Category: Tech News

Transatel announces private LTE/5G extension solution enabling connected devices to seamlessly switch between private and public cellular networks, worldwide

At the occasion of the Mobile World Congress 2022, Transatel (subsidiary of NTT Ltd.) unveils a major evolution of its SIM technology that enables any devices to securely connect to both private networks as well as public cellular networks across the globe. A brand-new feature that becomes critical given the massive adoptions of private 5G in factories and campuses expected in the next few years. A technology breakthrough that was recently recognized as the “Most ambitious project” by the IoT Awards at IoT Solutions and M2M Congress in Paris.

 Smart manufacturing is on the rise so as private mobile networks

Recent report from NTT and the Economist shows that over half of the companies surveyed plan to deploy a private 5G network within the next 6-24 months. A trend fueled by the rapid adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), automation, machine-to-machine communications and the Internet of Things (IoT); All increasingly data-driven application flourishing in sectors such as industrial manufacturing, logistics, automotive and healthcare to name a few. Private 5G networks can provide coverage in strategic locations, both indoors or outdoors, such as at manufacturing plants or ports and offer substantial benefits in terms of speed, productivity and security compared with Wi-Fi. It is then no surprise that 4G and 5G private networks markets will respectively reach $66.88 billion and $47.5 billion for a total exceeding $109 billion in 2030, according to ABI Research.

Industries need secure and reliable connectivity beyond their own private networks

By design, private cellular networks are not interconnected to mobile operators’ public radio networks which may limit their full potential. Today, organizations expect full control over their connectivity and independence from mobile carriers. They look for secure, fail-safe, globally scalable solutions that can enable any mobility use case beyond borders, at a reasonable cost. According to OMDIA’s latest Private LTE and 5G Network Enterprise Survey Insight, 75% of enterprises want hybrid public-private 5G solutions.

Options to expand a private cellular network beyond its perimeter exist but they imply multiple roaming agreements and the creation of multiple interconnections with public networks. Such an approach tends to quickly become costly and time-consuming and complexifies projects implementation while putting the network security at risk.

Based on its proven cellular technology expertise, Transatel developed a unique set of APIs enabling its SIM to seamlessly switch between private and public cellular networks, worldwide.

“We have developed a natively secure solution, enabling our SIM to seamlessly switch between private and any public cellular networks. Our clients can now choose how and when their SIM switch from their own private to public networks. This automatic or manual network switch set up can be based on SIM location, NFC detection, vocal command, use of a specific application on the connected device or even depending on the hour of the day.” says Romain Durand, R&D and Innovation programs Director at Transatel.

With this innovative solution, Transatel addresses a native limitation of Private cellular networks as well as basic needs of SIM providers. From factories to campuses, harbors and airports, this breakthrough feature will ensure critical operations continuity as moving devices such as Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs), autonomous mobile robots, ACPCs (Always Connected PCs) or push to talk applications for field personnel require uninterrupted connectivity, even at the edge where the private network may be unavailable or out of reach.

By offering a single interconnection between private networks and its core network infrastructure and thus providing extended global coverage across 180+ destinations, Transatel Private LTE/5G Networks Extension solution removes complexity and frees private network owners from establishing complex roaming agreements with numerous national mobile carriers,” adds Christian Regnier, co-founder and chairman of EUWENA (European Users Wireless Enterprise Network Association), and founder and chairman of PRIVINNET.

To learn more about Transatel Private networks Extension solution, please visit https://www.transatel.com/iot/private-cellular-networks/ or meet us on our booth 5J50 (Hall 5) at MWC’22 in Barcelona, from February 28th to March 3rd.

Dell introduces the new gold standard for entry storage – PowerVault ME5

Dell Technologies has today unveiled the new Dell PowerVault ME5, a series of three new entry storage models that are purpose-built and optimized for SAN & DAS and poised to address a wide range of business challenges for small and medium enterprises.

