This comprehensive kit includes a demonstration board that uses the MC9S12NE64 on chip EMAC and EPHY to demonstrate typical MC9S12NE64 applications ...
Australian security agencies believe China is behind the cyber raids on all levels of government, although the Morrison government has chosen not to name the country involved.
Under the plan, Australia's chief cyber defence agency will be given $31 million to build new offensive capabilities to go after cyber attackers offshore and disrupt their activities before they have the chance to strike at Australian governments and businesses.
There will also be a new $25 million cyber threat-sharing platform, allowing industry and government to share intelligence about malicious cyber activity and block emerging threats in near real-time.
The ASD will be given new capabilities to allow the agency and Australia's major telcos to prevent malicious cyber attacks ever reaching millions of Australians by blocking known malicious websites and computer viruses more quickly.
The cyber body - which is part of the Department of Defence - will also be given $118 million to expand its data science and intelligence capabilities to identify emerging cyber threats to Australia over the next 10 years.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said malicious cyber attacks against Australia were increasing in frequency, scale and sophistication.
"The federal government's top priority is protecting our nation's economy, national security and sovereignty. Malicious cyber activity undermines that," Mr Morrison said.
"My government's record investment in our nation's cyber security will help ensure we have the tools and capabilities we need to fight back and keep Australians safe."
The added capabilities for the ASD will form part of Australia's new four-year cyber security strategy, which will be released in the next few months.
There is still more than $500 million out of the $1.35 billion funding injection yet to be announced, which is expected to be detailed in the new strategy.
The NSW government was a major target of the cyber attacks carried out in recent months, which alarmed Australian security agencies and sparked Mr Morrison to publicly warn Australians about the rise in attacks against the nation's critical infrastructure - but he stopped short of naming Beijing.
China has denied it was behind the wave of cyber attacks in Australia, saying the claims were "baseless".
The Morrison government has previously warned power stations, transport systems and industrial plants are likely to be the target of cyber attacks from state-sponsored hackers and criminal networks.
The government has recruited former US secretary of homeland security Kirstjen Nielsen to help prepare the cyber security strategy.
Defence Minister Linda Reynolds said the funding injection would have a real impact on the cyber security of all Australians.
Loading
"The package will put our nation on the front foot in combating cyber threats and our investment in a cyber security workforce will help ensure we have the people we need to meet future cyber challenges," she said.
"For example, this package will enable ASD and Australia's major telecommunications providers to prevent malicious cyber activity from reaching millions of Australians by blocking known malicious websites and computer viruses at speed."
The ASD recruitment drive will come at a cost of $470 million over the next decade.
The nation's cyber resilience agency, the Australian Cyber Security Centre - which is a branch of the ASD - will also share in the funding.
Anthony is foreign affairs and national security correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
"I'm retired and disabled so I can't do a lot, but I know computers pretty dang well." – Charles Scott.
He asked only one favor. If I was going to write something, don't make it about him. He wasn't the story, Charles Scott said.
I tried, Charles, I really did. I must have gone through five different versions of this column, and none of them worked without you driving the car.
Gas money, I call it. That's all you're asking for, just enough to cover your gas costs driving around the Valley hooking up disconnected seniors who are veterans to the outside world. Your time is free. No charge.
Ed Reynolds, from the veteran's group Wings Over Wendy's, tells me you showed up at one of their Monday morning meetings last fall with some of your buddies from Reel Cowboys, another group I admire for all the community service work they do.
The first time I met the Reel Cowboys was at a battered women's shelter. These big, brawny men who played the bad guys in old cowboy movies were down on their hands and knees giving horsey-back rides to little kids who thought all men were mean and hit mommy.
I saw a lot of them tear up that day holding those kids in their arms, and a lot more get mad, wishing they could meet some of those abusive dads in a dark alley sometime, just for a few minutes.
You weren't a veteran and you weren't an old movie cowboy, Charles, but both groups welcomed you because they saw something special in you. A lot of heart, determination and talent.
When the coronavirus hit and everything shut down, many senior veterans were left stranded in their homes. A phone call or email on an old computer they barely knew how to operate couldn't replace face-to-face contact.
It took Ed some time to teach his older veterans how to Zoom so they could keep in touch, but many of them didn't have the web cams and updated equipment to join in. That's where you came in, Charles.
"It wasn't just Wings they couldn't connect to, it was their children and grandchildren, as well," you said. "That's what frustrated me the most. I'd go out and visit them, making sure they were on the opposite side of the room from me."
You located the problem, Charles, and it was nothing money couldn't solve. But how do you get the extra cash when these vets were already living on a tight budget, just like you? You started a GoFundMe account before going to bed one night, and woke up the next morning to find nearly $500 already in it.
You took the money to buy web cams for half a dozen old vets, and upgrade their computers, which were old and slow. You spent four hours explaining everything they had to do, and made sure they got it right.
Then, you gave them the bill for your services. Ten bucks for three gallons of gas.
"Much of the success of our Zoom meetings is directly attributed to Charles," Ed said.
He knows it's tough for you to get around at 56 without a cane to lean on. He's seen the pain in your face. All those years of heavy lifting for a moving van company ruined your back and knees, and caused permanent damage. That's when you turned to computers, and began using your mind, not your brawn.
When I called you earlier this week, you were getting ready to shut down the GoFundMe account because you had met your goal. But why stop at only seniors who are veterans, I asked? Why not open it to all seniors on tight budgets who can't afford a computer whiz to help them out?
That's when you decided to keep it open a while longer until it reaches $1,000, enough to buy web cams for more than 20 seniors, first come, first serve. Where it goes from there, who knows?
You're a breath of fresh air, Charles, and I wish I could have granted you that favor, but if I did this column wouldn't have been written because you're the story.
There was just no other way to look at it. You're driving this car. For gas money.
The link to the GoFundMe account is gf.me/u/x9pst6.
To reach Charles, send an email to pcinfoman@gmail.com.
Dennis McCarthy's column runs on Sunday. He can be reached at dmccarthynews@gmail.com.
Community Helpers for Kids | Jobs & Occupations for Preschool and Kindergarten | Kids Academy
Patricia Moore is the CTO of Dublin-based space-related ICT consultancy company Mindseed, having previously worked in DCU.
Mindseed specialises in space-related technologies, particularly those linking space and ground systems. Prior to joining as the company's CTO, Patricia Moore was an assistant professor with the School of Electronic Engineering at Dublin City University and a researcher with the Insight Centre for Data Analytics and the Vision Systems Group at the University.
Tell me about your own role and your responsibilities in driving tech strategy?
My role is to work with client companies to develop viable business and technology roadmaps in order to pursue market opportunities in the ICT sector. With expertise in telecommunications, satellite system integration, space technology, IoT, computer vision, AI, and business digitisation, Mindseed delivers into a very diverse set of technology roadmaps.
Traditionally, the space sector has been associated with significant barriers to entry, but space technology is becoming increasingly democratised. This is creating a wealth of opportunities for individuals and organisations. One of my key roles involves making space-based products and services like satellite navigation, earth observation and satellite communication more accessible to our clients.
My goal is to open doors to opportunities for innovation in ground-segment and downstream services. Once a viable roadmap and commercial opportunity has been established, I work with clients to secure funding, assess potential markets, build prototypical design models, and develop full-scale commercial technology implementations.
Are you spearheading any major product/IT initiatives you can tell us about?
I am passionate about developing and supporting technology roadmaps that seek to address key societal and environmental challenges. Currently I am working on a number of ambitious projects relating to sustainability, climate change, clean water and sanitation, and disease control.
Perhaps the most topical of these projects is a major Smart Sanitation project, with Woodco Renewable Energy, funded by the European Space Agency. As we have seen with the Covid-19 pandemic, when it comes to disease, early detection, treatment and community response are all vital to limiting the impact on an individual's health and preventing outbreaks within a community.
'Achieving real-time detection is somewhat of a "holy grail" for researchers'– PATRICIA MOORE
An area that is now increasingly under the spotlight is how digital transformation can support efforts in disease management. Through equipping sanitation systems and environs with smart sensors, we can quickly and autonomously detect disease and monitor environmental and societal transmission factors. The data collected can be used to provide evidence-based decision support for those tasked with managing the spread of disease, while predictive health analytics can support early warning systems.
A particularly exciting element of the Smart Sanitation system is our efforts to develop a real-time pathogen detection capability for deployment in wastewater. Wastewater analysis can significantly contribute to our understanding of the incidence and risk of disease in populations, caused by bacteria, viruses and other pathogens related to human sanitation.
By way of example, RNA traces of the coronavirus, from the faeces of infected individuals, were detected in wastewater in the Netherlands even before the first COVID-19 patients appeared. Early detection is particularly important where asymptomatic transmission appears to be so prevalent. Achieving real-time detection is somewhat of a 'holy grail' for researchers in this area.
How big is your team? Do you outsource where possible?
At Mindseed, we have a small in-house team with complementary skillsets and outsource as necessary. As a consultant, I work in partnership with our client companies and embed with their domain experts, filling their ICT gap as needed.
What are your thoughts on digital transformation and how are you addressing it?
Digital transformation is really at the heart of what Mindseed as a company does. Digital transformation is no longer a 'nice-to-have' but a 'must-have' for modern business, and I see a growing recognition of that. At Mindseed, we have a keen appreciation that a digital transformation strategy will look different for every company. It is not something that can be tied down. Rather, it is a continuous business-specific journey that requires agile leadership.
