, Sir Tim. We're of the belief that most everything from a home automation standpoint can be done on Android or iPhone, particularly if you're starting from scratch (and aren't looking for enterprise-class services). As for Windows Home Server? You've still got a few options, but has anything come along to trump up? If you've got a say in all this, sound off in comments below!
Windows Phone beta app plays nice with WHS 2011, streams media from your network
Fancy accessing your Windows Home Server directly from your Windows Phone? Then you might want to experiment with the Phone Connector add-in for WHS 2011 beta (aka Vail). This lets you connect you to core network functions and settings via an app on your handset, including alerts, user accounts and connected devices. Crucially, it also streams all your lovely media, so long as it's in WP-supported codecs. And if you pin the app to your home screen, you'll get a nifty live tile with your network's name, free disk space and a breakdown of network health alerts. Sure, you might have a bit of fuss to get this RC working, but then that's half the fun.
Microsoft shows off Home Server 'Vail' app for Windows Phone 7
Things may have been looking bleak for Microsoft's upcoming version of Windows Home Server, dubbed "Vail," when HP announced that it was dropping the OS in favor of WebOS last month, but Microsoft has now given it a boost of confidence that should put any rumors of its death to rest. The company is showing off an add-in for Vail that will let you manage alerts on your Windows Phone 7 phone, access media stored on your home server, and in turn send pictures stored on your phone to your server (but not other media, apparently). Still no firm word on a release, but Microsoft says it will available "soon." Hit up the source link below for Microsoft's complete walkthrough of the app.
LaCie's Windows Home Server-powered 5big Backup Server now shipping for big money
The last we heard from LaCie about its upcoming home server we didn't know much more than five bays inside, gigabit Ethernet on the back, and Windows Home Server running the show. Seven months on it's now available and we have all the details you could want. The 5big Backup Server apes the vaguely HAL 9000esque styling of earlier 5big storage devices, contains an Intel Atom D410 processor, manages up to 10TB of storage across those five bays, and offers four USB and one eSATA ports around back if you need more, more, more. Through WHS you can naturally support the backup needs of 10 PCs and there's also Time Machine support for 25 more fruity clients. The cost? You can get one with five 1TB drives for $1,199.99 (€1,239 in Europe), a bit of a premium over a comparable equipped HP Storageworks WHS box -- such is the cost of good aesthetics.
Video: Intel Tru2way server streams cable all over your house
Look, Moblin and MIDs and USB 3.0 are all well and good, but the real highlight of IDF is hiding in plain sight: it's Intel's CE 3100 Media Processor-based Tru2way DVR server, which has three digital cable tuners that can be streamed over a regular gigabit Ethernet or MoCA to any number of clients, ranging from other 3100-based set-top boxes to DLNA devices like laptops and even the PS3. It's seriously cool -- the clients all see the server's tuners as their own, so the experience is seamless, and since it all runs on the Tru2way stack, it doesn't matter what kind of client you plug in -- the three clients on the show floor were running interfaces from Intel, Comcast (Rovi), and Digeo. Of course, since it's a DVR, you can actually add more clients than tuners and have them play back recorded content while your other boxes use the tuners -- Intel was demoing XBMC on a Sony laptop connecting over DLNA and streaming a recorded program while a PS3 nearby ran a photo slideshow, all while the three cable clients streamed uncompressed HD video from the tuners. Intel says a number of cable companies are interested in deploying this stuff and that we should see things on the market in the next year -- we honestly can't wait. Check a video after the break.
HP MediaSmart EX490 and EX495 Home Servers beef up Mac support
Listen, son, back in our day we had a tape drive, a copy of Retrospect and a nightly schedule... and we liked it. These days HP thinks it can stuff a Dual Core processor, 2GB of RAM and up to four 2TB drives in our faces. The new EX490 and EX495 can handle up to 7TB of internal storage and up to 17TB pairing up internal drives with external hanger-ons. More interesting, however, are the new software capabilities built on top of Windows Home Server. Mac users now get admin features, media collection and bare metal recovery over Time Machine, and the servers have a built-in video converter for collecting and converting videos for a specific device. Speaking of devices, iPhone and iPod touch users can also stream media off of the servers using a free HP iStream app. The EX490 has a Celeron processor and 1TB of storage for $549, while the EX495 does 1.5TB and the Dual Core for $699. PR is after the break.