This includes keeping pace with data growth, improving operational simplicity, supporting newer and higher value workloads and delivering business outcomes much faster. PowerVault ME5 does this with a modern software design that offers twice the performance, throughput, capacity and memory of its PowerVault ME4 predecessor. PowerVault ME5 is set to help SMEs boost productivity and economic growth by improving their access to data and staying competitive.

“Our global Sales and Channel Partners have catapulted Dell Technologies into a leadership position within the entry storage segment with over 53,000 systems spread over 26,000+ very satisfied PowerVault customers” says Product Marketing Lead for Dell Technologies, Shannon Champion.

“Dell’s success can be credited to its legacy of knowing how to design cost-efficient solutions that can address numerous SMB challenges of data storage growth, management simplicity, performance and data protection. Significant technology investments coupled with a keen understanding of the customer’s business needs enables Dell to balance performance and cost for price conscious small and medium businesses.”

Champion continues: “PowerVault storage has always brought customers an all-inclusive experience of simplified operations, PowerEdge Server compatibility, rich data services, performance and cloud-based storage analytics. One of the reasons IT organizations will find PowerVault ME5 storage attractive is the overall management simplicity that starts with PowerVault Manager – a single ME5 array management (HTML5) GUI with intuitive user navigation and supported scripting with either a Redfish/Swordfish REST or CLI APIs.”

“PowerVault ME5 is also supported within Dell’s Open Management Enterprise (OME) framework that’s especially useful when PowerVault is installed alongside Dell networks, servers and other Dell infrastructure in a data center. Finally, customers with ProSupport Services for PowerVault ME5 can access CloudIQ at no additional cost. CloudIQ is Dell’s cloud based AIOPs that uses telemetry, machine learning and other algorithms to provide users with notifications and predictive analytics indicating the operational health of the array, remediation advice, anomalies, capacity projections, reclaimable storage, and more.”

PowerVault ME5’s design is highly suited to support a broad set of application workloads including High Performance Computing File Systems with BeeGFS, PixStore and NFS file systems, Safety and Security (CCTV at the Edge), Microsoft and VMware Virtualization, up to 500 Virtual Desktops, select Edge use cases (Oil and Gas Exploration and Cloud Gaming) and many more without compromising performance or availability SLAs. PowerVault ME5 is also well suited for the Original Equipment Manufacturing (OEM) with its OEM-ready design.

For SMEs looking to simplify their IT operations, reduce risk and deploy faster and more scalable storage platforms, the PowerVault ME5 arrays remain the simplest, most cost-effective way to meet their infrastructure requirements and desired outcomes.

Available now in various configurations, Dell PowerVault ME5 can provide a powerful, scalable and economical solution for businesses in need of an entry level storage.

Learn more by visiting: https://www.dell.com/en-ie/dt/storage/powervault-me5.htm#tab0=0

Nokia launches new UBT-T XP Dual Band Radio at Mobile World Congress 2022 #MWC22

Nokia is showcasing the UBT-T XP Dual Band radio, the latest addition to its award-winning Wavence product family, at Mobile World Congress 2022. Designed to support mobile operators and enterprises, the extreme high-power outdoor unit delivers high-capacity and dual-carrier functionality with the best system gain available in an outdoor package. The UBT-T XP supports the low-frequency spectrum bands 6GHz to 11 GHz and is ideal for full outdoor or split-mount configurations. Its exclusive 6/11 dual-band feature provides maximum flexibility for interference mitigation and spectrum efficiency and delivers the highest path performance and capacity in its class. The UBT-T XP is available from Q3 2022.

Nokia’s UBT-T XP unique dual-band solution provides a channel at 6Ghz and a channel at 11Ghz in a single outdoor unit. The UBT-T XP supports multi-frequency carrier aggregation with mixed channel sizes and high modulation schemes that can carry 2.5 Gbps over the air. As part of the UBT-T XP solution, Nokia offers 4+0, 6+0, and 8+0 configurations using the Outdoor Combining Module with Nokia’s high-performance adjacent channels filters, providing the maximum flexibility for frequency selection and spectrum efficiency. The UBT-T XP is also integrated into the Nokia Network Services Platform for common management for full end-to-end management of the network.

