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Author: Jim O Brien/CEO
CEO and expert in transport and Mobile tech. A fan 20 years, mobile consultant, Nokia Mobile expert, Former Nokia/Microsoft VIP,Multiple forum tech supporter with worldwide top ranking,Working in the background on mobile technology, Weekly radio show, Featured on the RTE consumer show, Cavan TV and on TRT WORLD. Award winning Technology reviewer and blogger. Security and logisitcs Professional.
Team17 and Ghost Town Games have today announced that Overcooked! All You Can Eat will be coming to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Steam, and Xbox One on 23rd March. First launched on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation5 in 2020, Overcooked! All You Can Eat plates up all 200 + levels from both games, including all DLC, seven new levels, and a brand-new assist mode, fully remade in up to 4K, and running at a smooth 60fps (30 frames per second on Nintendo Switch). Cross-platform multiplayer will also be made available for chefs playing on all platforms in a free post-launch update.
Not only do players get three new and exclusive chefs, they can also choose from the entire back catalogue of over 80 calamitous chefs, each enjoying at least one brand-new alternate skin variant. For a limited time only, The Muppet’s Swedish Chef is available to download for free for all Overcooked! All You Can Eat players.
Overcooked! All You Can Eat also includes new accessibility options and an assist mode, which adds the option to increase level times; boost scores awarded for each meal; lengthen recipe times, and the ability to turn off order expiration. The accessibility options include colour-blind friendly chef indicators, a scalable user interface and the ability to enable dyslexia friendly text.
Overcooked! All You Can Eat Key Features:
Every mouthful: Includes every piece of Overcooked! and Overcooked! 2 content, remastered and available in 60 frames per second in up to 4K resolution
Multiple multiplayer courses: Levels originally from Overcooked! are playable with online multiplayer support for the very first time, with every Overcooked! All You Can Eat kitchen also featuring cross-play functionality in a post-launch update
Exclusive new kitchens & cooks: New levels, new chefs, and additional skins for every single chef – all exclusive to Overcooked! All You Can Eat
Trophies/Achievements: Brand new trophy and achievement sets for players to unlock
Cooking for all: Accessibility options and a new assist mode opens the game to more players than ever before
Overcooked! All You Can Eat will be available digitally on all platforms for £30/$40/€40 and will also be launching physically on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 on the 23rd March.
PowerA – an industry-leading developer of high-quality, licensed gaming peripherals – is proud to announce that the new Enhanced Wireless Controller and Protection Case for the Nintendo Switch and Switch Lite – Pikachu 025 are now available. Commemorate 25 years of one of gaming’s most beloved franchises by taking home a controller that harkens back to the series’ roots. You can catch both the stylised case and Enhanced Wireless Nintendo Switch controller right now in at Argos for £39.99. Find additional EU retailers here.
This officially licensed controller from PowerA elevates your play across Nintendo Switch games featuring motion controls, mappable Advanced Gaming Buttons and Bluetooth® 5.0 technology for wireless play. With up to 30 hours of gameplay from the internal rechargeable battery, the Enhanced Wireless Controller gives you the edge you need in competitive play as well as flexibility and comfort during long, relaxed gaming sessions.
To go alongside the Enhanced Wireless Controller, PowerA’s officially licensed Nintendo Switch protective case is the ideal accessory to keep your console and games safe. On the outside, a sturdy outer shell and durable zippers make sure any damage to your valuables will be avoided, while the moulded interior and felt lining keeps your screen from scratching.
Both of these products come with unique and playful designs, including an eye-catching black and yellow colour scheme with series favourite Pikachu prominently featured on both case and controller. Labelled “025” to commemorate Pikachu’s place in the Pokédex, these PowerA products are a must have for anyone with a place in their heart for classic Pokémon titles.
Bank of Ireland debit card spending analysis for January has revealed a steep decline in consumer spending activity, as the spike witnessed before and during the Christmas period declined significantly. Some issues I have noted is the lack of transparency with stores here online and from contacting around ten Irish retail stores here asking about where their products shipped from they did not respond be it on social media or email which does not bode well with any customer when now is the time for them to be up front and honest and try capitalise on their web shops here. I am one to support the shop local initiative however this is dwindling by the day and I will make my purchase elsewhere online outside Ireland.
Whilst charitable donations rose steeply in the final month of 2020, these levels suffered at the beginning of 2021, with a 53% month on month drop. Purchases of sporting apparel in January fell by 66% even though the first month of a new year is often seen as the best time to kick-start a fitness programme.
January spending trends also revealed that the fizz has gone out of spending on beer, wine and liquor as shoppers bought less of these items at the beginning of 2021, with a 57% drop recorded. This was in stark contrast to December as people stocked up for the Christmas festivities, with spending on beer, wine and liquors rising sharply.
