Let’s start the list with Facebook.

What could Facebook do to be viewed more positively?

We talk about abandoning Facebook often because of the amount of wrong information on the service. The advertisers take advantage of us by selling us crap. Because of the hostility and aggravation we often feel dealing with trolls, what services could Facebook provide to make it more attractive? That’s the topic; here are three of my ideas.

Global Gift Registry: Most of us are trying to figure out what to get our loved ones for Christmas, and lately, rather than force people to return stuff, I’ve defaulted to gift cards. But what if Facebook took what it knew about you and populated a gift registry that you could edit and that others could use to choose gifts. Like a wedding registry, when the person buying the gift could cross it off the list in a way where only third parties could see the result until after the holidays? You could restrict access to the list to only those you exchange gifts with to mitigate the risk of a hostile actor screwing with the list, and it could even provide a way for people to pool their money and ship you something more expensive than what any one person could have bought by themselves. An AI could also help you refine the list to favor the most highly rated products and score the items on how excited you’d be to get them. What else would you add?

Troll Alert: Some people enjoy spreading grief, and Facebook knows who they are. Once identified, they could provide a setting where you could automatically block or ban people who continuously attack others. It could be on a sliding scale, so you could choose just the right amount of pain you are willing to tolerate. Facebook could also provide several warnings before identifying the user as a Troll to change their behavior before being widely blocked. Facebook would own the score, but the users would choose what threshold they were willing to accept. This feature could also be applied to users who frequently spread inaccurate information. How would you deal with trolls at scale?

Electronic voting

During the pandemic, Cisco helped implement a congressional program so that members could interact and vote on measures. Given the uncertainty surrounding the last election’s mess, why not explore a digital approach to voting that would be somewhat like what Congress is using. It is safer, it is undoubtedly potentially more secure, and you could even have provisions so that people who voted early but changed their minds could change their votes. You could even get a digital report after the vote that confirmed your vote was counted correctly and provided you with your impact. 

Many people believe their vote doesn’t count and is done correctly; the system could expressly point out the impact of your vote on the result mathematically. In close elections, your vote might have a far more significant impact than you realize. We bank online, pay taxes, shop, now do much of our medical bookkeeping online; why not allow us to do like Congress does and vote online? 

What would it take for drivers to accept autonomous cars? 

The world of autonomous cars is fast approaching, and most people surveyed aren’t at all excited about this change–even though it could save hundreds of thousands of lives. So, what would it take to make them acceptable? Do we need to see them in races first, do we need a decade or so with them safely on the road, or do we need them to interact with us, much as an Uber driver does? We currently get into Uber and Lyft cars without any real idea if the guy driving the car is a safe driver, well (not infected with an infectious disease) or even sane. 

Maybe a popular updated series like “Knight Rider” could work, or broad trials where people could see the cars competing broadly in dangerous situations without accidents. What would it take to get you to accept a car taking over the driving responsibilities?

Wrapping up

The holidays this year are likely to be a little tense, given what is going on in the world and the uncertainty of the last U.S. election. Finding safe but exciting topics could be problematic. I’ve provided some about Facebook and social media, electronic voting, and autonomous cars to help get you started. 

Best of luck, and I hope you have a wonderful and safe Holiday Season!

Rob Enderle is a principal at Enderle Group. He is a nationally recognized analyst and a longtime contributor to eWEEK and Pund-IT.

The post Tech Topics to Safely Discuss Over the Holidays appeared first on eWEEK.

It seemed odd that decades after Windows and during a massive shift to the cloud, one of the most potent cloud vendors instead decided to redo Windows. Microsoft seemed like it was repeating the Netscape Office mistake, albeit with a massively bigger budget. 

Over time, Chromebooks did gain a following in education, which is a feeder market to the enterprise. Kids coming up on Chromebooks might prefer them for business, and while historically they are mostly lackluster devices, Chromebooks’ interest in business has been steadily increasing. The Chrome OS may still be, for many, the best platform for a cloud-native deployment, and the cloud has become far more prevalent during this pandemic event. IT organizations, because they are figuring out what they want to do long term with the cloud desktop, would prefer a bridge product rather than a full ChromeOS offering. 

That appears to be the HP Elite c1030 Chromebook. This Chromebook may be the perfect-storm bridge product, because it benefits from the macOS lessons. This laptop may not only be the ideal bridge product; it may also be a better alternative for enterprises than Apple products. 

Let me explain. 

Parallels 

Generally, what allows the Macs to work in enterprise accounts is the Parallels Desktop for Mac software. It allows Windows to run on an Apple product, and now Parallels Desktop for HP Chrome Enterprise comes bundled with this HP Elite c1030 Chromebook, enabling it to run Windows 10 directly on Chrome OS―even offline. If the notebook becomes compromised on the Chrome side, it may not become compromised on the Windows side and visa versa. In short, it should be more resistant against threats such as rootkits that target Windows machines, because the rootkit will typically try to get situated below Windows. But not even knowing there is another operating system below it–where additional security software and HP has a ton of it–can better identify the malware. 

For those who want Chrome, this potentially provides the best of both worlds; it provides a Chrome experience, which remains one of the better front ends for a cloud-connected deployment. It has a full Windows Desktop for applications such as Microsoft 365, which have been enterprise standards for a long while. 

The Hardware

This laptop is no stripper. This laptop has the same build quality as other HP laptops, which means it will resist better than most things like being wiped down with disinfectant (many, if not most, laptops aren’t yet built to handle high alcohol content disinfectant). It has a 90.1% screen-to-body ratio, and the 3:2 screen aspect ratio that is increasingly the industry’s preference. You can also specify the industry’s best screen, a 1000-nit, daylight viewable and privacy screen (Sure View Reflect). These are awesome for working outside, which has become rather important during this COVID-19 event. It is in the ultralight category at under 3 pounds and, like most HP commercial products, is tested to the 19-STD 810H military durability tests. 

