Chromebooks just got a little more interesting with the newly unveiled Acer Chromebook Spin 514. The new Chromebook comes equipped with the latest AMD Ryzen 3000 C-Series Mobile Processors. The processor is complemented with AMD Radeon graphics. This new Spin 514 marries capable performance with stylish design. This paired with the responsiveness and battery life that Chrome OS gives makes the Acer Chromebook Spin a viable option for those looking for a workhorse on the go.
The built-in AMD Radeon™ graphics takes things to the next level by providing better performance whether it be gameplay or media streaming but also opens new doors when it comes to content creation on Chromebooks. That said, these features also empower business users by bolstering the capabilities of Chrome OS when it comes to business applications. The AMD architecture allows larger more complex operations to be done in programs such as Google Sheets.
The Acer Chromebook Spin 514’s convertible design also allows users to interact more naturally with Chrome OS and allows users to write, draw and sketch on the Chromebook. It also has military grade durability on its sleek body. The aluminium laptop comes equipped with either the Ryzen 5 (3500C) or the Ryzen 7 (3700C) complemented with AMD’s RADEON Vega Mobile graphics platform.
Acer Chromebook Spin 514 weighs only 1.55kg and is only 17.35mm thin. However, the cover of the laptop is exceptionally strong and can withstand up to 60kg (132lbs) of downward force or a drop from a height of up to 122cm (48-inches). The Chromebook Spin 514 comes with 14-inch Full HD touch IPS display with Corning Gorilla Glass protection to prevent scratches. Just like any other Chromebook, the Acer Chromebook Spin 514 has support for Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth 5.0. It also comes with 16GB of RAM and up to 256GB of PCIe NVMe SSD storage.
The Acer Chromebook Enterprise Spin 514 optimizes the Spin 514 for corporate and business use with features that allow businesses to manage devices at scale. In fact, Chrome OS itself is optimized for businesses looking to migrate to the cloud. The cloud-based OS will allow users to a lot more flexibility when it comes to working on the go. With one-touch enrollment, users are able to quickly enrol devices into the workforce. IT Departments can also easily control updates, configure apps, update policies and more remotely via Chrome OS’s web-based management system.
Pricing & Availability
The Acer Chromebook Spin 514 will be available in three colors: Pure Silver, Steel Gray, and Mist Green. The CP514-1H variant will be available starting February 2021 in North America and March 2021 in EMEA with prices starting at USD$479.99 (MYR1,940.66) and EUR529 (MYR2,622.45) respectively.
The Enterprise version (CP514-1WH) will launch in March 2021 in North America and EMEA for USD$749.99 (MYR3032.31) and EUR 799 (MYR3962.29) respectively.
Update 8:46pm: Google services seem to be coming back online. Sites like YouTube and Gmail are back. Google Play is still down, however. Discord is also back – it seems like the outage was unrelated.
Update 9:03pm: Pokemon GO is back online. No comment yet from Google. However, they have noted on their dashboard that, “service has already been restored for some users, and we expect a resolution for all users in the near future. Please note this time frame is an estimate and may change.”
Update 9:08pm: The Google Play Store is back online. It seems like the issue has been resolved.
If you’ve been trying to get into Gmail and other Google services like YouTube and failing, you’re not alone; while pretty rare, it seems like Google is experiencing a worldwide disruption of nearly all their services. Outages have been reported since 7:23 pm Malaysian time.
The disruption seems pretty extensive this time with services like GSuite for Business and Education also being affected in addition to Google’s new game streaming service, Stadia. YouTube is also down. If you’re on Android, the Google Play Store is also facing the same predicament. It seems like the outage is affecting more than just Google’s in-house apps. Apps like Pokemon GO and Discord have also been affected by the outage.
Reports are coming in are indicating that the outage may be more extensive with countries such as South Africa, the United Kingdom, India, the United States, Egypt, New Zealand, Romania, Russia and Thailand and Turkey also reporting the same.
