Google’s Gmail is the next best thing to happen to emails and online accounts since Hotmail, Friendster, and Facebook. In almost every service you have on your smartphone or on the web, you tend to rely solely on your Google account. You sign into your Netflix account with your Google email, you sign into your Facebook account with Google email, you register for services with your Google email. Why not? It is free, and super easy to use and set-up.
The thing is, because of its ease of use, people tend to take advantage of it. You sign up for multiple accounts, you use those accounts to sign up for free services all around the internet just so that you can take advantage of free use periods of certain premium services. Yes, you can do that with YouTube premium, but do not recommend you do that. You would also have to have a new Gmail account every month, a headache to manage.
Google has been cracking down on phishing scams, account hijacking, and general email security for a long time with Gmail. But there is always going to be problems, especially when an account has been idle for too long. It not only takes up space in the database, but it also becomes a security concern, especially with the rising cases of account hijacking cases of late. According to Google’s internal teams, abandoned or forgotten accounts that are ten-folds less active than regular accounts does not feature added security layers like 2-step verification, meaning that the accounts tend to be a lot more vulnerable for hacks and identity theft, phishing basically.
While Google is giving more control over their accounts to users who owns the accounts in one way or another, they are adding another policy to their already extensive guidelines to Google accounts usage. Google will be deleting accounts that have been inactive for two years and above. If you have a Google account you have not activated or logged into for the past two years and more, you will no have access to them anymore come December 2023. This deletion will be a complete deletion that even includes data from Google Workspace apps and Google Photos.
For now, the policy only affects personal Google Accounts. If you are a business relying on Google’s services, you still have full control over your own Google Accounts. They are also taking a phased approach to the deletion and will inform users comprehensively and accordingly.
After Google I/O 2023 last week, you might have noticed that your Android smartphone pushing a notification to you. It is a prompt for you to try Google’s updated Bard. Most of you on Google’s email platform (Gmail) might also get an email asking you to try Bard today. If you are familiar with AI (artificial intelligence) news, you might already be familiar with Google’s Bard alongside OpenAI’s ChatGPT. To those, it might sound like a foreign object.
In simple terms, Google Bard is really the Google version of ChatGPT. While ChatGPT is developed by OpenAI, Bard is completely Google. You want to keep in mind that both ChatGPT and Bard are two separate platforms altogether though before jumping to conclusions and say that they are the same things. They are both categorised as generative AI, but they are both different from one another.
Unlike ChatGPT which has existed for some time, and is in its fourth iteration, Google Bard is fresh out of the oven; two months out of the oven, to be fair. Like ChatGPT, Google Bard was launched as an experiment. Like ChatGPT as well, the technology for Google Bard is not exactly new.
What is Google Bard?
Source: Google
As mentioned, Google Bard is a generative and creative AI by Google. Instead of overcomplicating the explanation, Google’s FAQ says that Google Bard is technically based on their LaMDA (Language Model for Dialogue Applications) AI model, Google’s very own linguistics program written for conversational purposes. When we say conversational, we do not mean that it will be like a regular conversation with a human being, but LaMDA aims to make it close.
To be fair, Google’s conversational AI is not something you have not seen before, you see it with Google Assistant whenever you call out “Hey, Google,” or “Okay, Google”. You can even use Google’s clever Assistant to get you a booking for a restaurant by having Google Assistant make the call and get the booking done, instead of you calling the restaurant yourself. In their demo a few years ago, Google’s Voice Assistant sounded so natural that the other person on the other end of the line could not even tell that they are speaking to an artificial person. This proves that LaMDA works, and has a place in the world. But our many use case of the Google Assistant even with Google Nest systems is prove enough that conversational AI has many uses in the current world.
Bard is not just a conversationalist though. It is more than that, a generative AI of sorts. It still has its roots in LaMDA, but it is a lot more than that now. It is made as a collaborative tool, for you to basically generate ideas, tabulate and make sense of data, help you plan things, help you design tools and steps, collate your calendars, and even use it as a learning tool.