Nokia’s comprehensive Wavence portfolio provides a complete microwave solution for all uses cases covering short-haul, long-haul, E-Band, and SDN-based management both for Service Providers and Enterprises. Its zero-footprint implementation for full-outdoor architectures can be integrated directly with RAN and IP devices with common management.

Giuseppe Targia, Vice President, Microwave Radio Links at Nokia said: “This new dual-carrier solution enhances our industry-leading Wavence portfolio offering our customers an alternative 5G backhaul solution with scalable coverage and capacity. Microwave technology ensures we can deliver high-capacity services over long distances which is critical when fiber can’t be deployed.”

What is Staff Augmentation and why do you need it?

Every employer wants in his team to have strong and reliable employees who can solve any problem.  But finding such employees or training them is not so difficult.  Therefore, today we will figure out how to do it.

In order to increase professionalism in your team, it is not necessary to make a lot of effort, because you can always turn to specialists such as https://uvik.net/ for help.

If you want to do everything yourself, then here you need to try and use your knowledge.

Strengthening, expanding the rights and powers of employees means providing them with a certain degree of sovereignty, responsibility in making decisions regarding their type of activity in the company.  This empowerment of employees will allow more rational decisions to be made at a lower hierarchical level of the company, where employees face these problems on a daily basis and have their own unique perspective on how to solve them.

Thanks to this, your company will immediately increase the level of trust in the authorities, and will also bring many benefits, which we will talk about a little later.

The leader of the company differs from the manager in the amount of time he spends on micromanaging.  If employees are able to work independently, the manager can focus on other important facets of the business.  But still, the ability to work autonomously is a little different from empowerment.

Strengthening the rights and opportunities of hired personnel means giving them the right to make independent decisions, and not blindly, uncontrollably carry out standard actions.  Empowerment brings tangible benefits to the company, the workforce, and specifically, the employee.

Thus, you make your employees true professionals, trust them to make important decisions, simplify your life and allow you to automate all business processes.

 

Key Types of Employee Engagement Strategies

There are three main types of strategies:

 1. Internal cooperation.

Increasing the connection of employees with each other and managers.  Through initiatives of this kind, employees can communicate and collaborate not only with each other, but also with leaders, resulting in greater alignment with the strategic initiatives of the organization.

 2. Digital/social empowerment.

Employees get the opportunity to use digital and social channels as part of their work.  This type of interaction with workers considers expanding and changing existing ways of working and responsibilities.

 3. Employee brand advocates.

Employees publish information about the company’s activities and news about it in their personal social media profiles.  The wide reach and influence of employees on social media can be powerful – but only if it is done sincerely.

The benefits of employee empowerment

  • Personnel empowered, as a rule, work better, their attitude towards the company as a whole is more loyal.
  • When employees are empowered with the tools and tools to manage projects, resolve issues, and complete tasks to achieve their goals, not only the staff, but the entire company benefits.  To name just a few: * much greater efforts are made to better fulfill the tasks;  *best practices are applied;  * productivity increases;  * communication within the team occurs at a more effective level;  *increased adaptability to change;  *turns on the mood: “I can do it”;  *customers are served at a higher level.

Therefore, if you want your business to bring great income, and employees are motivated and want to work and bring cool results, then it is important to try to regularly strengthen your staff.

How Important Is Data Engineering in This Era of Big Data?

Big data is a critical part of the digital world we live in today, and that’s not going to change anytime soon. It’s expected that by 2023 there will be a 44% increase in the overall size of big data. This means that those who are truly gifted at managing and analyzing information, or those who understand how to make this data more usable for the business, will be highly sought after as we progress further into the future. In other words, if you would like to keep your job as a part-time social media manager, it’s probably best that you start beefing up your skills in unstructured data processing and analysis and all the more reason to look at IT managed services in los angeles.

