PR: Astaro Version 8.2 Released

Astaro has officially released Astaro Security Gateway Version 8.2 which you can now easily install via the Up2Date system in your WebAdmin.

The latest version of Astaro's flagship product includes more than 60 new features. The major ones are:

• A new web reporting engine*
• Support for 3G/UMTS USB modems
• Web Application Security form hardening
• Next Generation Firewall/Application control features
• A technical preview of Astaro Log Management

One of the new features: Application control – gain visibility and block unwanted applications

V8.2 also offers up to triple IPS performance and double VPN performance than former releases, depending on the hardware model. Also the new Application Control engine is twice as fast as the former IM/P2P engine.

Additionally available via Astaro Up2Date, is V8.201 which solidifies the V8.2 release and should be installed simultaneously. You can find more information regarding the latest releases in our Up2Date Blog here:

• Version 8.2 Release
• Version 8.201 Release

Best regards,
Your Astaro Team

*Important Note* -Installing ASG 8.200 via Up2Date from 8.103 will clear the existing Web Reporting Data. This is necessary as the database systems are vastly different. If your Web Security reports are critical, please wait before installing V8.2. We are currently working on an update where web reports can be re-added manually from log files. We will let you know as soon as this feature is ready.

Muse Feature Tour available from Adobe TV

AdobeTv has 24 free video tutorials that will help you get started using Muse. Muse is the free design tool and creation app that let’s you mock-up and publish your website without having to learn any code at all.

Muse is for graphic designers who want to easily create unique and professional websites. See how you can design and publish original HTML websites to the latest web standards without writing code. It’s as easy as creating a print layout in InDesign!

Key Features of Muse

• Plan your project — Easy-to-use sitemaps, master pages, and a host of flexible, site-wide tools make it fast and intuitive to get your site planned out and ready for design.
• Design your pages — Combine imagery, graphics and text with complete control, flexibility and power (almost as if you were using Adobe InDesign).
• Add interactivity — Drag and drop fully customizable widgets like navigation menus and slide shows, embed HTML code snippets to include things like Google Maps, enable tool tips, rollovers and much more.
• Publish your site — Preview your site with Muse to see how it looks and test how it works. Then convert to a live website using Adobe for hosting, or export the HTML for hosting with a provider of your choice.

Download a free copy of Muse. Here are the free video titles:

The Chemical That Makes Food Fresh For Forever

Take a look at this article discussing a food preservative that is found naturally that could extend the shelf life of food by years.. Sounds scary to me and totally unappetizing. Bizin may be finding its way into our food supply within the next three years. While commercially this sounds great, I can’t help but feel there will be something lost in allowing food to stick around for that long.

The Chemical That Makes Food Fresh For Forever

HP giving up on WebOS…

I never saw much hope in the WebOS devices succeeding for HP anyway but they sure dropped this product quicker than I expected. I am now seeing this tablet available from BestBuy on Fire Sales for $99.99 and $149.99 respectively for the 16 and 32GB versions. I was half tempted to pick up the 16GB version but thankfully thought better of throwing money down the drain like that. I really don’t need another museum piece.

Adding to HP’s woes is their discussion of spinning off their consumer PC business as well because of the low profitability. I have read that their margin is a low 5.7%.

Take a look at these links to learn more:

• Hewlett-Packard gives up on webOS - GigaOM — Tech News, Analysis and Trends
• HP will 'discontinue operations for webOS devices', may spin off Personal Systems Group – Engadget
• HP washing its hands of webOS: discontinues tablets, Pre phones - Ars Technica

HELO TC Touch-Controlled Helicopter

Looking for a new toy for your enjoyment that allows you to use your IOS device as a control interface?

I have lately been acquiring different RC controlled helicopters and have had a lot of fun flying them around the house. Griffin has come out with this one that interfaces an infrared device with your IOS device so that you can control the helicopter in one of two methods:

• Touch Control: Use a virtual joystick on your Multi-Touch display to maneuver the chopper.
• Tilt to Steer: Tilt your iOS device to move the chopper forward, backward, and side to side.