According to Google, Bard is made to create original contents at the request and behest of individual users. Meaning that the algorithm could be different are results can be different from one person to another. Because it is Google, any request or question you post to Bard might prompt Bard to look into hundred or thousands of sources and draw conclusions, or present result in a way the does not infringe copyright or plagiarism laws. In the case that it does take up contents from another source, Bard will acknowledge and cite its sources. Google Bard is not built to write your college essay though, it is built to be a collaborator to manage your work and your life, to make it more seamless somehow over just Googling things. They do actually have a ‘Google It’ button for you to make full use of Google’s search engine though.
It is not a 100% solution for your own research and use case though. Google has mentioned and stressed that Google Bard is an experiment. It is an opportunity for their AI engines to learn even more at an accelerated pace with public input and use. Google Bard is meant to be iterated, which also means that the current form of Google Bard will not be final. They also mention that Google Bard, at its current form will not be 100% accurate at all times; hence, the ‘Google It’ button on Bard. While it is open source, Google also says that Bard is not meant to be used commercially or for advertising purposes at this time.
Why Bard?
Source: Google
The entire existence of Bard could be a sharp response to OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The success of the open-source AI platform has sort of forced Google to quickly introduce their own AI tool for use to the public. If they are to be believed, Google could offer the most powerful AI tool for the masses.
In the recent Google I/O 2023, Google has officially embraced Bard and announced that they have moved Bard to PaLM 2, an improved language model that offers more capabilities of Google Bard compared to just conversational based on LaMDA model. PaLM 2 now offers Bard the ability to code and program. It also allows Bard to solve even more complex mathematical problems and process through more complex reasoning models that offers Bard the ability to make better decisions over time.
As of Google I/O 2023, Google has opened the Bard experiment to more than 180 countries as of writing and is available in Japanese and Korean. As things go, Google is planning to open the experiment to more regions and make Bard available in about 40 languages. On top of more languages and regions, where the older Google Bard was mostly just conversational via text, the new improvement at Google I/O 2023 adds some visual flavours to your conversations with Bard. They have integrated Goole Lens into Bard and allow you to now scan photos of your things at home and let Bard come up with whatever captions you might want. You can even add photo references to your Google Bard generated itinerary when you travel.
But it is not just the surface updates for Google Bard. For Google I/O 2023, they have announced that Bard is not just a tool that is isolated from any other systems. Google is making the Bard available with an “export” button for collaboration purposes in the form of exporting and running codes on Python. You could directly copy email responses into your Gmail or Google Docs, if you want. If you want more out of Bard, you can even expect Adobe Firefly integration in the coming future for even more powerful generative tools like complete poster designs based on both Google’s and Adobe’s combined algorithms. They have also announced that they are working with more partners like Kayak, OpenTable, ZipRecruiter, Instacart, Wolfram and Khan Academy to get their Google Bard project integrated into their services and products.
In this case, where OpenAI is allowing you to plug its API anywhere and get it working with minor tweaks, Google is not looking to just do that. Google is offering deep integration with their partners to create even more, to become an even more powerful tool in your toolkit for the future. They look to open up even more opportunities and applications for the average user with deeper and more curated collaborations with partnering brands. While that may not necessarily be the best thing to do for some, it is a way forward for more integrated services and solutions to serve individuals and businesses better. It even allows partnering companies to understand their users and customers better in some cases.
Sharing files between devices is not as simple as it sounds. Sure, Apple figured it out and introduced their own version of wireless file sharing system called AirDrop for years now. The feature allows you to share files between multiple iPhones, MacBooks, iPads, or even Mac Desktops without the devices ever touching each other or tethering to one another.
Android and Windows did not have that. This is where the problem of fragmentation of Android and Windows devices comes into play. Every device is built to a different standard and specification so that file sharing between devices becomes a problem. You can technically share files between Android devices quickly without the devices ever touching each other. The function is called nearby share, and it works, to a certain degree. Each manufacturer also tries to come up with their own solution for their own devices that other manufacturers cannot take advantage of. For Windows devices, it is more of a problem because there is almost no such thing as wireless file sharing other than via Bluetooth.
It seems that Google, not Microsoft to no surprise at all, is going to solve that problem for Android users at least. They call it Nearby Share for Windows, which was technically introduced as a beta app for Windows devices about a month ago. Then again, it was only available in select regions and was more of a test tool. The tool is now in beta and is available for all Windows devices across the globe (with some exceptions).
