Month: September 2016

Blackberry to no longer make handsets, Its not dead. #Blackberry

Blackberry today have announced they are no longer making handsets.. Sad news for some but it was a long time coming due to their decline in handset sales it was only a matter of time.. Instead they will outsource the handset business which makes sense and something other players in the market have done.. Blackberry just like Nokia once reigned supreme in the mobile industry and they are names nobody will forget..  The Blackberry Priv which was their first in-house android handset sales did not go as expected but indeed it is certainly a nice mobile phone but its price was its downfall if im honest. Having said that Blackberry remains committed to investing in and growing the Mobility Solutions business…

 

John Chen, Executive Chairman and CEO says…

“We are reaching an inflection point with our strategy. Our financial foundation is strong, and our pivot to software is taking hold,”

“In Q2, we more than doubled our software revenue year over year and delivered the highest gross margin in the company’s history. We also completed initial shipments of BlackBerry Radar, an end-to end asset tracking system, and signed a strategic licensing agreement to drive global growth in our BBM consumer business.” “Our new Mobility Solutions strategy is showing signs of momentum, including our first major device software licensing agreement with a telecom joint venture in Indonesia. Under this strategy, we are focusing on software development, including security and applications.

 

 

The company plans to end all internal hardware development and will outsource that function to partners. This allows us to reduce capital requirements and enhance return on invested capital,” continued Chen. “We remain on track to deliver 30 percent revenue growth in software and services for the full fiscal year. We are revising upward our non-GAAP EPS outlook to a range of breakeven to a five cent loss, compared to the current consensus of a 15 cent loss. This reflects increased confidence based on improving margins and reduced interest expense from the recent refinancing of our debt, as well as planned investments in growth areas.”

After a $372 million quarterly loss, the Canadian tech firm said it will outsource all hardware development to focus on software. But how will devices look in the future?? Well that is a matter of time for us all to find out…Their last few devices where pretty good with the quirky design of the passport and their first Android the Blackberry Priv even the Classic and Leap where pretty good for average users and worthy devices but price seemed to be an issue alongside the dying OS..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OnePlus 3 is heading to O2 UK on September 29th #OnePlus3

Who would of thought we would see the One Plus 3 hit a retailer?? Well now it is happening but sadly not for Irish users and probably never will. Given its specs and price point it would surely be a good seller on any network but with how their business model started out with it did not go down to well with potential customer with the invite system which they eventually ditched… To add on top of that its the logistics if you had an issue but this seems to have been all forgiven and it would certainly be welcomed by most to see it in a store rather than online… Could this be the beginning of something new seeing new OEMs landing on our shelves??

 

The OnePlus 3 will be available on a range of O2 Refresh tariffs, starting at £28 per month, with no upfront costs. Not only that, but the device will be available in O2 retail stores and online from September 29.

 

 

One Plus have said…

 

O2 attracted us for a number of reasons. First of all, they have an unparalleled pedigree when it comes to exclusive launches for the finest handsets and introducing the hottest new tech to their community. The strength of their Refresh initiative, rewarding loyalty by removing high upgrade prices, is a perfect fit for the OnePlus 3. Finally, there’s O2 Priority, delivering exclusive early opportunities to grab tickets for the hottest events and gigs – an initiative that lines up beautifully with our Never Settle mentality.

Would you like to see it here in Ireland with our networks?? Let us know..

Source

Heavey RF successfully completes €750,000 contract with United Drug. #Cloud #Tracking

Heavey RF Group, a leading Irish-owned provider of advanced technology solutions to the warehouse and logistics sector, has fully completed its contract with United Drug which was worth in the value of €750,000. Heavey RF is delighted to have fully and successfully implemented one of its largest projects to date.

The one-year contract involved the integration and national roll-out of a single, cloud-based solution to replace United Drug’s previous proof of delivery as well as its associated tracking and reporting solutions.

 

Pictured are Ronan Clinton, Heavey RF with Ian Donaldson from United Drug on the completion of Heavey RF’s contract to deliver a new package tracking and proof of delivery system for the the pharmaceutical wholesaler, a project was worth in the value of €750,000.

