Category: Tech News

Dell launches a new wave of Inspiron PCs designed to keep you connected to what matters most

Dell today unveiled the new Inspiron family – with 13-inch, 14-inch and 16-inch sizes available – providing an immersive experience while streaming videos, browsing social media, creating content or connecting with friends and family around the world.

“We live in a world where people – especially the younger generations – want to creatively and easily connect with friends, families and the rest of the world – all with the click of a button while showcasing their personalities,” said Kevin Terwilliger, vice president, Inspiron and Vostro, Client Product Group, Dell Technologies. “This is what inspired our latest Inspiron portfolio, all while keeping productivity and quality at the forefront of our products so individual expression flows freely.”

 Meet the New Inspiron Plus

Designed to provide extra performance to power passions, the new Inspiron Plus laptops are built for those who want to bring their creative projects to life and share with others.

The Inspiron 16 Plus, presented in a Dark Green color, is a powerful laptop that features the latest 12th Gen Intel® Core™ H-series processors and optional NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 graphics, which allows for quick photo and video editing. When configured with a GeForce RTX 3060 GPU, it provides access to a powerful suite of NVIDIA Studio tools including Broadcast and Canvas apps. Load and switch between apps effortlessly with the new 4800 MHz DDR5 memory, which has 1.5x more bandwidth than the previous generation of 3200 DDR4 memory. And with a 15% increase in the area of air outlet vents over the previous generation, the laptop can circulate out more air, keeping it running fast and smooth.

The Inspiron 16 Plus has a larger 16:10 aspect ratio active area with up to a 3k resolution display, allowing consumers to see more content while working and playing. Video chats get even better with Inspiron’s latest technologies. The built-in FHD webcam with temporal noise reduction and wide dynamic range work together for crisp detail. Dual microphones capture voices distinctly, while echo cancellation and AI-based noise reduction cuts down on background noise. And a mechanical camera privacy shutter provides peace of mind.

Inspiron 16 Plus levels up viewers’ front-of-screen experience with Dolby Vision® and Dolby Atmos®. With Dolby Vision, take full advantage of HDR content’s superior dynamic range with infinitely deep blacks and dazzling brights. Entertainment recorded with Dolby Atmos allows you to experience sound exactly the way the artist wanted. Quad speakers, two of which are up-firing and two are down-firing, provide loud, clear, and unmuffled audio.

With everyone spending more and more time in front of their screens, it is essential to keep your eyes comfortable. The Inspiron Plus series comes equipped with ComfortView Plus hardware, a low blue light solution that reduces harmful blue light emissions without sacrificing true-to-life color. Coupled with dimming technology that reduces flicker, extended screen time is easy on your eyes. Additionally, there is plenty of space for navigation with a roomy touchpad, that is both aesthetically pleasing and functional. Edge-to-edge material stretches across the palm rest and touchpad for a modern and smooth work surface.

The Inspiron 14 Plus is a new member of the Inspiron family, designed to meet the needs of those who want an Inspiron Plus but prefer a smaller form factor. The Inspiron 14 Plus comes in light (Platinum Silver – available only in China) and dark (Dark Green) and provides impressive performance in a mobile design, allowing for connectivity on the go. Select configurations of both the Inspiron 14 Plus and Inspiron 16 Plus are Intel® Evo™ certified.

 Inspiron 13, 14 & 16 and Inspiron 2-in-1

Inspiron laptops and 2-in-1s provide fast and smooth performance for everyday needs, whether it’s checking email, posting on social media, or streaming music and movies. The experience is customizable, making it easy to pick and choose the features that are most important, with optional colors, fingerprint readers, backlit keyboards, and more.

The new Inspiron family is powered by Windows 11 and includes more options to meet customers’ diverse needs, with 12th Gen Intel® Core™ processors or AMD Ryzen™ 5000 Series processors with AMD Radeon™ Graphics. The Inspiron family also provides a choice of color options – Platinum Silver, Pebble Green or Light Pink (check models for specifics).

The new portfolio has an immersive front-of-screen experience, with products featuring a 16:10 aspect ratio and 4-sided narrow borders for more viewing room.  Panels start at FHD+ resolution and offer DC dimming and low blue light solutions such as optional ComfortView Plus hardware, helping ensure comfort even when viewing the screen for extended periods.

Aiming to keep family and friends close, the new features allow for even more connectivity. Products are equipped with a built-in FHD webcam and dual microphones with noise reduction technology.

And for added flexibility, the new Inspiron 14 2-in-1 features a 14% larger touchpad, providing extra room for navigation. An optional active pen offers a natural and accurate writing experience with no pairing required.

In line with Dell’s 2030 Goals, the company incorporates environmentally-friendly solutions, materials, and packaging. The new Inspiron laptops and 2-in-1s feature and 100% low volatile organic compound (VOC) waterborne paint on all painted parts. Our laptop and 2-in-1 packaging components are comprised of up to 90% recycled materials.

Services

Software, support and services are available for all new Inspiron PCs, with Premium Support Plus option available on Inspiron Plus. There is also the option to upgrade to Dell Migrate.

  • Dell Premium Support Plus offers support features under one comprehensive plan, including 24X7 phone support, automated issues detection, virus removal and automated PC optimization. Repairs for accidental damage and onsite support following remote diagnosis are also included.
  • Dell Migrate makes it easier than ever to move the hard to replace data, photos, personal records and important files to your new Dell PC. Bring your whole digital life with you using our simple, automated tool.