This is where data engineering comes into play — an evolving new field within computer science and information technology that can put companies one step ahead of their competition by providing them with innovative ways to utilize stored information. Below are reasons why data engineering is so essential nowadays:

 

1. Working With Data Engineers Is the New Business Model

Data engineering is not just a necessary part of the business world, but it’s becoming increasingly common for businesses to have their team of data engineers on staff. This allows these companies to manage this information internally and work more efficiently with other organizations collecting or analyzing data. Since their responsibilities primarily involve processing big data once collected, a data engineering company will only need to pay for the required equipment. The processing itself can even be done off-site, further reducing costs.

 

2. It’s the Key to Data Analytics

Data engineering is an integral part of data analytics, extracting actionable insights from raw data to form more effective business strategies. Without these insights, companies are simply working with incomplete information (assuming they even know what questions to ask) and cannot make accurate predictions about whether or not their business practices are effective. However, when you pair up the science of data analytics with its counterpart, data engineering, it can help businesses obtain valuable insight that will allow them to move forward into the future without having any blind spots.

To ensure the accuracy and reliability of the insights derived, businesses must also adhere to data quality principles that govern the consistency, completeness, and validity of the information. By implementing these principles, companies can ensure that their data is of the highest quality, empowering data engineers to produce precise, actionable results that guide informed decision-making.

 

3. It’s Crucial for Business Growth

When you think about the purpose of data engineering, it’s to make an organization more efficient. But efficiency isn’t just needed for a company to be profitable, but also because there are only so many resources available to them. This means that data engineers are essentially responsible for minimizing wastefulness at every turn, whether it be time or money. For example, by better processing basic information and making it more accessible for analysis, data engineers create opportunities for employees who would typically spend hours analyzing this useless information to spend their time. Instead of focusing on other parts of the business to contribute to its growth.

 

4. It Provides Operational Insights

To have a successful business these days, it’s not enough to offer a product or service that your clients want — you also need a way of tracking their behavior and preferences so you can adjust accordingly. This process is called operations research, and big data also plays an integral role in this field. Businesses can adjust their strategies according to popularity and trend by using data to track operational insights. In other words, they can predict the future rather than merely react to current events.

 

5. It Can Increase Efficiency & Reduce Costs

Since data engineering can help provide operational insights, which allows for more informed decision-making, it is the process of doing this analysis that will ultimately increase efficiency and reduce costs. Data engineers can analyze trends within the information, summarize essential data sets, and provide insight where needed. This means optimal business practices become easier to carry out with less time spent on trial-and-error experimentation. Big data also helps reduce costs by cutting down on corruption, fraud, or any other type of malpractice since you always have accurate information at your fingertips.

 

6. It’s a Great Investment for Business Future

To stay competitive in this ever-changing digital world, companies will need to become more adept at leveraging big data. In other words, they will have to invest more into their knowledge of data engineering if they hope to continue being successful. This is the best way to ensure that nothing falls through the cracks and all potential opportunities are being explored. Since a large part of the future of business is tied to how well they handle their big data. Those who can provide actionable insights and adapt this information for organizational purposes will be the most successful in the long run. At the same time, those who ignore this trend will fall behind (and lose key opportunities).

 

7. Data Analytics is Inescapable

To stay competitive in business today, companies of all sizes must incorporate data analytics into their overall strategy. This is the only way to maintain a distinct advantage over their competitors and continue with a successful path towards growth and prosperity. While some companies may have an initial fear of uncertainty regarding big data, they should rest assured that this isn’t something that needs to be approached with trepidation. With more educated workers, including data engineers, utilizing big data can lead down a promising road filled with countless opportunities for success.

 

8. It Can Be Done in Real-Time

While some aspects of big data require companies to wait until they have collected all the necessary information, other information can be handled in real-time. Once you’ve perfected your data collection methods and made them more efficient than ever before. This will allow for these interactions to occur in near real-time, which provides businesses with an even greater chance at success when they can act quickly on new opportunities that come their way.

Big data gives us informational possibilities, but if we want to see what this means for our businesses, we need skilled individuals who know how to process and store this information in ways that are effective and up-to-date with today’s technological trends. With data engineering skills like these on your resume, you’ll likely never have to worry about finding employment again.