 

United Drug is the largest pharmaceutical wholesaler and pre-wholesaler in Ireland providing a wide range of supply chain services to manufacturers, hospitals and pharmacies.

United Drug distributes 200 million medicines and related products per year providing extensive service to all parts of the island of Ireland.

Heavey RF partnered with ABM Data Systems, a Dublin-based specialist software house with over 20 years’ experience in transport software in its project to deliver a user-friendly, secure package tracking and electronic proof of delivery for United Drug.

Ronan Clinton from Heavey RF said: “United Drug’s requirements was for a scalable and future-proof solution that would seamless integrate with its existing and future infrastructure. It was a complex project in which our core team worked in partnership with United Drug to deliver a solution tailored to its needs. Together we have developed a best in class solution that give our client, who is already an industry leader, an added edge.”

 

Pictured are Ronan Clinton, Heavey RF with Ian Donaldson from United Drug on the completion of Heavey RF’s contract to deliver a new package tracking and proof of delivery system for the the pharmaceutical wholesaler, a project was worth in the value of €750,000.

The project included a solution integration across over 200 mobile and more than 30 desktops across six national locations.

 

Ian Donaldson Operations Director from United Drug said:

“United Drug required a leading edge tote tracking and proof of delivery solution across multiple business units and locations whilst aligning the implementation to a Group SAP Program. Heavey RF provided this solution and was a willing and flexible partner who enabled us to achieve our key objectives. The solution is meeting our performance targets and we are confident it will allow us to move forward with enhanced capability in this key operational area.”

Image to Excel App – A new way to work with spreadsheets on the go. #Cometdocs

Cometdocs has recently launched an innovational app for managing documents on the go, available on both platforms, iOS and Android, for free. Given that large amount of data presented in Excel spreadsheets can be difficult to handle and edit, Cometdocs has come up to an efficient solution, in the form of a simple app – Image to Excel.

 

Description

Image to Excel app accurately converts photos of tables into editable MS Excel spreadsheets. Something like a scanner, but even more practical because you don’t have to convert your scans into editable documents, they are immediately ready for further editing. Here are some characteristics of the app:

 

  • Great recognition of rows and columns
  • Complicated tables are convertible too
  • No restrictions on the file size or number of converted files
  • Won’t drain your battery
  • Straightforward and easy-to-use app

 

With the help of industry-leading OCR engines, Image to Excel offers excellent conversion quality which represent precondition for a pleasant user experience. Having that in mind, this app has a solid base to be very helpful when it comes to dealing with tables and charts.

 

 

 

 

How to use it?

 

Image to Excel has a intuitive interface and therefore it is operated without difficult. Follow these simple instructions and convert your image into a functional spreadsheet:

1. First download the app on App Store or Google Play

  1. Select a picture you’d like to convert: an old one from your smartphone or just snap a new one
  2. Open the converted document in an editing app, such as MS Excel or LibreOffice

And that’s pretty much it! No muss, no fuss.

 

Conclusion
Image to Excel Converter can be very useful if you work with different financial documents, reports, various lists, in one word any kind of data expressed in spreadsheets. It will save your time every time you need to make some changes in your documents. Plus, you can do it anywhere is needed, you’re not attached to your computer or laptop. All in all, considering its features and functions, this app deserves a place on your mobile phone, so hit the download button.

Vanilla Bean app finds vegan and vegetarian restaurants near you. #Vegan #Food #Health

Vegans and Vegetarians are a hard crowd to please when it comes to eating out and rightly so, We all have our preferred food choice and finding places that serve up what we like can be a cumbersome task at times especially if you are travelling. This app initially launched outside of Ireland but is now available for Irish users alongside Northern Ireland..

Having just briefly testing the app locally it seems like a good find listing several places in my locale and within a reasonable distance should I be an interested party in using the app…The app is of course location based and you will need to turn on your location to avail of the service….

