Category: Tech News

Skullcandy launch the Push Ultra, Indy Evo,Indy Fuel and Sesh Evo True Wireless. #Skullcandy #TrueWireless

Skullcandy Inc., the original lifestyle audio brand, continues to dominate the true wireless earbud category with the launch of four feature-rich True Wireless earbuds –  Push Ultra, Indy Evo, Indy Fuel and Sesh Evo. Each of the new releases are jam-packed with enhanced features including high-quality audio, extended battery life and Tile™ finding technology, guaranteeing your music is never left behind.

 

“The launch of our newest True Wireless earbuds were designed to take this rapidly growing category to the next level,” said Jason Hodell, CEO of Skullcandy. “This expansion takes our best selling products and enhances them based on the feedback we’ve received from customers including improvements in battery life, connectivity, comfort and fit.   We have also added new technology features like wireless charging, solo bud use and Tile™ technology to truly offer an experience unlike any other on the market.”

 

Push Ultra is Skullcandy’s brand new listening experience within its growing Adventure Audio category – the ultimate companion for any adventure or workout. The earbud features a moldable ear hook for an ultra-secure customized fit, with a convenient Stay-Aware earbud design. Housed in a thoughtfully designed protective wireless charging case, Push Ultra is loaded with up to 40 hours of listening time (6 hours in each earbud and an additional 34 hours in the charging case).  The buds are IP67 sweatproof, waterproof and dustproof, Tile™ enabled and have full controls on each bud that allow for solo bud use.

 

“Tile’s technology helps people manage life’s everyday disruptions,” said CJ Prober, CEO of Tile. “Disappearing headphones can be inconvenient and expensive, but by expanding our partnership with Skullcandy to make their latest true wireless lineup findable, users can feel free and confident that their favourite pair of earbuds will be ready when they need them. Once activated, Tile helps users ring their earbuds, see their location on a map or employ Tile’s global network to find them.”

 

Indy gets upgraded to Indy Evo and Indy Fuel, the newest evolution of the family. Now with extended battery life, improved connectivity, enhanced fit, and Skullcandy app compatibility, this generation is even more feature-rich. Audio quality enhancements, including titanium-coated drivers and expertly crafted EQ and ambient-listening modes, deliver a premium listening experience.

 

In addition to expanding the most popular True Wireless earbud franchise, Skullcandy is also expanding its entry-level True Wireless offering with Sesh Evo. Sesh Evo makes it easier than ever to jump into True Wireless with easy setup, simple controls, and IP55-rated durability.

 

Additional details on the new features found in Skullcandy’s latest slate of True Wireless earbuds include:

 

  • PUSH ULTRA – For a zero boundary, max performance listening experience, look no further than Push Ultra. The sweat, water, and dustproof earbud that can stand up to the sweatiest endeavours and be submerged in 1 meter of water for 30 minutes.  With rapid-charging capability of 2 hours of charge in 10 minutes, Push Ultra is available for £119.99 in True Black, Electric Yellow and Bleached Blue.

 

  • INDY EVO – True freedom gets amplified with Indy Evo, the earbud that lets you take music everywhere, going totally wireless without overpriced earbuds that you’re afraid to use, lose, or both. With up to 30 hours of battery life, Indy Evo comes in Pure Mint, Chill Gray, Deep Red, and True Black and is available for £89.99.

 

  • INDY FUEL – Indy Fuel takes truly wireless to another level. On top of all the features of Indy Evo like the enhanced fit, size and call, track, and volume control, Indy Fuel also comes with a wireless charging case. Get true freedom with effortless charging, Indy Fuel is available for £109.99 in True Black.

 

  • SESH EVO – Go truly wireless and get longer listening with Sesh Evo. With improved connectivity and acoustics, and a full suite of media controls, Sesh Evo packs all the essentials into a small form factor. These earbuds have up to 24 hours of battery life, come in Bleached Blue, Pure Mint, Deep Red and True Black and are available for £59.99.

