Red Bull Home Ground, an official off-season pro VALORANT tournament, is set to return for its third iteration, bringing together some of the world’s most elite teams to battle it for victory from December 9th-11th. As an official part of the VCT Off-Season Tournaments, fans & players alike can expect VALORANT action at its highest level.
For the first time, Red Bull Home Ground has opened its doors to teams outside of Europe who are set to make waves going up against the EMEA’s best teams, taking their best shot at the $100,000 prize pool. These invitations promise fierce competition as Red Bull Home Ground will witness rivalries reignite for the first time outside the VALORANT Champions Tournament. Before, we’ve seen EMEA battle it out on the Red Bull Home Ground Stage, but now it’s time for the Americas teams to prove their skills.
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Red Bull Home Ground will see eight of the best VALORANT teams go head to head in December, broadcast from Victoria Warehouse, Manchester.
North American team Cloud9 has been unveiled as the latest VALORANT team to compete in Red Bull Home Ground 2022.
In October, Cloud9 shook-up their roster and recruited former CS:GO athletes Jordan ‘Zellsis’ Montemurro and Jaccob ‘yay’ Whiteaker. Who will join Cloud9’s Nathan ‘leaf’ Orf, Erick ‘Xeppaa’ Bach and Anthony ‘vanity’ Malaspina. Red Bull Home Ground fans will have the last chance to witness the Cloud9 VALORANT roster battle it out for the Red Bull Home Ground Championship title ahead of the 2023 VALORANT Championship Tournament for themselves.
The full line-up for Red Bull Home Ground will feature 100 Thieves, Team Liquid, Team Vitality, FOKUS Clan, KRU Esports, Turkish Qualifier winner FUT Esports, Heretics and Cloud9.
Yinsu Collins returns to host the third iteration of Red Bull Home Ground alongside Mitch “Mitchman” McBride, Tom “Tombizz” Bissmire, Ryan “RyanCentral” Horton, Beatriz “kaquka” Alonso and Adam “Dinko” Hawthorne.
Tickets for Red Bull Home Ground are now sold! Don’t forget to tune in to the action, which will be broadcasted live from Victoria Warehouse in Manchester on twitch and YouTube. The event will also be broadcast by various co-streamers in multiple languages, with details to be revealed soon.
AGON by AOC is the official Monitor Partner for the event, bringing exceptional visual clarity and ultra-high refresh rates to competitors. AMD joins Red Bull Home Ground as Technology Provider, ensuring the high-performance computing that will push the boundaries of the tournament. Supporting Red Bull Home Ground as a peripheral sponsor, HyperX ensures that players can reach their full potential on the stage.
Don’t worry if you’ve missed Black Friday or Cyber Monday and are still looking for that special gift for someone. ZHIYUN, the leading gimbal brand for amateur and professional filmmakers with smartphones and cameras has some special Christmas discounts on some of its most popular products.
Gimbal: the perfect gift for anyone with a smartphone or camera
Gimbals are light, compact and durable stablilisers, with smartphone versions, small enough to shove in a rucksack or your pocket to take your videos to the next level. There’s nothing more annoying than reliving sporting events, nights out, holidays, trips or special occasions only to see a blur of shaky unwatchable footage. While camera gimbals are sturdier to support larger cameras for professional users.
Smartphone gimbals
Elevate your smartphone with the latest smartphone gimbals.
Tell better stories with the newest member of the SMOOTH range. With its powerful built-in fill light, SMOOTH 5S offers a simplified way of filmmaking for everyone with a smartphone, day or night. With the classic 3-axis design, you can create inspiring content with no angle limitations. SMOOTH 5S makes you a one-man vlogging crew. Available in white or grey from ZHIYUN or the Amazon store.
This neat little smartphone gimbal has a new design for better grip and easy unfolding. It has a 215mm built-in, extendable rod that allows you to shoot at various angles from a wider background. SMOOTH Q4 comes with a double sided, adjustable magnetic fill light offering you a quick and easy way to get the lighting even in the darkness. Buy it at the ZHIYUN or the Amazon store.
Standard: Now £99/$99 USD (original price £119/$119)
Film like a pro with the latest ZHIYUN SMOOTH 5. It makes cinematic smartphone filmmaking possible with its 3-axis design that allows movement through all angles to be amazingly smooth, even at the extremes. Its carefully considered ergonomic controls, high performance motor, professional anti-shake system, and magnetic twin fill lights empower new creative opportunities. Buy it at the ZHIYUN or the Amazon store.