Use the app to record and store up to three Flight Plans so you, or another pilot, can easily repeat a favorite flight pattern. Make up routes among the furniture, missions to fly, obstacles to avoid, goals to achieve, and replay them later with your friends.

Ready to Fly?

HELO TC comes complete with a precision twin-rotor remote-controlled helicopter and Flight Deck. The Flight Deck plugs into your iOS device's headphone jack and translates your commands into infrared signals that beam to the helicopter.

HELO TC's intuitive, easy-to-learn controls and twin-rotor design make for stable, controlled flight. And the HELO TC app provides features not available with other RC helicopters, such as Auto Land so you can bring HELO TC down for a safe landing with just a tap of the Multi-Touch display.

Download the free HELO TC app onto your iOS device, load your device into HELO TC's Flight Deck and you're ready to fly. Currently out of stock, this $49.95 device really looks neat. Griffin is well known for their mobile device add-on’s.

Lightroom Video – Everything I Know About the Adjustment Brush

I have been following Matt Kloskowski for years and he is very well known in the Photoshop/Lightroom community for his books and videos on using these products. Here is a recently published video discussing some of the secrets he is exposing using Lightroom 3’s Adjustment Brush.

Here is the link to his video: Lightroom Video – Everything I Know About the Adjustment Brush

ASG V8 Support–Problems and Work Arounds

PR:Open issues with 8.2 and 8.201

Article Number: AKB001197

They plan to fix them version 8.202. This list can also be found at http://www.astaro.com/lists/Known_Issues-ASG-V8.txt.

ID18567 8.200 "MIME blocking inspects HTTP body" is broken
Description: By enabling "MIME blocking inspects HTTP body" in the HTTP proxy, there might be some cases where the recognition of the MIME type fails and files cannot be downloaded.
Workaround:
Fixed in: 8.202

ID18653 8.200 If the HTTPs-Proxy is enabled, login to some websites may result in "Internal server error"
Description: By using the HTTPs-Proxy, some websites requiring authentication might not be reachable. This happens on websites using HTTP keepalives using POST requests.
Workaround:
Fixed in: 8.202

ID18769 8.200 If virus scanning of a website failed, no error message is shown in the browser.
Description: If virus scanning of a website failed, no error message is shown in the browser. Instead, the user gets a blank page.
Workaround:
Fixed in: 8.202

ID18695 8.200 Policy routing in combination with Application Control may cause problems
Description: Policy routing in combination with Application Control may cause problems. This is caused by wrong connection handling.
Workaround: Disable Application Control.
Fixed in: 8.202

ID18604 8.200 Web Application Firewall mixes backend websites
Description: In case multiple virtual web servers exist with exactly the same settings but listening on different interfaces, the WebAppication Firewall mixes the real web server sites. This only happens, if the first entry in the domain list is the same for all involved virtual web servers.
Workaround: Make sure that each virtual web server's first domain name is unique.
Fixed in: 8.202

This article can be found under "https://support.astaro.com/support/index.php/Open_issues_with_8_2_and_8_201"

PR: New MimioStudio 8 is released and ready for download…

Announcing the next generation of MimioStudio™

We would like to officially announce that MimioStudio 8 has been released and can be downloaded  under "Keep your software up to date" and on mimio.dymo.com. We are launching all three platforms, Mac, Windows and Linux, at once!
In this updated MimioStudio release you will find:

•  
  • New design tools, including: Brush pen, shape recognition, line styles, and free-form screen clipping
  • Create and save custom color palette with new color picker
  • Design opinion and survey-based polls with enhancements to MimioVote
  • Develop and print a self-paced test without connecting to MimioVote

Currently, the English version of MimioStudio 8 is available to download now.  Once all languages for MimioStudio 8 have been loaded, in a few weeks, we will announce to all of our customers about this new software upgrade.