Elsewhere the tightening of belts remained constant across the wider retail sector in January, with spending on clothes dropping a massive 70%, spending in hardware stores falling over a third month on month (-37%), while consumers appeared to be satisfied with their December purchases of electronic and software items as spending levels in this area dropped by 24%.
Commenting on these debit card spending patterns, Ger Thompson, Head of Current Account Banking at Bank of Ireland said: “January saw the majority of people ease back on their spending, which was to be expected after the series of spending spikes we witnessed across various retail sectors in the run up to Christmas. Notably in January we saw a drop of 41% in retail spending, including falls in purchases of sporting equipment and electrical equipment.
In addition and perhaps not surprisingly, we also saw “social” spending half in the month of January – with fast food outlets witnessing a spending decrease of 34%, restaurant spend down over 60% and pubs suffering a massive fall off in purchases (88%) as the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions really hit home.
The hope amongst consumers must be that the current restrictions will be eased in the coming months and that some sense of normality can resume. Spending on memberships only dipped by 17% in January, which is a low figure relative to the drops we’ve seen elsewhere. So it is clear that plenty of people still retain hope in this early stage of 2021 that they will resume the sports or social activities they enjoy sooner rather than later.”
Bank of Ireland debit card transactions – January 2021 versus December 2020
Sades, manufacturer of quality gaming peripherals is pleased to announce the release of their new headset – the A2. Capable of connecting to a variety of devices, the new A2 from Sades is the ultimate companion for your gaming – no matter what console you favour.
The swivel-to-mute microphone is uni-directional which reduces ambient noise for excellent voice clarity, especially when playing in teams and the microphone flexibility means it can be adjusted to suit you and the game being played.
With a simple yet trendy design that features ergonomic oval earcups to maximize the ear space for improved comfort and balanced acoustics, the A2 will be the perfect companion for long gaming sessions. The easy to use, on ear controls make on-the-fly adjustments without distracting you from the game, whilst the braided cable improves wire longevity.
Compatible with the PS4 / PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Nintendo Switch, PC and mobiles, you can rely on the Sades A2 to enhance your gaming sessions.
Features:
Simple design
Multi-platform compatibility
Uni-directional mic for clearer voice pickup
Breathable and comfortable oval earmuffs
Adjustable headband
The Sades A2 is available in 2 colours from www.amazon.co.uk for £25.99. Watch out for our review soon..
48, Ireland’s first truly digital-only youth mobile network, has raised a whopping €25,000 for environmental social enterprise, FoodCloud through its unique data donation feature which allows customers to donate up to 5GB of their data each month. For every GB donated, 48 turns that data into cash on behalf of its customers for the chosen charity. Simples!
The public were also given the opportunity to take part and raise money through the #DoGoodWithData campaign, which ran in the build-up to Christmas 2020. Recruiting some of Ireland’s soundest and sustainably-minded social content creators to kickstart the campaign, 48 asked that they make the ultimate sacrifice by going offline for a 24-hour period. That meant no surfing, no posting, no linking, and no scrolling (eeeeek!), whilst encouraging the youth of Ireland and nominating others to join in and participate in the #DoGoodWithData campaign.
Speaking about the donation, Iseult Ward,CEO of FoodCloud commented;
“In 2020, FoodCloud redistributed over 2,990 tonnes of surplus or excess food to over 600 community groups across Ireland. This figure was a 70% increase in food distributed in 2019. By redistributing this surplus food, FoodCloud’s activities have meant an avoidance of estimated 9,670 tonnes of Co2 emissions equivalent. We were so delighted to partner with 48 for this innovative and creative campaign, and are very grateful for such generosity from 48 customers. ”
Clare Aughney, Marketing Manager, 48 said; “We are so proud to announce 48 will be donating €25,000 to FoodCloud as a result of our customer’s generous data donations on the back of the #DoGoodWithData campaign. This generosity means 75,000 extra meals will be redistributed through the FoodCloud network of community groups across the country. 48’s Donate Your Data feature continues to be extremely popular among our customers, with more and more people choosing to donate a portion of their data each month to a good cause.”
It is evident customers are really happy with this unique feature as 48 were recently awarded ‘Best Mobile Operator for Data’ as voted for by the public and ‘Best SIM Only Pay As You Go Plan’ voted by a panel of judges at the Switcher.ie awards
48 membership plans start from just €10.99 per month and customers have the choice to do more with their data by choosing from a selection of flexi-data features including sharing, swopping, saving and donating data. Our plans, your rules.
New research[1] from PayPal reveals that 88% of Irish consumers who shop online bought something from a website outside of Ireland over the last year.
The study, conducted by Censuswide and involving more than 1,000 consumers in Ireland, found that almost four in five (78%) of those who bought from websites outside of Ireland spent with UK retailers during this time.