 

Product pricing & availability

  • The new Inspiron line is available in Ireland today, with pricing available on the Dell website here.

 

 

 

 

Refurbed Champions EUREFAS: Aiming to enable a strong circular economy throughout Europe

Refurbed, Ireland’s leading online marketplace for refurbished electronics, is today announcing its pledge, along with 16 other members of the European Refurbishment Association (EUREFAS), for a responsible refurbishment market. The goal of this pledge is to standardise renewed products with quality standard seals by 2023. With their active role in EUREFAS, refurbed are helping to shape a greener future as they encourage consumers to move towards environmentally friendly products.

In May 2022, refurbed attended the EUREFAS general assembly in Brussels where a new pledge was discussed. Members of EUREFAS pledged to take necessary actions to improve their business models in order to create a high-quality refurbishment sector for electronic devices in Europe. This includes standardising newly processed products with quality standard seals by 2023.

During the event members also had the opportunity to meet with crucial EU stakeholders from the European Commission. Members discussed key topics such as the Sustainable Products Regulation and the Right to Repair movement, both of which aim to influence industry and encourage consumers to change their consumption habits towards greener products.

Kilian Kaminski, Chair of the Working Group Communications and co-founder of refurbed, said:

“As a member of EUREFAS, we have the chance to define structures and guidelines for a relatively young industry together with competitors and partners. And not just on a local or national level, but across Europe. This creates transnational cooperation with members who pursue a similar mission. As co-founder of refurbed, it was important to me from the very beginning to be able to offer customers products of the highest quality – but this requires regulations and standards that also hold manufacturers accountable in order to make the refurbishment market trustworthy in the long term.”

He continued:

“I am delighted to see that the refurbishment market is growing increasingly popular among many countries in Europe. It is clear that there is a shift in consumer habits in many of refurbed’s markets, particularly Ireland where the number of Irish consumers buying refurbished devices is continuously increasing.”

The new EUREFAS member commitment is as follows:

EUREFAS members commit:

Towards a qualitative electronic equipment remanufacturing sector.

By signing this pledge, EUREFAS (European Refurbishment Association) members commit to take the following actions to improve their business models in order to create a high quality refurbishment sector for electronic equipment and high quality end products in Europe.

 

  • EUREFAS members commit to enabling a strong circular economy in Europe to combat climate change by reducing e-waste, carbon emissions and over-consumption of raw materials and aiming for carbon neutrality, as well as maximising the reuse of electronic equipment through refurbishment.

  • EUREFAS members are companies headquartered in the European Union that commit to comply with applicable EU and national laws.

  • EUREFAS members are committed to participating in certification schemes in order to provide the highest quality to their partners and customers and to continuously improve their systems to meet new challenges for their companies.

  • EUREFAS members undertake to use or allow the use in their electronic equipment and refurbishment processes of only original or compatible spare parts that have the same functions and technical specifications as the original parts.

  • EUREFAS members commit to ensuring privacy and consumer safety at every step of the reprocessing process.

  • EUREFAS members are committed to providing the best end-user experience by offering a commercial warranty on every electronic device sold and quality after-sales service.

  • EUREFAS members ensure the full functionality of all electronic equipment sold to the end user by testing all key control points.

 

By committing to the pledge, the refurbishment industry and the quality of the products will be structured and the interests of consumers will be safeguarded. The association has set itself the goal of providing this new quality seal by 2023 with the help of its internal members and experienced external experts.

Augustin Becquet, President and founding member of EUREFAS, says: “As there are still no pan-European standards in the market for remanufactured electronics, this commitment signed by all EUREFAS members is an important step towards making the industry more reliable, enabling a circular economy and empowering consumers to make informed, sustainable purchasing decisions.”

The current scope of countries represented in the association currently includes 9 countries and 17 members. In addition to refurbed, Recommerce, ReWare, Tech2Com, Foxway, Olinn, Omocom, Panzerglass, Asgoodasnew, Backmarket, ReBuy, ITC (ReCall First Hand), Swappie, AfB Group, Enjoy Recondizionati/Prestige Group, FixFirst and Remarketed are also

Part of EUREFAS. According to the Commission, a circular economy like remanufacturing can create 700,000+ jobs in Europe by 2030.

Best Tips to Optimize your Website for Google’s Page Experience Update!

Recent studies indicate that Google processes 3.5 million searches per day and processes 40,000 searches approximately every second.

Research also indicates that 75% of the users never go beyond the 1st page of the SERPs (search engine result pages). 

These figures are enough to specify the impact of search engine ranking on digital business. Google constantly keeps on expanding its criteria for a better user experience. Introduction of Page Experience Signal is one of the new criteria announced by Google.

 

Decoding Google Page Experience Update:

Page experience is a set of rules that quantify the user experience during a web page visit. Last year (Nov 2020), Google announced page experience as a ranking signal implemented in April 2021 in the Google Search Criteria. 

The motto of page experience update is to provide an improved web experience for all users, be it for desktop or mobile. Of course, multiple factors will impact the same, so let’s check them out.

 

Factors to be Included in Page Experience Update:

Apart from an enjoyable and memorable user experience, page experience is also measured by factors like website performance, page/site load speed, mobile-friendliness, visual stability, secured browsing, HTTPS (Hyper-text Transfer Protocol Secure), and display of intrusions (Ads). Also if you are a wordpress user check out the best WordPress theme for core web vitals.