Sound BlasterX G6: Complete the Console Gaming Experience,now with with GameVoice Mix for PS4. #Gaming #PS4

Creative Technology has boosted the console gaming experience yet again. With a new firmware update adding GameVoice Mix to the Sound BlasterX G6 features set, users can now expect an even better performance with quality audio, seamless controls and enjoy game-chat balancing alongside pristine audio for unparalleled console gaming.

Since its launch back in 2018, the Sound BlasterX G6 has been well-received by tech reviewers, winning prominent awards such as the CES 2019 Innovation Awards Honoree in ‘Gaming’.

Powered by audiophile-grade components (including a 130 dB DNR, 32-bit / 384 kHz DAC) and the award-winning Xamp discrete headphone bi-amplifier, driven by the fabled Sound Blaster surround sound virtualization technology, and packaged in a sleek yet handy form factor, it has established itself as a mainstay on many gamers’ ‘must-have’ accessories lists.

 

With GameVoice Mix, the Sound BlasterX G6 is a console gamer’s dream.

With game-chat balance being an increasingly popular feature especially for console gamers, the Sound BlasterX G6 has been boosted with GameVoice Mix, elevating the gaming experience at no extra charge. Users can seamlessly adjust both the voice chat volume and gaming audio with a simple turn of the control knob, without having to exit the game – so that they can focus on the gameplay itself.

Pricing and Availability – Sound BlasterX G6 is priced at GBP129.99 and is available at Creative.com. For more information, visit creative.com/G6

CWSI launches free mobile app to help Irish businesses return to work safely. #CWSI #Business

CWSI, Ireland’s most experienced enterprise mobility specialists, today announces the launch of a freely available mobile app for businesses, to help employees return-to-work safely according to Government protocols. The Safety Instructions app, which is available in multiple languages, including English and Irish, is free to download on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

CWSI developed the app in conjunction with its partner, Netherlands-based enterprise mobility experts BLAUD, with the aim of helping Irish and UK organisations manage the safe return of workers to sites and offices as the economy opens up in phases, following the temporary closure of most businesses due to COVID-19.

The app was built on the insight that a safe and continued return to work requires strong communication and a shared collaborative approach between employers and workers. The user-friendly app was designed to help organisations easily communicate and explain workplace controls to comply with infection prevention measures to all relevant workers, contractors and visitors to the site or office.

Through the app, employers can easily and dynamically distribute safety information and protocols including detailed instructions on social distancing, site floorplans, evacuation procedures and emergency contact details. Data related to Government guidelines on COVID-19 – such as advice on hand hygiene and instructions on what to do if a worker develops signs and symptoms of COVID-19 on-site – can be updated quickly and easily as the latest advice and instructions change.

Visitors to a workplace can access site-specific information via a unique QR code or via a map search feature. The app is available in multiple languages, including English, Irish, Flemish, French and Dutch.

Ronan Murphy, CEO, CWSI, said: “As the economy slowly begins the return to office and site-based working, health and safety protocols and procedures will be critical to ensuring a safe environment for employees and reducing risk for employers. At CWSI, we believe mobile technologies, such as the Safety Instructions application, can play a key role in helping organisations communicate safety measures clearly to staff to mitigate the chances of future outbreaks in the workplace.

Ronan Murphy, CEO and Co-Founder, CWSI

 

“Our freely available app is a great example of how technology can provide employees with immediate, up-to-date information, helping to remove uncertainty around the return to work and alleviate the administrative burden on over-stretched HR and health and safety resources. With the right measures and the tools to communicate these in place, the economy as a whole can return to normal both quicker and more safely.”

