Team17 and Heliocentric Studios have opened the gates to roguelite adventure Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos on PC and Nintendo Switch, allowing players from far and wide to venture forth either solo or with up to three friends in local and online co-operative gameplay, and work together to save the land of Tasos from the sinister Titans.
Rest up weary traveller, this launch trailer will prepare you:
Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos takes players on a journey across the land of Tasos and into the depths of challenging, procedurally assembled dungeons located throughout the world. Gems earned during dungeon runs can be used to rebuild your home town of Intori, which in turn grants access to upgrades that can improve your warriors as well as unlocking other classes and equipment.
Players can help each other out in co-operative play, either locally or online, but those who take on the challenge will have their experiences tailored to them, with puzzles and challenges scaling depending on the number of players. Each hero can be customised, along with a selection of classes, all of which have their own abilities and benefits in gameplay, and players wanting a taste of the action can try a free demo on Steam and Nintendo Switch right now.
Key Features:
Four-player co-op adventuring: Up to four players can explore the lands of Tasos and tackle the dungeons, assisting and reviving each other to earn victory together
Roguelite dungeon-crawling: Take on procedurally-generated dungeons packed with a variety of monsters, earning gems to spend on upgrades to get further in the next run
Town and class upgrades: Each run in the dungeon earns heroes gems to spend on upgrades, including the facilities in the town, as well as player abilities and stats
Classic gameplay reinvented: This is top-down adventuring brought into the modern day with colourful visuals and a number of options for combat, puzzle-solving, and exploration.
Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos is available on all platforms for £15.99 / €19.99 / $19.99.
To keep up to date with all the information on Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos please like on Facebook, follow on Twitter, and join the conversation on Discord.
Microchip Technology is investing $20M to create a new development centre based in Cork. The new facility will open during Q1 CY21 and create 60 new jobs over the next three years and approximately 200 jobs within the next seven years. The creation of this centre will reinforce Microchip’s existing presence in Ireland and boost the pool of engineering talent across key skills. Located close to the city centre, this new facility will incorporate an engineering lab to support state-of-the-art innovation and extend Microchip’s regional customer support. The project is supported by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland.
Initially, the development centre will focus on mixed-signal integrated circuit design, applications and software development for high-speed networking, timing and synchronization products, high voltage power management devices and solutions, high reliability integrated power systems and Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA).
Close partnerships with Irish universities will enable the Microchip development centre to offer internships and collaborate on key next-generation initiatives. The partnership between the development centre and leading Universities in Ireland will enhance the knowledge base and skill levels of engineers in the semiconductor development space in Ireland.
The development centre will also participate in Microchip’s New College Graduate (NCG) programme, which operates worldwide, and in the Government of Ireland’s Skillnet programme which promotes the development of future skills.
The development centre will build on Microchip’s existing presence in Ireland which is a mix of operations in Dublin, Cork and Ennis. As part of a network of development centres across Europe, the Cork development centre will work seamlessly with many Microchip business units. The creation of jobs will include engineers for integrated circuit design and testing, hardware and software system design, applications development plus field and customer support.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said “I welcome Microchip Technology’s $20m investment in a new development centre in Cork. Eventually this centre will create 200 new jobs and is further testament to the depth of engineering and research talent in the country. The partnerships established with leading Irish universities will also ensure strong opportunities for graduates in the growing digital economy. I wish them every success.”
Minister for Enterprise Trade & Employment Leo Varadkar TD said: “This is really welcome news from Microchip. There is a deep pool of talent in Cork and the South West enabling companies like Microchip to grow and embed their operations in Ireland. This investment will result in the creation of 60 new jobs over the next three years, with a further expansion of up to 200 over the next seven years. Congratulations to the team involved and best of luck for the future.”
“The new Microchip development centre in Cork will establish a significant R&D presence in Ireland and emphasise Microchip’s commitment to Ireland and Europe as a whole,’ explains Ganesh Moorthy, President and CEO-Elect of Microchip.“Cork was chosen for the development centre as it is the second-largest city in Ireland, with a growing pool of talented engineers and the Centre will add to Microchip’s ability to deliver superior products and be able to provide timely response to our customers. Availability of analogue and mixed-signal talent is another key factor in selecting Cork.”
IDA Ireland CEO Martin Shanahan said: “Today’s announcement by Microchip is very welcome. The company’s investment in a new development centre aligns with IDA’s Strategy to attract engineering development activity to Ireland and to secure investments for regional locations. I wish Microchip every success with this initiative.”
