Thread: Anandtech News

Apple just launched the iCloud.com webpage for developers a few short hours ago. The service is very similar to the now (or shortly to be) decommissioned MobileMe, with web apps for Mail, Calendar and Contacts. Additionally, there’s also a version of iWork for iCloud that lets users access their iWork documents stored on iCloud via the new website. The interface is quite reminiscent of iOS and fits well with Apple’s strategy of maintaining a consistent user interface across their devices and operating systems.

Today’s update also unveiled pricing for extra storage on iCloud in addition to the 5GB already available to all users. Apple is currently offering 10GB, 20GB or 50GB of additional storage for a yearly charge of $20, $40 and $100 respectively. Those of you running iOS 5 Beta should be able to see the new plans via the "Buy More Storage" option under iCloud settings.
What’s interesting is that Apple is offering a 15-day refund period for upgrades or a 45-day refund period for yearly subscriptions to all users. As some of you might recollect, quite recently, Apple was forced to comply with local Taiwanese consumer protection laws by allowing a 7-day refund period on apps. While its unclear whether this policy is a way to avoid further confrontation with local jurisdictions, it is definitely something that end users will appreciate.


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PC Power & Cooling, today a part of the OCZ Technology Group, sent us two PSUs from their Silencer series. The 760W as well as the 910W version bet on strong 80mm fans which are unusual for modern products.
However PC Power & Cooling was always a guarantor for high quality power supplies with a +12V single rail design and non-modular cables. Even if most of their products aren't quiet enough to be silent their customers liked the idea of a heavy-duty brand with PSUs which deliver the full output power at high temperatures. On the following pages we will see if these OCZ creations are able to manage our torture tests.


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Mac OS X Server costs 5% of what it cost just three years ago. Whatever your needs and whatever the software’s shortcomings, this is hard to ignore. Leopard Server cost $999 for an unlimited-client license, Snow Leopard Server cost $499, and Lion Server costs $50.
For this reason alone, Lion Server will (and should) attract the attention of people who have never been in the market for server software before - home users, in particular - but it has to do so without alienating the business and education customers who currently rely on the software. These are Lion Server’s challenges: is there a real point in having it at home? And as a comparatively-dirt-cheap App Store download, is it lacking in features and power compared to previous versions?

I want to clarify a couple of things before I dive into the review proper: First, just like previous versions, Lion Server is very much just OS X with server functionality laid over top of it. In appearance, performance, system requirements, and operation, it is mostly identical to OS X client. I’ll point you to our massive review of Lion if you need to know more about any of that.

Second, know that I’m approaching this review from a different angle than the Lion client review - while most people interested in an OS X review have at least a passing familiarity with the software, this review will be the first exposure to OS X Server for many of you. For that reason, among the descriptions of Lion Server’s features and comparisons with past versions of the software, I’m going to be going a little more in-depth about how to actually configure the services. Hopefully the newbies among you can use these instructions as jumping-off points as you explore the software on your own.

Last, OS X Server can do a lot of things - some (like mail and DHCP) can be handled by many different products, but others (like Open Directory, NetBoot, or the OS X and iOS management features) are pretty unique to OS X Server. I’m going to try to at least touch upon every single service and tool in OS X Server, but I’ll generally focus more on the unique stuff for the purposes of this review.

Got all that? Good! Let’s jump in.


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As we mentioned in our review of Mac OS X Lion, Apple either chose to or was forced to make changes to how the SMB file sharing protocol was implemented in OS X. This had few implications for file sharing between OS X and Windows, but one casualty of the switch has been the ability for OS X Lion Server to run as a primary domain controller (or a backup domain controller) for Windows clients: basically, if you're hosting a directory with users and groups using Mac OS X Server, Windows clients won't be able to connect to your server and take advantage of these services.
You can read more about directory services, Lion Server, and its ability to serve Windows clients in our in-depth piece on Lion Server.


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If you've got many Macs but don't want to download the Lion installer to every single one of them, and copying the installer to a DVD or USB drive makes you uncomfortable because it's not supported by Apple, you might find some use for Lion Server: the NetBoot service, along with a tool called the System Image Utility, can be used to make and host Lion install media on your network. This is nearly identical to the Lion Internet Recovery feature implemented on the newest Mac Minis and MacBook Airs, and is fully Apple-supported.
This ability isn't new to OS X Server, but it is perhaps of more interest to users now that OS X Server is priced within reach, and now that Apple currently doesn't offer install media for Lion (a USB installer for the software is coming soon for $69, which is actually more than the price of Lion Server).
Learn more about how to do this in our in-depth Lion Server article.


