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EdTech Show Daily Tuesday, February 5, 2019 8 Matias Has Worthy Successor to Discontinued Keyboard Used by Many Educational Institutions The Matias Wired Aluminum Keyboard for Mac has a built-in USB 2.0 hub and precision volume dial. "When the Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad was released in 2017, the original wired model was discontin- ued. Our Matias Wired Aluminum Keyboard is more than suitable. It cap- tures the essence of the original – and even improves on it, with the addition of a pre- cision volume dial," said Edgar Matias, Chief Executive Officer of Matias. "The new volume dial is perfect for users with external speakers, giving you 4 times finer control over the volume. That's 64 volume levels, compared to the 16 levels you get from the volume keys," said Matias. The keyboard is available in a wide range of international layouts (U.S., E.U., Asian) and can be ordered now. The Matias Wired Aluminum Keyboard is available for $59 (U.S.) from Matias and authorized resellers. Matias makes other keyboards as well, and has been manufacturing keyboards for over 15 years. The Matias Backlit Wireless Aluminum Keyboard, which comes in silver or space gray, is a high-end slim aluminum keyboard with number pad. It has the ability to pair to four different devices and easily switch between them. It fea- tures backlighting, with 10 levels of brightness control. The keyboard has two rechargeable batteries: one for the key- board operation itself that lasts up to a year before needing to be recharged, and a separate one for the backlighting that lasts up to two weeks before needing to be recharged. This ensures that you can keep typing even if your backlight battery gets drained. Matias is also known for its high per- formance mechanical keyboards, made with its own mechanical switches. Mechanical keyboards made by Matias include the classic Tactile Pro Keyboard for Mac, the Quiet Pro Keyboard (which gives you mechanical typing without the noise normally associated with mechani- cal keyboards), and the separated Ergo Pro Keyboard, for the ultimate in ergonomic typing and comfort. Learn more at www.matias.ca. AcuRite Launches Atlas Weather Station Chaney Instrument Co. has announced the release of a new weather station, the AcuRite Atlas. Built with high-precision sensor technology, Atlas allows users to connect to hyperlocal weather condi- tions. Atlas has the ability to track UV exposure, light intensity and lightning, in addition to monitoring temperature, humidity, rainfall, barometric pressure, wind speed and direction. Along with these new features, Atlas offers an enhanced accuracy rating within one degree, improved durability and more frequent readings. "AcuRite Atlas is the future of per- sonal weather monitoring and our most advanced weather station yet," said AcuRite Meteorologist Kari Strenfel. "Atlas provides consumers with a weath- er system they can depend on to accurate- ly predict a variety of weather conditions in their exact location, rather than relying on a weather report that's generated at the nearest news station or airport." The launch of products like AcuRite Atlas is part of an increasing smart home technology trend providing home and business owners with highly accurate, actionable, personalized information. Weather stations are sought-after by a wide variety of audiences from industry professionals like landscapers and farm- ers, to personal at-home users interested in outdoor activities and the latest tech- nology gadgets. Atlas allows users to quickly and easily access their data, archive it so they can look back and analyze historical information, and share it with fellow weather enthusiasts. Consumers are able to choose how they view their informa- tion, either on a high-definition touch- screen display or through remote moni- toring, or both. The high-definition indoor touch- screen display offers a quick snapshot of the day's high and low records and graphs for each measurement to track trends. The display features an SD card slot for long-term storage of weather data. Atlas can provide remote monitoring from any device – mobile or desktop, including via the My AcuRite smart- phone app. This feature lets users view data from anywhere, even at work or on vacation, allowing them to stay connect- ed. Customizable alerts and notifications inform of changing weather conditions that might need attention. Atlas has the capability to integrate with Amazon Echo for convenient, personalized weather reports from Alexa. AcuRite Atlas retails starting at $249.99 and is available at www .acurite.com. About AcuRite The AcuRite brand is owned by Chaney Instrument Co., a subsidiary of the Primex Family of Companies (PFOC) and a family-owned business headquar- tered in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Founded in 1943, Chaney Instrument Co. and its AcuRite brand are leaders in weather