Edifier International, prominent designer and award-winning manufacturer of consumer audio electronics for both the lifestyle and multimedia markets announces its latest TWS1 earbud updates.
Addressing demand for more colourful earbuds, Edifier has started manufacturing its popular TWS1 earbud in a range of colours dark blue, pale pink and mint green. The Edifier TWS1 are a pair of classic entry-level true wireless Bluetooth earbuds. They are compact and ergonomically fit into the ear cavity for a secure, comfortable user experience. With up to 8 hours of playback time on a single charge plus an additional 24 hours using the charging case there is more than enough power to run a marathon, have a day’s hike or simply just enjoy your own playlist without constantly having to plug in.
In terms of audio performance, the TWS1 has been designed with materials and advanced functions not commonly applied for an entry-level headphone. They feature 6mm bio-diaphragm units which provide rich sound details and give an exceptionally better audio experience for the listener. New and improved Qualcomm TrueWireless Stereo Plus technology allows you to pair both earbuds simultaneously, while also reducing latency and improving the stability of the wireless connection for more seamless audio and video sync. Enjoy audio in standard stereo, or switch to a mono configuration that allows you to use just one earbud without losing sound channels. Bluetooth 5.0 offers better stability and latency for video and audio sync. The embedded silicon microphone is highly sensitive, picking up the user’s voice for a clearer call quality.
The TWS1 is user friendly with multi-function tap controls and is made from LG scratch-proof material to withstand any knocks or drops!
Main Features:
TrueWireless ™ Stereo Plus for easier pairing and better connectivity
Up to 32 hours of playback with Charging Case
IPX5 splash and sweatproof
Bluetooth v5.0 aptX for a strong connection with lower latency
Up to 10m (30ft) connection distance (with walls)
Low-profile, ergonomic in-ear design with touch controls
cVc noise reduction for crystal clear calling
Price & Availability:
The TWS1 new colour range is now available at £32.99 at Amazon
The Department of Health today launched a new Covid-19 information app which was commissioned and delivered in just two weeks by locally based cloud software specialists CIVICA in partnership with Big Motive.
“Covid-19 NI is one of the first dedicated tool of its kind in the UK and Ireland and demonstrates that our local Department of Health and the HSC were well ahead of the game in knowing exactly what they wanted and securing it in record time,” explained Mark Owens, Managing Director of CIVICA Northern Ireland.
Photo by Aaron McCracken
“The App is simple to download and use and has three core functions, firstly an in-app symptom checker for Coronavirus (COVID-19) leading the user to appropriate medical advice and onward links to further information; secondly a chat bot with natural language interface to answer users’ questions which will be enhanced and expanded with time, usage and feedback; and thirdly a push notification service with the ability to push messages out to user’s devices very similar to text messages alerting people to things like significant changes to official status or advice.
“Our brief was to provide a trusted single source of information dedicated to providing the population of Northern Ireland with immediate advice that should ease pressure on GP surgeries, pharmacies and of course Hospitals.
“ I cannot stress how unprecedented it is in our industry to produce an App of this nature so quickly and we could not have done it without the skills and dedication of our developers who were determined to do their best to support our amazing NHS.
“We all know the pressure on our medical services is going to be extraordinary and we believe this is going to be a critical tool for those who need local information immediately.
“It is the duty of every business in Northern Ireland to do their bit to support the Executive, the Government Departments and to realise that it is vital we all work together to beat this Pandemic, use our skills, our ingenuity and retool where necessary to support each other and our economy,” concluded Mark.
The App is available on Google Play store, Apple store, Windows 10 app store.
SophosLabs researchers have published a new Uncut blog, “Facing down the myriad threats tied to COVID-19.” that tracks how the use of “COVID-19” and “coronavirus” in domain names, spam, phishing attacks, and malware has skyrocketed. The article is a “live report” that SophosLabs Uncut will update as findings unfold.
Specifically:
The article shows that the volume of “COVID-19” and “coronavirus” email scams have nearly tripled in the past week – see the below chart (high res version attached).
Attackers are also increasingly impersonating the WHO (World Health Organization), CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, North America) and the United Nations (UN), as evidenced in scams tracked by SophosLabs.
“Cybercriminals are wasting no time in shifting their dirty, tried and true attack campaigns toward advantageous lures that prey on mounting virus fears. It’s easy to see, for example, that the attackers behind a new Chloroquine scam are the same as those behind a recent herbal Viagra scam,” according to Sophos Principal Research Scientist Chester Wisniewski.
