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Showing posts with label PCs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PCs. Show all posts

Sunday, November 4, 2018

11/04/2018 04:34:00 PM

System76 readies release of American-made powerhouse Linux PC

Can you make a PC in the US anymore? Linux system builder System76 proved you can do it.


Finding a native Linux PC isn't easy. Any Best Buy has an assortment of Windows PCs and Chromebooks. But Linux-powered computers? Not so much. Now System76, one of the leading Linux PC companies, has created something even rarer: A PC built in the US.

This wasn't easy, as System76 stated: "We've been working on the Thelio design for about three years. The philosophy around Thelio's design was fourfold. The design should reflect our company character and culture, the design must support the maximum performance of the fastest available components, be easy to service and upgrade, and must represent the open source roots of System76."

To do this, the company had to build a factory in Denver, Colo. But not everything is built in Denver. "We use components that we source outside the US, like the motherboard, memory, and drives to assemble orders to the customers' needs." Technically, Thelio is "designed and manufactured in the US with domestic and foreign components."

Some would say this isn't enough to make the Thelio systems "American made." System76 argued, "If we sourced every part externally, this would be called 'assembled in the US.' That's not what we're doing here. We're transforming raw materials into a final product."

That final product includes "Thelio Io." This is a System76-designed chassis controller and hard drive backplane. It moves proprietary functionality from the motherboard to the open source Thelio Io daughterboard.

Thelio IO also handles chassis and thermal control. System76 claimed Thelio Io granular performance optimization uses motherboard data, fan speed, and GPU, and OS data are used to coordinate optimal airflow. The top-of-the-line Thelio Massive also includes an open-source System76 designed Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) backplane for high-performance 2.5-inch PCIe storage.

This gear is the Open Source Hardware Association (OSHWA) certified. It's licensed under the GPL v3 and CC-BY-SA. You can see, adapt, improve, and make your own open-source hardware using the GitHub-hosted Thelio and Thelio Io design files.

In this new line of open-source PCs, System76 Thelio, are three powerhouse systems for power users:


  • Thelio (Up to 32GB RAM, 24TB storage)
  • Thelio Major (Up to 128GB RAM, 46TB storage)
  • Thelio Massive (Up to 768GB of ECC Memory, 86TB storage)


Each comes with a wide-variety of hardware choice. That starts with your pick of an AMD or Intel CPU. This ranges from an Intel Core 5 or AMD Ryzen 5 at the bottom to Intel Xeon Scalable series or AMD Ryzen Threadripper. For graphics, the default is AMD chipsets, but NVIDIA graphic chips and boards are available, too.

These systems come with your choice of Linux operating systems. First, there's System76's own Pop!_OS. This is an Ubuntu Linux variant. It comes with full disk encryption and a custom GNOME-based desktop. You can also use Ubuntu 18.04

Each PC comes with your choice of or mahogany wood finishes on one side of the computer, with the other matte-black aluminum side featuring etched mountains.

The prices start at $1099.99. If you want to absolutely max out the system, consider if you will what I'm calling "Steven's Christmas present," if any of you want to get me a little something. This starts with a pair of 3.8Ghz Intel Xeon Scalable processors with 28 cores, 768GB of RAM, 2TBs NVMe storage for theAC operating system and applications, 11TB NVMe storage for other applications, 32TB SSD storage, and four NVIDIA TITAN V GPUs with 12GB of VRAM each. This supercomputer in a box can be had for a "mere" $77,780.

You really like me, right? Right?

On a more financially sane level -- -unless you're running machine-learning routines at home -- the Thelio Massive begins at $2,889 with a 1.7Ghz Intel Xeon Scalable Bronze 3104 processor, 16GB of RAM, 250GB of NVMe storage, and an AMD Radeon RX550 with 2GB of RAM. That's still more than enough power to keep most users happy.

These systems look darn good for anyone who loves power computing, or more practically, anyone who needs to do a lot of graphics or developer work. You can order your system now, but they won't be shipping until December. Still, if I needed a great Linux desktop for 2019, I'd consider ordering one today.



SOURCE:

Tuesday, August 7, 2018

8/07/2018 07:31:00 PM

Intel brewing up Coffee Lake NUC mini desktop PCs for pre-order

Starting at $490, the mini-PCs will ship with eighth-generation 28-watt Core processors, though you'll have to pay more to add Windows as they come without an operating system installed.

Intel mini desktop PCs

After launching the VR-ready Hades Canyon NUC earlier this year, Intel is back with another upgrade to its barebones mini-PC lineup. While not as powerful as the Hades Canyon Next Unit of Computing, which managed to squeeze a Nvidia discrete graphics card into its svelte housing, the new Bean Canyon NUC systems will offer greater performance than previous mainstream NUCs.

The new NUCs get a boost from eighth-generation Core processor options, which also feature upgraded Iris Plus Graphics 655 integrated graphics. Like some of the current NUCs powered by seventh-generation Core i7 CPUs, these so-called Coffee Lake processors need 28 watts of power, requiring additional passive cooling measures and a 90-watt power supply.

Intel put out extensive documentation of the Bean Canyon NUC specs, and not long after, online provider Simply NUC began listing the new configurations. Starting at $489.95, the NUC8i3BEH and low-profile NUC8i3BEK include a Core i3-8109U, 8GB of RAM, and a 128GB solid-state drive. At $649.95, the NUC8i5BEH and NUC8i5BEK come with the Core i5-8259U and the same amount of memory and storage, while the NUC8i7BEH bumps things up to the Core i7-8559U for $50 more than the Core i5 models.

As part of their barebones nature, the Coffee Lake NUCs do not ship with an operating system installed, though Simply NUC will add Windows 10 Home for $120 or the Pro version for $150. Simply NUC also provides the option to customize one of the new NUCs with additional RAM and storage options. If you want the bones even barer, the $299 8i3BEK kit includes the Core i3-8109U CPU but doesn't provide any RAM or SSD storage pre-installed.

The new NUCs come with the usual array of ports and connections, including a Thunderbolt 3/USB Type-C port that supports DisplayPort 1.2, four USB 3.0 inputs, an SD card slot, HDMI, and 802.11ac dual-band Wi-Fi.

