We are just making a quick post regarding the VbyVeryBloggies17 Awards . We took Silver (2nd Place) in (Personal blog for digital and tech) in the awards in our second year to enter under techbuzzireland.com formerly nokianews ireland. We are now primarily a tech blog not sticking to one topic as was the case in the former name. We are fully independent with no sponsorship, Over the last year we have made some changes to the site and will be doing so again and look forward to some exciting things coming soon. I want to thank our readers and our radio show listeners,subscribers,social media followers and bloggers past and present,(BrendanVicente,Ashish,Pat and Mitchell) whom have contributed to our site and also guest posters,which are always welcome..
It has been a great year for us with product reviews and we will continue to bring the most reviews to our viewers in the coming months due to new partnerships we have made over the last twelve months and also our continued relationship with our known partners and we also want to thank them for sticking with us. Finally a huge thanks to the team at the Blog Awards and all involved for hosting a great awards ceremony once again this year and they have put it in a great effort and it must have been hard work and also well done to all the winners and finalists in the event this year.
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Hundreds of tech professionals; award-winning game designers; leading tech companies; technology experts; and Ireland’s meet-up community will converge at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham tomorrow, Saturday, 7th October 2017 from 10am to 5pm for Ireland’s newest tech event, 404.
Galway company expands its seminar series to the North in effort to spread love of all things tech.
For businesses who haven’t yet began to take advantage of everything the internet can offer when it comes to digital marketing and audience engagement, Educated Machine has some essential events. On Tuesday 24th and Wednesday 25th of October the Galway based digital learning company will present consecutive events in Belfast. The first will take place in the North Business Centre and will be their “Getting Your Business Online” seminar. Secondly in conjunction with the Foundry in City East Enterprise Centre they will present their seminar; Social Media & Digital Marketing for Business.
Educated Machine Founder and CTO Micheal Reilly said “If you’ve been trying to find a way to start with online business, these events could be the perfect square one for any business.”
The 25th of October will be Educated Machine’s busiest day as they’re also hosting a breakfast seminar called “Data Analytics & Data Science : What is it? Where to start? How to learn it!” in the Innovation Factory, West Belfast. Ideal for professionals who want to harness data to make informed decisions. This before quickly following up with a free lunchtime talk on App Development in the Ormeau Baths facility later that day, offering insight into the process used by professional studios to create successful mobile applications.
These will be Educated Machine’s debut events in the Belfast area and they are hoping to bring fresh training and knowledge to a city that’s proven itself to be a growing and innovative tech hub. Educated Machin hope these first events will be followed by many more in the coming months and they are looking forward to being a part of Belfast’s vibrant business community.
Did you know every move you make is being tracked? Well probably many do and the tech community but there is much more going on than most believe. Our friends at Sophos will explain some more and you need to read this by Matt Boddy..
To coincide with National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM), Naked Security, the Sophos blog, has been exploring simple steps to online safety – step number one: see if you have Google’s Your Timeline turned on and, if you do, switch it off.
The technology behind Google Timeline impressive, but the privacy and security implications are, for some, quite terrifying. And in fact, more often than not, people will find that Google Timeline is actually switched on without even realising.
Below you can see the blog which was posted on the Sophos blog, Naked Security, which explores what exactly Google knows about you that you may not have realised. Please feel free to use the content, and don’t hesitate to reach out should you want to speak with a Sophos representative or have any questions.
Google’s Your Timeline
Using GPS, Wi-Fi and cell tower data, Google’s Your Timeline can paint a very accurate picture of your daily life. If you’ve got it switched on, it stores every step you take and everywhere you go.
And the thing is, lots of people seem to have it switched on without even realising, including me, and my favourite hats come in tinfoil.
I was surprised it had slipped past me so I started asking other people if they had it switched on too. More often than not, without making a conscious decision to let Google follow them around, they had.
In the end I decided to ask 20 people at random and write down the answers. The result of my short, non-scientific survey? 95% of the people I asked – a mixture of people in technical and non-technical roles – had location history, or its slightly less obnoxious iPhone equivalent Frequent Locations (Significant Locations in iOS 11), turned on, tracking their every step, without realising.
Check for yourself. On Android it’s under Settings > Location > Google Location History.
It’s your Timeline (and Google’s)
So what exactly is Google Timeline? Google says: “Your timeline in Google Maps helps you find the places you’ve been and the routes you’ve travelled. Your timeline is private, so only you can see it.”
Only you. And Google.