 Get on Android     Get on IOS

The Safety Instructions app is available to download on the Google Play or Apple App Store or through the CWSI website (cwsisecurity.com/solution/mobile-workforce-solutions/safety-app)

MyCHI App for Staff – How Children’s Health Ireland are Supporting Staff through Coronavirus #CHI #Thrive

Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) is responsible for the delivery of acute paediatric services for children, provided in the three Dublin children’s hospital locations at Crumlin, Temple Street and Tallaght and a paediatric outpatient and urgent care centre based on the campus at Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown.

With over 4,000 people working in CHI across five locations, most are not desk-based; communication and sharing information has therefore been a challenge. The development of the new organisation, bringing three hospitals together into one on 1 January 2019 and the opening of CHI at Connolly in July 2019 also increased the need to communicate better and to engage teams through these organisational and cultural changes.

To meet the challenges, Trevor Murphy, Director of Human Resources started to look at ways in which staff and management in individual hospitals and the change programme could more effectively communicate and share information with each other.

The need for effective communication and information sharing reached a critical point with the spread of COVID-19 bringing new challenges to CHI to communicate in a timely and pervasive means with their staff. Trevor evaluated several options before deciding to proceed with Thrive. Within three weeks, CHI were up and running, using Thrive’s communication platform and app, which has be branded ‘MyCHI’, with ongoing assistance from the Thrive team.

Commenting on the new app for staff MyCHI, Trevor Murphy, Director of Human Resources said; “A massive and sincere thanks to all the Thrive team for ‘the can do’ attitude in assisting us in launching our employee app MyCHI. It is hugely welcomed by all as a great support for communicating key and important updates, information and supports for our staff at this very difficult time.

The initial feedback from staff has been overwhelmingly positive and we are excited to roll it out to our staff across all our sites, in particularly those who are working remotely due to the current guidelines on physical and social distancing

With our programme for change in preparation for our move to the new children’s hospital and the current health crisis we are facing, there has never been a more important time for us to ensure our colleagues are connected, sharing and receiving important information and feel fully supported and recognised.

Team Thrive are delighted to help and welcome CHI as a new client and we look forward to working with their team to ensure their employee communications app is engaging and reaching all team members in these challenging times.”

James Scott CEO, Co-Founder of Thrive said; “During this time of uncertainty, effective communication is vital. We are so happy that the Thrive platform and app are genuinely helping people and organisations during this challenging time. We have made adjustments to our contracts and pricing in order to be as flexible as possible to help as many organisations as we can and are delighted to have CHI join our client base.”

Meaco launches new range of quieter and more energy efficient portable air conditioners

Following the successful launch of MeacoCool in 2019, leading UK air treatment manufacturer Meaco is pleased to announce the launch of a new even quieter, more energy efficient range of portable air conditioners for summer 2020.

The new series is Meaco’s most energy efficient range of air conditioners yet, with an Energy Rating of A. By incorporating the new R290 refrigerant, which improves efficiency with better thermodynamics, these air conditioners are also more environmentally friendly.  A window kit suitable for sash windows and sliding doors is included to vent hot air and a 1.8m long duct allows any excess heat to be expelled via a window.

The arrival of summer means a rise in temperature and humidity. Together with the current lockdown and more people being forced to spend long periods of time indoors, keeping cool can be a problem. Getting a good night’s sleep also becomes difficult when the weather turns hot and sticky. The launch of the stylish MeacoCool MC Series of portable air conditioners is timely, with six BTU model sizes to choose from, providing localised cooling in rooms from 12M² to 36m² and an emphasis on low noise and energy efficiency.

 

In the low fan speed setting, the new and reduced sound pressure level of just 53dB(A) makes this an easy portable air conditioner to live with.

Available in six different sizes ranging from 7,000 BTU to 14,000 BTU, this is a product series for all room dimensions, dehumidifying as they cool to remove the sticky feeling that comes with a UK summer. The 12,000 BTU and 14,000 BTU additions are the most powerful portable air conditioners Meaco has manufactured to date, making them perfect for larger spaces, especially south facing rooms. These larger sizes are just as quiet as the smaller models in the range, so with the extra cooling output, they provide exceptional value.

