Riot Games today announced their highly anticipated, character-based tactical shooter video game, VALORANT, will launch for free on June 2, 2020 across the majority of regions worldwide. In the days leading up to June 2, the game’s massively popular closed beta will come to an end on May 28, enabling the team at Riot to reset player accounts, patch new content, and prepare for the beginning of VALORANT’s worldwide launch. Once officially live, fans of the competitive 5v5 tac shooter will start fresh, progressing from the same starting line as they compete with players around the world.
“Our goal has always been to bring VALORANT to as much of the world as soon as possible, so we’re hyped to be able to do so on June 2,” said Anna Donlon, Executive Producer of VALORANT at Riot Games. “The team looks forward to starting our decades-long commitment to servicing the global VALORANT community. This is just the beginning of our journey together.”
Reinforcing its level of commitment to players, the VALORANT team will deliver new game content, a new game mode, a new agent, and a new map at launch. To meet rising player demand, Riot has also prioritized additional new game server deployments on their short-term roadmap in order to lower latency for VALORANT players; these new server locations include Atlanta, Dallas, London, Madrid, and Warsaw. Earlier, Riot Games demonstrated its commitment to the global community by successfully prioritizing the rollout of VALORANT’s Closed Beta to regions around the world, despite unexpected global deployment challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Edifier are a well known brand which I like and have been testing their products some years now and will stand by them and having said that my reviews are not in anyway biased and will state the good and the bad where applicable. Edifier have a couple of true wireless earbuds on the market which some I still need to test but the one thing with the brand is they are consistent and solid with their products and their speakers are something to take note of too which reminds me I must see what they have on offer in that department.
Their new true wireless though are a mixed bag and that is not meant in a bad way, I like earbuds that look different than the trend and I like the trend too and these buck that trend slightly and are bigger,more prominent looking too and stick out more than some which is fine as I have said before, I do not care what earbuds or headphones look like once they deliver on sound and if looks come into it even better I like to have what is trending and what is different too and this is when people ask me when out and about what am I testing now.
So when it comes to sound well they deliver an expected from edifier they have their sound signature again and these are loud with bass, when it comes to the usual rather than go on about attributes they delivered accross the board and once again they are earbuds I can easily pick up on a daily basis to use and reccommend given they have a larger profile than others out there, if you are using these for Netflix and You Tube and so on you will enjoy the experience with good direction volume and no lag latency to be seen the same applies to music and phone calls which where clear both ends.
You have an ambient sound option too which allows you hear the surroundings which is great for those out walking or cycling and so on and after that you can avail of the ANC mode which when indoors I suggest you use and immerse yourself in great sound..
These lack in some features when it comes to controls but you can forgive it,there is one button on each side but you have limited controls here yet the push button is a nice idea and works perfectly all the time You can also use the edifier connect app to change between the ambient and noise cancellation and to play and pause tracks with a user manual inside the app but thats pretty much it. You have no option to change the volume on the buds but again this is common, you can play and pause skip and reverse tracks though and manage calls with the one button on the buds.
Overall what is most important for me is how they sound and they have delivered a good product with a good build quality again,I feel some might find these too big a profile but they look different which is something I prefer personally but that is my opinion…
Features
Advanced ANC Technology. Industry-leading Feed-Forward Active Noise Cancellation technology from AMS that offers you true freedom from background noise with enhanced audio quality.
Superior Sound Quality. Φ13mm large graphene diaphragm delivers a much deeper and punchy bass with the rich details of sound reserved, which makes TWS NB be distinguished from others.
Up to 33-Hour of Playback. Enjoy up to 5-hour ANC playback and 15 hours with the charging case, thanks to Qualcomm’s ultra-low-power architecture. With ANC off, you can enjoy 33-hour playtime.
Bluetooth 5.0 with Qualcomm CVC and aptX Technology: Enjoy fast transmission and clear calls within 10m(33ft), thanks to Bluetooth 5.0 with Qualcomm aptX audio and Laser Direct Structuring antenna.
Ambient Sound Mode: ANC technology gets you fully immersed in the music, while ambient sound mode keeps you informed from the outside world. (Note: Control it by the button or “Edifier Connect” app)
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.
A tech duo from Waterford have launched a GPS-based app that will allow pubs, restaurants, gyms and other social and recreational outlets to open and do business in the new COVID-era.
