Windows 10 Support for Older Hardware is at Risk

Microsoft with the Windows 10 operating system has been moved into a Software as a Service (SaaS) model instead of the more traditional 5 + 5 model of earlier versions of Windows. (meaning, 5 years of feature and security updates, and 5 extra years for security updates only.) Microsoft included a hardly read note that you are eligible for Windows 10 for the “supported lifetime of the device.”  The problem is that each Windows 10 update receives security fixes for just 18 months. Version 1607, the latest that these Clover Trail machines can install, will drop out of support in early 2018 - after which they'll cease to receive any patches at all.

"The following Intel Clover Trail processors are currently not supported on Windows 10 Creators Update:

• Atom Z2760
• Atom Z2520
• Atom Z2560
• Atom Z2580

Acer is working with Microsoft to resolve this issue but how long before other processor’s support is pulled as well. With hardware evolving the push is on to continue to write code to take advantage of it and there is a lot of overhead to keep code in for machines that meet these expectations. It stands to reason that Microsoft will continuously prefer to support new and newer systems, choosing to prioritize these over older hardware configurations.

The Real Benefit of Intel Optane Memory

If you have watched any of Intel’s demonstrations of the benefits from using Intel’s new Optane Memory Technology, you would possibly come away with the impression that you could get away with less RAM memory in your system if you use it. They use the fact that accessing files is faster in a system with Optane Memory than without it which is true if it has been cached especially. They also justified the expense by stating that if you decrease the amount of RAM in your system the cost of adding the Optane memory will be about the same without a loss of speed.

This is probably true if you are a one at a time application user. Most of are not so while I agree that the Optane Memory will show the best speed increase with spinning drives, I would suggest that you still shell out the extra cash to get the most RAM possible to help you maximize the speed of the machine.

To learn more about take a look at this Windows Central article.

Is the USB-C connection really that great?

According to Intel the addition of USB-C connector in your mobile device gives you a single connection type for every use. With Apple’s disclosure that they are not going to include a headphone jack in the next iPhone release we are going to need some method of connecting a headphone to your device. While wireless Bluetooth headset/buds are an alternative, a lower power consumption method is much desired. We don’t want to do anything to diminish our battery life at all.

The most obvious advantage, at least to devices manufacturers, is slimmer phones. Without needing to route analog circuitry, a phone maker could switch to digital audio and shave off precious millimeters from the device's body. With digital audio, Saunders added, software and device makers could help cheaper earbuds take advantage of features reserved for more expensive headphones, like noise cancelling and bass boosting.

Another benefit is the ability of this connection to handle multiple functions simultaneowusly through the single connection. This means, you could be charging your phone, streaming music or video and transferring files all simultaneously. So, One connector to rule them all!

Intel's SSD Drive Pricing bringing them into the mainstream

We have noticed great pricing on Intel's SSD hard drives making them a great alternative over the older spinning plate designs of the past years. Why do you want to jump to this technology? Speed! Once you have jumped to SSD technology you will never go back. I currently boot into my systems in less than 30 seconds and that includes my login. If you don’t need extra storage than you will probably be able to get by with a 250GB drive. This is a great size for office workers that are attached to network servers that are storing all their information up to the server and have no need for great amounts of local storage.

If you need more, than go with either a 500GB or 1TB. They too are very reasonable but are more of a premium than their spinning platter counterparts. Be sure when you are getting a quote for your new workstation that you ask for a comparable price for a SSD upgrade on your new system. Believe me when I say that it will bring a big smile to your face.

What is Miracast ?

Intel has been promoting their Wireless Display (WiDi) technology for quite a while now and we are starting to see some traction in the industry to include it in display devices and other types of components. 

So what is Miracast? Wikipedia describes it as such:

Miracast is a certification program of the Wi-Fi Alliance based on their Wifi-Display specification. It defines a protocol to connect an external monitor or TV to a device, and therefore can roughly be described as "HDMI over Wifi", replacing the cable from the computer to the display

So what do you do if your notebook has this capability but your wall mounted TV does not? Actiontec has a product called ScreenBeam Pro that turns any HDMI connection into a WiDi receiver. Priced under $100, you can easily connect a laptop or android device to that screen or projector with an HDMI connector and wirelessly transmit your video/audio signal to that device. 

Actiontec also has kits that will provide your with a USB transmitter that will connect your laptop that doesn't have the WiDi capability built in so that it will work with the receiver. This is a great solution for providing this capability.

