Archives February 2023

In the midst of all the high-end gadgets shown off at MWC 2023, TCL Mobile went the opposite route by revealing a bunch of new budget-friendly devices. 

Chief among these is the TCL NXTPAPER 11 (opens in new tab), a tablet whose features allow it to be a jack-of-all-trades for work and entertainment. It comes equipped with the company’s proprietary NXTPAPER 2.0 suite to improve screen quality. First, it bumps up the brightness level by 150 percent compared to the previous version allowing the 11-inch 2K display to output at 500 nits. If you use the device for an extended period of time, the integrated light sensor will “automatically [adjust the] color temperature” to protect your eyes. Anti-glare tech is also a part of the package by “incorporating multi-layer screen protection” to reduce eye strain. For the cherry on top, TCL added its AI Boost tech to further enhance video quality. 

Work features

Samsung’s new Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23+, and Galaxy S23 Ultra are all right in line with what everyone has come to expect from a premium Android experience with top-of-the-line phones with great specs, fantastic cameras, and a beautiful new design. And there’s nothing worse than watching your $1000 phone fall to the concrete only to pick it up and find it cracked into a thousand tiny little pieces. We’ve all seen time slow as that brand new phone leaves the warm embrace of our palm or pocket and slowly tumbles to the cold, hard concrete. 

In response, ROKFORM has announced the Rugged case line for the all-new Samsung Galaxy S23, S23+ and S23 Ultra, which includes a MAGMAX™ MagSafe® compatible magnet system and strong lower magnet for mounting to any magnetic surface, plus MagSafe® accessories. Customers also get the patented RokLock® twist-lock mount system for cars, bikes, motorcycles, and more. It even works with the S23 Ultra S-Pen.

Rokform cases are designed to handle the toughest environments. Loved by the First Responder and Military communities, the Rugged case has proven itself again and again to be the most versatile and dependable case out there. Whether on the trail shredding through the hills, on the golf course relaxing after a long week, or at home with the kids throwing stuff everywhere (even your phone), the 6-foot Military Grade drop protection means the phone is safe no matter where it is. 

Lenovo has taken to the stage at MWC 2023 to announce the latest generation of a number of its ThinkPad laptops, as well as IdeaPad and ThinkCenter products, with eye health has been of great importance this time around.

Besides the fairly widescale adoption of low blue light technology designed to reduce eye strain, Lenovo has also made a number of other improvements have been made to display qualities and sizes across the board.

Google Cloud has announced three new products aimed at communication service providers (CSPs) to help them transform their networks with hybrid cloud technologies. 

At MWC 2023, the tech giant revealed Telecom Network Automation, Telecom Data Fabric, and Telecom Subscriber Insights, which it says will provide telcos with an all-in-one cloud solution to build and run a hybrid cloud network. 

Microsoft may be adding a new customization option in an upcoming Windows 11 update – one that could address a feature that a good amount of users find annoying.

According to Twitter user @PhantomOfEarth (opens in new tab) and reported on by MSPowerUser (opens in new tab), the Windows 11 Dev Insider build 25300 contains three strings that make turning off the date and time on the system tray on the right side of the Taskbar an option. Those strings are ‘Hide taskbar clock,’ ‘Hide time and date in the system tray,’ and ‘Turn this on to hide your time and date information in the corner of your taskbar.’ Most likely the setting will be located on the Taskbar, as other settings that configure it are located there. 

By far one of the coolest laptops on show at MWC 2023 in Barcelona right now has to be Lenovo’s ‘rollable technology’ concept unit. As a helpful Lenovo rep informed me, it’s nowhere close to being a marketable product right now – and if I was the person in charge of this particular product, I’d quit while I was ahead.

For starters, I’m going to object to the terminology used here. While the display certainly can be ‘rolled’ to reduce its size, the idea of a ‘rollable’ laptop immediately puts me – and, I would imagine, a lot of people – in mind of a whole device that can be rolled up to make it more compact when not in use. Imagine being able to roll one of the best laptops – or the best phones, since Lenovo also included a compact version of the display – into a nice thin tube to slip into a bag or pocket!

News of the next-gen Sony WF-1000XM5 wireless earbuds has been thin on the ground, but that’s changed after they were spotted in an official US regulatory database. Sony fan site TheWalkmanBlog has spotted (opens in new tab) what looks to be the Sony WF-1000XM5 flagship earbuds model in an FCC filing. 

The report appears with some of the new model’s key features for what would be the successor to the five-star reviewed Sony WF-1000XM4 wireless earbuds.

Apple’s next batch of iPad Pro tablets, which are expected next year, could be the most expensive yet, thanks to the inclusion of a rumored display upgrade.

Following on from the iPad Pro 12.9 (2022) and the smaller – but otherwise practically identical iPad Pro 11 (2022), Apple is expected to drop another two new iPad Pro models next year. When they launch we’ll likely see Apple’s best iPad tablets get a few upgrades in terms of their processor and feature set.

Almost all Chief Information Security Officers (CISO) are under immense stress at work, a new report from Cyble has claimed. 

Asides from the personal consequences, the company notes that for many businesses, this stress hinders a CISO’s ability to perform, putting the entire organization at risk.

Microsoft has rolled out automatic installs of the new version of malware removal tool and security dashboard Microsoft Defender on Windows devices with active personal Microsoft 365 (M365) subscriptions.

Documentation (opens in new tab) for the new Microsoft Defender (via Windows Latest (opens in new tab)) confirms that M365 subscribers are being used as guinea pigs, stating that other users can expect to be hit by the change in March 2023, despite needing a M365 subscription to use the service.