It has dual microphones for audio quality, a wide-angle HD camera for video conferencing, and a Bang & Olufsen sound system–that you’ll likely appreciate more for movies and music than for Microsoft Teams meetings–helps there as well. Based on Intel’s Project Athena, this is a tuned laptop, meaning you should get every bit of performance you paid. That includes a fast SSD and Wi-Fi 6. It has a fast charge, a high capacity battery providing up to 12 hours on a charge, and recharge to 90% in 90 minutes. If you are into green, this laptop meets the most rigorous EPEAT Gold standard in 19 countries because it has 50% recycled plastic in the keyboard and 75% recycled aluminum in the case. 

Wrapping Up: Ideal Use Case

This laptop is the equal of most any premium enterprise laptop out there with one big differentiator: It runs Windows 10 using Parallels Desktop on the Chrome OS. This statement means the ideal user group is likely the most common right now; that is, users are in the midst of a cloud transition. 

This laptop is a bridge product that enables its user to retain the same hardware he/she has before migration to the cloud and then afterward while providing failover for those times when the cloud is out of reach. 

We are likely to be in this cloud transition period for another three to seven years. This timeline suggests that those firms that are putting together a transition plan, and executing it will likely prefer this product, depending on how they want their desktop to look post-migration. They aren’t yet sure if they want Windows clients or Chrome clients when they are done. 

We all learned from this pandemic that flexibility is likely your most important technology requirement, because we still don’t know where to end up post-pandemic. This HP Elite c1030 may be the most flexible in “cloud vs. desktop” use cases of any laptop currently in the market. So if you are looking for a bridge product to the cloud, check out this HP Elite laptop. It may be just what the doctor, or this analyst, ordered. 

Rob Enderle is a principal at Enderle Group. He is a nationally recognized analyst and a longtime contributor to eWEEK and Pund-IT.

The post HP Elite c1030 Chromebook: The Corporate Notebook We’ve Been Awaiting appeared first on eWEEK.

Well, if you had been holding a Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro instead of one of those others, you’d need not worry. This phone is made to be dropped; in fact, I think it likes being dropped. A big advantage is this: It doesn’t look or feel like one of those bulky, heavy, “rugged” phones you would use out on an oil rig; it looks like a regular business or personal phone that you’d be comfortable showing off to a friend.

I have been using an XCover Pro as my go-to smartphone for a couple of months. I don’t make a habit of dropping phones, but if I did drop this one, I feel I’d be OK with it. These are fortified just well enough to put your mind at ease at all times. You can drop one into water, and it will keep on working. A kid could drive over one with a bike, and it’ll be OK. It might even be able to survive being dropped in a campfire, although I don’t know that for sure. And, no, I’m not going to do that test.

You can’t have those things happen to an iPhone or most other devices, that’s for sure. With the XCover Pro, you have a fighting chance of surviving these mishaps and have the phone live to see another day.

Yes, the Galaxy XCover Pro can take a beating. This phone is dust- and water-resistant and proudly sports an IP68 rating. Devices backed by an international standard rating of IP68 are deemed fit to withstand dust, dirt and sand, and are resistant to submersion up to a maximum depth of 1.5 meters underwater for up to 30 minutes. The phone can be cleaned under running water, if need be. Naturally, you should avoid these things with a standard smartphone. Thus, you can use the XCover Pro basically anywhere in the world you can get a signal, no matter what environment you happen to be in.

What is the Processing power of the Galaxy XCover Pro?

The Exynos 9611 processor isn’t the biggest engine in the garage, and perhaps the most notable drawback of the XCover Pro is its 4GB of RAM. If you’re doing most routine business duties, such as email, texting, word document creation, net surfing, social networking and so forth, you’ll be fine with this. However, if you’re planning to use heavier business apps—such as network portals, spreadsheets, accounting apps, analytics tools, creative apps—I wouldn’t recommend it. For those, you need 8GB to 12GB of RAM at minimum; otherwise, you’ll be spending too much time watching arrows spin around as the app tries to get functioning.

I read a review of the XCover that claimed the phone was slowing down with each passing week. Although I didn’t experience that problem—and it IS a problem when it happens—the 4GB memory can cause that issue. It’s not unlike a 4-cylinder engine in a car; it’s fine for running around town and for traveling on flat surfaces for long distances, but as soon as you need power to go up a steep grade, forget it. We had a Toyota van years ago with a 4-cylinder power plant, and it could only hit 50 mph tops going up a mountain grade. Very frustrating, and I wouldn’t buy that type of vehicle again. Sometimes you just need a little extra power in the plant to help you get over a spike in your work.

Power Source of the XCover Pro

The XCover Pro has a battery purported to last six to eight hours of continuous heavy usage. I only had to charge the phone up once every two days or so, because I don’t use that phone to that extent. The backside of the device is made of heavy plastic and can be removed, so it’s possible to swap the battery without taking it to the Samsung store. The battery can be revved up using either a quick charger or a wireless charger. Overall, good ratings on battery life.

Is the Galaxy XCover Pro good for security?

The XCover Pro has good biometric software: face recognition, a fingerprint scanner and Samsung Pass for protection. You can encrypt or decrypt the SD card. It carries a special secure folder for top-secret files, so if you work for the CIA, that’s a good thing.

It also features the manufacturer’s standard Knox (as in Fort Knox) security system, and that’s a respected process that provides a distinct advantage. The mobile device management solutions of Samsung (and third parties) can completely secure this device and ensure that it is only usable for working with business applications. Encryption can also be applied, and the device can be managed remotely.

Push-to-Talk Integration

In a recent development, ESChat announced that it has integrated its Push-to-Talk (PTT) solution into the Galaxy XCover Pro. Now, users on carrier and enterprise LTE networks can take advantage of XCover Pro’s dedicated PTT buttons and have access to secure communication.

For remote areas where communication is still a priority, users can deploy Samsung’s XCover Pro with the ESChat package to access Samsung’s Enterprise LTE network solutions and Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) frequency band. More details are available here.

Best Use Cases for the Galaxy XCover Pro

For workers in construction or the hospitality industry, the XCover Pro can be a very workable device. Project managers at a construction site or a floor manager at a hotel, for two examples, might find the XCover a good choice for their staff. They also get the benefits from its toughness and water resistance.

