This article originally appeared in issue 88 of Linux User & Developer magazine.

Details:
Price: £286
Tech Specs
OS Tested: Ubuntu 10.04 NBR
CPU:Intel Atom N450 (1.6GHz)
Memory: 1GB DDR2
HDD: 250GB
Display: 10.1” (1024×600)
Dimensions:266 x 192 x 36mm
Weight:1.33kg
Expansion: SD card, 3x USB, Wi-Fi, webcam
Supplied by: Buyitdirect.co.uk

Pros: It’s a pleasing design with some of the best netbook technology  on the market
Cons: The glossy chassis smears easily and the lack of Bluetooth may cause problems for some

The netbook market has moved beyond its infancy and most manufacturers have now found their feet. Like the well-entrenched notebook scene, the market’s biggest netbook makers have hit upon their preferred technology combination and standardised designs have been cropping up over the last couple of generations. Since Intel’s N450 Atom processor boasts such excellent power-saving capabilities over previous chips (courtesy of its integrated graphics processor and improved manufacturing process), it has powered almost all  netbooks released in the same period – Toshiba’s mini NB300 was no exception.

Like many of its kin, its 1.66GHz processor complete with Intel IGP is accompanied by 1GB of DDR2 RAM, a 250GB hard drive and a 10” screen. With such similar specification cropping up everywhere, the buying decision often comes down to build quality, battery life and simple user preference.

As we’ve come to expect from Toshiba over the years, its NB300 offers excellent build quality. The chassis is solid and attractive and the finish is very glossy. Be warned, however: it picks up fingerprints like they’re going out of fashion. We weren’t fans of the power button placement (in the middle of the ‘rod’ connecting the main body to the screen), but that may be a case of personal preference. The keyboard is very well laid out, opting for large 18mm Qwerty keys that dominate the space. This leads to some cramping of function keys, but nothing too detrimental.

Thought it’s unfortunate to see it only features 1GB of RAM, in the NB300’s defense it’s great to see a netbook that actually allows for quick and easy memory upgrades. Usually a netbook needs to be almost completely dismantled before getting to the memory slots (Acer’s otherwise excellent Aspire One is a prime example, needing at least an hour and some heart-stopping manoeuvres to complete), but this is like a standard laptop. On the downside, there’s only a single memory slot, so you’ll need to swap the existing 1GB DIMM with a 2GB replacement if and when you want to upgrade.

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Tech specs:
CPU Intel Atom D510 (1.66 GHz, dual-core)
GPU Nvidia NG-ION (512MB DDR3)
Memory 1x 200-pin DDR2 SODIMM slot
Storage 2.5” SATA drive space
Networking 10/100/1000Mbps, 802.11n Wi-Fi
Audio 7.1-channel LPCM digital audio (HDMI),
Optical digital S/PDIF audio output
Video I/O HDMI, Dual-link DVI
Dimensions 188 x 188 x 44mm
Weight 1.6kg
Expansion 6x USB 2.0, 6-in-1
(SD/SDHC/MMC/MS/MS Pro/xD)
Other Tool-less chassis design

Pros: This tiny home theatre box is the perfect partner for streaming HD content to your TV, or as a mini Linux entertainment system
Cons: Fan noise and driver support are currently an issue, but these should improve with updated BIOS and driver releases in no time

The engineers at Zotac know a thing or two about putting together Home Theatre PC (HTPC) motherboards, and the Zotac MAG was an excellent first nettop from the company. While it scored well, it wasn’t perfect, and the Zbox aims to address many of those issues while injecting the latest technology from Intel and Nvidia in the process. The D510 dual-core Atom processor (which supports multithreading, offering a total of four threads) running at 1.6GHz introduces the extra processing power, while Nvidia’s next-gen ION-2 discrete GPU gives the Zbox access to the best GPU acceleration for video and general-purpose processing.

One of the key problems facing the MAG was its closed design – an almost impregnable chassis that was almost impossible to tweak or upgrade. This time Zotac has taken the barebones route, meaning you’ll need to invest in a hard drive and memory to finish off the system. The firm has also made it incredibly easy to get into. There are just two large thumb screws separating you from the business end of the Zbox – the bottom half of the chassis slides right off. The only downside to the design is that there’s only one DDR2 DIMM slot on offer (unlike the Zotac MAG, which had two stacked slots). This being the case, we opted for a 1GB DDR2-800 stick from Crucial. It’s not ideal, but 2GB is ample to cater for the multimedia capabilities the Zbox offers.

For the hard drive we plumped for Samsung’s 2.5” Spinpoint. We’re long-time supporters of the Samsung Spinpoint range since they tend to be among the quietest yet quickest drives in mass production. With its 5400rpm spindle speed it’s no match for the SpinPoint F1, but with a tight space to work with and sound being an issue in the HTPC market, the choice was spot on – it runs almost silently and stays cool even under the heavy duress of the tiny Zbox chassis. The total price of these extra purcahses, including fast delivery, was just over £80. Considering the quality of said components it was a real steal and a highly recommended combination for the Zbox as a result.