The issue seems to be with account authentication as users are reporting that sites such as YouTube are accessible when accessed via an incognito window. YouTube Music is apparently still accessible on browsers at the time of writing. However, if you try to access the service through its app, you will only be able to access your downloaded content.
We will be updating this article as the situation develops.
Baby Yoda and Mando fans rejoice! Google has teamed up with Disney and Lucasfilm to create an AR experience to allow fans of hit streaming series, The Mandalorian, to enjoy snippets of the series on their smartphones. The Mandalorian AR Experience will bring some of the iconic scenes of Mando and The Child’s (Baby Yoda) adventures from the first season to whatever space its users want it to be; whether it be the living room, the outdoors or any other space.
Source: Google
To experience the virtual Mandalorian content, users will be required to download The Mandalorian AR Experience app on the Google Play Store using a supported 5G Android device. According to Google, this app will allow users to recreate some of the epic scenes from its critically acclaimed first season. For example, scenes like finding the Child, harnessing the Force and many other scenes are made available on the AR experience.
Players will be able to see life-sized versions of their favourite characters as they follow the trail of Mando, Din Djarin and the Child. Players can now interact with the characters in AR while capturing the scenes for sharing. Besides that, players will also be able to unlock additional effects based on the actions they perform within the app as the scenes interact and respond to the surrounding by using Google’s ARCore platform.
New episodes of the experience will be released on ‘Mando Mondays’ – a moniker given by Disney. Besides having weekly episodes updates, users that own a Pixel device will also be able to get additional exclusive content aside from the app itself.
The Mandalorian AR experience does not require a 5G connection to use the app. However, users will need a compatible 5G device. The app is free of charge and can be downloaded from the Google Play Store. Do check out the list of devices that is compatible for The Mandalorian AR experience on the official website.
Google’s Nest has just received an update and is ready to launch a new model after three years. Surprisingly, this new iteration released with a lower price tag and enhanced capabilities. The available colours are white, dark grey, light pink and light green at pricing of $14.99.
The new thermostat is designed to be simple and user friendly, with voice control through the Nest app on your devices via the Google Assistant or Amazon’s Alexa. With a swipe or tap of the touch strip on the edge of the thermostat, you can control the climate of your home. The design of the interface is minimalist and has a mirrored finish.
Source: Google
The Nest Thermostat has less functionality than its previous iterations, which allows for the lower price. It lacks the signature learning function that identifies the optimal climate conditions for you current living situation. However it still has some useful features such as alerts for issues with your HVAC system and prompts to adjust temperature levels for better efficiency. Moreover, Google stated that the process of installing is similar to other models and is compatible with many HVAC systems currently in use.
The new Nest Thermostat is currently retailing in the US and Canada for $129.99, with no news of availability in Malaysia just yet.
It is completely fair and not overstating to say that the Google Assistant has become one of the Google’s most important products. While people are still fantasizing of contact-less computing experience, which is still not realized by most people, Google Assistant has already worked its way into the society through variety of products like the Google Home and Chromecast. Google Assistant, we can safely say, has become a big part of plenty of people’s lives.
Google has added several new features to the Assistant this year, making it better and more helpful to users. The virtual assistant is now gaining the ability to open up, search, and perform general tasks across your favorite apps. As long as you have an Android phone that is Assistant-enabled, you will be able to open and search within Android apps just by calling; “Hey Google,” or “Okay Google.”
Google has kicked off this deeper integration by partnering with over 30 of the top apps on the Google Play store. Here a list of some of the apps such as Nike Adapt, Nike Run Club, Spotify, Snapchat, Twitter and of course more.
Source: Google
The new integration will allow you to do things that need several taps in the apps themselves. For instance, apps like Nike Run Club can be easily accessed without needing users physical input. This can be huge time saver.