Simply NUC says it expects the NUC8i7BEH to ship by the end of September, with the NUC8i5BEH, NUC8i5BEK, and NUC8i3BEH following the next month. You'll have to wait until November to receive the NUC8i3BEK and the NUC8i3BEK barebones kit. While pre-order pages have popped up in a few other spots, no North America retailer has yet posted pre-order information for the new NUCs.



Monday, July 9, 2018

7/09/2018 09:06:00 PM

Windows 10 April Update finally rolling out to blocked Dell Alienware PCs

Microsoft lifts block on Dell Alienware PCs receiving the Windows 10 April 2018 Update.


If you've got one of the several types of Dell Alienware laptops that wouldn't install the latest version of Windows 10, you're now all clear to go ahead and install it.

Some Alienware laptops were among the devices that Microsoft prevented from installing the Windows 10 April 2018 Update and serving an error message about the compatibility issues affecting hybrid laptops with discrete GPUs connected to the display.

Microsoft in early May revealed it was blocking Alienware 13 R3, 15 R3, 15 R4, 17 R4, and 17 R5 models from receiving the update because installing it could cause a black screen issue after resuming from battery saver mode.

Alienware Support this week confirmed to Windows Latest that the April 2018 Update or Windows 10 1803 is ready to install for affected Alienware laptops.

Unfortunately, Microsoft hasn't, as promised, updated its original post on its user forums to tell Alienware owners that the update is ready.

And based on a Reddit thread about the block, Microsoft appears to have resolved the issue and unblocked the Windows 10 update at least two weeks ago. Another Reddit thread suggests Microsoft made the update available a month ago.

Alienware users there are reporting no problems installing the update, so it appears the block has indeed been lifted. Most users haven't had problems after updating, but a small number have reported black-screen problems.

"It successfully installed about two weeks ago. Ever since then 17R5 with 120Hz screen can't come out hibernation properly," wrote one Alienware owner.

"I'll start, and I get the Alienware logo with spinning dots. Then the screen turns off and it just sits there. The problem initially was stated as issues with the dedicated GPUs. Not sure what's going on."

Microsoft last month boasted that this Windows 10 rollout was the fastest ever since Windows 10 was released in 2015, reaching 250 million PCs in about two months.

While the update caused a range of glitches with SSDs, Chrome, and Avast antivirus, the company insisted the speedy rollout was responsible as it was using AI and telemetry data to monitor for issues and block updates to specific machines when it spotted one.




Wednesday, July 4, 2018

7/04/2018 09:15:00 PM

Microsoft readies OneDrive for the Business feature to aid in migrating local data off Windows PCs

Microsoft expects to roll out to all OneDrive for Business users on Windows 7, 8 and 10 by the end of July a new content-migration feature, Known File Migration.



Microsoft is poised to roll out a new OneDrive for a Business feature called "Known Folder Migration" that aims to get users to store more of their local data in the company's storage cloud.

onedrivefilemanagement.jpg
Credit: Microsoft

Microsoft is starting to roll out Known Folder Migration (KFM) to Targeted Release OneDrive for Business users starting this week, according to a June 27 blog post. Microsoft also is testing this feature with select consumers, indicating this feature may come to OneDrive consumer at some point, as well.

KFM is designed to help move users' documents, desktop and pictures (including Screenshots and Camera Roll folders) into OneDrive. IT pros will get the option to deploy a Group Policy that will encourage users to move their data to the cloud using KFM or to silently redirect these folders to OneDrive without user interaction (but notifying users that their IT department has done this). Admins also will have the ability to disable or not configure the setting so users won't be prompted to do this.

The message encouraging users to do this tells them they are setting up protection of important folders.

"Once these files (Desktop, Documents, Pictures) are synced to OneDrive, new and existing content will be available on your other devices, even if you lose this PC," the message reads.

The feature will add both new and existing Desktop, Documents and Pictures files to OneDrive. KFM works with Windows 7, 8 and 10.

Unlike Folder Redirection, which redirects a local Windows folder to an equivalent folder in OneDrive and is meant to be used on brand-new machines, Folder Migration can be used on new or existing devices, with or without content. Any existing Folder Redirections won't be affected or changed by KFM, officials said.

Office and Windows Insiders may start seeing this feature the first week of July, Microsoft's blog post says, and KFM will be available to all OneDrive for Business users by the end of July.



Monday, July 2, 2018

7/02/2018 07:25:00 PM

Compulab releases MintBox Mini 2 PC with Linux Mint 19 pre-installed

Announced earlier this year, the fanless mini-PC has a $299 starting price and ships with a quad-core Intel Celeron processor and the latest flavor of Mint.


As promised back in March, Compulab has launched its MintBox Mini 2, the latest iteration of its tiny desktop PC running the Mint Linux distribution. The biggest upgrade from the original Mini, as we reported at the time, comes in the processor department, as AMD is abandoned for a quad-core Intel Celeron J3455 that should bring a performance boost while still managing with the fanless build.

The above picture shows that the Mini 2 is barely bigger than a mouse, but the $299 base configuration ships with 4 gigs of RAM and a 64GB solid-state drive in addition to the "Apollo Lake" series CPU. For $50 more, you can move up to the Pro edition, which doubles the RAM and boosts the storage capacity to 120GB. of USB 3.0 and a pair of USB 2.0 connections, an HDMI output, and a Gigabit Ethernet port. If you don't want to hard wire your Internet connection, the Mini 2 features built 802.11ac Wi-Fi (along with Bluetooth support for wireless input devices).

Of course, most importantly, the Mini 2 comes with Mint 19 pre-installed. The Mint distribution has been hailed by ZDNet's Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols as possessing the best UI not only for Linux versions but also for any operating system, and the latest iteration includes the new Timeshift system-restoration feature.

Compulab is now taking orders for the MintBox Mini 2, with shipping expected to begin in the middle of next month. The company also says you'll be able to order the new Linux PC through Amazon starting in August.



Wednesday, May 9, 2018

5/09/2018 04:06:00 PM

Windows 10 PC but pocket-sized? 5-inch Mi Mini PC arrives at an initial $149 price

The crowdfunding campaign for five-inch touchscreen mini Windows 10 PC races past its The crowdfunding in a week.

The Mi Mini PC is for those who want the portability of a tablet but with a PC's ports.

Some people are hooked on the idea of a Windows 10 PC with lots of ports that are small enough to fit in a pocket.

