Data Management
HP polishes its ‘Halo’
HP introduced a collaboration studio for simulating face-to-face business meetings across long distances, brought to life in partnership with DreamWorks Animation SKG.
The HP Halo Collaboration Studio is designed to allow people in different locations to communicate in a vivid, face-to-face environment in real time. Whether across a country or across the world, users are able to see and hear one another’s physical and emotional reactions to conversation and information as it is being shared, HP said.
To connect via Halo, organizations purchase at least two Halo rooms set up for six people each. There are three plasma displays in each room that enable participants to see those they are collaborating with in life-size images. The rooms come equipped with studio-quality audio and lighting and participants use an on-screen user interface to begin collaborating with a few mouse clicks.
An intricate software control system provides image and color calibration, so participants see each other as they appear in real life. A dedicated HP Halo Video Exchange Network provides a high-bandwidth experience with imperceptible delays between Halo studios worldwide.
To ensure a 24×7 connection and eliminate the need for enterprises to manage the operation and maintenance of a Halo room, services offered include network operations and management, remote diagnostics and calibration, concierge, equipment warranty and ongoing service and repair.
CardRecovery pulls from digital cameras
WinRecovery Software has released version 2.1 of CardRecovery, an application that allows users to recover digital photos from memory cards used by digital cameras.
CardRecovery is designed especially for digital camera users. It can recover lost, deleted, corrupted or formatted photos from various memory cards. It supports almost all memory card types including SmartMedia, Compact Flash, Secure Digital, Memory Stick, MicroDrive, xD Picture, MicroDrive, Multimedia Card and more. The software works under Microsoft Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP/2003.
All common image file types (e.g. JPG, TIF) are supported. CardRecovery also supports most raw image formats including Nikon NEF, Canon CRW, CR2, Minolta MRW and more.
CardRecovery uses a three-step scan wizard and a user interface which allows users to perform recovery tasks. It utilizes WinRecovery’s unique and exclusive SmartScan technology that completes those impossible recovery tasks.
CardRecovery 2.1 for Windows costs US$39.95 for a single-user license. Site licenses and multi-user licenses are also available.
Networking
Cisco puts together NAPA portfolio
Cisco Systems introduced the Cisco Network Application Performance Analysis (NAPA) solution, a portfolio of network management products and customer support services designed to provide IT management with a holistic view of the interaction between network resources and application performance.
Key features for customers include the ability to predict performance impact of new applications and network services on existing infrastructures; reduce risk prior to application or network services deployment; optimize network performance by identifying trends in the network and application configuration issues and recommending corrective actions; and the ability to help enable faster problem identification and resolution through more granular monitoring and wider visibility.
Most of the products and support services in the Cisco NAPA solution are available now. The remainder is scheduled for availability by March 2006.
E-Business
IEWatch keeps tabs on HTTP, HTML
IEWatch Software LLC has released IEWatch 3.0, a plug-in for Microsoft Internet Explorer that allows capturing HTTP traffic and analyzing HTML code.
IEWatch unlocks the hidden HTTP data stream that is sent from the Web browser to the server, revealing HTTP headers, Cookies, GET queries and POST data. Data sent over secure HTTPS can also be viewed in unencrypted form. The HTML code window features color syntax highlighting and a breakdown of the HTML elements such as images, links, forms, flash objects and scripts.
The “HTML Spotlight” feature allows pinpointing of the HTML code. Instead of searching through pages of HTML source, users click in the Web page and IEWatch will highlight the section of HTML code they are looking for. System requirements are Internet Explorer version 5.5 or more recent and Windows 98 or more recent. The price of a single user license is US$ 89.00.
MyEclipse 4.1 brings in AJAX features
Genuitec announced availability of the MyEclipse Enterprise Workbench 4.1. MyEclipse is the J2EE- and Web-development tool suite designed for enterprise developers and consultants working in a commercial-grade Integrated Development Environment (IDE). MyEclipse 4.1 is the first Eclipse-based platform to support AJAX development, offer an integrated image editor and include new Web 2.0 development capabilities.
MyEclipse is based upon Eclipse 3.1 and includes support for UML, XML, HTML, Struts, JSF, JSP, JavaScript, CSS, EJB, Tapestry, Hibernate, Spring and database/SQL/ERD technologies.
MyEclipse 4.1 features include early access to MyEclipse Web 2.0 Tools Platform (W2TP) for lightweight, next-generation post-J2EE technology Java Web applications; advanced drag-and-drop Rapid Application Development (RAD); and expanded UML and round-trip development modeling tools includingimproved sequence diagram support. Appropriate for all sizes of professional development projects, the MyEclipse 4.1 workbench is designed for use on Linux, Apple OS X and Windows workstations. Annual subscriptions to the Standard Edition cost US$29.95 and Professional Edition costs US$49.95.
Inquiry Pro brings Web into view
MetaProducts Corp. has released MetaProducts Inquiry Pro v. 1.3, a Windows application that helps users organize, store, retrieve, and view information from the Web.
Users can store entire Web pages, selected text and images, movies, and other Internet files. The latest version lets users to import Web pages from disk. Users can also save images and Flash files directly from a page in Internet Explorer or their favorite Web browser, as well as PDF files.
A single click lets users capture the current Web page, or parts of it. In addition, users can use drag and drop to save a selection, or save all of the pages that are linked to the selection. The Autosave feature lets users capture and store all of the Web pages that they visit. Inquiry is fully integrated with Microsoft Internet Explorer, Maxton, Opera, Mozilla, and FireFox. Users can import bookmarks, favorites, and hotlists from any of these browsers. Inquiry lets users print multiple saved Web pages with a single command.
The built-in search function lets users locate text in any of their saved Web information. They can use the search function to organize their material and store it by theme. Inquiry lets users convert stored pages into a number of popular formats, including HTML, MHT Archive, HTML Help (CHM,) Microsoft Word, or a standalone executable file with a built-in browsing application.
Other new features in v. 1.3 include pre-processing saved pages, saving pages from https://, file://, and all other Web protocols, the ability to save embedded Flash files, command line support, and interfaces in English, German, Russian, Danish, Chinese and Dutch.
Infrastructure
nGenius keeps performance on standby
NetScout Systems, Inc. announced the release of the nGenius Performance Manager Standby Server.
The nGenius Performance Manager Standby Server maintains a frequently updated, replicated copy of the primary server’s performance data and configuration settings so that if the primary server becomes unavailable, the administrator can enable the standby server to assume control of all performance management processes.
Potential deployment scenarios for the nGenius Performance Manager Standby Server include its use at an off-site, redundant data centre or network operations centre to which IT staff shift control and management of their networks and IT systems during a disruptive event such as a power outage, WAN connectivity loss such as a cut optical link, or other site-level failure. It could also be used at a geographically distant third-party back-up site hosted by a business continuity service provider, or in co-location with the primary server for on-site redundancy in case of a localized server hardware or database failure.
The nGenius Performance Manager Standby Server is currently shipping as software-only for Windows and Solaris servers, as well as pre-loaded on Windows or Red Hat Linux appliances. Pricing starts at US$25,000.