Actiontec Brochure

Intel SSD 730 Series Drives

Intel offers its new SSD 730 series, which provides a combination of enthusiast-grade speed and data center endurance.

New SSD 730 series testing specs show the following key features:

• Designed for content creators and gamers, the SSDs are rated for 70 GB writes per day, compared to the industry-standard 20 GB.
• Users can get up to 1,000 MB/s sequential read speeds by combining two 730 series drives in RAID 0,2, which is nearly double the sequential read speed compared to just one 730 series drive on its own. That means customers can get two 240-GB SSDs and twice the read speed for about the same price as a single 480-GB drive and half the speed. 

Intel SSD 730 Spec Sheet

Gaming News: Intel is shipping a new Core i7 chip…

IDG News Service - Intel is shipping a new Core i7 chip for gamers that runs at 4.4GHz -- and can be overclocked to 5GHz.

The Core i7-4790K is a quad-core chip based on the Haswell microarchitecture. It draws 88 watts of power and has 8MB of cache, integrated graphics, memory controllers and support for the latest I/O technologies. It also supports multithreading and allow cores to process two tasks at one time.

The chip, now Intel's flagship PC processor, is mainly for gaming and enthusiast desktops.

It's Intel's first chip capable of running at over 4GHz under normal conditions. It can be overclocked to 5GHz in air-cooled systems, said Renee James, president of Intel, during a keynote speech at the Computex trade show in Taipei.

Intel's not the first chip company to reach 5GHz though: Advanced Micro Devices offers FX chips for gamers with clock speeds of up to 5GHz.

Chip makers moved away from cranking up chip clock speeds in favor of adding cores as a way to boost performance about a decade ago. Bumping up clock speeds generated more heat and consumed more electricity. Performance improvements over time have also come by shrinking chips and integrating more components such as graphics cores.

But AMD and Intel haven't given up on clock speed altogether: They continue the battle on their flagship chips with the aim of capturing the performance crown.

Intel’s Next Unit of Computing-Things just keep getting smaller!

Talk about small and still powerful, this 4x4 core i3 System is being targeted at just $399, including case, power supply and a solid state disk. The system being label the NUC isn’t yet a standard form factor but it is going to be a great size for some of space constraining projects. This product should become available in October this year. Looks like October is going to be a busy month.

Loyd Case wrote for PCWorld the following:

NUC is an Intel-developed program, with the goal of shrinking a full performance desktop PC into as small a form factor as possible. While it might seem to compete with Via's Pico ITX, the performance is substantially better than the Via Centaur CPU on those boards. The 4-by-4-inch format was chosen as the smallest board capable of supporting an Intel Ivy Bridge CPU with supporting core logic and expansion.

NUC is aimed at OEMs that may need the small form factor for embedded applications as well as hobbyists looking to build tiny computers into cards, home theater systems or tiny servers. The dedicated video block inside Intel's HD 4000 GPU can handle two HD video streams at full frame rate. Intel isn't planning on selling complete systems, but will source a small case and external power supply for buyers who want to experiment with building a system.

Intel will offer two boards, with the key difference being connectivity. One will include a Thunderbolt port, while the other will have a wired Ethernet connector instead of Thunderbolt. Both will still have WiFi options, similar to those used in many laptops, which will take up the lone mini-PCI slot. OEMs can feel free to use the mini-PCI slot for other purposes if they don't need WiFi. Intel will also offer a chassis just big enough for the board plus an external power supply with the units, so hobbyists and OEMs can experiment with these tiny PCs. The case itself is barely bigger than the 4-by-4-inch board, though the power brick is an external unit. The cases will even have VESA mounts, so can be attached easily to the backs of LCD displays or wall mounted.

New Intel Motherboard Feature Sets

Got a note from one of distributors discussing the features on the new Intel Desktop Boards.

• Intel Smart Response Technology: Maximize Responsiveness with Intel SRT; Rapid Start and Smart connect Technologies.
• Power Supervisor: Ensure System Protection from power supply failure, surge and over current conditions.
• Bios Vault Technology: Virtually incorruptible Bios that provides fault tolerance and secure firmware.
• Fast Boot: speed through system boot times and eliminate unnecessary delays.
• Wifi & Bluetooth Combo: Bluetooth/wifi module and front panel USB 3.0 modules included on select models.
• Intelligent Phase Shedding Technology: Keeps system operating in the most efficient power performance state.