 

 

 

Introduced as one of the best new apps at Apple and well known from Huffington Post and Peta, vanilla bean is one of the winners of the Show Your App Award 2016.

 

Wherever you are in the United Kingdom and Ireland, in London or Manchester, Glasgow, Cardiff, Dublin or Belfast: vanilla bean knows which places will make you happy. Anything from gourmet venues to snack bars, a secret raw food place or to a valuable insider’s tip. If you are travelling in Germany, Austria, Switzerland or Luxembourg: vanilla bean has you covered. Including cities like Berlin, Hamburg, Vienna or Zurich.

 

The app is simple to use and with indicators to easily find more info you just tap on the icon and will then be given more information on the place of choice and even the distance….There is over 4,200 places to chose from to date and they have a webpage too should you be checking out some lunch dates from the office … You can even navigate from the app of call the store in advance which is a nice touch…

 


FEATURES

Through the map feature you can easily find all the green location highlights in your city. You can tell at first glance which restaurants are completely vegan, where one can find vegetarian options and where meat dishes are provided.

Your opinion, your personal experience counts: add your personal review and photos of the venue or the menu. If you like, you can share your newly discovered places with others on Facebook.

Filter according to your criteria and to price categories. For example, let vanilla bean show you only completely vegan venues with gluten-free options.

Search for postcodes, places and specific locations, or discover places with delicious treats near you. Committed supporters, partners and friends of a plant based diet keep adding new venues to the list.

You can find a wide range of information about all the entries. Photos, in-depth description, restaurant indicators, directions and comfortable calls directly from the app. In addition you can find links to the restaurant website and Facebook page.

All the information is regularly reviewed. Should you still find any obscurities, then please feel free to send us feedback through the detail view of the venue. We will make the adjustment as soon as possible.

Source

 

 

 

Tank fans rejoice. Tank 100 hits Virtual Reality. #Battlefields #WW1 #AR

If you are a fan of tanks or anything World War 1 related this app is for you.. Launched to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the first use of the tank on the battlefields of WW1, Tank 100 brings brings an Augmented Reality WW1 Tank experience to mobile phones and tablets. Alongside this AR experience the app allows users to view the latest World of Tanks 360 virtual reality films as well as a history of the development of the tank. The app is available now free on Android and iOS…

 

The fascinating history of the early development of the tank has been produced in association with The Tank Museum, Bovington, UK – one of the world’s leading museums of tanks and armoured warfare.

 

 

App features

 

3D Tank Model – Users can place a tank onto a map and see a life size model virtually appear on their mobile. You can then snap a photo of your tank and share!

Tank AR – by downloading a World of Tanks image, users can make a miniature 3D model appear on their desktop!

360 VR films – The App showcases incredible Wargaming.net 360 tank films – including live and computer generated tank action.

History of the Tank – History of the tank in association with the Tank Museum, Bovington, from the earliest designs to the Battlefields of WW1.

 

 

 

 

Samsung Ireland offer free Gear VR with Samsung S7 Edge purchase. #VR #Samsung

Samsung Ireland and to be exact Samsung UK are offering a Free gear VR with a new purchase of the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge right now.  Considered the cost of the S7 Edge personally it should come free, Samsung could have done with offering this to upcoming S7 owners too to sweeten the deal and get more people with VR headset in their hands. The headset will cost you around €99 outside any offer,You must buy the device in-store or on-line from Samsung between now and the 15th of October…. This is the best bit of kit to get immersive with and for the money its a good spend going forward..

 

 

See Samsung Ireland for more..

Check out what we think of the new Gear VR vs Old…

 

BitDefender Box Review by @Pat_Seery #Bitdefender #IoT #Security

Being quite the computer person I was asked to review the Bit Defender Box and so I set about setting it up and seeing how and more importantly IF as the saying goes “Does exactly what it says on the box!”

