Intel's fifth-generation Core vPro platform allows PC makers to create slimmer business-focused laptops and 2-in-1s. Another, arguably more interesting advantage that it brings is the ability for users to wirelessly display content on TVs or monitors using vPro's Pro Wireless Display (or Pro WiDi) feature, which looks to eliminate cabling between devices and displays.
The idea is that employees can shuffle into conference rooms and instantly begin collaborating and working on ideas without wasting time trying to locate physical cables and dongles. Combined with Wi-Dock, a wireless docking feature in vPro that sees users' laptops or tablets instantly connect to displays when sat within range, Intel reckons the small time savings accumulated could lead to increased productivity over time and larger profits as a result.
Intel has said that businesses and education authorities need to buy a WiDi Pro dongle adapter to slot into the HDMI port of the TV, PC monitor or projector and receive the image from vPro-enabled devices. Actiontec, the chipmaker's main lead WiDi Pro partner, is the first to launch an adapter and will be followed by OEMs later this year.
To find out more about WiDi Pro, TechRadar Pro spoke to Jim Russell from Intel's vPro Expert Centre, and Jay Taylor, Director of Strategic Alliances at Actiontec.
TechRadar Pro: What's the difference between Intel WiDi Pro and Intel Wireless Docking?
Jim Russell: Intel The Wi-Dock is geared toward office environments and fairly short distances, so it's about huge speed but more for one person in their office. The Pro WiDi is meant for conference rooms with people at greater differences.
You can go around 30 metres and still be connected to it. WiDi also allows multi-connect with up to 16 people connected, and you can transition between different presenters. It's really more meant for collaborative environments -- a no-wire solution for the conference room, where as the WiDock is a no-more wires solution for the office. People will already be familiar with WiDi as it allows you to extend or mirror your desktop content exactly as you would in Windows 8.1.
TRP: What wireless frequency band and channel does the Actiontec adapter run on?
JR: The adapter runs on the 5GHz and 2.4GHz bands. Channel assignment is done by IT — it's not up to the individual to configure infrastructure — it's designed to be invisible to the user. When you buy it, it comes with the default channel. IT needs to configure the channel and its name — so you would put a conference room like room 101 or room 102. It helps not to put something cryptic.
TRP: How will workforces be able to manage multiple devices?
JT: Remote management is a key feature that Actiontec has built into these devices. We've enabled a CMS — Central Management System —- that allows IT administrators to see every deployed device. They can set security and management policies and turn on and off different Pro WiDi features — such as being able to push firmware updates and set custom splash screens and images from a central location. For large deployments devices can be managed through a central systems.
TRP: Can organisations deploy that application on-premise?
JT: In some cases you can and in some cases you can't. It can run on a virtual server in a window console, which shows the devices as soon as you plug them in. You can rename them and do what you want in batches.
TRP: How will Actiontec's WiDi adapter be sold into organisations?
JT: In a number of a different ways. For example, if you look to Toshiba, Dell or Lenovo, they're selling our branded adapter through their online stores. Some manufacturers may do a bundle, so for every 10 devices you buy you may get a free adapter. It's all about the solution, and understanding the needs of the consumer -- the customer in this particular case. Businesses don't have to go through an OEM to get it -- they can get it through a reseller, system integrator or whoever they want to do the integration.
TRP: Companies other than Actiontec will be selling devices soon. Are there any requirements for what they must do to support WiDi?
JT: Other adapters have to meet certain requirements and have an opportunity to differentiate. Actiontec is Intel's lead partner having helped develop the technology. We've overseen aspects such as performance and reliability, and have done a ton of testing on HP, Dell and any other systems we can get our hands on to ensure the greatest range of flexibility to make sure these things just work.
There's an enormous amount of engineering work takes place, and then we work with Intel on the business side, working with sales organisations and distribution channels.
Everybody knows that in business, time is money, a message that Intel spent almost two hours communicating at the launch of its fifth-generation vPro processor in London.
The latest version of the chipmaker's business-focused CPU aims to deliver the company's vision of a no-wire workplace, where employees can connect laptops and tablets to displays and projectors without wasting time fiddling with cables and dongles.
Intel Pro WiDi is the technology that lies at the heart of this vision. It allows content to be beamed from vPro-powered devices to HDMI-equipped TVs and monitors using a compatible adapter, the first of which is being launched by California-based Actiontec -- and Intel says that third-party alternatives are on the way.
Speaking at the launch, head of Intel's Business Client Platforms group, Tom Garrison, noted how vPro's wireless capabilities can allow businesses to take advantage of the increasingly common trend of downsizing to cut costs on office real-estate.