Jump to page two for our verdict…

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Two of the most highly anticipated user features of the Android 2.2 release are built-in tethering and portable Wi-Fi hotspot capabilities. Tethering allows a USB-connected computer to share an Android device’s data connection. The portable hotspot feature turns an Android device into a Wi-Fi hotspot (open or secured), usable by nearly any Wi-Fi device. We suspect some carriers may charge for this feature.

Users and developers alike will not help but notice the widespread performance improvements to the Android operating system and its core applications. These improvements have have been accomplished partly by including a JIT compiler for the Dalvik VM. This change has resulted in significant performance gains for Android apps–2x to 5x over the speed they ran on Android 2.1. Additionally, Google has ported their V8 JavaScript engine to Android, bringing with it much faster JavaScript performance for a smoother web experience.

Speaking of the web experience, Android 2.2 now supports Adobe Flash 10.1. Flash is provided as an Android Market download for handsets that run Android 2.2 and higher. When installed, Flash content runs seamlessly in the Browser application. This will enable many websites to reach millions of new mobile users. Adobe has also enabled Android as a target for AIR applications (Flash apps packaged as Android apps). If you believe Steve Jobs’ memo, Thoughts on Flash, Apple will not be supporting Flash (or other cross-platform environments) on iOS anytime soon. This is a distinct marketing advantage for Android; it also invites a whole new class of developers and publishers to the Android development community.

Along the lines of features not technically part of Android 2.2, but that require the platform to function properly, Google has announced an enhanced web-based market for Android applications. Here users can browse and purchase Android applications from the comfort of their computer. The applications are then pushed to the device over-the-air. This enables Android application developers to easily market their applications on the Internet. Google has also added a music store to the Market, allowing consumers to buy music content while browsing online and have it instantly delivered to their Android handset–without syncing. This feature takes direct aim at the Apple store’s music features.

The ability to push data to the device isn’t just for the web-based app store. Developers can take advantage of the new push service called Android Cloud to Device Messaging (C2DM). This service has been developed as a Google Labs project in conjunction with Android 2.2, allowing developers to push data to their Android applications remotely. C2DM integrates with all Android devices running the Google APIs and uses a single, shared background service to handle messaging traffic for all Android applications. From the application perspective, messages come in as normal ‘Intent’ objects. C2DM message quotas are strictly enforced and the size of a given message is limited to 1k, but the utility for such a service is broad-reaching. The only issue is that C2DM is currently available as a closed beta–it’s unclear when C2DM will be publicly available to all Android developers.

Each new Android SDK enables more innovative and interesting applications to be developed, filling users’ devices to the brim. Prior to Android 2.2, applications could only be installed on internal device storage—not terribly flexible, given the most device storage comes in the form of external SD cards. Starting in 2.2, developers can enable their applications to be installable on external storage, allowing for larger and more resource-intensive applications to run smoothly on the platform.

Until now, the relationship between the developer/publisher and the user has been very loose and informal, managed almost completely within the Android Market rating and review system. When an Android app crashed in the field, the app’s developer might not find out about it until frustrated users posted negative reviews and ratings for the app. This mechanism was not especially productive, helpful, or flexible. Android 2.2 now has built-in end-to-end bug reporting mechanism. When an application crashes, a dialog appears, allowing the user to report the error. The error (and related diagnostic information) is sent to the developer so they can find and fix the problem.

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TeamViewer
Pros: A fantastic remote desktop app available for free (if you use it for non-commercial purposes). Some very advanced features, yet easy to use. A great option for the home user offering tech support to family and friends
Cons: Although it’s free for non-commercial users, every time you log out of a session you get a message to remind you. You then get directed to a webpage advertising its features and offering to sign you up for a newsletter

TeamViewer is a free remote desktop tool that has been around for a while on Windows and Mac OS. Now a Linux version is available. TeamViewer offers a bit more than just remote desktop sharing. It comes bundled with a host of other features such as the ability to manage share lists, record sessions and have voice conversations using VoIP.

To get started, head over to www.teamviewer.com and get the latest version for your distribution of Linux. They have RPMs and DEBs up for grabs, along with a source version if you don’t use a Debian or Red Hat Linux fork. For Ubuntu users they even have 32- and 64-bit options. Installation should be pretty straightforward, depending upon your distribution.

You can get started with TeamViewer within a matter of minutes. What is even nicer is the fact that you do not have to register. The moment you launch TeamViewer, it generates a user ID and password combination for you. So if you’re supporting a ‘newbie, all you have to do is to make sure she has TeamViewer installed on her computer. She can convey her username and password combination to you over the phone or via email. It’s a very well thought out implementation, and perhaps a big reason for the software’s popularity.

Although the beta launch for Linux has some feature limitations over its Windows and Mac OS counterparts, it contains the most essential features, making it a great option over more traditional cross-platform rivals such as VNC. Now you can help your friends, family and colleagues take care of their computer woes from far away without worrying about which operating system they use.

