Tag: Computers

Earlier this year, Riot Games promised us something new with the Valorant Premier League. And they did not disappoint with the beta and ignition stages. Now that Valorant has officially concluded Premier stage-1, the action is kicking off in November with Episode 7 Act 3 once again. With a lot of changes to enrollment and practice mode, we have covered all the details you need to know about Valorant Premier. So, let us jump in and understand what is the Valorant Premier League along with the schedule, rules, rewards, divisions, and more.

What Is Premier in Valorant?

Premier is an advanced-rank mode for Valorant players. It’s similar to the CS2 Premier rank mode or Team Rank Mode in Dota 2. Through the Premier Mode, Tier 3 teams or grassroots players will get a bigger platform to perform and show off their skills. By competing in all the stages in Premier, players and teams will get a path into the VCT Challengers.

According to Leo Faria, Global Head of Esports at Valorant, the requirement of Valorant Challengers will now require Premier Contender Division placement and not normal ranks. This will help some teams enter the Valorant Champions Tour 2024. So, let us have a look at the rules and rewards of the game mode.

Valorant Premier League Rules

• Enrollment in Premier is simple. You can invite your friends or players who will play with you in a team you create. After that, you will able to queue together during the match queue period. Remember that even if the owner is offline, other team members can queue into a Premier game.

• Match Queue Rules: All players in the team have to verify their phone numbers through SMS verification. Moreover, if a player had an AFK or disconnect ban in the last 30 days, they will not be allowed to compete until the ban is lifted. Also, note that if a player has a communication ban for disruptive behavior, they cannot participate in Premier for the rest of the stage duration. If you think you can change your Valorant name, that will not work in this case.

• Playoff and Weekly Tournament Rules: You can play weekly or playoffs only for one team as one account. Any five players from your 7-player team can play in the tournament, plus anyone can leave the team anytime they want. You will even receive the reward if you are eligible after leaving the team. Teams will earn 100 points for a weekly match win and 25 points for a loss in the Premier game mode. The teams must earn 675 points to qualify for the Playoffs on December 17, 2023.

• Gameplay and Overtime Rules: The weekly matches in Premier are in the best-of-1 format. Teams will get a 1-minute timeout on each side and one additional timeout in overtime. The games in Premier follow the 13-round win format. However, the overtime is slightly different. The first team to get 12 rounds will get a majority-based vote to choose the side to start overtime. To win in overtime, either Valorant Premier team has to win 2 rounds consecutively. The teams will swap every round and overtime will go to sudden death after 2 sets of overtime.

Valorant Premier Schedule (Episode 7 Act 3)

Valorant Premier Release Date

The Premier Global Beta was released in April 2023. After a successful beta, the Valorant Premier Ignition stage kicked off and went on till August 13, 2023. After the Ignition playoffs, it was about time for stage 1 of the Premier League. That did not take too long as Riot officially announced that the Premier would take place right after the Valorant Champions 2023 finals on August 29, 2023. Valorant Premier Stage 1 started on September 7, 2023, and concluded on October 22, 2023.

With that Riot Games has announced many new changes to the premier model. With the announcement, Riot also shared the new schedule for the new Valorant premier season. The Match week will start on November 1, 2023, and end on December 17, 2023.

Match Queue Dates and Times

Match queue times depend on your time zone. The common timings are evening as per your local time. The timings for Premier matches can be between 5:00 PM to 9:30 PM in your local time. However, these timings are subject to change depending on in-game updates, servers, or technical issues. This is why it is always recommended to go to the “Team Hub” section in-game to double-check the timings.

