What’s new? Bluetooth 5, TPM and high demand for SSDs

Even faster, even better: Bluetooth 5

Developers from the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) presented Bluetooth 5 a few weeks ago. The fifth version of the popular wireless standard promises faster data transmission, longer distances and also saves power in some cases. These changes mainly affect Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) for small, low-power devices. The data rate can even double here. Manufacturers of radio chips have already announced that the new standard will soon be available.

More security for Mini PCs: Trusted Platform Module (TPM)

The Trusted Platform Module (TPM) is a chip that is integrated into many systems and ensures greater security. With the help of the TPM, a hard disk can be encrypted, a computer can be identified and changes, for example by malware, can be detected. More information about TPM and the spo-comm systems that use this chip will soon be available on our knowledge blog.

Rising SSD prices due to high demand: improvement in sight at last

Due to the increased demand for NAND memory (= a type of flash memory used for SSDs), prices for SSDs have risen sharply in recent months. One reason for this is that SSDs are becoming increasingly popular due to their advantages. This also results in an increased demand for the cheaper TLC memory. On the other hand, NAND modules are also required for smartphones. While a price increase of up to 16% was still expected for the first quarter, the situation should slowly ease in the second quarter.

Time for a change: spo-book WINDBOX II Plus is EOL

Everything comes to an end: our popular spo-book WINDBOX II Plus is now End of Life (EOL) and will be replaced by the spo-book WINDBOX II Quad. Thanks to the same dimensions and the same connections - only one USB has been upgraded from 2.0 to the current 3.0 standard - changing products should not be a problem. The WINDBOX II Quad also boasts a newer quad-core processor and also supports Windows 10. Drivers for the old system can now be found here:

Drivers

Windows 10 IoT Enterprise: All information now on our blog

It's hard to believe that our Windows 10 IoT weeks are already over. Over the last five weeks, we have introduced you to a new topic every Tuesday: From a general introduction to the benefits, customizing and security features to Microsoft's new licensing policy. And if you don't have that much time to read, just take a look at our overview page. We have summarized the most important points briefly and concisely.