If you wish to, you can download the tool from Google themselves to try it out. It only works with Android devices and 64-bit version of Windows 10 and newer. If you are running Windows out of an ARM based device, you are out of luck. You also need to own an Android device running Marshmallow (Android 6.0) with Nearby Share capabilities. It will be utilizing your Bluetooth and WiFi capabilities on both your Android and Windows devices to make the transfer handshake and transaction happen, so you want to make sure to turn on both when you are making a transfer.
Unlike HUAWEI’s implementation of file sharing between devices, you do not need an NFC tag on your PC or smartphone. The only thing you need to do is to tap ‘nearby share’ on your smartphone, select your accompanying or intended Windows PC, approve the data transfer request on your PC, and wait for the files to transfer at near instant speeds, as fast as your WiFi can go. The transfer goes both ways, so it will be the same process for data transfers from your Windows PC to your Android device.
The Nearby Share for Windows app, as you might have noticed when you hop into their website, is still in beta and will be in that state for a while, we guess. That means that you might need to expect a few bugs and glitches with the software or function. It is not going to be the perfect solution just yet is what we are saying. Of course, Google is looking to make the app better constantly, so that is also what we are expecting in the future. You can find out more about Google’s Nearby Share for Windows app on their website.
Razer’s BlackShark is a popular choice among gamers. While it may not seem like it offers much in music experience, it is specifically made with gaming in mind. That means you get immersive, detailed audio in games. Its attached mic also offers clear communications when you need to talk to your friends or teammates in an intense battle. Now you can do get all of that done without being tethered to your PC.
They call it the BlackShark V2 Pro, and it follows the same recipe that made all the BlackShark that came before this one. Within the similarly designed earcups are the same Razer TriForce Titanium 50mm audio drivers as before. That also means that you are still getting a clear, detailed, immersive audio that fits your gaming needs.
You also get THX Spatial Audio tuning with the large 50mm drivers. That also means that you are getting a virtual surround sound audio with your games too. If it is shooters you are playing, you are going to be able to tell where the enemies are coming from just based on their footsteps.
Source: Razer
You still get the same microphone as the wired BlackShark V2 for clear communications with your teammates, necessary when you are in a competitive environment. For comfort, you still get the same ultra-soft FlowKnit memory foam cushions on the earcups that relieve pressure to your head and offer breathability when things get intense. It is made for eSports after all.
Other than the blacked out three-headed snake insignia that is Razer’s signature logo and blacked out exposed wires connecting the earcups, the other difference between the BlackShark V2 and BlackShark V2 Pro is it lacks wires. It is a strictly wireless headphone; means you will not find a 3.5mm jack or AUX cables in the package. Because it is wireless, it does require a power source; a battery to operate. That means it adds a bit more weight to the hardware than the wired one. It now weighs 320g, nearly 60g more than the wired version.
While you do not have an AUX jack to plug it into, you still have two options to connect your headphones to your devices. You can connect your BlackShark V2 Pro via the Razer 2.4GHz HyperSpeed Wireless dongle that offers minimal latency and the most stable wireless connection available for competitive gaming. You can also connect your Razer BlackShark V2 Pro with your smartphones via Bluetooth 5.2 that also offers low latency and stable connectivity, not as good as the wireless dongle though. The roughly 60g battery inside the Razer BlackShark V2 Pro offers up to 70 hours of battery life, allowing you to game entire sessions without worrying about the headphones dying on you.
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
The Razer BlackShark V2 Pro is now available via Razer.com, official RazerStores globally, and authorised resellers. You get to choose between the white or the black colour options. It will set you back US$ 199.99 (MYR 892*), which is quite a lot of money for a headphone, but it is Razer, and it is one of the best gaming headphones you can find in the current market. More on the BlackShark V2 Pro can be found on their website.
*Approximately based on the exchange rate of US$ 1 = MYR 4.46 as of 28/04/2023 on xe.com
We have proven that Chromebooks can be a versatile mobile workstation that is also budget friendly. Google’s Chrome OS is a genuine viable choice if you are looking for a new laptop for both work and entertainment, at least to a certain extent. While it proved to be a powerful tool for internet browsing, document processing, presentation creation, basic data crunching, movie watching, and music listening to a certain extent, it is not something you want to use if you need to get videos or photos out quickly. You might prefer to get a more powerful Windows PC for that, alongside the many software suites available on the platform. With the latest Google Photos update though, your Chromebook might now be a viable option for a quick video edit.