Standard: Now £139/$139 (original price £159/$169)
Now in its 3rd generation, the A4 sized WEEBILL 3 has evolved and tuned its ergonomics with carefully crafted parts that reduce the carrying effort by 40%. This innovative all-in-one solution provides sound, light and image stabilisation together, setting a new bar for portable, powerful gimbals that makes even complex filmmaking endeavours effortless and simple. Available from the ZHIYUN and Amazon stores.
Standard: Now £399/$399 (original price £449/$449)
WEEBILL S: Unleashing possibilities for professional filmmakers
Despite its compact size, the WEEBILL-S easily handles mainstream mirrorless and DSLR camera & lens combos. Its neat, lightweight body and a unique Sling mode allows the WEEBILL-S to offer an effortless shooting experience. Inside, its strong motors feature ZHIYUN’s unique stabilising algorithm. An intelligent ViaTouch 2.0 system as well as an ultra-low latency HD image transmission module, means the WEEBILL-S pushes the limits for boundless filmmaking.
Standard: Now £299/$299 (original price £369/$439)
CRANE M3: For Ultra-portable professional handheld filmmaking
The CRANE M3 is a portable, compact and professional camera gimbal. It provides an excellent grip and balance, with an ergonomic array of control panel, buttons, wheels and joystick for full control of the powerful motors that can carry different kinds of cameras and lenses in stable and smooth movements. The two-in-one universal quick release plate makes camera changes during a shoot safe and efficient.
Standard: Now £319/ USD 319 (original price £369/$369)
Combo: Now £379/ USD 379 (original price £449/$449)
The FUJIFILM Instax Square link is another addition to their popular range of smartphone printers whereby users can actually hold a photograph in their hand not long after it has been taken, the days of sending off your camera prints are long gone it seems and is a nice throwback to how things were done back in the day only better with just a few seconds to wait to hold the photo in your hand, I have loads of these dotted around the house and some of them framed having tested many of their printers and love it.
The latest model is no different and has some new features like AR prints which you can see how it works in the video review and also a sample there in the header image it is really cool and can add some flair to the bog standard photos which this machine also does.
You can also share images to others via the Connect feature which can be then edited or kept as is which again is a handy tool for some, speaking of tools there is plenty inside the app to get creative as before which is fun and you can really add some cool effects to your image taken or what’s already on your smartphone and it is a clean easy to use UI and everyone should have no issues navigating the menu but we show you this also in the video below if you have not seen previous reviews.
The printer is portable and robust and can fit in a bag or big pocket and the battery life is decent too and makes it a great gadget to bring out to take photos and create real memories which you can then edit and more and have that photo in your hand rather than all over social media.
Key features of SQUARE Link include:
AR (Augmented Reality) Print:
SQUARE Link offers the ability to add Augmented Reality features to images, including special effects, text, images, background colours, doodles, and animations. A QR code printed on the photo unlocks the augmented reality content that users can then view on and around their print by simply scanning the code with their Smartphone to see the effects in action.
INSTAX Connect:
Using the SQUARE Link App, the INSTAX Connect feature allows users to share INSTAX images digitally by selecting a smartphone image, adding text content and/or effects, and sending it to any connected device (i.e. smartphone, tablet, etc.). Users can add text to their images and get text responses sent back directly on the image. Recipients who are also SQUARE Link users can even print a copy of the image with or without the text included.
Ability to customize your INSTAX prints with Image Modes, Design Frames, and Stickers
Like all products in the INSTAX Link Smartphone printer line-up, SQUARE Link includes a variety of frame templates, digital stickers, and print mode options that allow the image maker to creatively enhance the image. Users can choose between two print mode options – INSTAX-Rich Mode for deep, enhanced colours and INSTAX-Natural Mode for a more classic look. Smartphone images can also be enhanced with artistic filters or by adjusting brightness, contrast, and saturation of the image. Users of SQUARE Link also can combine up to nine pictures into a single INSTAX print collage via the collage feature of the App.
Lightweight Portability and Speed
Compact, lightweight, and finished with a striped texture, SQUARE Link transfers an image from the user’s smartphone and commences printing in about 12 seconds, supports continuous printing, and is capable of printing about 100 INSTAX prints per charge seamlessly via Bluetooth.
Esri Ireland, the market leader in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), has created a digital map of some of the best Christmas festivals, light shows, and ice skating events happening across the country this holiday season.
Using Esri’s ArcGIS digital mapping system, the interactive map highlights a range of enchanting spectacles and festive activities to suit all ages. Experience the wonder of Christmas by immersing yourself in a winter wonderland; browsing market stalls, marvelling at the glittering lights, soaking up festive music, and gliding across ice-rinks.
