Archive for January 9, 2019

#FAIL: Bell Canada Wants To Track Everything Its Customers Do

Posted in Commentary with tags on January 9, 2019 by itnerd

Bell Canada is asking customers for permission to track everything they do according to the CBC. They would be tracking activities on their home and mobile phones, internet, television, apps or any other services they get through Bell or its affiliates.

Tailored marketing means Bell will be able to customize advertising based on participant account information and service usage patterns, similar to the ways that companies like Google and others have been doing for some time,” the company says in recent notices to customers. If given permission, Bell will collect information about its customers’ age, gender, billing addresses, and the specific tablet, television or other devices used to access Bell services. It will also collect the “number of messages sent and received, voice minutes, user data consumption and type of connectivity when downloading or streaming.” “Bell’s marketing partners will not receive the personal information of program participants; we just deliver the offers relevant to the program participants on their behalf,” the company assures customers.

The only good news is that this is an opt in program. But the bad news is that if you opt in, you get little to no compensation for increased risks to you privacy and security. That doesn’t exactly sound like a reason to sign up for this. And I suspect that once word gets around, many won’t. Which means that Bell may get more aggressive and make this an opt out program. After all, they’ve done that before though they had to back away from it when the heat got cranked up. But it would not shock me if they went to that well again.

This is truly a shake my head moment as I can’t believe that Bell would go down this road given the times we live in.

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Dell Makes A Number Of Announcements At CES

Posted in Commentary with tags on January 9, 2019 by itnerd

Dell Updates G Series Gaming Laptops

For those looking for an affordable yet powerful gaming system or purchasing their first gaming system, look no further than the new G Series. The G5 15 and G7 (in both 15” and 17” models) are redesigned to deliver enhanced performance with upscale features in a sleek chassis. The thinnest G Series to date with beautiful narrow borders, the G5 and G7 incorporate 8th gen Intel CFLH quad and hex core processors and the latest NVIDIA graphics to optimize demanding AAA game titles and versatility for everyday use. In addition to the option of a blazing 144Hz refresh rate and G SYNC display panels, the G5 and G7 are offering Alienware Command Center and 4 zone RGB keyboard with customizable backlighting for the first time. The Dell G5 15 Special Edition is also available in alpine white, with a clear panel on the bottom of the system to show off the blue fans of the cooling system.

  • Dell G5 15 available Jan. 29th, 2019, starting at $999.99
  • Dell G7 17 available Jan. 29th, 2019, starting at $1,380
  • Dell G7 15 available Jan. 29th, 2019, starting at $1,099

Dell Cinema

Dell Cinema is a combination of innovative technologies all working in concert to transform the entertainment experience on PCs, taking you into a world of vibrant life like color, brilliant sound clarity and uninterrupted streaming on Dell PCs.

  • CinemaColor provides richer, more vibrant color and details enabled by Dell Color Profiles, Dolby Vision.
  • CinemaSound is powered by Waves MaxxAudio® Pro which boosts volume and clarifies every tone, so you experience studio quality sound.
  • CinemaStream with Killer Wireless or Rivet SmartByte channels maximum bandwidth to your videos or music for a seamless, stutter free experience.

Dell Cinema is available this month.

Dell Mobile Connect

Ever since smartphones were introduced more than a decade ago, PC users have had to split their attention between the two devices they use the most. Available on all new Windows 10 Dell PCs, Dell offers a complete wireless integration between smartphones and PCs, allowing Android and iOS users to make calls, send texts, get notifications, mirror the phones screen on Android phones, and even drag and drop files between the phone and PC on Android.

Dell Mobile Connect is factory installed at no additional charge on XPS, Alienware Inspiron & Vostro.

 

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Alienware Command Center & Partnership With Riot Games Announced At CES

Posted in Commentary with tags on January 9, 2019 by itnerd

Alienware Command Center (AW CC) is the only software on the market to address all the needs of gamers in one easy to use application. From thermal and performance, to lights and sounds, AW CC bridges the entire Alienware ecosystem and empowers gamers to setup once, so that they can then simply enjoy their passion for video games. The past year, Alienware Software has conducted numerous user engagement events to learn how to improve our experiences. They’ve introduced over 30 new features or improvements based directly on gamer feedback. Now with the new Alienware m15, Alienware m17, and Alienware Area 51m, gamers will experience what happens when they pair best in class software with a best in class system; an unrivaled gaming experience.

 

Alienware partners with Riot Games and League of Legends

With a continued focus on promoting innovation and approachability of the rapidly expanding esports industry. Alienware forges a new multi year partnership with Riot Games. As the developer and operator behind the world’s most played and most viewed esports title, League of Legends, this monumental partnership enables both Alienware and Dell to demonstrate their expertise in hardware and technology services perfectly suited to support the rigorous operational logistics for a global esports scene like League of Legends. Alienware will become the Official Competition PC and display partner for the League of Legends Championship Series (LCS), the League of Legends European Championship (LEC), as well as in four international competitions: NA vs EU Rift Rivals, the Mid Season Invitational, the World Championship, and the All Star Event. Powering the competition behind League of Legends two premier Leagues and four international tournaments deployed across five continents will be a fleet of Alienware Aurora R8 desktops paired with top of the line AW2518H 240Hz G sync gaming monitors. Each Alienware PC setup within the fleet will run alongside Dell’s SupportAssist diagnostic features enabling proactive tools designed to detect and prevent technical issues before they have a chance to critically impact a match. For the pros competing in the LCS and LEC, this introduces not only a major improvement in the overall performance and responsiveness of the new 2019 PC league hardware but also helps to elevate the competitive experience by ensuring that the hardware used by teams climbing to the top throughout the regular season are the same that will support them in international play as well as throughout the 2019 League of Legends World Championship.

For the fans watching online and especially those who attend local League of Legends esports events, stay tuned. Alienware will be collaborating closely with Riot Games to introduce a variety of exciting broadcast innovations geared towards celebrating the elite skills of their competitors as well as creating pathways to enable the League esports experience to be more approachable and/or engaging for new and advanced players alike.

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Alienware Area 51m Announced At CES

Posted in Commentary with tags on January 9, 2019 by itnerd

The Alienware Area 51m is the world’s most powerful gaming laptop. Designed around their new “Legend” industrial design language, the Area 51m is a Return to Form, that is, a sculpted and iconic gaming system that reaches performance and upgradability levels previously only imagined within gaming desktops.

Their new flagship notebook supports the upgradability of its discrete NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics as well as 9th generation Intel Core i7 and i9 processors. Overclocking tools available within Alienware Command Center enable the Area 51m to accelerate the  performance of its graphics and processors independently allowing gamers to unleash even higher levels of performance. Complete with Intel’s Z390 desktop chipset, Area 51m becomes our first notebook with the capability to support 8 core processors. It is also our first notebook to support 2.5Gbit Ethernet wired networking, 64GB of memory, and a 3 sided narrow bezel display capable of 144Hz G SYNC technology. Incredible overclocking performance and real upgradability within a new brand experience is the power of the Area 51m. Gaming and megatasking performance is delivered with up to 9th generation Intel Core i9K processors and up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 graphics.

Alienware Area-51m is available on Jan. 29, 2019, starting at $2,549.

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