In a nutshell, a page experience update will check the user experience and rank the same in the search results accordingly. Undoubtedly the good experiences have an advantage over bad ones. Though a few of these factors already exist in SEO, there are some new additions for gaining better precision in user experience. 

Five signals cover the entire Google Page Experience Update, as shown in the below image.

 

 

1: Core Web Vitals:

Core Web Vitals measure the page performance with the help of 3 basic aspects. 

  • Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): 

LCP measures the complete page load time, including the content, images, if any, videos, etc. 

An LCP of 2.5 seconds or less is ideal. 

Removing any unused CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) or shifting them to another style sheet may also help reduce LCP time.

  • First Input Delay (FID):

FID tests the time between the user’s first interaction or the first click on a web page and the actual page response time. 

An ideal FID score is 100 milliseconds or less. 

  • Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS):

Visual stability of your content is important, which is measured by CLS. Unstable visuals or site layouts are responsible for a weak user experience. Ensure a CLS score of 0.1 or less to be in the ranking game.

2: Mobile-Friendly: 

This signal verifies your page responsiveness for mobile devices.

3: Safe Browsing:

This signal checks the page’s security in terms of viruses and malware and verifies whether the same is free from other malicious content, links, bad downloads, etc., or not.

4: HTTPS: 

This signal checks whether HTTPS security is present on your page or not by checking whether SSL certificate is installed on the website or not. 

5: No Intrusive Interstitials:

This signal checks the ease with which your content is displayed to the end-users. For example, intrusive interstitials like ads, while the page download process is on, will be checked and confirmed before the ranking for page experience update takes place.

 

Expectations from the Page Experience Update

Google gives an advance intimation of approximately six months regarding every update, and this portrays its sincerity and desire to web developers, business owners, SEO/IT team for making the necessary changes in their digital infrastructure before the update is finally rolled out in the market. 

Example: For page experience update, the announcement was made in November 2020 and went partly live from April 2021, though it would take a few more months (August 2021) to be completely intertwined with all systems. 

So slowly and steadily, page experience updates will start playing their complete role in SEO.

 

How to Prepare for the Page Experience Signal?

After this announcement, there has been a phenomenal rise in the usage of page performance tools like Google Page Speed Insights and KeyCDN Speed Test, etc.

You can also monitor the Core Web Vitals of your website with Core Web Vitals Report (on Google Search Console), which portrays your page performance and picks out the pages which need improvement. Fix these issues by using any page performance tools, and you’re back in business. 

Mobile-Friendly Test to check out the site and page performance on mobile devices and Security Issues Report for checking the page for security issues can help in better page optimization.

 

Tips to Optimize your Website for Google’s Page Experience Update:

 

  • Make sure Your Site is Secured With SSL Certificate:

In an online business, if you wish to provide a memorable user experience to your visitors, website security is a must. No one likes to ponder on unsecured sites or risk purchases by punching in card details when unsure about their data privacy. Security lapses in site security can harm your SEO ranks.

Apart from using web security check tools like WPScan or Sucuri SiteCheck, for checking security issues on the website for fixing them, installing an SSL certificate for site and data security is a must. 

SSL certificate encrypts all the website data (browser-server communications) by converting it into ciphertext, which looks like gibberish language. As a result, hackers cannot penetrate or misuse encrypted text, and hence customer and site data privacy is maintained.

This digital certificate transforms your website from HTTP to HTTPS, thus enhancing the page experience update signal. 

 

I would recommend purchasing an SSL certificate from ClickSSL, which provides web securities at nominal rates for a decade. Offering all global brands as a choice to customers, this platinum SSL certificate provider provides top-notch quality customer service, money-back options, and other VAS (value-added services).

  • Make sure Your Site is Responsive to Mobile and Other Devices:

Since mobile users cover almost half of the entire web traffic, your website and web pages need to be responsive to mobiles and tablets. 

Statistics indicate that in the first quarter of 2021, mobile devices accounted for 54.8% of the global web traffic and are increasing every year.

 

One section of page experience update needs your website to be mobile-friendly for a better ranking. As stated above, Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool helps test your website’s responsiveness and pinpoint other page load issues.

It’s simple. Just click “view details” near the page loading issues and fix them as suggested by the tool.

WordPress plugins like OBox Mobile help in making your site mobile-friendly.

  • Make sure Your Site Speed is Swift:

Since page load time is one of the major factors of Core Web Vitals, being a site owner, you need to ensure that the faster the page load time, the better the user experience. Therefore, Google, too, condemns slow load time and gives priority to fast-loading sites.

An ideal page load time is less than 2 seconds. But, unfortunately, 40% of the customers abandon sites that take more than 3 seconds to load. 

As stated above, Google’s Page Speed Insight Tool helps determine your site speed and scores your website from 1-100 where 0-49=poor, 50-89=improvement, and 90-100=good.

 

  • Make sure Your Site is Free from Intrusive Interstitials:

Ensure that your visitors are not displayed intrusive interstitials when they click your site from Google. These intrusions are pop-up ads that make site content inaccessible, specifically in mobiles, since they are visible on the entire screen. 

To be more specific, interstitials that are not blocking the content are still fine, but Google does not favour interstitials that block the primary content.

The below image clearly states that in the 1st image, the pop-up is at the top of the screen, making the page content visible, whereas, in the 2nd image, the pop-up covers the entire screen, which creates a negative website impression and provides a bad user experience, which Google disapproves of.

 

Avoid these intrusions for a better Google page experience update.

