EU Neighbours East: Laptops for Ukraine initiative extended to help museums and libraries safeguard cultural heritage
EU Neighbours East:
TechCrunch: Framework partners with Google for a user-repairable $999 Chromebook
TechCrunch: Framework partners with Google for a user-repairable $999 Chromebook. “Repairable electronics firm Framework just announced a new take on the company’s signature laptop. Produced in association with Google, the company is releasing the Framework Laptop Chromebook Edition. As the name suggests, it’s an iteration of the Framework Laptop specifically designed for ChromeOS.”
Elecrow CrowPi L: Chromebook Killer for Creatives? (Make)
Make Zine: Elecrow CrowPi L: Chromebook Killer for Creatives?. “Raspberry Pi-powered laptops are not anything new, with offerings from Pi-Top, Kano, and Elecrow themselves, not to mention homebrew projects from makers, the desire to create a fully featured computing device based around the Pi is almost as old as the venerable board itself. The CrowPi L, however, represents a ready-to-run, full-featured maker lab in a box, with a price point and capabilities similar to a low-end Chromebook – but seemingly much more potential.”
Slashgear: 12 Best Uses For Old Laptops
Slashgear: 12 Best Uses For Old Laptops. “If you’re the kind of person who just can’t seem to let go of old tech, don’t despair, but do check on your closet-dwelling laptop. There’s a chance that the chemical reactions in the battery have gone rogue, resulting in an explosion or a fire just waiting to happen. Multiple manufacturers have experienced swelling batteries over recent years and that’s a concern, even if your laptop hasn’t been plugged in for some time. Once you’ve ensured your old laptop isn’t plotting your imminent demise, you can start considering what you want to do with it.”
BetaNews: Microsoft releases KB4583263 update for Windows 10 to prevent swollen laptop batteries
BetaNews: Microsoft releases KB4583263 update for Windows 10 to prevent swollen laptop batteries. “Microsoft has teamed up with HP to work on a fix for a problem affecting various HP Business Notebooks. The flaw not only causes a reduction in performance and battery life, but can also lead to swollen batteries. The problem lies with the HP Battery Health Manager, and the update from Microsoft and HP is rolling out to enable a new charging algorithm to help alleviate the issue.”
CNET: Apple recalls older generation 15-inch MacBook Pro over fire risk
CNET: Apple recalls older generation 15-inch MacBook Pro over fire risk. “The voluntary recall, which is for 15-inch Pros sold between September 2015 and February 2017, appears to be limited to the older generation of the MacBook Pro, not the recent models that have USB-C or a Touch Bar.”
PC World: HP recalls 78,500 more laptop batteries because of fire concerns
PC World: HP recalls 78,500 more laptop batteries because of fire concerns. “The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall on Tuesday, but noted that the recall expansion was previously announced independently on January 17 by HP, and delayed due to the government furlough. It’s considered an expansion of the previous HP battery recall of January, 2018, which affected 50,000 batteries.”
Engadget: HP recalls laptop batteries due to overheating issues
Engadget: HP recalls laptop batteries due to overheating issues. “If you’ve got an HP notebook or mobile workstation computer, you’ll want to check out the latest battery recall from the company. Lithium-ion batteries for affected HP laptops were shipped between December 2015 and December 2017. There have been eight reports of the battery packs overheating, melting or charring, three of which include reports of $4,500 in property damage and one report of a first degree burn to a hand.”
Scientific American: Students are Better Off without a Laptop in the Classroom
Scientific American: Students are Better Off without a Laptop in the Classroom. “New research by scientists at Michigan State University suggests that laptops do not enhance classroom learning, and in fact students would be better off leaving their laptops in the dorm during class. Although computer use during class may create the illusion of enhanced engagement with course content, it more often reflects engagement with social media, YouTube videos, instant messaging, and other nonacademic content. This self-inflicted distraction comes at a cost, as students are spending up to one-third of valuable (and costly) class time zoned out, and the longer they are online the more their grades tend to suffer.”
PC World: HP rolls out patch to stop keylogging bug in some laptops
PC World: HP rolls out patch to stop keylogging bug in some laptops. “Consumers with HP laptops that have been accidentally recording their keystrokes can easily address the problem with a patch from the PC maker. More than two dozen HP laptop models, including the EliteBook, ProBook and ZBook, have an bug in the audio driver that will act as a keylogger, a Swiss security firm said Thursday.”
HP Expands Laptop Batteries Recall
HP has expanded its laptop battery recall. “HP has expanded its voluntary recall of batteries due to fire and burn hazards. The batteries were used for various laptops sold under the HP and Compaq brands between March 2013 and October 2016. In total, the company has recalled over 140 thousand batteries in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.”
Facebook Live Coming to Laptops, Desktops
Game-changer: Facebook Live is coming to laptops and desktops. “And a source with knowledge of the social network’s plans told SocialTimes the launch of the feature was a response to demand from journalists, vloggers and do-it-yourselfers, among other users, adding that it is currently available to a ‘small percentage’ of users, with more set to come on board ‘in the coming months.’”
Microsoft Tests Chrome’s Impact on Laptop Battery Life
Microsoft did some testing to see how different browsers impacted a laptop’s battery life. Google Chrome did not fare well.
HP Issues Laptop Battery Recall
Ugh. Own an HP laptop? Check ya battery. “This week, HP chalks up another battery recall covering a raft of laptops sold worldwide between March 2013 and August 2015. According to the company, batteries shipped with these laptops ‘have the potential to overheat, posing a fire and burn hazard to customers.’”