Some 43% bought from websites based in Europe, while 38% spent with websites based in China and more than a fifth (21%) purchased goods via websites in the US.
On average, those who shop online spent €385[2] with retailers outside of Ireland in the last year. This amount was higher than the average amount spent by respondents via Irish websites during the same period, which was €357 on average.
The top three reasons as to why people bought from a website outside of Ireland were cited as better pricing (65%), more choice (51%), and greater availability (46%). Meanwhile, the top drivers for online shopping in Ireland were found to be faster delivery (48%) and supporting local businesses (44%).
Moreover, the survey revealed that over half (56%) of Irish consumers expect to buy more products than before from international retailers over the next year.
Joachim Goyvaerts, director of Benelux and Ireland for PayPal, said: “Our research shows that the demand for online shopping has never been greater and that many people are eager to support the local businesses they know and love.
“As a result of the pandemic and recurring lockdowns, it is no longer just important but absolutely necessary that Irish businesses provide a digital offering. Of course, they shouldn’t look at this as a short-term investment because the growing dominance of online shopping won′t ease – even when restrictions do.
“Irish retailers are known for the quality of their products, and currently there’s a huge opportunity to attract more customers and grow sales – especially as consumers, both at home and abroad, seek out more choice and convenience in a post-Brexit world. However, in order to take full advantage, it’s essential that businesses fully embrace the digital commerce revolution.”
[1] Statistics are drawn from a survey of 1,008 members of the general Irish population, conducted by Censuswide on behalf of PayPal in November 2020. All statistics are taken from this source, unless listed otherwise. All statistics refer to respondents from this survey who shop online.
[2] This total and the total relating to the average amount spent by respondents on Irish websites are annual totals – estimated by respondents for a 12-month period.
Strictly Limited Games, in conjunction with Croatian developer Gamechuck and indie games publisher Chorus Worldwide, is happy to announce that their exciting old school action game, Speed Limit, will be released as a physical box version on both Nintendo Switch and Sony PlayStation 4 (also playable on PS5).
The exclusive pre-order for this unforgettable arcade experience will start from Strictly Limited Games on February 21st.
Fast, faster, Speed Limit
Speed Limit is a super-fast-paced genre-morphing arcade-style action game with beautifully animated pixel art. When a disheveled stranger hands you a gun during your daily commute, everything goes horribly wrong, fast. Speed Limit is an old-school action extravaganza that will raise adrenaline levels, and test all reflexes to the max.
The gameplay and perspective change radically every two stages as you jump into ever faster modes of transport; starting with a commuter train, through a convertible sports car and all the way to a fighter jet. As the speed of the vehicles ramps up, so too does the intensity of the action. Speed Limit is fast, and it is hard. You will certainly die a few too many times but the excitement constantly mounts as you progress further into what is a game that has already garnered many awards for the development team.
Speed Limit is a must-play for all retro gamers:
A thrilling genre-switching rollercoaster that will test your reflexes
The gameplay transitions seamlessly between six different retro genres
Unlockable endless mode
Race against the clock in time trial mode
All graphics are hand-drawn frame-by-frame
Fast and gritty synthwave soundtrack
Exclusive, physical editions
The Limited Edition is available for €29.99, limited to 3,300 copies for Nintendo Switch and 1,700 copies for PlayStation 4 worldwide.
The Limited Edition is also available as a bundle with the OST for €44.99, limited to 700 copies for Nintendo Switch and 350 copies for PlayStation 4. The OST bundle will also include a sticker and a poster. An aluminium art card is also available for €9.99 – limited to 149 copies.
The United Nations Environment Programme, Ozone Secretariat’s pioneering ‘Reset Earth’ platform returns today, with the launch of an immersive single player mobile game for Android and iOS. Building on the plot of the highly successful Reset Earth original animation film, which premiered on World Education Day, and was subsequently watched more than 710,000 times, the game invites players to immerse themselves in a time-travel adventure in which they race against time on a mission to save the planet and what’s left of human life.
The Reset Earth animation film and game uses the power of storytelling and immersive gameplay to educate and inspire Gen Z and gamers of all ages about the fundamentals of protecting the ozone layer and the environment. To date, the animation film has received vast national, mainstream, environmental and entertainment press support worldwide and has generated an impressive social media engagement amongst teens with over 1,200 mentions and around 41M impressions on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. A great outreach so far, particularly as young people under 24 make up 95% of the animation viewers on Instagram, while on Facebook, 67% of those watching the Reset Earth animation were under 35 years old.
Meg Seki, Acting Executive Secretary of the Ozone Secretariat, said, “The release of the game is a fantastic addition to the Reset Earth animation. Safeguarding the ozone layer and the environment for future generations is a big job – but one that can be achieved, if we listen to the science and work together.”