Galaxt XCover Pro Cameras

The Galaxy XCover Pro has three cameras, two on the back and one on the front. The camera isn’t designed to be a tool for creatives; it can take basic pictures. It’s aimed to be used to take work-related photos; better to use a higher-end smartphone for sunsets, vacations and family photos you want to keep.

Configurable Buttons

The Galaxy XCover features additional physical buttons on both sides that users can configure with Samsung’s software. For example, you can choose to use a button for a walkie-talkie function or to launch a particular app quickly. In certain situations, this can improve the efficiency of a work process quite a bit, something that can be very useful in the earlier mentioned scenarios.

Is the Galaxy XCover Pro right for you?

The Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro is not designed as a replacement for a high-end device. It is aimed at a specific use case, valuable for people working in sectors where sturdiness and durability are important.

It would be cool to see Samsung issue a high-end smartphone in an XCover version, one more able to take a drop to the sidewalk or in the toilet and come away unscathed.

Galaxy XCover Pro Price

You get what you pay for, generally. The Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro, with prices ranging from $425 to $568, generally costs about half of a high-end iPhone or other Galaxy smartphone. That’s a huge consideration, especially if a company is buying a fleet of them.

Galaxy XCover Pro Specs

Product Name: Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro
Screen Size: 6.3″
Broadband Generation: 4G
Cellular Network: CDMA, GSM
Connector Type: Headphone jack
Features: Quad-band, smartphone, unlocked, water resistant, fast charging
RAM: 4GB
Security: Fingerprint scanner
SIM Slots: Dual SIM
Front Camera Resolution: 13 MP
Operating System: Android 10
Rear Camera Resolution: 25 MP
Display Resolution: 2,340 x 1,080
Storage Capacity: 32GB, 49GB, 64GB, 512GB
Weight: 7.69 ounces

The post Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough Work Stations appeared first on eWEEK.

No, of course not; we’re just kidding. But we have to say that Samsung definitely has been the most productive smartphone developer and producer in the world here in this strange year 2020.

Samsung brought out three new Galaxy models earlier this year, with the main difference being size. The Galaxy S20 is the point guard with a 6.3-inch display; the Galaxy S20+ is the power forward at 6.7 inches, and the S20 Ultra is the center at 6.9 inches (um, I’m also a basketball writer in my spare time). Pixel density varies a bit between models, but you almost certainly won’t be able to spot the difference right off the top.

I’ve had one of the Note20 Ultra 5Gs since August and have come to love it, and for a lot of reasons. (So have many other users; last time I looked on Nov. 12, Google listed 5,702 reviews with an average score of 4.4 out of 5 stars). Its touch handles excellently, is thinner than its predecessors, feels substantial but is not heavy, is faster on the draw and has way-improved cameras. It looks impressive lying on a table. Even voices are noticeably easier to understand–for those quaint folks who still use smartphones for actual phone calls.

Battery power impressive, to say the least

For me, however, there is one attribute I admire above any other, and it’s due to my practical nature: how long the powerful, 5,000 milliampere-hour (mAh) battery lasts. I didn’t have to charge my phone for two entire days on average–but I also don’t do gaming or movies, either. A lot of good smartphones from several manufacturers boast excellent cameras, great touch performance values, fast computing power, more than enough storage and RAM, cool and useful personal assistants and thin, easy-to-store design, and the Galaxy Note20 Ultra has all these features. But they can’t work without power, and if you’re out and about and away from power, being worried about your phone going dead any minute is no good for anyone. Been there, done that–and on deadline. No, thanks!

Samsung is very aware of device power conservation, and its display affiliate has found a good solution: a low-power OLED adaptive frequency technology, commercialized for the first time in the Note20 Ultra. This new adaptive frequency technology can curtail the operating power of a phone’s display by as much as 22 percent over existing smartphones now in general use. This calibrates refresh rates in line with the requirements of a specific application and therein more precisely allocating available power. This frees up time and energy for other smartphone operations.

The power-saving technology allows the display panel to utilize variable refresh rates that consume the least possible amount of power for each type of application. The adaptive frequency technology supports a 120Hz scan rate for playing mobile games that require speedy frame changes, a 60Hz rate for movie streaming, a 30Hz rate for email correspondence, and a 10Hz rate for viewing still images or browsing social networking services. Existing smartphone panels offer only a fixed refresh rate for whatever app you’re using.

This all adds up over time to add 20 to 22 percent more time on the battery. Adding an extra hour after a half-day of use is a good result. That additional power isn’t to be sneezed at.

Three cameras: One has a wide-angle, deep-zoom capability

The Galaxy S20 Ultra has a 108 MP camera with a 100x Space Zoom. Yes, you can go from 0.5x wide-angle to 100x blow-up, but in the real world use cases, you’re probably not going to be doing that very often–unless you work for the CIA, and even then, they have specialized devices for THAT kind of observation. But it’s a nice feature to have when you need it.

Video quality is among the best of Android smartphones, because as the light levels go down, the softness of the footage begins to increase. Overall it’s a very good video camera, but if you shoot a lot of 4K footage, you should know that there is no stabilization and you will get some bumpy video.

On the front, the S20 Ultra houses a 40 MP selfie camera with an f/2.2 aperture. It produces good-looking selfies outdoors. Even when shooting against light, the camera is able to capture ample details on your face.

Both the front and the back of the S20 Ultra are protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 6, which provides a sturdy package. The 6.9-inch display has only the slightest curve around the edges, similar to the really thin (but also underpowered) Galaxy 6 a while back.

Samsung now offers an in-screen fingerprint sensor, so it doesn’t need a face scanner. There’s only a selfie camera on the front of the otherwise end-to-end display.

While the left-hand edge is clean, the volume rocker and the power/standby button is on the right-hand side. At the base, you have the USB Type C interface in the middle, with a speaker grille on its left. At the top edge, on the left-hand side is the hybrid SIM card slot. There is no 3.5mm audio jack on the phone, but Samsung adds an AKG in-ear headset with USB Type C interface.

