Friday, January 13, 2017

Radeon FreeSync™ 2 Technology Brings High Dynamic Range Gaming to Advanced PC Displays



Today, AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) announced Radeon FreeSync™ 2 technology, the next major milestone in delivering smooth gameplay and advanced pixel integrity to gamers, with planned availability to consumers in 1H 2017.

Qualifying FreeSync™ 2 monitors will harness low-latency, high-brightness pixels, excellent black levels, and a wide color gamut to display High Dynamic Range (HDR) content.[i] In addition, all FreeSync™ 2 monitors will have support for Low Framerate Compensation (LFC). With Radeon FreeSync™ 2 technology, gamers can enjoy a complete plug-and-play HDR gaming experience, avoiding the need to tweak settings in software or on the monitor.

 “Gamers have spoken and they’ve made FreeSync™ the overwhelming choice and definitive industry standard for smooth, stutter-free gaming,” said Scott Herkelman, vice president and general manager of gaming, Radeon Technologies Group, AMD. “Radeon FreeSync™ 2 technology is the first of its kind that combines HDR support with dynamic refresh rate technology, and does it in a seamless, plug-and-play manner that improves gaming quality automatically when the right content is present.”

Current HDR transport formats were designed primarily for movie content displayed on televisions with tone mapping handled by the displays, often leading to higher-than-acceptable latency for PC gaming. AMD’s new API for FreeSync™ 2 offers a lower-latency alternative that shifts the workload to the powerful pipeline of a Radeon™ GPU, allowing the game to tone map directly to the display’s target luminance, contrast, and color space. Radeon FreeSync™ 2 technology offers over 2x the brightness and color volume over sRGB.[ii]

"Samsung has always embraced FreeSync™ technology, which is why we partnered with AMD from the beginning,” said Andrew Sivori, vice president, consumer IT marketing at Samsung. “We know gamers deserve the absolute best in smooth gaming experiences, and we're thrilled to see AMD further improving on that technology. FreeSync™ 2 combines the richest, highest quality pixels provided by HDR, with the stutter-free, tear-free gaming FreeSync™ is known for. We're excited to collaborate with AMD to implement FreeSync™ 2 technology in Samsung display products in the near future."

FreeSync™ and FreeSync 2 technologies will co-exist to offer a wide variety of advanced displays to gamers. All FreeSync-compatible Radeon™ GPUs will support FreeSync™ 2 technology, including the Radeon™ RX series GPUs based on the Polaris architecture which also supports DisplayPort[iii] HBR3 and enables UltraHD resolution beyond 60Hz. Multiple display vendors are actively evaluating several upcoming products for FreeSync™ 2 qualification.  

About AMD
For more than 45 years AMD has driven innovation in high-performance computing, graphics, and visualization technologies ― the building blocks for gaming, immersive platforms, and the datacenter. Hundreds of millions of consumers, leading Fortune 500 businesses, and cutting-edge scientific research facilities around the world rely on AMD technology daily to improve how they live, work, and play. AMD employees around the world are focused on building great products that push the boundaries of what is possible. For more information about how AMD is enabling today and inspiring tomorrow, visit the AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) websiteblogFacebook, and Twitter pages.

Friday, January 6, 2017

Acer Chromebook 11 N7 (C731): A Smart Solution for Classrooms

Acer announced the availability of its newest Chromebook for education customers, the Acer Chromebook 11 N7 (C731) with enhanced durability features. In addition, it provides long battery life and a fan-less design, making it an exceptional choice for schools and school districts that want a reliable, powerful and quiet device for student learning.
Chromebooks have become the de facto standard for education technology in many districts around the country,” said Chris Chiang, Vice President of Product Management at Acer America. “The new Acer Chromebook 11 N7 (C731) will set the bar even higher for what schools utilize for their classrooms and labs – a durable design, quiet fan-less operation and a portable form factor that makes them easy to transport for 1:1 programs, around the classroom, outside and in the lab.”
According to data from Gartner, Acer Group is the world’s leading Chromebook brand with over 33 percent market share in 2015[i].
Durable Design Features Enhance Real-Time Learning    
The durability and design features of the Chromebook 11 N7 (C731) ensure maximum uptime and contribute to reduced IT maintenance. The device endured rigorous testing to meet the demanding U.S. MIL-STD 810G military standard[ii]. This military specification testing validates the ruggedness, durability and quality of the Chromebook 11 N7 (C731), so that student learning can take place in a variety of environments.
The Acer Chromebook 11 N7 (C731) can handle up to 132 pounds (60kg) of downward force on the top cover, while the reinforced case and hinges result in greater resistance to twisting and stress, even if students cram them into their backpacks. In addition, the corner-shield structure and rubber bumper keyboard surround further protect the Chromebook, so it can tolerate drops from heights up to 48 inches (122cm). These features ensure the Chromebook will be protected whether it takes a tumble while being transported or is accidentally knocked off a desk. The anti-slip pattern on the rear case makes it easy to grip and helps prevent it from slipping out of students’ hands.
The Acer Chromebook 11 N7 (C731) has a spill-resistant keyboard that provides protection against spills of up to 11 fluid ounces (330ml) of water. The unique gutter system under the keyboard and touchpad drains water so that it’s routed away from internal components and out the bottom of the chassis.
A new feature to the Chromebook 11 N7 (C731) is the keyboard design with recessed keys that prevent the key caps from being easily removed by students. In addition, the keyboard was designed for an excellent typing experience for students, many of whom are still learning keyboarding skills.
The Acer Chromebook 11 N7 (C731) has a fan-less design that provides cool and quiet operation, so it doesn’t add noise, even to a whole classroom of students. Also, reliability is boosted since it doesn’t require venting that may cause airflow issues and dust accumulation.
Long Battery Life up to 12 Hours, Excellent Performance
Administrators and teachers won’t have to worry about charging their Acer Chromebook 11 N7 (C731) every evening, since it provides up to 12 hours of battery life, enough for several days of classroom use1. This long battery life is also ideal for 1:1 programs where students use their Chromebook throughout the school day, then take it home for homework and fun. Powered by Intel® Celeron® dual-core processors, the Acer Chromebook 11 N7 (C731) delivers solid everyday performance.