Upgrade here in minutes:

• MimioStudio for Windows
• MimioStudio for Macintosh
• MimioStudio for Linux

If you need a copy of the user guide for the new version 8 software you can download it here for:

• MimioClassroom User Guide Windows
• MimioClassroom User Guide Windows

AViiQ Portable Charging Station

This product really interested me when I saw it right after returning from a recent trip. One of the problems that I was constantly running into was enough power charging for all of the devices I had with me. Granted I travel a bit heavy with all of my toys but this setup would have easily accommodated me with everything that I would have needed. Priced at just $79.99 I think it is a real bargain.

Four Port Hub

3+1 USB charging hub can charge all your devices and get pass data through one.

The AViiQ Portable USB Charging Station can charge four USB devices simultaneously, including an iPad, as well as passing data through one specialized port. Rest assured that even your larger power-consuming products such as the Apple® iPad™, which requires a 10v charger, is supplied through one of our four ports.

Retractable USB Port

Syncing your device is a synch.

Sync to your computer with this retractable USB cable. No more unplugging between the wall and your computer just to charge your device, especially those that require more power than your laptop can provide. After you're done. pull and let it zip back into place and you're ready to go.

Bing ads lead to more malware; new Mac Trojan in the wild | ZDNet

No longer are you only subject to malware from email attacks. For quite a long time now perpetuators of malware have been using many different Social Engineering techniques to infect your computer. The latest method involves redirecting search pages like mentioned in this Ed Bott article though ads on the search page. Be aware of what you are choosing from these web pages and if you are presented with popups wanting to install software to be able to run on your system, be very wary. Read this article to see just how unscrupulous these guys are getting.

Bing ads lead to more malware; new Mac Trojan in the wild | ZDNet

PR: Astaro RED 10 Revision Now Available

New Astaro RED 10 Revision Now Shipping

The successful solution for branch office security, Astaro RED, has undergone an upgrade with major new enhancements. The new revision is now shipping.

We are pleased to announce that the revision 2 of our successful RED 10 appliance is now shipping from our warehouses.

The new revision offers the following major enhancements:

• USB port for connecting 3G/UMTS modems for WAN failover via mobile networks
• Dual firmware support, which keeps the unit alive - even if someone pulls the plug while the unit is downloading and flashing a new firmware
• Additional status LEDs allowing for easier diagnostics

Please note: The new revision is supported by all Astaro Security Gateway (ASG) software releases starting from V7.508. However, the USB port requires at least V8.200 running on your central ASG.

PR: Astaro Security Gateway V8.2 is Available!

With the release of Astaro Security Gateway Version 8.2, Astaro’s flagship product now includes more than 60 exciting new features.

The major ones include:

• A new web reporting engine
• Support for 3G/UMTS USB modems
• Web Application Security form hardening
• Next Generation Firewall/Application control features
• A technical preview of Astaro Log Management

You can find more information and a guide on how to install the up2date Package here.

V8.201 will be available via Astaro’s download servers shortly. This update fixes some smaller issues found in the new version. Both, Versions 8.200 and 8.201 will be available for direct installation via your WebAdmin interface by the end of the month.

Ten tips to keep you healthy and happy at work

This came to me from our Logitech Representative.

Whether you spend five minutes or five hours using your keyboard or mouse, these recommendations can help you stay comfortable and productive. So take a minute to read through these – and make sure you’re doing everything right!

Make sure that your workspace is set up properly.

1. Put keyboard and monitor directly in front of you with your mouse next to it.
2. Have your elbow next to your side.
3. Adjust the height of your chair and table so that the keyboard and mouse are at or below elbow height.
4. Place your mouse within easy reach so that your elbow can remain next to your side when using it.
5. Have your feet well supported and your shoulders relaxed.

Keep your shoulders, arms, wrists, and hands relaxed and comfortable as you work.