Poly today introduced the Savi 7300 Office Series, the latest addition in the company’s line-up of popular Savi wireless headsets. The Savi 7300 Office Series, designed with enhanced DECT™ security and Poly’s best-in-class audio, delivers confidence that you’re getting the highest degree of privacy and call clarity for all conversations, even in shared spaces like call centres and customer service hubs.
“Privacy and security continue to be two of the most requested features that global leaders, especially those in financial services, government, healthcare and contact centres look for in today’s headsets for their workforces,” said John Lamarque, vice president and general manager, voice collaboration, Poly. “At Poly, we address these needs head-on with pro-grade wireless headsets on which our customers can rely.”
Greater Conversation Privacy and Security
The Savi 7300 Office Series offers Poly’s Acoustic Fence microphone technology so workers will always be heard, but never overheard. Built with the latest DECT™ wireless technology, the Savi 7300 Office Series ensures that even the strictest internal security requirements for wireless headsets are met with ease.
The Savi 7300 Office Series is designed to the highest level of DECT™ Security Step C, and is further enhanced with 256-bit AES encryption, the same level of maximum protection used for military communications.
Poly Savi 7310
Poly Savi 7320
Superior Density Performance
The Savi 7300 Office Series’ top-notch use of the DECT™ spectrum provides 2x better density compared to other DECT headsets and allows more people to work in the same area without being overheard. The Savi 7300 Office Series is ideal for industries who regularly deal with sensitive information in highly dense call center areas, like finance and healthcare, where secure, superior performance and connectivity are an essential part of day-to-day operations, no matter how many others might be nearby when taking a call.
Microsoft Teams Open Office Certification
Thanks to its Acoustic Fence technology, Savi 7300 Office Series has been awarded the Microsoft Teams Open Office certification, certifying that the headset only picks up the voice of the headset user, but not the sound of others in an open space. In addition to the Teams certification, the Teams version of the Savi 7300 Office Series comes with a dedicated Teams button so it’s easy to start a meeting and get notifications, and still sound great.
“The need for security and privacy has never been a more critical piece of what businesses demand from devices today,” said Mohamed Alaa Saayed, ICT Industry Director & Fellow – Connected Work, Frost & Sullivan. “Organisations are busier than ever and workplaces like call centres are often ground zero for some of the most important conversations – from healthcare, to finance, to customer services – making the privacy and reliability of Savi 7300 Office Series that much more essential to keeping day-to-day operations seamless and secure.”
The Savi 7300 Office Series is available today on Poly.com and with authorised resellers worldwide. For more information on pricing and availability, please visit: Savi 7300 Office Series
GDPR can prove to be a minefield for unprepared businesses, so keep reading if you’re looking for some simple tips to remain GDPR compliant on your website…
Utter the letters GDPR (in the order, of course) and some business owners will instinctively shudder. In May 2018, data protection reforms were enforced, which meant that the General Data Protection Regulation was brought into effect, helping to protect the personal information of people whilst online.
The GDPR is widely considered to be the world’s strongest set of data protection rules, which places limitations on what organisations can do with the personal data they collect. Such data could include something as obvious as an individual’s name, or something more sensitive like their racial or ethnic origin.
In short, regulatory compliance is non-negotiable; failing to comply with GDPR simply isn’t an option for any business, no matter how big or small. Any breach, intentional or not, can result in a heavy fine, so how can businesses ensure to comply on their websites? Read on to find out…
10 Tips for Maintaining GDPR on Your Business Website?
1.) Understand the Law in Detail
First thing’s first, you’re going to need a comprehensive understanding of the law surrounding GDPR and what it can mean for your business. The best way of doing that is by hearing it straight from the horse’s mouth.
The government have published an extensive guide on GDPR, explaining every single legislation, with no stone left unturned. There’s no promising that it’s going to be a particularly compelling read. That said, it’s important that you review it and make sure you understand how it will apply to your businesses’ website.
2.) Staff Training and Awareness
The people that will be responsible for maintaining GDPR compliance will be your employees. So, it’s a good idea to make sure that they are well trained and aware of their obligations when it comes to handling personal data.
Training doesn’t have to be as intense as reading the entire guide to GDPR word for word. However, you should make sure to stress to your employees the importance of making safety and privacy their top priorities.
3.) Conduct Regular Risk Assessments
Granted, risk assessments aren’t exactly thrilling, but nor is being hit with an avoidable fine. An effective risk assessment will help your business to identify if there are any potential threats to the way you’re storing and transferring data.
From here, you’ll have a clearer idea as to how you can beef up your security processes, ensuring that you remain within the parameters of GDPR.
4.) Audit Any Personal Data You Hold
The personal data that your website stores – where did it come from, where’s it going, how long will you hold it for? These are the sorts of questions you should be asking to ensure that you’re able to keep it secure.