NGMN Calls for the Industry to Support Uplink Performance

Verticals’ use cases need sufficient uplink throughput or cell capacity and low enough latency, when 5G Time-Division Duplex (TDD) bands are used to successfully realize their industrial use cases. The uplink performance is key to fully unlock the value of 5G. Therefore, the Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) Alliance calls to increase efforts to enhance the uplink performance in its new White Paper “5G TDD UPLINK”. The Alliance formulates specific recommendations to regulators and other mobile industry stakeholders to support the ecosystem with adequate solutions. Also, various technical possibilities are presented – some of them are related to the management of interference, when differing frame structures are used to support the industries’ requirements.

Wolfgang Fleischer, Head of Network Innovation Technology & Business Evolution, A1 Group, NGMN Board Member and Project Lead, says: “Some of the applications for 5G technology, particularly in industrial settings, have greater requirements on the uplink – both in terms of capacity and shorter latency. This NGMN Initiative puts these into the spotlight and presents features to enable the networks to accommodate the requirements for such uplink dependent use cases.”

NGMN’s recommendations to better support the uplink throughput and latency requirements of Verticals include:

  • To use different TDD configurations
  • To select frame structure to vary uplink/downlink throughput
  • To carefully select more balanced or uplink oriented TDD frame structures in a local network
  • To consider the adoption of other uplink enhancing features such as SU-MIMO
  • To enhance 3GPP specification to fulfil requirements with respect to UL throughput, latency, and support for the co-existence of different frame structures by enhancements
  • To reserve spectrum for certain specific usages

The NGMN project will also reach out to chipset makers, regulators, Standard Developing Organisations and other involved parties to ensure that these NGMN recommendations are considered.

Sony Introduces LinkBuds, a new frontier for earbuds

Sony has introduced a new way to enjoy your favourite music and the important moments in life, all at once, with the brand-new truly wireless LinkBuds. You can stay connected and aware at all times, with the help of an open ring design with audio transparency, ultra-small super fit and crystal-clear sound and call quality.

By leveraging LinkBuds’ unique design and its sensor and spatial sound technologies, Sony is creating new sound experiences together with their partners, such as AR gaming, new work from home experiences, sound AR navigation, and quick access to music.

All your worlds, always connected

LinkBuds have been created with a unique open ring design and allow you to tune into the outside world whenever you want, without compromising your listening experience. The newly-developed ring driver unit, has the centre of the diaphragm open for audio transparency, allowing you to clearly hear the sounds around, so you’ll always know when someone calls your name whilst on a call, or easily chat with friends while listening to your favourite songs. Their new design makes LinkBuds the perfect companion for a range of uses, including working from home, gaming, listening to music, and more.

You’ll never have to switch off, thanks to LinkBuds’ new, super small, ergonomic design. Approximately four grams in weight, these earbuds are a marvel of miniaturisation. Unlike conventional earbuds, the protective surface covering the speaker diaphragm is integrated within the housing, saving space. The overall shape has been crafted with the use of extensive ear shape data, collated since Sony introduced the world’s first in-ear headphones in 1982. You’ll barely notice you’re wearing them, making them the perfect companion all day, every day.

 

Crystal-clear sound

You can make calls without noise, for crystal clear conversations. LinkBuds’ include precise voice pickup technology that performs advanced voice signal processing. Sony’s noise reduction algorithm was developed using AI machine learning, using more than 500 million voice samples to supress ambient noise and extract your voice clearly. LinkBuds let you hear people, when you need to, even when you’re in noisy situations.

Linkbuds allow you to enjoy high quality sound, no matter how busy life gets. Thanks to DSEE (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine) your personal soundtrack will be restored to high quality. Sony’s Integrated Processor V1 reproduces all the detail in your music with minimal distortion, for a stunningly authentic listening experience, so your favourite artists always sound great. A specially designed 12mm ring driver provides rich, well-balanced sound.

Adaptive Volume Control automatically optimises volume based on where you are, letting your music seamlessly blend into your environment. This allows you to listen to your favourite tracks at a comfortable volume and in a variety of environments, to enhance the open-air listening experience.

