Communications
Free Translation Via Firefox – Even Offline
The new, free Firefox Translations browser extension translates websites in the browser without using the cloud, using machine learning. Client-Side Translations Firefox Translations provides automated translation of web content but, unlike cloud-based alternatives, the translation is done locally, on the client-side, so that the text being translated does not leave the user’s machine. With Firefox…
Read MoreMobile Phone Call Reliability
A recent ‘Mobile Phone Trends’ report has highlighted how the quality and reliability of mobile phone calls in the UK are improving. So, what’s helping to bring about this change and why is it so important now? The Figures Some of the key figures highlighted in the report (by testing company RootMetrics) that show an improvement…
Read MoreZoom Updates For Collaboration (And Fun)
Zoom has announced that its new apps, updates, and features will improve collaboration and creativity, thereby increasing engagement and interaction among attendees of hybrid-working meetings. Collaborate Mode Zoom says that its new ‘Collaborate Mode’ will improve engagement by elevating the screen-sharing model to be interactive, with participants seeing the host’s app view (similar to a…
Read MoreRecording Phone Calls On Your Mobile
In this article, we look at the legal issues around recording calls on your mobile, and the different methods for doing so. Is It Legal To Record Phone Calls On Your Mobile? In the UK, as an individual mobile phone user, generally speaking, secretly recording a conversation is not a criminal offence and is not…
Read MoreWhat is Web 3.0?
In this tech-insight, we look at what Web 3.0 is, together with its main benefits plus some concerns about it. What Is Web 3.0? Web3 / web3 / Web 3.0 (a term coined in 2014 by Ethereum co-founder Gavin Wood) is the next phase in the evolution of the Web. It is based on blockchain…
Read MoreTrials Running Broadband Cables Through Water Pipes
The UK government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport has launched a £4 million trial project in South Yorkshire to run fibre optic broadband cables through drinking water pipes to connect-up rural locations. No Digging Up Roads – Reach Rural Locations Fast The two-year trial, the first of its kind, will see full fibre…
Read MoreWhat’s All the Fuss About The Digital Switchover?
In this article, we look at what the digital switchover is, why it’s needed, what the challenges are, and why it’s now been paused. The Switch To ‘Digital Voice’ Back in April 2021, BT Openreach announced that starting from the end of the year and finishing in 2025, it would be “switching off the UK telephone…
Read MoreDumbphone Revival
A report by SEO software firm SEMrush has shown that so-called ‘Dumbphones’ are experiencing a revival, but why? What Is A ‘Dumbphone’? Dumbphones are mobile handsets that lack the advanced functionality characteristics of a smartphone and typically have press-button based inputs, a small non-touch display, and can just make and receive calls and SMS text messages. …
Read MoreWhat’s All the Fuss About Starlink?
In this article, we look at what Starlink is and why it has been making the news in the last couple of weeks. What Is Starlink? Starlink, operated by billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX company uses a constellation of low orbit satellites around the earth (launched by SpaceX rockets) to provide broadband internet. Starlink provides satellite…
Read More6G : From 7 Mins to 0.12 Seconds Download (ish)
Nanjing’s government-backed Purple Mountain Laboratories claims to have made a 6G breakthrough by recording the fastest real-time wireless communication speed ever recorded. For reference, 6G is likely to be around 50 times faster than 5G, which itself is around 20 times faster than 4G. Whilst this is very approximate, this could mean that a film…
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