Linux is an operating system that is gaining in popularity and it has a good number of takers in general IT and, more specifically, in the IT support community. Many IT personnel use TeamViewer to help employees fix their computer problems. Until now, if they had Linux on either side they would have had to use an alternative desktop sharing option. Now they don’t have to worry about that. We’re sure the Linux community will welcome this move.
When you launch TeamViewer you are offered four modes of operation. The first is the client mode, wherein you pass your username-password combination to someone else and she connects to your desktop. The other modes of operation are where you connect to a remote desktop. TeamViewer calls it ‘Connect to partner’. Here you have three options: ‘Remote support’, ‘Presentation’ and ‘File transfer’.

TeamViewer has been implemented keeping in mind several network scenarios. Some remote desktop tools require you to set up port forwarding, or open a port in the firewall, or even a static IP address. With TeamViewer you need nothing like this. Install it, launch it and begin using it.
In addition to remote desktop sharing, TeamViewer has some very smart features such as list management, file transfer, text and voice chat, even conference call options. This makes TeamViewer ideal for any organisation, or even a family living in different cities/countries. It can replace other instant messaging and file sharing methods.

The moment you connect to a ‘Remote support’ session, you can see some of the power that TeamViewer brings to the remote desktop sharing experience. Your session has a TeamViewer toolbar at the top of the window; using this, you can perform a bunch of tasks, such as initiate a chat conversation, transfer files and switch desktop sharing sides.

One striking feature about TeamViewer is just how easy it is to use, despite being packed with several advanced features. You have to keep in mind that a very large number of users of remote desktop sharing software are people who have little or no clue about how to use computers, so this has to be taken account of in the design of the software. And the TeamViewer team has, in our opinion, done just that.

We’re quite impressed with the features available in the Linux release of TeamViewer. We doubt there’s any other option, commercial or free, that offers nearly half the features that TeamViewer does for Linux. There are a few features that still need to be ported, but we think that given time, the Linux version will be on a par with the Mac and Windows ones. As such, on a feature level we don’t really see anything missing. It would be nice to be able to have a video chat option if we have voice and text options available, and a session record button is something that would be great.

Verdict: 5/5
We’re very impressed with TeamViewer. The features are great, the interface is fine and the lack of cost is great for home users. It’s usefulness for commercial use goes without saying, but home users can easily help their friends and family make the switch to Linux and support them from anywhere in the world.

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Details:
Price: From £268
Operating system: Debian Etch-based, 6.32.6 kernel
CPU: 333MHz PowerPC
RAM: 256MB DDR2
Network: 2x Gigabit Ethernet ports, 802.11a/b/g WiFi
Ports: 2x USB2.0,  2x eSATA
Power usage: 7-12W depending on HDD capacity
Bubba 2 homepage

Pros: Excellent build, fan-less design, low power consumption, wireless interface, user-friendly web-based front end
Cons: The current lack of 802.11 n wireless networking is a shame (though will arrive as a free download  at some point soon).

Bubba Two is not a new product, but the latest revision of this nifty little Linux-based home server sports two significant upgrades that warrant a closer look. At first sight, the updated Bubba Two model is similar to the original in almost every respect. It sports a minimalistic design, a solid aluminium case that can withstand harsh treatment, and a slew of ports on the back. However, a closer examination reveals two antennae on the back, which leads to the logical conclusion that the new model of Bubba Two now features a wireless network interface in addition to the wired Ethernet connector. This means, among other things, that you can now use the server to replace a wireless router on your network. This not only simplifies the network setup, but also lets you use Bubba Two’s own firewall to manage and control the internet traffic. Currently, Bubba Two supports only 802.11 a, b and g protocols. According to Excito, the company behind Bubba Two, the n driver from Atheros is not stable enough for production use, so the developers decided to play it safe and go with the tried-and-tested a/b/g bundle. This is a wise decision, indeed: you really wouldn’t want to jeopardise the stability of your server with a wonky driver. The good news is that as soon as the driver is deemed stable, it will be available as a free software update.

The non-WiFi Buba 2 features the same rear-panel layout

The new model also ships with a brand new version of the front-end software. Bubba Two’s web-based front end has been thoroughly reworked to make it easier for the end user to manage and use the server. A redesigned front page now provides instant access to Bubba Two’s core features, such as webmail, downloads, photos and music. Speaking of music, Bubba Two now has an embedded web-based music player in addition to the Firefly streaming server. This means that you can access and stream your music via a browser on any machine. The built-in file manager has also been redesigned from the ground up. Its streamlined interface sprinkled with AJAX makes it significantly easier to work with files stored on the server. All administrative functions have been regrouped and made more user-friendly, making server administration less intimidating for uninitiated users. In addition to that, the new interface sports a built-in context-sensitive help option.

Streaming music, downloading files and sharing photos are just a few of Bubba Two’s talents. Like its predecessor, the new version of Bubba Two ships with the Horde-based personal information manager and an assortment of servers, including Samba (which can now be managed via the web-based interface), Apache, MySQL and ProFTPD. You can also use Bubba Two as an email and print server. In other words, you can easily use Linux as a small business server that can handle pretty much any task you throw at it.