The Mi Mini PC, launched last week on crowdfunding site Indiegogo, has quickly exceeded its $20,000 target and now has gained over $420,000 in funding from over 5,000 backers.

The five-inch touch display Mi Mini PC is available to backers from $149 -- a 50 percent discount on the expected retail price -- which includes a foldable Bluetooth keyboard, power adapter, and cover stand.

The device is for those who want the portability of a tablet but with a PC's ports. The Mi Mini PC has 128GB SSD storage, 8GB of RAM, a 2.56GHz Intel Atom x7-Z8750 processor, with a display at 1,280 x 720 pixels.

It also has all the ports necessary to connect it to a larger external display, hard drive or other accessories. These include a Type C port, four USB ports, HDMI and Ethernet. It also supports Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Mi Mini PC's makers say the 6,000mAh battery will deliver six hours of power.

The computer will come with Windows 10 and Android 5.1. However, backers can pay $15 for an extra package that delivers Android 7.0. Backers can also upgrade storage to 256GB or 500GB for an extra $30 or $50, respectively.

See: What is the Raspberry Pi 3? Everything you need to know about the tiny, low-cost computer

The device is currently only a working prototype so there are the usual risks that come with backing a product that may hit production snags. The Mi Mini PC is expected to ship in around September 2018.

As MSPowerUser notes, one pitfall and possible red flag about the Mini PC is the age of its x7-Z8750 processor, which was launched by Intel in 2016.

It's also questionable whether a screen that small would be useful for working on a Word document or spreadsheet.

Nonetheless, the thousands of backers it has attracted so far suggests there may be some demand for devices more like a PC than what tablets currently offer.


Saturday, April 28, 2018

4/28/2018 07:26:00 PM

Gaming has shed its geeky image to become a ‘cool’ hobby

Folks aren’t embarrassed to be called a ‘gamer’ these days


A new survey on gaming carried out by Dell (the firm which makes Alienware machines) has found that the pastime is no longer the domain of geeks, and is now considered to be a ‘cool’ pursuit – and one that can develop useful real-life skills.

Gone are the days when the gamer was typically considered to be a loner teenager locked in his or her bedroom, and the very label ‘gamer’ was tied closely to the concept of geekery.

The global survey (which encompassed nearly 6,000 video game players across 11 countries) showed that gamers are now your co-workers, siblings or friends and that fewer than 10% of respondents felt embarrassed, judged or guilty of some childish crime to be called a ‘gamer’.

Indeed, the gamer is now considered a positive term, with 35% of respondents equating it to ‘fun’, 29% considering it to be ‘cool’ in terms of a hobby, and 26% labeling it ‘exciting’.

The popularity of esports and social media is helping to spread the word about how enjoyable gaming can be, and gamers are now less shy about sharing their passion with others, with a quarter of respondents have introduced five or more people to the hobby.

Developing diversity

Diversity is also becoming a stronger suit for gamers, with the research pointing to a sharp increase in the numbers of female players in recent times – 47% of respondents had a female friend who games.

And, 86% of those surveyed said the gender of those who they were matched up against in online play was of no consequence (you may well expect this to be higher, of course, but let’s face it, there’s always a toxic element when it comes to online gaming).

When it came to online match-ups, the principal concern was the opponent’s skill level, with 40% of respondents saying this was important. The ethnicity, political views and sexual orientation of opponents were inconsequential to most folks, as you would hope, only being a concern to 8%, 7%, and 6% respectively (the toxic minority strikes again).

Another interesting point is that gaming isn’t just regarded as fun, but also a way of honing skills, with 37% believing it improved their hand-eye coordination, and 36% thinking it made their reaction times better.

Gaming isn’t just about reactions and twitch skills, though, and can also sharpen the mind. In fact, the largest percentage – 39% – said it made them more strategic thinkers, and 27% said it enhanced their teamwork skills.


Saturday, April 21, 2018

4/21/2018 04:21:00 PM

Dell changes its approach and goes OS-agnostic insecurity

ZDNet caught up with Dell's data security chief at the RSA Conference to hear how the PC industry is changing its approach to cybersecurity.




Dell's GM of data security, Brett Hansen, spoke with ZDNet's Jason Hiner at the 2018 RSA Conference. They discussed Dell's approach to security in the face of ever-evolving threats.

Watch the video interview above or read the full transcript below.

Hiner: Let's talk a little bit about what you and your team do. You have a very broad and ambitious goal, which is attacking client PC security. Tell us about what you guys do, how you do that.

Hansen: We have two missions. The first is, as you said, client security. How do you make that platform as vulnerability free as possible? Securing, hardening that platform. The second mission is we have a set of agnostic software solutions that are focused on how do you enable the modern workforce? How do you find that balance between security and worker productivity?

Hiner: Very good. Of course, the elephant in the room when you think about security and client security these days is Meltdown and Spectre. That happened last year and caught the industry by surprise a little bit. How has that affected what you do, and what has been the impact, and how are you guys thinking about it now?

Hansen: Meltdown and Spectre, just really intensified the focus of how do we do a better job in the industry of reducing the likelihood of a critical vulnerability like this? At Dell, we have a set of actions across our supply chain, across our software development lifecycle, and across the physical hardware itself to try to compress, limit, reduce. Nothing is ever 100% for sure, but how do you make that likelihood as small as possible?

Hiner: Let's zoom out for just a second. For the past decade, there's been this acknowledgment in the industry that our old model of security, building a very strong wall, and anybody who gets inside then they're okay, they can access anything, has just not worked. It doesn't work in a world with so many mobile devices, with so many telecommuters, people working remote, contractors, IoT, all of these things. We're moving more to this model of perhaps your risk management data focused security, bringing in machine learning and AI, how is that evolving the approach to security not just for you guys, but industry-wide how is the way we're thinking about security evolved?

Hansen: I'm encouraged by the term data-focused because we all get wrapped up in protecting the devices, or the networks, or the data centers, which are merely the vessels that are holding what is really important. We need to be focusing on the data. As an industry, we need to move past our former paradigms of, as you said, creating walls. Things have changed, people have changed, the workforce has changed so that attempting to build walls and restrict the movement of data is going to, ultimately, lead to more leaks. We need to change our paradigm and our thinking from walls to allowing you to protect data wherever it moves, whoever has access to it.