Google’s reasoning for the timeline feature is that, if you want to remember the name of that bar or café you visited yesterday, last week, last month, last year… you can simply visit Your Timeline. The technology behind this is impressive, but the privacy and security implications are, for some, quite terrifying.
Where you go says everything about you: where you live, where you work, where you hang out, the places you visit, how often and at what time. If you’re a frequent visitor to your local hospital’s cancer clinic, Google knows. If you’re having an affair, it’s in there. If you’re a courier moving large amounts of cash, that data is being shared over the internet and stored in a data centre somewhere. If you’re in the military or the police it knows where you’re stationed and, if you’re moving, your direction of travel.
Even if the data were stored anonymously (and it isn’t clear if it is or not) that would be cold comfort. Anonymous data has a way of being less anonymous than you think, and the more anonymous data you have, the easier it is to unmask the individuals involved.
So what does Google know?
To discover what Google Timeline knows about me, and you, I removed my tinfoil hat and opted to let it store my location history again.
Here’s a journey from Oxford to London by car (indicated by the dark blue line) that’s been accurately tracked to the point of tagging me at a service station I visited en-route.
Once in densely populated South London, using the telephone masts, local Wi-Fi and my phone’s GPS, Your Timeline accurately plotted my movements. The colour of the tracking goes from dark blue to light blue as I change speed from driving to walking.
After accurately tracking my taxi journey into Clapham, Google Timeline then has a go at tagging me in a restaurant, Café Sol. Google will use this data to add to publicly available information such as “Popular Times”, shown for Café Sol below:
Google provides the following statement in its support documentation on the anonymity of this data:
To determine popular times and visit duration, Google uses aggregated and anonymised data from users who have opted in to Google Location History.
My memories of the evening are mildly hazy, but Google Timeline can tell me exactly what I did and where I went.
I’m not too bothered about Google using my boozy night for helpful data research, but it isn’t about one night. It’s about every day and every night and the pattern of my daily life. It’s about all this data being stored and accessible by… I don’t know who, now and in the future.
Google will store this data for years, as you can see in my screenshot below.
So how did I, and almost all the people I asked at random, end up with Location History turned on?
The option appears when you set up Google Now. For me that happened after a factory reset. When you’re busy clicking ‘next’, ‘next’, ‘finish’ and don’t have two hours to spend reading everything on screen, it’s easy to miss:
My tinfoil hat is back on now.
On Android 7 it was as simple as going to Settings > Location (under personal) > Google Location History and selecting ‘off’. For comprehensive details on switching off and deleting your location history, go to Google’s Manage or delete your Location History page.
Apple iPhones have a similar feature hidden deep within their settings. Go to Privacy > Location Services >System Services > Frequent Locations.
With October seeing the return of National Home Security Month, Don Shulsinger from Blinkforhome, the video home security and monitoring system, gives tips and advice for keeping your family, home, and possessions safe. Stay tuned for more news about blink coming soon..
Leave exterior lights on all night and when you’re out
When there are bright lights around a home’s exterior, burglars are less likely to target it. Schedule lights to come on at set times if you are away or on holiday.
Lock doors when you’re home alone
It’s not unusual for a burglary to occur while there’s someone in the house. It’s just as important to keep your doors locked when you’re at home so no one can break in. The most common time to be burgled is between 10:00am and 3:00 pm when thieves think people will most likely be out at work.
Don’t open the door to a stranger
Even if they say they’re from the council, the water board or the police you should be cautious about opening the door. A good idea is a peephole in the front door so you can screen visitors before opening the door.
Be smart about social media
Resist the urge to tweet or post that you’re on holiday or out at a concert or party and that your home is empty. Don’t give people insight into your goings-on. It’s best to update afterwards.
Get a dog or gravel
A dog can help you feel more secure and scare off intruders. A “beware of the dog” sign may help too. If you have a front garden or a car parking space, it’s worth thinking of putting gravel down as the noise can deter an intruder, or alert your dog if you have one.
Securely hide spare keys
Doormats, flowerpots and fake rocks are not fooling anyone who’s determined enough to break in. Hide them securely or keep them with a friend, neighbour or family member.