The map for the queue will change every week. Premier teams can play two matches on each map per week. The maps will reset on Tuesday every week. Between the matchdays, you will also get off days for practice matches. The map rotation depends on your selected week. If you can queue early, you can finish both matches of the week on the same day. The Valorant Premier dates for stage 1 are:

• Enrollment: You can enroll any week a day prior to the Match Week.
• Week 1: November 1 – November 5 on Split
• Week 2: November 8 – November 12 on Sunset
• Week 3: November 15 – November 19 on Ascent
• Week 4: November 22 – November 26 on Breeze
• Week 5: November 29 – December 3 on Bind
• Week 6: December 6 – December 10 on Lotus
• Week 7: December 13 – December 16 on Haven
• Playoff Tournament: December 17

Valorant Premier Divisions

The Premier mode is divided into five Divisions. Each Division is further divided into five ranks, except the final Contender Division. In Valorant Premier league, the Divisions in lowest to highest order are:

• Open (1 – 5)
• Intermediate (1 – 5)
• Advanced (1 – 5)
• Elite (1 – 5)
• Contender

Each division also determines the MMR of a team, as per Riot. Your team’s Division is calculated based on the MMR of the top 5 players in your team. You can invite any ranked player to your team unless their rank changes your team’s Division. In that case, it will show an error when you invite that player. Furthermore, the MMR will carry on to future stages but the Division, zone, or enrollment will not. This means you will have to enroll again in future stages.

Valorant Premier Rewards

There are four known rewards for participating and winning in Valorant Premier. You will receive the rewards a day after the final match day, on December 17, 2023. Your reward will be in your collection if you are eligible. The rewards for Premier are:

• A Player Card
• Gun Buddy
• Title
• Crest

If you participate even in one game, you will get a player card. If you play two games a week with your team, you will get a crest. The crest reflects overall team performance. Your crest will also evolve during the stages of the premier modes. For winning any single match, you will get a gun buddy and a winner title.

Overall, Premier is a great initiative to give upcoming players to showcase their talents and climb the ladder. Your performance in Premier will also carry forward in the next stage and will be available on your career page. We hope to have answered all of your important Premier-related FAQs, but if you still have questions, then ask us in the comments below.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the duration of the Playoff queue in Valorant Premier?

15 minutes. There will be a time period now of 15 minutes. Once you lock in a queue, you will have to wait for 15 minutes to find the best possible opponent. You will have to stay in the queue to find a match.

What is Practice mode in Premier?

There will be special slots for practice during the match weeks. Teams will be allowed to queue for practice matches on these days. The days will be determined upon non-match days during a premier match week. Practice matches will follow the premier rules but will not give any points or rewards.

How will the Playoffs seeding work?

Teams with high scores will get priority in playoffs. This means the playoff points are more valuable now as they will determine your matchups in the final stage.

Taking proper care of your dental hygiene is very important and the electric toothbrushes are making it easier than before. But the best result can be surely achieved when pairing it with a water flosser as well. So how about combining these two features into a single device ? SOOCAS Neos is just like that and can deliver in both brushing and flossing department. This next-gen 2-in-1 electric toothbrush is really quite revolutionary and now you can get it even cheaper in the current Amazon promo. So would be a shame to miss it…

Universal tool for cleaning your teeth

SOOCAS Neos really wants to deliver a deeper level of cleaning than the common electric toothbrushes. For that it uses the newest TriSync structure with the FlowPulse Pump, MagVortex and CompClean Brush head technologies. Using all that it can reach up to 40x more plaque removal, 10x more gap cleaning and 2x whitening compared to a manual toothbrush. And how is all works ?

The FlowPulse Pump applies pressure to the water to form pulsed water flows through the MagVortex for flossing. The MagVortex delivers the energy needed via vibration to clean teeth, while the toothbrush head combines the pulsed water flow and the vibration from the motor to effectively clean the teeth in all directions. The newly added channel design on the toothbrush is able to combine the water flow with the bristle to effectively clean. Together, the three compartments work cohesively to achieve greater synergy.

Designed for all your dental needs

You can choose from 2 modes (Deep Clean and Quick Clean) and 3 levels of intensity to tailor the brushing to your exact needs. The Dupont diamond double layered rounded bristles are also better prepared for coverage, thanks to the “W”shaped layout and partition design. You will also see them change color over time as a fading replacement reminder.

Flossing gets even better with the AquaJet tech as well. The independently researched pulsed flossing method is capable of generating explosive power to remove food residue more effectively compared to the traditional flossing method. In addition, the pulsed method is less irritating and can is better for precise targeting blind spots. Furthermore, due to the nature of pulsed water flow, it can last up to 40 seconds of flossing time with just 3 oz of capacity. And with built-in water tank it’s fairly easy to achieve.