Hiner: What are some of the biggest challenges that you guys face? Of course, the endpoint is the front door to security for a lot of ... the attackers come through. When you're thinking about how you approach security in today's world, how are you guys thinking about it, and what methods are you using to make sure that those things are taken care of, are covered?

Hansen: You hit the nail on the head when you talked about how workers have changed. Last fall, we ran a survey of a few thousand lines of business professionals. Our approach was let's get a better understanding of what the people who are handling data have to say about it. The survey came back with a good news, bad news story. The good news was overall, the workers felt a level of accountability, they acknowledged that data security is important. I have to play a role in that. Great. When it came to actually making the right decisions, the decisions that are going to ensure the risk profile of the company is met, that there is a limitation or limiting the likelihood of data leakage if data policies got in the way of getting their job done, out with data policy.

That's the challenge that we face today is companies are looking to empower their workforce, they're looking to transform, they're looking to drive greater productivity and collaboration. Unfortunately, that comes with the likelihood of increased security risk.

Hiner: There's a lot of effort that's been put on education, and those kinds of things, but what's often missed is giving the worker a reason to care, why they need to understand. Do you run into that? Did your survey bring out anything that talks about the proper ways to educate, and the ways to educate users so that they actually care and have some buy-in to the company's mission, those kinds of things?

Hansen: Again, another piece of good news is two-thirds of the employees that we surveyed said, "Yes, I've had education," yet less than half of them felt like that education really stuck. I think you've hit another really good point here, which is you need to make the education relevant to them. Help it speak to them. One example that we've seen that's been successful is not just having one blanket education across your entire workforce. Start to spend some time targeting. Engineers are different than finance, finance is different than HR, HR is different. The more targeted, the more relevant you can make it to me the more likely I am to care.

Hiner: How about once they are educated, and once they have a realization of what they do, how it affects the overall security what are you seeing? Did the survey talk about sending sensitive information around, that was in there wasn't it?

Hansen: Yeah. I guess, that's the key here, which is education's fantastic. We support it, we do it ourselves. It's not sufficient. The reason is, first and foremost, we're all people, and were motivated to get our jobs done as efficiently as possible. There is a likelihood that a security policy and how we perceive as the most effective way to get the job done will come into conflict and we need to acknowledge that employees are going to ignore security policy.

Hiner: To get their work done?

Hansen: Exactly. You've got to embrace that perspective of education is an element, but it's insufficient on its own.

The survey found that 72% of employees are willing to share sensitive data outside the organization, that's a very large percentage. It could be they have very legitimate reasons. When you think about the new modern workforce, the new modern organization, Dell has hundreds of partners and suppliers, we need to be able to collaborate. Each one of those partners is a trustworthy company, but the ease of being able to distribute information lends itself to someone getting at some sort of negligent action, some sort of nefarious action that could compromise and that's what we need to deal with.

Hiner: Speaking of partners and suppliers there have been some studies that have been done recently that even banks, some of the most secure organizations in the world, they have an incredibly secure front door, but what is left open is those side doors. Those partners that they have, that have that free access in and that's how attackers are often using to attack companies that are ostensibly very secure.

You have some of the same things to deal with, you have partners who put either software or have components in your machines. How do you make sure those are secure and how hard of a job is that?

Hansen: It's a big task, it's a vital task, and it's a task that all of the IT community should be focusing on. First and foremost, we have very clear policies around our expectations of our partners, around component security, physical security, software limit lifecycle. We provide those, we back those with education, we back those with assessments. It can't just be simply, "I told you to do this," and then turn away. You have to back it up with some real work in a collaborative fashion.

The second is trust only goes so far. You've got to go and double check.

Hiner: To verify?

Hansen: Trust and verify, pen testing, reviews on a regular basis. One of the most important elements though, going back to people, is ensuring that everyone involved in the development of the product is aware of security, is thinking about it, it's top of mind. Safety first. Like you see it at all the construction sites around San Francisco, the big signs of safety first. Safety first should be part of how we develop product and software code. The overall industry needs to embrace that in a much more thoughtful manner.

Hiner: You have your own pen testers that are doing some audits and verifications of these third parties that are connecting with you. How often do you guys go back to a partner and say, "Look, this is not meeting the standards? We need you to improve"?

Hansen: We're always going back to partners and talking with them about how they can improve, and we also point to ourselves as an example. You mentioned pen testing, we go a step beyond that. We have the same folks who are doing the pen testing then spend time, not a day or an hour, but weeks with our development team helping them learn from the things that they could do better.

I wouldn't call them mistakes because it's not mistaken, it's how do I continue to enhance my skills? How do I continue to do a better job of protecting through good software development? Our teams will come back, they'll sit down, they'll train them, they'll talk about what hackers are looking for, all the nuances. It's a culture that has to be developed. It can't just be something you say, "Hey, safety's important," and you move on. It is something you think and breathes every day, so it's not an easy fix.

Hiner: Those pen testers find all the ways that ... essentially acting like white hat hackers, find a way to get in, breakthrough and then they sit down with the developers and tell them like, "Here's how we did it. Here's how we got through."

Hansen: Next time you're doing this you're going to be one step better at this. It's always these continual seeking improvements. How do we keep driving improvement? Again, we're never going to get to the point of saying, "Oh yes, there will never be any sort of vulnerability." That's not a possibility. Let's do everything in our power to try to reduce that and that includes investing in people, and policy policies, and tools.

Hiner: Very good. For Dell and for the machines that you make, one of the things that we see is as much as there's been a focus on mobile and there's been a focus on the internet of things most knowledge workers are still sitting down at a computer every day, at a laptop or a desktop, increasingly mostly laptops. What are the things that are different now than they were even a decade ago in terms of the way that you guys secure your machines? What are the things that you guys have learned, and the ways that you've been able to move this forward, and move security forward?

Hansen: The number one thing that we've embraced is yes, we need to do all we can to secure the platform, but when it comes to the worker interaction with data Dell has an agnostic portfolio of software that works across Dell devices, old and new, works across HP, Lenovo, Mac, Android. Why? As we talked about earlier, data is going to move. The expectation of today's worker is, I'm going to have multiple pieces of glass some are going to be company-owned, some are going to be personally owned. I want access to my application, to my data regardless of what the piece of glass I'm using, regardless of location I'm at, and that creates an inherent security risk.

