Really exited for my 128GB Pixel XL to show up! I was considering the HTC 10, especially for the price, but I think the Pixel's optimizations will make it feel much more like an iPhone when it comes to UI response. Hopefully the phone lives up to the expectations.
Staying on top of IT is hard. Here's a roundup of this week's new IT product launches to make it a little easier. If you think we're missing something, tell us in the comments below and we'll add it to the list.
Google unveils new Pixel phones and virtual reality headsetGoogle launched its new Pixel smartphones this week, showcasing its first venture into integrating its own hardware with its software. Pitching the 5-inch Pixel and the 5.5-inch Pixel XL as high-end smartphones capable of taking on Apple's iPhone, Google talked up the phone's software, paying special attention to the new Google Assistant, which is a more capable digital assistant. Both phones include an aluminum unibody and polished glass combination body, hi-definition AMOLED displays, Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 quad-core processors, 4GB of RAM, and a fingerprint sensor. According to Google, both phones also include quick charging technology and a 12.3MP camera that the industry analyst DxOMark has said is the best smartphone camera on the market. It starts at $649, which is the same price point as the iPhone. With less of a clear business purpose is Google new virtual reality headset, Daydream View, which is designed especially for the Pixel and starts at $79.
PostgreSQL launches PostgreSQL 9.6The open source project PostgreSQL has released PostgreSQL 9.6, which is the latest version of the project's open source database software. According to PostgreSQL, "this release will allow users to both scale up and scale out high performance database workloads. New features include parallel query, synchronous replication improvements, phrase search, and improvements to performance and usability, as well as many more features." Other new features include new system views and functions, command progress reporting support, cascade support for installing extensions, pg_basebackup concurrency and replication slot support, wait event support, view editing and crosstabs in psql, user-defined expiration for old snapshots, and index-only scans for partial indexes. PostgreSQL 9.6 is free to download and use.
Raspberry Pi Foundation launches PIXEL
The Raspberry Pi Foundation has unveiled a new LXDE-based operating system called Raspberry Pi PIXEL. Where previously, Raspbian shipped with the Linux distribution LXDE, the new Raspberry Pi PIXEL has been re-engineered and redesigned with new icons, a new Applications Menu, a new theme, and an appealing visual aesthetic for users. According to Softpedia, PIXEL stands for "Pi Improved Xwindows Environment, Lightweight." In addition to a redesigned desktop appearance, PIXEL also includes several new applications such as "the RealVNC viewer Sense HAT emulator, along with new functionality like Wireless power switching for Raspberry Pi 3 devices, which is helpful to turn off Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, or booth."
Linux Mint and CompuLab unveil MintBox Mini ProLinux Mint and CompuLab have announced a new mini-PC that comes with Linux Mint preinstalled. Starting at $395, the MintBox Mini Pro features a 120GB SSD, 8GB of RAM, an A10-Micro 6700T, dual HDMI support, dual Gbe ethernet support, dual-band 802.11ac mini-PCIe, and Bluetooth ports. According to Neowin, the mini-PC is capable of running Windows and follows the MintBox Mini, which Linux Mint and CompuLab released last year .
Megalogix announces cloud collaboration tool Content.lyMegalogix has launched its new cloud collaboration tool Content.ly, a tool that gives IT "a comprehensive set of cloud apps to manage the lifecycle of content stored and shared across cloud collaboration platforms, regardless of who has deployed them." Content.ly attempts to solve a common problem: As workers turn to cloud-based collaboration tools like Dropbox, Box, Slack, and Google for Work without the approval of IT to get their jobs done, IT is left trying to make sure that these platforms follow compliance and governance rules. According to Megalogix, Content.ly gives IT "a simple cloud interface for any-to-any migration in the cloud, content replications and synchronization and platform provisioning." Megalogix is currently offering early access trials of Content.ly.
ScreenBeam launches ScreenBeam 750 for SMBsThe ScreenBeam 750 (ethernet... and ScreenBeam 750 (wireless... are ScreenBeam's newest wireless display receiver for small-to-medium-sized businesses. According to ScreenBeam, the ScreenBeam 750 "comes complete with the ScreenBeam Central Management System (CMS) for IT remote management." Features include the ability to speak from anywhere in the room, interact with audiences and content in real time, and the ability to display any content, app, video, or website. It is also compatible with Miracast enabled devices, which helps users avoid cable clutter. ScreenBeam is currently offering free trials of the ScreenBeam 750.
Sonus unveils Sonus SBC SWe LiteSonus has released the Sonus SBC SWe Lite, which lets companies "virtualize interworking and security for Microsoft Skype for Business and Office 365 Cloud PBX." According to Sonus, "The SBC SWe Lite supplements the Sonus SBC SWe, providing a virtual Customer Premise Equipment (vCPE) option for SMEs looking to virtualize interworking, security and survivability for Unified Communications (UC)." Featuring support for Microsoft Hyper-V and VMware ESXi, SBC SWe Lite is easy to install and maintain and gives users the "flexibility to deploy a virtual SBC solution on standard off-the-shelf servers or in virtualized environments." In short, SBC SWe Lite can help reduce how much money organizations spen on hardware to support Skype for Business or Office 365 Cloud PBX. Sonus is currently selling the SBC SWe Lite.
Are we missing something? Let us know below and we'll add it to the list! And if you have a product launch planned, let us know and we'll include it in a future roundup. Please email all submissions to editorial@spiceworks.com.