In addition, the CH models in the range enable customers to both heat and cool rooms.  The reverse heat pump in the CH appliances enables dual functionality as an air conditioner or heater, which makes them particularly useful all year round in the home and office.

Small and lightweight, the MC series is fitted with castors making it easy to move from room to room. The easy-to-use remote control* provides full control of the air conditioner, enabling the user to adjust the temperature and engage a sleep mode to ensure a restful night’s sleep.

To get the best out of this air conditioner, Meaco recommends pre-cooling rooms, such as a bedroom, to ensure it is cooled before it needs to be used. This is easy to do with the timer function that allows users to set both an on and off timer from anytime between one and 24 hours.

All Meaco products come with a two-year parts and labour warranty for mainland UK, as well as the option of extending the warranty to a total of five years.

Available from https://www.meaco.com/cooling or Amazon.co.uk:

MeacoCool 7000 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B084KYFLP6?ref=myi_title_dp

MeacoCool 8000 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B084KKZK42?ref=myi_title_dp

MeacoCool 9000 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B084KJ49PF?ref=myi_title_dp

MeacoCool 10,000 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B084KXL6P7?ref=myi_title_dp

MeacoCool 10,000 CH https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B084KK3DRC?ref=myi_title_dp

MeacoCool 12,000 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B084KKDY2Z?ref=myi_title_dp

MeacoCool 14,000 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B084L65VRC?ref=myi_title_dp

Creative Technology Releases Sound BlasterX AE-5 Plus Pure Edition. #Creative #Gaming

Creative Technology levels up the aesthetic game with the Sound BlasterX AE-5 Plus Pure Edition, to bring on a symphony of lights and pristine audio that sets the stage for PC gamers to clinch every victory in style. Only available through a limited production run, gamers can transform any PC set up into an RGB masterpiece of light and color, matched only by the powerful audio befitting a Sound Blaster.

The Sound BlasterX AE-5 Plus Pure Edition comes in a sleek metallic white finish and features four additional customisable RGB LED strips that show off Creative’s very own Aurora Reactive Lighting System. With 16.8 million customizable colors, it offers gamers the creative bandwidth to build the ultimate gaming rig with spectacular sound and mesmerizing lighting effects.

As with the standard Sound BlasterX AE-5 Plus launched a month ago, the Pure Edition supports Dolby Digital Live and DTS Connect encoding, to offer more delivery options to external audio devices. It also sports the latest Sound Blaster Command software, which features a more user-friendly interface and fuss-free customization settings.

Pricing and Availability

Sound BlasterX AE-5 Plus Pure Edition is priced at GBP169.99 and is available at Creative.com.

For more information, visit creative.com/AE5pluspure.

Here’s What You Need to Know About Enterprise Security in the COVID-19 Era. #Covid-19 #Security

In the wake of the developing COVID-19 pandemic, organizations around the world have adopted social distancing practices to slow the spread of the disease, including instructing many employees to work from home. But no one could have foreseen the need for businesses, government agencies, and other organizations around the world to quickly transition the majority of their workforces to remote work. 

 

The fast transition, the sheer number of people now working from home, and the already-devastating economic effects of the pandemic are among the factors that make this time an especially perilous one for enterprise security. IT security teams are struggling to keep up with increased threat levels from COVID-19-related malware and other cyber threats. Newly remote workers are leaving their companies’ networks vulnerable to hackers, and COVID-19-related cyber scams are on the rise as hackers seek to cash in on the crisis. Here’s what you need to know to keep your company safe.

Educate Employees About COVID-19 Cybersecurity

If your organization hasn’t already been giving employees regular cybersecurity training, then you need more help than this article can give. If you have been giving employees regular cybersecurity training, now is not the time to slack off. You should be aware that COVID-19-related cyber scams are proliferating at a mind-boggling pace. By mid-March, Computer Weekly was already calling COVID-19 the biggest cyber-threat in history, due to the massive volume of related malware and scam emails already circulating by that time. By mid-April, Google reported blocking 18 million COVID-19-related scam emails a day. 