He said: "Initially the motivations around workplace transformation was real-estate savings, getting them into smaller and more confined areas to save on costs, but one of the side benefits of that was around collaboration and creativity.
"[vPro] allows you to capitalise on those savings -- not only in having multiple employees using a singe workspace -- but also saving cost on docks. Until recently you would might have a dock from one OEM, and then a second docking solution from another OEM. Multiple docks would have been cost prohibitive, so this enables IT to deploy a single solution."
In a video that began to roll, one HP executive estimated that the company could save half a billion dollars on the back of employee productivity gained per year.
WiDi aside, other vPro benefits mirror the advantages seen in consumer laptops housing Intel's fifth-generation Core-M CPU -- namely slimmer and lighter devices with longer battery life.
Garrison showed off four of them, with each one demonstrating a particular advantages introduced by fifth-generation vPro -- including HP's "thin and light" Elitebook 1020 and HP Elite X2 convertibles -- in addition to Lenovo's Helix 2-in-1 which offers up to eight or 12 hours of battery life depending whether used in tablet or laptop mode.
Intel now claims to have shipped more than 100 million vPro-powered devices, something that Garrison said should give developers and ISVs (independent software vendors) confidence that their applications will be optimised with vPro-enabled devices.
Additional savings could be found in the costs saved from managing such a number of devices, he added, particularly in instances where enterprises are deploying anything from 50 to 160,000 clients at a particular time.
Take a deep breath, everyone - it's nearly the weekend.
So while you wait for the clock to tick past five O'clock , have a browse through this week's final round-up of tech deals.
As usual we've got tablets, TVs, soundbars, accessories, portable storage and more!
Let's kick off with a great deal on an excellent HD TV. Samsung's H6400 series was one of our favourites from 2014. It already represented great value, but now things are even better. You can get the 48-inch Samsung UE48H6400 TV, with Freeview HD, voice control, 2x 3D glasses, free 12 month MUBI movies subscription and a 3 month pass to music streaming service Deezer - all for just £529!
Looking for a super cheap Android tablet? Look no further than the heavily discounted Lenovo S5000 7-incher. Currently going for £87.99 at Argos/eBay.
Great deal on the Wacom Bamboo Pad Light Touchpad with digital stylus - now just £19.54 at Amazon.
No room for a soundbar in front of your TV? Think about getting a soundbase which your TV can sit on top of. This one from Orbitsound is great and currently just £119.99 at Amazon.
Want a Mac for less than £340? You can currently get a refurbed Mac mini with Core i5 Intel CPU for just £339.
And if you're an extreme sports enthusiast with a GoPro, you can currently get a good deal on an extension pole for your action cam. This GoPole is currently just £35.99!
EE 4G 6GB Pay As You Go Mobile Broadband Combi Sim - £14.99
HP 15 Laptop, Intel Core i3, 4GB RAM, 1TB, 15.6" - £349.95
WD My Passport Ultra 1TB USB 3.0 Portable Drive with Auto and Cloud Backup - Black - £50
Swees® 50W 5V / 10A 5 Port USB Charger Wall Charger Adapter - £13.99
Toshiba 320GB Store.E Basics Portable Hard Drive - £29.99
SEIKI SE39UY01UK 39-Inch 4K Ultra HD - £259.99
Duracell MN2400 Plus Power Alkaline AAA Size Batteries (Pack of 12) - £4.50
Sony MDRZX310 Foldable Headphones - Metallic Black - £12.50
The NH-D9L is essentially a smaller version of the NH-D15. How will the “cute” version of the D-series line perform? Noctua NH-D9L CPU Heatsink Review @ APH Networks
The post Noctua NH-D9L CPU Heatsink Review appeared first on Modders-Inc, Case Mods and Computer Hardware Reviews.
Microsoft has confirmed today that Windows RT will not be upgraded to Windows 10. The official statement from the company is that Surface Pro will be updated to Windows 10, and “we are working on an update for Surface (RT and Surface 2), which will have some of the functionality of Windows 10.” For anyone who purchased either the Surface RT, or the Surface 2, this is a fairly poor message, especially considering the Surface 2 was still for sale not very long ago.
Windows RT was certainly a marketing failure, and arrived at the wrong time and for the wrong reasons. The initial hardware, such as the Tegra 3 powered Surface RT, was fairly underpowered, and sales were poor causing Microsoft to write down $900 million in inventory. The next generation Surface 2 was a much better performing device, but with the ARM CPU inside it was not able to run any of the traditional Windows applications. By the time Surface 2 came to market, Intel had low power Bay Trail CPUs which were competitive on power usage, and offered good performance, plus offered backwards compatibility with all of the Win32 desktop applications, leaving Microsoft as the only vendor selling Windows RT devices.