We've embraced a portfolio of software, which is focused on how do I protect data at rest, in motion, and in use regardless of location, regardless of who is using it? That's the new world that we live in.

Hiner: Dell Software Solutions that aren't just about securing Dell PCs, there are about tracking your data wherever it goes on any device, every device?

Hansen: Yes. That's an important element because the world's not proprietary anymore, it's not even just on Microsoft. It goes beyond just one OS. We need to embrace this new modern paradigm of data is what matters. Don't let that get caught in devices or operating system, let's get caught up in as data moves and flows, as I send you a piece of data I still want to control it. I don't want you to be able to send it to 26 people without my permission, it's my data and that's important to me as a business. We need to keep driving that perspective and that philosophy home.

Hiner: What does that look like in terms of a solution? Is that an installed solution on each device? Is it a way to encrypt the data? How does that work practically if I'm a company, and I want to install that solution?

Hansen: You purchase it just like any other software-based solution. For your employees, we load an agent, as an employee want to control data, but not create too much friction, sorry. If I was to send you a document from my Dell account to your account I can send it to you, there's a little bit of friction that says, "Do you really want to send this? This person's not a part of Dell." I say, "Yes," you automatically have access to that document. Again, the company still controls it, so I have data rights management over the top of this, so I can control, do you print, do you copy, do you paste, do you expire, do you embargo. I can prevent you from sending it to someone else because maybe it's just for your eyes only.

The most important element is I can monitor what's happening with that document. Think of the whole new world of cyber intelligence that opens up as we start to look at every document being a source of intelligence. Where is it? Who's accessing it and what are they trying to do? You bring that into a broader sim and now you can really start to identify what's happening in your world focusing on the important stuff, data, not endpoints, networks, data centers.

Hiner: Your own solution, does it work across solutions, Office 365, Google Docs?

Hansen: Absolutely. It has to because that's, again, the new world that we live in. That's why what I think is important is taken, even though I know Dell is a major manufacturer, we also are focused on how do we help our customers transform? We've heard loud and clear from our customers they want to empower their workforce, they want to be more collaborative and flexible. They love the idea of an employee being able to pick up a piece of glass and access the applications and data they need. That's a great story, but you have to do it securely.

Hiner: That push and pull between efficiency and security, where does that net out in terms of what the industry needs to do to really move forward? We know we've got a security problem clearly, security has been getting worse and worse, incidents have been increasing. Where do you feel like the industry needs to go in terms of managing that convenience versus security, and what can be done to improve it?

Hansen: I talk to customers almost on a daily basis and from the interaction, I have from seeing best practices, from seeing some very worst practices I usually come out with three key themes. First and foremost, have a strategy specifically for your workforce in your ecosystem. Your own employees, your partners, your contractors, supplementals. What is my strategy? So many companies they build body security tools, they implement them, and they're like, "Well, this is a working," because it wasn't aligned to a broader strategy. What is your strategy? Are you a manufacturing company? Are you going to have large numbers of partners and suppliers? Are you going to be more of a holistic, standalone, isolated organization? That's going to influence the policies and then, ultimately, the tools.

Once you have your strategy then it's your policies. Make sure you clearly articulate those, make sure your employees understand them, as you called out earlier make sure they're relevant to the employee. I'm not just broadcasting this dictatorial set of actions, I'm helping inform you of how you can do a better job as an employee.

Then, third is the tools. For the tools, it's all about moving away from walls and moving towards protecting the data. Protecting the data's not building a wall, it's acknowledging it's going to move, it's going to be shared, and that's a good thing, but do it in a secure manner.

Hiner: Very good. Moving from, again, this network-centric security model to that data-centric security model not even just in the cloud, not even just on mobile devices, but even from a desktop perspective as well.




Tuesday, April 17, 2018

4/17/2018 08:36:00 PM

Acer prepping Chromebox CXI3 desktop lineup starting at $300

The new PC family -- featuring 7th- and 8th-generation Intel Core CPUs -- hopes to revitalize the nearly forgotten desktop sibling of the far more popular Chromebook.

You'll be forgiven if you've forgotten about Chromeboxes, the desktop PCs running Google's Chrome OS. While there was a flurry of the mini-PCs released a few years back, thewasve has mostly been ignored in favor of their incredibly successful Chromebook siblings.

Acer hopes to inject some new life into the product category with updated versions of its CX Chromebox lineup, which it launched back in 2014. Online sleuths have spotted the new CXI3 series popping up for pre-order on some online retail sites, with four basic configurations that feature either 7th- or 8th-generation Intel Core processors.

Not surprisingly, the cheapest version uses an original Kaby Lake processor in the form of a dual-core Celeron 3865U. The CXI3-4GKM, priced around $300, also comes with 4 gigs of RAM and 32GB of solid-state storage. The next step-up configuration also comes with a 7th-generation Core chip, in this case, the dual Core i3-7130U. The CXI3-I38GKM also doubles the RAM and built-in storage for a price around $470.

The configs featuring refreshed Kaby Lake CPUs include the CXI3-I58GKM, which sports a Core i5-8250U, 8GB of memory, and 64GB SSD for about $50 more than the Core i3 version, and the CXI3-I716GKM, which is powered by a Core i7-8550U and includes 16GB of RAM and 64 gigs of storage for approximately $750. Whether a high-end Core i7 is overkill for a system running the Chrome OS, which prides itself on being resource un-intensive, is open to debate, but that hasn't stopped Acer from giving you that option.

The CXI3's nondescript black chassis houses the usual array of ports, including HDMI, Ethernet, two USB 2.0, three USB 3.1 Type A, USB 3.1 Type C, and a microSD card reader. Built-in 802.11ac Wi-Fi is also included, as is a stand to keep the system vertical and a VESA mounting kit to stick it behind a monitor.


Saturday, March 24, 2018

3/24/2018 10:42:00 PM

Windows 10 Redstone 4 will turn Cortana into an interactive user manual

‘Cortana Show Me’ should show new users the ropes



Microsoft clearly looks to boost Cortana’s effectiveness and helpfulness with the next big Windows 10 update. Known internally as Redstone 4, this update introduces a new ‘Cortana Show Me’ feature that teaches users how to navigate key features of the operating system (OS).

The firm has released a test version of this feature through its Windows Insider Preview, publicly accessible by anyone who’s interested should they want to test out a less-than-stable version of the OS. Specifically, this feature can be found in the Fast Ring of Windows Insider Preview Build 17128.