Source: Google
Google announced a new Google Photos update for Chromebooks as of last month. It is a significant update for the app on Chromebook. It allows users to use the app to edit videos on the Chromebook via the Google Photos app. The video editing tool on Google Photos app on Chromebooks is also designed to be as simple to use as possible. That announced feature is now available on the latest update to the Google Photos app on Chromebooks.
If you are new to video editing, the Photos app’s movie tool should be an easy enough tool to work with even for amateurs. The tool offers suggestions on the themes you can use for your own movies. Once selected, alongside the clips you select for the video, the app will cleverly put them together to create a custom movie in just a few taps. The app can even pick out the most interesting and meaningful moments in your clips to include in the video and cut out the rest to make it even easier and quicker to get your videos out.
Source: Google
If you are more used to picking out your own clips, and have a more hands-on approach to your videos, the app also allows you to select your own videos, arrange them, and put them together on your own. You do get the versatility and browsing power of the Google Photos app for you to quickly surf through and pick the right clips for your video. You also get to use copyright free music selected from the built-in music library. Of course, if you prefer to insert your own music, you can too.
You can try out the Google Photos movie editor yourself if you have a Chromebook. As mentioned, you just have to update the Google Photos app to its latest version via the Google Play Store on your Chrome OS. Once you updated your app, you simply access the function via the app. More on the new feature on Google’s Photos App on the Chrome OS can be found on their blog announcement.
Google has just updated the Google Meet app and it is now better than ever. You can now make video calls in Full HD instead of just 720p HD resolution. Those Full HD, 1440p, and 4K webcam for your video conferences are now starting to make sense. There are some caveats though.
The Full HD capability update for Google Meet applies to not just the app on your smartphone, or on your PC. It also works when you access Google Meet via the web. By default, it is set to ‘off’, so you do need to turn it on to activate the feature for your calls. You also need a Full HD or higher resolution cameras connected to your PC or device for it to work. You can also only use it in a one-on-one call unfortunately, means your group calls will still be in 720p at the maximum.
With Full HD 1080p resolution though, bandwidth requirements will be higher than ever before for Google Meet calls. In the case where bandwidth is an issue, Google Meet will default to 720p resolution at the maximum. Of course, if you feel like your feed is choppy, you can turn off the Full HD 1080p option yourself. Google Meet will also inform you about the feature before it puts you into a supported call.
Source: Google
Here is the thing though, the function is not available to everyone using Google Meet. If you are using Google Meet for free to get personal video calls in, you are out of luck for now. The feature will only be available to users of Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Starter, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Teaching and Learning Upgrade, Education Plus, Enterprise Essentials, and Frontline. It is also available to Google One Subscribers with 2TB or more storage space with supported devices. We are hoping that Google will make the Full HD 1080p feature available to more users in the future. For now, if you are not a user of any of Google’s listed services you are out of luck. For more information on the latest Google Meet update, you can visit their website.
Handheld gaming is a thing, an inevitable thing. Nintendo has always championed the concept and is a huge pioneer in the handheld gaming industry. The Nintendo Gameboy, for example, is one of the first and one of the most popular gaming handheld devices ever produced. It was iconic too, the namesake stayed on for a couple of generations and made way for a couple of new ideas in the handheld gaming space. It gave birth to the Nintendo Switch, partly.
The Nintendo Switch gave way and inspired many other new gaming devices that flooded the market. All that accumulates to Valve’s very own Steam Deck handheld gaming device. While not the first of its kind to play games on the Steam library while on battery, it is sort of the best solution and culmination of that concept. Then there is this new device, the new ROG Ally.
If you have scoped around the internet; YouTube especially, the ROG Ally should not be foreign to you by now. It is an ASUS manufactured handheld gaming device that mimics the concept of the Steam Deck. Unlike the Steam Deck though, it does not run its own version of Linux. It runs Windows, like a lot of the Chinese made gaming handheld that fancies itself the “Switch” of the PC gaming industry. More Specifically it runs Windows 11, making not just Steam library games available to users. You can theoretically play games from Ubisoft, Amazon Games, Epic Games, or even Origin Games.