The S20 Ultra comes with IP68 dust/water resistance for up to 1.5-meter submersion for 30 minutes under water. While the device is only 8.8 mm thick, thanks to the curved edges on the back, it feels solid. One-handed operation isn’t possible, and it also weighs a hefty 7.34 oz. It’s well-built; I’ll take that tradeoff any day.

Display, overall performance is something to behold

The Galaxy S20 Ultra’s 6.9-inch display is large, crisp and very easy to read; users with weaker eyesight will appreciate it right off the bat. Colors are spectacular. In the display settings, you can set the display to either HD+ (1600 x 720 pixels), FHD+ (2400 x 1080 pixels) or the max WQHD+ (3200 x 1440 pixels) in addition to setting the refresh rate at 60 Hz or 120 Hz.

Overall performance is top-notch, although the phone does get a bit warm with extended use at times. The S20 Ultra sports the top-of-the-line Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 central processor paired with a Mali G7 MP11 graphics processor. When compared to the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max, the Ultra’s Geekbench score is slightly lower. But this means little in real-life usage.

The S20 Ultra, with its powerful infrastructure and optimized OneUI 2 user interface, makes the phone a smooth operator. It can get a little warm with extended use, but it’s nothing to be alarmed about.

While the phone has a 5G radio, it’s not going to be noticeable for at least another year until all the networks are at full power. The audio sound of the UItra is remarkably good. You can easily watch a video or listen to audio without earphones, because the volume can go pretty loud. Samsung has bundled AKG in-ears with a Type C interface, which come with a braided cable and have better-than-average sound quality.

The in-screen fingerprint scanner is still a work in progress. Several times I was told to press harder, or it just wouldn’t unlock the phone despite multiple presses. It definitely needs some optimization, or perhaps Samsung should simply go back to its standalone print scanner, which works just fine on my other phones.

By the way, the Ultra has highly regarded download speed ability. Ookla’s Q3 U.S. Market Analysis report said Samsung’s five flagship phones swept the Ookla Device category with the fastest median download speeds in the U.S. The report can be found in its entirety here.

Excellent user experience overall

OneUI 2.0, the Samsung skin on top of Android 10, offers a good user experience (UX). I did appreciate the phone asking me which apps I want on my phone at the first bootup. The walk-through wizard to start it up has been edited somewhat and doesn’t take as long to finish as in previous products.

The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra starts at $1,099, which is a little steep compared to the regular S20 series. It’s still less than the Apple iPhone 11 Pro series of smartphones, but I believe all the features this phone offers make the price well worth it.

For more product information from Samsung, go here. The company, naturally, is offering some Black Friday deep discounts on Nov. 27.

Specifications

Model: Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (issued August 2020)
Display: 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED with 3200 x 1440 pixels w/ pixel density of 511 PPI
Chipset: Exynos 990 (2x 2.73 Ghz Mongoose M5 + 2x 2.5 GHz Cortex A76 + 4x 2 GHz Cortex A55)
Graphics: Mali G77 MP11
RAM + Storage in GB: 12 + 128; 16 + 512 GB
Operating system: Android 10
Expandable storage: Yes
Primary Camera: 108 MP camera with f/1.8 aperture, 1/1.33-inch sensor, OIS (Samsung ISOCELL Bright HM1 sensor)
Secondary cameras: 48 MP periscope telephoto camera with f/3.5, 1/ 2.0-inch sensor, OIS, 4x optical zoom and 10x Hybrid zoom + 12 MP Ultrawide camera with f/2.2 + 0.3 MP TOF sensor with f/1.0
Selfie Camera: 40 MP camera with f/2.2 aperture
Battery: 5,000 milliampere hour (mAh)
Software: Android 10 (Nov. 10, 2020 patch) with OneUI 2.1 skin
Colors: Mystic Black, Mystic White, Mystic Bronze

The post Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G: Solid, Elegant, High-Performing appeared first on eWEEK.

Some quick facts:

Topic: “New Tech to Expect in 2021”  

Date/time: Tuesday, Nov. 10, 11 a.m. PDT / 2 p.m. EDT / 7 p.m. GMT

Participation: You can use #eWEEKchat to follow/participate via Twitter itself, but it’s easier and more efficient to use the real-time chat room link at CrowdChat. Instructions are on that page; log in at the top right, use your Twitter handle to register, and the chat begins promptly at 11 a.m. PT. The page will come alive at that time with the real-time discussion. You can join in or simply watch the discussion as it is created. Special thanks to John Furrier of SiliconAngle.com for developing the CrowdChat app.

Our in-chat experts this month are Don Foster, Global Vice President of Sales Engineering at Commvault; Michael Ringman, CIO of TELUS International; Kobie Botha, Chief Product Officer at JourneyApps.

Chat room real-time link: Usehttps://www.crowdchat.net/eweekchat. Sign in with your Twitter handle and use #eWEEKchat for the identifier.   

Innovation: Where is it happening?

“First,” “only” and “new.” These are three words all tech journalists want to hear–as long as they’re not spin. If one or more of these words are included in a new product description, that’s cause for readability; if all three are relevant, then that probably signals a legitimate news story.

We love breaking news and analysis of valuable new products and services in eWEEK. This is a key part of our value proposition in this venerable publication, which began life as PC Week in 1984, the first year of the Macintosh PC. 

Here are just a few recent examples of IT innovation topics eWEEK has covered in this crazy pandemic year 2020:

IBM Z and Linux Innovation: 20 Years and Counting

HP Innovation Summit: From Consumer Products To MicroFluidics

How Cisco Systems Has Revved Up its Webex Innovation Engine

Pro Hearing Tech Reaches the Masses Through Earbuds

Celonis Launches IT’s First Execution Management System

Highlights from NVIDIA’s Landmark GPU Technology Conference

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold: Literally the Most Flexible Notebook

There are a lot more examples like this in the pages of eWEEK. This is what we do at our publication; we’re in constant contact with companies, thought leaders, investors, entrepreneurs and inventors to serve as a conduit for distributing cool IT product and service facts and figures. We also have a team of accomplished analysts (Rob Enderle, Charles King, Zeus Kerravala, Frank Ohlhorst, Roger Kay, Peter Burris, Brian Solis, Eric Kavanagh, Laurie McCabe and several others) who explain the business and technical values of new and innovative products and services.