All in all, the latest version of Bubba Two is a worthy successor to the already excellent server. If you already have an original Bubba Two server, you don’t have to rush to buy the new version, though. You can upgrade to the latest version of the front-end software free of charge, while the Wi-Fi card is available as an upgrade option at the Excito store (you need to send an email to Excito to get the direct link).

Verdict: 5/5
Servers are not the sexiest hardware category, but the Bubba Two is truly exciting. It’s everything a home/small-business server should be: simple to use, easy to maintain and chock-full of genuinely useful features. If you are looking for a server for your home or business network, get Bubba Two.

Click here to see what else featured in issue 88 of Linux User & Developer magazine…

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Bijk
Pros: Support for almost all major Linux flavours used on servers, a very well thought out user interface, ease of installation and the price all make Bijk a good choice for server monitoring
Cons: A lack of the ability to customise the interface; the order of graphs is perhaps the only thing we’d want to change in Bijk’s service. Also, perhaps some documentation

Bijk is a web service offering a whole bunch of server monitoring capabilities with a simple setup and at no cost. It supports most of the popular flavours of Linux used on servers. And it creates neat-looking graphs from the data.

If you have a Linux server with a static IP that is using a compatible flavour of Linux, you can start using the service within minutes. First you’ll need to visit the service’s website (www.bijk.com) and sign up for an account. After clicking on your Linux distro’s logo, you get the relevant installation instructions. Once you are done, give Bijk a few minutes to gather data. Then log into your account and start watching your server’s performance data. Bijk supports many popular Linux distributions, such as Ubuntu, Debian, Gentoo, Red Hat Linux and CentOS (support for Fedora and others is expected soon). It also supports the Rackspace Cloud offerings.

One blocking point in the setup of Bijk that we came across was that it asks for a ‘Client hash’ to activate a server. After some digging we noticed that during the installation of the client-side software, Bijk created a directory ‘/etc/bijk’. Under this directory you’ll find a file called ‘client_hash’. The string in this file is the ‘Client hash’ that you need to activate a server.

If you have used monitoring software such as Nagios or Cacti, you’ll know how complex it can be to even just get started with the software, let along tweak the configuration. It was such a relief to be able to run some simple, mechanical steps and get started with Bijk. Quite impressive indeed.
When you log into your account, you’re presented with five tabs on the main landing page: Dashboard, Alerts, Favourites, Uptime and Servers. There’s also a tab that allows you add new servers to your account. The landing page for the account is also the one for the Dashboard; this shows you a summary of the state of all the servers configured in your account. This approach is very effective, because when you log in you immediately get an idea of what’s happening on your servers. You can see what issues are being faced by the servers, and graphs for the important parameters on your server.

One feature we particularly liked is a kind of floating graph at the top of the page, which shows you a graph for the parameter of a server that you are hovering over. The overall interface for Bijk is quite well designed. It is as easy on the eye as it is to navigate around. You don’t have to be technically advanced to get the information you are seeking. Most of the information can be accessed with one or two clicks on the mouse, which is very handy, especially when you have many servers on your hands and are debugging issues.

Once you have activated a client server, the server’s monitoring data is shown in the Dashboard. The latter contains a list of all the client servers configured in your account. You can also view the most important graphs for each server on the Dashboard’s landing page. You can click on the server name to view a complete list of graphs for a server, containing data from the 60 parameters being monitored. The time period of the data shown (eg last hour) can be altered. This page shows way too much information, so it’d be nice to have some filtering options and the ability to drag and move the graphs to change the order in which they are displayed.

The Alerts tab has three main options: ‘Alerts setup’, ‘Alerts status’ and ‘Alerts history’. You can choose one of these, or just click on the main tab button to view the landing page of the Alerts section. The latter presents you with a status report of all the alerts currently configured in your account. The information is split up nicely for each server. There are a lot of alerts to choose from, categorised by the parameter to which they apply: CPU, memory, Apache, netstat etc. Once you know which alert you want to activate, you can check the ‘send alert’ box. You then have to configure the range for which the alert should be sent, along with the email address Bijk should send it to. You can even opt to receive the alert via text message on your phone. Bijk provides both of these alert types for free, which is fantastic . Using the ready-made options, you can set up an alert in under a minute with such a simple interface. On the downside, it might be useful for some advanced users to be able to configure some custom alerts.

The other tabs – Favourites, Uptime and Server – are limited in features compared to the first two, but can be just as useful. The Favourites tab lets you create a custom page with the graphs that you want for different servers. The Uptime section monitors the load times and availability of your servers. You can add URLs that you want monitored at the bottom of the page. The data is displayed in the form of a graph. Bijk mentions on this page that the uptime and load time information is gathered from four independent data centres, so it should be pretty accurate.

The Servers page is the simplest of all. It is a clean summary of all your servers, without any jazzy graphs. You can click on the server link to go into the detailed graphs page for a particular server. The Servers page shows you the IP address, state and the time of the last download of monitoring information for each server.

