Crave

Windows users still drooling over Apple's multitouch Magic Mouse might finally have an excuse to step into an Apple store, thanks to "a little hackery" by UneasySilence.

The hack exploits a vulnerability in Apple's latest Bluetooth Update, uncovering Magic Mouse drivers for 32-bit and 64-bit Windows from XP to 7. We've yet to put it to the test ourselves, but users online are reporting success with full use of the Magic Mouse's vertical touch-scrolling. Leave a comment and let us know if it works for you.

We should mention that since this is a hack, there's no guarantee Apple will allow the mouse to work with Windows indefinitely, so enjoy it while you can. Of course, if you share our hesitation about buying a $69 pointing device with no buttons, you can always check out our updated roundup of CNET Reviews' top-scoring mice or go nuts with the OOMouse's 18 clickable buttons.

Hey! A black ViewSonic monitor!

(Credit: Josh P. Miller/CNET)

We get in a lot of 16:9 monitors, but this is the first we've gotten that didn't have a TN-based panel. The 23-inch wide-screen ViewSonic VP2365wb monitor has an Enhanced In-Plane Switching panel (E-IPS).

E-IPS panels usually have improved viewing angles over TNs, especially from the lower angle. The VP2365wb does, indeed, have the type of viewing angle you'd expect from an IPS model, but its brightness leaves a bit to be desired.

Check out the full review. Also, be sure to keep an eye on the monitor product door for new monitor reviews every week.

The new Pogoplug: more USB ports for extra hard drives, very pink.

(Credit: Cloud Engines)

Just recently we reviewed Cloud Engines' Pogoplug, a very affordable $99 solution that effortlessly turns any USB hard drive or memory stick into an online-connected makeshift server. We really enjoyed playing with the original, although its blocky white look wasn't exactly eyecatching. We take that back--and perhaps even long for the minimalism--with Cloud Engines' new Pogoplug, available in December.

Full of funky curves and lots of pink, the new Pogoplug is clearly designed to be more of a desktop or shelf-based companion as opposed to its predecessor, which adopted more of an Airport Express plug-in brick solution. Now, it almost looks like an iMac peripheral from 1999. While the last Pogoplug had just one USB 2.0 port but could support plugged-in USB routers, the new Pogoplug has four built-in USB 2.0 ports for direct connection of hard drives, and new software tweaks more easily allow global search across all drives, as well as better category organization and even the creation of slideshows, set to music, that can be launched directly from the Pogoplug's browser interface.

The original Pogoplug: far more minimalist.

(Credit: Cloud Engines)

The new version jacks up the price a little to $129, but the added ports and more prominent base could be appealing for those who want to build a little home-made server. The original Pogoplug is more of a one-stop portable shop that's ideal for travel and for one USB device, or for those who want to save thirty bucks. We're a little surprised the new Pogoplug didn't simply offer an enclosure to slot a hard drive (or drives) in directly, but it does offer a nice solution for a variety of USB devices.

Other new features include syncing with programs such as iTunes, iPhoto and Windows Media Center, a built-in updating address book for file sharing, and video streaming from within the Pogoplug browser or on the iPhone, a feature that was supposed to be available in the last Pogoplug but never really worked for us. Most cameras and video formats are supposed to be supported. Pogoplug supports NTFS, FAT32, Mac OS Extended Journaled and Non-Journaled (HFS+), and EXT-2/EXT-3 formats.

Read our original Pogoplug review, or if you're curious as to how the Pogoplug works, check out the hands-on gallery below.

Pogoplug hands-on

The new labels for different versions of HDMI cables.

(Credit: HDMI Licensing)

If you've caught yourself scratching your head trying to figure out what type of HDMI cable to buy, you're probably not alone. With so many versions, it's hard to know which does what. However, very soon, you won't have that trouble anymore.

In an effort to make it easier for customers to identify the right products for their needs, HDMI Licensing released Thursday, on behalf of the HDMI Founders, an updated version of the HDMI Adopted Trademark and Logo Usage Guidelines. HDMI Licensing is the agent responsible for licensing the high-definition multimedia interface specification.

The most notable changes in the guidelines are significant restrictions on the use of version numbers and new marketing requirements for cables. These new requirements are designed to simplify the product selection process for consumers, enabling them to purchase an appropriate product based on features, instead of having to do research on what each version does.

According to the new guidelines, adopters will no longer be allowed to use HDMI specification version numbers in the labeling, packaging, or promotion of their HDMI-compliant products. These restrictions go into effect immediately for cable products. Noncable products, however, have until January 1, 2012, to fully comply.

The new guidelines designate all HDMI cable products into five types:

Windows Home Server soon gets supercharged to better support Windows 7.

(Credit: Screenshot by Dong Ngo/CNET)

Microsoft announced Thursday its latest update to the Windows Home Server, the Power Pack 3. Originally, this upgrade was planned to be rolled out prior to the launch of Windows 7, but it was delayed due to a problem found during testing.

Power Pack 3 is much like a service pack to Windows Home Server, which is a special version of the Windows operating system designed specially for network-attached storage devices, such as the HP MediaSmart servers.