For all the apps that support Google Assistant, you can simply create a shortcut phrases for it and it will perform whatever preset actions for you. Nike’s Adapt training shoes could be a great example. Through Google Assistant, could create a preset action command and get your shoes to automatically tighten itself on your feet. All done via Google’s voice command, something that dreams are made of.
Source: Google
The new usefulness is a major advance towards Google offering a totally without hands processing experience. While Android 11 previously included some genuinely incredible voice control openness choices, this adds much greater usefulness to the Google Assistant.
Google says the Assistant will be able to work with more apps in the near future. You could be a part of this exciting future though by creating these shortcuts and allow developers to map users’ intent to get Google Assistant to integrate with their favourite apps. Stay tuned and be excited for more fantasy acts.
Hot on the heels of the iPhone 12 launch, Google has sent out invites for a live stream event on October 15th at 12PM PT/ 3PM ET (3AM GMT+8/MST) called Search On. Google is looking to highlight how the company is applying the power of AI to help the people to understand the world better.
Source: Google
The event was announced through a brief tweet that revealed little about the virtual event. However, given the company’s focus, you can expect that the search giant will be updating the world, particularly developers, of the new features, services, and products from Google. More interestingly, Google is expected to update the world on how it is updating Search.
The event will be one of a series that has taken the place of I/O this year. The Their events have, in the past, had a singular focus – focusing on Assistant, Maps, and so on; so we are expecting that the search giant will be focusing their keynote on the advancements they will be introducing to Search.
Google is something that we use now nearly on a daily basis. G Suite is one of the largest known services for corporations in the digital space. G Suite is their email, their document system, their storage, and much more. It seems though that Google is not too happy with the name G Suite. G Suite now is called Google Workspace.
Google Workspace is not that much different from G Suite though. It is G Suite rebranded after all. There is still a difference however. In the coming weeks, users will get to see new four color icons for Gmail which including Calendar, Meet, Drive and collaborative content creation tools like Docs, Sheets and Slides. All this in lieu of Google Workspace’s commitment to build immersive communication and collaborations experiences from Google.
There are new features to Google Workspace too. First, you can save time by switching between apps and tabs to still manage to preview the content of a link without leaving the original document. The new features of Smart chips in Docs, Sheets and Slides is that names will automatically popup when you mention someone in a document. The new feature allows you to instantly share documents with whoever you need to share your documents with, when you need to.
Working remotely is difficult enough. You cannot possibly communicate with each other effectively without a meeting face-to-face. Not so with Google Workspace. Google Workspace enables users to work on a single document within a chat room. You can chat with your collaborators while typing things out in the documents. As long as you are not childish, this should go smoothly. In the coming months, you can even get to see the person you collaborate with on the same document with picture-in-picture feature.
The biggest impact of Google Workspace is in the education and non-profit organisation sectors. In the coming months G Suite tools like Classroom, Assignments, Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Neet, and Slides for education will be available for free. Of course, there are some limitations to G Suite for Education.
Source: Google
Google’s Google Workspace interface and rebrand is effective immediately. The “new home for work” tool is now available only for business customers. Still, Google is planning to roll out the service to end-users as well. If you have not seen any changes in your G Suite yet, you will see the four colour icon in the coming weeks. More information on Google’s Workspace website.
The question of ‘hackability’ and the overall security of our smartphones is one of those issues that seems to pop up in the news. After all, we use our smartphones for just about anything – sharing photos, ordering food, shopping online, sending emails and messages, banking and financial services, etc. – without realising all of the ways we could be putting our device and ourselves at risk, allowing cyber-criminals to get access to our sensitive data.
While many of us are better informed today about the potential dangers of being connected on our smartphones, hackers and cyber-criminals are also changing their methods of attack. As the global pandemic have left many of us stuck at home and more reliant than ever on our mobile devices, cyber-criminals have also adapted new ways to target users. Over the Movement Control Order (MCO), cybersecurity cases spiked by 82.5% compared to the same time last year, with 18% attributed to attacks against local companies and the remaining linked to home users and others[1].