Finding and recording answers to all of these questions can be made that much easier by carrying out an audit. From here, you can reduce the number of physical places that data is being stored in. This should help to establish a sustainable framework for keeping customers and clients’ information secure.
5.) Have a Policy Management System in Place
Staying on top of GDPR compliance isn’t always a simple task, especially when your business is using methods of communication such as email and corporate internet. So, to help counteract this potential stumbling block, your business should consider implementing policy management software.
This can help to streamline internal processes, as you’ll have a centralised solution for creating and distributing sensitive documents. This will make it much easier to keep track of compliance.
6.) Establish Procedures to Report Data Breaches
The GDPR requires that all organisations which experience data breaches that compromise personal data should notify the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Failure to alert the ICO will lead to further fines – far from ideal.
So, to avoid this from happening, your business will need to have robust procedures in place that can quickly detect, report and investigate breaches.
7.) Ensure all Endpoints are Fully Protected
To achieve full GDPR compliance, all of your endpoints should be fully protected. For those not already in the know, this is the practice of securing any potential entry points in user devices, such as laptops, from malicious attacks.
To demonstrate compliance, businesses are required to show that they have taken all the necessary steps to secure their systems. This includes evidence of updates, and patches being applied to security software.
8.) Update Your Privacy Policy
If your business collects personal data on its website, then you’ll need to make sure that you have an updated privacy policy that covers some essential ground. Privacy policies that are GDPR compliant cover a few essential pieces of information, such as:
Your identity
How information will be used
Your legal basis for processing data
Your data retention records
9.) Review How You Record Consent
If you rely on getting individual’s consent to process personal data, there are specific standards that must be met.
This means that your business may feel it necessary to review the systems you have in place for recording consent, ensuring that you have an audit trail that can be presented if required.
10.) Appoint a Data Protection Officer
Organisations that employee more than 250 people, are a public authority, or are involved in the regular and systematic monitoring of data subjects on a large scale, should appoint a data protection officer.
Data protection officers can take proper responsibility for data protection compliance, as well as having the in-depth knowledge to do their job effectively.
Are You Trying to Make Sure Your Businesses’ Website Is GDPR Compliant?
So, there you have it! Follow these tips closely and you shouldn’t go too far wrong when it comes to staying GDPR compliant.
Have you got any more GDPR tips you think would be worth sharing? Feel free to leave a comment below with your own suggestions!
Conferencing and collaboration specialist Konftel has launched a business webcam for desktop users who demand professional quality personal video meetings, at home or in the office. Be sure to see our thoughts soon on techbuzzireland..
The Konftel Cam10 combines big performance with compact styling and has been designed for today’s hybrid working trends – where more and more business critical meetings take place online.
The stylish device features a wide 90° field of view, two built-in microphones, 1080p (30fps) full HD picture quality and a 4 x digital zoom. It’s a perfect home and traditional office companion, or for wherever people are working.
Award-winning Konftel has a trading pedigree stretching back more than three decades spanning all four corners of the globe. It was the very first company to manufacture and sell a commercial conference phone and has grown into one of the biggest players in the world for collaboration endpoint solutions, bringing people closer together. The introduction of the Cam10 is yet another iteration of Konftel’s innovative work and its mission to create powerful conferencing solutions.
“The Konftel Cam10 is a business class webcam that reflects the massive demand from desktop users seeking professional quality personal video meetings, based on an enhanced visual and audio experience,” says Regional Sales Director, Jeff May. “There’s been tremendous early interest for our latest high performance innovation, and the Konftel Cam10 will further accelerate more flexible ways of working.”
Based on simple plug-and-play USB connectivity, the portable Konftel Cam10 features easy set-up and operation, innovative picture noise reduction technology, low light capabilities and swift autofocus. The generous and natural looking field of view also helps capture content, such as from a whiteboard, in striking clarity.
“Whatever the preferred app or cloud service, the Konftel Cam10 fits all personal collaboration needs perfectly. Just connect the USB cable to a laptop or stationary PC and users are good to go,” Product Manager Torbjörn Karlsson explains.
He also highlights how when placed in an optimal position on top of the main screen, the Konftel Cam10 enables users to make eye contact instead of just showing their head profile – improving the quality of interaction. “The Konftel Cam10 promotes a natural viewing experience and is ideal for users with single or multiple external displays. It makes webcam communication natural and easy.”