“With global spam volumes estimated to be in the hundreds of billions, for 2-3% of those to be COVID-19 themed is significant. Similar to A/B testing of advertisements and web pages, criminals often dip a toe in the water when there is a new or sensational topic in the news. If the new topic proves a more effective lure than the previous scam bait they begin switching to new lures.
“In fact in one of the spam campaigns we tracked this week, there was evidence of exactly that. These particular criminals had been using fake shipping and delivery emails to convince unsuspecting victims into opening attachments and infecting their computers with the Kryptik Trojan. Now the main body of the email pretends to come from erecruit@who.int with “health advice” in the attachment, but when we carefully inspect the plain text body, we see it matches a previous spam campaign from this same criminal using a lure pretending to be about invoices and deliveries.
“The increases we are seeing are likely due to two important factors. First, as time passes more and more criminal groups are joining the party on using all this interest in COVID-19 to steal money from people. Secondly, it takes time. Any given criminal group has to handcraft the spams to convince the recipient to take an action. In the research community we call this the call to action. The call to action might be to open the attachment, visit the website or, in the case of the WHO Bitcoin scam (attached), to donate cryptocurrencies to criminal controlled Bitcoin wallets. Crafting these messages takes time, especially for those who are not native English speakers.
“Even the most innocuous mention of something by a politician or a celebrity can lend a scam credibility or present a new business opportunity. Two recent examples come to mind. One is a spam campaign offering to tell you about a government cover-up and attempting to sell you a COVID-19 survival guide allegedly used by the celebrity Gwyneth Paltrow as a lure in its subject line. A clue that the email is a fake is the incorrect spelling of her first name as Gwenith (attached), but this could easily be missed or glossed over. A few days ago President Donald Trump mentioned the possible efficacy of a drug called Chloroquine against the coronavirus, immediately leading to WordPress blog comment spammers switching from pitching herbal Viagra to instead attempting to sell you Chloroquine, which can be quite dangerous when not taken under the supervision of a doctor. And within only two days of the WHO creating a charity called the Solidarity Response Fund, criminals were soliciting Bitcoin donations pretending to be the charity, even implying your donation is fully tax deductible in the US or Europe.”
Additional Sophos Resources Related to COVID-19 themed cyber-scams:
SophosLabs has uncovered a variety of different malicious email campaigns connected to COVID-19, including:
Phishing scams impersonating the WHO, CDC, and other healthcare organizations to deliver malware via malicious documents disguised as official information on how to stay safe during the pandemic
Cybercriminals impersonating charities and relief organizations like the WHO’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund to trick victims into sending them Bitcoin
SophosLabs is updating its Uncut blog with new findings in real time
Follow the SophosLabs Twitter feed for breaking SophosLabs discoveries: @SophosLabs
Sophos News is providing tips and free resources as people navigate the work-from-home tech/security gauntlet:
Cybersecurity guidance during the coronavirus pandemic
Naked Security is providing security tips and industry news:
Remote working during Coronavirus? Here’s how to do it securely
Extortion emails threating to infect families with the coronavirus
Dutch food tech start-up, MiniBrew, has today launched its first home brewing product, MiniBrew CRAFT, to the European market. The all-in-one, automatic beer brewing machine has been created to transform beer lovers into craft beer brewers.
Designed to inspire the brewers of tomorrow, MiniBrew’s CRAFT machine offers beer enthusiasts an innovative, yet remarkably simple way to create a variety of quality beers in the comfort of their own home, or even pub shed. Brewers can enjoy quality beers, made by their own hands, which come fresher than any beer you can buy from the supermarket and can be preserved up to three-months with the product’s built-in cooler.
The beautifully constructed MiniBrew CRAFT appliance features a real wooden back, a transparent mashing tun and a copper coloured keg for a traditional look. The product can be used to make recipes from all over the world while helping consumers understand the brewing process step by step.
MiniBrew’s brewing portfolio features 10 different recipes crafted by its in-house brewologist and beverage scientists using its signature beer style, as well as natural flavours and herbs that are precisely measured in each Brew Pack. The appliance also calculates the precise amount of water needed and defines a mashing, boiling and fermenting scheme for each individual Brew Pack, helping to deliver an exceptional experience every time.
Commenting on the launch, Bart van de Kooij, founder of MiniBrew, said: “CRAFT is for consumers who love beer and want to explore their true, inner beer-making soul.”