In the current Covid-19 climate, we are mindful of the serious business challenges being experienced by our clients and all businesses. Many companies have already ceased trading and many more that are currently dormant, unfortunately, will not reopen. For those that do reopen, it is my opinion that the post-Covid-19 transition will present major challenges.
Companies may need to develop digital training plans to get the most out of remote working and collaboration tools, and to use them in a secure way. Team re-organisations may be required to enable smaller project groups to work together more effectively using digital technology. Digital sales and marketing strategies will become more important for acquiring new business.
At Mindseed, we have continued our business activities, albeit working from home, and we are actively working on adjusting our own digital transformation roadmap in response to Covid-19. We are continuing to liaise remotely with business colleagues in Ireland and abroad, and we hope to expand our operations through increased online/remote engagement with our growing network of business partners.
What big tech trends do you believe are changing the world and your industry specifically?
The democratisation of space is coinciding with emerging technologies like AI, IoT, 5G, low-power edge-compute devices, blockchain, cloud computing, etc. The convergence of these technologies is enabling the development of applications and services that simply were not possible before.
Each one of these technologies individually has the potential to change the world and, of course, they have already begun to do so, but I believe that it is the combination of these technologies that will truly disrupt markets across all sectors.
It is very difficult for companies, particularly SMEs, to develop low-level expertise in all of these emerging technologies. To really capitalise on the opportunities they present, collaborative development is more important than ever. It is my experience that this is something that Irish companies excel at, and much of the leadership in this area is coming from indigenous Irish companies.
As CTO of a niche consultancy company in a small country, I occupy a very privileged position with a bird's-eye view over a large part of the space sector in Ireland. A key goal of Mindseed is to put that bird's-eye view to work for our clients, and support ideation, identify opportunities for collaboration, and facilitate networking where collaborations are sought.
In terms of security, what are your thoughts on how we can better protect data?
As data becomes increasingly valuable with more and more powerful, and often frightening, mechanisms of extracting rich and personalised information from it, security has become more important than ever. Much like a digital transformation strategy, security strategies will look different for different companies and must be continuously evolved to deal with emerging threats.
From a technology developer point of view, one way to tackle the data protection issue is to remove the need to store or transmit sensitive data.
Low-cost edge compute devices are now enabling smart sensors to continuously analyse data 'on the fly' at source with no long-term data storage/retention. Where sensitive data must be stored/transmitted, it is vital that GDPR guidelines are followed to ensure that rights to privacy are respected and measures taken to protect those rights.
Want stories like this and more direct to your inbox? Sign up for Tech Trends, Silicon Republic's weekly digest of need-to-know tech news.
The cloud is an essential component of all e-commerce sites. Not all clouds, however, are created equal. The key thing here is reliability. Making sure that the cloud service and Service Level Agreement (SLA) are right for your business may not be clear before you enter into a website development contract.
This is Part 3 of a series providing advice about website development contracts for businesses engaged in e-commerce. Also see: Part 1: How to Avoid Major Disasters.Part 2:Who Owns the IP on Your Site?
Interesting aside -- while the term "Cloud" derives from a marketing label created in 2006 by Google, the remote cloud technology itself has been around since, at least,1964 when Dartmouth University launched remote computer access (at the time, called "Dartmouth timesharing").
In 1964, the timesharing model used by Dartmouth students dialed up over telephone lines to access mainframe computers, which is not much different than the cloud except to say that now we all access the remote computer systems on the Internet. Conceptually, the remote computer system of 1964 is not too different from the cloud we use today, albeit far faster, cheaper and with far more computing power than its 1964 predecessor at Dartmouth.
Cloud Contracting
Everyone reading this is familiar with the names of the major cloud providers: Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Dell, and Rackspace (the "Big Cloud Vendors"). There are also dozens of smaller entities around the world that provide cloud services. In fact, many of the smaller entities actually provide their cloud services from the Big Cloud Vendors.
The most important part of this discussion is knowing the contractual terms for the cloud services that you might want to buy. Cloud agreements are all entered into online and remotely. Most people simply assume these agreements are non-negotiable, without ever taking the time to reach out and negotiate these online terms. Which is not necessarily the case.
While not all terms are readily negotiable, there are several examples of industry-specific provisions that can and should be tailored to suit. For instance, if your e-commerce business is regulated by the federal government (for example a bank), then the data in the cloud must reside in the U.S.
Actually, even more broadly speaking, the physical location of data storage is a provision that cloud providers will negotiate, even though you may have to pay a premium for picking a country for data storage.
Also, most of the Big Cloud Vendors have dozens of online contractual terms and conditions available from interconnected URLs, with varying terms and conditions, not just one. So, it is wise to investigate which online terms will apply to your arrangement and how those specific terms may impact your particular e-commerce business.
For example, depending on which Software as a Service (SaaS) you select, you may have a number of different options between using Microsoft, Oracle, SAP, or Infor software for ERP applications, or disaster recovery, or customer relationship management. You would be well-advised to look at the specific SaaS agreements and negotiate the provisions that are important to your e-commerce business.
Is a SLA really an Agreement?
Of course! The term SLA includes the word Agreement, but actually the SLA is more a description of the online service availability like for instance 99.999% availability over a 12-month period means the system can be down 5.25 minutes while 99.999% over a month means the system can be down 26.30 seconds. Here's a chart showing SLA availability:
If the cloud SLA does not clearly specify the agreed-upon availability percentage then the user should receive a credit. In certain instances, the SLA provides specific credits against the monthly fees, and other times the SLA is silent.
Beware an e-commerce cloud contract without an SLA. Think about it, what would you do? Probably ask the vendor for an SLA or just hope for the best? It makes more sense to have a specific SLA.
Generally, the SLA availability is provided on a monthly basis, but it could also be on a rolling 30-day period. In which case, the timing for the SLA does not begin anew on the first of every month and might allow for terrible service the last couple of days of a month and the vendor a restart when the new month begins of system unavailability.
Big Cloud Vendors SLAs
Also, most Big Cloud Vendors provide a variety of SaaS and the SLAs will vary depending on the SaaS used. We often find that the e-commerce website will use multiple SaaS so there is not just one SLA.
For instance, we recently assisted an e-commerce business that used one of the Big Cloud Vendors and actually used 16 different SaaS to run its business. As a result, the SLA varied depending upon the actual SaaS. And to make things more complicated, that Big Cloud Vendor actually had 172 different SLAs.
Conclusions
Take your time and investigate prospective cloud providers, including Big Cloud Vendors. Make sure you understand what you are contractually obligating your e-commerce business to and for how long. Of course, it would not be bad idea for you to engage a lawyer who has experience in drafting and negotiating website development contracts and SOWs, including cloud contracts and SLAs.
This website development contract series should help you learn more about legal issues to consider and what to negotiate. So please stay tuned for the future installments, which will include topics such as, indemnification, lawsuits and arbitrations, and related topics.
Peter Vogel has been an ECT News Network columnist since 2010. His focus is on technology and the law. Vogel is Of Counsel at
Foley & Lardner LLP, and focuses on cybersecurity, privacy and information management. He tries lawsuits and negotiates cloud contracts dealing with e-commerce, ERP and the Internet. Before practicing law, he received a master's in computer science and was a mainframe programmer. His
blog covers IT and Internet topics.
Email Peter.
Chelsea Hilliard has been an ECT News Network columnist since 2019. As an associate at Foley & Lardner LLP, she focuses her business
litigation practice on trade secret noncompetition and securities enforcement. She also helps clients with complex electronic discovery disputes and has been
recognized as Texas Rising Star attorney by Texas Monthly, and a Top Lawyer under 40 by D Magazine. Email Chelsea.
LHoFT Webinar: The Employment Landscape Covid19 and beyond
Apple finally made the news we've been expecting for a few years now official. The Macintosh is moving to Arm, or what Apple is calling "Apple Silicon." This is not the first, or even the second major processor architecture transition for the Mac.
In fact, it's the third. In 1994, Apple moved from 68000-class processors to PowerPC. In 2005, Apple moved from the PowerPC to Intel x86. And now, in 2020, Apple is moving from Intel to Apple Silicon based on the Arm architecture. I discussed earlier the implications of this move to what I guess you could call "regular" Mac users. In this article, I want to discuss what this means to Mac users who use self-built Intel machines running MacOS, better known as Hackintosh users.
The Hackintosh community
Because so much of the Intel-based Mac architecture is based on off-the-shelf technology, a relatively substantial number of Mac users have decided to build their own machines throughout the years. Communities identified which motherboards, processors, network cards, and video cards were the most compatible, and then built custom drivers and boot loaders to make the whole thing possible.
While building a Hackintosh has never been as easy as firing up an Apple-produced machine, over the years Hackintoshes have become easier and easier to build due to better and better community-provided software tools.
Contrary to popular belief, Hackintoshing isn't just about saving money. While you can build an inexpensive Hackintosh to run MacOS, as I showed back in 2018 when I bought my then-new Mac mini, it's hard to achieve spec parity with a Hackintosh and save money.
As one of my favorite Hackintoshers Peter Paul Chato shows, what you can do is customize the machine with features not normally included in a Mac. Chato talks about adding a CD-ROM burner to his Hackintosh, which allowed him to burn CD-ROMs for an old, restored 1990s-vintage PowerPC Mac he was tinkering with.