This feature update follows one released just earlier this week that adds profiles to the Cortana digital assistant, allowing it to provide insights and reminders before you even ask.

Windows 10 rookies no longer
The idea behind Cortana Show Me, which is available through the Microsoft Store within this preview build specifically, is to make newly-minted Windows 10 users feel acclimated more quickly and easily. To that end, the app currently provides detailed guides on several key OS functions and tasks, while voice activation will be added ‘soon’, a blog post announcing the feature reads.

So far, here’s what Cortana can help new users with through Cortana Show Me:

  • Update Windows
  • Check if an app is installed
  • Uninstall an app
  • Change your desktop background
  • Use Airplane Mode
  • Change your display brightness
  • Add nearby printers or scanners
  • Change your default programs
  • Change your screen resolution
  • Turn off Windows Defender Security Center
  • Run a security scan
  • Change Wi-Fi settings


These changes are particularly interesting as it appears Microsoft is hell-bent on seeing Cortana win the war of digital assistants between itself, Amazon, Apple and Google – particularly with Amazon’s Alexa soon to make it onto Windows 10 PCs this year.

Widely assumed to be known as the Spring Creators Update when it finally launches, we expect to see this major revision to Windows 10 available to all (in the most stable version of Windows 10) sometime in April.


Friday, March 23, 2018

3/23/2018 04:28:00 AM

Acer just launched an 18-core CPU, quad-GPU gaming desktop in India

Acer's most powerful gaming desktop fights against Alienware



Acer has unveiled an 18-core monster CPU - The Predator Orion 9000 in India. The desktop competes against the Alienware Area 51 mothership with an Intel Core i9 Extreme Edition processor.

Acer is promising users will be able to configure their system with up to four AMD Radeon Vega GPUs in CrossFire or two Nvidia GTX 1080 Ti’s in a SLI configuration.


Thermals are handled by an all-in-one liquid cooling solution. Acer has also introduced its patented IceTunnel 2.0 airflow management that includes up to five intake fans to create a positive pressure air channel.

The Acer Predator Orion 9000 gaming desktop will go on sale from today and is priced at Rs 3,19,999 – which is surprisingly low given that Intel’s 18-core processor would account for more than half the cost.  It will be available at select Croma stores and Acer Exclusive stores

Connectivity

In terms of connectivity, the desktop includes two USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports (one Type-C and one Type-A), eight USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports (one Type-C and seven Type-A) and two USB 2.0 ports (Type-A). The Predator Orion 9000 overall supports three M.2 slots to extend the ability to increase the speed, power, and capabilities of the PC, and four PCIe x16 slots provide ample expansion for video cards.



Thursday, March 22, 2018

3/22/2018 10:09:00 PM

Atari reboots Ataribox as Atari VCS, teases April pre-order date

After canceling a crowdfunded campaign for its Linux-powered game console/living room PC hybrid, the legendary brand resurrects the concept with a new name and promising a pre-order date next month.


Legendary game company Atari set retro hearts aflutter last year when it launched an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign for something called the Ataribox, a living room device running Linux and supposedly combining the features of a PC with a video game console -- complete with some Atari classic games.

But the December 14 pre-order date Atari set was abruptly canceled after an unspecified technical issue, and it looked like the Ataribox would never reach any actual customers. This week, however, the company has emerged at the Game Developers Conference with some very similar hardware, albeit with a new name.

The Ataribox is now Atari VCS, even though the console in product shots looks pretty much the same as the old concept -- an update of the original Atari console down to the faux wood accents. That goes for the joystick as well, which is clearly based on the vintage Atari 2600 version. One difference is the apparent addition of a more contemporary controller, though it features the same black-and-red color scheme as the other pieces.

Atari execs aren't saying much more about Atari VCS, though presumably, it will still run Linux so you can play new games in addition to Atari favorites. They are once again promising a pre-order date, this time in April, and Atari Connected Devices chief operating officer Michael Arzt emphasized in a statement released to VentureBeat that the company is committed to perfecting the console and respecting the heritage of the Atari brand. Whether fans are willing to trust that the Atari VCS won't meet the same fate as the Ataribox remains to be seen.




Monday, January 8, 2018

1/08/2018 11:51:00 AM

Shadow wants to deliver your last PC




Since the dawn of the PC, the debate over the merits of having processing-rich clients has raged on between advocates of centralized and decentralized processing power. Over the past few decades, with few exceptions mostly relegated to high-security IT environments, the market has voted in favor of adding increasingly more computing power at the client. That's allowed consumers to take advantage of great experiences when it comes to the productivity and entertainment experiences PCs allow, but it has also meant dealing with slowing hardware, replacement cycles, new PC research and expenditures in a confusing marketplace with ever-shifting retail options, and the threat of viruses and malware.

Over the past few years, a number of companies have sought to overlay a streamed virtual PC experience atop existing platforms in order to provide a high-performance PC environment to anyone who met minimal computing and broadband speed requirements. Most of these -- OnLive, Gaikai, and LiquidSky, for example -- have focused at the game market because these are the applications that even modern mainstream PCs -- particularly laptops -- often have difficulty running in their full glory.

While broadband networks have improved greatly since 2010's launch of OnLive, many of these games have left little room for error. The smallest perceived lag due to network latency could mean the literal difference between virtual life and death.

But with cloud computing services from AWS and Microsoft seeing such strong momentum in the enterprise, it was only a matter of time before a company would try its hand at the consumer market again.

The latest to enter the field and claim that it has cracked the code to a zero-latency experience is Blade Group, a French company that has attracted $77 million in funding, including from Microsoft and Intel. Its service, Shadow, provides access to a Windows 10 PC experience via a dedicated connection in the cloud. Like its competitor LiquidSky, there's no particular game service or app store required; users install applications from their usual sources such as the Windows Store or Steam. Blade Group claims it has tested Shadow, its cloud PC service in pro gaming competitions, including a Counterstrike acid test.

Keeping things simple and powerful if pricey, Shadow offers one virtual PC configuration, eight dedicated threads on a Xeon processor equivalent to an Intel Core i7, 12GB of DDR4 RAM, a high-end Nvidia graphics card, and 256GB of storage for $34.95 per month with an annual commitment with higher monthly prices for three-month or one-month terms. That's a higher price than LiquidSky, which offers at least 80 hours per month with 500GB of storage for $19.99 per month.