 Making your everyday easier

Sony is making it easier than ever before to integrate your personal soundtrack into the world around you, all while staying connected with a variety of smart features.

Don’t be fooled by their size, LinkBuds are super easy to use but with advanced features. With Wide Area Tap all control is at your fingertips. By double or triple tapping in front of either of your ears, you can adjust playback to your liking – there’s no need to touch the LinkBuds themselves.

LinkBuds are there to help no matter where you are and even when your hands are full. With Speak-to-Chat you can automatically pause your music as soon as you speak to someone. Once your conversation is over, your music starts playing automatically, so there’s no need to touch any controls. LinkBuds also come with hands-free help so you can get information, connect with friends, set reminders, and more by activating your preferred voice assistant.  Just say “OK Google” or “Alexa”.

 

Easy Bluetooth Pairing with Fast & Swift Pair

LinkBuds support Google’s helpful new Fast Pair feature, allowing you to effortlessly pair with your Android devices. You can also locate where you last left your earphones. Swift Pair makes it quick and easy to pair your LinkBuds to your Windows 11 or Windows 10 laptop, desktop PC or tablet.

For the first time ever, you can take the earbuds out of their case and a pop-up will appear automatically. So no matter where you are, you can easily get connected.

Quick access to your favourite music

With Quick access, you can configure LinkBuds to resume Spotify playback with just a couple of taps – no need to touch your smartphone.

Empowers richer experience to explore surroundings with Microsoft Soundscape
LinkBuds provide enhanced capabilities integrated with Microsoft Soundscape. Their open-ear shape enables users to hear audio beacons and callouts of buildings or intersections, with the natural sound of surroundings. Compass/gyro sensors inside the earphones can detect the direction of your head and allow you to hear the sound from a destination, without holding your smartphone.

Sustainability matters to Sony

Sony has not only designed LinkBuds to be stylish, but also with the environment in mind. These unique earbuds and their charging case are made using recycled plastic materials and plastic-free packaging.

Your everyday earbuds

LinkBuds are perfect for your everyday. Thanks to IPX4 water resistance, splashes and sweat won’t get in the way of you and your favourite tracks.  You can also enjoy a full working day of charge – 5.5 hours – from the earbuds and store an additional 12 hours in the sleek and compact case. Even when life moves fast and you’re in a hurry, just a 10 minute charge gives you up to 90 minutes of play time.

Immerse yourself in sound all around

LinkBuds also come with 360 Reality Audio.With 360 Reality Audio, music can feel as real as if you were front row at a live concert or at the recording studio alongside your favourite artist.

Messages from Sony´s partners

LinkBuds, which link online and offline worlds, will continue to provide various services for better and new sound experiences. Here are some messages from some of Sony´s strategic partners.

“Microsoft Soundscape is an innovative audio-based technology that exemplifies our mission to empower every person to achieve more,” said Peter Lee, CVP of Microsoft Research & Incubations. “In our collaboration with Sony to integrate Soundscape with LinkBuds, we found that the earphones’ thoughtful design enhances the experience of Soundscape to enable people to build a richer awareness of their surroundings and become more empowered to get around, all while enjoying a true heads-up and hands-free experience. This is just the beginning and we’re excited about our ongoing relationship with Sony and how our complementary technologies add value to our personal and professional lives.”

“Our products — Ingress, Pokémon GO and Pikmin Bloom — use augmented reality and real-world gameplay to inspire fun and wonder for our community. Sound is an important part of any entertainment experience, especially ones where users are out exploring. That’s why we’re so excited to partner with Sony on the launch of LinkBuds to deliver immersive real-world audio experiences to our community” says Archit Bhargava, Director of Product Marketing, Niantic, Inc.

“At Spotify, we’re always working to create the best and most seamless listening experience for every moment”, says Sten Garmark, VP of Consumer Experience at Spotify. “Together with Sony, we’re excited by the arrival of Spotify Tap on the new LinkBuds, allowing listeners to instantly jump into the music or get served something new – all with simple taps.”