The Konftel Cam10 uses a standard damping bracket for easy and stable installation, whilst there’s the option of tripod mounting for alternative camera placement. The webcam’s two built-in microphones deliver impressive audio pick-up, supported by noise suppression technology. In a common scenario the screen speakers often perform as audio output but an improved option is to complement the Konftel Cam10 with the professional speakerphone Konftel Ego, creating an enhanced experience through Konftel’s renowned OmniSound audio technology.
In addition, a mechanical shutter functions as a built-in lens cap, to ensure complete privacy, integrity and security.
Jeff May emphasises: “You only get one chance to create a good first impression which makes high quality video and audio even more critical especially in an age where ever more business meetings take place online. It used to be a suit or a handbag or a watch that impressed in a physical meeting room, now it’s the sharpness and clarity of a video feed. And if you’re sharp and clear, presentations or negotiations and interactions are going to be 100 per cent more impactful.”
He concludes: “The Konftel Cam10 is personal, productive and performance-driven. Don’t settle for second best and an inferior impression!”
Konftel is certified in line with the Climate Neutral standard. This means when users choose a Konftel product, there is an instant climate benefit from the very first distance meeting that replaces a business trip. Konftel offset all greenhouse gas emissions and is taking action to further reduce those emissions. The Climate Neutral Certified label, indicates its products are climate neutral.
Great news if you are using the Apple TV app, including Apple TV+, as it is now globally available on the new Chromecast with Google TV, with more Google TV devices to come. To access the Apple TV app, navigate to the Apps tab or the apps row in the For you tab.
Google TV gives users with subscriptions to Apple TV+ the ability to tune into award-winning original shows, movies and documentaries from the world’s most creative storytellers. You can enjoy Apple Originals, including series like “Ted Lasso,” which was recently nominated for two Golden Globes, “For All Mankind” season two debuting tomorrow, “The Morning Show” and “Servant,” as well as movies like “Greyhound” and “Palmer.” The Apple TV app also gives you access to your library of movie and TV show purchases from Apple, as well as personalized and curated recommendations and Apple TV channels. And with Family Sharing, up to six family members can share subscriptions to Apple TV+ and Apple TV channels.
With Google TV in the U.S., you can browse Apple Originals in your personalized recommendations and search results. And with Google Assistant, you can also use your voice to ask Google to open the Apple TV app or play an Apple Original title. If you aren’t ready to watch right away, you can add Apple Originals to your Watchlist for later. These features will roll out globally in the coming months.
The Chromecast with Google TV is packed with the latest technology — it streams crystal-clear video in up to 4K HDR at up to 60 frames per second and now has a voice remote. The remote has a dedicated Google Assistant button that helps you find something to watch, answer everyday questions like “how’s the weather?” or dim your compatible smart home lights with just your voice. It also eliminates the need for multiple remotes thanks to programmable TV controls for power, volume and input.
In addition to Chromecast with Google TV, the Apple TV app will also be available on Google TVs from Sony and TCL. We plan to roll out to more Android TV-powered devices in the coming months.
Advancements in technology have transformed many aspects of society, helping people to live their lives far more efficiently.
Online digitalisation brings information to our fingertips, allowing us to perform a multitude of tasks wherever we are in the world.
The convenience offered by digital tech is undoubtedly one of its strong points, giving people more time to focus on the fun things in life.
Read on as we look at some of the areas where online digitalisation has had a massive impact over the past few years.
Streaming Platforms
Streaming services have become part of daily life, with outlets such as Netflix and Spotify revolutionising the way that people consume entertainment content.
YouTube is another platform that has driven innovation in this area, providing users with the opportunity to stay connected, learn new skills and find accurate information.
CEO Susan Wojcicki is proud of the progress YouTube has made, particularly regarding how the platform has helped power economic growth in media.
“Creators are building next-generation media companies that impact the economy’s overall success,” she said.
“According to an Oxford Economics report, YouTube’s creative ecosystem contributed approximately $16bn to the US GDP in 2019, supporting the equivalent of 345,000 full-time jobs.
“We’re also seeing real impact in other countries around the globe. The UK in 2019 saw approximately £1.4bn contributed to the British GDP and the equivalent of 30,000 full-time jobs.
“And in France, there was an estimated €515 million contributed to the French GDP and the equivalent of 15,000 full-time jobs.
Online Gambling
Enjoy an online bingo night
The gambling industry has been completely changed by digital tech, and online platforms are certainly where the best action can now be found.
Whether you like to play bingo games online or wager on sports, the internet provides you with a plethora of websites you can visit.
Bingo in particular has enjoyed a huge resurgence in popularity over the past few years, with operators expertly leveraging digital innovations to their advantage.
The best bingo sites offer players a diverse range of games, providing a much greater choice than can be found in land-based venues.
