Fellow MVP Donavon West is not a shy kind of guy. At least his “public” persona projects a man who lives-life-on-the-edge. Case in point: the Steve Ballmer episode.
Donavon’s next project is not quite that close to the edge, but does have the DW flare: the Home Servidor™! And what, you might ask, is the Home Servidor™? I’m glad you asked! From the horse’s mouth himself:
It’s a home server. It’s a humidor. It’s a Home Servidor™!
Baltimore, MD, June 2, 2009– Today we are pleased to announce that we have begun shipping the Home Servidor, a Windows™ Home Server built into the body of a real working cigar humidor. The top of the unit holds up to 15 of your favorite cigars, while the bottom chamber (thermally isolated from the upper chamber) contains a powerful yet “green powered” home server.
“Home Servers are becoming a must have appliance in today’s multi-PC households, but why settle for an ugly grey box?” asks Home Servidor designer Donavon West. “I designed the Home Servidor for the person who wants more. The Home Servidor looks great on the desk of your home office. No one even suspects that there is a server hidden away inside”.
Each Home Servidor is handcrafted. They start at $799, available in 1TB and 2TB models. The computer hardware uses Intel’s Atom processor and “green” hard drives. Both are energy efficient, a feature that is a must for an “always on” appliance such as a home server. A welcome side effect of these low power technologies is that very little heat is emitted, which is desirable for use in a humidor.
“Care should be taken to store cigars in a cool dry place” says West. “Most experts recommend a temperature of about 70 degrees Fahrenheit and a relative humidity of around 70%. With that, we have taken great measures to thermally isolate the cigar storage area of the Home Servidor from the warmer computer equipment below. The Home Servidor incorporates an air gap between the compartments as well as a special insulating foam strip that forms an air tight seal.”
At the heart of the Home Servidor is Microsoft’s Windows Home Server operating system. It is managed from an easy to use console which is extendable through Add-Ins. The Home Servidor comes pre-loaded with one such add-in which will keep you informed of any system health warnings via Twitter (an exclusive feature of the Home Servidor).
About Windows Home Server
Microsoft Windows Home Server is a “stay at home” server that delivers the benefits of powerful server technology used by many people at work within a simple, easy-to-use solution for the home. Each night it automatically backs up each computer in your home, provides a central place to organize digital documents and media, and includes a free Internet address to access the home server from virtually anywhere and share content with friends and family.
It also monitors the health and security status of home computers and can stream media to other devices in the home, such as the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system, allowing people to enjoy digital music, photos and videos on their television.
About the company
The Home Servidor is manufactured by a privately held venture based in Baltimore, MD. It is lead by noted Windows Home Server expert and Microsoft MVP, Donavon West who runs the popular Windows Home Server website www.HomeServerHacks.com. He is also the author of the Windows Home Server Twitter Add-In @WHSTweet. See www.HomeServidor.com for more information.
