Acer is adding a Chromebook to its Vero lineup, which is meant to offer an “eco-conscious” option. The Chromebook Vero 514 is made using recycled plastics, has a chassis that’s 99 per cent recyclable. Acer suggests that part of the Chromebook’s packaging can be ‘transformed into a multi-purpose triangular laptop stand’. It weighs in at just a hair over 3 pounds with a 14-inch screen, and is powered by a 12th-gen Intel processor with Xe graphics. You can spec it out with a variety of processors, including the five-core Pentium Gold 8505, the Core i3-1215U, the Core i5-1235U, and a Core i7-1255U. The 514 should also improve on the original Vero’s colour rendering. Acer also says that the trackpad’s surface is made up of 100 per cent “ocean-bound plastics,” while the keycaps are made of 50 per cent post-consumer recycled plastic. Acer also claims that the Chromebook is easy to repair and upgrade, with standard screws letting you access the storage (which you may need to do, given that the biggest SSD you can get with the 514 is 256GB). The base model 514, comes with the Core i3, 8GB of RAM, and a 128GB SSD, starts at $499.99.

THE NEW IPHONE 14 LINEUP HITS THE MARKET – WON’T HAVE A SIM TRAY IN THE US

The new iPhone 14 lineup will ship without physical SIM trays – but only in the US. They’ll be able to use two eSIMs at once, but is the lack of a physical tray a big deal? First, eSIMs are SIM cards, but electronic. That means your phone can be provisioned remotely – no more going to a store to get a physical SIM. This makes it easier to switch networks. As of iOS 16, you can even transfer your eSIM between iPhones via Bluetooth, which should make it almost as easy as a physical SIM – as long as you’re staying in the Apple ecosystem. Most major US carriers have eSIM support, including the ability to use two SIMs at once. Removing the physical SIM – is the next logical step. At least for Apple, and at least in the US – the iPhone 14 still has a SIM tray everywhere else. If you’re on a major US cell phone network, it won’t impact you much. But if you are on a carrier that doesn’t have eSIM support, you shouldn’t get the iPhone 14 right now.