If you want more information on Intel’s new products take a look at this resource:

http://www.intelbettertogether.com/main.aspx

Intel AppUp Small Business Service Video

Intel AppUp Small Business Service Video
Grow your business with the Intel Hybrid Cloud Services

Intel AppUp SmallBusiness Service-Top10 Reasons

Intel AppUp SmallBusiness Service-Top10 Reasons to jump on board

Flip the Switch Sales Video

Intel provided video describing how you can leverage the Intel Hybrid Cloud service and the Intel AppUp Small Business Service subscription model.

Intel Hybrid Cloud Technology–A new way to do networking in your business…

Cost has always been an issue when trying to implement the right technology into your business. Intel has developed a solution that will help you keep your equipment and software up to date as well as affordable. This solution will allow us as a Technology Support Company to provide you, our clients, with reliable equipment that is easy to maintain and support both on a hardware basis as well as the applications that let you run your business well.

This new equipment is a support tech’s dream with built-in management features that allow us to perform quick reliable remote assistance on your equipment. As your needs change, or as you add new users and equipment the licensing is simple and straight forward. This solution provides a 3 year refresh cycle that helps us provide you with up to date hardware and software and the right tools on a monthly subscription basis. You will have less worries about having the most current tools to allow you to be competitive in your business marketplace.

Intel is working with many of the leading software manufacturers to provide applications that fit in with the pay-as-you-go subscription model. This small business solution scales with your business growth so you only pay for the services that you use. You won’t have a high up front cost to purchase the software and if the usefulness of the application comes to an end all we have to do is turn it off and you will no longer be billed for it.

Intel describes the benefits of the AppUp Small Business Service as follows:

• Cloud-like flexibility. Customers consume IT software on a monthly basis without a high upfront fee. Cost scales with number of users, offering a predictable, manageable way to pay for software. You can adjust your monthly software costs as business conditions and the number of users change.
• Remotely manageable. With an MSP managing the server, you get focus on managing your business rather your customers’ servers.
• Data control. With an on-premises server, you can keep data on-site and within your control.
• Lower solutions cost. Run multiple applications and add new applications while paying only for what you use.

Application Categories include:

• Business Applications (intuit, Tally
• Healthcare Applications (gloStream
• Server O/S (Microsoft, SUSE Linux, Clear Center, Pragma Systems)
• Email/Collaboration/Instant Messaging (Workspace)
• Database (Apani)
• Firewall/Unified Threat Management (UTM) (Astaro, Asigra, GFI, SIOS)
• Back-up (StorageCraft, kineticROBOBAK, Vembu)
• Remote Management (Level Platforms, Lumension)
• Disaster Recovery
• VOIP-PBX (Fonality)

With all of the products and more becoming available weekly we are very excited about the affordability of this approach. Be sure to keep an eye on this blog to see more as we begin implementing this exciting new business solution!

Brochure

Intel’s Thunderbolt initiative coming soon on a PC near you

Acer, Asustek, Lenovo expected to begin adopting Thunderbolt this spring and are expected to initially have this connector on their proposed ultrabook devices. All three PC makers are expected to introduce new Ultrabooks incorporating Intel's Ivy Bridge platform with support for Thunderbolt.

Intel's next Ivy Bridge chip platform, the successor to Sandy Bridge, includes native support for USB 3.0, but does not support Thunderbolt across the board. Support for Thunderbolt increases the cost of PCs by more than $20.

As a result, Thunderbolt is only expected to be adopted among high-end notebooks or desktops in 2012. The new Intel-driven standard for PCI Express data paired with DisplayPort video is however expected to be fully standardized by 2013.

Apple aggressively rolled out support for Thunderbolt last year, adding it to all of its Mac product lines apart from the Mac Pro, which already has PCI Express slots. Thunderbolt hard drives and other devices have started to trickle into the market behind Apple's own Thunderbolt Display, with docks and external PCIe slot enclosures being shown at CES last month.

HP states that it doesn’t see the value proposition of the Thunderbolt Technology and intends to exclusively support USB 3.0.

DigiTimes reported Tuesday that Thunderbolt and its 10Gbps data connection speed could "greatly affect" adoption of the competing USB 3.0 port in the future. It said that in addition to Apple, which added Thunderbolt to its latest line of MacBook Pros, Sony is also said to be considering adopting the technology into its high-end notebooks.

Last Spring, Intel publicly said it planned to support USB 3.0 alongside Thunderbolt. But sources reportedly said that Intel is simply hedging its bets by adding USB 3.0 support to its next-generation chips, code-named "Ivy Bridge."
"Sources believe Intel's strategy of adopting both technologies into its next generation products is to minimize the risks of placing all the eggs into one basket," the report said.