“We started with a clear vision: to transform the home-brewing experience, which is traditionally very time-consuming, expensive and messy. Now that vision is a reality, our next step is to expand our brewing portfolio and help more beer lovers fulfil their brewing potential.”
The MiniBrew CRAFT machine starts at €1199, and Brew Packs start at €17. The MiniBrew CRAFT Pro is the same machine but gives experienced brewers powerful software with the opportunity to pilot and create their own recipes, while also giving professional breweries the opportunity to collaborate and share their recipe as a Brew Pack.
The MiniBrew CRAFT and MiniBrew CRAFT Pro can be purchased via authorised retailers and at www.minibrew.io.
The Coronavirus outbreak is expected to lead to a huge reduction in the production of smartphones, potentially falling by as much as 30% in the first half of 2020, states global tech market advisory firm, ABI Research.
“The ripples from China will be felt globally,” says David McQueen, 5G Devices Research Director at ABI Research. With China located at the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak, the resultant impact has been disastrous for the global mobile device market, which has subsequently witnessed mass disruption to its production lines and a stalling of related supply chains caused by labor shortages and inactive logistics. As China is also the world’s manufacturing center for most of these device types, and one of its biggest markets, the sector has been hit hardest by delayed shipments and a weakened development of next-generation products.
“Significantly, in the short term, there will be an adverse effect on 5G devices. No sooner had 5G smartphones started to gain some traction and break into the market in significant numbers, than the outbreak will now trigger a suppression of its near-term growth, pushing out the development and introduction of affordable 5G phones,” McQueen explains. This move to lower price tiers was expected to become a key driver for boosting 5G smartphone shipments in 2020, but the desired impact will now be lessened throughout the year due to the outbreak. Shipment volumes for 5G smartphones in 2020 will be much lower than previously expected, slowed by a stagnant supply chain and crippled demand. “Undoubtedly, the market will also be faced with numerous disruptions and delays, most notably the launch of Apple’s first 5G iPhones that are due to appear in September 2020.”
In the longer term, expectations are that the outbreak will gradually come under control by end of 2Q 2020, but it will take some time thereafter for consumer confidence to return and for the device sector to recover.“Importantly, with such a large proportion of the world’s mobile device market relying on China for manufacturing and component supply, which is contending with disruption on a massive scale, it has become clear that many in the chain were woefully unprepared to react quickly,” McQueen points out.
It is not clear what the full extent or lasting effect that COVID-19 will have on the mobile device ecosystem, but in the short- to medium-term, it will heavily impact the smartphone market. “Aside from taking its toll on both demand and the supply chain, it will particularly affect the industry’s eagerness to drive 5G to lower price points in 2020, seriously blunting its growth potential,” says McQueen.
McQueen recommends that “vendors and suppliers fully understand their exposure to all those along the chain, identifying and evaluating all risks related to issues like capacity management and market demand, enabling them to react accordingly and mitigate the impact of any future market disruptions.”
AVer Europe has announced its bestselling CAM520 professional plug-n-play camera has received certification for Google Hangouts Meet hardware, providing automatic updates, syncing and flexibility for users.
The CAM520 has received the certification following testing of its quality, reliability and interoperability in Google’s partner lab. Creating a seamless communications experience, this partnership between Google and AVer Europe enables users to start chat conversations or video calls, make phone calls using Wi-Fi or data, send text messages with Google Voice or Project Fi, and automatically sync devices across their network.
Support for Google Hangouts Meet hardware begins with Chrome 70 update and offers more flexibility to a conference room and ensures that the CAM520 is always up to date with the latest software from Google, reducing any delays or potential barriers within video conferencing.
The AVer CAM520 is a professional grade yet user-friendly PTZ camera that is perfect for mid to large conference rooms. With 12X optical zoom, fast auto-focus functions, HD 1080p and smooth pan, tilt, zoom capabilities, the CAM520 results in uninterrupted sharp images for an outstanding video communication experience. It can capture the smallest details with absolute clarity. The built-in USB interface is compatible with any desktop or laptop and can be used with various meeting and video apps, making video conferencing as simple as plugging in a single cable.
Rene Buhay, AVer Europe Vice President of Sales & Marketing, comments: “We are proud to partner with Google to enhance the Hangout experience with the AVer CAM520. It makes communicating even easier!”
Mark Grady, Head of Meeting Room Channel & Sales – EMEA at Google, comments: “We’re delighted to work with AVer to continue to make the Google video conferencing experience around Hangouts Meet Hardware a great one for our users.”