Whats In The Box ?.
The box
1 Network cable
1 US power socket USB connector
1 USB Power cable
1 Instruction manual

 

 

Setup

Ok I have to say right off the bat you need to know a bit about computer home networking for the initial setup of the box. The problem lays in once everything IS plugged in and you’ve downloaded the app (available on google play and apple store) You basically need to turn off ALL the devices you have connected to your network and restart the router and then all your devices one by one (I had to do this to get it working at least) Oh one thing I have to say that didn’t impress me was having to login to a new site to setup an account and then finding out that after the initial 30 days (or perhaps first year) it becomes a subscription service.

There is a nice Blue light that gives a nice glow on the front it looks quite nice and does not blind you as it points downwards,it flashes when you are configuring the unit and remains constant when in use and red should you have problems and when there is an update in progress it will be white…There is just 16MB (flash memroy)  64MB DDR2 RAM. There is two 10/100 Ethernet ports, a power port, and a reset button all placed on the back of the unit.

 

Using The Device
Pretty straight forward to use it the app is actually pretty good at has an easy and manageable GUI to get around. It will send you notifications if it senses anything untoward and it can be used with most of the IOT devices (I have a few of these) which is a good thing as most of them do NOT have their own malware or firewalls built into them

And Now The Good And Not so Good

The good.
Reasonably easy setup
Nice and small so can be tucked away
I liked that you can name each device and label it as guest or family device

The not so Good.

As I said you need to be somewhat computer savvy to get this up and running correctly and even then you aren’t entirely sure its completely doing its job.
The one I received came with a U.S USB charging socket thankfully these aren’t expensive and theres always some laying around.
The notifications it DID send weren’t very specific (but again this is just me being picky)

 

Verdict

If you`re just a general web surfer and do some media streaming (movies from different providers) or some you-tubing this box will do the trick…Its disappointing it’s a subscription service after a limited “Free” time. In the end it works, but always remember NOTHING is unhackable

 

Review – Motorola Verve Loop Bluetooth Headset by @Pat_Seery #MotorolaVerve #VerveLife

I got these to review as I ride a lot and need a decent set of wireless headphones to use that aren’t too obtrusive and are comfortable to wear over a long period of time.

Whats in the box.
1 x Wireless Earbuds
1 x Sport Carry Pouch
4 x Ear Gels
3 x Stabilizers
1 x Micro-USB Cable
1 x User Guide
1 x Quick Start Guide
The carry case that’ll easily fit even jeans pockets or slip into any computer or tablet sleeve

Build
They quite short in between each but but that’s not a bad thing as you don’t want them hanging down and getting caught in things, the are slightly plastic for my liking but for a general user this isn’t a problem as you`ll be wearing them for comfort and sound quality,buttons are quite tactile on the control unit and felt easy to find after some usage.

 

Pairing And Compatibility

I didn’t run into problems either pairing them or using them with a number of devices. The only issue I found is that you don’t seem to be able to pair them with more than one device at a time or at least I haven’t been able too. Charging is done via a small (and I mean small) usb cable with an apparent use time of 9.5hrs (Haven’t used them for that long but I’m assuming that this is dependent on a few factors) I must also say they manufacturer says the Bluetooth range on these is 150ft but I haven’t tested this any more than 50ft so it *could* possibly be right.

 

Sound Quality
The bass of the headset is rather surprisingly good but the high end seems a tad tinny (again this is a personal preference you may think differently) But if you’re a sound aficionado you`ll obviously be going for something a lot more expensive, that isn’t to say that these have a bad sound, like I said I was quite surprised….ok its not Dolby Digital or THX 9.1 but for a quick spin out or a fitness person these are great… Call quality is again ok I did notice a slight crackle on one call but having made a good few using these that was a one off.

 

Overall Verdict

These are REALLY comfortable to wear on extended rides and I think In the long run people would forgive the shortcomings of the plasticy build quality, The sound as I have said is rather good for a pair of earbuds in this price range. Overall if you want a pair of earbuds to do some fitness training or for that evening stroll when you need to chill out after a hard day these are just what your looking for.

One thing I like here to note is the colour,they are bright and stand out and look better than the plain Black look most similar offerings tend to come in so you will be noticed and people will ask “Hey what are they”…..

 

See the all the options and more at VERVELIFE