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
Source: ASUS
The internal that keeps you happy gaming as long as the battery allows you is an integrated AMD APU. It is an AMD Ryzen Z1 series processor, not the same one you find on the latest gaming consoles for your couch. The Ryzen Z1 processor you find in the ROG Ally comes with AMD’s latest RDNA 3 architecture making it the most efficient and powerful APU of its kind found in a gaming handheld. You do need to keep it rather cool to get the best out of it though. In the restricted space that is the ROG Ally’s body is their new Zero Gravity thermal solution that keeps the internals happy with two fans pulling temperature away from ultrathin heatsink fines and high-friction heat pipes out the top of the device.
The powerful APU and cooling system projects Windows 11 and all your games on a high-resolution 7-inch display. It offers Full HD 1080p resolution, twice as much as the Steam Deck, and it is possible thanks to the powerful APU. It also offers 120Hz in refresh rate with FreeSync Premium, meaning your AAA games play smoothly and tear-free. If you wish to play in the great outdoors; because your mother has been telling you to play outside, it offers 500 nits in maximum brightness. It is also a touch sensitive display for easy Windows 11 and the Special Edition Armoury Crate navigation.
All of this is packed in a hardware that weighs only 608g. Unlike a Switch, the control panels are not detachable. But that means that the lightweight device is a solid build that you can just chuck in your bag without taking up too much space and adding too much weight in your backpack. The device is also shaped ergonomically for maximum comfort for its users with unique textures to improve grip on the device.
The ROG Ally will be launching globally on the 11th of May 2023. You can be part of that launch too on their event website. For now, that is the only information we have on ASUS’ ROG Ally. More information on the ROG Ally can be found on their website.
Acer announced their Orion X last week alongside a few new gaming laptops. The Orion X is a gaming desktop tower that weighs 9kg though. That also means that unlike a gaming laptop, if you buy a Predator Orion X, you only get the tower without any other peripherals. For you to start gaming with the Orion X, you still need a keyboard, a mouse, and probably speakers or headphones. The most important thing to get with a gaming desktop is a big ol’ gaming monitor, and Acer has announced some of them too.
Acer Nitro XZ452CU V
Source: Acer
Source: Acer
This is a little bit of a curious thing for us. We have always known Acer’s Nitro brand as the sort of entry-level gaming brand for gamers looking for the best value in gaming gear without spending a fortune. They do not need the best of the best, just something they can work with the money they are willing to spend.
This one feel more premium than it should though. It does not offer Full HD resolution. Instead, it offers a rather premium QHD resolution. It is not just QHD 1440p either, it is a 44.5-inch ultrawide 1440p resolution display. You get 5,120 by 1,440 resolution at 32:9 aspect ratio for more real estate on your monitor. That means you get to see more in your game world. You are not getting some cheap display panel that runs slower than snail too. You are getting 165Hz from this monitor with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro for a fast, smooth gameplay that is free of screen tearing. Then there are the colours this thing offers. You get 90% in DCI-P3 of colour gamut coverage, meaning it offers a rather accurate and rich projection in terms of colours. It offers VESA certified DisplayHDR 400 rating meaning it offers up to 400 nits in brightness. That is not exactly bright, but in your gaming den, it still looks good. To keep your eyes from falling off, there is BlueLightShield Pro, Flickerless, Low-Dimming, and ComfyView technologies from Acer. It also has a KVM USB hub with a USB Type-C input for display, data, and even device charging all at the same time. It even has an RJ45 port if you want to hide your network cable.
All of these means you are getting a premium gaming experience. It is an Acer Nitro gaming device; therefore, we are expecting a rather small price tag as well. We think that the Nitro XZ452CU V could be the best valued premium gaming monitor you can buy when it is available. If you are looking for something more premium though, you can get your hands on something else, a Predator.
Predator X34 V
Source: Acer
As its name suggests, it is a smaller display at 34-inch compared to the 44.5-inch from the newly launched Nitro. It is still an ultra-wide panel, but just a little shorter than the Nitro. But it is a much nicer panel you get over the Nitro too.