From magical train rides in Donegal and family-friendly festivals in Kerry, to glistening light shows in Galway and fun-filled ice-skating in Dublin, this map will help bring festive cheer to life this Christmas season.
Petoi, the maker of futuristic robotic pets, today launches the Bittle STEM kit, a lower cost version of its palm sized robot dog that can help teach tech enthusiasts, young and old, about robotics and coding. Small but agile, Bittle can be programmed to walk, do tricks and roll around just like a real dog. Differing slightly from Bittle V1, the STEM kit contains plastic-gear servos instead of metal making it lighter and more flexible with different movements.
The Bittle STEM kit is available at www.Petoi.com from £223 ($269, RRP), but in the run up to Christmas, it will be available at a promotional price of £180 ($214). The Bittle STEM kit will also launch on Amazon UK mid-December.
The Petoi Bittle STEM kit is ideal for kids and adults with an interest in STEM, coding and robotics. It’s also perfect for those who just want to have fun and play with a robot pet companion. Bittle operates on OpenCat, an open-source quadrupled robot platform that offers endless programming and customisation possibilities. Educational, users can learn coding as they teach Bittle to run, jump, roll over, sit and lay down, just like a real dog.
Users bring the Bittle STEM kit to life by assembling its puzzle-like frame which is made up of plastic 3D interlocking components. The bionic construction of legs rather than wheels means that Bittle is able to move more freely over unstructured terrain. With a simple and beautiful design, Bittle can be easily configured and controlled using Petoi’s official mobile app, the included remote control or a number of different programming options. Users can also program Bittle to do tricks with Petoi Desktop App’s Skill Composer. Petoi plans to release a free C++ four-legged robot curriculum by mid December. Bittle is a great STEM learning tool and perfect for anyone interested in robotics and programming.
Evolving with an open-source gene, Bittle is built on Petoi’s OpenCat open-source platform which was first launched in 2018 by Petoi’s founder Professor Rongzhong Li specifically for quadrupled robots. Bittle’s dynamic manoeuvrability and behaviours are features typically seen on luxury robots but Petoi’s technology is now making it accessible to everyone.
With a customised Arduino board coordinating all instinctive and sophisticated movements, users are able to clip various smart sensors onto Bittle or mount a Raspberry Pi or other AI chips through wired/wireless connections to inject perception and artificial intelligence capabilities.
Bose have been a popular brand here in Ireland and with a range of headphones and earphones there is a selection of products for everyone but the most prominent pair of headphones for the brand has been the QC 35 which many reviewers raved about, I have not owned a pair of the QC 35 but did try them for a day and they were quite impressive it has to be said so how does the latest pair of cans hold up and in general how are they and are they worth the money, well lets have a look..
The presentation is good so that is a good start and you can see the unboxing and full review below to see more but the product itself is really nice and feels solid and I do like the colour we have here although over time I would be interested to see if this fades or gets dirty but so far so good and I always take case of my earbuds and headphones using the cases provided which is probably why I get good distance with my huge collection..
They are comfortable very comfortable and light and can be worn for hours on end with no issues and for me that is great as I tend to watch alot of movies and listen to music at home and on the go and it is part of my daily routine with the amount of earbuds I test every day of the week.
The cups are super comfortable as is the headband and they sit nicely on the ears and block out pretty much all the outside world when on the head. there is a ratchet style extension arm each side which is made of plastic and metal the entire headset is mostly plastic but solid.
Ok so onto the app and here is where I get pissed off straight away with the amount of information they require however this is now becoming a common feature with headphones and earbuds and over time I can see this getting on peoples nerves and perhaps move to other products but it is common today and Bose are not the only ones looking for TMI to use a product you pay big money for as is..
The app is easy to use and all you require is present inside for you to use the headphones along with the physical buttons on the cans themselves. Again we go through this in the video review below it is a simple straight forward process overall and you will be up and running in no time, you can access your voice assistant, skip and reverse tracks, higher and lower the volume and control your calls, all is good here.
How do they sound then.. Well good as a whole and depending on your personal taste there was some overlapping in certain songs from my playlists overall good but the volume not the loudest for me, I like my music loud and have louder headphones but again this is personal. For music in general and movies they provide a decent balance and great vocals and direction so for anyone who is in the market and not an audiophile looking for new cans they are worth the look.
Are they worth the price? No in short, Bose like other brands have a fan-base but in this day and age there is great value costing less and more of it we have seen this with earbuds and headphones no different. The Bose QC 45 are widely available for 349 euros.