Bijk consists of two parts: the client side and server side. After you install the client-side software on a server to monitor, it gets associated with your account on the Bijk server. You then have real-time access to about 60 sensors for each client server, which Bijk automatically monitors after it establishes contact with the client on your server. Bijk communicates with clients using the SSH protocol.

Verdict: 4/5
Considering what it offers – a great user interface, up-to-date monitoring data, email and SMS alerts – Bijk is a very good option. On top of that, it’s free. The only thing we’d really like to see is some more customisability to the interface.

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Details:
Price: £233
Tech Specs
OS: Linux
CPU:Samsung AL-40 400MHz
Memory: 64MB RAM
HDD: 512MB
Dimensions: 118 x 188 x 8.5mm
Weight:174g
GreenReader.co.uk

Pros: Lightweight, easy to handle and navigate and it offers exceptional battery life. The file format support is good, and the quality of the screen is excellent
Cons: While the control pad and button layout work well, it would have been nice to have a bigger and better-located button dedicated to page turning

The PocketBook 301+ is actually a recent update of the original model released in 2007, itself based on a popular eReader design that’s been sold by various companies. Ukrainian in origin, the original 301 was a variant on the Netronix EB-600 eReader and essentially offered the same basic spec as a very wide range of other eReaders – around seven or eight of them in total. The 301+ improves the specification in several ways, though the quality of the E Ink screen and a sizable increase in internal storage capacity (up to 512MB from 256MB) are two of the key areas here. It features second-generation Vizplex E Ink electronic paper (the same tech as adopted by Sony for its 505 among others), and boasts a resolution of 600×800 pixels on its 6-inch screen. It can cater for 16 shades of grey – which, like its size, is essentially the standard for eReaders at the moment.

If you’ve never had the pleasure of seeing a half-decent eReader first hand, your first few minutes with E Ink is quite an eye opener. It’s completely unlike the viewing experience of any normal LCD or other standard screen, and the way in which it emulates the true paper-based print reading experience is a joy to behold. The PocketBook 301+ is a prime example. The viewing angle is for all intents and purposes limitless and the fatigue we all experience with standard monitors is nonexistent. The clarity of the print is essentially second to none. It is literally like reading in print with the added bonus of being able to adjust the font size on a whim. The 301+ has next to no screen glare and is easily read in bright sunlight as a result.

The unit comes bundled with a good selection of extras and out of the box you’ll find a mini-USB to USB cable, a wall charger, SD card and protective cover among other things. The ‘Comfort’ version we reviewed actually includes a larger SD card (2GB instead of 1GB for the standard edition), a set of headphones designed to fit the nonstandard 2.5-inch audio port for music and audiobooks, a security hand-lace and a faux-leather case. The case is like a stiff book sleeve which incorporates little pockets for further SD cards and an adhesive strip to which the PocketBook can be stuck to keep it in place. We found it unnecessary to use the sticky strip, though, preferring to simply slip the 301+ in and out as we needed. The case certainly offers a good level of protection for the eReader, though it does add some bulk to the device, making it – quite fittingly – about as thick as your average paperback book.

The real beauty of the Pocketbook 301+ is the fact that at its heart runs a Linux operating system. Besides the fact that it’s easy to navigate and relatively feature-rich as a result, you’ll also find that a very wide range of eBook formats are supported. Though some of the bigger-named eReaders have some advantages over this PocketBook (such as Wi-Fi or touch-screen capabilities), you’re often limited to a few formats. In all there are 12 eBook formats supported by the PocketBook (more details of which can be found here) and this is before you consider the six or seven image and audio formats also catered for.

The 2.5GB of storage on offer is enough for all but the most obsessive bookworm, and its light weight works to its advantage since it’s easily stowed and easy to hold up for long periods. Since E Ink only uses power when the page is being turned, the battery life on offer is quite staggering. It could easily survive three weeks of regular use on a single charge and boasts a manufacturer promise of 8,000 page turns between charges.

Verdict: 4/5
There are a wealth of options in the eReader marketplace. Assuming you don’t need features like Wi-Fi or a touch screen (both of which can play havoc with battery life and readability if not done properly), the PocketBook 301+ is definitely worthwhile. Its ease of use, pleasing design and a high-quality E Ink screen combine to create a very solid option in a market currently being saturated with cheap and tacky alternatives.

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Price: $299 / £204
Processor: 667MHz  SMP8643 processor
Memory: 512MB DDR /256MB NAND Flash
Dimensions: 425 x 290 x 80mm
Weight: 3.7kg
LCD display: 192 x 64
Connectivity: HDMI, component, S-Video, composite,S/PDIF, coaxial, Gigabit ethernet
Expansion: miniPCI MII slot, 5xUSB2.0 (inc. 1 internal), 2xSATA
Website: Popcorn Hour

Pros
Popcorn Hour devices are well known to support among the widest range of file types and feature the most impressive array of extra-curricular features
Cons
It’s not the quietest NMT on the market with a hard drive installed and the front panel LCD suffers with low contrast making it hard to read at a meaningful distance

The Popcorn Hour C-200 represents the company’s most advanced Network Media Tank (NMT) to date. For those not familiar with the relatively young company (that opened for business in 2001 as a middleware provider for the likes of Netgear, HP and D-Link before launching the Popcorn Hour consumer brand just three years ago) the biggest draw is the promise that their devices will play pretty much anything you can throw at them.