Motivations for building Hackintoshes range from the need for flexibility and a custom system to the desire to tinker, to cost savings, and more. Back in 2017, when Apple pretty much abandoned Mac upgrades for extreme pro users, Hackintoshes were just about the only path forward for folks who needed more power.
Now, with more capable mainstream Macs as well as the terrifyingly expensive Mac Pro, users who need power have the option of buying from Apple. Some will still build Hacintoshes, but how long will that ability last?
Apple Silicon changes the game
Apple is farther along with Arm than many of us expected. At WWDC, all the MacOS features demonstrated were demonstrated on Apple Silicon rather than Macs running Intel. Apple is already shipping beta versions of MacOS that include Arm functionality, and the mainstream release of MacOS Big Sur in the fall will include Arm support as well as Intel.
Apple expects to ship its first Arm-based machines "by the end of the year" and expects the full transition to take two years. By that metric, we can expect the last Intel-based Mac to ship from Apple in 2022.
The thing about Apple Silicon is that it's very definitely not an off-the-shelf component. Apple has innovated with the iPhone and iPad in a large part because it controls the complete hardware stack. The company will be able to do the same with the Arm-based Macs.
That means it is highly unlikely (but not impossible, as I'll discuss below) that Hackintoshs will be viable once MacOS goes fully Apple Silicon. If off-the-shelf parts aren't available, the movement to build Hackintoshes from off-the-shelf parts will be seriously stymied.
So what does this mean for Hackintoshes? Let's take a look at two paths: what it means for Intel-based Hackintoshing, and under what wildly unlikely set of circumstances might there be a path forward for Arm-based Hackintoshing? Let's do Intel first.
The future of Intel-based Hackintoshes
Put simply, the future of Intel-based Hackintoshes will be the same as the future of Intel-based Macs. To get more clarity from my crystal ball, we'll need to look back into Macintosh history, back to 2005.
The last PowerPC-based Macs were the PowerMac G5s introduced in October of 2005 and sold until August 2006.
The last version of MacOS (then called OS X) to support PowerPC (and only the G4 and G5) was 10.5 (otherwise known as Leopard). It was introduced with build 9A521 on October 26, 2007 and was revised eight times, until version 10.5.8 was discontinued on October 5, 2009. Leopard supported both PowerPC and Intel processors.
When Snow Leopard (10.6) was introduced on August 28, 2009, it only supported Intel processors.
As it pertains to transitioning processors, Apple released an OS version that still supported PowerPC a full year after the last PowerPC Mac was sold. It revised that code eight times over the next few years. The first supported release of an OS that no longer supported the old chips came out exactly four years after the last old chip Mac was introduced.
Let's apply that to what we know of the Apple Silicon transition. Apple expects to start the transition now and move all Macs to Arm by 2022. We can expect, then, that the last Intel Mac will come out sometime in 2022. If this transition tracks with the previous one, we can expect support for Intel to last about four years.
In other words, don't expect updates of MacOS for Intel Macs after 2026.
Of course, it's possible to use machines after their OS stops being updated. Figure another few years before software developers have moved far enough off of the old architecture that key apps just stop working.
My guess is that Intel Macs will be reasonably viable machines until about 2028-2030, or, essentially, for the rest of this decade.
In other words, feel free to go ahead and build an Intel-based Hackintosh. But understand it will be obsolete by the end of the decade — and so, probably, will be the practice of Hackintoshing.
Unless…
The possibility of Arm-based Hackintoshes
Hackintoshes exist because it's reasonably practical to take off-the-shelf parts and turn them into a PC that runs MacOS. But there are quite a few Hackintoshes that weren't based on a PC build, but instead were repurposed laptops that had enough compatible hardware to make the conversion possible.
Microsoft has been flirting with a move (or at least a cohabitation) with Arm for years now. As far back as 2012, we were mocking Microsoft's attempts to move Windows to the very ill-fated Windows RT.
But there are modern Windows machines based on the Arm processor, such as the Microsoft Surface X. It runs traditional 32-bit x86 apps in emulation, so most Windows apps will run on the Arm processor. If Surface X and other Windows products like it prove to be a success, expect more Arm-based Windows machines to be introduced to the market.
So let's move our crystal ball forward to, say, 2028. By that time, there's an entire army of Arm-based Windows laptops, which are fast and support the great battery life that's an Arm trademark.
Problem #1 for Arm-based Hackintoshes will have been solved. There will be enough Arm-based machines to form a foundation for Hackintoshing.
Apple has a tendency to name its OS versions after California locations, so I'm going to call the imaginary 2028 release of MacOS Copperopolis (it's real, look it up). That brings us to Problem #2: Can Apple Silicon-based Copperopolis run on off-the-shelf Arm systems?
That… depends. Back in 2016, we were worried that the introduction of the proprietary T2 chip to new Macs would spell the end of Hackintoshing, but it has had virtually no effect.
If Copperopolis and other future Apple Silicon-based MacOS releases rely heavily on special chipset functions, then no. But if those future releases merely rely on performance-related custom silicon, then it's possible non-Apple Arm-based PCs could run MacOS — at least with the same level of discovery and tweaking that it took to get off-the-shelf Intel to run MacOS.
We won't know for a while. But I'm betting that since the upcoming Big Sur will support Arm, and the beta for Big Sur is actually available now, some members of the Hackintosh community are already testing MacOS on off-the-shelf Arm processors.
So keep coming back to ZDNet. If some intrepid Hackintoshers manage to get Big Sur running on an Arm PC, we'll let you know.
As for the future of the Hackintosh, we have to turn to our Magic 8 Ball for an answer: "Reply hazy. Try again."
Do you Hackintosh? What are your predictions, hopes, and fears for the future of Hackintoshing? Let us know in the comments below.
You can follow my day-to-day project updates on social media. Be sure to follow me on Twitter at @DavidGewirtz, on Facebook at Facebook.com/DavidGewirtz, on Instagram at Instagram.com/DavidGewirtz, and on YouTube at YouTube.com/DavidGewirtzTV.
Acer is previewing an update to an existing Windows laptop that's expected to debut with Intel's new "Tiger Lake" processors and Xe graphics technology.
On Tuesday, Acer announced the company's refresh to the Swift 5, a 14-inch notebook that's designed to be thin and light. Expect it to launch in October, starting at $999.
The Swift 5 is slated to arrive with Intel's "next gen" processor, the PC maker said, a likely nod to the Tiger Lake family of mobile CPUs. The same laptop will also feature, in some models, Intel's new Xe graphics architecture deployed in graphics silicon as part of the CPU. Xe is designed to compete, in coming integrated-graphics and dedicated-chip flavors, with GPU solutions from Nvidia GeForce family and AMD's Radeon group.
(Credit: Acer)
However, the Xe architecture won't arrive as the basis of a discrete graphics chip inside this laptop. Instead, the technology backs the graphics silicon that is integrated into the next-generation processor, according to Acer. This Xe-based graphics will be the successor to the "Gen 11" Iris Plus and UHD Graphics solutions integrated into Intel's "Ice Lake" 10th Generation mobile processors.
Last week, Intel gave a taste of what we can expect from a Tiger Lake setup like this one. On Twitter, the company demoed a prototype laptop with Tiger Lake and the integrated Xe architecture running the game Battlefield V at 1080p on high graphics settings. The clip shows the game, which was published in 2018, running fairly smoothly at 30 frames per second, despite the laptop having no dedicated GPU.
Still, consumers who want a bigger graphical boost will be able to buy the Swift 5 with an optional Nvidia GeForce MX350 dedicated chip, which will presumably be a step up from the Xe silicon on the Swift 5's processor.
As for Tiger Lake, Intel is promising the chips will offer a "double-digit" performance gain, thanks to the company's 10-nanometer manufacturing technology. The Tiger Lake processors and its motherboards have also been designed to be smaller, enabling PC makers to create thinner and lighter laptops.
To improve the Swift 5, Acer has managed to minimize the bezels around the 14-inch screen even more. The product now has a 90 percent screen-to-body ratio, an increase from the 86.4 percent ratio of last year's Swift 5 model. The laptop also comes with a touch display that features Corning's antimicrobial coating to help keep germs at bay.
"Additionally, users have the option to further include an antimicrobial coating on the touchpad, keyboard, and all covers of the device," Acer noted in its initial release.
(Credit: Acer)
Another change is to the product's hinge, which will slightly elevate the rear of the laptop when fully opened, "allowing for a more ergonomic typing experience," and better cooling, according to the company.
The laptop still weighs in at 2.2 pounds and retains its metallic chassis. Buyers can outfit it with up to 1TB of SSD-based storage, and up to 16GB of RAM. Other key perks include Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, two built-in stereo speakers, and a USB Type-C/Thunderbolt 3 port.
Further Reading
Laptop Reviews
Laptop Best Picks
Ray Tracing on Intel Ice Lake Gen11 GPU. Neon Noire CRYENGINE
Computer makers are unveiling a total of 50 servers with Nvidia's A100 graphics processing units (GPUs) to power AI, data science, and scientific computing applications. The first GPU based on the Nvidia Ampere architecture, the A100 is the company's largest leap in GPU performance to date, with features such as the ability for one GPU to be partitioned into seven separate GPUs as needed, Nvidia said. The company made the announcement ahead of the ISC High Performance online event, which is dedicated to high-performance computing.