People in the PC industry reportedly believe that USB 3.0 is a "transitional product" with legacy support for older USB devices. Thunderbolt, on the other hand, is viewed as the true next-generation successor.

Formerly code-named "Light Peak," Thunderbolt has data transfer speeds that are 20 times faster than the current market standard, USB 2.0. Thunderbolt's 10Gbps speeds are also twice as fast as the USB 3.0 specification.
For comparison, a FireWire 800 port is 800Mbps, while an Express Card slot has bandwidth of 2.5Gbps.

Thunderbolt's speeds are accomplished with copper wire, though previous versions of Light Peak were demonstrated with fiber optic strands allowing speeds of up to 100Gbps. Thunderbolt was co-developed by Intel and Apple.

Intel Launches the 'Cedar Trail' Atom Platform

Intel has today finally introduced its third-generation Atom processors, the 32nm chips codenamed Cedar Trail. This processor supports full 1080p high definition playback capability, support Blu-ray 2.0 and has integrated HDMI video support to give you the full rich video experience on netbooks, nettops, all-in-one PCs and tablet systems. The 32nm design provides higher clock speeds and up to 20% less power draw for the whole platform. It also supports an integrated memory controller supporting DDR3-800/1066 memory, and updated, but still DirectX 9-enabled graphics (Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3600/3650 based on the PowerVR SGX 545 from Imagination Technologies).

Intel claims that Cedar Trail netbooks will achieve up to 10 hours of battery life and consume up to 20 percent less power than its predecessors. The graphics chipset GMA 3600/3650 promises twice the performance of the previous generation platform. New features include WiDi and Wireless Music, which are now integrated in the product.With these new features and wireless enabled devices, people can share videos or photos wirelessly from their netbooks to a television, or stream music through their home stereo speakers.

Additional features such as Intel Smart Connect Technology allows users to have an instant Internet connection as soon as they open their netbook, and have email, Twitter and RSS feeds automatically updated even in sleep mode. Intel Rapid Start Technology enables fast resume from standby mode and helps conserve battery life.

The new Intel Atom processors provide a lower thermal design power (TDP) and power management features such as Intel Deeper Sleep and Intel SpeedStep Technology that enable lower power designs, making it especially attractive for netbooks as well as intelligent systems including: healthcare equipment, retail systems and entry-level digital signage.

In health care settings, the improved battery life and enhanced graphics means medical professionals can enhance patient care and bring infotainment services to a patient's bedside. Arbor technology will release a new patient infotainment bedside terminal, based on the Intel Atom processor N2800 that helps clinicians improve workflow management and work efficiency, reduce human error, and enhance healthcare quality. Patients can also enjoy access to plenty of multimedia entertainment, hospital information and communication services on the system.

The always on, always connected capabilities are also ideal for entry-level point-of-sale systems with the ability to boot up instantly to serve customer's at a moment's notice. Point-of-sale terminals based on the Intel Atom processor D2700 and manufactured by NCR Corporation will be installed in restaurant and retail locations throughout the US beginning in the first quarter of 2012.

Intel Releases SSD Toolbox 3.0 Software

The Intel SSD Toolbox does not support firmware updates on the following Intel SSDs. To update the firmware on these SSDs, use the Intel® SATA Solid-State Drive Firmware Update Tool.The Intel® Solid-State Drive Toolbox (Intel® SSD Toolbox) is drive management software that allows you to:
  * View current drive information for Intel® Solid-State Drives (Intel® SSDs), including:
       - Model number, capacity, and firmware version
       - Drive health
       - Estimated drive life remaining
       - SMART attributes (also available for hard disk drives and non-Intel SSDs)
       - IDENTIFY DEVICE information (also available for hard disk drives and non-Intel SSDs)
  * Optimize the performance of an Intel SSD using Trim functionality
  * Update the firmware on a supported Intel SSD
  * Run quick and full diagnostic scans to test the read and write functionality of an Intel SSD
  * Check and tune your system settings for optimal Intel SSD performance, power efficiency, and endurance
  * View your system information and hardware configuration, such as central processing unit (CPU),
     chipset, controller name, and driver versions
  * Run Secure Erase on a secondary Intel SSD

Before beginning the Intel SSD Toolbox installation, review the Release Notes and follow the instructions in the

Installation Guide. A Frequently Asked Questions document is also available for your reference.

If you need assistance with the installation or experience issues, contact Intel Customer Support.