In this next #eWEEKchat, we’ll discuss stories like those noted above and also talk about what we might expect from the IT world in 2021. With the continued addition of AI and ML in more and more apps and devices and 5G connectivity about to supercharge the engines we all use, the anticipation of even more great products is very high indeed.

The fact is, most of the IT innovation right now is coming from cloud-service providers such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, Zoom, Facebook, Google, Slack, TigerGraph, C3.ai, Atlassian and others. Innovation is also coming from IT-related companies in specific sectors, such as Tesla, Oracle, Accenture, Dell EMC and from a whole new crop of startups.

Remote workplaces forcing innovation

More and more enterprises are moving toward remote infrastructure–especially during the current global pandemic–indicating that a cloud-powered future is taking root and becoming standard. Managing cloud adoption is one of the enterprise’s top priorities for 2021 and for the next few years. A boom of new cloud services is, therefore, imminent. Most of these new apps will include some sort of automation and/or artificial intelligence as a component.

Seed questions

Here are examples of seed questions we’ll pose to our audience on Nov. 10:

• In what sectors of IT are you seeing real innovation at this time?
• What new products did you see this past calendar year that were particularly useful for you?
• What one product or service would you like to see come into the markets in 2021?
• Who are some of the young startup “stars” in the cloud-service sector and what innovation do they bring to the table?
• Identify some companies–older or younger–that you see innovating new products and services.
• Name some companies that you wish would show innovation in their sectors.
• Name an innovative product you use on a regular basis that didn’t exist five years ago?
• How is your own company innovating in its sector? Offer some specific examples.

Join us Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 11 a.m. Pacific / 2 p.m. Eastern / 7 p.m. GMT for an hour. Chances are good that you’ll learn something valuable.

#eWEEKchat Tentative Schedule for 2020*

xJan. 8: Trends in New-Gen Data Security
xFeb. 12: Batch Goes Out the Window: The Dawn of Data Orchestration
xMarch 11: New Trends and Products in New-Gen Health-Care IT
xApril 8: Trends in Collaboration Tools
xMay 12: Trends in New-Gen Mobile Apps, Devices
xJune 9: Data Storage, Protection in a Hypersensitive Era
xJuly 14: Next-Gen Networking
xAug. 11: Next-Gen Cloud Services and Delivery
xSept. 8: Confidential Computing and Next-Gen Security
xOct. 13: Innovation at Legacy IT Companies
Nov. 10: New Tech to Expect in  2021
Dec. 8: Predictions and Wild Guesses for IT in 2021

*all topics subjects to change
x=completed

The post #eWEEKchat Tuesday, Nov. 10: New Tech to Expect in 2021 appeared first on eWEEK.

Global Workplace Analytics claims that more than half (56%) of the U.S. workforce holds a job that is compatible with remote work. According to GWA President Kate Lister, the best estimate is that 25% to 30% of the workforce will be working from home multiple days a week by the end of 2021. With companies such as Facebook, Google, Capital One, Amazon, Microsoft and Zillow setting the stage for remote work, there will be many other businesses that follow.

With this transition, it also means that B2B buyers are going to behave differently. B2B marketers need to be thinking about how to evolve their ABM strategies when dealing with a remote audience, how to make room for field teams in digital and, internally, how to make sure remote teams have proper access and training to deal with data outside the office.

In this eWEEK Data Points article, Marc Stewart, B2B supervisor at PMG, offers a set of best practices for marketing managers to follow.

Data Point No. 1: No time better than now to revisit your ABM strategy.

The two areas that will be disrupted the most are your target accounts list and the buying behavior. First, you must rethink your approach to your ideal customer profile. This needs to be led by a mindset that the market has been shaken up over the last few months and businesses are trying to keep up. Take a step back and create a target account strategy that prioritizes companies and industries that might be more in need of your software compared with companies that might be dialing back budgets or cutting departments due to the negative impacts of COVID-19.

According to a recent research report from LeadMD, more than 50% of companies are currently considering a purchase for their business, even in the midst of COVID-19.

Data Point No. 2: Consider reproducing live offerings for on-demand usage.

Now more than ever, we need to be putting the customer first in our marketing outreach. Everyone’s life has been drastically altered, and a prospect’s consumption habits are no different. The idea of self-service content and channels will become even more prominent as remote work leads to a schedule that’s not strictly 9-to-5. This might mean reproducing live offerings and demos for on-demand formats so users can control when and where they are consuming content.

Data Point No. 3: Field teams will need to lean on digital to make up for leads lost from in-person events.

In-person events typically make up a large portion of leads for B2B companies. In our current environment, however, teams are going to have to come together and get creative on how to supplement the loss of leads generated from in-person events—not only in terms of the number of leads but also the quality. Digital will become an even more important contributor to reaching your overall goals. A recent survey from McKinsey indicated that companies think digital interactions will be twice as important as they were before. (See image at top; to view a larger version, right-click on it and select “View Image.”)

Data Point No. 4: Virtual events will continue to be prominent.

Virtual events have burst onto the scene since the beginning of the pandemic and, while in-person events will likely return sometime next year, virtual events will maintain some place in B2B marketers’ strategies. Virtual events can provide large quantities of leads as well as more personalized experiences and higher-value conversations that content just can’t.

Data Point No. 5: Digital teams need to be even closer to each other and their data. 

While this has probably been a priority for you and your team over the years, it should now be one of your top priorities by establishing a system that is both informational and accessible to everyone on the team. As you lose your face-to-face meetings, war room gatherings and on-site access to data, the potential for something to fall through the cracks greatly increases. The teams that can over-communicate at each step of the journey and create standardized, replicable, and scalable processes will be the ones that set themselves apart from competitors post-COVID-19.