The entire range of video and audio containers and decoders supported on its latest device would probably bore you to tears, but the fact that it has managed to conquer the entire NMT market since just 2007 with its own-brand take on network media should be enough to satisfy your curiosity (those determined to see the full list need only point their browser here). Still, it’s much more than a dumb player supporting a wide gamut of file types; it’s the host of other features that really makes the C-200 such an intriguing proposition. Besides being a HDD player and a full gigabit ethernet network streaming NAS box, it’s also a media server (including Samba, NFS, UpnP, Bonjour and myiHome) and plays host to the MSP Portal, not to mention other third-party media server apps. On top of this it comes with a remote managed BitTorrent client, support for web video, podcast and internet radio playback and it can even act as an RSS reader.

One of the most impressive features native to the C-200, however, is the fact that you can sacrifice the 3.5” hard drive slot (still leaving room for a 2.5” SATA drive in its wake) to fit a DVD or Blu-ray ROM drive for instant and painless FullHD movie support. Advanced audio is fully supported straight out of the box too, including DTS-HD and TrueHD – this alone making it well worth investigating as a viable option for those wishing to combine NAS and HD playback functions in a single device.

There’s little doubt that the C-200 is aimed quite specifically at advanced users though, and the fact the painfully brief bundled instruction assume previous NMT know-how stands as testament to that. While it contains all the most important information (web-config addresses and passwords etc.), it fails to get down to the nitty gritty, for example it doesn’t provide directions for removing the fiddly hard drive rack to install a DVD or Blu-ray drive in the first place. Still, with the popularity of the NMT product umbrella you’ll find the associated online community offers all the support you could possibly need, not least a decent YouTube instructional video for the Blu-ray installation. For a full list of supported hard drives, ROM drives and to access to the all-important community forum we heartily recommend you check Popcorn Hour’s website.

The chassis itself is very well finished and is a perfect fit assuming you already have a stack of audio/video equipment. Connectivity (fully listed in the technical specifications above) is thoughtful and installing a hard drive is as simple as opening the hinged arm door and pushing your SATA drive firmly into the SATA-socketed rack. While the body is sturdy and solid looking, HDD noise does ring through it and the buttons on the front bezel are a little plastic and ill-fitting for our taste, if forgivable so. Less forgivable is the omission of a rear exhaust fan – please don’t be tempted to use it with a 3.5″ hard-drive without one since heat build up in the C-200 can be a drive killer. The remote control provided is RF so there’s plenty of scope for hiding the device out of sight without concern and is fully featured, including backlit keys and a button for utterly everything you’ll need. The main unit also comes replete with a small LCD display. It’s a welcome addition to the feature set since it allows you to navigate files, folders and general settings on the C-200 without needing your TV to be on, but it lacks sufficient contrast to be readable at a truly useful distance (like your sofa).

Verdict: 4/5
There’s no doubt that the C-200 is the most advanced and fully featured NMT on the market today, making it a must for videophiles. That said, it doesn’t dampen HDD seeking noises particularly well or feature a rear exhaust fan to keep temperatures in check. Also the finishing touches like buttons and LCD screen let it down a little (enough to deny top marks, but certainly not enough to dissuade a purchase).

Click here to see more reviews, or see what else featured in issue 88 of Linux User & Developer here…

Tech Specs:
Processor:

Pros: The Pogoplug is so easy to set up and use that you’ll have your own private cloud running in five minutes.
Cons: The web interface lacks sufficient controls to limit indexing, which can take hours on large drives that contain many files

What’s not to love about a £99 Linux-based device that requires little time to set up, no computer for connectivity, no monthly fees and only a web browser for access to your files from anywhere in the world? Yes, its radioactive pink colour might seem a bit off-putting upon first glance, but after you connect the Pogoplug and discover its power, you won’t care if it glows in the dark (but don’t worry – it doesn’t). This particular pink and white gadget is actually San Francisco-based CloudEngine’s second version of the device to carry the Pogoplug moniker. That said, this model bears almost no resemblance to the original except for its performance and functionality. A complete redesign gives the Pogoplug II a more modern and attractive form. The updated Pogoplug has four USB 2.0 ports: one up front and three on the posterior. The wired LAN port and electrical plug are also located on the rear of the device. A cable wrangler on the back of the case prevents the Pogoplug and associated USB drives from looking like a spaghetti explosion.

According to its website and the minimal instruction booklet that comes boxed with the Pogoplug, there are only four steps to enabling your own private cloud:
1. Power on the Pogoplug.
2. Connect it to your router.
3. Attach USB drives.
4. Activate it online.
5. And, it is actually just that simple.