Wrapping Up:

Ample variables are responsible for gaining a successful SEO rank. After all, everything ends up giving a good user experience. The same rule applies to Page Experience Update too. Checkout on the metrics which Google uses for the same and ensure that your site is up to the expectations set by Google. 

Your SEO is bound to be successful if you secure your current rankings and follow all the Page Experience Update signals so that when the same gets rolling, you are ready to maintain your current SEO position.

DAACI AI Tech Sets Out to Revolutionise Music Composition

Award-winning DAACI has developed and filed a series of patents for its ground-breaking AI core tech which is set to revolutionise the creative process of music composition, democratising music creation for the metaverse masses.

Informed by the core principles of musical composition and three decades of doctoral music research, DAACI is a fully formed AI system that composes, arranges, orchestrates and produces the highest-quality original music. Unlike other AI music tools, there are no pre-recorded tracks or ready made samples. Instead, musical elements and textures are written in real time, infinitely generated on demand as DAACI dynamically responds to the creator’s brief.

The patents relate to the proprietary core tech of the DAACI framework, which dynamically adapts to user inputs and captures compositional intent. Developed to power the evolution of music creation, DAACI has multiple potential applications from movie scores to gaming in the metaverse.

Rachel Lyske, DAACI CEO said: “The demand for original music has never been greater. Whether we’re discovering new artists online, immersing ourselves in a favourite MMO game, watching a must-see TV show or browsing the internet’s infinite scroll of content, music is the constant soundtrack to modern life.

Image: Rachel Lyske, DAACI CEO

“DAACI does away with ‘computer generated’, ‘random’ sounds. It raises the standard of AI composition by creating structure and form that has exceptionally high quality, is endlessly adaptive, and generates emotionally fulfilling originality in seconds.”

DAACI can satisfy the demand for limitless composition and will power music creativity for the next generation of composers, content creators and producers, who are already realising applications for its framework tech:

Gaming: 

Whilst today’s gaming music is recognised by static and generic soundtracks, metaverse users are demanding a dynamic approach. They want to choose their own unique soundtrack in real time, to fit their story and emotions.

DAACI can provide games developers with high-fidelity contextual and situational music. From the endless creation of bespoke audio skins and NFTs to adaptive in game soundtracking, DAACI creates a truly immersive and emotional connection between players and games like never before.

Composition Ally:

DAACI doesn’t intend to replace composers. Instead, it provides an easy-to-use tool to enhance the productivity and scalability of their work. For artists and production companies, DAACI is an ally that offers the perfect combination of innovative technology and music composition axioms – delivering the best of both worlds. A true virtual composer, DAACI learns to think and dynamically respond using compositional principles and rules, delivering authentic, rich music composition at a speed and scale well beyond the limits of human possibility.

DAACI’s composition science stems from the notable team of professional musicians and composers behind it, who between them hold an enviable list of credits spanning performing, musical direction, vocal coaching, writing, producing, sound mixing and sound design. The team anticipates the landscape for how music is created and experienced is changing, so they are bringing the DAACI AI software to life as a tool for users whilst respecting and protecting the knowledge musicians have acquired.

Having successfully completed a seed funding round, DAACI is extremely excited to be launching its new round. They are raising an EIS eligible £4m which will close in September – https://www.daaci.com/daaci-deck

WBA OpenRoaming Enables Dublin’s Smart City Vision with Seamless, Secure, High-Performance Wi-Fi #WorldWiFiday

The Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) and City of Dublin today announced a successful proof-of-concept trial of OpenRoaming™ in Dublin, Ireland. Initially deployed at Bernardo Square, Dame Street and the City Council’s Amphitheatre, WBA OpenRoaming enables residents and visitors to log in only once and then maintain seamless connectivity as their smartphones, tablets and other Wi-Fi devices automatically switch between different public Wi-Fi hotspots. The success of the trial will pave the way for a larger city-wide deployment. 

Dublin is a high growth city. It currently has a population in the Greater Dublin Area of around 2.02 million and is anticipated to grow to 2.2 million by 2031. It houses 30% of the country’s working population and attracts over 6.6 million overseas visitors a year.  It is anticipated that OpenRoaming will be initially rolled out on over 150 AP’s across Dublin city. 

Now available at over 1 million hotspots worldwide, WBA OpenRoaming frees users from the need to constantly re-register or re-enter log-in credentials — all while maintaining enterprise-grade security and privacy. The WBA OpenRoaming standard also enables enterprises, device OEMs, service providers and others to provide performance guarantees and — with Wi-Fi 6 and 6E— a carrier-grade experience as users roam between different public Wi-Fi venues.

The trial, initiated by Dublin City Council’s Smart Dublin programme and supported by the WBA and Virgin Media, also involved participation from CommScope and represents a key a milestone toward achieving Dublin’s smart city goals, which include:

 

  • Providing communities, residents and businesses with seamless access to services online, as well as high-quality connectivity
  • Giving tourists and other visitors free, secure, high-performance Wi-Fi access. Once they arrive and log on to an OpenRoaming-enabled hotspot, their device is automatically authenticated for use every time it switches to another OpenRoaming-enabled hotspot. This convenience makes it easier for them to find what they need, such as restaurant recommendations, transit schedules, directions and more.
  • This seamless, secure experience ensures that they have the broadband connectivity they need for interactive immersive learning, research, hybrid study and more.

 

Tiago Rodrigues, CEO of the Wireless Broadband Alliance, said: “Wi-Fi is the foundation for smart cities. This successful proof-of-concept trial shows that that the City of Dublin and its residents, businesses and visitors all can depend on the WBA OpenRoaming standard to ensure that they always have convenient access to seamless, secure, carrier-grade Wi-Fi connectivity.” 