Instead of a regular IPS, or run-of-the-mill VA panel, you get a brilliant looking OLED panel. The OLED panel offers 3,440 and 1,440 pixels to you at VESA DisplayHDR TrueBlack 400, thanks to the OLED technology. It also offers 99% coverage in DCI-P3 colour gamut for the most vivid colours and image you can get currently.
It is a Predator gaming monitor; you can expect it to be fast. The 1800R curved panel offers 175Hz in refresh rate and Grey-to-Grey response time is brought down to 0.1ms for the most responsive and smoothest gaming experience you can get from a monitor. It comes with AMD’s FreeSynch Premium and Variable Refresh Rate technology for not only a tear-free gaming experience, but a reduced power consumption to save on your electricity bill (not a lot, but savings are still savings). It also offers Acer’s suite of eye protection technology like BlueLightShield Pro, Flickerless, Low-Dimming, ComfyView, and EyeSafe 2.0.
Price and Availability
The Predator X34 V and Nitro XZ452CU V will both be available in the North American markets in the fourth quarter of 2023. We are expecting that Malaysia would get the new monitors just a little later than the North American markets. The larger Nitro XZ452CU V, to no one’s surprise, will start at US$ 999.99 (MYR 4,438*), cheaper than the Predator X34 V. The Predator X34 V starts at US$ 300 more than the Nitro at US$ 1,299.99 (MYR 5,769*). There are no official prices for Malaysia just yet. More on Acer’s new Nitro XZ452CU V and Predator X34 V can be found on their website.
*approximately based on the exchange rate of US$ 1 = MYR 4.44 as of 24/04/2023 on xe.com
They say if you are looking for a desktop PC, you do not buy a pre-built desktop set. While that may generally be true, we think that there are some exceptions. We think Acer’s Predator Orion gaming towers are part of that exception.
Pre-built desktop towers do have their place still in the personal computing market. It is for those who want the convenience of a PC tower without the hassle and knowledge of picking the right parts at the right prices and putting them together yourself. A pre-built gaming PC like the Orion set-up is made for those who just want the best plug-and-play gaming solution so that they can focus on the gaming instead of the whole process of putting a PC together.
Most of the time, when you buy a pre-built gaming tower though, you get a mid-size tower that can take up a little bit of space on your desktop. Not the new Predator Orion X that Acer has just introduced in their next@Acer 2023 though.
The Power of Orion
Source: Acer
Welcome to what is probably the most advanced Predator desktop tower ever made, the Predator Orion X. It is Acer’s most powerful gaming PC to date, and it is not hard to see why. It packs Intel’s very rare and very powerful Intel Core i9-13900KS Special Edition. Alongside the most powerful Intel processor you can buy today is also the most powerful GPU you can find on the market today – the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 GPU. You get up to 32GB in RAM and up to 2TB in storage. Those components are not just what made the Orion X the most advanced and unique Predator desktop to date though. It is the size of the Orion X that makes it the most unique Predator product to date.
It is packed in a rather small case, smaller than the outgoing Orion 3000, half of the Orion 3000 in fact. While small form factor PCs are not something new, how clever the Predator is though, the compact desktop industry could learn a thing or two from the construction of the Predator Orion X. The way Predator constructs the Predator Orion X allows easy access to the components for future upgrades and even cooling avenues for the powerful hardware.
No, the Founder’s Edition NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 GPU will not fit into this little case. Yes, the Founder’s Edition NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the smallest air-cooled RTX 4090 card there is. Who said anything about air cooling the graphics card though?
Advanced Cooling Solution
Source: Acer
The Predator Orion X’s CPU and GPU are both liquid-cooled, a first in the Predator Orion line-up. The custom liquid-cooling solution allows the graphics card package to be a lot more compact than even the Founder’s Edition card for a package as small as the Orion X. It also keeps the CPU running happily to its limits without the worry of restricted airflow in a smaller case.