There were advantages to Windows RT of course, with little chance of malware finding its way onto the system, but the Windows Store ecosystem still lags behind iOS and Android as far as the number of tablet apps available.
It is disappointing to see support dropped so quickly, and of course harkens back to the Windows Phone 7 owners who did not get a Windows Phone 8 upgrade, but in the same vein, some work appears to be underway to bring some of the Windows 10 features to the short lived ARM version of Windows. The strangest part is that with the Hardware Abstraction Layer work already done, the amount of work to bring Windows 10 to the Surface RT and Surface 2 should be minimal, and with Windows Phone being replaced with Windows 10, universal apps will still have to be compiled for ARM chips, making the abandonment of the devices a strange notion when Windows 10 is going to be offered as a free upgrade.
Source: Paul Thurrott
We've been waiting for a Microsoft virtual reality something or other for awhile now and finally during the Windows 10 event, we were introduced to the HoloLens - which apparently is neither VR or even augmented reality but "high definition holograms" according to chief inventor Alex Kipman.
But what does that even mean? The demo presented didn't have holographic projections. Rather they were projections from a seemingly well constructed augmented reality device. AR devices like Epson's Moverio attempt the same thing: interacting with digital content while wearing AR glasses. Microsoft has simply taken it a step further and supposedly improved the design, no doubt thanks to its massive amount of resources.
So why is Microsoft calling the HoloLens a holographic experience? Likely because the space is entrenched with burgeoning VR and AR devices. This industry isn't new but it's beginning to gain traction and popularity because people are starting to do it right. Where Sony has its foot firmly in virtual reality with Project Morpheus, Microsoft now has the HoloLens ... and apparently holograms. It almost sounds like a marketing gimmick to keep up with the generations of Oculus Rift HMDs, and to stay ahead of the many lesser known augmented reality devices out there.
Microsoft essentially needs to define holograms for the general public. While watching the various videos of the HoloLens in action during the Windows 10 event, there were so many instances where I thought, "Wait, isn't this augmented reality? What's up with this hologram talk?"
Whatever Kipman and co., are doing, they need to pick a camp (AR? AR equals holograms?) and clearly clarify what the tech is in order to remain relevant. Big name companies spitting out "innovative tech" means nothing if your device doesn't make sense - anyone remember Sony's HMZ-T3W? Didn't think so.
Microsoft is unquestionably right to assume that VR and AR - or "holograms" - are the future of computing. It's unclear if the HoloLens will live long enough to see that future, but it looks promising.
The HoloLens took seven years to build, and it's still in the prototype stages. So far all we know is that there are transparent lenses and unspecified advanced sensors, spatial sound, CPU, GPU, HPU (Microsoft's own holographic processing unit), Windows 10 software and most significantly, the HoloLens is untethered. The tech will supposedly solely rely on voice and gestures without aid of cords or keyboards.
But this meager amount of information raises more questions and concerns for me. Sure untethered is amazing, but what will the battery life be like? The Oculus Rift and Project Morpheus are hooked up to PCs (for now) which is how they get juiced up. The Gear VR is untethered because it relies on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and only gets about two hours of usage. The amped up computing power of the HoloLens sounds like it will eat up the battery much faster especially without PC support.
Then there's pricing. Google Glass's $1,500 (about £991.83, AU$1855.29) is exorbitant enough for a prototype that's now basically dead in the water. The Oculus Rift is estimated to be between $200-$400 (£132-264, AU$247-495) is more reasonable but we still don't have a release date so it can still change depending on how much Crescent Bay improves. That leaves the question, will the HoloLen's hardware and software make it Glass pricey or closer to the Rift? And if it is on the higher side, will it go the way of Glass?
Functionality is also key here. Just how well will the voice and gesture commands work? If the company is taking cues from the Kinect, then it's not very promising. The Kinect has improved since the Xbox 360 days but not by much and remains a pretty disappointing Xbox One feature.
Right now, Microsoft needs a big win in both the hardware and software departments. Trying to play catch up with Apple and Android with phones, Bing versus Google's Chrome, the Xbox One versus the PS4, the hatred for Windows 8, the list goes on and on. The Surface Pro 3 is a fantastic feat but has only seen moderate success. It's been pretty silent on the Microsoft Band front as well. Windows 10 looks like it has greatly improved and will probably make Microsoft the top OS dog again, but with so many other Redmond products that are nearly there, the HoloLens will need a lot to push it to the forefront of augmented and virtual reality.
We probably won't see the HoloLens in our living rooms for awhile but I'm confident that Microsoft can pull it off and impress us all just as Oculus has over the years.