Recognising Cyberattacks and the Need for Cyber-resilience
Among the new waves of attacks brought on by the pandemic are COVID-19 themed phishing lures, high-risk fake domains, and scams[2]. These new methods employed by cyber-criminals are aimed at taking advantage of the public fear of the virus, combined with heightened stress levels from unfamiliar ways of working. The most common attacks in Malaysia can be attributed to phishing attempts, the spread of malicious code via untrustworthy websites, and passwords, as below:
Phishing Emails – Reports have found that 91% of all attacks begin with a phishing email to an unsuspecting victim, with 32% of all successful breaches involve the use of phishing techniques[3]. While many of us have been educated on recognising phishing emails, these attacks are still effective, and can fool even tech-savvy individuals.
Malicious Websites – Compromised websites is a main avenue for spreading malware infections on mobile devices. Limiting your browsing activity to reputable websites can reduce the possibility of infection.
Password Security – A survey revealed that 59% of respondents use the same password for multiple accounts, citing convenience and a fear of forgetting their password as the reason for this practice[4]. However, this allows cyber-criminals to access all your accounts easily through one single credential. Therefore, it is advisable to use different passwords across accounts.
Cyberattacks continue to grow day-by-day, and it is crucial that we learn to minimise risk, with good cyber habits being a pivotal and essential first step in combatting threats.
Defending your Smartphone, the Moment it is Turned On
As such, while it is important to take steps and measures to protect yourself online, it is also crucial to have a strong security platform on your smartphone, helping you encrypt and secure confidential data. Most smartphone breaches happen because they may not be equipped with advanced security measures, have outdated systems that may not be able to withstand current attacks. Similarly, smartphone owners may also not consider the importance of securing their phones or performing regular security check-ups. However, there are certain devices that come with a safe and secure in-built mobile interface to keep your personal data protected.
For example, Samsung Knox sets a foundation of security to users at both the hardware and software level as a security platform that’s integrated within Samsung smartphones, tablets, and wearables to protect it against malicious threats. Whether it is protection against phishing attacks or potential malware infections, the Samsung Knox platform has security integrated into its DNA, providing multi-layered security with data encryption and run-time protection within Samsung devices to keep sensitive information safe from online threats. Users can safeguard passwords, save private files under a secured folder, and even secure mobile transactions with Samsung Knox. Getting to know your security platforms is just as important when considering the range of services that is available to ensure that it is updated to meet global information and technology security requirements. This helps its users stay ahead of the modern-day threats with its game-changing security features.
Given that smartphone usage has only grown exponentially over the past few years, it is important that we have more security platforms allowing us the freedom and peace-of-mind in staying connected. Similar to how Samsung Knox have.
On top of having a top-tier security platform for your data, having that protection extended to all the essentials in a mobile device is equally important. While many of us are familiar with installing apps on our phones, we may be unfamiliar with the authenticity of the sources producing these apps. Learning to identify unverified and suspicious sources can help users identify potentially harmful apps.
Similar to how Samsung devices come built-in with Google Mobile Services (GMS) to help ensure that your vital applications have the latest updates and patches from verified sources, using trusted sources from well-known app stores like Google Play can help protect you from downloading and installing apps that can harm your devices.
Staying Secure, Safe, and Savvy about Security
Cyberattacks are nothing new, the challenge is in identifying and combatting the updated approach that many cybercriminals are using when it comes to their targets and the frequency of their attacks. Whether it is a hacking attempt by a third-party app or a fraud email redirecting you to a malicious website, most cybercriminals have one common goal: exploit your personal data and use that data to make profit. As such, it is critical that we keep our sensitive information protected at all costs, with the help of a smartphone built with highly advanced security features to always keep you safe from unwanted threats.
The techENT Download is back for another exciting week in tech! This week’s tech news round up has everything from dramatic reveals, painful hacks to sad cancellations!