Jamie Cudden, Smart City Lead, for the City of Dublin, said: “Dublin is at the forefront of a digital transformation that is serving as a model for other municipalities across Ireland and the world. Collaborations like this are key to the delivery of convenient, reliable and ubiquitous connectivity which is critical for achieving our smart city goals such as closing the digital divide and ensuring that government is responsive to the needs of citizens and businesses. This successful trial of WBA OpenRoaming is a milestone toward achieving all those goals.”

Bart Giordano, SVP Ruckus Networks, CommScope, said: ““As a founding partner in the OpenRoaming framework, we are pleased to announce with the WBA the successful launch of the OpenRoaming initiative and network for the City of Dublin.  OpenRoaming brings the promise of seamless and secure connectivity to users and IoT devices all over the world.  The core elements of OpenRoaming are in line with those of the Ruckus Network portfolio: cloud federation, cybersecurity, policy and automation.  We look forward to expanding the City of Dublin’s network and capabilities and supporting OpenRoaming deployments worldwide. “

Aidan Darcy, VP Business & Wholesale at Virgin Media Ireland said: “It’s fantastic to be working with Dublin City Council on such an important initiative. Given the fact that we are the official provider of both the Wi-Fi and broadband infrastructure, we are able to offer cutting-edge broadband speeds and an exceptional Wi-Fi experience for residents and tourists availing of the new Dublin City Wi-Fi Zones. We’re passionate about connecting communities and, with this new initiative, we really feel we’ll be creating connections for good.”

Launched in May 2020, WBA OpenRoaming is now in Release 3, which will make the business and commercial aspects of roaming easier than ever before and importantly, cut back on hundreds of hours of legal and administrative time when establishing roaming settlement agreements.

 

World Wi-Fi Day – 20th June 2022

This announcement comes just before World Wi-Fi Day (an annual WBA initiative), a global platform to recognize and celebrate the significant role Wi-Fi is playing in getting cities and communities around the world connected. 

It is a unique opportunity to reflect on how we can reduce digital poverty through innovative projects that will connect the unconnected. 

About the Wireless Broadband Alliance

Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) is the global organization that connects people with the latest Wi-Fi initiatives. Founded in 2003, the vision of the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) is to drive seamless, interoperable service experiences via Wi-Fi within the global wireless ecosystem. WBA’s mission is to enable collaboration between service providers, technology companies, cities, regulators and organizations to achieve that vision. WBA’s membership is comprised of major operators, identity providers and leading technology companies across the Wi-Fi ecosystem with the shared vision. 

WBA undertakes programs and activities to address business and technical issues, as well as opportunities, for member companies. WBA work areas include standards development, industry guidelines, trials, certification and advocacy. Its key programs include NextGen Wi-Fi, OpenRoaming, 5G, IoT, Testing & Interoperability and Policy & Regulatory Affairs, with member-led Work Groups dedicated to resolving standards and technical issues to promote end-to-end services and accelerate business opportunities. 

The WBA Board includes Airties, AT&T, Boingo Wireless, Broadcom, BT, Cisco Systems, Comcast, Deutsche Telekom AG, Google, Intel and Viasat.  For the complete list of current WBA members, click here.

Follow Wireless Broadband Alliance: 
www.twitter.com/wballiance 

http://www.facebook.com/WirelessBroadbandAlliance

https://www.linkedin.com/company/2919934/

London tech accessory brand adds US retailer Best Buy to its global retail portfolio, just over a year after launch

Sustainable smartphone accessories brand Atom Studios, has announced Best Buy, America’s largest retailer in the consumer electronics industry,  as its latest partner in the US.

Atom Studios specialises in creating stylish tech accessories — including phone and AirPods Pro cases, charging accessories and screen protectors — with innovative design details, that are built to last and have minimal impact on the planet.

Best Buy will initially be stocking two different iPhone case ranges from Atom Studios on their website  — Split Wood Fibre and Split Silicone for the iPhone 13 range — with an expanded range available in store soon.

Just over a year after launching the product to market, the brand already boasts an impressive portfolio of stockists around the world including: telecom giant Three in the UK; premium retailer Telenor in Europe; one of Japan’s largest wireless carriers, SoftBank;  iStudio and .Life in Thailand and Buy First in Taiwan.

Atom Studios was formed during the pandemic by a small group of industry experts, who developed friendships over the years through shared experience in the consumer electronics and accessories industry. With previous employers including ZAGG, Bang and Olufsen, Nokia and Panasonic, they drew upon a wealth of innovation, product development, marketing and sales knowledge.

Akbar Ali, Creative Director at Atom Studios, believes the key to the business’s success so far is in part due to the extensive research the team dedicates to product development.

“We’re so much more than just another tech accessory brand,” says Mr. Ali, “our design philosophy, inspired by our previous experience at some of the world’s largest tech companies, not only centres around addressing everyday consumer issues such as ‘my charging cable keeps getting tangled’, we also use or develop materials that ensure our products are as eco-friendly as possible while still looking stylish. This is a natural evolution for the industry, innovative accessories that solve problems, look great and have minimal impact on the environment – and this should be affordable to consumers.” 