Today we take a first in depth look at one of tesco mobile latest handsets on offer and it is the Xiaomi Redmi 10 which is also a first for me to see, in the hand this handset feels nice and is solid and it is not an expensive device by any means and loaded with a decent spec sheet too, it has got a decent rear camera system on the back with a not so large hump like other brands insist of having there now and moving them around. We have got a 50/8/2 and 2 MP array of cameras on the rear and a front facing camera at 8MP. We also have a large 6.5 inch display and the speakers are decently loud too.
If that is not enough for the camera fans this has also got a 5000mAh battery to power it which is ample enough in today’s standards and also we have got 128GB storage which can be bumped up to 512GB with an SD card. We also have a headphone jack which is not seen much these days, also this has a fingerprint sensor on the side and comes with a charger in the box and a case so you are protected straight away which all in all seems like a decent package..
The Creative Pebble Pro speakers are certainly something to look at if you are one to spend all day at your pc and more, they would also make an ideal gift for a tech fan in your life or even something just for you, The design is familiar and the colour in which we have to review is quite nice and neutral with the controls on one side which is handy and you can also pop in wired headphones if you wish but then again we have got Bluetooth 5.3 on board here which is the latest. The 45 degree angle delivers the sound where it should be going and unlike your TV which is mostly downward firing and your laptop up ward firing this sends the audio the right direction to make it more immersive and give you a better audio experience no matter if it is gaming music or even movies you might be doing on your PC.
Small and portable these can be moved into any room in the house which I like and the colour too as it is simple to keep clean, the build and design is robust and will last and overall looks well with simple controls on one side which allows you to change the volume the RGB lights and pair a new device so simplicity is another key factor here.
With the longer cable provided this can be used for almost any set up unlike mine which is on the small side but I do have two areas at home where I work. When it comes to the sound they sound great and better than before with more bass more volume and better direction but check the video below for more.
Features
A wide array of connectivity options that include Bluetooth 5.3 wireless technology, 3.5mm AUX-in port, USB-C port for audio streaming and power
Headphone and microphone ports to transform the Pebble Pro as a convenient communications tool, or for late-night private listening
Series signature 45-degree elevated angle for optimal audio projection to users’ ears
Long wire (1.8m / 5.9 ft) connecting both speakers; offers more flexibility in placement
Long USB-C cable (1.5m / 4.92 ft) for connection to the computer
The Creative Pebble Pro is priced at € 79.99, £ 65.99, US$59.99 and is available at Creative.com.
Today at AWS re:Invent, Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS), an Amazon.com, Inc. company (NASDAQ: AMZN), announced it will be water positive (water+) by 2030, returning more water to communities than it uses in its direct operations. The company also announced its 2021 global water use efficiency (WUE) metric of 0.25 liters of water per kilowatt-hour, demonstrating AWS’s leadership in water efficiency among cloud providers.
AWS is already well on the path to becoming water+ and as part of this new commitment will report annually on its WUE metric, new water reuse and recycling efforts, new activities to reduce water consumption in its facilities, and advancements in new and existing replenishment projects. To learn more about AWS’s water+ commitment visit: https://sustainability.aboutamazon.com/water.
“Water scarcity is a major issue around the world and with today’s water positive announcement we are committing to do our part to help solve this rapidly growing challenge,” said Adam Selipsky, CEO of AWS. “In just a few years half of the world’s population is projected to live in water-stressed areas, so to ensure all people have access to water, we all need to innovate new ways to help conserve and reuse this precious resource. While we are proud of the progress we have made, we know there is more we can do. We are committed to leading on water stewardship in our cloud operations, and returning more water than we use in the communities where we operate. We know this is the right thing to do for the environment and our customers.”
AWS has been driving four key strategies in pursuit of becoming water+ by 2030: improving water efficiency, using sustainable water sources, returning water for community reuse, and supporting water replenishment projects.
Water efficiency: AWS is constantly innovating across its infrastructure to reduce water consumption. It achieves its industry-leading water efficiency by using advanced cloud services, such as Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, to analyze real-time water use and identify and fix leaks. AWS further improves operational efficiency by eliminating cooling water use in many of its facilities for most of the year, instead relying on outside air. For example, in Ireland and Sweden, AWS uses no water to cool its data centers for 95% of the year. AWS also invests in on-site water-treatment systems that allow it to reuse water multiple times, minimizing water consumed for cooling.