The AVer CAM520 comes in a silver casing, with a three-year warranty and a two-year extension automatically upon successful completion of registration.
The convergence of enterprise technology trends will continue to profoundly transform all businesses and unlock potential for innovation, Deloitte’s 2020 Tech Trends report reveals.
The 11th annual report on technology trends captures the intersection of digital technologies, human experiences, and increasingly sophisticated analytics and artificial intelligence technologies in the modern enterprise. The report explores digital twins, the new role technology architects play in business outcomes, and affective computing-driven “human experience platforms” that are redefining the way humans and machines interact. Tech Trends 2020 also shares key insights and prescriptive advice for business and technology leaders so they can better understand what technologies will disrupt their businesses during the next 18 – 24 months.
“Technology is the number-one differentiator for businesses today and that will only accelerate in the years to come as even more powerful innovations take hold,” said Simon Murphy, Business Operations Partner Lead for Deloitte Ireland and Deloitte North South Europe. “The most successful businesses today are combining cutting-edge technologies like machine learning and IoT with disruptive IT architecture and supercharged talent to create entirely new ways of working – and they already see the benefits.”
And with organisations needing to adapt and respond quickly to ongoing technology disruption, Deloitte expects to see more IT and finance leaders working together to develop new flexible approaches for funding innovation in a way that allows the organisation to be agile.
The report’s five trends of focus for 2020 include:
Digital Twins – Bridging the physical and digital: As digital twin technology allows businesses to create increasingly sophisticated virtual models to optimise processes, products, and services, organisations will integrate IoT, machine learning, advanced computing infrastructure, and more to unlock entirely new business models.
Architecture Awakens: Systems architecture will become a strategic priority as organisations redefine the architect role to be more nimble, responsive, and collaborative. Architects will work across the business and work creatively with non-technical project teams – forming a competitive differentiator in the digital economy.
Ethical Technology and Trust: Organisations in every geography are realising that their embrace of technology is an opportunity to gain – or lose – trust, and with it, customers’ business and brand loyalty. CIOs will emphasise ethical tech in the coming years – and create processes to help solve ethical dilemmas related to disruptive technologies.
Human Experience Platforms: To address the lack of connection humans often experience with daily digital interactions, a growing number of organisations are injecting emotional intelligence into their systems. These include AI capabilities such as machine learning and voice and facial recognition, which can better detect and appropriately respond to human emotions. The net result is emotionally intelligent human experiences that leverage connections between people, systems, data, and products.
Finance and the Future of IT: As enterprises become more agile, financial operations will need to support new modes of working. That means CIOs and CFOs will need to explore how a new, flexible approach to enterprise finance¾across budgeting, contracting, capital planning, and more¾can redefine the future of tech innovation.
The report also provides a view of 11 years of tracking the trends with insight into how trends evolve into table stakes over time, an update on the symbiotic benefits derived from the macro technology forces that serve as the foundation for business transformation, and a look at “what’s next” beyond the near term.
“Technology is constantly in motion. Executives should take tomorrow’s cues from today’s trends. ‘Horizon next’ technologies are evolving out of today’s core trends, sometimes in unexpected ways, giving rise to new opportunities,” said Murphy.
“The trends of 2020 will disrupt entire industries and redefine business as we know it in the next decade, even as digital innovation becomes the norm for organisations of all sizes,” added Murphy. “Some of these trends may not come to fruition exactly as envisioned, but the technologies underpinning them will fundamentally change the way we work.”
A unique 30-day ‘try before you buy’ electric vehicle loan scheme piloted by the Nottingham ULEV Experience project and financed through Nottingham City Council’s Go Ultra Low funding has the potential to act as a blueprint for other UK cities that are considering Clean Air Zones.
The Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle loans have been delivered by DriveElectric, one of the UK’s leading EV leasing companies, for the Nottingham ULEV Experience project for the last two years, offering businesses and public sector organisations the opportunity of a fully-funded trial of electric cars and vans for 30 days.
Research carried out in March 2020 has shown that the Nottingham ULEV Experience project has been the only solution for businesses to try out an EV for this period of time. A total of 16 vehicle dealerships were contacted to arrange an EV trial and not one could offer a similar 30-day loan.
DriveElectric has managed the EV trials for the Nottingham ULEV Experience including providing the vehicles, booking the 30-day loans, providing a handover about the vehicles and charging, being available throughout the trial to answer any queries, and even arranging insurance if required.