Unveiled in May, the A100 GPU has 54 billion transistors (the on-off switches that are the building blocks of all things electronic) and can execute 5 petaflops of performance, or about 20 times more than the previous-generation chip Volta. This means central processing unit (CPU) servers that cost $20 million and take up 22 racks can be replaced by new servers that cost $3 million and take up just four GPU-based server racks, said Nvidia product marketing director Paresh Kharya in a press briefing.
The systems are coming from computer makers that include Asus, Atos, Cisco, Dell, Fujitsu, Gigabyte, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Inspur, Lenovo, One Stop Systems, Quanta/QCT, and Supermicro. Server availability varies, with 30 systems expected this summer and over 20 more by the end of the year, Kharya said.
Integrating Mellanox
Above: Nvidia's Mellanox interconnect technology.
Image Credit: Nvidia
The latest machines include new InfiniBand interconnect technology from Mellanox, which Nvidia paid $7 billion to acquire in 2019. Nvidia integrated Mellanox technology with the A100 to create Selene, which Nvidia bills as a top 10 supercomputer and the world's most energy-efficient computer. Selene was designed in less than a month and provides over 1 exaflop of AI processing. Kharya said supercomputers like Selene will help Nvidia further penetrate the world's top supercomputers.
VB Transform 2020 Online - July 15-17. Join leading AI executives: Register for the free livestream.
Last year, Nvidia's graphics processing units (GPUs) were part of 125 of the top 500 supercomputers in the world, according to ISC. If you count the supercomputers with Mellanox InfiniBand technology, that number is more than 300, and the list is expected to grow even larger in 2020.
"If you look at the top 500 list, the reason why Nvidia is so successful in supercomputing is because scientific computing has changed," Kharya said. "We've entered a new era, one that has expanded beyond traditional modeling and simulation workloads to include AI, data analytics, edge screening, and big data visualization."
Kharya said Mellanox interconnect chips power the world's leading weather forecast supercomputers. Weather and climate models are both compute- and data-intensive. Forecast quality depends on the model's complexity and level of resolution. And supercomputer performance depends on interconnect technology to move data quickly across different computers.
"It's exciting to have the best compute on one side and the best network on the other, and now we can start to combine those technologies together and start building amazing things," said Nvidia senior VP Gilad Shainer in a press briefing.
Above: Nvidia has set a new record with the RAPIDS benchmark.
Image Credit: Nvidia
Customers using Mellanox include the Spanish Meteorological Agency, the China Meteorological Administration, the Finnish Meteorological Institute, NASA, and the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute.
The Beijing Meteorological Service has selected 200 Gigabit HDR InfiniBand interconnect technology to accelerate its new supercomputing platform, which will be used to enhance weather forecasting, improve climate and environmental research, and serve the weather forecasting information needs of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
Nvidia said it has been able to run the RAPIDS suite of open source data science software in just 14.5 minutes, breaking the previous record of performance by 19.5 times. (A rival central processing unit (CPU) system does the same task in 4.7 hours.) Nvidia owes its gains to its new Nvidia DGX A100 systems using the Nvidia A100 artificial intelligence GPU chip. The 16 Nvidia DGX A100 systems used in the benchmark test had a total of 128 Nvidia A100 GPUs with Mellanox interconnects. The company also unveiled the Nvidia Mellanox UFM Cyber-AI platform, which minimizes downtime in InfiniBand datacenters by harnessing AI-powered analytics to detect security threats and operational issues.
This extension of the UFM platform product portfolio — which has managed InfiniBand systems for nearly a decade — applies AI to learn a datacenter's operational cadence and network workload patterns. It draws on both real-time and historic telemetry and workload data. Against this baseline, it tracks the system's health and network modifications and detects performance problems.
The new platform provides alerts of abnormal system and application behavior and potential system failures and threats, as well as performing corrective actions. It also delivers security alerts in cases of attempted system hacking, such as cryptocurrency mining. The result is reduced datacenter downtime — which typically costs more than $300,000 an hour, according to the ITIC 2020 report.
Fighting the coronavirus
Above: Nvidia's GPUs are being enlisted in the coronavirus fight.
Image Credit: Nvidia
Kharya said Nvidia's scientific computing platform has been enlisted in the fight against COVID-19. In genomics, Oxford Nanopore Technologies was able to sequence the virus genome in just seven hours using Nvidia GPUs. For infection analysis and prediction, the Nvidia RAPIDS team has helped create the GPU-accelerated Plotly's Dash, a data visualization tool that enables clearer insights into real-time infection rate analysis.
Nvidia's tools can be used to predict the availability of hospital resources across the U.S. In structural biology, the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the University of Texas, Austin are using GPU-accelerated software CryoSPARC to reconstruct the first 3D structure of the virus protein using cryogenic electron microscopy.
In treatment, Nvidia worked with the National Institutes of Health and built AI to accurately classify COVID-19 infection based on lung scans so doctors can devise efficient treatment plans. In drug discovery, Oak Ridge National Laboratory ran the Scripps Research Institute's AutoDock on the GPU accelerated Summit Supercomputer to screen a billion potential drug combinations in just 12 hours.
In robotics, startup Kiwi is building robots to deliver medical supplies autonomously while in edge detection, Whiteboard Coordinator built an AI system to automatically measure elevated body temperatures, screening well over 2,000 health care workers per hour. In total, Nvidia accelerates more than 700 high-performance computing applications.
NVIDIA GTC 2020 Keynote Part 6: NVIDIA A100 Data Center GPU Based on NVIDIA Ampere Architecture
A grade 12 student at Vincent Massey Secondary School with a passion for computer science now has an $80,000 leg up to pursue a career in the field. "I think a big part of it is I now get to be in a network of, like, other leaders and like-minded individuals," Schulich scholarship recipient Anish Aggarwal said. The scholarship will allow him to pursue a computer science degree at the University of Waterloo. Aggarwal founded and runs "Code Reach", a program which introduces elementary school students to coding. He said that what really solidified the fact he wanted to pursue a career in the computer science field was his experience in computer science club in Grade 9. "Being able to code something and actually see it come alive... it was fun for me," Aggarwal said. That experience led him to attend a number of events outside of the classroom. "What I'm passionate about [is] I like to go outside of the classroom a lot, so I will do different hack-a-thons, different competitions, extra-curricular math camps," he said. "My biggest thing, I think was, I went to MIT for the virtual reality hack-a-thon. So there were a bunch of these events that really had a big impact on me." His mother, Seema Aggarwal, said she and the entire family are proud of his accomplishments. She said he's a very hard working person and passionate about what he does. "He gives 100 per cent... and [is] very competitive," Seema said. As far as his long-term goals, she said he wants to own a big company one day. "He wants to be, you know, [one of] the big wigs out there," she said. "I have my feelings he will be able to achieve that."
My living room is littered with technology. This is part of being a consumer technology journalist: you're constantly surrounded by things that need to be examined - and you're constantly examining those things. Like a forensic investigator whose lab is their dining table.
Technology crams my bookshelf, peppers my dining table and fills my draws. From my borrowed Motorola Edge and HTC Vive Cosmos, to my Microsoft Surface Book 2 and my partner's MacBook Pro. These mostly loaned devices come and go from my house, but there's one device that I continually come back to, that has unintentionally become part of the furniture: my Chromebook Pixel.
Or, more specifically, my Chromebook Pixel 2015. The five-year-old Chromebook has become the central gateway through which all living room internet activity - that requires a bit more dexterity than is offered by a smartphone - flows through. Firing off a lengthy email? Flip open the Chromebook. Doing some serious internet shopping? Flip open the Chromebook.
MORE FROM FORBESGoogle Suddenly Announces Game-Changing New Nest Hub FeaturesBy Jay McGregor
There's good reason for this, too. After five years my Chromebook Pixel still boots up instantly. That's not hyperbole, I truly mean instantly. You open the lid and you're good to go. In the time it takes to get my Surface Book going, which is quick anyway, I'm already looking at colour options for window blinds on my Chromebook.
It's not that the device still works, it's that it shows no signs of wear or age - this really is the Zlatan Ibrahimović of laptops. If Google were to repackage the 2015 Chromebook and sell it as a new 2020 invention, nothing would give away its age apart from the thick display bezels and hazy 720p camera.
The original selling points of the laptop - that it's fast, secure and long-lasting - are as true today as they were when Obama was still President and Twitter was still a fun place to be (RIP fun Twitter).
I know you're wondering about battery depletion. And yes, it must be true that the lithium ion battery isn't as efficient as it was on day one, but I honestly have not noticed a significant drop in battery life in the same way I do with older smartphones.
My short, intermittent use (apart from press trips, general trips and holidays) of the laptop has probably slowed down the decline of the battery. I'm still confident about taking my Chromebook out for a day to work remotely without bringing a charger along.
No stress security
This flies in the face of what we understand to be modern consumer technology usage: devices have a shelf life and need to be regularly replaced. As traditional laptops slow down under the weight of increasingly bulky OS updates, or groan under the mass of cumbersome and unused applications, the Chromebook stays agile because the OS is untaxing and its applications are lightweight.
MORE FROM FORBESGoogle Must Act Quickly To Avoid Another Pixel Bud DisasterBy Jay McGregor
For the uninitiated, Chrome OS - the system that powers a Chromebook - is a Linux-based operating system. It's designed to be fast and is essentially the same as the desktop Google Chrome browser. Almost everything goes through the Chrome browser, save for whatever Play Store apps you have installed that aren't browser extensions.