Judging from a few Windows Home Server-based NAS servers we've reviewed, Windows Home Server significantly helps new consumers familiarize themselves with network-attached storage devices by providing a similar management console, features, and file system support to those of the Windows operating system for desktop computers.

According to Windows Home Server Team's blog, the Power Pack 3 will be available next Tuesday in all shipping languages (including Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish). The pack will be free and can be downloaded via Windows Update.

If you plan to manually download it, the Power Pack 3 requires Windows Home Server with Power Pack 2 already installed. However, if your NAS server is connected to the Internet, Power Pack 3 will be automatically installed as part of automatic updates. Make sure you turn this feature on.

The major improvement the Power Pack 3 delivers is support for Windows 7, especially in the realms of backing up and media playback. The breakdown:

• Windows 7 Libraries integration: Now users can access Windows Home Server shared folder from within Windows 7 libraries.
• Windows 7 Action Center backup warning suppression: Windows 7 Action Center now recognizes Windows Home Server as a legitimate backup solution and stops warning you that a backup has not been set up.
• Windows 7 power settings: Windows Home Server can wake a Windows 7-based computer to do a backup, then put it back to sleep once the backup is done.
• Windows Search: Power Pack 3 includes Windows Search 4, which improves query search times, indexing times, and reliability. Files encrypted with EFS are now supported.
• TV archive: Windows Home Server can automatically archive recorded TV by moving your recordings from a Windows Media Center computer to your home server in the format of your choice. This is actually a very handy feature if you want to play back recorded TV shows to multiple devices, including portable ones.

For the complete details of what you can get from the Power Pack 3, check out the release documentation. It seems if you move to Windows 7, the Power Pack 3 upgrade is a must for your Windows Home Server-based NAS servers.

It's fair to say that so far Synology is the NAS maker with the fewest misses. Ever since the company joined the network storage arena in early 2008, it has earned three CNET Editors' Choice awards, with the newest one being the DS409Slim.

The new DS410j NAS server from Synology supports Time Machine.

(Credit: Synology)

Synology NAS servers offer a vast number of features; signature among those are the advanced surveillance system, sophisticated photo sharing/managing capability, and a robust user interface. And now Synolgoy has overcome one of its only former missteps: by adding support for Apple's Time Machine.

The company announced Wednesday the launch of its new four-bay NAS server, the DS410j. This new NAS server carries all the features of other Synolgoy NAS servers and, on top of that, support for Apple's popular backup solution. For the first time ever, Mac users can use Time Machine (available in Mac OS 10.5 and later) with a Synology NAS server. Currently, very few NAS servers on the market support this feature.

Beyond that update, according to Synology, the DS410j is designed for busy home networks and entry-level businesses. It can house four 3.5-inch SATA hard drives of up to 2TB each, making the total storage up to 8TB. Like other models, the DS410j supports multiple RAID configurations when used with two or more hard drives. It also comes with automated backup, remote file sharing, and multimedia streaming features and is fully DNLA-compliant.

The DS410j is available now both with and without hard drives. Its price varies depending on the configuration; however, like other Synogloy NAS servers, it will not be cheap. It seems that affordability is something that Synolgoy will continue to miss for a while.

Shiny buttons...

(Credit: Eric Franklin/CNET)

I've been talking about the Samsung LD190 since January (and by "talking about" I mean I've mentioned it once and really haven't since then).

Samsung is pushing the LD190N as a companion monitor for use with a laptop. Meaning, they expect you to use it in extend mode when in need of extra screen space.

The monitor includes a 18.5-inch, 1360x768 resolution screen, VGA, and upstream USB. The USB includes DisplayLink technology, which allows you to circumvent the VGA connection altogether.

Check out the pics below of the $150 companion piece and look for a full review of Samsung's LD190 soon.

Samsung's LD190 laptop companion (photos)

(Credit: Razer)

Raise your hand if you find that gaming mouse designs are becoming increasingly complicated. Now raise both arms if you think any more than three mouse buttons on a mouse are redundant. If both hands are up in the air, you are a prime candidate for the Razer Abyssus.

The Abyssus hails back to a time when a mouse was just a mouse, with two buttons and a scroll. However, under the hood it's all 2009 technology with a 3,500dpi infrared sensor, on-the-fly sensitivity adjustment, and 1ms response rate. It is also suitable for both right- and left-handers, which can't be said for most of its competitors.

The Razer Abyssus will be available worldwide in time for the holiday season for $49.99.

(Source: Crave Asia)

(Credit: Sanyo)

Sanyo is introducing a portable USB recharger that can power mobile devices, such as the iPhone, that require a higher current for charging.

The Eneloop Stick Booster, part of the same family of power products as the USB Solar Panels, comes with two rechargeable eneloop AA NiMH batteries.

The company says the batteries can be recharged some 1,500 times, and eneloops are more effective than dry cells because they don't meet the current requirement of some devices.

The aluminum-construction Stick Booster weighs 2.6 ounces and is 5.8 inches long. When switched on, it can provide power for about 90 minutes on two fully charged eneloop AA batteries.

The device goes on sale December 1 in Japan for what appears to be about $35.

(Via Akihabara News)