The vehicle fleet included some of the very latest EVs such as the Hyundai Kona Electric and Kia e-Niro, which are long-range EVs, capable of between 250-300 miles per charge, and these vehicles proved to be the cars that were most in demand. A total of 52 organisations in Nottingham have enjoyed 72 EV loans over the last 18 months, with 20 EVs being adopted as a result so far.
As well as businesses, public sector organisations can be successful ULEV early adopters for a range of reasons, including due to the driving cycles of their fleets often being ideally suited to electric vehicles. Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is one example of such an organisation, which trialled EV loans from the ULEV Experience. The project provided Renault Kangoo and Nissan e-NV200 electric vans for a month to allow the Transport and Logistics team to assess the suitability of the vehicles.
Following the trial, positive feedback was received about the larger Nissan e-NV200 van in particular. As well as the electric vans having zero emissions, lower whole-life costs, and being suitable for the required duties, employees preferred the driving experience of the EVs. The Trust now operates two Nissan e-NV200s and based on running these vehicles to date, 40 vans could be swapped to EVs.
Mike Potter, Managing Director of DriveElectric, comments: “Most organisations need to experience electric vehicles before making a decision to purchase. Fully-funded month-long EV loans are not readily available through dealerships, manufacturers or any other source. Therefore the ‘Try before you buy’ EV loans provided by the ULEV Experience have been extremely valuable in filling a gap in the market not offered elsewhere.”
The ULEV Experience has been a programme dedicated to supporting Nottingham businesses to understand, trial and implement Ultra-Low Emission Vehicles, and has been funded by Nottingham City Council’s Go Ultra Low City project. The programme has been delivered by a consortium led by Cenex, with partners from DriveElectric, the Energy Saving Trust, RideWise, CleanTech Business and Automotive Comms.
Similar EV loan schemes could be adopted by other cities around the UK that are implementing measures such as Clean Air Zones to improve air quality. Interest in electric vehicles has risen further since the government announced that the proposed ban on sales of new petrol and diesel vehicles – including plug-in hybrids – may be brought forward from 2040 to 2035 – or possibly even as soon as 2032.
Businesses looking to adopt EVs have been incentivised by measures in the March 2020 Budget. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak confirmed that motorists buying electric cars would continue to benefit from the Plug-In Car Grant (until 2022-2023), although it would reduce from £3,500 to £3,000, and cars costing £50,000 or more would be excluded.
The Plug-In Van Grant also continues, providing up to a maximum of £8,000 off the price of a plug-in van, and there’s up to £20,000 off the price of large vans and trucks.
Company car benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax rates already announced for the three years 2020-2021, 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 were confirmed in the Budget. However the Chancellor also said that rates would then be frozen for the following two financial years, 2023-2024 and 2024-2025. This means that a pure EV will have 0% BIK in 2020-2021, 1% BIK in 2021-2022, and 2% BIK in 2022-2023 – and in 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 – which could save thousands of pounds per year for company car drivers.
There was more good news for EV buyers in relation to Vehicle Excise Duty (VED). From 1 April 2020 until 31 March 2025 all zero emission vehicles will be exempt from the VED ‘expensive car supplement’. Currently all cars with a list price above £40,000 pay a £320 supplement, which increases to £325 from 1 April 2020, for five years from the second time a vehicle is taxed.
DriveElectric is an electric vehicle leasing company that has been helping organisations and individuals to adopt EVs to save money, lower emissions and transition to low carbon energy since 2008. DriveElectric aims to make the switch to electric cars and vans simple for business fleets.
The Coronavirus outbreak and the worldwide reaction to the pandemic will force companies to radically rethink how they operate and embrace technological investment, states global tech market advisory firm, ABI Research.
“To effect change, there must be a stimulation of a magnitude that means companies cannot do anything but make bold decisions to survive. COVID-19 is that magnitude,” explains Stuart Carlaw, Chief Research Officer at ABI Research.
Bold decisions and technological investments could lead to outcomes such as:
A more concerted and widespread move to lights-out manufacturing
Increased usage of autonomous materials handling and goods vehicles
A more integrated, diverse, and coordinated supply chain
Investment in smart cities to support community resilience
A move to virtual workspaces and practices
And so much more
“Before we feel this potential long-term impact, there will be some serious short-term implications. Contractions in consumer spending, disruptions to supply chains, and reduced availability of components will create a rough sea for all boats,” Carlaw says. “In the short-term, there will be a retrenchment in outlooks a reduced investment in modernization, as survival instincts trump the drive to prosperity.”