Pricing and availability

LinkBuds will be available in Grey and White from February 2022 and priced at approximately £150 / €180

Speak languages like a local with the new Pocketalk Plus

Pocketalk, the global leader in connecting conversations and removing language barriers, today announces UK availability of its new, larger device, the Pocketalk Plus. The Pocketalk Plus is a portable, AI-powered instant voice-translator that can translate 82 languages bi-directionally at the touch of a button. As holiday bookings surge following the change to Covid travel rules, the Pocketalk Plus is a must-have for anyone planning to travel abroad this year.

The Pocketalk Plus has been designed to facilitate easy naturally flowing conversations, between people who don’t speak the same language. In comparison to the Pocketalk S, which launched in 2020, the Pocketalk Plus features an 85% larger touchscreen display enabling users to easily translate while keeping appropriate social distance if needed. It also has 1.3 times the battery life (approximately 192 hours), a strong speaker and a noise cancelling microphone which helps to avoid misinterpretations even in the busiest of streets.

The Pocketalk Plus is able to create connections across 82 different languages in over 130 countries and regions. Whether holiday goers are travelling to Spain, France, or going further afield, by utilising the best language engines from around the world, it provides consistently accurate translations, even picking up localised dialects and slang. A built-in text-to-translate camera also means that it can help decipher public transport information, signs and menus. It will also provide an optional audio translation of the written text as well.

The Pocketalk Plus

Easy to use, globetrotters simply choose from a list of languages they’d like to translate to/from. Alternatively, a mic icon on the screen allows users to say the language they’d like to select. Users can then simply hold down the home button and say the phrase or sentence they’d like to translate. Translations appear immediately on the display and, for most languages, are also read aloud. The Pocketalk Plus can translate up to 30 seconds of speech.

For those looking to brush up on their language skills before they go away, Pocketalk Plus also has a practice mode. A great tool for families and students, it pronounces phrases in different languages, identifying when words are mispronounced and playing back phrases slowly. Additionally, the Pocketalk Plus has a currency translation and unit conversion feature making it quick and easy to convert one currency to another as well as convert length, weight and temperature.

The Pocketalk Plus is available now for £299 from www.uk.pocketalk.com including a complimentary two-year mobile data plan. The Pocketalk Plus can also be connected via Wi-Fi or a personal hotspot

Dell – Alienware amps up portability, performance and peripherals with new releases

Dell Technologies has today unveiled new additions to its Alienware line. From the world’s thinnest 14” gaming laptop; to the most powerful 17-inch AMD Advantage gaming laptop, to the world’s first Quantum Dot OLED gaming monitor, each new device is packed with innovations for the ultimate gaming experience.

Make your moves while on the move

Mobile gamers who want excellent portability need to look no further than the new Alienware x14. Dell’s thinnest laptop to date is made possible through a clever new patent-pending hinge design, which lets us pack a lot under the hood: from our suite of Alienware Cryo-Tech cooling technology which optimizes thermal performance, to the largest Whr battery capacity on a 14” gaming laptop capable of over 11 hours of HD video playback.

The Alienware x14 is the first 14” laptop supporting NVIDIA’s Advanced Optimus and G-SYNC technologies – so battery life is optimized even during immersive gaming sessions. The Alienware x14 is also the first Alienware laptop to use Type-C ports exclusively as charging ports. Under the hood, you can find the latest 12th Gen Intel® Core™ H-series processors and our exclusive thermal interface material, Element 31, in addition to Intel® Arc™ Graphics or NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 laptop GPU with 7-phase voltage regulation. It truly is a gamers lifestyle companion fit for every environment.

For those who desire bigger displays but the same high portability, Dell is also unveiling key upgrades to the improved Alienware x15 R2 and Alienware x17 R2, which includes a completely new set of eye-popping graphics options from NVIDIA GeForce RTX™ 30 Series, 12th Gen Intel Core processors, faster memory (now running at up to DDR5 6400Mhz speeds), AlienFX stadium lighting and other great features you’ll love.