1. Let your arms hang loosely at your sides for a moment, allowing them to dangle toward the floor and to become relaxed.
2. Try to maintain this relaxed feeling while you work.
3. If you have a palm rest, use it between keying tasks, not while typing. Using it while typing may increase pressure against the hand and increase the chance of injury.
4. When you use your keyboard or mouse, avoid placing or supporting your wrists on sharp edges or on your desk.
5. As you use your mouse, make sure that your elbow is next to your side. Keep your wrist relaxed and straight – don’t bend it up, down, or to either side. Keep your shoulders relaxed, do not hunch or shrug.

For more recommendations, check out our complete set of comfort guidelines.

RouterSoft-Allows you to turn your notebook into a secure wireless router.

I recently spent a two week period in training in a Raleigh, NC where my hotel room only had a single “Wired” internet connection. While this was great for my notebook being directly tied to the cable connection, my other wireless devices would have been unusable if I hadn’t brought an Access Point with me on the trip. In this situation I could have used this software on one of the two notebooks I had brought with me and turned it into a router that would have provided a secure wireless connection for all of my wireless devices. Then I could have had one less device in my kit bag to drag along with me on the trip.

There are many other situations that this software product can help you with as well. Allows the wireless connection that you are using on your notebook to be shared with other devices. Why is this important? If the connection is a rented link like in a hotel, you could expand that link to multiple devices through the single interface. Share the Aircard you have in your notebook with multiple devices. Use your imagination I’m sure you can come up with other situations that may make this piece of software useful to you as well.

RouterSoft works on any machine running XP, Vista or Windows 7 operating systems. When setting up your network router it forces you to assign a password to access your network and it creates a secure, encrypted link between the machine that is running the software and your wireless devices. You can demo the software for free by downloading from their site. The demo has a time limit on it of 24 hours. They have two other pricing plans as well. If you want to buy the annual subscription it is $9.95 and they also have an unlimited version for $29.95. So it is very reasonable and much less expensive then purchasing a hardware access point or router.

Keep this product in mind when you get into a jam and need to expand your capabilities on the road. It may be a wonderful utility that will solve your wireless problem.

iPad-Paper Camera

Wow! It has been a while since last time I was so taken with a new program. I am really having a lot of fun with this application on my iPad taking different images with different filters to see what I can get out of them. So, what does this program do? This program will utilized the onboard cameras of your iPhone or iPad and create interesting “cartoon style images”. Priced at only $0.99 in the iTunes store, it is a great tool for adding another creative flair to your mobile equipment.

It is a bit tedious to do this after the fact in Photoshop but with a quick point and click you can create these fun images and share them from your device.

One of the uses that I am going to put the app through is to create images of people and products and give them a little flair by processing them through this application. The collection of filters include: cartoon/sketch/comic book/halfone/noir/neon and many other effects painted directly in your camera, no more boring post-effects, it's all real time, you simply won't stop wandering, wherever you are, having a look at things and cartoon-ize them!

You can import your existing photos into the program and apply different filters to them as well to give them a slightly different look. I put some examples below. For $.99 it’s hard to go wrong

AVG Announces new product launch: AVG Premium Security

AVG Premium Security is their newest product within the AVG consumer portfolio. This suite seeks out identity theft, protects against the latest threats, and optimizes PC speed and performance. AVG advertises this product as:

AVG Premium Security is the only internet security solution that actively seeks out identity theft and speeds up your PC’s performance.  It protects people, not just PCs.

What is in this product:

• AVG Identity Alert secures your online identity with industry-leading technology that scours criminal web pages, chat rooms, and bulletin boards to identify the trading or selling of your personal information online.
• AVG Quick Tune defragments your hard drive, removes junk files, eliminates broken shortcuts and repairs your Windows Registry to boost your PC's speed and optimize its overall performance.
• AVG Social Networking Protection keeps you safe by checking the links in messages you post on sites like Facebook. Works automatically in real time—no setup required.
• AVG Protective Cloud Technology is an early warning system that identifies and stops new threats. The cloud, combined with the power of our community, blocks threats before they reach you.
  It also reduces false positives.

Download the Premium Security data sheet that highlights the key new features.

