Gadget Reviews

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…Quietly

Most PC case feet are made of solid plastic and therefore transmit unwanted vibrations from inside a PC via the chassis onto the desk, floor or shelf on which the system is placed. In this situation the PC can generate annoying noises at the case or elsewhere (secondary noise).

For this problem Nexus Technology has come up with a simple yet effective solution to prevent this vibration. The Dutch company has launched their new product: DAMPERS. These are versatile rubber feet which you put underneath your PC case to create a rubber barrier between the case and the surface. This barrier of rubber will absorb the vibrations and act as a isolator for the resonance.

Another benefit of these dampers is that your case is elevated approx 1,4 cm from the floor. By elevating the case a bit it will be easier for the air to flow into the case’s air intake openings. Most standard cases have an air intake at the front-bottom and/or on the bottom of the case, but this is an awkward place for air to enter as the case is very close to the floor and space is very limited. By putting your case on these rubber feet you create more room for your case to “breathe” which will result in better airflow and better conditions inside the PC. Most fans inside the PC determine their speeds based on the inside case temperature, hence a cooler system will also result in quieter system.

Even when your case is on a carpet floor you should investigate and consider adding these feet. Even though the vibration may not be an issue you encounter the extra room for your PC to “breathe” may be very much needed. Especially if you have thick and high carpet closing up all the ventilation holes at the bottom of the case.

Also for laptops the same concept works. The fan of your laptop needs to spin really fast and starts making lots of noise as the laptop turns hot when it is close to the table or surface. By putting two feet at the end of your laptop you create more “breathing room” for cooling the PC and you tilt your keyboard in a convenient angle for typing.

A smart and simple solution for a more comfortable working environment. More details can be found on the Nexus website at http://www.stopthenoise.com.

Direct product link: http://www.nexustek.nl/NXS-dampers-rubber-case-feet.htm

Source: Nexus Technology BV

Premier Ultimate helps customers achieve a mature, healthy IT environment.

Microsoft Corp. today announced the worldwide availability of Microsoft Services Premier Ultimate, a new addition to the Microsoft Services Premier Support family. Premier Ultimate offers a new level of collaboration to select customers who have made the conscious decision to direct their technology investments toward a proactive support strategy focused on attaining IT health. For a fixed price, Premier Ultimate combines a “road map to IT health” — leveraging Microsoft’s expertise through pre-agreed proactive services — with unlimited* problem resolution support.

“IDC recommends that vendors provide preventive and proactive support services to help customers minimize downtime and to ensure consistent availability of their business-critical processes,” said Elaina Stergiades, senior research analyst, IDC. “Microsoft is doing just that with Premier Ultimate, highlighting the industry shift toward deeper, more collaborative support relationships with customers.”

Premier Ultimate builds on the current Premier Support family of offerings by combining unlimited* problem resolution support with current Premier features such as proactive IT health assessments, account management (both on-site and dedicated) and on-site support, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“Customers told us they wanted risk reduction, support planning simplification and easy administration in an increasingly complex IT environment,” said Luca Barone, general manager, Support and Health Offerings for Microsoft Services. “By adding Premier Ultimate to our existing Premier Support portfolio, we are investing alongside our customers to plot an individualized road map to a mature and healthy IT infrastructure, while sharing the risks and responsibilities of optimizing their software investments.”

More information about Microsoft Premier Support is available at http://www.microsoft.com/services/microsoftservices/srv_enterprise.mspx.

* May be subject to restrictions.

Source: Microsoft Corp.

Moviestorm Will Attract a Whole New Generation of Amateur Movie Makers

Short Fuze Limited, the award-winning Cambridge company set up to bring movie making to the world, today announces the first consumer release of Moviestorm.

Moviestorm is a complete software package for creating animated movies that is both easy-to-use for first-timers and fully featured for advanced movie makers. It can be downloaded free from http://www.moviestorm.net

Moviestorm takes first-time users through the entire movie making process from set-building, character creation and script-writing to titles, credits and editing in under fifteen minutes, ending up with a digital animated movie that can be uploaded to YouTube or Moviestorm’s own site with a single click.

The base Moviestorm pack is free and includes everything required to make a simple movie. Additional content packs, providing more costumes, sets, props and animations, are available from Moviestorm for under GBP10/US$20.

David Bailey - CEO of Short Fuze commented: “For too long, creating a film or visual message has been shrouded in mystery and has been beyond the reach of most people. The reality is that with our software, anyone can create a film in their lunch break using our Quick Start Movie process. Moviestorm also provides experienced film makers with a comprehensive movie making tool to help them translate their visions to a screen easily and cost effectively.”

Matt Kelland and Dave Lloyd, co-founders of Short Fuze, added: “We built Moviestorm to bring personal movie making to the world, and this release is a huge step forward. With nothing but Moviestorm - and your imagination - anyone can make a movie, put it online, and experience the sheer pleasure of being a movie maker. Moviestorm proves what we’ve always believed - given the right tools at the right price, more people will make movies than you imagine.”

John O’Boyle Director of Sales and Marketing, was extremely upbeat about Moviestorm’s long-term future. “We’ve had over ten thousand early adopters helping us to refine Moviestorm over the last year. We have listened to what they have said, and used their feedback to build a strong, versatile product that can be used by anyone regardless of their creative background. Moviestorm has developed significant opportunities with film makers, corporates and educational institutions worldwide.”

Source: Short Fuze Ltd