Assuming a three-year PC replacement cycle, Shadow would come out to $1,260 over that time frame. That would net you a pretty nice PC, albeit not something near the performance of a highest-end gaming PC. Blade estimates that its platform provides the equivalent of a $2,000 PC and is committing to upgrade the host hardware experience as higher-performance options enter the market. As for peripherals, Blade Group executives say that its virtual PC can print to local network printers and work with VR headsets based on Microsoft's mixed reality platform.

Providing the user has access to a 15MBbps broadband connection, Shadow can provide a gaming experience of 1080p at 144Hz or 4K at 60Hz. LiquidSky recommends a minimum of 5Mbs connection and ideally 20Mbs or more. Since, like previous services, Shadow is simply passing video down and input signals back up, the company claims client devices will enjoy significantly longer battery life for applications that would crunch the CPU and GPU.

Having attracted thousands of users in its home country, Shadow will be rolling out across the US over the course of 2018. It will first become available in California in February with signups available as of today. While it is accessible via a full complement of clients -- Windows, Mac, Android, and smart TVs with iOS in the works -- the company plans to introduce its own aggressively designed AMD-powered desktop called the Shadow Box that users can add on to their subscription.

While the Shadow service may strive for a magic experience on the screen, there's little magic behind the scenes. According to company executives, the service's performance has been the result of ruthless optimization at every step along the digital services delivery chain, which it claims is necessary to achieve the experience it provides. The company has partnered with Equinix, a global co-hosting firm, and brings in its own hardware and software stack to power the Shadow experience.

While Shadow is targeting the high-end gaming market first in order to tackle the most demanding applications, Blade Group is clear that it's really about providing on-demand access to a full PC experience. The company claims that half of its users have replaced their PC with Shadow. The price may not be near mainstream appeal today. However, just as we don't feel compelled to keep the entire Netflix library on our hard drives, the Shadow experience raises the issue of how -- particularly in a 5G era -- a rich client computing experience may no longer need expensive, user-managed local devices loaded with substantial processing power..




Thursday, December 28, 2017

12/28/2017 10:27:00 PM

The year in crowdfunded PCs: Who succeeded? Who fizzled?





The regularly developing PC industry hasn't stopped makers substantial and little from holding onto crowdfunding as a strategy for putting up new frameworks for sale to the public, regardless of whether they require the assets to deliver their new item, or simply need to pick up attention and assurance some forthright deals. Only one out of every odd dispatch on Kickstarter or one of its adversaries is a thundering achievement, however enough are to keep the battles coming. 

It was the same in 2017, as a few organizations offered new gadgets for crowdfunding, albeit some of them were unmistakably drawing motivation from the past. That incorporates the Gemini, which answers the inquiry: What might a PDA look like in a world loaded with cell phones that have basically supplanted it? That answer is a shellfish shell handheld with a physical console, 5.99-inch screen, and Android and Linux double boot capacity (alongside worked in Wi-Fi and 4G choice to stay aware of the circumstances). 

As impossible as you may think such a gadget would be appealing in a universe of iPhones, tablets, Chromebooks, and different portables, the organization behind the Gemini, UK startup Planet Computers, effectively outperformed its crusade focus on IndieGogo, raising over $1.1 million. In the event that you need to perceive how the Gemini coordinates with one of its motivations, the 20-year-old Psion Series 5 PDA, look at ZDNet's Sandra Vogel correlation from a month ago. 

Another small PC, the GPD Pocket, doesn't look all that unique in relation to the Gemini, however it doesn't attempt to advertise itself particularly as a PDA. Rather, parent organization GamePad Digital (or GPD) characterizes it as a 7-inch Windows PC, finish with 8GB of RAM, 128GB strong state drive, and full HD touchscreen. Like the Gemini, the Pocket ran its battle on Indiegogo, and furthermore like the Gemini, the Pocket impacted through its objective raising support objective, trading in for spendable dough to the tune of more than $3.5 million. 

While not as fruitful as the Gemini and the Pocket, French firm Miraxess multiplied its crusade objective (once more, on Indiegogo) for the Mirabook, which removes your cell phone from your pocket and places it in a dock that transforms it into a PC. It's not the initially, or the best, crowdfunded cell phone dock, however the Mirabook will offer a greater show and claims higher battery life than the less expensive Sentio Superbook that earned more than $3 million on Kickstarter a year ago. The Mirabook is going to go into beta, and will have a nearness at the up and coming CES, so we'll check whether they can ride that energy through to a last delivering item. 

All things considered getting an item under the control of supporters isn't generally an assurance with crowdfunded crusades, and there have been some prominent vaporware calamities that have consumed clients throughout the years. Regardless of whether organizations can deliver a delivery gadget, there can be deferrals or restricted supplies that can hamper future development. One case of being its very own casualty crowdfunded achievement is Purism, another workstation producer that raised $2.5 million for its protection centered Linux scratch pad, the Librem 13 and 15. Its unique clumps were made to arrange, which expected purchasers to quietly sit tight for their frameworks to arrive, however 2017 saw Purism having the capacity to stock up on stock to cut the sit tight time for a Librem from months to weeks. 

At that point there's Tanoshi, which propelled a Kickstarter battle in September for a child agreeable 2-in-1 Android PC. By the center of October, the battle had raised under 20 percent of its $50,000 objective and was crossed out. That wasn't the end for the organization, notwithstanding, as its team of Silicon Valley vets figured out how to go ahead and submit a request for its frameworks in any case, which it's right now pre-offering through its site. 

The Tanoshi encounter features one of the progressions in crowdfunding throughout the years. Once by far most of battles required monetary sponsor on the grounds that the innovators didn't approach cash to deliver , now there are many crusades that set up organizations run similarly as an extra financing source and advertising strategy. 

Such is the situation with Chuwi, a Chinese PC producer that has swung to Indiegogo to crowdfund workstations, in spite of being in presence for over 10 years. On the other hand, it's difficult to contend with the achievement of its SurBook, a spending clone of Microsoft's Surface Pro tablet. It has raised over $1 million since propelling its Indiegogo crusade, bringing issues to light in the U.S. that it likely couldn't have overseen through more customary means. 