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Mac OS X Server has long been able to manage preferences and settings for multiple Macs, but new to Lion Server is the ability to manage settings for iOS devices - this is part of Apple's overarching strategy to slowly merge the two operating systems over time.
To manage iOS, Lion Server administrators can use the new Profile Manager to create XML files called Profiles - these profiles can then be downloaded by users, or pushed out to users devices by administrators to manage email settings, password requirements, network settings, and even remotely lock and wipe devices in the event of theft.
To find out more about Profile Manager and Lion Server, check out our in-depth piece on Lion Server.


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Zotac has released two new products: Mini DisplayPort and DisplayPort to dual HDMI adapters. These adapters are first of their kind and simply have one (Mini) DisplayPort input and two HDMI outputs, which allows users to use one DisplayPort port for two HDMI equipped monitors.
Unfortunately the HDMI outputs are limited to 1920x1080 which indicates that this adapter might be based on older, 1.1a or earlier, DisplayPort (DP) version. A monitor with 1920x1080 resolution, 60Hz refresh rate and 24-bit color requires bandwidth of ~4.43Gb/s whereas DP 1.1a provides 10.8Gb/s, which is fine for two 1080p monitors. However, if DP 1.2 was supported, then the adapter should in theory support two monitors at 2560x1600 since they require ~8.75Gb/s each and DP 1.2 provides 21.6Gb/s.
Mac users should be pleased with an adapter like this because many Macs have only one video output, hence allowing only one external monitor. Zotac's Mini DisplayPort adapter should give Mac users an option of running two 1080p monitors on any Mac with mDP. Currently Mac users have been limited to USB video adapters and Matrox' products, which both have their limitations (USB ones are generally slow and Matrox are expensive).
Zotac has not unveiled availability or pricing details but their product page is already up so we would expect imminent availability. Zotac claims that all graphics cards are supported, including IGPs, and evidently all operating systems are supported as well.
Source: Zotac


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When the hype machine for a product hits a certain decibel, you can expect some legitimate news to come rolling in. And so it is, after covering the leaked Chinese Bionic cousin and touching on the Bionic's specs state of flux we now have confirmation courtesy of the Motorola Developer's site. What started out as just another Tegra 2 device has ditched NVIDIA's somewhat aging SoC for TI's latest, the OMAP 4430. And paired to that SoC's SGX 540 GPU is the expected 4.3" qHD screen, likely the same Pentile RGBW panel we've seen on the Droid X2. So, we're familiar with the SoC from the Droid 3, the panel from the X2 and the speeds from VZW's other LTE devices, likely from the same MDM9600 baseband we saw in the Thunderbolt. So what's left to find out? Battery life is our big concern right now, and the device's styling remains a mystery. Stay tuned, we should see an official announcement any day now.
Source: Motodev


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I’ve been a loyal T-Mobile user for the last five years, so the logjam of sorts at the top of The Big Magenta’s smartphone linuep is particularly interesting to me. On one side, there’s the excellent Sensation 4G that Brian reviewed recently. On the other, there’s the dual-core MyTouch 4G Slide, which is set to launch in the coming weeks. And then there’s the G2x. The G2x is T-Mobile’s version of the LG Optimus 2X, better known as one of the first shipping Tegra 2 phones on the market. The best way to describe the G2x is that it’s an Optimus 2X with a different baseband and the stock Android UI, so Brian’s excellent Optimus 2X review offers a solid background for what I’ll cover in this article. It’s been on the market for some time now, but the long-awaited Gingerbread update has finally started being pushed to devices earlier this week, so let’s take a look to see how it stacks up.


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Back in June, Google announced that Android 3.2 would be arriving beginning this summer for Honeycomb tablets. Motorola, being Google's launch partner for Honeycomb, was first to get the update. Next on the list was ASUS and as of late last week, Eee Pad owners in the US started getting their version of Android 3.2. I updated my Eee Pad over the weekend and the process went seamlessly. As long as you've got more than 25% left on your battery you're good to go. If you haven't updated your Eee Pad since the launch you'll need two updates to get to 3.2.

The 3.2 update on the Eee Pad brings about a new splashscreen as well as a TegraZone app. TegraZone is NVIDIA's custom marketplace that leverages the Android Market. TegraZone is used exclusively for games that are optimized for NVIDIA's Tegra 2 SoC.
The update itself is relatively minor from a feature standpoint. Read on for our quick look and performance analysis of Android 3.2 on the Eee Pad Transformer.


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