Install smart home technology
A good idea is to install a home security camera. There are many devices available that are motion activated and will record people entering your home, such as Blink. Ideal for alerting you to a break-in, and recording an incident if all other measures fail! Blink lets you keep a watchful eye on your home via your smartphone. It’s stylish, easy to install, wireless, and uses innovative HD video technology to let you know what’s going on when you are not there. www.blinkforhome.co.uk
InvizBox 2 and InvizBox 2 Pro are VPN routers which allow you to easily secure all internet traffic in your home or office without compromising on speed or convenience. Connect either device to your home router and all of your internet traffic is automatically encrypted, ensuring privacy and security for you and your family. The InvizBox 2 products will protect any device in your home: laptops, phones, smart TVs or other connected devices can now be secured over WiFi or gigabit Ethernet. The guys are looking for your support to help them through this last few days…
The last campaign : Raised over €100k on Kickstarter and was delivers 12 months later to over 700 backers. Since then it was on Indiegogo InDemand and raised over $300k to over 900 backers. All crowdfunders have had their orders fulfilled and we are shipping internationally through our own website to over 60 countries worldwide, soon to be on amazon and newegg.
How is InvizBox 2 different?
Speed! Capable of over 200Mbps at peak (requires fast enough connection). Most competitors are in the 10-30Mbps range
No setup out of the box – You plug it in and it’s ready to go – we embed your unique VPN credentials and select the fastest nearby VPN endpoint on first boot. “Privacy Made Easy”
Multiple Hotspots for different VPN endpoints – Want your Smart TV connected to the UK but your phone connected to the US? No problem!
VPN Instance per connected device to utilise the multi-core processor (load balancing done at an OS level beyond 4 devices actively using at the same time)
Dual band WiFi – 2.4G and 5G WiFi
Securely connect home with our mobile device, InvizBox Go
Unique, secure password per device
Flashed in our offices for your security
Parental controls
Updates over Tor hidden service
256Bit AES encryption (most competitors are 128 bit)
The Nokia 8 officially launches today and the prices are coming through, With Three Ireland offering it at €519.99 Vodafone have just popped it up on their website priced the same,This is really a great price and for the buck you can’t really go wrong….
Ultimate craftsmanship
The Nokia 8 undergoes a rigorous 40-stage process of machining, anodizing and polishing to ensure its distinctive design pairs flawlessly with the polished aluminium unibody abd nestles perfectly in the palm of your hand.
Dual-Sight mode
A first for mobile phones, the exclusive Dual-Sight mode lets you use both front and back cameras simultaneously for split-screen photos and video.
ZEISS optics
Nokia 8 features a 13 MP dual image-fusion rear camera with both colour and monochrome sensors, plus a wide-angle 13 MP phase detection auto-focus front camera. Both front and rear cameras are equipped with ZEISS optics, meaning every snapshot moment becomes a story worth sharing.
Thankfully this device is not an exclusive like the Nokia 5 and 6 is which will get the device faster into peoples hands without having to move network if you are happy with it..
There are many USB stereo Headsets with Microphones, of varying quality and price, but this one is different, not because of the high-quality packing, Frequency response or manufactured in Spain but the simple belief by the manufactures to give a 5-year warranty with this product in parts of Europe.(2-year warranty card in Ireland & UK,)
This inspires confidence before listening to the first note of call quality. If used for Voice-Over-IP or interactive PC audio application the noise cancelling and amplification technology filter out unwanted background noise. Many units costing double / triple the price do not offer the noise cancelling option. The volume buttons up and down seem a bit plastic as compared to the rest of the unit bit work as required.
There are no setup / drivers required for the Headsets,Just plug in the USB cable and works straight away. Call quality and audio on skype calls was impressive. The weigh on the headset seems proportional without a strain after using the headset for a while.
Ideal headset to use for gaming, VoIP software, and any other interactive audio application.
Noise cancelling and amplification technology, filtering out unwanted background noises
Built-in microphone with a 4 buttons volume controller
5 years manufacturer warranty
Frequency response: 20Hz-20 KHz – Impedance: 32 Ohms
This product does what it says on the box. Microphone,Volume control, mute button, available for gaming, with an excellent price with my only gripe the unit within parts of Europe give a 5-year warranty, this unit tested came with a 2-year warranty, this may be down to the supply chain logistics for this product but good enough to give parts of Europe 5 years warranty and confidence with the product, then give UK & Ireland a 5-year warranty, otherwise an impressive kit which should last well over its warranty period once its looked after and overall its a comfortable headset to use and easy to use too.
Powerbanks are in demand and thankfully we have a wide range available to us and of course we have cheap ones and expensive ones but that saying will remain true, You get what you pay for.. We can pick up such units for as little as 5 quid an upward but for that you get little or nothing and god knows what else with it so you are better off sticking with known brands and good retailers rather than cheap budget shops that we are all familiar with that sells dodgy chargers and cables.
The XB2 range has a variety of options for users and we have the XB202 which will be unboxed below and we will leave some info below on the specs and where to buy in the meantime.. Any questions just fire away.
