There is no shortage of scams today and recent being the broadband scam. The revenue scam is also a recurring one but today I managed to get a quick clip of the said scammers. Given he knew I was onto him he hung up soon enough in the call…The typical situation here is they ring and hang up..
He requested my PPS number (obviously fishing for information) then I asked him why are you calling and that you should have this information and he kindly said “I don’t have that information” You’ve been warned folks.. Pass it on..
As the technology that powers wearables gets smarter, fashion brands are driving the next evolution of the wearable market. Currently one in five adults wears a smart watch or fitness strap and by 2020, the wearable tech market will be worth 30 billion euros globally – proving the market is one to watch.
To date, technical features have led the race, with most devices competing solely on battery life and capabilities. But technology is no stranger to fashion; from smart fabrics, models wearing Google Glass on the runway, to fashion designer Adam Selman sporting the next generation of payment enabled dresses on the catwalk – wearable tech is increasingly claiming its place in fashion.
“With fashion shows taking place in New York, London and Milan this month and Mobile World Congress Barcelona about to get underway, there’s no better time to talk about the future of wearables. In the fashion world, trends such as athleisure remain steadfast. Meanwhile, technology is getting faster and smaller, speaking to those same consumers seeking minimalist and seamless, but well-designed options. Now technology and fashion brands need to work together to end consumer confusion over whether devices are fashion accessories, tech hardware or fitness tools.” said Jorn Lambert, Executive Vice President, Digital Solutions Mastercard.
Fashion and technology both act as extensions of oneself and for wearable technology to be attractive to consumers it must appeal to both. Be it a diamond cuff, a metallic watch, or gold-plated ring, smart jewellery that allows consumers to unlock new goods while looking good is essential to the next stage of wearable technology’s growth. It’s a promising way for brands to enter a new market and reach new, connected and digitally native customers – wearables are multi-use, but cheaper than most mobile devices.
For technology providers, the challenge is making processes as smooth and unobtrusive as possible to empower fashion brands to design wearables that first and foremost look like high-end accessories. One of the first companies to enter this area was Sony with their smart watch strap – Wena™. The “Wear Electronics Naturally” strap is designed to make everyday activities easier to do by incorporating speedy contactless payment, advanced fitness tracking and direct link-ups for phone notifications – all into a luxury timepiece design.
Making the payment process as easy as a tap or a swipe means payment-enabled wearables will be the next phase of consumer desire for practicality infused with ‘Insta-ready’ looks. Indeed, payment-enabled wearables are already available in 21 EU countries and over 30 different devices.
Audeara is the world’s first headphone offering an in-built hearing test to protect users’ ears, delivering a supreme, catered sound like no other. The headphones can prevent hearing loss by making the sound better rather than louder, which prevents the ongoing cycle of hearing damage.
Audeara headphones can be used to test and retest hearing over a lifetime and adapt music to the users’ individual needs. They sharpen music, not making it louder to improve the experience and provide perfect sound. The first time the headphones are worn, the user undertakes a hearing test – the results of which are subsequently stored in the headphones themselves.
The headphones use this hearing profile is used to adjust the sound signal. They adjust the right ear differently from the left, making sure each part of the signal reaches each music lover’s brain in a way that the artist and audiologist would love!
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO):
1.1 billion young people (between the ages of 12–35 years) are at risk of hearing loss due to exposure to noise in recreational settings.
Over 43 million people between the ages of 12–35 years live with disabling hearing loss due to different causes.
Among teenagers and young adults aged 12–35 years in middle to high-income countries, nearly 50% are exposed to unsafe levels of sound from the use of personal audio devices and around 40% are exposed to potentially damaging sound levels at clubs, discotheques and bars.
The audiology experts are now offering its genius headphones at an even better price –fromtodayreduced from £299.99/$379.99 to £199.99/$249.99!
Features
Low-latency, high-fidelity Bluetooth.
High-quality 40mm Mylar speakers.
Adjustable headband and soft over-ear cushion.
Rotatable design for easy storage in a slim, hard carry case when traveling.
Built-in lithium-ion battery, rechargeable via Micro-USB jack.
The headphones can be used as a common wired headphone with 3.5mm port.
Advanced, active noise cancelling design effectively reduces noise by up to 85%.
Specifications
Bluetooth & ANC
Speakers: 40mm Mylar
Audio impedance: 32Ohm
Charging time: approx 3.0 hours
Charging: micro USB
Operating range: ≥10 m
Connection: 3.5mm jack
Working time :
– Noise cancelling function only: 66 hours
– Bluetooth function only: 45.5 hours
– Noise cancelling + Bluetooth function: 25.5 hours
XPLORA (www.myxplora.com), the Norwegian company known for its range of best-selling smartwatches for children, is today announcing its newest product the XPLORA GO ahead of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next week. The XPLORA GO is a single device that can be relied upon by people of all ages, with five different everyday use cases: children, elderly, pets, bikes and assets (such as suitcases, bags, laptops etc.).
The device will be available to purchase from April 2019 at www.myxplora.com, Amazon, and selected retailers from £69.99 and emulates a typical XPLORA smartwatch face, with additional accessories/covers available to purchase in different bundles starting at £17.99. Connected to the new XPLORA mobile app, the XPLORA GO comes preloaded with different interfaces for each function, which can be accessed and selected with a simple swipe on the screen. Each XPLORA GO comes with core standard features, including GPS and location tracking, geofenceable areas, an SOS button, WiFi connectivity and mobile connectivity.