The  iPhone case ranges Best Buy will be stocking stand testament to the level of detail that goes into Atom Studios’ product development process; the Split Wood Fibre model uses a combination of recycled wood and cornstarch-based ingredients – a material specially designed by the product team and a completely unique and sustainable alternative to plastic in phone cases – while the Split Silicone model features infinitely recycled anodized aluminium and sand-based silicone.

In addition to their eco credentials, both the Split Wood Fibre and Split Silicone cases address a common user complaint with MagSafe compatible cases; they contain 50% larger magnets than industry standard, without adding bulk, which offers improved connection for a more stable charging experience and for attaching MagSafe accessories.

 

Atom studios best buy techbuzzireland

Atom Studios’ marketing director, Alison Cook, also explains that their strategic approach to growth is another factor contributing to their rapid, yet managed acceleration.

“Launching during the pandemic was always going to present challenges with product development delays, retail closures and reluctance from retailers to place orders for new products due to overstock,” says Miss. Cook , “we decided to adopt a more strategic approach purposefully choosing one well respected, leading retailer in each region, then making sure that we deliver with excellence via on-time high quality products, comprehensive marketing plans, merchandising support and robust staff training. 

“We’re extremely proud to offer our cases in Best Buy, it demonstrates there is strong appetite across the globe to shop sustainably and responsibly, with more consumers than ever showing an interest in how their products are made and where they’re from.”

President Zelensky addresses global tech community via hologram

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed Europe’s top tech entrepreneurs, investors and corporate leaders via 3D hologram today, compelling the region’s most influential innovators to donate financial and technological resources to begin rebuilding Ukraine. At 4.20pm today, President Zelensky addressed seven tech events across Europe, including Dublin Tech Summit at the RDS.

Even amidst the devastation of war, Zelensky said Ukraine continues to develop and pledged to make digital transformation central to his nation’s rebuild.

“Our goal is to make Ukraine the freest digital state in the world,” he said, touching on some of the technologies his government plans to champion as it rolls out a digitally driven rebuild via the United24 platform.

“Ukraine is a chance for a global digital revolution,” he said; “a chance for every technology company and a chance for every visionary to show their value, skills, technologies and ambitions.” 

ARHT Media’s holographic technology enabled the President to appear on stage simultaneously at four of Europe’s largest tech festivals: Stockholm’s Brilliant Minds, London’s Founders Forum, Amsterdam’s The Next Web and Paris’ Vivatech.

His holographic telepresence, produced by Talesmith, was also live-streamed to Dublin Tech Summit, The AI Summit at London Tech Week and SuperReturn Berlin, expanding the reach of his address to 200,000 leaders across every vertical of the tech industry.

Evercoast’s portable volumetric video system captured the address in 3D for a mobile augmented reality experience, available through the below QR codes:

Ukrainian:

https://ff.evercoast.com/ua

 

English:

https://ff.evercoast.com

A range of public figures including Gayle King, Nile Rogers, Peter Gabriel, Bernard Henri-Lévy, Amanda Holden, Ozwald Boateng, and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson also appeared on stage in hologram and video formats, lending messages of support to the people of Ukraine before introducing Zelensky’s hologram. Ukrainian tech founders, Irra Ariella Khi and Dima Shvets also shared heart-felt messages on stage.

Brent Hoberman, Founders Forum Group’s Co-Founder and Executive Chairman said the FF Group joined forces with Europe’s leading tech events and partnered with ARHT and Evercoast to amplify the reach of President Zelensky’s crucial rebuild message.

“We wanted to enable the President to share this important message via hologram and 3D avatar to exemplify the world-changing innovation the tech community is capable of delivering, and to inspire our network to develop and deploy new technologies that can help rebuild Ukraine.” 

Evercoast’s volumetric capture hardware used for the project is being donated to the Ukrainian government, to enable continued communications in extended reality formats. ARHT is also donating the updated equipment used for the hologram capture to The Junior Academy of Science Ukraine, located in Kyiv. The production was made on location in Kyiv and at Garden Studios in London.

The project was created by Martin Williams (Talesmith) and Thomas Hoegh (Garden Studios), directed by Martin Williams, and produced by Mark Wright (Talesmith) and Thomas Hoegh.

 

About Founders Forum 

Founders Forum Group is an event-powered community and family of businesses supporting entrepreneurs at every stage of their journeys.

FF’s invite-only forums unite founders, investors, corporate and government leaders to tackle era-defining questions in iconic locations across the globe. This year’s event line-up includes flagship forums in Singapore, London, New York and Berlin.

Since 2019, Founders Forum has partnered with Informa Tech to celebrate the strength and diversity of UK tech through London Tech Week. The joint venture allows London Tech Week to enrich its impact and expand its reach with sector-specific and diversity-driven events including ClimateTech, Elevating Founders, EQL Her, the Future of Work summit, and HealthTech.

Fuelled by the connections and ideas forged at the group’s flagship events, Founders Forum businesses support the needs of today’s founders via education (01 Founders, Framework, Smartup, and the Centre for Entrepreneurs’ NEF+ programme), professional services (Founders Keepers, Founders Law), networking (Grip), investment (Creator Fund, Founders Factory and firstminute capital) and charitable giving (Founders Pledge). In 2021, the group sold its innovation strategy consulting firm, Founders Intelligence, to global consultancy, Accenture.

About Talesmith 

Talesmith is a multi-award winning production company at the forefront of premium factual content for broadcast, museums, cinema, immersive AR and cutting-edge VR. Its BAFTA and Emmy-winning leadership team of Martin Williams, Ruth Roberts and Mark Wright has worked across some of television’s most successful factual productions of recent years, partnering with A-list talent including Sir David Attenborough, Prince William and President Obama. As an ambitious and innovative company, Talesmith constantly pushes the boundaries of storytelling, embracing new technologies and techniques.