The innovative technology, which is the first of its kind in the Irish marketplace, allows business owners to easily document and broadcast their venues’ compliance standards and the availability of space on their premises, to their customer base. This in turn equips patrons with the knowledge they need to make informed, real-time decisions around where they can go to socialise safely.
In its first week, 200 businesses signed up to arrange a demo of the software, and it is expected that take up of Ordee is likely to soar in the coming months, as Ireland gears up for a phased reopening.
Speaking of the new product, Ordee Co-founder Anthony Cronin,
“Publicans, restaurateurs and so many other business owners throughout the country are chomping at the bit to get back to work, but they are struggling to see how they can maintain compliance standards and still operate their business, while keeping costs down. With Ordee we have basically taken these key obstacles that businesses are facing, developed solutions to address them, and centralised the solutions in one easy to use app. It’s critical that venues can re-engage with their customer base – and Ordee will allow them to do this efficiently, cost effectively and safely”.
Mr. Cronin went on to outline how the app also addresses concerns from a consumer perspective,
“When the time comes, people will be itching to get out and socialise again – but there is a consistent air of concern amongst the public as to how they can do this safely. People are cognisant of the fact that they don’t want their behaviour, or the behaviour of others, to put themselves or others in jeopardy. The Ordee app is designed to go some way to alleviating these concerns”.
“Ordee” allows publicans, restauranteurs and other service providers and retailers to put their energy into their core business, while ensuring that their venue is compliant with “Return to Work Safely Guidelines”.
So How Does Ordee Work?
The business signs up to the program and is then listed as a venue on the app and shown on the live map to users. Businesses can segregate online bookings for space and for walk-ins
The user downloads the app and can check a list of venues in real time to see which venues currently have available space. They can book based on availability and join a queue
Once the user chooses a venue and arrives at the location, they receive a notification to confirm they are there and how many people are in their party, in which case the app will update the venue’s status accordingly. If the patron him/herself does not have the app on their person, then the venue itself can “clock a person/ persons in” manually through the admin section of the programme
The user can also use the app to order and pay for drinks, food etc.
Financial Support
Developers at Ordee say that because the app is deemed an ecommerce solution, businesses that want to sign up might be able to avail of the LEO Trading Online Voucher to do so – provided they meet the criteria.
Mr. Cronin commented,
“Cashflow is tight, to say the least, for most businesses at the moment and compliance with COVID-protocols is going to incur additional costs. To offset these, the Government have put in place supports – one of which is the Local Enterprise Trading Online grant and businesses can use it to sign up for Ordee. If your application is accepted, LEO will fund 90% of the cost of the Platform for your business. There are a few T&C’s but the process is very simple and effective”.
Since launching last week, there have been almost 200 businesses nationwide that have requested demonstrations.
Mr. Cronin concluded,
“Interest has been huge. Even more than we envisaged. Our team are working round the clock to ensure that we get to everyone who has requested a demo as quickly as possible”.
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.
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.
The latest headphones from Groov-e have been tested and overall a solid pair of cans which deliver the goods for the price in a very saturated market. They have a matt black finish overall with the typical industrial look but when it comes to sound they are on the bass heavy side so for fans that like bass these are ones to look at.
The build quality is average with mostly plastic which makes these light and good for long term use which will be fine for most the cups are padded nicely and fit nice and snug on the ears giving you good noise isolation straight away, you can wear these for several hours and I have done so with no issues with sweat but this might vary on humidity levels and so on..
Controls are good on these with raised rubber keys which are easy to find blindly and work well all the time. On the left is your power key slightly recessed on the outside of the cup and you have your music controls, ANC headphone jack and a mic so everything on one side which makes things less confusing. On the right is the micro USB port and a mic.
When it comes to sound these are good,when you turn them on first though you get the strange voice which makes them sound terrible but fear not they dont once you start playing your music you will be fine and availing of the ANC better again. ANC on all the time though will eat into the 10 hour battery life but having said that they last along time so for those on long commutes for example need not worry about battery life no matter..
Overall for the money here you get good sound albeit bass heavy so the bass lovers will like these I fall into that category,they are ideal for music,you tube Netflix and more with no lag latency present and being comfortable and light it is an easy win for most people. More colours though would be nice..
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.”
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.