Reset Earth Storyline
Set in a dystopian post-apocalyptic world in 2084, where the ozone layer has been completely ruined and human life is under threat from an unstoppable virus called “The Grow”, Reset Earth tells the exciting story of three teenagers who team up in an epic time-travel adventure and race against time in a mission to save the planet and what’s left of human life.
In search of answers, our heroes travel through time, and across multiple landscapes, to critical historical moments in the story of the mysterious ‘ozone layer’, attempting to unlock the secrets of the past to save themselves, the ozone layer and the future of the planet from impending doom. Along the way, they will learn the importance of the ozone layer in protecting the health wellbeing of the planet, as well as the power of working together to achieve what might at first seem impossible. To save the ozone layer, they must jump back in time to ensure the signing of the Montreal Protocol agreement.
Rooted in science, the fictional story and game present a dramatized picture of what Earth could have been like if the world had not acted to protect the ozone layer and signed the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer in 1987.
Reset Earth Key Gameplay Features
Reset Earth is a single player platform game, combining a retro graphics style and hand-drawn artwork and is aligned with the film’s storyline. Set across 4 stages of challenging immersive platform gameplay, each representing a time zone jump in the animated series, Reset Earth challenges players to truly immerse themselves in the world of Reset Earth, unlocking puzzles and discovering clues and learning about environmental history and the science of protecting the planet.
Produced and developed by Rooftop on behalf of the United Nations Environment Programme’s Ozone Secretariat, this epic family-friendly adventure allows players to unlock the three characters; Knox, Sagan or Terran, and utilise their unique game abilities as they race through time to find a way to protect the ozone layer and reset earth. By bringing together the unique abilities of each of the three characters, players will become stronger, and advance faster in their ultimate goal to save the earth, offering hours of teen and family-friendly game play.
Reset Earth begins a year-long education initiative by the Ozone Secretariat to raise awareness and inspire action among adolescents and parents about global ozone layer protection. Immersive, educational and thought-provoking, Reset Earth conveys a positive message around what can be achieved through collective action and cultivates a sense of environmental responsibility and ownership amongst the youth.
Understanding that many young people are anxious about the future state of the planet, the Reset Earth campaign aims to show them the power of science, collaboration and cooperation in solving complex global challenges.
The campaign also offers a message of hope, showing how the global community was able to come together and solve one of the most complex environmental challenges at the time, with remarkable success. It happened once, and it can happen again!
The Reset Earth mobile game can be downloaded below for Android and iOS
Ergotron, a global company focused on improving how people work, learn, play and care for others, has announced the availability of its customisable Mobile Medical Carts and charging solutions to support clinicians’ efforts in delivering a safe and efficient vaccination process. As COVID-19 vaccination sites are set up in non-traditional spaces, Ergotron’s mobile carts and charging solutions are bringing technology to the point of need, facilitating access to digital records and securing uninterrupted runtime for IT equipment to maximise workflow productivity, while providing access to vaccination material.
The first line of defence in controlling further spread of infection starts with initial detection of a high temperature in individuals as they come in for a vaccination. Ergotron’s thermal imaging medical carts bring this technology to the point-of-care in any situation, where quick temperature detection is needed. The preferred thermal imaging camera equipment can be mounted to one of Ergotron’s mobile medical carts to support temperature measurement wherever it’s needed.
For the demanding task of safely vaccinating thousands of people in the shortest time frame possible, accuracy with identification and update of digital records is required. Ergotron Mobile Medical Carts fulfil this need by bringing an ergonomic workstation to where it’s needed. The carts support the efficient vaccination of large groups of people outside the clinic walls, such as parking lots and other non-traditional locations, and provide convenience and access to strategic accessories needed to facilitate the different phases of the vaccination process. Optional LiFe or LiFeKinnex™ battery power provides uninterrupted runtime for laptops or computers without access to outlets.
“A fast, efficient COVID-19 vaccination rollout is key to fighting, and ultimately reversing the devastating impact of this pandemic”, said Richard Guy, Country Sales Manager UK & Ireland at Ergotron.
“To do this we understand that vaccinating large populations of people requires equipment that’s easy to move, dependable and convenient. It’s why Ergotron’s Mobile Medical Carts, which are lightweight and easy to move, are ideally suited to support care providers as they work to distribute the vaccine in clinics and hospitals, as well as other temporary locations such as parking lots, vaccine drive-through facilities and other vaccination stations.”
The use of tablets, laptops or other mobile IT equipment is necessary for many applications during the vaccination process, therefore optimising the workflow productivity with powered devices is crucial for achieving a smooth and productive procedure. Ergotron’s Charging Cabinets and Carts are designed to transport, secure, manage, and charge up to 40 tablets and Chromebooks or 30 full-size laptops, with up to 40% faster charging for IT devices onsite.
Ergotron’s Mobile Medical Carts are now available in EMEA. For more information visit the Ergotron website.