About Thomas Hoegh

Thomas is the founder of Arts Alliance and Garden Studios. He focuses on user experience from a creative, strategic and economic point of view. His background as an artist and businessman forms the core aspect of Arts Alliance’s competitive edge. As an artist, Thomas has directed over 20 major theatre, television and multimedia performance pieces in Norway,

Japan and the United States. He has backed, built and scaled 50 tech and media businesses across the world.

About AHRT Media

ARHT Media is the global leader in live hologram technology with a wide array of solutions for all kinds of applications and the largest holographic telepresence network across the world. ARHT beams presenters to appear remotely as lifelike, interactive holograms for real-time interactions and online via its Virtual Global Stage™. Its latest innovation, CAPSULE, is a new touchscreen 4K hologram display capable of creating memorable interactive experiences that completely reimagine viewer engagement and open even more applications for holograms. With proprietary end-to-end technology, ARHT can capture, transmit and display holograms of presenters in high-quality and ultra-low latency, offering a sense of presence and delivering great impact.

About Evercoast

Evercoast enables a new age of content and communication in the form of 3D digital humans. They provide industry-leading capture, rendering, and streaming of high-quality, cost-effective 3D volumetric video for use in virtual production, mobile augmented reality, virtual reality, and the growing metaverse. Evercoast’s cloud software platform powers real-time telepresence and recorded 3D digital humans for clients like Verizon, Comcast, WarnerMedia, AbbVie, NYU, Providence Health, and others.

Event Partners

About The AI Summit London 

The AI Summit London is where commercial AI comes to life. Brought to you by Informa Tech, and as the headline AI event of London Tech Week, the summit attracts a stellar audience – ranging from tech giants and FTSE boardrooms to policymakers, technical leaders and start-ups – who gather each year to network, learn and champion positive digital change for business and society. The London event is the European activation of The AI Summit Series, which also runs in New York, Singapore and Austin each year. Together these events provide a global platform for a diverse range of individuals to discuss and explore the transformative power of AI – whether that be enterprise application, vendor development, policy formation or sustainability initiatives.

About Brilliant Minds 

Brilliant Minds Foundation is a global platform for creative individuals to come together on world-changing ideas. The aim of the Brilliant Minds Foundation is to be the foremost future-gazing impact organisation and support founders with transformative ideas that make the world more sustainable, creative and collaborative.

Brilliant Minds Foundation is rooted in Swedish values of openness, transparency, equality, trust and social responsibility. It is Brilliant Minds’ ability to convene a unique and diverse set of pioneers who inspire, build bridges, fearlessly innovate and display extraordinary leadership that equips the organisation to accomplish its mission of accelerating positive impact.

Every year in Stockholm, Brilliant Minds brings together the most creative and influential individuals in the world. It has welcomed attendees and speakers including President Barack Obama, Gwyneth Paltrow, Naomi Campbell, Secretary John Kerry, Yuri Milner, Evan Spiegel, David M. Solomon, Solina Chau, Diane von Furstenberg, Greta Thunberg, Eric Schmidt, Pharrell Williams, Marina Abramovic, Ted Sarandos (Netflix), Forest Whitaker, Robyn, The Weeknd, Jack Dorsey, Musk Family, Tove Lo, Swedish House Mafia and many more outstanding people.

About The Next Web 

The world is changing with the speed of tech. And The Next Web has its fingers firmly on its pulse. The Next Web is a global super connector for startups, scaleups, corporations, governments and funding providers. Multiplying their journeys through media, events, innovation programs and co-working spaces. Its annual conference has been a mainstay in the agendas of startups, investors, corporates and governments alike for over a decade, drawing 10,000 visitors from all over the world to the tech hub of Amsterdam each year. There, serious business mixes with serious fun to build what’s next in tech, now. The Next Web is a Financial Times company.

About VivaTech

VivaTech is the biggest startup and tech event in Europe and is recognized worldwide as a powerful catalyst for business transformation, startup growth and innovation for the common good. Since 2016, VivaTech has brought together in Paris the world’s top business leaders, startups, investors, researchers and thinkers for a unique experience combining inspiration, networking and a showcase for innovation. Starting with the 2021 edition, VivaTech is now enriched with a digital platform that connects a global community of innovators.

About Dublin Tech Summit

Dublin Tech Summit (DTS) provides a uniquely intimate Irish cultural and networking experience, connecting the AtlanTECH community by providing a gateway for global tech leaders to meet and debate what is happening next in our fast-paced world. Dublin Tech Summit aims to foster stronger cooperation across ecosystems, connect tech communities, and develop long-lasting partnerships that will drive innovation and entrepreneurship into our shared future. Founded in 2015, the first summit was held in 2017.

About SuperReturn

SuperReturn International is the world’s largest and most prestigious private capital conference, bringing together an unrivalled gathering of C-suite and other senior executives from leading institutional investors, private capital investors and service providers from across the globe for 4 days to network and share valuable strategic insights. The conference, which has been running for 24 years, is widely acknowledged to be a must-attend in the industry’s annual calendar.