Improvements in mobile tech have also been hugely beneficial to bingo, providing people with the ability to play their favourite games on a 24/7/365 basis.
With people now spending an increasing amount of time at home and on their devices, the entire online gambling industry looks well placed to cash in over the next few years.
Online Shopping
Another sector where digitalisation has sparked massive changes is retail, with millions of people now preferring to shop online rather than visit physical stores.
The switch in consumer habits in recent times is perfectly highlighted by the $861bn that was spent online with US merchants in 2020.
That figure represents a year-on-year increase of 44 percent, and significant further growth has been predicted for 2021.
Greg Sterling, VP of Insights at Uberall, has forecast that digital innovations will allow the retail sector to improve its offering even further in the future.
“E-commerce and traditional retail have been largely separate channels,” he said. “Going forward, the hallmark of successful merchants will be deeper integration between online and offline assets.
“This includes distribution of real-time product inventory online. Roughly 40 percent of online purchases will be picked up at local stores.
“The ability to search for a product, buy it online and pick it up the same day or next day locally will become a permanent feature of the customer experience for major retailers and a key success factor.”
Food Delivery
Specialist food outlets are cashing in on digitalisation
Digitalisation has also changed how people buy groceries, with most supermarkets now offering online shopping and home delivery services.
This has had a knock-on effect for suppliers of fresh produce, as health-conscious consumers have sought to find outlets for meat and vegetables.
Ben White-Hamilton is the founder of Harvest Bundle – a digital marketplace that supplies produce from farms and fisheries across the United Kingdom.
He says that online digitalisation not only benefits consumers, but also presents opportunities for specialised grocery outlets to cash in.
“People don’t live near farms anymore, they live in cities,” he said. “Farmers’ markets have worked well for centuries, but with people leading lives that are incredibly busy it’s often hard to make time to visit them.
“What e-Commerce allows is modern technology applied to an almost forgotten historic tradition of buying direct.
“This has formed a potent mix and sped up the whole process of people shopping for food directly from the businesses who they want to support.”
Remote Working
Working practices have also changed massively over the past few years, with digital tech allowing businesses to adopt more flexible operational modes.
Many people now work from home, while others choose to use the freedom offered by digital to adopt a nomadic approach to their employment.
Stewart Butterfield is the CEO and co-founder of Slack – an online platform that has made it much easier for employers and employees to stay connected remotely.
He believes that the way people work in the future will never be the same, and predicts that digital will continue to make processes more efficient.
“We all know that work will never be the same, even if we don’t yet know all the ways in which it will be different,” he said.
“What we can say with certainty is that the sudden shift to distributed work has provided a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reimagine everything about how we do our jobs and how we run our companies.
“If we can move past decades of orthodoxy about 9-to-5, office-centric work, there’s an opportunity to retain the best parts of office culture while freeing ourselves from bad habits and inefficient processes, from ineffective meetings to unnecessary bureaucracy.
“Every leader believes they can do better, and things can move faster – this is their chance.
“From the employee perspective, the shift is massive and very consequential – people are making new choices about where they want to live and creating new expectations about flexibility, working conditions and life balance that can’t be undone.”
A new DPD sms scam is doing the rounds which will catch people out and that is what it intends to do and now they are using a new way to try con the consumer. This time around they are using the delivery management option to try get your cash. Most courier companies now offer this service to make life a bit easier for you and of course the drivers who have been working hard during this pandemic..
Many courier companies offer a service which allows you to change your delivery options by changing the date, leave with neighbour or in a safe place for example and this scam will ask you several questions on what your preferences are. If you select to pick it up on this scam you hit a dead end however if you want it delivered is where you will be caught.. At the end of the form you will see your charge. If you are in doubt feel free to contact us as I work in the logistics industry and get hounded with stuff like this and of course see DPD for more..
Need a simple case for your Pixel 5 that is totally clean and simple well the MNML case might be one to check out, Without adding any thickness like other cases this is super thin and offers protection on the sides and rear and of course the camera hump gets some loving here too. They do not protect the screen but again they are designed for those who want something simple and not bulky, they are not a fingerprint magnet and cut-outs are perfect and nothing is obstructed. These cases are also not fingerprint magnets either like some cases can be and certainly phones and thankfully the pixel 5 is not a fingerprint magnet in the colour we have.
These cases are simply just minimal as the the brand name suggests and that they are they do not offer the ultimate protection for your device but give it a clean look and if like me and not out to much lately an ideal case for keeping it simple and looking good with no bulk and access to everything as you would expect.. Check out the range of cases on offer and our past reviews here on techbuzzireland and their site..
