Vote Now in the We Got Served Reader Awards 2008

As 2008 draws to a close, it’s time to look back and reflect on the second year of life with Windows Home Server, which means it’s also time to get voting in the We Got Served Reader Awards for 2008. This is your opportunity to vote for this year’s best hardware, software and add-ins for the platform.

Take a look at last year’s results – to be eligible for inclusion on this year’s shortlist, products must have been released in 2008 – we know there will be some old favourites you want to vote for, but rules are rules.

There are four categories to vote in – the same three as last year (Best WHS Hardware, Software and Add-in) plus a new category to vote for the best digital media receiver for the platform.  Unlike last year, where I had to plough through thousands of email votes, we’re now rocking with polldaddy.com polls integrated into the blog. We’ve hidden the results to keep everything a surprise, so take a look at the categories and shortlisted entries and get voting!

UPDATE: Voting is Now Closed. Thanks to the thousands of you who voted this year!

Best Windows Home Server Hardware of 2008

We’ll start here with a little controversy – whilst thousands of you will have been out and purchased an HP MediaSmart Server this year, we reviewed in in 2007, and it won last year’s hardware award so is not included in the shortlist for 2008. So, we looked at the hardware we reviewed this year, and here are your choices – will you go for Chenbro’s gorgeous ES34069 home server chassis, the Fujitsu-Siemens Scaleo 1900, Hush Technologies beautiful HS1 Home Server, or one of a pair of devices from the UK’s Tranquil PC – the T7-HDx Storage Extender, or finally, the recently reviewed SQA-5H “Squash” Home Server?

Best Digital Media Receiver of 2008

Digital Media Receivers and Extenders are really starting to take off, and they’re perfect partners for Windows Home Server. We’ve taken a look at a few of them this year, so vote for your favourite from: Logitech’s Squeezebox Duet, and Squeezebox Boom, the HP MediaSmart Connect x280n, and the Linksys DMA-2200. Whilst they were released before this year, we’ll also accept your votes for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

Best Windows Home Server Software of 2008

Next up is the Software category, in which we ask you to vote on the best commercial software release for Windows Home Server in 2008. Your shortlist includes a security products – F-Secure Home Server Security 2009, a very recently released new version of Diskeeper 2009 HomeServer (which we haven’t had the chance to review ourselves yet), it’s rival defragger PerfectDisk 2008 for Windows Home Server and two excellent new media applications. RipNAS Essentials, a CD Ripping application and close cousin My Movies for Windows Home Server which provides DVD ripping and archiving support, as well as CD ripping functionality to the platform. You can also vote for PVConnect/TwonkyMedia which brought DLNA compliant media streaming to a variety of home server devices, and finally, two email applications – WHS Outlook, which brought full Outlook integration to the WHS Console and VPOP Email Server which helps your home server act as a POP3 mail server in the home.

Best Windows Home Server Community Add-in of 2008

Our favourite category and probably the one that’s most likely to get you really thinking, as we’ve had a big explosion in Windows Home Server add-ins this year, both free and commercially developed applications, as well as many add-ins from 2007 being released in updated form. Pulling together the shortlist for this category was much more difficult than last year, but here it is.

Will you go for Andreas M’s Advanced Admin Console which uncovers a wide range of administration features directly in the WHS console, WHS Disk Management from Sam Wood which helps you manage your home server’s storage more effectively, AutoExit 2008 for Windows Home Server which brings Wake on LAN and new power management features to Windows Home Server, GridJunction from Kentdome Technologies, which helps you manage your Windows Home Server’s UPS, LightsOut by Martin Rothschink which provides power management scheduling for your home server and finally TV Manager from Brent Friedman which helps you manage your Windows Media Center TV Recordings with With Windows Home Server? It’s a very tough choice, which shows the strength of community development on the Windows Home Server platform – well done to all of the nominees.

Many thanks for your votes – look out for the results at the end of the month!