Data Point No. 6: In summary …

Remember that marketing is an investment in the future, and the work that is being put in now will yield returns in the months and years to come. By revisiting your target accounts, incorporating new content types and virtual events, and becoming even closer to your sales and marketing teams, you will better position yourself for success during and after the pandemic.

If you have a suggestion for an eWEEK Data Points article, email cpreimesberger@eweek.com.

The post Shifting B2B Strategy to Meet New Reality of Remote Audiences appeared first on eWEEK.

Of all the possible choices of what to highlight from among various recent developments, I found the joint announcement by the company and a small firm named Jacoti to be the most compelling for the simple reason that it involves the technology of hearing, and, as mine gets progressively worse, the topic has increasingly attracted my attention.

Of European origin, Jacoti is a medical device manufacturer, software developer and web service provider staffed by audiologists and their fellow travelers. The partnership involves Jacoti adapting its medical-grade audio technology to run on Qualcomm silicon, specifically the QCC5100, the firm’s premium-tier, ultra-low-power system on a chip (SoC). 

Uses Bluetooth to do its work

The QCC5100 is primarily about handling Bluetooth, the personal-area communications technology often used for peripherals such as headsets, game controllers and speakers. However, it has a full stack–including system and application processors, system and developer digital signal processors, memory controller, and I/O handlers. In this application, the chip sits in small, comfortable earbuds that talk to a cell phone. The phone is used for setup. After that, the buds can run entirely in local mode, thus saving juice even beyond power-sipping Bluetooth.

When paired with a phone, the Jacoti buds do an admirable job of playing streaming audio and handling hands-free phone calls, but, for us oldsters, it’s the live conversation application we find most intriguing. Simply wearing the earbuds while dining out with friends will keep your mug from parading that glassy look of incomprehension so common among our cohort in busy venues. Yes, not plugged into anything at all, these buds can act as an ace hearing aid.

Describing what the buds do is easy. Actually getting them to do it took the work of audiologists with hundreds of years of collective clinical and research experience. When you first get them, you charge them, put them on, connect them to your phone and let the setup take you through an audiological test, which treats each ear as its own separate subject. 

Jacoti’s cloud component then takes that data and creates your audio profile, per ear, which is downloaded onto the buds. Thereafter, they run with your custom profile. I have a hearing deficit in one ear or the other (maybe both) around 1,000 Hz, which just happens to be the register in which my wife most often speaks. It seems the little cilia on my cochlea, whose job it is to perceive that frequency, have simply died, whether from natural causes or from having been blown out by overuse.

Software uses smarts to adjust to user needs

If I were to undergo the Jacoti experience, the test would find this deficit and account for it in my profile. While performing noise cancellation and making other enhancements from the Qualcomm portfolio, the earbuds would use the Jacoti technology to boost the signal around 1,000 Hz. My experience would be normal—but somehow clearer—sound. Then, I would have no excuse not to take out the garbage.

Despite some misgivings, I’m sure this improvement would be a net benefit in my life. But beyond that, Jacoti and Qualcomm have managed to bring medical-quality audio to lightweight, low-cost, low-power consumer devices, which will be a boon to a much wider audience. You have to have decent medical insurance to get, in a hospital, a good audio test of the sort Jacoti will run as a cloud service, and hearing aids cost a mint.

Jacoti hasn’t released pricing, but you can be pretty sure it will undercut what the professionals charge. Around the world, literally millions of people could benefit from audio technology heretofore out of reach.

Roger Kay is affiliated with PUND-IT Inc. and a longtime independent IT analyst.

The post Pro Hearing Tech Reaches the Masses Through Earbuds appeared first on eWEEK.

Some quick facts:

Topic: #eWEEKchat Sept. 8: “Confidential Computing and Next-Gen Security”

Date/time: Tuesday, Sept. 8, 11 a.m. PST/2 p.m. EST/7 p.m. GMT

Tweetchat handle: You can use #eWEEKChat to follow/participate via Twitter itself, but it’s easier and more efficient to use the real-time chat room link at CrowdChat. Instructions are on that page; log in at the top right, use your Twitter handle to register, and the chat begins promptly at 11am PT. The page will come alive at that time with the live discussion. You can join in or simply watch the discussion as it is created. Special thanks to John Furrier of SiliconAngle.com for developing the CrowdChat app.

Our in-chat experts will include: Rodrigue Hajjar of TunnelBear;  Bruce Kornfeld, Chief Marketing and Product Officer at StorMagic; Pete Jarvis, Polyverse. Attendees can offer their own perspectives at any time.

Chat room real-time link: Use https://www.crowdchat.net/eweekchat. Sign in and use #eweekchat for the identifier.

What, in fact, is confidential computing?

In short, the phrase “confidential computing” describes services and solutions that fully protect information across the entire scope of its use in business, from the build process to management functions to data-driven services and functions. In August 2019, vendors that included Alibaba, Anjuna, Arm, Baidu, IBM, Intel, Google Cloud, Microsoft and Red Hat announced the formation of the Confidential Computing Consortium. With the help of the Linux Foundation, members plan to substantially improve security for data in use. 

How does one secure “data in use”? Think of it as a logical next step beyond conventional solutions, like encrypting data when it is at rest (in storage environments) and in transit (being moved across networks). In essence, the Confidential Computing Consortium aims to improve methodologies for keeping data continuously encrypted, including when it is being processed in memory for business applications and processes. Doing so keeps sensitive or valuable data from being exposed to the rest of the system (and possible intruders) while offering users greater security, transparency and control.

Several consortium founders made initial contributions to the project, including IBM’s Red Hat sharing Enarx for running Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) applications, Intel providing its Software Guard Extensions (SGX), an SDK for protecting code at the hardware layer and Microsoft offering its Open Enclave SDK for building TEE applications. 

Since its launch, consortium members have continued their work on confidential computing technologies, and the group has attracted new members, including Accenture, AMD, Facebook and Nvidia.