This is why the device is so quick. It had good specifications when it was released (2.2GHz Intel Core i5-5200U processor and 8GB of RAM) but it was by no means future proofed. The OS is the reason for its longevity.
It's this stripped down, pared back, approach that also makes Chromebooks safer to use. There are a few reasons for this, from instant and automatic updates to the device checking every time it boots to make sure the system files haven't been tampered with (known as Verified Boot). You can read Android Central's excellent breakdown of how safe Chromebook's are here, but this is an important point.
"The Linux kernel [that Chrome is based on] is very good at separating individual processes from each other when they are being computed. Chrome leverages this and keeps each and every application and individual tab in the browser inside its own secure sandbox. That means they can't access any other app or the data from any other app directly and have to use the properly secured methods to share anything.
"This has proven over time (iOS and Android were built on this model) to be one of the best ways to prevent malware from getting a foothold on an account or system and older operating systems like Windows and macOS are in the process of doing the same."
But...
….my Chromebook will no longer be supported with OS and security updates from next June (2021). This isn't uncommon, some Apple devices will be supported for up to eight years and Microsoft laptops will survive until the next Windows release. But those devices are notably slow by the end of their life cycle, whereas my Chromebook is not.
MORE FROM FORBESImportant Google Drive Changes Impacts Millions Of UsersBy Jay McGregor
It could comfortably go on for a few more years with no noticeable slow down. With a battery replacement it could do many more. So this cut-off date that renders it useless is entirely artificial and arbitrary. It's planned obsolescence at its worst.
This device also cost $999 when it launched in 2015. In my initial review five years ago I wondered who this was for, or how it could possibly justify such a high price-tag given how limited it is (my exact words were "best Chromebook, worst value"). Five years on and I've answered my own question. The Chromebook Pixel is, plainly, excellent value for money. I was wrong.
Although, the device has clearly improved from those early Chromebook days. Over the years Google has encouraged developers to make apps that work better on Chromebooks. The PlayStore is more organised for Chromebook optimised apps too.
The Zoom app on Chrome OS is good, as is the Adobe Lightroom app. No you're not doing serious creative work or gaming on a Chromebook - you need a powerful laptop for that (or a hulking, loud desktop in my case) - but you can do virtually anything else and comfortably, too.
MORE FROM FORBESGoogle & Samsung Can't Compete With Apple's Cheap AirPodsBy Jay McGregor
Years after my 2015 review, I realise now that it's hard to review a new type of device like the Chromebook Pixel. It made no sense at the time, and I'm not even sure Google fully understood how this device would be used or who it was for.
But as it found a space in my cramped living room and forged an initially niche reason to exist - and eventually promoted itself to Most Important Laptop - it all makes sense now. The speed, security and battery life, plus offering the dexterity of a full laptop that a phone or tablet doesn't, makes my Chromebook Pixel an all-rounder in a way nothing else does.
More on Forbes
"Unusable" Pixel Buds Receive Hundreds Of Complaints As Google Investigates
OnePlus Goes For Android Crown With New 'Nord' Phone, TVs & Apps
New Samsung Buds Spell Bad News For Struggling Google Pixel Buds, AirPods
In a bid to help close the digital divide, Qualcomm donated 900 custom-built, cellular-connected laptops to the San Diego Unified School District on Thursday to support continuing distance learning programs.
The computers run on the company's Snapdragon processors and include built-in cellular connectivity, giving students with limited access to Wi-Fi another avenue to learn remotely.
Qualcomm arranged to have the computers assembled by a contract manufacturer in Taiwan.
The laptops, along with three months of free cellular data from AT&T, totaled more than $400,000, said Susie Armstrong, vice president of engineering for Qualcomm.
"In a case like distance learning, there is a tremendous amount of well-intentioned hardware donations," said Armstrong. "But the key point is, how do you actually get those to have connectivity."
During the COVID-19 shutdowns, many coffee shops or libraries where students typically would go to link to Wi-Fi were shut down.
"I never want to donate a lump of hardware and software without data plans and some way to financially make sure that they get connected and stay connected," said Armstrong.
While the current donation covers three months of cellular data, Qualcomm and the school district are working to find additional funding sources so that data plans can be available to students for at least the full school year.
One possibility is to seek funding from E-Rate, the Federal Communications Commission's Universal Service program for schools and libraries.
San Diego Unified this week announced plans to return to school in person on Aug. 31 while following public health safety guidelines. That likely means that some students will choose not to come back to campuses at this time, said Superintendent Cindy Marten.
The district has about 9,000 students with asthma and another 1,000 who are considered medically fragile.
"It might not be a good idea for them to come to learn in person," she said. "So we want to make sure our online option is even more robust. These computers are part of that."
Qualcomm had some excess Snapdragon processors used for always-on, always-connected computers. The company has worked with the district for years though Thinkabit Lab and other STEM outreach programs.
When the district approached the company about helping with distance learning, it eventually led Qualcomm to build the white label laptops.
The computers include the latest Windows operating system software and education suite from Microsoft, long battery life and both Wi-Fi and cellular connections.
The computers are expected to be distributed later this summer after Qualcomm makes the official grant to the Board of Education. The company spent more than $260,000 assembling the machines and $141,000 for the cellular data plans.
"We are deeply committed to closing the connectivity gap," said Marten. "This partnership goes a long way at supporting our students and teachers."
Build Your Own Private 5G Network on Kubernetes - Frank Zdarsky, Red Hat & Raymond Knopp, Eurecom
Until recently, most U.S. K–12 schools had not attempted long-term, full-scale remote learning. That lack of experience contributed to widespread implementation problems as educators attempted to discover the ins and outs of new digital collaboration tools. That pivot comes with a pretty steep learning curve.
But the Poly Studio X30 videoconferencing device was designed to not only flatten that learning curve but to squash it altogether. The X30 is a fully self-contained device that needs nothing more than a power plug and an internet connection to begin working.
When I first received the X30, I initially thought parts were missing. The 1.6-pound device looks like a television sound bar with a camera lens in the middle. It turns out that's all a user needs to begin hosting professional meetings or virtual classroom sessions. You don't even need to attach a computer; just use the power cable and either a wired or wireless internet connection.
I used a smartphone with the Zoom Rooms app for Android to control the X30, setting up a virtual classroom in minutes. The X30 has an HDMI port too, so it can be connected to almost any monitor or projector. Doing that would allow a teacher to see when each student joins the room and monitor whether everyone is paying attention.
Everything recorded by the X30 looks amazing. The camera is able to capture images in up to 4K resolution, and it has advanced features including a digital zoom and automatic tracking with people framing. Remote students should have no trouble hearing everything inside the classroom either, thanks to four high-quality MEMS microphones. Each microphone is tuned to perfectly capture human voices from anywhere within a moderately sized class or meeting room.
At one point there were four presenters in the room talking, and remote participants could see and hear everything. I even held up a textbook for those joining the meeting remotely, and they were easily able to read the pages on their screens.
While classroom instruction with the Poly Studio X30 might not top actually being there, it's easily the next best thing. It removes all the complexities of teleconferencing and lets educators focus on teaching and building a comfortable virtual classroom environment to encourage remote student participation.
MORE ON EDTECH: Learn how to protect users during videoconferencing.
Poly Studio X30
SUPPORTED VIDEO STANDARDS: H.264 AVC, H.264 AVC high-profile, H.265 HEVCVIDEO OUTPUT: HDMIVIDEO RESOLUTIONS: SVGA (800x600) to UHD (3840x2160)AUDIO INPUT: Four MEMS microphonesDIMENSIONS: 17.34x2.46x2.42 inchesWEIGHT: 1.6 pounds
10 Best Video Conferencing Software for Small Business | Free + Paid
More than 500 laptops have been handed out to pupils as Renfrewshire Council vows children from low-income families will not be left behind during home schooling.
The council said it is helping more students learn online, will reissue paper learning packs in August and is offering assistance to parents struggling to carry out home schooling as it is awarded funding for the new academic year.
PAISLEY DAILY EXPRESS: Live news as it happens
The £4.5million handed over by the Scottish Government will be used by education chiefs to mitigate the impact of coronavirus on children's learning.
The money is part of the Attainment Challenge Fund and will allow the council to plough cash into schemes that best support children from the area's most deprived households.
It will be shared across all 62 schools in the local authority area.
Read More News:
Read More Related Articles
The council can also take advantage of a £9million pot designed to get laptops and internet access to children trying to follow tasks and learn online.
The council says it has already dished out 500 Chrome notebooks to youngsters and says paper learning packs will be handed out by schools when they launch a mixture of home and school learning in August.
Schools have also, the local authority says, tried to make sure approaches to home learning are as easy as possible for parents and carers to follow.
Councillor Jim Paterson, convener of the council's education and children's services board, told the Express: "One of our main priorities is to ensure that all children in Renfrewshire receive an education that ensures they fulfil their potential, regardless of their background.
Read More News:
Read More Related Articles
"Having been the first council to be rated 'excellent' for our work in reducing the poverty-related attainment gap, we know that what we have been doing is working – but we are always looking for new and innovative ways to help our young people thrive.
"This funding will assist us to continue to close the gap, while now providing a specific emphasis on supporting the safety, well-being and resilience of young people as they transition back into schools and early learning and childcare settings following the coronavirus pandemic."
He added: "Children will have access to the appropriate resources to support their learning in all curricular areas such as literacy and numeracy, and our staff will be upskilled to deliver new methods of learning and teaching - with more than 1,000 teachers already having done so.