For extreme gaming performance that delivers a competitive edge, Alienware m17 R5 is the most powerful 17-inch AMD Advantage™ gaming laptop in the world. The first available laptop to feature AMD SmartAccess Graphics – Dell’s all-new m17 delivers an incredible combination of gaming technologies spanning hardware and software that create a gaming experience greater than the sum of its parts. All of this is cured with Alienware Cryo-tech cooling technology including graphics vapour chamber cooling to sustain high-performance through long marathon gaming sessions, whether you’re playing your favourite indie game or the latest high-end AAA title.

Kick your senses into high gear

Alienware is giving gamers the ultimate battle station and bringing the experience to a whole new level with its new peripherals. Designed for out-of-this-world viewing experiences, top-notch sound quality, customizable features and ergonomics – these new peripherals will put you at the top of your game.

For gamers who play racing, simulation or action-adventure games, or Twitch streamers and content developers, Dell is introducing the Alienware 34 Curved QD-OLED Gaming Monitor (AW3423DW), a CES Innovation Award Honoree. This unit offers stunning colour performance and high luminance with crystal-clear visuals for an immersive gaming experience.

In its simplest form, a QD-OLED display combines the impressive picture qualities of OLED with Quantum Dot technology to deliver a vibrant, life-like colour performance including consistent colour uniformity, wide colour coverage, incredible brightness and OLED reliability we stand behind with a 3-year limited hardware warranty that covers OLED burn-in.

Alienware Tri-Mode Wireless Gaming Headset (AW920H), also a CES Innovation Award Honoree, can keep gamers playing comfortably. Inheriting the Legend 2.0 design, it is Dell’s most comfy headset with a slimmer silhouette, leatherette covering and soft memory foam earcups. Embedded with active noise cancelling, immersive multi-dimensional audio, integrated touch controls and versatile device connectivity, this headset is perfect for PC and mobile gaming as well as music and entertainment.

The new Alienware Tri-Mode Wireless Gaming Mouse (AW720M) is extremely comfortable. That’s because it’s weight-optimized at 89g, with a new slimmer design, 3D- sculpted ambidextrous thumb grips and iconic AlienFX RGB lighting. Its next-gen, 26,000 DPI optical sensor and magnetic force keyplates ensure the high-level performance you expect from a gaming mouse.

Commenting on the new releases, Vivian Lien, VP, Alienware & Dell Gaming at Dell Technologies said: “No matter if you’re into hyper-realistic world-building or heart-pounding monster-slaying, incredible experiences are woven into Alienware’s DNA. This past year, for the benefit of gamers both casual and hardcore, we took that ethos to exhilarating new heights!

“In 2021, we unveiled our thinnest gaming laptops yet, Alienware X-Series with breakthrough system-level engineering controls to let you play the latest and greatest PC gaming titles anywhere. We completed an inside-out redesign of our flagship Alienware Aurora desktop, enriching the gaming experience in every way.

“As players multiply in every region of the world and we gear up for hotly anticipated new game releases in 2022, the hype has never been stronger with development and innovation to match – including major updates across our Alienware mobility family and peripheral ecosystem.”

Pricing & Availability

Coming soon this Winter

  • Alienware x14. Pricing to be unveiled upon launch.
  • Alienware x15 R2. Pricing to be unveiled upon launch.
  • Alienware x17 R2. Pricing to be unveiled upon launch.
  • Alienware m15 R7 with Intel processors. Pricing to be unveiled upon launch.
  • Alienware 34 Curved QD-OLED Gaming Monitor (AW3423DW). Pricing to be unveiled upon launch.
  • Alienware Tri-Mode Wireless Gaming Headset (AW920H), starting at €167.23 excluding VAT.
  • Alienware Tri-Mode Wireless Gaming Mouse (AW720M), starting at €109.24 excluding VAT.

Coming later this Spring

  • Alienware m15 R7 with AMD processors. Pricing to be unveiled upon launch.
  • Alienware m17 R5 AMD. Pricing to be unveiled upon launch.