Anjuna, for one example, has focused its security expertise on something called secure enclaves—designated sections within a processor that provide CPU hardware-level isolation and memory encryption on every server while the data is being used. They do this by isolating application code and data from anyone with privileges and encrypting its memory. With additional software, secure enclaves enable the encryption of both storage and network data for full-stack security. Secure enclave hardware support is built into all new CPUs from Intel and AMD. 

Other individual consortium members are also developing their own offerings. For example, at the recent Cloud Next conference Google announced a new cloud security program, Confidential VMs (virtual machines) that support processing of encrypted data. Google’s Confidential VMs use the AMD EPYC secure encrypted virtualization (SEV) technology. 

Why is confidential computing a ‘thing’?

Groups such as the Confidential Computing Consortium can help ensure that innovative new technologies are effectively developed and successfully adopted, delivering a broad range of benefits to companies, industries and markets. But it does not follow that the vendors involved in these groups will progress at the same pace. Oftentimes, some are up and running while others are still learning to walk. 

This is what we want to talk about on Sept. 8: How this new and powerful consortium can help lead the way in protecting the transportation of data from its point of origination to wherever it needs to go–despite all the connections it needs to traverse and all the attack points it encounters.

To provide organizations with the best level of protection, security experts must be forever attuned to the ever-changing landscape and the latest threats and attack methods. In addition, they have to be up-to-date on all the efforts of the good guys in their ongoing battle against the bad actors who want to cause mayhem and pile up profits from fraudulent activities. 

Seed questions we will ask

This is the topic we will discuss Tuesday. In this month’s #eWEEKchat, we’ll be asking the following, among other questions:

• What is your take on how confidential computing might fare this year and into the future? Will this become a major trend?
• What are the key facets of confidential computing that separate it from conventional security?
• Will we still be able to defend all the new attack surfaces using this method in IoT, edge computing and mobile computing?
• Will we ever be able to get a handle on keeping data completely secure? Will we ever be able to completely screen out the bad human elements?
• Can confidential computing play a role in securing this year’s U.S. national election? 

Join us Tuesday, Sept. 8 at 11am Pacific / 2pm Eastern for this, the 90th monthly #eWEEKchat. Go here for CrowdChat information.

#eWEEKchat Schedule for 2020

xJan. 8: Trends in New-Gen Data Security
xFeb. 12: Batch Goes Out the Window: The Dawn of Data Orchestration
xMarch 11: New Trends and Products in New-Gen Health-Care IT
xApril 8: Trends in Collaboration Tools
xMay 12: Trends in New-Gen Mobile Apps, Devices
xJune 9: Data Storage, Protection in a Hypersensitive Era
xJuly  14: Next-Gen Networking
xAug. 11: Next-Gen Cloud Services
Sept. 8: Confidential Computing and Next-Gen Security
Oct. 13: How Legacy Companies Are Still Innovating
Nov. 10: Hot New Tech for 2021
Dec. 8: Predictions and Wild Guesses for IT in 2021
(Topics may be changed with minimal notice)

Charles King of PUND-IT, a regular columnist for eWEEK, contributed to this article.

The post #eWEEKchat Sept. 8: Confidential Computing and Next-Gen Security appeared first on eWEEK.

1. It definitely can defend itself; it’s the tablet equivalent of a Hummer H1–you can’t kill it.
2. The battery life is much better than advertised; the company says 10 hours, but our experience was that you can leave it on all day, use it for all kinds of apps, and then count on it to have power remaining. We noted that 12 to 14 hours was a more accurate battery time estimate.
3. The “10.1-inch” version is indeed sized as advertised; looked like less at first, but it’s not;
4. The screen is smaller than most people are used to using for a tablet, but just think of it as much larger than a phone; in that context, you’ll feel better about using it.
5. The cameras are good enough for doing what it needs to do on a job, such as insurance or industrial usages; just don’t expect it to provide an artistic palette for photographers.

With its new Enduro line of devices–which includes ruggedized laptops and notebooks–Acer is jumping right in to compete with more established device makers such as Dell, Samsung and Panasonic. It’s a formidable market to be joining, but there apparently is a large need for these devices–especially in use cases such as retail, manufacturing, warehousing and remote locations with extreme weather. 

The fact is, stuff happens all the time to these powerful IT devices, and that stuff is usually not good. Phones, tablets, laptops, watches–they all get dropped, stepped upon, left behind in vehicles, bounced around in transit and generally misused all the time, no matter how much we try to baby them. If a device is made tough on the outside and solid on the inside so as to withstand a high percentage of these knocks and bumps, the longer it’ll be in service and of good use to its owner and the company to which both belong. Multiply long-lived devices by a greater number of employees, and the economics clearly bear themselves out as favorable to CFOs.

Acer is much more well known for its relatively light, inexpensive, yet reliable business and consumer notebooks and laptops, but it’s branching out now in this new category because the market is demanding it. More and more people are working in far-flung places, cloud services are more accessible in these places, and the coming of 5G connectivity is only going to drive these trends faster.

Three new ruggedized tablets coming out

The Taiwan-based device company is planning to bring to market two ruggedized Enduro laptops and three Enduro tablets this fall. The low hanging-fruit targets are emergency first responders, as well as field and manufacturing workers who need reliable portable devices despite sometimes-hostile conditions. Users can eventually expect to see U.S. Military Standard (MIL) and Ingress Protection (IP) ratings for each device.

This review will focus only on the T1 tablet, which is a little heavy but feels solid your hand and is responsive to the touch. In this case, one would expect it to be a bit on the heavy side; I would be very suspect if it weren’t.

The T1 is available either as a 10.1-inch Windows 10 tablet, or an 8-inch Android 9.0 tablet. The Android version runs on a MediaTek MT8385 quad-core ARM processor, 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM, and a 64GB eMMC storage drive. Both tablets achieved MIL-STD 810G and IP54 certification.

Some technical aspects of the T1

The Windows version runs on a quad-core Celeron N3450 processor, 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM, Intel Graphics 500, and a 64GB eMMC drive. Battery life is rated at 10 hours, but as we indicated previously, we think it’s actually better than that. 