 

Cyber criminals love to play on the emotions of their victims to cash in, because users in the grip of a strong emotion, like fear of a deadly disease, often aren’t thinking straight. They’ll click on links or download attachments that they might otherwise have ignored. And many people around the world, having lost their jobs or been physically restricted to their homes or neighborhoods, are looking for a way to make a living, so the ranks of cyber criminals may be swelling, too.

 

That’s why it’s so important to educate employees about the cybersecurity risks associated with COVID-19. Regular security training will keep employees vigilant against suspicious emails that might land in their inboxes. Make sure to send out regular memos warning employees of common COVID-19 related malware and phishing scams as they emerge. Your employees may not be targeted by specific scams, but knowing what kinds of things to look out for can help them protect the enterprise network.

 

Of course, you’ll also need a security solution that can detect vulnerabilities and threats and work to neutralize them. Your employees will be reporting suspicious emails, perhaps in greater numbers than ever before, and your IT security team will be facing more threats than it probably ever has in the past. Make sure you have a comprehensive enterprise network security solution to help your team meet these new challenges.

Require a VPN and Regular Security Check-Ins

Your employees’ home networks won’t be as secure as your enterprise network, because it’s unlikely that employees have intrusion detection or protection on their home networks. That’s why you should require employees to connect to the company’s network through a virtual private network (VPN). A VPN can hide your employees’ activities on your network, and help protect your information from thieves.

 

You should also set network security standards for employees working from home. Put together a security protocol that includes securing devices physically, keeping work and personal emails separate, and locking down their home networks. Implement regular security check-ins with staff to make sure they’re using multi-factor authentication to log into enterprise systems and work email accounts, and to verify that they’re implementing the enterprise security protocols for their home networks. 

Give Employees Company Devices to Work from Home

It might be tempting to allow employees to work from home on their personal devices — it would save your organization a lot of money on laptops. But you don’t know what employees are doing on their personal devices when they’re not on the clock, what antivirus and antimalware protection they’re using, or how tight their security is. It’s easier to protect your enterprise network when you issue company devices to employees who are working from home. It’s also easier to keep an eye on those employees to make sure they really are working when they’re supposed to be. When you issue company devices, you’ll be able to synchronize the same endpoint solution across each one, to remove some of the vulnerabilities that can come with a rapid distribution of teams.

 

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a lot of uncertainty with it, especially when it comes to keeping your enterprise network secure. Don’t let the challenges of this pandemic leave you vulnerable to cyber criminals. Protect your network, so you and your employees can weather the storm.

Ergotron Announces New CareFit Pro Medical Carts and Accessories to Support Caregiver Wellbeing at Work

Ergotron, a global movement company that designs and manufactures applications and products that help people thrive, has today announced the availability of the CareFit™ Pro medical carts, designed to promote the wellbeing of caregivers with uninhibited mobility and personalised features to help deliver better patient experiences and life-changing care.

The CareFit™ Pro is a fully-featured design that enables untethered caregiver productivity with long-lasting, dependable power to navigate each shift. Personalised height and screen adjustment with intuitively placed features support caregiver well-being to keep the focus on patient care. Integrated technology also streamlines cart monitoring and service, and thoughtful finishes complement a calming environment of care.

Key features also include internal cable management and easy-to-clean surfaces, combined with optional UV Angel automated pathogen reduction (coming soon as an accessory), helping to combat hospital-acquired infections and create a hygienic workstation. The infinite brake mechanism, plus neutral-angle grip design, create easy height adjustment.