Sustainable sources: AWS uses sustainable water sources, such as recycled water and rainwater harvesting, wherever possible. Using recycled water, which is only suitable for a limited set of applications such as irrigation and industrial use, preserves valuable drinking water for communities. In Northern Virginia, AWS worked with Loudoun Water to become the first data center operator in the state approved to use recycled water in direct evaporative cooling systems. AWS already uses recycled water for cooling in 20 data centers around the world and has plans to expand recycled water use in more facilities as it works toward becoming water+.
Community water reuse: After maximizing the use of water in its data centers, the spent liquid is still safe for many other uses, and AWS is finding more ways to return it to communities. In Oregon, AWS provides up to 96% of the cooling water from its data centers to local farmers at no charge for use in irrigating crops like corn, soybeans, and wheat.
Water replenishment: To meet its water+ commitment, AWS is investing in water replenishment projects in the communities where it operates. Replenishment projects expand water access, availability, and quality by restoring watersheds and bringing clean water, sanitation, and hygiene services to water-stressed communities. To date, AWS has completed replenishment projects in Brazil, India, Indonesia, and South Africa, providing 1.6 billion liters of freshwater each year to people in those communities. For example, in regions like Maharashtra and Hyderabad, India, and West Java, Indonesia, AWS is partnering with global clean water nonprofit Water.org to provide 250,000 people with access to safe water and sanitation. Building on its existing portfolio of water replenishment programs, AWS today announced several new projects, which, once completed, will provide more than 823 million liters of water to communities each year, including:
India: AWS is providing continued support to WaterAid to complete projects in Hyderabad and Andhra Pradesh after they were launched in March 2022. Since then, WaterAid has already completed five piped water systems and new groundwater recharge projects, which will supply 500 households–approximately 2,100 people–with an estimated 47 million liters of water per year. WaterAid also conducted education campaigns on water conservation in these communities to educate residents on practical ways they can conserve clean water, use rainwater harvesting, and conduct water audits.
UK: AWS is working with The Rivers Trust and Action for the River Kennet to create two wetlands on a tributary of the River Thames, one of the most important water catchment areas in the UK. The wetlands will recharge over 587 million liters of groundwater per year and improve water quality by receiving and treating polluted runoff from farms and roadways, addressing growing water scarcity and boosting water quality in the Thames River basin.
US (California): Beginning this winter,AWS, the conservation non-profit Freshwater Trust, and the Omochumne-Hartnell Water District will recharge 189 million liters of groundwater per year using winter water from the Cosumnes River. This will allow water to gradually flow through the groundwater table and back into the Sacramento and San Joaquin watershed, increasing water flows during drier summer months. This lowers the temperature of the river, improves salmon habitat, and increases summer flows into the San Francisco Bay Delta, a critical water supply source for the communities in the region.
Today’s announcement adds to Amazon’s commitment of $10 million to Water.org to support the launch of the Water & Climate Fund, which will deliver climate-resilient water and sanitation solutions to 100 million people across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. This donation will directly empower 1 million people with water access by 2025, providing 3 billion liters of water each year to people in water scarce areas.
“Our work with Amazon is supported by the shared belief that solving the global water crisis is possible. We commend AWS for committing to return more water than it uses by announcing Water+ by 2030,” said Matt Damon, co-founder of Water.org. Gary White, Water.org CEO and co-founder, added, “Our collaboration with Amazon and AWS already brings over 805 million liters of safe water to communities around the world every year, and we are excited to continue to work with Amazon to bring even more safe water to families in need.”
“WateReuse Association celebrates AWS’s commitment to go water positive by 2030, and for integrating water recycling as a key component in its goal to protect water resources, local ecosystems, and spur economic development,” said Patricia Sinicropi, executive director of WateReuse Association. “The progress AWS has made in using recycled water for cooling in 20 of their data centers already shows great leadership for the industry. We look forward to collaborating with Amazon to implement water reuse for the benefit of their operations and for the communities in which they operate.”
“AWS’s announcement to be water positive by 2030 demonstrates a clear commitment to water stewardship and sustainability,” said Mary Wenzel, managing director of corporate engagement at The Nature Conservancy. “AWS’s support of our work has helped improve water security for people and nature in water-stressed regions in South Africa and Brazil. We look forward to continuing our relationship with AWS to improve water quality and quantity by protecting and restoring watersheds around the world.”
AWS will report annually on new innovations in water efficiency, community reuse, water replenishment projects, and other activities on its path to achieving its water+ commitment. A full overview of how AWS will meet water+ by 2030 is in the methodology, available here: https://sustainability.aboutamazon.com/water