As for the audio features, the T1 has a single speaker, an integrated microphone and a 3.5 mm jack input for connecting headphones. It also has a double webcam – front and rear – with a resolution of 1600 x 1200 pixels and 2560 x 1920 pixels respectively. The battery is a 37Wh two-cell unit that supports fast charging via 45W USB Type-C.

In connectivity, the Enduro features a dual-band WiFi module (2.4GHz / 5GHz) for a stable connection, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, NFC optional and on the interfaces: micro HDMI, USB 3.2, USB Type-C for the power supply, keyboard connector, microSD card reader and USB 2.0. The various power buttons, volume adjustment, access to Windows functions and the two programmables are all arranged on the sides of the screen and not on the side edge as in most tablets.

Some other facts on the T1 Tablet:

• The Enduro T1 can double as a 10.1-inch notebook via an optional portfolio keyboard. 
• The device’s MIL-STD 810G4 and IP54 certifications, combined with an Intel Celeron processor and 64GB of eMMC storage space, make it a reliable option for work while traveling. 
• The T1 is a durable Android tablet designed especially for smart retail, warehouse and factory workers. MIL-STD 810G5 and IP54 certified, the device also features a range of optional accessories and programmable keys that enable it to be adapted to a variety of unique environments. 
• It can also be used while wearing gloves.
• The armored aluminum and rubber frame protects it from falls (up to 122 cm), enables the tablet to withstand high and low temperatures, low pressure, dust and sand, humidity, rain and strong vibrations. The Enduro T1 series features a very sensitive capacitive touch display, capable of recognizing the pressure of fingers wet or covered by gloves.

Pricing and Availability

The Android version of the Enduro T1 is priced at $341.99 on CDW.com

The Windows version of the tablet is priced at $555.29 on Colamco.

The post Acer’s New Ruggedized Tablets Can Defend Themselves Just Fine appeared first on eWEEK.

What is especially cool about Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S7 Plus, which will come out this fall (date is TBD) is that a user has options from which to choose on the fly when working on it. It’s a personal computer that adjusts to your situation, rather than the user having to adjust to the device’s capability. 

[To see a larger version of the product image at top left, right-click on it and select “View Image.”]

Because it is a tablet with an attachable, magnetized, full-size keyboard, it can be deployed as if it were a regular laptop or a Microsoft Surface. If and when you suddenly need to hand-hold the device, you can detach the keyboard, and you’re left with a tablet that’s almost as powerful as a standard laptop. 

This versatility is especially apparent when you’re on a plane (although that’s not standard in these days of COVID-19). The Galaxy Tab S7 Plus is much more useful than a laptop when you’re riding in coach, for example, because you can lose the keyboard and still get a lot of work done just using the tablet form. Even a small 12-inch or 13-inch laptop can be awkward to use on those little folding tables, but the Galaxy 7 Tab fits well into the space and allows more room for your hands. 

With a larger, sharper display than its Tab 6 predecessor, a newly engineered S Pen, a larger Type Cover keyboard and 5G functionality, the Galaxy Tab S7 Plus is clearly a major upgrade over its last-generation relative. But all this great functionality comes at a cost, since the device will be priced at $849.

First impressions of the Tab S7 Plus

Out of the box, the Galaxy Tab S7 Plus just feels good in your hands; at 1.1 lbs., it’s not too heavy as if to become a weighty problem if you need to hand-hold it for an extended period of time. The touch screen is responsive and accurate, and the display itself is crisp and colors jump out. The device just works well; even though the previous edition, the Tab 6, also was an excellent device, Samsung simply found a way to improve even upon that highly respected tablet. Personally, though I’ve always liked iPads, I find the Galaxies to be just as user-friendly and efficient–if not more efficient in some areas–than Apple’s competitor.

Here are some pros and cons, right off the top:

Good points

• Relatively lightweight at 1.1 lbs.for a tablet with a lot of power
• Exemplary 12.4-inch, 120Hz OLED display
• Camera on long side (top) of display, better for horizontal images
• Full-scale support (low-band and millimeter-wave) for 5G connectivity
• Upgraded S Pen (included)
• Upgraded, full-size Type Cover keyboard (extra cost)

Hesitations

• Wireless headphones only (not included); no headphone jack included
• Relatively expensive at $849

Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus Specifications

• Power plant: Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ chip, 6GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD. 
• RAM: 6GB
• Storage: 128GB SSD
• Display: 12.4-inch, 2800 x 1752-pixel screen
• Weight: 1.1 pounds

Samsung said that it will make available a second configuration with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD–ostensibly this fall–but no pricing information is yet available. 

An analyst’s take

Patrick Moorhead of Moor Insights & Strategy: “It’s a two-horse race in premium tablets, Samsung and Apple. I believe the S7 and S7+ distinguish themselves over the iPad in display quality and productivity through DeX and display capabilities.”

Conclusion

We only had use of the Galaxy Tab S7 Plus for a little more than a week, so we didn’t have the opportunity to do some of the longer-term checks we usually do (take the device on the road, checkout connectivity in different remote situations, take it on a plane, etc.). But the device endeared itself to me immediately. Sometimes you just know a device is going to serve you well, right off the bat. That’s the way I encountered the Galaxy Tab S7 Plus; I just know the longer I have it, the more functionality and features I’m going to discover and use on a regular basis. 

Often when you get a new device, you find the bare-necessity functionality you need to get the job done; you find the shortcuts you need to save time and effort, and then off you go on the job, leaving good apps on the table unused. On this tablet, I would enjoy investing more time to see what it really can do.

Bottom line is this: Next time I take a business trip, I’d take this along and leave the laptop home. The Galaxy Tab S7 Plus has worked its way onto the first team the way a good and versatile athlete works his/her way into the starting lineup.

eWEEK is planning to do a more extensive and detailed review of this product when it becomes available for general purchase this fall.

The post Why Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus Will Offer Plenty of Options appeared first on eWEEK.