Read More News:
Read More Related Articles
"We will continue to deliver health and wellbeing projects such as Place 2 Be, PATHS and Renfrewshire Nurturing Relationships Approach, which provide vital social and emotional support for our children and young people – particularly during these difficult times.
Top news stories from Daily Record
"I'm looking forward to seeing the impact of this funding in our schools as we continue to provide the best possible education for each and every young person in Renfrewshire."
Lenovo's first 5G-capable PC is ready to ship, with Verizon users able to get it on June 18.
First announced back at CES in January, the $1,400 Flex 5G will hit Verizon stores later this week marking the first time a US carrier is selling a laptop capable of tapping into 5G wireless networks.
For more like this
Subscribe to the CNET Now newsletter for our editors' picks for the most important stories of the day.
The two-in-one computer features a 14-inch full HD touchscreen display that is capable of 400 nits of brightness, weighs just under three pounds (1.35 kg) and runs Windows 10 off of Qualcomm's 8cx computing platform with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. As with other Lenovo PCs, the Flex 5G can be used as a traditional laptop, or with the screen folded all the way back to become a tablet.
Other specs include a 720p HD webcam with infrared for logging in through Windows Hello, two USB 3.1 Type-C ports as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack. Lenovo claims the PC is capable of getting 24 hours of battery life on a single charge. Bluetooth 5.0 is available, but there's no support for the new Wi-Fi 6 standard.
A one-year subscription to Microsoft 365 Personal, which includes Microsoft Office and 1TB of OneDrive cloud storage, is included with each Flex 5G purchase from either Lenovo.com or Verizon.
The Flex 5G is capable of tapping into the carrier's existing millimeter-wave 5G network that is active in parts of 35 cities around the country. As with other recent Verizon 5G devices, it will also be able to use Verizon's new, wider-ranging low-band 5G network when it goes live later this year.
Beyond needing to be in a city with 5G, those looking to take advantage of the faster connectivity will need to be on Verizon's new 5G Ultra Wideband Connected Device Plan. The plan runs $30 per month for those who already have wireless service through Verizon or $90 per month for those without.
As part of the plan, you'll be able to get unlimited 5G millimeter-wave data, hotspot and 4K streaming on the laptop when in an area that has a millimeter-wave signal (what Verizon calls "ultra wideband").
When on 4G LTE, the plan will offer unlimited 4G LTE data (with 15GB available before the risk of being slowed down in areas of "congestion"), 15GB of 4G LTE hotspot (with unlimited data available thereafter at significantly slower speeds of 600Kbps) and 720p video streaming.
4G LTE-only plans are also available, including an option to add it to your existing plan.
Known internationally as the Yoga 5G, the computer will be sold by other wireless carriers including EE in the UK, Sunrise in Switzerland and CMCC in China later this year.
The leadership of Computer Village, Ikeja, has described as wicked lies from the pit of hell, allegation purporting that the Iyaloja-General of Lagos State, Mrs Folashade Tinubu-Ojo asked it to mobilise N5million daily from the market for her.
It said rather than asking for money, the Iyaloja-General has been spending her personal money to provide for the needs of the ICT market.
Speaking with reporters in Ikeja, the Iyaloja and Babaloja of Computer Village, Mrs Abisola Isokpehi and Mr Adeniyi Olasoji respectively said the media campaign was orchestrated by a handful of disgruntled elements within the market that have vowed to ensure the board constituted and inaugurated by the state government never succeeds.
Mrs. Isokpehi who said the masterminds of the atrocious smear campaign has since gone to apologize to Mrs Tinubu-Ojo, said nobody asked for N1000 daily from the shop owners, adding that the cash was a monthly contribution meant for the clean-up of the market, payment of salaries of day and night security personnel and others such as replacement of batteries and other accessories of the solar powered street lights.
READ ALSO: Lagos to traders: remove your illegal structures
She said Mrs Tinubu-Ojo never asked the leadership for any cash, stressing that the peaceful administration of the market was paramount to her.
The Iyaloja of Computer Village also dispelled the rumor that the market was closed because of breakdown of law and order.
According to her, a certain group of individuals had vowed to frustrate the board in spite of genuine efforts made to reach out to them. She said it was the same group that have embarked on this campaign of calumny designed to smear the reputation of the Iyaloja-General and her illustrious family.
Mrs Isokpehi said: "We are committed to working harmoniously with associations/different tribes in the market to run an all-inclusive administration that will carry everyone along in the progress of the market board to a greater height.
"So, the Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa, minority groups and even other non-Nigerians in the market will be part of the committee that will soon be constituted since they have aplogised to the Iyaloja-General."
She said since the board was inaugurated, the Iyaloja-General came only once, adding she brought cash, foods and other relief materials to the market, adding that as a mark of her commitment to peace, she had asked the group to submit the list of those they would want to join the board.
Students have a tough life, their education is expensive, they are under debt even before getting a job. Buying expensive gadgets is not an option for them, but they have to stay up to date as well. Because otherwise they might be left behind compared to the times. In other words, they need the best laptops for college to help them with the assignments.
When we talk about the best laptops for college, we are talking about budget laptops in their categories. These laptops will mostly be used for writing their assignments and taking notes during classes. Watching YouTube tutorials and playing media is also going to be a major thing for students.
Most student tasks do not require a high spec hardware configuration on a laptop. But it can still be a problem for students to know what kind of laptop to pick up. There are many models with different configurations in the market today. That is why we have reviewed some of the best ones for them.
College Laptop Buyer's Guide
Students might not need a high-end device for doing their work, but there are some important specs that they require. It needs to have a somewhat competent processor and enough memory that will run all document making applications. Whether it is a PDF file or a PPT, they need to be able to work on those without problems.
The laptop also must have a good battery life, because college students are on campus most of the time. That makes it very difficult for them to charge their battery often. So battery life of at least 8 hours is a requirement for them. Unless the students are in college and majoring in something like Computer Sciences or Visual Arts, they do not need a GPU.
Some institutes have lab services where college students can work on hardware extensive projects. But for most of their daily activities, like taking notes and studying, a light laptop with basic specs works the best.
We have included a few Chrome Books on our list because they are very popular amongst college students. They have good battery life and can handle light loads without any issues. They are also very cheap so most students can pick one up without burdening their financial situation. Finances are a huge problem for students unless they have a scholarship.
Best Laptops for College Reviewed According to Price and Specs Best OverallAcer Aspire 5 Slim LaptopBest Laptop for Any Student
The Acer Aspire 5 Slim is one of the few laptops that offers you an option between Intel and AMD. What we reviewed was the one with a Ryzen 3 3200U with built-in Vega 3 Graphics. Let us tell you, you will not be disappointed by this laptop's performance. The best part about it is that it's affordable!
Check Price on AmazonRead ReviewsWith built-in graphics and a 3rd Generation Ryzen 3 3200U, you are sure to have no problems running any important programs on this laptop.
So this laptop has a Ryzen 3 3200U, a dual-core mobile CPU that has 4 threads. It has a base clock of 2.6GHz and a boost clock of 3.5GHz along with 3 GPU cores. The Radeon Vega 3 Graphics built-in the CPU will be able to bear light graphical loads.
The multi-thread CPU allows you enough power to multi-task on the laptop easily. So whether you are a student of Visual Arts or Business, this laptop will be able to hand most applications easily.
The CPU has a max TDP of 15W so it is quite an energy-efficient processor. Since it is a U model, it does not have the ability to overclock as these laptops are meant to preserve power. The laptop itself is packed with 4GB of memory and 128GB of SSD for lightning-fast storage.
The laptop also has 1 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Port, 2 USB 2.0 Ports & 1 HDMI Port, making it ideal for student use. It has Wi-Fi 802.11ac so stay connected to the internet throughout the campus grounds that have wireless internet. And a backlit keyboard as well if you are working at night in the dark and sharing a room with a roommate trying to sleep.
Overall we really loved this laptop as it was able to work on most tasks we threw at it. It has a 15.6″ 1920×1080 resolution FHD Widescreen IPS display that gives you a crisp image. With a 7.5-hour average battery life, which is not that great but pretty good, this laptop is super affordable.
You can find it on Amazon under $400 for all these great specs, which we believe to be quite a bargain. Chromebooks can cost you around $250 to $350 with specs not even close to these.
Specification:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 3200U
Memory: 4-GB DDR4 RAM
GPU: AMD Radeon Vega 3 Graphics
Storage: 128GB SSD
Display: 15.6″ 1920×1080 FHD Display
Battery Life: 7.5 Hours Average Battery Life
OS: Windows 10 with S mode
Best PremiumApple MacBook Air 2020For Students Who Won't Settle for Anything Not Apple
For those who can afford, Apple's MacBook Air is a perfect laptop that is well rounded for most student tasks. While being a premium choice, it has some pretty great specs, not to mention the efficiency of Apple.
Check Price on AmazonRead ReviewsThe newer model of Apple MacBook Air was released in 2020 with almost the same specs as the previous model. You get 10th Generation Intel CPU with Iris Graphics which are way better than the UHD ones in older Intel CPUs.
Apple has always been a very expensive brand, you just cannot deny this fact. However, Apple has some great features, whether it is the iPhone or the MacBook, they function great. In the end you pay the extra bit for the exclusive features and the brand.
If you are a scholarship student and can afford the MacBook Air, then we suggest you go for it. It is a reliable piece of hardware with a 10th Generation Intel Core i3-1000NG4. It has an Intel Iris G4 built-in GPU in the processor that can handle mild graphics tasks.