ASUS TS mini home server makes its blurrycam debut
If these China-borne blurrycam photos are to believed, ASUS is following Acer into the home server market with the TS mini. Along with the images came some alleged specs, conveniently sized up with its rival's easyStore Home Server, showing it to be lighter, taller, and half the width, but also having room for only two 3.5-inch SATA drives versus four in the Acer version. It's all run by a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N280 with 2GB RAM, an ethernet port, and storage expansion options including six USB 2.0 and two eSATA ports. What's that, you want price and release date? It seems no one can confirm this device has even gone beyond the prototype stages, so don't pencil this into your holiday wish list just yet. [Via We Got Served]
Lenovo debuts IdeaCentre D400 home server, 'world's thinnest' Q100 and Q110 nettops
Remember those digital home products we saw Lenovo tease yesterday? Yeah, they're real, and they're now more official than ever. Kicking things off is the company's first-ever home server, the IdeaCentre D400, which sort of resembles a certain Acer product and supports up to 8TB of storage via multiple types / sizes of HDDs; there's also five USB sockets along with an eSATA port for adding even more storage externally. Next up is the IdeaCentre Q100 and NVIDIA Ion-powered Q110 nettops, both of which measure in at just 6- x 6.3- x 0.7-inches and offer plenty of basic power for the size. The WinXP-equipped Q100 hums along on 14 watts when idle (40 watts at full load) and sports a single VGA port, while the Vista-laden Q110 dishes out 1080p content over HDMI; further specs include an Atom 230 CPU, 1GB / 2GB of RAM, 160GB / 250GB hard drives, gigabit Ethernet and WiFi. As for pricing? The D400 should start around $499, the Q100 approximately $249 and the Q110 at $349 when they all ship next month. Feel free to peruse the full press release and specifications after the break.
Lenovo teases IdeaCentre Q100 / Q110 nettops, D400 home server
There's not a lot to go on here, but Lenovo's official Twitter account posted pictures of two products that are purportedly being revealed in more detail later this week. The IdeaCentre Q100 / Q110 nettops are said to be "some of the thinnest nettops in the world," and while the teaser image is certainly a looker, for better and for worse we can already smell the Atom processor from here. Also on the menu is the IdeaCentre D400, the company's first home server. We Got Served did a little digging, and as it turns out, the D400 was released in Asia at the beginning of this month, with four hot swappable bays, four USB ports, and an eSATA port. It'd be nice to know when this week Lenovo was planning to lift the veil of secrecy, but at least we won't be worrying about it come Saturday. [Via ThinkPad; thanks, Mark] Read - Q100 / Q110 nettops Read - D400 home server Read - More details on the D400
Acer launches easyStore Home Server: 1TB expandable storage for $400
Acer's entering the home server market, and its first entry's gonna be the easyStore AH340-UA230N with built-in Windows Home Server. It's juiced up with Intel Atom 230 processor and 2GB DDR2 RAM, and in addition to 1TB of storage, you've got three 3.5-inch hot swappable bays for a possible total of 7TB of storage. Throw in some DLNA 1.5 certification and a $400 price tag, and you've got yourself pretty decent competitor to HP's MediaSmart lineup. According to the presser, it should be available sometime around now-ish. Mosey on after the break for a look at the its innards.
HP MediaSmart ex485 / ex487 v2.5 update now available
Thanks are due to EHD reader Matthew for letting us know the much-anticipated v2.5 update to HP's MediaSmart ex485 / ex487 model home servers has been waiting for us on its website for a few days now. In case you missed it, this patch adds a whole load of new features like automatic video conversion, iPhone streaming and other improvements detailed here. The patch itself? A click of the read link and a 24MB download away.[Thanks, Matthew]
Tranquil's AVA RS5 is an all-in-one 5 bay server with Blu-ray burner, for a hefty fee
Tranquil's latest storage, the AVA RS5, has a pretty useful trick up its sleeve. While this five-bay drive system looks nearly identical to the company's previous SQA-5H home server -- and indeed, we've got the same dual core Atom 330 processor here -- it's also packing a disc drive that rips content straight to memory without needing to be attached to a PC. Music CDs are converted to high quality MP3s in about four minutes, and DVD and Blu-ray discs are straight copied over. Base price is £868 ($1,254) for a DVD burner and five 1TB 3.5-inch Western Digital Green Power SATA HDDs, but you can upgrade to a Blu-ray burner for £390 ($563) or up to five 2TB drives for a total of £377 ($544) extra -- yeah, it's a little pricey, but if this box is tickling your fancy, shipping starts April 20.