SKYPE Miscue Dashes Short-Term Euphoria over Native iPad App

In the time that it took me to drive to work, Skype has now become available again in the iTunes store. So, everything I wrote down below is for naught. I wonder how long it will be up before they take it down again?

I was looking at TNT's REDDIT List and I got real excited when I saw that one of the headlines listed the release of a Native iPad App for both the iPad1 & iPad2. So, what did I Immediately do but jumped out of my browser over to my App icon to immediately download it to my iPad. What to my surprise, there was none listed there! So, I jumped to my iPad2 to see if it was a version issue, you know, no camera on the iPad1, but no, no joy there either!

So I scurry over to the Skype Site and there was absolutely nothing over there either. It turns out that I must only see what I want to see because further up in the list was a headline announcing that Skype pulled this App shortly after being released stating that it wasn't ready for prime time yet. How disappointing! Skype promises to rerelease it soon but it isn't giving an exact date at this point.

Well Skype, here is one user that is anxiously waiting for this release so please hurry up!

The download only took a minute to acquire and when I logged in all of my contacts from my account automatically loaded. It has a simple interface and makes good use of the entire screen. My first use was to contact my niece who has just arrived in Chile this weekend as an Exchange Student. Tonight I will put to the test with video on my iPad2 when my wife and I give her a little call. This is going to be fun!

Here is the down and dirty:

1. You now have video calling over 3G and WiFi as well as IM and voice only calls.
2. If you have purchased a land line account you can even make phone calls to land lines for the cost of your subscription or use your Skype credits if you wish.
3. Calling a Contact in your list is simple, just tap the contact and pick how you wish to contact them.
4. The History Tab gives you access to your most recent conversations and if you are running multiple device like I do a lot, an IM is showing up instantly on all of them simultaneously. For example, I auto load Skype on all of my PC’s because it is one of the methods I use most in talking to my customers. When I was testing out the iPad App this morning using IM I noticed that all of the messaging was showing up there as well. This means that I can setup all of my mobile devices to use Skype off of the same account and I can have multiple people using the devices at the same time to facilitate group discussions.
5. Call Skype contacts on their iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, PC, Mac and even Skype enabled TVs.
6. Talk face-to-face or show what you’re seeing with front and back-facing cameras.
7. I have had a landline subscription for a long time that gives you free coast-to-coast telephone access as well as a callable landline for less than $100/year. This expands the personal and business use incredibly.

Astaro, bug fix 16593 is listed below

The updates went from 8.103 to 8.200, which will be released next week.  

We will see what happens after I get 8.200 installed for everyone. 

Matt Shafer

Free United Airlines app turns iOS devices into mobile boarding passes | ZDNet

Here is yet another example of the world inching towards a paperless environment. I would love to see a lot more of  happening with other industries as well. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to use your phone as your primary money dispensing device? I would love to be at the checkout line and be able to use my phone without having to dig for my wallet and then the right card that the vendor will take. Just let me pass my phone through a device that will allow me to authenticate the payment and then continue on my merry way…

Free United Airlines app turns iOS devices into mobile boarding passes | ZDNet

Microsoft Word Tips: Save changes to all open Word documents at one time

This simple technique comes in handy when you're working in multiple documents and want to make sure you've saved your changes to all of them. I actually use it most often when I've made a change to a template and want a quick way to save that change on the fly (before I've had a chance to forget I made a change I want to keep).

In Word 2003 and earlier, just press the [Shift] key and pull down the File menu. Word will display the Save All command on the menu, above the Save As command. Choose Save All and Word will prompt you to save each document (or template) that has any unsaved changes. This is more efficient than having to navigate to each document individually and click Save.

If you use Word 2007/2010, this won't work. But you can add the Save All command to your Quick Access Toolbar:

1. Click the Office button (File in 2010) and click Word Options.
2. Click Customize in the left-hand column.
3. Select Commands Not In The Ribbon from the Choose Commands From drop-down list.
4. Scroll down and select Save All.
5. Click the Add button and then click OK.