Dell Technologies unveils the new XPS 13 and XPS 13 2-in-1

Because the course of a day can change with one email, text or spark of spontaneity, the XPS 13 (available with Windows 11 or Ubuntu 20.04) has been designed by Dell to be the ultimate on-the-go companion. Artfully thin, light and compact with up to 12 hours of long battery life, it slips seamlessly into a backpack, bag or purse, while still delivering the premium performance with 12th Gen Intel® Core™ processors to multitask with ease.

True to the XPS aesthetic, it features our fifth generation, 4-side InfinityEdge display and enhanced sound for an immersive entertainment experience whether streaming music, video-chatting friends or watching the latest blockbuster. High brightness, improved clarity, precise detail with up to 4K+ resolution, and vivid colour bring the content to life, while larger speakers enable louder sound, deeper bass and a better overall audio experience. Eyesafe® technology intelligently manages light energy at the source, reducing harmful blue light without compromising the visual experience.

Dell XPS 13

Expertly crafted from premium materials, the XPS 13 delivers an inclusive approach to expressive colour, with unified tones inside and out that embody our mindful, minimalist approach. Available in softened shades of Sky and Umber, the tinted CNC machined aluminium is curated and premium.

With the new XPS 13, Dell set out on a long and ambitious journey to “miniaturize” the motherboard to be 1.8x smaller than the one found in our previous XPS 13 (2021). In fact, it’s the smallest motherboard ever created and fitted for a Dell PC. This created the architectural space needed to pack in a tapestry of new technologies and enlarge the speaker enclosures. The result is an XPS 13 that is thinner and lighter, yet better sounding, high performing and long lasting.

Taking versatility to new heights, the XPS 13 2-in-1 is launching this Summer

 As the lines continue to blur between work, life and learning, the XPS 13 2-in-1 reflects just that. This XPS device provides the ultimate flexibility allowing users to effortlessly transition between streaming, working creating and sharing content, and connecting.

This is the first XPS device to offer 5G connectivity, which enables faster downloads, like WiFi speeds, but for mobile broadband. Streaming, downloading files, rich video content –  it all happens a lot faster with the speed of 5G, so users can be productive and entertained no matter the location. The new XPS 13 2-in-1 also features eSIM technology, which allows users to go to different countries and connect to global carriers without having to switch SIM cards.

The XPS 13 2-in-1 allows for a fluid transition from consumption to full productivity mode by attaching the magnetic XPS Folio, providing a complete laptop experience that supports three angle adjustments (100°, 112.5°, 125°) for flexibility and comfort. The natural writing and inking experience of the XPS Stylus will allow users to express their creativity, turning the device into a state-of-the-art sketchpad.

Designed around an intuitive, landscape-first viewing mode – because that’s how we see the world – the stunning display panel delivers high brightness and precise detail with up to 3K resolution and vivid colour. The high-resolution 1080p front-facing webcam offers a crisp and clear image and is placed horizontally for practical and productive video calls.

The XPS 13 2-in-1 offers two connectivity options, standard WiFi 6E or 5G with WiFi 6E, each featuring a sleek, minimalist design. The standard WiFi 6E model is constructed of machined aluminium, just like the XPS 13 and is available in the subtle blue Sky colour. Unique to the 5G model, the back is made from Gorilla Glass 7 to optimize connectivity and eliminate signal interference. It’s available in a darker Slate hue.

Pricing and availability

  • XPS 13 is now available in Ireland, starting at €1,339.00.
  • XPS 13 2-in-1 will be available later this Summer.

Krispy Kreme and Xbox partnership returns to gamify the doughnut again with a Forza Horizon 5 collaboration

Following last year’s award-winning success, Krispy Kreme and Xbox are once again uniting with a bigger and better partnership, creating a legendary duo with epic giveaways certain to bring joy to doughnut fans and gamers alike. Not only will the Forza Horizon 5 inspired Ultimate Taste Adventure range be available in-store, but there will be a number of surprise additions along the way – watch this space for another exclusive announcement in the coming days!

The partnership will see the brands collab on not only the most mouth-watering exclusive limited-edition doughnuts, but they will also be offering the chance to win one of 10 Xbox Series S consoles by purchasing the Taste Adventure Dozen, Choose Your Own Dozen or 3 Pack – but when they’re gone, they’re gone! Plus, fans will get a 1 Month Free Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription with each initial purchase*.

The Ultimate Taste Adventure range will be available to buy in Krispy Kreme shops across Ireland, or in cabinets in Tesco and Circle K now until 3rd July. The Forza Festival doughnut filled with raspberry and kreme and topped with icing + a Forza logo sugar plaque will be joined by the Game Changer doughnut, with a delicious brownie batter filling and topped with icing + an Xbox sugar plaque – the ultimate gaming snacks. The newest tantalising Krispy Kreme & Xbox collection will be available from €3.15 RRP per doughnut.

And what’s more, if the limited-edition doughnuts weren’t enough, there will also be some exclusive, ‘money can’t buy’ drops and surprises up for grabs throughout the campaign – keep your eyes peeled on Krispy Kreme and Xbox’s social channels for more information.

Nadine Singler, Director of Brand Communications & Sustainability at Krispy Kreme UK & Ireland said: “We are super excited to once again partner with Xbox and its hugely popular Forza Horizon 5 game this year. Our new collab will bring people together to enjoy our delicious doughnuts as well as giving customers some incredible opportunities to win some surprise goodies along the way.”

For more information on how you can get your hands on the new Krispy Kreme & Xbox doughnut and a chance to win an Xbox Series S Console and / or 1 Month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription, please visit https://www.krispykreme.ie/xbox-forza @krispykremeIRL and @xboxuk.