Cordless, wireless and much more

SOOCAS Neos also comes with a built-in 2600 mAh battery to last roughly 30 days on a single charge. And you can easily recharge it thanks to the wireless charging base. Waterproof IPX8 rating is also a given for the toothbrush. There are plenty of other quality-of-life features as well, including memory tracking for intensity, smart reminders for brushing different zones and much more.

And now you can get SOOCAS Neos even cheaper than before. Because the Amazon promo offer will slash the price from $169.99 to just $127.49. It should be valid from October 30th to November 5th so make sure to check it out and get yours.

About SOOCAS

Founded in 2015 with the intention to create a wide range of personal care products for people. Main slogan “Pure, Smart, Elegent”. Over a few years, SOOCAS has launched several product lines such as electric toothbrushes, water flossers, shavers, and hairdryers. Additionally, SOOCAS has complementary products such as toothpaste, mouthwash, and hair essential oil. 2. Following the “just one more step in personal care” ideology, SOOCAS has been guided by predictive market insights in combination with innovative technology and detail-oriented designs to present aesthetically pleasing while high-performance products. Some goals that SOOCAS strives to achieve are to satisfy people’s needs for a simpler and more enjoyable personal care routine. With these goals, SOOCAS intends to encourage people to gain confidence while living a simpler life.

The much-awaited iOS 17 Journal app has finally arrived, and it is wonderful. Apple’s new Journal app lets iPhone users record their daily thoughts and activities. Unlike other journaling apps, the Journal app in iOS 17 incorporates data like photos, music listened to, workouts, and more. Moreover, while it’s known that the Journal app offers you personal suggestions, the steps to turn on journaling suggestions in the iOS 17 Journal app are still unknown to many. Well, we are here to help you with that.

While the Journal app asks if you want to turn on personal suggestions during setup, it is very much possible that you might have skipped it while setting up the app. If you are one of those users, here’s how you can turn on personalized journaling suggestions on your iPhone:

• Open the Settings app on your iPhone with iOS 17.2 installed.
• In the settings, scroll down and tap on Journal -> Journaling Suggestions.

• Now, tap the Suggestions Privacy Settings option. Here, you will find toggles for Activity, Media, Contacts, Photos, and Significant Locations. Enable all the toggles to see journaling suggestions in the app on iOS 17.

And that’s it. This is how you can turn on journaling suggestions in the native Journal app in iOS 17. Remember every suggestion uses data from apps and data services you have turned on, but be assured that your data used for suggestions remains private and gets stored only on your iPhone. If you are starting with journaling, we suggest checking out all the new features that the Journal app offers here.

It’s not a secret that Meta (formerly known as Facebook.inc) has a big part of its revenue coming from advertisement. Both Facebook and Instagram, two of the companies’ major social media platforms, are supported by ads. The ads that you will often see through the feed of these social networks, are keeping the things operational. However, for some users, it can be annoying to keep seeing ads through the usage. For that reason, Meta is now announcing a new ad-free tier for users that don’t to see ads interrupting their usage. The new paid ad-free tier is going official in Europe and will give users more control over their data with no ad targeting.

Meta Introduces Ad-Free Plans for Instagram and Facebook users in Europe

Meta announced the new ad-free plan for users in the EU, EEA, and Switzerland. Now, users in these regions can pay €9.99 per month for web and €12.99 / month on iOS and Android. Through this paywall, users will get an ad-free experience across the social media platforms. The monthly fees will cover all linked Facebook and Instagram accounts owned by a single user until March 1, 2024. After that, the ad-free experience on each additional linked account will cost an extra €6 / month on the web and €8 / month on iOS and Android. It’s worth noting that there won’t be changes for users that don’t want to pay the new tax. The ad-supported experience will still be available across both platforms. You see Meta’s statement about the big news below:

“The option for people to purchase a subscription for no ads balances the requirements of European regulators while giving users a choice and allowing Meta to continue serving all people in the EU, EEA and Switzerland. In its ruling, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) expressly recognized that a subscription model, like the one we are announcing, is a valid form of consent for an ads-funded service.”

Interestingly, Meta also reinforces its commitment (source) to keeping users’ info secure and in line with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Digital Markets Act (DMA).

