Tag Archive for: Chromebooks
Google is designing its own Arm-based processors for 2023 Chromebooks – report • The Register
Google is reportedly designing its own Arm-based system-on-chips for Chromebook laptops and tablets to be launched in 2023.
The internet search giant appears to be following the same path as Apple by developing its own line of processors for client devices, according to Nikkei Asia.
Google earlier said its latest Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro Android smartphones will be powered by a homegrown system-on-chip named Tensor. This component will be made up of CPUs and GPU cores licensed from other designers as well as Google’s own AI acceleration engine to boost machine-learning-based features, such as image processing and speech recognition.
The Chocolate Factory also launched its homemade Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) in 2016, aimed at training and running machine learning workloads on its cloud servers. Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai announced the fourth-generation of TPUs in May at the web titan’s annual IO conference. Google also has a collection of its own Titan chips.
The rumored processors for its laptops and fondleslabs use Arm CPU cores, meaning Google will pay licensing fees to use the British chip designer’s blueprints. The chips will be manufactured elsewhere by fabrication plants, probably TSMC or Samsung. Technical specifications are hush-hush right now; The Register has asked Google for comment.
It’s beneficial for tech companies to develop their own chips as they, for one thing, roll out AI algorithms in their products. Custom accelerators can be optimized to run their makers’ software stacks more efficiently, enabling more real-time intelligent decision-making by devices, whether that’s in facial recognition or machine-learning-powered smartphone apps.
Apple’s iPhone 12 handsets, for example, contain the iGiant’s 5nm 64-bit Arm-compatible A14 bionic SoC that’s capable of accelerating computer-vision code and the processing of data from its sensors. Amazon also has custom processors available for its cloud customers on AWS, such as Inferentia and Graviton.
There are reportedly other in-house chip projects underway at…
After Ransomware Attack, School District Says Chromebooks Safe But Not Windows Laptops
HP Elite c1030 Chromebook. HP leads the world in Chromebook shipments, according to Canalys.
The Baltimore County school district just provided another reason to consider switching to a Chromebook.
This is the notice the Baltimore County Public Schools issued this past week after a Ransomware attack:
“We now know that BCPS-issued Chromebooks were not impacted by the cyber attack. You may now safely use: BCPS-issued Chromebooks and BCPS Google accounts for students and staff.
Please do not use BCPS-issued Windows-based devices until further notice.”
The upshot — at least from this school district in this ransomware case: Chromebooks are safe, Windows laptops aren’t.
Hewlett-Packard backed this sentiment up during a reviewer workshop* call I participated in with HP Chromebook managers and executives on Thursday.
Among other reasons for switching to Chromebooks from Windows — such as fast setup and price — security is now an incentive for customers to adopt Chromebooks, said Nicola Liu, Product Planner, BPS Chrome at HP.
Security is serious in the age of COVID
Work-at-home and school-at-home scenarios are providing more opportunities for cybercriminals to infect computers with malware — and in the most serious cases ransomware, as cybersecurity experts have warned over and over.
With remote learning and online classes, schools are favorite targets for cybercriminal syndicates such as those behind the Maze strain of ransomware.
And make no mistake: if your organization is infected with ransomware it will be catastrophic.
Chromebooks — which are seeing surging popularity in education — could be a safer alternative.
Price and easy setup also big motivators for Chromebooks
Chromebooks are cheap, typically priced between $400 and $800. And premium Chromebooks like HP’s new Elite c1030 Chromebook (starting at $999) are generally about $500 to $1,000 cheaper than premium Windows laptops. Not to mention MacBooks.
And the software is generally cheaper than Windows.
Setup is fast. I use several Chromebooks and configuring a new model this week — automatically installing the desktop I have on my other…
Huawei P20, Android security, Chromebooks, Huami Stratos, and Sony Xperia (MobileTechRoundup #429)
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