Technology Reseller v46

technologyreseller.co.uk 07 INNOVATIONS Logitech is hoping to boost the learning potential of students – and the revenues of its channel partners – with the launch of a Works With Chromebook-certified, rechargeable stylus for touchscreen Chromebooks that support the Universal Stylus Initiative (USI) standard. Arguably the first Chromebook stylus created for use by students in a school setting (Logitech also offers the Logitech Crayon for iPads), the Logitech Pen boasts a number of features designed to unlock the full potential of Chromebooks in the classroom. These include: n a comfortable, non-slip silicone grip and triangular design optimally sized and weighted for children at all stages of motor development, created with input from ergonomic experts, teachers and students aged 6 to 17; n an active tip with 4,096 levels of pressure-sensitivity that enables students to create lines or characters more clearly and accurately than with a finger or rubber tip stylus. The stylus can also be used as a precise pointing device; n USI-compatibility, which removes the need for pairing and enables a student to pick up the stylus and start using it immediately on any USI-enabled Chromebook; teachers benefit from being able to make notes and corrections on students’ screens with their own pen without having to change settings; n a robust, spill-proof design offering military-grade drop protection of up to four feet (1.2 metres); n easy charging, using the same USB-C charger as the Chromebook, with up to 15 days of battery life under normal school usage and the ability to gain an extra 30 minutes of use from a 30-second quick charge; and n a 3-year warranty. A useful optional extra is an adhesive pen loop that sticks to the back of the Chromebook screen, enabling the stylus to be kept with the device rather than separately in a pencil case. At launch, Jackie Young, Chief Marketing Officer, Logitech for Education, pointed out that Chromebooks are much the most common devices in education, with about 40 million currently in use and 15 million new purchases annually – a figure that is growing as more educators understand the impact that adding a stylus for annotation, sketching and note-taking can have on comprehension and retention. “Attaching a stylus to a Chromebook really gives students more flexibility and choice,” she said. “It allows them to work the way they choose and to switch between different inputs as needed, and it enables them to write much as they would with a regular pen or pencil on paper. They can support everything from taking class notes, brainstorming on projects to homework assignments. One example is maths, where students can show their workings-out in multiple steps. They can also do really complex annotations and equations for STEM-related projects.” Young added: “One of the key enablers here is the pen’s high level of accuracy. This really gives students confidence that their writing will be legible for their teachers, who benefit from being able to read the written work of their students. It also helps enable interaction and collaboration between students and educators and between students and their peers.” In the UK, the Logitech Pen will have a price tag of £64.99, with distribution via its usual reseller network. www.logitech. com Introducing Logitech Pen McAfee wins Antivirus Product of The Year Award AV-Comparatives, the independent ISOcertified testing lab for security software and mobile security solutions, has announced McAfee as winner of its 2021 Product of the Year Award. Throughout 2021, AV-Comparatives subjected 17 consumer Windows security products to long-term testing to gauge their ability to protect against internet threats, identify malicious programs, defend against targeted attacks, and provide protection without slowing down a PC. In these assessments, McAfee received 6 Advanced+ Awards and one Advanced Award. It took a Gold Award for the Malware Protection Test, along with joint Silver Awards for the Real-World Protection and Advanced Threat Protection Tests. A review found its user interface to be clean, modern and touch-friendly and the McAfee Firewall co-ordinated perfectly with Windows settings. Avast, AVG and Bitdefender all won Outstanding Product Awards, with Kaspersky winning the Top-Rated Product Award. Andreas Clementi, Founder of AVComparatives, said: “Congratulations to McAfee and the other award-winning vendors. Whilst all of the AV solutions in our tests achieved an acceptable level overall, some outperformed others. We are happy that last year’s tests helped several vendors to find bugs in their software and that this information contributed to improving the products. “AV-Comparatives conducts the most rigorous tests on the market, so vendors whose products were recognised with an award should take this as a recognition of excellence.” The Product of the Year Award is given to the AV solution with the highest overall scores across all the tests in the Public Consumer Main Test Series and is based entirely on a product’s technical capabilities rather than any other factor such as cost. New digital stylus points to the future of learning The AV-Comparatives 2021 Summary Report is available for free at www.av-comparatives.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/avc_sum_202112.pdf

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