About GDPR:

The EU general data protection regulation (GDPR) is the strongest privacy and security law in the world. This regulation updated and modernized the principles of the 1995 data protection directive. It was adopted in 2016 and entered into application on 25 May 2018.

The GDPR defines:

• individuals’ fundamental rights in the digital age
• the obligations of those processing data
• methods for ensuring compliance
• sanctions for those in breach of the rules

About Digital Markets Act

The Digital Markets Act (DMA) is a regulation affecting organizations doing business in the European Union. As of November 2022, when it went into effect, it addresses antitrust concerns with large tech companies —gatekeepers— that control a lot of online activity and process massive amounts of consumer data.

To recall, the DMA became applicable back in May and deems Facebook as a “gatekeeper”. It’s a large digital platform providing core services in the social networks category forcing Meta to comply with the regulation’s obligations and prohibitions by March 6, 2024.

Conclusion

With the new ad-free plans, Instagram and Facebook users that grew tired of all the advertisements popping out in their feeds will have a new seamless way to navigate through the platforms. It’s an interesting, and unseen approach for these platforms. We are curious to see how users will react to the service and to see if there will be a wide adoption. Meta could also consider releasing the ad-free plans for other regions in the near future.

Meta and Instagram are the latest platforms to adopt this ad-free paid tier. This seems to be a growing trend among online platforms that are supported by ads. We just hope this does not bring more ads to those who are out of the paid plans.

Lenovo Yoga is of the most popular lineups among ultra-light, portable Windows machines. As you know, Intel recently announced their 14th-generation processors under the Meteor Lake architecture. Intel is now using the new “Core Ultra” branding for these processors as compared to the previous Core i-series branding. Now, Lenovo Yoga laptops with Intel 14th Gen Meteor Lake processors and Core Ultra branding have been spotted online.

Intel 14th Gen Meteor Lake Laptops Spotted Online

Lenovo Yoga Pro 7 is an upcoming laptop listed with capable specs such as a 3K resolution screen, 32GB DDR5 Memory, and 1TB of PCIe SSD storage. This laptop has been listed on a Bulgaria-based retailer’s website, with Intel Core Meteor Lake processors. The listing was originally shared by X user (formerly Twitter) @momomo_us, who is a renowned hardware leaker. Two Intel 14th Gen Meteor Lake CPU variants were leaked:

• Intel Core Ultra 5 125H
• Intel Core Ultra 7 155H

Both these CPUs are coming under the Core Ultra branding, meaning it is one of the faster 14th Gen Meteor Lake chips for laptops. The non-Ultra CPUs will be slower. Talking about these processors, the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H is expected to have a 16-core configuration with 22 threads. The other CPU, the Intel Core Ultra 5 125H, is expected to come with a 14-core configuration with 18 threads.

Of course, both of these CPUs should come with all the new Intel Meteor Lake features, as discussed here. This includes Arc graphics, so the Yoga Pro 7 with these processors should be plenty fast even for a few intensive games. Talking about the pricing of these laptops, the Core Ultra 5 125H variant of the upcoming Yoga Pro 7 laptop has been listed for 2948 лв (Bulgarian Lev), which translates to $1,599. The Core Ultra 7 155H variant has been listed for 2579 лв (Bulgarian Lev), which converts to $1,399.

These are the preliminary prices of Lenovo’s flagship laptops with Intel 14th Gen Meteor Lake CPUs. Thus, keep in mind that the final pricing might be different. It will be based on the region and future changes to the lineup. The proper processor lineup and naming hasn’t been revealed by Intel just yet, so take this with a grain of salt. All we know (officially) is that there are Core and Core Ultra chips under the 14th Gen Meteor Lake architecture.

What are your thoughts on the upcoming Intel 14th Gen mobile processors with the 4nm Meteor Lake architecture? Do let us know in the comments below.

Featured Image Courtesy: Beebom YouTube

Huawei just announced that it has completed the verification of key 5G cellular low-power, high-precision positioning technology. The technology has been verified by China Mobile Suzhou, Shenzhen Metro Group, and AIS. The verification reveals that Huawei surpasses the 3GPP requirements for indoor positioning accuracy. According to Huawei, the positioning accuracy can reach up to 0.4 meters. 