NOTE:  Installing this version of the Intel SSD Toolbox overwrites any previous version of Intel SSD Toolbox installed in your system.

The Intel SSD Toolbox supports firmware updates on the following Intel SSDs:

Intel® Solid-State Drive Latest Firmware Version
Intel® Solid-State Drive 710 Series	6PB10362
Intel® Solid-State Drive 710 Series	6PB10362
Intel® Solid-State Drive 320 Series	4PC10362
Intel® Solid-State Drive 311 Series	2CV102M5
Intel® Solid-State Drive 310 Series	2CV102M3
Intel® X18-M / X25-M SATA SSDs (34nm)	2CV102M3
Intel® X25-V SATA SSD	2CV102M3

The Intel SSD Toolbox does not support firmware updates on the following Intel SSDs. To update the firmware on these SSDs, use the Intel® SATA Solid-State Drive Firmware Update Tool.

Intel® Solid-State Drive	Latest Firmware Version
Intel® Solid-State Drive 510 Series	PPG2 or PPG4  (120GB SSD) PWG2 or PWG4 (250GB SSD)
Intel® X18-M/X25-M SATA SSDs (50nm)	045C8820
Intel® X25-E SATA SSD (50nm)	045C8850

Intel® Reader

The mobile device that reads print aloud.

The Intel® Reader transforms printed text to the spoken word. It combines a high-resolution camera with the power of an Intel Atom™ processor to read on the spot, or store text for later listening. The Intel® Reader is perfect for blind and low vision customers as well as in an educational setting!

Easy-to-use buttons with audio and visual navigation, and straightforward menus. Weighs just over 1 pound and about the size of a paperback book. Perfect for at school, work, home, or on the go. Plays MP3, DAISY books, and text transferred from a PC. Use with the Portable Capture Station to make it easy to scan, convert, and store multiple pages from a book or magazine.

Click on this link below to see a video of the reader in action.

http://www.careinnovations.com/Products/Reader/Education.aspx

Intel SSD 320: Taking Reliability To The Next Level

Interesting post about Intel’s SSD technology…

Intel SSD 320 drives include redundant flash memory. Should any of the drive's blocks go bad, they can be remapped to the surplus storage transparently. The new SSDs also include an array of capacitors able to keep the controller running during a power loss. Cached information is quickly written to non-volatile flash to maintain data integrity.

We all know SSDs are fast. They're so fast, in fact, that many enterprises dependent on high-performance storage have replaced cabinets full of mechanical disks with just a handful of solid-state drives to achieve similar I/O throughput. But, in a business environment, uptime is often even more important than speed.

Intel already has a fantastic reputation for delivering reliable SSDs. Its drives are increasingly being used in mission critical environments specifically because they're proving to be so dependable. Real-world data from the company's reseller partners help quantify those claims—Intel's second-generation mainstream X25-M came back .59% of the time, while competing SSDs demonstrated a greater than two percent return rate.

And now that we're looking at the third-gen SSD 320, Intel's reliability story gets an even more substantial emphasis. To begin, SSD 320 drives include redundant flash memory. Should any of the drive's blocks go bad, they can be remapped to the surplus storage transparently. The new SSDs also include an array of capacitors able to keep the controller running during a power loss. Cached information is quickly written to non-volatile flash to maintain data integrity.

Those improvements add up a product in which customers should put even more faith. In fact, Intel recently fortified its warranty coverage on the SSD 320, extending it from three years to five.

The Kno may still get known…

We have all be entranced with the multi-screen design of the Kno hardware and will be really interesting if it will really finally become available. Intel is apparently spearheading the investing some money (30 million dollars) to bring this product to reality. The primary focus for this product is to bring it to the education market as a research and note taking classroom device. This is an interesting concept but I can’t help but wonder if they can ever get the product down to a price point to make it affordable for a classroom environment.

Intel 320 Series SSD with 25 nm NAND Flash Slated for 28 March

Intel's 320 series solid-state drives (SSDs) are on track for a March 28 launch. The silicon giant is on a bit of a spree with its SSD product launches over the past few weeks. Intel 320 series, also referred to as "Postville Refresh", succeeds the company's X25-V and X25-M series, consisting of SATA 3 Gb/s SSDs in the 2.5-inch form-factor. The drives achieve sequential read speeds of 250 MB/s, and write speeds of 170 MB/s; Up to 39,500 IOPS random 4 KB reads, and up to 23,000 IOPS random 4 KB writes.

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