Toshiba CEO resigns following takeover offer

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• Discord is now an essential tool for hackers

  Cybercriminals regularly use messaging platform Discord to host, distribute and control malware.

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• Google Workspace update now lets you block off calendar time to focus

  Seeing your calendar swamped by meetings should soon be a thing of the past thanks to a new Google Workspace update.

  The productivity tool suite is introducing a new "Focus time" feature in Google Calendar that will allow users to block out periods of time where they can avoid meetings and get their heads down for actual work.

  Most importantly, setting such a marker in your Google Calendar will also allow you to automatically decline meetings, meaning no last-minute rush to finish off work.

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  Focus time

  Focus time will be included as a new entry type for Google Calendar, similar to when setting an event or Out of Office marker, giving your co-workers a clear indication that you need some time to concentrate and get some work done.

  The ability to automatically decline meetings is unticked as a default, so you'll need to make sure it's selected if you truly want some peace. 

  When finalized, the blocked-out time will appear in your Google Calendar with a headphones icon included, showing your contacts exactly how long you need to focus for. Users can alos set a new color for Focus time blocks in order to have a different visibility from your events and other meetings, and any scheduled focus time will also be tracked in your Time Insights.

  "With the changes to our working environments in the past year, having more chats and meetings make it more difficult for people to carve out time for their core individual work," Google noted in a blog post announcing the update. "With the new focus time feature, we hope to make it easier to create dedicated time for thinking and core work."

  The feature is rolling out to most Google Workspace users now, and should be arriving to  Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Fundamentals, Education Teaching & Learning Upgrade, Education Standard, Education Plus, and Nonprofits customers by the end of October 2021.

  However it won't be available to Google Workspace Essentials, Business Starter, Enterprise Essentials, and Frontline and as well as G Suite Basic and Business customers.

  The launch is the latest in a list of Google Calendar features as the company looks to help workers re-adjust to office life.

  It recently announced an integration with Google Chat that will mean calendar markers now give users the option to quickly message other attendees in the run-up to a meeting, provided they work for the same organization.

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• AMD Threadripper 5000 chips could arrive in September with a 16-core CPU

  This new rumor backs up previous speculation that new HEDT processors might be arriving soon.

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• Global ecommerce payments are set to soar in the next few years

  The value of global ecommerce payment transactions is on track to exceed $7.5 trillion by 2026, according to a new report from Juniper Research.

  This represents a growth rate increasing by 55% over the next five years, with the sector previously valued at $4.9 trillion in 2021.

  Retailers offering omnichannel retail experiences are highlighted as the main driver of this growth, which over time, will increase user ecommerce spend, the analyst firm claimed, as omnichannel retail provides end users with the ability to access retail services, including sales and customer support, via multiple channels. 

  Ecommerce spend rises

  The report also predicts that ecommerce payments, including online, mobile and physical retail locations will all contribute to the sector’s growth, as users expect the same services to be available irrespective of the channel.

  Juniper Research states that there is an increase in appetite for new payment methods within eCommerce checkouts, including Open Banking-facilitated payments and digital wallet one-click checkout buttons. 

  “Merchants should ensure payment options match changing user expectations, or they will be rapidly left behind”, it added.

  Amongst other insights, the study additionally found that by 2026, China will account for over 37% of global ecommerce payments by transaction value, which will provide ecommerce website users easier access to alternative payment methods.

  Physical goods sold on ecommerce platforms will account for 82% of the global ecommerce payments transaction value in the next five years, with Juniper Research highlighting that the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to aid the growth of online shopping globally.

  With that in mind, Juniper Research highlights that alternative payment methods that integrate fixed installment plans and flexible credit in ecommerce check out options will continue to capitalize on this growth.

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