and home monitoring solutions. In addition to weather stations, AcuRite offers a broad line of home and environ- mental monitoring devices. The company is known for developing products with intuitive designs that fit seamlessly into day-to-day life, keeping people connect- ed to the things that matter most. For more information, visit www .acurite.com. Waterproof Electronics: A Fairy Tale? Once upon a time, it was commonly known that the only way your mobile phone could possibly survive being dropped in water was to immediately turn it off, remove the battery and then place the phone in a bowl of rice overnight to dry it out. Flash forward several years and "waterproof" phones are the new standard. How can a device with so many openings and fragile electrical compo- nents possibly be waterproof? Smartphone manufacturers use a variety of sealing techniques to make sure all potential points of least resistance are watertight. Sometimes sealing is as straight forward as strategically using glue in the connection ports or to secure the glass to the phone. Areas like the cable connectors may use rubber gaskets, while headphone jacks and charging ports use rubber rings to seal the enclo- sures. Smartphone buttons often have a silicon rubber boot to separate the button from the electrical contacts within the phone. On areas that need to keep water out but let air pass through, like micro- phones and speakers, manufacturers use a water-resistant breathable mesh fabric membrane to act as a pressure vent. Sometimes ports, like the charging port, can be protected from water electronical- ly by being made of corrosion resistant metals and programmed to automatically shut off when not in use. These seals all need to go through rigorous quality testing. The most important type of testing for the water- proofing process is leak testing. Waterproof smartphone manufacturers have dozens of leak testers, like ATEQ's F28 lite, throughout their production lines to test the phone at various points during the assembly process. As each port is added to the phone, it can be leak tested with a differential pressure decay leak tester. This technology pressurizes the part with compressed air and meas- ures the pressure drop, which would signify the air leak rate in that port. Once the phone is completely assembled and the screen is secured, it can be leak tested with ATEQ's sealed compo- nent ingress leak testing method. By putting the com- pleted sealed phone into an airtight chamber, the chamber can be pressur- ized with compressed air and the leak tester can measure if any air sinks into the phone. If a leak amount that is below the manufacturer-specified leak rate sinks in, the phone can be consid- ered airtight enough to be classified as being "waterproof." For more information, go to www .atequsa.com, call 734.838.3100 or email leaktestsales@atequsa.com. Empower Your Students through Microsoft Certification The Microsoft Office Specialist certifica- tion is a globally recognized, standards- based credential for validating Microsoft Office skills. It is the premier credential chosen by individuals seeking to validate their skills and advance their careers. The credential enables individuals who attain it to tap the full features and functionality of the Microsoft Office system, resulting in heightened confidence, credibility and differentiation. Microsoft Office Specialist includes three levels of certification: Specialist, Expert and Master. Individuals should try to obtain the highest levels possible. The market demands – and caters to – those who possess the most education and skills. In the academic environment, MOS certification enhances scholastic per- formance and prepares students to enter the workforce. In the job market, individ- uals can differentiate themselves, prove their skills, enhance job performance and advance their careers. MOS gives indi- viduals the tools to distinguish them- selves, achieve more and advance in today's competitive academic and profes- sional environments. For students with Microsoft Office Specialist certifications, they stand a better chance of setting themselves apart from the crowd. More than 400,000 jobs require Microsoft expertise in the United States, so don't miss out on the opportunity to help your students enhance their futures through certification. According to the IDC research list, "Microsoft Office was the leading soft- ware package called out within the top 20 skills across representative occupations, coming in at No. 3." Microsoft cer- tification gives stu- dents and work- force candidates the power to chart their own course, ful- fill their ambition and realize their potential. If you are interested in imple- menting Microsoft Office Specialist certification in your classroom or school, visit learn.certiport.com/tcea- attendee. For more information about Microsoft Office Specialist Certification, visit www.certiport.com/mos. Learn more at booth #1773.