Touch Display Option, 180-Degree Hinge Promotes Sharing
School administrators can meet their curriculum and budget requirements with different models of the Chromebook 11 N7. The Acer C731T has an 11.6-inch IPS touch screen display, while the C731 has a standard non-touch display. Touch models allow students a heightened level of engagement, since any webpage or app can benefit from touch gestures in both solo and group settings. The display has a 1366x768 resolution that ensures sharp and legible apps and text as well as vivid, clear videos and photos. Also, the Acer Chromebook 11 N7 (C731)’s hinge is designed to open up to 180 degrees – so it can lay flat on a table for sharing during certain lessons such as labs.
The slim and portable form factor makes the Acer Chromebook 11 N7 (C731) ideal for use anywhere – at home, school, work and on-the-go. It measures only 0.87 inches (22mm) thin and weighs only 2.98 pounds (1.35kg).
The Chromebook 11 N7 (C731) will provide additional capabilities thanks to planned support for Android apps via the Google Play Store in the coming months.
Students Stay Connected
Students can stay connected to their campus network with the fast dual-band 2x2 MIMO 802.11ac Wi-Fi. The device connects easily to peripherals via Bluetooth 4.0, two USB 3.0 ports and one HDMI port. Students can plug in headphones with the 3.5mm combo audio port. Files can be transferred with the device’s built-in SD card reader.
Sharing and Collaborating
The Acer Chromebook 11 N7 (C731) supports multiple user sign on to keep each student’s data safe. Students simply log onto their unique accounts to ensure their project, Gmail and other information is kept safe, even if the Chromebook is lost or stolen. Storage on Google Drive[iii] protects files, documents, and photos safely in the cloud, and ensures that the most current version is always available. Students can also access files offline, and even open and edit Microsoft® Office documents as well as Google Documents.
Easy to Deploy, Manage, Keep Safe
The Acer Chromebook 11 N7 (C731) is easy to deploy and manage. IT administrators will find it easy to make updates, configure apps, utilize extensions and policies and more with the web-based management[iv].
Students will stay protected since Chrome OS is automatically updated and guards against ever-changing online threats, such as viruses and malware. The new Acer Chromebook 11 N7 (C731) has a Kensington lock, so it can be secured to a wireless cart or lab.
Price and Availability
Several models of the new Acer Chromebook 11 N7 – both the C731 with a non-touch display and C731T with an IPS touch screen display – will be available with either 16GB or 32GB eMMC storage and 4GB of RAM[v]. It will be available to education and commercial customers in North America in January with prices starting at $229.99, and in EMEA in February with prices starting at €299.
Exact specifications, prices, and availability will vary by region. To learn more about availability, product specifications and prices in specific markets, please contact your nearest Acer office via www.acer.com.



[i] Gartner “Market Share: Devices, All Countries, 4Q15 Update” 16 February 2016
[ii] Tested by qualified 3rd party labs for certain tests procedure under MIL-STD 810G (Oct 2008) for environmental conditions that include high and low temperatures, humidity, vibrations, mechanical shocks on drops, rain, dust and sand.
[iii] More information on Google Drive on Chrome devices: https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/2703646?p=driveoffer&rd=1
[iv] Google Console is sold separately, and/or may require a monthly activation fee.
[v] Accessible capacity varies: (MB = 1 million bytes; GB = 1 billion bytes)