Some slightly exaggerated claims state that you can have the Pogoplug up and running in 60 seconds, but a five to ten minute setup time is a more reasonable estimate for the average user. Once connected and activated, your browser is directed to the ‘Library View’ of your attached USB drives and the files they contain. From this page, you may upload files, share files, remove files and directories, rename attached USB drives, search for files, set up Active Copy (forsynchronising files and folders between connected USB drives) and edit security settings.

There are two major downsides to the Pogoplug, however, and these are indexing and wired-only connectivity. Currently, there are no controls over file indexing. As soon as you activate your Pogoplug and have USB drives connected to it, it will begin indexing every file and folder on the device. This recursive indexing takes a very long time. Initial indexing on a 500GB My Book, of which 302GB is used, took two full days. When you display your files in the Library View, you’ll see a message that tells you that access may be slow due to this indexing. The other significant negative aspect is that the Pogoplug must connect directly to a LAN router with an Ethernet cable. There is no wireless access available in either the first or the second Pogoplug model, which is a real shame.

You can enable SSH access to your Pogoplug through the Security Settings page, although there isn’t much you can do with its limited embedded BusyBox Linux operating system. Updates to the Pogoplug are likely pushed from the my.pogoplug.com site on an as-needed basis, since there are no repository tools or setups for ‘pulling’ updates as you would with an apt-get or YUM-based system.

The Pogoplug stands out among its peers in functionality, simplicity and upgradability. Linux is limited to browser-based interaction with the device, but Windows and Mac users can optionally download an application that maps the attached drives as if they were local to the accessing computer. There is also an iPhone application available so that you can upload photos and videos for immediate sharing with family and friends. The Pogoplug is a fun device with which to work and fully justifies its price.

Verdict: 4/5
It’s difficult to say anything bad about the Pogoplug. Its small size, ease of use, Gigabit Ethernet and four USB ports make it a winner for anyone needing secure remote access to a large number of files. And, there’s no monthly fee for using the service. The one-time £99 purchase price is all you’ll ever pay.

This article originally appeared in issue 87 of Linux User & Developer magazine.

Linux User & Developer, one of the nation’s favourite Linux and Open Source publications, is now part of the award winning Imagine Publishing family. Readers can subscribe and save more than 30% and receive our exclusive money back guarantee – click here to find out more.

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter or get your first digital copy of the magazine for iPhone and iPad free – just search for ‘Linux User’ on the app store now!

Linux User & Developer, one of the nation’s favourite Linux and Open Source publications, is now part of the award winning Imagine Publishing family. Readers can subscribe and save more than 30% and receive our exclusive money back guarantee – click here to find out more.

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter or get your first digital copy of the magazine for iPhone and iPad free – just search for ‘Linux User’ on the app store now!

LightZone
Price: £99.99

Pros
Features include RAW support, layers, Zones, and Regions. It’s a great deal for the price, and probably the best option for Linux users

Cons
The overall feel of the software is not great. A full-screen editing mode seems to be missing. The interface is also a bit cramped

LightZone is a cross-platform photo-editing program that works on Linux, Windows, and Mac OS.  Although we wouldn’t put it in the same feature bracket as Adobe Photoshop, it comes packed with some very useful features that will allow you to turn your photos into some great-looking work.

Readers already familiar with LightZone might recall that the Linux version was previously available as a free beta. However, since v3.x, developer Light Crafts has brought LightZone Linux onto a par with the Mac OS and Windows editions.
LightZone works in two modes: a simple image browser mode for quickly finding files, and an editing mode. While the browser can preview existing rendered images in formats such as TIFF, JPEG, PNG as well as RAW data from a number of camera manufacturers, it’s limited to viewing images and embedded metadata (which can be modified). One big letdown we found in the implementation of these two modes was that when you’re editing an image and you want to take a look at another image in the browser, you need to save and close the image you’re editing, go into browse mode, then open the image once again to continue editing. In this day and age we’d expect to be able to hop over seamlessly from one mode to another and back without losing our active session.

LightZone has a simple and clean user interface. The Edit mode is split into four parts: there’s the main menu at the top of the application’s screen, the Styles and History sidebar to the left, a bunch of photo editing tools in the right sidebar, and the photo that you are working on in the centre of all this.

Although you have all the tools and settings you might need right in front of you, we found the interface of the Edit mode a little cramped and unintuitive. Unless you have a rather large monitor you might find that the space left for the image you are working on is very small. We much prefer the floating sidebar that Apple Aperture uses in full-screen mode. Another missing feature seems to be a full-screen mode, which is quite useful when working in great detail on an image.

Using a similar approach to Photoshop and Aperture, LightZone makes use of layers. When modifying your image using a new filter, you don’t alter the base image directly but add a new layer to the filter stack. Each layer has a dedicated blending characteristic and opacity. As well as resulting in very little space usage for every version of the image that you create, it also allows you to trace your steps back in the History tab and revert the image to an earlier state.

Not too many other Linux photo-editing programs offer users access to the powerful Zone System, originally developed by Ansel Adams for film photography in 1941. LightZone presents this as part of the Zone Tools, which enable digital photographers to easily apply fine changes in exposure and tonal ranges. The ZoneMapper tool helps users to find similar exposure areas within a photo, while the Zone Tools are used for adjusting these tonal groups.