Huawei’s 5G Indoor Positioning Technology

Huawei’s 5G indoor positioning technology is designed to provide high-precision positioning for indoor areas. The technology uses uplink time difference of arrival (UTDOA) and field-strength fingerprint-based technologies. It also ensures that indoor positioning can be implemented in both light-of-sight (LOS) and non-light-of-sight (NLOS) zones. Huawei’s 5G indoor positioning is between LampSite Enterprise Edition (EE) and on-premises location service (LCS) modules. In addition, it supports open-standard interfacing with third-party platforms and uses that require location data.

Features of Huawei’s 5G Indoor Positioning Technology

Huawei’s 5G indoor positioning technology has several features that make it stand out from other indoor technologies. These features include:

1. High Precision: Huawei’s 5G indoor positioning technology has a positioning accuracy of 1-3 meters at 90% in LOS indoors. This exceeds the 3GPP standard.
2. Radio SLAM: Huawei uses radio simultaneous localization and mapping (Radio SLAM) in its 5G indoor positioning solution. This adds an extra easy way to quickly complete data.
3. AI-based Big Data Clustering Iteration Algorithm: Huawei uses an AI-based big data clustering iteration algorithm in its 5G indoor positioning solution. This algorithm also automates the process of generating fingerprint libraries. This reduces the time and effort required to collect data.

Verification Process

The verification process involves testing the technology in various industries, such as manufacturing, storage, and transport. It shows that the positioning accuracy hit 1-3 meters at 90% in LOS indoors. This exceeds the 3GPP standard. It also shows that Huawei’s 5G indoor positioning technology can work in both LOS and NLOS zones.

This technical verification applied the enhanced RedCap UE technology solution. This solution is based on 3GPP Rel-17 based on RedCap terminals. It sends large-bandwidth SRS in the inactive state to ensure high-precision positioning. This also helps reduce the power use of the technology.

Conclusion

Huawei’s 5G indoor positioning technology is a high-precision indoor positioning solution that has several features that make it stand out from other indoor positioning technologies. The technology has been verified by several companies, and it has surpassed the 3GPP requirements for indoor positioning accuracy. Huawei’s 5G indoor positioning technology has the potential to revolutionize indoor positioning in various industries, such as manufacturing, warehousing, and transportation.

Dyson has added a new air purifier to its portfolio called the Purifier Cool Gen 1 in India. The air purifier comes with a real-time AQI display and uses the company’s core filtration technology to keep the air around clean and healthy. Here are the details.

Dyson Purifier Cool Gen 1: Specs and Features

The Dyson Purifier Cool Gen 1 features the brand’s core filtration technology with sealed HEPA filters, which can filter out up to 99.95% of particles as small as 0.1 microns. It can detect particle pollution, including dust and pollen (PM2.5, PM10), and eliminates bacteria and other allergens. The activated carbon filter can help reduce gases, odors, and VOCs.

The air purifier has an airflow of 290 liters per second and comes with the Dyson Air Multiplier technology. The product is also made in such a way that it works quietly while ensuring the work is done properly.

Matt Jennings, Dyson Engineering Director, Environmental Care, said, “Indoor air pollution is a hidden danger, lurking in our homes, and can lead to several health problems, including allergies, asthma, and respiratory problems. The Dyson Purifier Cool Gen1 is an efficient air purifier that can automatically detect pollution and respond accordingly, while its fully sealed HEPA filter captures particles as small as 0.1 microns. This air purifier assists in improving your indoor air quality and maintaining a healthy home environment.“

The LCD display can show the AQI levels in real-time. The Night mode can be useful while someone is asleep as it dims the display and makes less noise while operating. There’s also an automatic filter alert system, which will help notify you in case a replacement of the filter is needed so that the air purifier can keep functioning smoothly.

Price and Availability

The Dyson Purifier Cool Gen 1 is priced at Rs 39,990 and will be available in the White/White color option. As the festive time is nearing, there’s an exciting offer too; you can get a discount of Rs 7,000 if the purchase is made via Dyson.in or Dyson demo stores. This will lower the price to Rs 32,990.