Predator’s think tanks have designed the chassis to have three distinct “zones” as they put it. They divided the chassis into three different compartments for both easy access and optimum airflow to each powerful component. Zone 1, or the first compartment, at the right side of the chassis is where you find the main motherboard and CPU components. Easy access to the mother board also allows you to conveniently replace or upgrade your SSD. You can also easily swap out your PSU (Power Supply Unit) from Zone 1. Then you have Zone 2, right behind Zone 1 where you can easily access the GPU unit. There are also 2.5-inch SATA SSD trays and slots here for you to add even more storage to the compact PC. Zone 3 sits at the top of the desktop tower. There, you get access to the fan and 240mm radiator for the custom liquid-cooled loop. The pump for this radiator set-up sits on top of the CPU cooling block to keep things even more compact.
Sci-Fi Level Access
Source: Acer
They say that the Predator Orion X is inspired by Sci-fi, more specifically a space capsule. The entire thing, including the liquid cooling system weighs only 9kg. With “sci-fi” in mind, they used plenty of aluminium on the chassis; the top and side panels are made of aluminium. The front has some aluminium that houses some RGB strips to create that signature Predator logo. It is covered by a glass panel just to add to the drama and sci-fi feel and look. To make it even cleverer though, all the essential panels can be disassembled without tools. The latches holding on to the top and side panels are conveniently and cleverly numbered, accessible from the front panel. The only thing holding the latches in place is the glass cover that attaches to the front panel via magnets, so that is tool-less too.
It is not like you are sacrificing much in terms of connectivity with the compact Predator Orion X too. The motherboard packs Killer Wi-Fi with Wi-Fi 6E support so that you can place the Predator Orion X anywhere in your house and game online without the fear of unstable connections. It is also especially useful for LAN parties, if we must point out. There are two USB 3.2 Gen1 USB Type-A and Type-C ports easily accessed at the front panel. The front panel also offers a 3.5mm combo jack in case you want a robust headphone set-up to go with your Orion X. Of course, if you prefer a more wired interface for the internet, theres is the usual RJ45 port at the back alongside three USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A ports, and a USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type-C port.
Price and Availability
The Predator Orion X will be available in the North American markets in September 2023 onward. No colour options to choose from here, just the signature black that any Predator Orion products come with. Prices will start at US$ 2,999 (MYR 13,310*). There are no confirmations on its availability date just yet in Malaysia. For more information on Predator Orion X, you can head over to their website.
*Approximately based on exchange rate of US$ 1= MYR 4.44 as of 22/04/2023 on xe.com
Looking for an alternative to Windows? Well, Chromebooks are slowly becoming a more stable, option with constant internet connectivity making them the perfect device for learning or even enterprises looking for a versatile remote work option with security in mind. Acer has introduced an updated Chromebook Spin 714 with premium specifications and build and even a special version built for enterprises.
Source: Acer
The Chromebook Spin 714 isn’t just a Chromebook. It brings some of the best features that Acer has to offer. The laptop itself is made of premium anondised aluminium which gives it a refined finish. It’s also rate U.S. MIL-STD-810H for durability.
On the inside, the Chromebook Spin 714 comes with a 13th generation Intel Core processor. The Chromebook will support up to the Core i7 processor and up to 32GB of RAM. It comes with a 14-inch WUXGA display with 100% coverage of the sRGB gamut and a 16:10 aspect ratio. It’s biggest feature is a 2K QHD webcam which promises high quality video for video calls and conferencing.
As its name indicates, the Acer Chromebook Spin 714 is able to “spin” itself into different configuration. It comes with a 360° hinge which allows it to become a presentation surface, a tablet or a regular laptop. The laptop also comes with a stylus allow you to note take more naturally with its 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity.
It’s also got a complete array of I/O ports with Thunderbolt 4, USB-C, and HDMI support. It’s also got Gorilla Glass on both the screen and touchpad for added durability. The Chromebook is also one of the greener offerings from Acer as it comes with recycled plastics in its build similar to the sustainable Vero lineup.
Source: Acer
Pricing & Availability
The Acer Chromebook Spin 417 will be available commercially starting May in America for USD$699.99 and EMEA in July starting at EUR999.
The Chromebook Spin 417 is also available in an enterprise edition which comes with access to Chrome Enterprise Upgrade. This allows IT departments to leverage Chrome OS’s built-in business capabilities including zero touch enrolment, remote management and more.
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