Photographers unable to spend considerable time post-processing their photographs from scratch might appreciate  the inclusion of quite a few Styles. These are essentially post-processing presets that you can use to give effects to your photographs. For example, there are a number of black and white conversion Styles, along with some tonal effects, among others. One useful feature is that as you hover the mouse cursor over a Style, it changes the preview of the photo to what it looks like when that Style is applied.
Although LightZone has some features which allow you to do some quick and dirty post-processing of your photographs, it also has something in store for those that want to take a more laborious route. The Region feature enables you to pick a tool, mark a ‘region’ of your photograph and then make changes using the tool of choice. The modifications will only apply to the selected area. This is an extremely useful and well implemented feature.

Verdict: 4/5
LightZone has come a long way from its previous versions and is probably the finest option Linux users have for photo editing. Extremely useful features include the Regions and Zones support. It’s great value for money, although those familiar with Photoshop or Aperture might find it lacking in terms of usability and power features.

In our  illuminating Arduino article, LUD contributor Richard Smedley argues that those that love to hack hardware aren’t beard-stroking tech-nerds but simply the embodiment of the spirit of our age. Open source hardware is about making everyday technology work in new and exciting ways, and Practical Arduino captures this idea wonderfully. Though technical to a good degree, this book really is for anyone who’s ever been tempted to dismantle a radio. Over the course of its 420+ pages Practical Arduino walks you through the basics of open source hardware hacking with clear and concise instructions, accompanying technical drawings and directions to downloadable source code. Projects covered range from appliance remote controls, touch-sensitive controllers and even weather station receivers that update via Twitter. The possibilities are endless and Practical Arduino achieves its goal of opening the door.

This article originally appeared in issue 86 of Linux User & Developer.
Linux User & Developer, one of the nation’s favourite Linux and Open Source publications, is now part of the award winning Imagine Publishing family. Readers can subscribe and save more than 30% and receive our money back guarantee – click here to find out more.

of Linux User & Developer.

Details:
Price: £645
Tech Specs:
Operating system Tested: Ubuntu 9.10
Processor: Intel Core2 T4400 2.10GHz
Memory: 4GB
Hard disk 160GB
Dimensions 383 x 250 x 26-37mm
Weight 2.8kg
Web: Acer

Buying a laptop is not an easy task – it often means looking for specs you need now and specs that could offer some functionality down the road. For a Linux developer interested in touch computing, the Acer 5738 represents an interesting option for developing touch-screen apps and working with eventual touch versions of Linux distros. Today, the 5738 is intended for use with Windows 7, but it is easy to configure the system for a dual-boot and use any recent distro.

The Acer Aspire 5738 is essentially a standard laptop equipped for basic computing and development work that happens to support touch. The system uses a dual-core 2GHz processor and came equipped with 4GB of RAM. One of the most impressive specs on this laptop is the weight – at only 2.6 kilograms, it feels portable enough to carry around all day while still benefiting from the fast processing speed and desktop-like performance. The all-grey design lacks some of the pizzazz of a Toshiba or Sony laptop and makes it look like it was designed more for an office setting than home (which is a good thing). The trackpad was unfortunately one detriment to an otherwise well-designed laptop – running Ubuntu 9.10, we found the trackpad would slip slightly and was not quite as precise as we would like for detailed work, although we solved that problem quickly by using an external mouse. The 15-inch display on the 5738 is remarkably bright and clear thanks to a technology called CineCrystal, which made movies pop.

Another slight annoyance: we were not able to get the 5-in-1 flash card reader to work using some standard SD cards that have worked fine on other Linux laptops. We noticed that other Linux users posting in Acer forums had similar issues. Sound was not as explosive as we’d like when testing Unreal Tournament and other games that normally provide a prime sonic experience. We also tested a video from across the room in a group setting (basically a business presentation) and the Acer 5738 was not loud enough and a bit distorted, so we had to switch to external speakers. Many laptops – other than Apple MacBooks and some Sony models – suffer from this same ailment.

The main reason to consider this laptop is not necessarily for the trackpad, flash reader or audio. It is an experimental system that provides a multi-touch screen that works well for developing apps. We experimented with installed beta versions of Ubuntu that did not support touch technology, but also contacted Synaptics about drivers for Linux and were told this could be a possibility in the next year or so. For now, the touch features are strictly in the domain of Windows 7 – at least according to our own research and in talking to a Ubuntu representative.

That said, Ubuntu 9 worked flawlessly on this laptop and ran quite fast thanks to the dual-core processors and higher-than-normal RAM allocation. For developers, the system represents a forward-looking laptop that could well provide the hardware required for testing touch applications, especially for creating kiosk applications or for contributing to a Ubuntu touch-screen version at some point.

Verdict 4/5
Not without its flaws, but it’s light and powerful enough. We’ll have to wait for a touch-screen version of Linux to make the most out of it.