At long last, a very expected crowdfunding effort didn't end up emerging in 2017. The restored Atari mark declared with awesome exhibit that it would acknowledge preorders of its new Ataribox lounge gadget, which consolidates retro support gaming with a Linux-based PC, by means of Indiegogo beginning on December 14. Notwithstanding, the crusade was absent on that date, with the organization reprimanding an unspecified disaster for the postponement. Atari guarantees a refreshed dispatch design soon, yet the occurrence features the dangers innate with hitching your PC dispatch to a crowdfunding effort. Expect business as usual - crushing triumphs and confusing bumbles - in the year to come.




Tuesday, December 19, 2017

12/19/2017 10:12:00 PM

Brazilian PC advertise back on track

Another quarter of expanded income affirms come back to development, says IDC investigate.




The Brazilian PC showcase has come back to development after the sequential quarters of positive deals execution, as per figures from investigator IDC. 

Second from last quarter deals seen 30 percent development with 1,36 million PCs sold against 1,04 million in a similar quarter of 2016. Income is additionally up at 3 billion reais ($911 million), a 28 percent help on Q3 2016. 

This takes after the positive development seen for the current year up until this point, as deals went up by 5 percent both in the first and second quarters of 2017, as per the IDC Brazil PC Tracker inquire about. A year ago, PC deals in Brazil endured a significant shot because of the subsidence the nation had been experiencing. 

In Q3 2017, scratch pad sold more than PCs, with 936,000 and 424,000 units sold - a 38 percent and 14 percent expansion on Q3 2016, individually. 

Variables provoking the lift in PC deals incorporate expanded client certainty and the way that high road retailers have been acquiring hardware before because of Black Friday and Christmas. 

For the last quarter of the year, IDC Brazil expects that 1.38 million PCs will be sold, up 13 percent over a similar period in 2016, when 1,22 million machines were sold. Income is relied upon to grow 10 percent in Q4, as indicated by the investigator firm. 

In general, the expert firm expects the Brazilian PC market to see 13 percent development in 2017 contrasted with a year ago, with income achieving 11 billion reais ($3,3 billion).




Tuesday, November 14, 2017

11/14/2017 02:52:00 AM

Newegg discharges 2017 Black Friday promotion with portable workstation, desktop PC, tablet bargains

The online tech superstore will begin its deal at an early stage November 20 with a couple of $169.99 Asus Chromebooks and a $219 Huawei MediaPad M3 Android tablet exceptional.





Long-term online tech retailer is the most recent to declare its Black Friday bargains, however it's getting an early bounce by putting the specials recorded in its advertisement at a bargain beginning on Monday, November 20. As you may expect, these incorporate desktops and portable PCs spreading over an extensive variety of cost, with several tablet bargains sprinkled in (and a lot of segment bargains, on the off chance that you are even more a construct your-own-PC sort). 

While its Chromebook bargains can't get as low as Best Buy's $99 doorbuster (beside a revamped Dell for $99.99), Newegg has a couple of Chrome-running Asus portable workstations marked down for $169.99 each - both incorporate 4GB of RAM and 16GB of capacity, however the C201PA-DS602 incorporates a Rockchip RK3288C quad-center processor and 11.6-inch screen, though the C300SA accompanies an Intel Celeron CPU and 13.3-inch show. 

Comparable deals aren't accessible for Windows portable PCs, in any case, which begin at $389.99 with an Asus X555DA-BB12 that highlights an AMD A10-8700p processor, 12GB of RAM, 2TB hard drive, and 15.6-inch show. For $10 more you can get a more slender and-lighter Asus ViVoBook with AMD A9, 8 gigs of RAM, 256GB strong state drive and 14-inch full HD show. (This arrangement doesn't begin until Thanksgiving, be that as it may.) 

On the off chance that favor Intel inside rather, Newegg has a couple of Acer Aspire portable workstation bargains: the A515-51G-5536 with Core i5-7200U, 8GB of RAM, 1TB hard drive, 15.6-inch show, and Nvidia GeForce 940MX illustrations for $449.99, or the A517-51G-54GK with comparative specs yet an extra 256GB SSD included and a bigger 17.3-inch screen for $559.99 (accessible beginning on Black Friday itself). There are likewise a few 15.6-inch note pads for under the $600 value point for gamers on a tight spending plan as an Acer Aspire E5-575G-562T (Core i5-7200U, 8GB of RAM, 1TB hard drive and 128GB SSD, GeForce GTX 950M designs) for $539 or a somewhat beefier MSI GL62M with Core i5-7300HQ, 8GB of RAM, 1TB hard drive, and GeForce GTX 1050 illustrations for $599. 

Correspondingly, there are no ultra-shoddy desktops at a bargain in Newegg's promotion, however you'll in any event get a quicker framework. Beginning at $449.99, the Acer TC-780 accompanies Core i5-7400 processor, 8GB of memory and 256GB SSD, or the Dell OptiPlex has a Core i5-7500 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and 500GB hard drive for $529.99. For $60 more than the Dell, you can climb to a CyberpowerPC gaming framework with AMD Ryzen 5 1400 processor, 8GB of RAM, terabyte hard drive, and GeForce GTX 1050 illustrations card. Two other gaming desktop specials under $1,000 are a CyberpowerPC with Ryzen 7 1700X processor, 8 gigs of RAM, 1TB hard, GeForce GTX 1060 illustrations for $799.99 and an iBuyPower with Core i7-7700, 8GB of RAM, terabyte hard drive, 120GB SSD, and GeForce GTX 1060 for $899.99. 

Tablets have for the most part dropped out of support contrasted with a couple of years back, however Newegg has a couple of arrangements on them. They have a 7-inch Android for just $34.99, however you're most likely happier getting an Amazon Fire 7 for $5 less somewhere else than buy a Vulcan Pulse with only 8GB of on-board stockpiling. On the flip side of the value range, there's a 8.4-inch Huawei MediaPad M3 Android tablet for $219, or its MateBook E Signature Edition Windows 2-in-1, a Microsoft Surface clone, with Core M3-7Y30 processor, 4GB of RAM, 128GB SSD, and 12-inch touchscreen for $499.99. At long last, tightwads who wouldn't fret exceptionally old equipment can catch a revamped Apple iPad 2 for $99.99 or a repaired iPad 4 with Retina show for $149.99.