While the Iris G4 has half the Execution Units and Shader blocks compared to the Iris G7, it has the same clock speeds. But half the units do cut down its graphical prowess by half as well.
The Core i3 has a base clock speed of 1.1GHz and a boost clock of 3.2GHz with 2 cores and 4 threads. With multi-thread support, you can multi-task easily on the MacBook Air without any lags.
You also get 8GB memory along with 256GB Solid State Storage, which you can expand up to 512GB SSD. This makes the MacBook quite a competent laptop and the perfect for students who can afford it.
The 13.3-inch Retina Display gives you a crisp quality image thanks to the True-Tone technology. The new Magic Keyboard by Apple is also a welcome feature for most, it has a travel distance of 1mm.
Lastly, it has great audio and video capabilities, with an HD camera for video calls. The battery life is also large, with an average of 9 hours battery life which can last you the whole duration of your time on the campus.
Specification:
CPU: Intel 10th Generation Core i3-1000NG4 (Core i5 also available for a higher price)
Memory: 8-GB DDR4 RAM (Can be expanded up to 16GB for more money)
GPU: Intel Iris G4 Graphics
Storage: 256GB SSD (512GB SSD option available)
Display: 13.3″ 2560 x 1600 Retina Display
Battery Life: 9 Hours Average Battery Life
OS: macOS
Best BudgetAcer Chromebook 15 CB3When You Are Stuck Under a Budget
This budget Chromebook is a perfect partner for any student who is stuck with a tight budget. Not everyone can afford a $400 dollar laptop, let alone an Apple MacBook Air. But with the budget cap comes huge compromises as well.
Check Price on AmazonRead ReviewsNot everyone gets a scholarship and needs to work part-time to make ends meet. This Chromebook is for such students who need a laptop to work on assignments but cannot afford an expensive one.
So firstly, Chromebooks have do not have high-end specs, that is the reason they are inexpensive. So when it comes to storage, memory, and processing speed, this Chromebook lags behind a lot.
It has an Intel Celeron N3060, a 2 core 2 thread CPU with a base clock of 1.60GHz, and a burst frequency of 2.48GHz. This is not bad, but the 2GB DDR3L will not be able to handle a lot of multitasking. You should only work with light loads on this Chromebook.
So Chromebooks are famous for not having a lot of storage, in this one you only get 16GB eMMC. While it also uses NAND as SSD does, it does not come in large capacities and is slower. But this Chromebook has a good battery life of almost 9-12 hours.
It has a 15.6″ 1366 x 768, LED-backlit ComfyView Display which is not that great but will get the job done for most. Other than that it has Wi-Fi capabilities so you can search the internet for your studies and research, or just watch Netflix.
You can expand the storage with an SD card as well well, so there is that option that you can choose later. The ChromeOS is not as flexible as Windows. Though it has a pretty easy interface so there won't be any trouble there.
For graphics, you have Intel HD Graphics 400, which are the run off the mill graphics and do not support graphical tasks. But you can get all of this in just $300 which is not a bad deal if you are a student.
Specification:
CPU: Intel Celeron Processor N3060
Memory: 2-GB DDR3L RAM
GPU: Intel HD Graphics 400
Storage: 16GB eMMC (Expandable via SD Card)
Display: 15.6″ 1366 x 768 ComfyView Display
Battery Life: 9-12 Hours Average Battery Life
OS: ChromeOS
Best 2-in-1Microsoft Surface Laptop 3Best of Both Worlds
Microsoft brings the best of both worlds with its successor to the Surface Laptop 2 with Surface Laptop 3. This one gives you an option to choose the AMD path with a custom made Ryzen 5 and 7 CPU along with the usual Intel processor.
Check Price on AmazonRead Reviews
The newest laptop by Microsoft is an expensive powerhouse that has become pretty famous in students these days. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 is the first in the line to have an option between Intel and AMD CPU.
You can either get this laptop with a custom made Ryzen 5 or 7 if you choose AMD and an Intel i5 or i7 if you choose team blue. So you better believe that the performance on this laptop is superb, rivaling that of the MacBook Air. That is why you can call this laptop the biggest rival at the same price point as it.
The 15″ 2496 x 1664 HD touch display, which is often used by artists for drawing artwork due to its responsiveness. You can get up to 32GB of RAM, with the base model having 8GB memory. You also get a 128GB of M.2 NVME Solid State Storage for the base model which is expandable up to 1 TB.
For AMD you get Vega Graphics while if you choose Intel you get the Iris Graphics. Either way, it has better GPU performance than most laptops in our list, so you can perform some light GPU intensive tasks on this.
Lastly, this laptop boasts an extraordinary battery life of 12 hours on average, but these numbers are at lower brightness. With bigger workloads and higher brightness you can push at least 7 hours out of the Surface Laptop 3.
Specification:
CPU: Intel 10th Generation i5 and i7 or AMD Ryzen 5 or 7 Surface Edition
Memory: 8-GB DDR4 RAM
GPU: Intel Iris Graphics or AMD Radeon Vega Graphics
Storage: 128GB SSD (Expandable up to 1TB for more money)
Display: 15″ 2496×1664 Touch Display
Battery Life: 7-12 Hours Average Battery Life
OS: Windows 10
Best PortableHP - 14When Light Does the Job
HP brings us a Chromebook, both light and efficient that too for a very reasonable price. In it you can choose either an AMD A4-Series CPU or an Intel one.
Check Price on AmazonRead ReviewsWhen it comes to performance, this laptop can lag a bit behind, but it is light and portable. Also very reasonably priced for its specifications, so students can easily afford it.
The AMD A4-9120C in the HP Chromebook 14 is a dual-core processor with integrated graphics. This allows you to use your laptop without lagging a lot and can playback the media smoothly.
You get 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM, which you can expand up to 8GB if you have the money for it, but 4GB is enough for a student's task. This Chromebook also has either a 32GB or 64GB storage depending on your budget.
You get the HP Chromebook 14 has rounded off edges, perfect for storage in student bags. It also has a variety in color from Chalkboard Gray, White, and Ceramic White to go with its stylish look.
Lastly, the HP Chromebook 14 has an HD Webcam and SD card reader, the LED on this thing is an IPS display with a resolution of 1366 x 768.
The bad side of it being portable is subpar battery life, not having such a great display and bad sound.
Specification:
CPU: AMD A4 Series CPU, 8th Generation Intel Core i3, Intel Celeron or Intel Pentium CPU
FAYETTEVILLE -- Xiaoqing "Frank" Liu, head of the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville's computer science department, has been named the next engineering dean for Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
Liu is set to start July 10, pending trustees approval.
Dale Thompson will lead UA's computer science department on an interim basis pending an internal search to replace Liu, UA spokesman Nick DeMoss said.
Liu joined UA in July 2015. The number of bachelor's degrees given out to students in UA's Department of Computer Science and Computer Engineering increased to 132 in 2018-19 from 76 in 2014-15, according to UA data.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson has emphasized computer science education in high schools and for younger students.
Liu said that has helped attract students to UA's computer science programs, which he said increased in enrollment by 30% from 2015.
"The department added multiple faculty positions to accommodate this rapid growth. In addition to the increased number of students joining our Department, many entering students are better prepared in computer science and the number of students who passed the entry-level classes by exams increased over the years," Liu said in an email.
He said the dean position at Southern Illinois is "an excellent professional career advancement opportunity," adding that he "had a great experience" at UA.
UA Engineering Dean John English in a statement said Liu "has been a joy to work with, and I'm grateful for his leadership during a time of rapid growth" for the computer science department.
Masks mandatory on transit buses
FAYETTEVILLE -- Passengers on Razorback Transit buses will be required to wear face coverings beginning Monday.
The date coincides with the first phase of UA's plan for reopening the campus during the ongoing covid-19 pandemic.
As part of efforts to minimize the risk of covid-19 transmission, the plan requires face coverings "for all students, employees and visitors while on campus in public settings and where social-distancing measures are difficult to maintain."
Razorback Transit provides free rides to the general public as well as UA students, and staff and faculty members. Cleaning and disinfecting protocols for transit buses are also part of UA's return-to-campus plan.
The first phase of UA's return-to-campus plan involves having some employees back on campus after working remotely. UA's final phase in its plan has the student body returning to campus in August.
January 28 2019 - Sabrina Ewing works on a laptop during Tamatha Smith's reading horizons class at Kirby High School. A Shelby County Schools plan to address inequities across the district would put a laptop or a similar electronic deviceÊin every student's hands over the next six years.Ê (Photo: Brad Vest/The Commercial Appeal, The Commercial Appeal)
Shelby County Schools could supply 95,000 students with tablets and laptops for the upcoming school year, if board members vote Monday to approve the latest digital learning resolution.
The devices are only part of the digital device plan the district is proposing to align with its 'hybrid' approach to school this fall. The latest plan anticipates a total cost of $37 million: though devices account for about a third of those costs, board documents show, the plan will also fund connectivity, tech supports and replacement devices, as well as supports for the teachers who will be on the other side of the screen.
Presently, it's unclear how much learning will take place remotely when August arrives. A re-entry task force has been meeting weekly for the past several weeks to hammer out details of contingency plans.