Industry-leading load and cycle testing serves as the foundation of a professional-grade design built for endurance and longevity. Ergotron’s eKinnex™ proactive fleet management streamlines service to help increase uptime and reduce power anxiety. Premium, five-inch casters support unprecedented mobility and untethered productivity as caregivers move between rooms and floors. Multiple ergonomic height adjustments, numerous accessory options and a user-friendly touchscreen support efficiency and comfort.

“The caregiver and patient experience is closely interwoven, making nurse wellness, workflows and health and safety key aspects of quality care. As more organisations aim to offer warm, healing spaces to align with the “resimercial” trend, they need fully-featured medical carts that soften the noise of patient rooms, while enabling caregivers to thrive,” explained Paul Zuidema, Managing Director EMEA at Ergotron. “In light of the evolving global health situation, this new product serves the growing demand for mobile medical carts with a hygienic, easy-to-clean design that supports infection control.”

For further information about the CareFit™ Pro, visit: https://www.ergotron.com/en-gb/products/product-details/c52-2201#/

Edifier announces record growth – year on year growth of over 41% with increase in headphone operating income showing growth of 91.27%. #Edifier

Despite a fierce competitive environment, Edifier announced that the total revenue for this reporting period was 41.13% higher than that of the same period last year. Notable is the operating income of the headphone series products with a year-on-year growth of 91.27%. The operating revenue of the multimedia speaker series showed a year-on-year growth of 6.65%.

The operating income of car audio series products submitted year-on-year growth of 2.53%; The operating revenue of the professional audio series had a year-on-year growth of 10.9%. In terms of revenue split, 55.03% of which comes from its headphone series and 40.23% from its speaker series.

In 2019, the company’s net profit attributable to the shareholders showed a 130.01% growth from last year. The new True Wireless range of earbuds have shown outstanding results and been well received in the consumer market despite fierce competition from other brands.

 

Edifier has a research and development team of over 300 personnel including product ID concept design, circuit design, amplifier design, structural design, etc., and this has given the company a strong technical advantage in this competitive market space. In 2019, 26 patents were granted to Edifier and 54 patents were applied for by the company. In 2020, the TWS6 true wireless earbuds with balanced armature, designed and produced by Edifier, were named as an iF Design Award 2020 consumer electronics winner by Hanover-based iF International Forum Design GmbH. 


Outside China, the company has established sales channels in Europe, North America, South America, Oceania, Africa and other regions of Asia, with more than 50 exclusive distributors.

While continuing to expand physical marketing channels, Edifier is now the leading seller by volume on Chinese online platforms such as jd.com and Tmall, as well as international online sales channels such as Amazon. 


The Future:

The Edifier board believe that technologies such as the mobile Internet, cloud technology, big data, artificial intelligence and IoT are profoundly changing the products, competitive landscape and user experience of the audio industry. With the emergence of intelligent terminals with highly integrated functions, audio playback hardware categories are integrated first and then split, and users’ music listening mode further represents the characteristics of cloud, wireless, private and personalized.
Edifier believe that the entire audio industry is undergoing a far-reaching digital transformation. Edifier research keenly captures information and follow ups industry changes, according to the wave of mobile Internet and cloud computing. Edifier are committed to product development; intelligent voice headphones and devices as new product lines are developed based on consumer demand. 

In 2019, Edifier launched the TWS (True Wireless Stereo) range of headphones featuring Bluetooth 5.0, Active Noise Cancellation combined with traditional solutions from leading chipset manufacturers such as Qualcomm.  With the current trend for smart TV and Home cinema, Edifier are actively developing TV audio solutions and has upgraded its speakers to include features such as Bluetooth, remote control, optical fibre etc. Moreover, in line with the rapid development of China’s automotive industry, Edifier is active in developing and having a presence in the car modification audio market.


In addition to the traditional multimedia speaker business, Edifier has achieved growth in its traditional multimedia and has also achieved significant increase in such business areas as headphones and professional audio. Rapid growth of its TWS range has effectively offset the decline of the old business and opened up new revenue and profit growth points for the company.