Shuttle, Acer and VIA release Windows Home Servers at CES
We've got a trio of companies outing Windows Home Server-based devices here at CES, all of which are coming hot on the heels of the recently revamped HP MediaSmart Servers. Acer's got the Aspire easyStore, which trucks along on an Atom 230 CPU and features 1GB of RAM, four hot-swappable drive bays and 640GB of storage. Shuttle's offering up the SH-4500 and SH-K4800, both of which include dual bays and four USB 2.0 ports; finally, VIA's letting loose the gigantic eight bay NSD7800, which can hold up to 12TB of images, videos, tunes and whatever else you feel like streaming. Per usual, price / release date remains a mystery, but we ought to be hearing more about those bits soon.[Thanks, Kai Ng Tvedt]
HP's MediaSmart works with Time Machine, iTunes
Earlier this week, HP announced the availability of two new home servers, the MediaSmart ex485 and ex487. It's true that both are based on Microsoft's Windows Home Server platform, but the interesting thing for Mac users is that they're recognized by Time Machine as backup targets, and they can act as an iTunes server. At $599US for the ex485 (750GB of storage) or $749US for the ex487 (1.5TB), that's not a bad deal.Other specs include a 2GHz Celeron CPU, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, gigabit Ethernet, four USB 2.0 ports, one eSATA jack and four internal HDD bays. Note that total storage on these units can be scaled up to 9TB.HP will begin taking pre-orders in January for shipment in February.For now, I've got a G4 iMac in my basement acting as a home media server, as it were, to the Apple TV. Two external drives are attached -- one for Time Machine and one for a SuperDuper! clone, scheduled to update weekly. A third, pocket-sized drive is updated via SuperDuper! weekly and lives off-site (read: my wife's desk in her classroom, don't tell!). Do you have a home-spun backup and streaming solution?[Via Engadget]
Tranquil PC's SQA-5H home server: 5 bays, Atom 330, the works
No, this ain't a Craigslist ad, this is just a bomb-diggity home server set to officially be released by Tranquil PC tomorrow. The SQA-5H is a cube-shaped server with five hot-swappable drive bays, a 1.6GHz Intel Atom 330 processor and 1GB of RAM (2GB maximum). Additionally, it touts a Quick System Backup for piping your stored data onto an external HDD, a "Mode" button for quick capacity checks and an optional SQA-EX slave unit which provides five additional drive bays connected with a single cable. Expect to find pricing details within 24 hours on the November-bound device.[Via WeGotServed]
HP's MediaSmart EX475 takes on homegrown Windows Home Server systems
If you've somehow managed to hold off from buying one of HP's MediaSmart servers (or, you know, just forgot about your plans to buy one), MissingRemote has a nice writeup explaining the benefits of picking one up versus building your own. The storage junkies over there pitted an EX475 against a "home brewed Frankenstein" and a server built with WHS-specific parts in order to see which of the three would emerge triumphant. In the end, HP's own unit managed to garner the most of their love, which was quite surprising to be honest. Sure, building your own can be a ton of fun, but the EX475 just delivered in every important area for right around the same price as the other two homegrown competitors. Don't believe us? Tap the read link and check it out.
Next version of Windows Home Server promises Time Machine-like UI
As we've seen, Microsoft's job postings can often be one of the best places to get early word of potential new products, and it looks like the company's recruiters have done it again, with a new ad offering a glimpse of what might be in store for the next version of Windows Home Server. Most interestingly, the posting includes the little tidbit that Microsoft is looking for someone to help it create a "Time Machine compete UI for backup and restore," as well as a Windows Media Center integration UI, and a Live Mesh integration UI. According to Microsoft, that will help it position Home Server as "THE backup and Media Server within the home" by the time this next release rolls around which, considering that they're still looking for people to help build it, likely won't be anytime soon.[Via istartedsomething, thanks Anand]
Digital media revolution to give home servers a shot in the arm?
Just moments after ABI Research published a report suggesting that all-in-one PCs and internet TV would invigorate the HTPC market comes something similar from Forrester Research. Its latest analysis suggests that the growing trend of maintaining files rather than physical discs could give home media servers a significant boost. Essentially, HTPCs and home storage / networking devices could become entirely relevant as digital downloads become more common and physical media fades out. Granted, we're a firm believer that said scenario is still years away from happening, but we don't doubt that this prophecy will be realized in due time. As it stands, only around 400,000 US households posses a home server, suggesting that the market is just barely in its infancy. Forrester says that figure will grow to 4.5 million by 2012 -- we've got 3.5 years to find out.
Tranquil PC introduces AVA RS3 music server
Hope you like the shiny, because Tranquil PC is bringing lots and lots of it with its latest home music server. The AVA RS3 comes in two flavors, one of which packs 2 x 500GB drives while the other includes a pair of 1TB HDDs. The unit also boasts a fanless design to keep things quiet, and just in case your music library isn't all converted to .wav files just yet, it possesses an internal optical drive to handle direct-to-HDD ripping. Expect these to ship out in around a fortnight for £549 ($1,092) / £699 ($1,390).[Thanks, WHSuser]