More: Will Memphis-area schools open in the fall? Here's why that's a 'tough question'
More: What will school look like this fall? Task forces are planning for several scenarios
Leasing the Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard devices would amount to $11.2 million the first year, and nearly $45 million for the four-year agreement. It would provide:
28,300 Microsoft tablets for grades pre-K – 2
42,000 Microsoft laptops for grades 3 - 8
24,700 HP laptops for grades 9 – 12
The current plan doesn't account for the nearly 18,000 students in the district's charter schools, but a presentation accompanying the resolution indicates the district is working on a plan to let those schools opt in to purchases.
SCS plans to put more than half of its funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act toward equipping each student with a device. The remaining funding for the plan will come from "other" and "pending" sources, documents show.
After this start-up year, the present plan would require an additional $24 million annually. The accompanying presentation to the new resolution provides budgetary reallocations and savings that the district indicates would make that possible.
As district leaders and board members have acknowledged, the device is only a tool for learning.
"To be clear, a device is just a device," the new presentation states. "The goal is to craft a strategy intended to enhance learner outcomes. If we provide equity and access to
devices and connectivity, all students have the opportunity to extend their learning day and further own their academic pursuits and progress to ensure every student, with the right tools and teacher support, will reach their greatest potential."
Monday's meeting will be the second attempt to move forward with a digital learning plan. Board members declined to move the plan to a vote after a committee presentation last week, Chalkbeat reported. Many board members reportedly wanted a clearer academic plan and picture of how the devices would aid learning.
Autoplay
Show Thumbnails
Show Captions
Last SlideNext Slide
Chalkbeat reported: "Board members acknowledged a decision is needed soon so the district can purchase laptops and hotspots for the fall, but without answers, board member Michelle McKissack said the district would be 'wasting money.'"
The board was scheduled to vote at a meeting Thursday afternoon, but pushed the meeting to Monday at 4:30 p.m. due to connectivity issues caused by a power outage. A circuit outage caused the school board office to lose power for just over two hours, a Memphis Light, Gas and Water spokesperson confirmed.
Earlier this week, the Nashville Metro government announced it planned to purchase 90,000 netbooks and 17,000 mobile internet hot spots for students that belonged to the local district. The Knox County Schools board approved a plan to fund devices for its students in mid-May.
Nationwide, COVID-19 has laid bare the existing inequities in education. Before the pandemic forced school closures, SCS had started an initiative to reach a goal of one device per student. Since school closures, they have issued laptops to some students who needed to complete course recovery, for example.
More: SCS distributes first laptops during COVID-19, readies online plan for entire district
Across Shelby County, just under 60% of households had a broadband subscription, according to Census data from 2014-18. Soon after schools closed, the district surveyed its teachers and families, and heard back from about 60,000, board documents show.
Of those students, 79% had access to technology and 85% had access for online learning.
What the survey doesn't show, though, is whether each household had one device per child, not to mention per any parent still working from home. Providing each child with a device is meant to address those obstacles to education.
More: How'd the first week without classrooms go in Memphis? Principals and teachers are learning too
Laura Testino covers education and children's issues for the Commercial Appeal. Reach her at laura.testino@commercialappeal.com or 901-512-3763. Find her on Twitter: @LDTestino
Read or Share this story: https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/education/2020/06/12/scs-could-approve-11-million-each-student-have-laptop-tablet/5342971002/
Uber has offered the nearly 7,000 employees it laid off in May a fair severance package by nearly all accounts.
But the company created a lot of confusion because it initially offered the first crop of mostly hourly workers cut on May 6 a less cushy package than it offered the second group of mostly white-collar workers cut on May 18.
Since Business Insider's inquiries on the discrepancies, Uber has gone back and made the first group's severance package the same as the second's, including a potentially valuable benefit to them concerning their work computer.
However, employees tell us that the work computer benefit has been a major source of confusion as some employees were allowed to keep theirs and others are not.
Uber says all laid off employees not allowed to keep their computer will get an extra $1,000 payment instead.
None of the hourly workers were allowed to keep the computer, and many did not learn about the $1,000 payment until after they signed their initial severance papers.
Some employees say the initial treatment of the hourly, customer support workers is a symptom of a bigger problem.
Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
As tech companies slash their headcounts to weather the coronavirus crisis, severance packages are in the spotlight. And a recent dust-up around Uber's severance has exposed a contrast that some say illustrates Silicon Valley's two-tier workforce.
When Uber laid off roughly 7,000 employees in May, it did so in two separate episodes, breaking the news to 3,700 primarily customer support staffers on May 6, and two weeks later cutting 3,000 mainly white-collar workers.
The key parts of the severance packages, particularly with regards to the number of weeks paid out, were nearly the same for both groups, and by all accounts fair and generous. But a discrepancy about one conspicuous detail — what happens to employees' personal computers — has caused confusion and added to the stress in a difficult situation.
As part of the severance package, some Uber employees were allowed to keep their work computers, others were not and were offered $1,000 cash payment instead. Uber's hourly workers however, were initially told to turn their computers in without any mention of payment at all.
In response to Business Insider's inquiries, Uber says that it has now gone back to the employees cut on May 6, including the crop of hourly workers, and promised to pay them $1,000 for the computers they turned in.
But confusion has reigned over this benefit for weeks, even for simple things, like Uber saying it would send employees a box so they could send their computers back. It said it wouldn't write the $1,000 check until after the computer and charger was returned, but as of last week, one month after the layoffs, some employees still hadn't received the return boxes.
A generous package bedeviled by an exasperating computer problem
The decision about the computers is a seemingly small detail in the context of a global pandemic and an economic recession that has wreaked havoc on businesses and employees, including the thousands of laid off Uber workers. But for some of the laid-off hourly workers, the ability to keep a computer is a much more meaningful benefit than it is to a salaried employee like a programmer or a marketing professional, many of whom are likely to already own PCs.
The situation has not been helped by the fact that employees are working at home due to the coronavirus.
After the layoffs, Uber remotely locked an undetermined number of computers, requiring a PIN to open, so those employees have not been able to use the computer at all during this time.
And some employees told Business Insider that instructions on erasing the data on the computers and the deadlines for returning the machines have seemed unnecessarily complex. In some cases, people were sent a final waiver that asked them to either return or wipe their computers by a date which had already passed.
Uber says the difference were due to different types of computers and roles among staffers, with some computers able to be wiped remotely, for instance, and some that were not, so that those computers needed to be physically returned for legal reasons. Uber also says the confusion is because it decided to improve the severance package for the May 6 group of laid off workers after the fact, in order to make it match the benefits offered to the May 18 group. So the company has been issuing revised severance documents.
As for other benefits, all workers received four weeks of "garden leave" pay, four weeks severance, and two weeks for each year worked (with up to 8 weeks total available in this tenure severance pay), as well as health insurance paid until year's end.
Initially, hourly workers and others cut on May 6 who had been employed with Uber less than a year didn't get any tenure severance pay. But Uber has now gone back and granted one week of it to them, so that all employees, no matter their tenure, get at least 10 weeks pay, it says.
We also discovered another thoughtful benefit for the lowest paid, hourly workers known as Community Specialists. Those enrolled in Uber's tuition reimbursement for a bachelors degree at Arizona State University will continue to be granted free courses through the end of the summer. After that time, ASU will offer them a 40% reduction in tuition, one former Uber employee who left before the layoffs, told us.
Computers, bathroom breaks and second-class citizens
While that all sounds like as fair an ending as possible for the laid-off hourly support workers, that initial, lesser severance was a symptom of the second-class status of the lowest-paid workforce, many employees told us.
Uber has about 65 driver support offices known as "Greenlight Hubs" nationwide, as well as a handful of bigger call-center known as Centers of Excellence. People close to the employees who worked at these centers say that they are often run as fiefdoms by the local managers. Employees are subject to the whims of the regional boss.
We've heard stories of nursing mothers not allowed to take extra breaks to pump milk. We've heard talk of employees who feared retaliation if they reported issues to HR, among other stories.
Uber tells us that it has clear policies on worker treatment including how to support new parents and that it encourages employees to report breaches in policy to its anonymous Integrity Helpline.
Yet, former Uber employees point out: managers who have been the subject of such reports remain working at the company while thousand of hourly folks have been laid off.
Are you an Uber insider with insight to share? Contact Julie Bort via email at jbort@businessinsider.com or on encrypted chat app Signal at (970) 430-6112 (no PR inquiries, please). Open DMs on Twitter @Julie188.
Peter Vogel has been an ECT News Network columnist since 2010. His focus is on technology and the law. Vogel is Of Counsel at
Foley & Lardner LLP, and focuses on cybersecurity, privacy and information management. He tries lawsuits and negotiates cloud contracts dealing with e-commerce, ERP and the Internet. Before practicing law, he received a master's in computer science and was a mainframe programmer. His
blog covers IT and Internet topics.
Email Peter.
Chelsea Hilliard has been an ECT News Network columnist since 2019. As an associate at Foley & Lardner LLP, she focuses her business
litigation practice on trade secret noncompetition and securities enforcement. She also helps clients with complex electronic discovery disputes and has been
recognized as Texas Rising Star attorney by Texas Monthly, and a Top Lawyer under 40 by D Magazine. Email Chelsea.
Acer Aspire 5 Slim LaptopBest Laptop for Any Student
Apple MacBook Air 2020For Students Who Won't Settle for Anything Not Apple
Acer Chromebook 15 CB3When You Are Stuck Under a Budget
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3Best of Both Worlds
HP - 14When Light Does the Job
Buy Photo