XPLORA Founder and Chief Brand Officer Sten Kirkbak, and CEO Jesus Llamazares, will be at Mobile World Congress if you had plans to attend. They would love to meet for a quick chat at Hall 8.0, Stand H37. You will also be able to try out the XPLORA products on the stand including its range of smartwatches for children and adults, as well as its accessories such as hover shoes, speakers, cameras and chargers. Watch out for our review soon here on techbuzzireland.com
Earlier this month, XPLORA announced a first-of-its-kind collaboration with Sony Interactive Entertainment Spain to develop the very first video game that syncs with a smartwatch and enables children to turn physical activity into in-game perks such as level-ups, new powers, and new characters that are redeemable in the upcoming PlayStation®4 title ‘Aces of the Multiverse’.
Nutanix, a global leader in enterprise cloud computing, today announces the details and speakers for its .NEXT On Tour conference in Dublin. The event, dedicated to innovation in emerging cloud technologies, will take place from 9am to 5pm on Tuesday, 12th March, 2019, at the Convention Centre Dublin.
Nutanix’s .NEXT On Tour is specifically designed to provide attendees with insights on the latest developments and trends in emerging hybrid-cloud technologies. This will be the first time .NEXT On Tour has come to Ireland and those in attendance will have the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of hybrid cloud, hyperconvergence, IoT, and cloud automation.
Nutanix .NEXT On Tour Dublin
Furthermore, the conference will explore how these trends can reduce costs and complexities for organisations – with a number of real-world examples of customers who are transforming their businesses on show.
David McWilliams, economist, author and broadcaster, will provide a guest speech on the day. Other speakers include Binny Gill, Global CTO Cloud Services at Nutanix, and newly-appointed Nutanix Country Manager & Regional Director for Ireland, Fergal O’Sullivan, with further contributions from Nutanix partners including Rubrik, Veritas and Cloudian.
Through a series of talks, demos and networking breaks, attendees will leave equipped with a straightforward, actionable roadmap to support their journey to the enterprise cloud, including:
Cost analysis tools to determine whether hyperconvergence is right for them;
A step-by-step guide on how to modernize their data centre;
A better understanding of how to combat emerging data centre security threats;
Blueprints for automating the delivery of applications across any cloud system;
Deep insights on how best to manage out-of-control public cloud expenses.
Speaking about the event, Fergal O’Sullivan, Country Manager & Regional Director for Ireland, Nutanix, said: “The pace of innovation in emerging cloud and hybrid-cloud technologies is making it more challenging for IT practitioners to keep up. The .NEXT On Tour Dublin conference will provide Irish businesses and data centres with a clear path to determining and implementing the best-fitting enterprise cloud solution for their business. With fantastic opportunities for networking and some really interesting guest speeches, we are thrilled to bring the .NEXT On Tour event to Ireland and to help attendees make their business future-ready.”
Google is honouring Aussie icon Steve Irwin with a dedicated Google Doodle tomorrow, Friday 22 February, which would have been Steve’s 57th birthday.
The Doodle will run for 24 hours from midnight on Google homepages around the world including Ireland, Australia, the US, Europe, Asia, Middle East and South America (from 12:01AM on February 22 in each country).
The Doodle features an animated slideshow illustrating Steve’s journey as a zookeeper, conservationist and father. A guest blog post from Steve’s wife Dr. Terri Irwin is also available, in which she remembers the achievements of – and life with – the Aussie icon.
There is a dedicated Google Assistant prompt to mark the day, as well as a host of wildlife and conservation-related Google Trends data.
We are now into 2019 and Nokia now have quite a slew of devices on the market with an odd naming structure that in some cases overlap even with the timely gap between predecessors I have seen some instances in store with two devices from the same series and then you have plus models on top of that.. In short they need to deal with this. The 7.1 also falls into that and is the upgrade to the 7 plus.. BUT IS IT??
The 7.1 looks great from any angle with the chamfered edges and rounded corners and glass front and rear it feels good to hold in the hand, A little on the small size for my taste but I got to like it quickly though I think the 7 plus was a better sized device but the 7.1 looks better as a whole but that is my personal view
With cost to performance ratio coming down in price now on smartphones Nokia and HMD are well placed here but again its a saturated market and competition is tough but design is one factor to step back and look at and this is nice in this case but just dont keep repeating it like Samsung and others have over the years and from an aesthetics point of view it is not good to have a portfolio of devices all looking the same.
Main features below. I wont bore you with specs..
Out of the box the 7.1 will meet most peoples needs but for a power users like me the battery let me down, Remember I am a power user there is a difference between that and your average user this is big when it comes to comes to battery drain and I have alot going on on my phones which is annoying sometimes. I would not get a full day on one charger but we have USB-C and fast charging,which is great but no wireless charging which is not so great despite the glass back on this phone…
The camera is what everyone talks about on Nokia phones and with ZEISS optics and an array of settings to play with you are covered overall even low light is not too shabby compared to others in this price range but overall you can in short point and shoot and get results which is what people want without the need to be messing about with settings even though there is many here to try out do most people actually use them?? If you do they are there and they can improve your photography game if that is your thing. See samples below of all options…
When it comes to multitasking I was happy with how it handled things with multiple pages open and switching between apps all was fine and smooth, Web browsing, social and emails all a breeze but I did see some freezing particularly on Twitter however this is common on several phones including the 7 plus and 8. Screen freeze was present on a few occasions but a quick lock/unlock addressed this. Gaming was fine I am not a massive gamer but for the heavier games I did notice some lag here and there but for your average game you will be fine.
I loaded up my SD card which is full of photos,videos and games and music and I did notice a small slowdown in performance. I am an old school person who has a few sd cards copied and full of stuff I like to use and look back on and never have much need for them these days but there is quite an amount of material on these and it did hamper performance slightly.Like I say I am a power user and have more than your average needs than the typical user would have.
With specs on board here at the pricepoint you cant complain really for what you get, The screen is great for media consumption,the speaker is decent and for the most the battery will last and it fits that sweet point in general. For point and shoot folk you are on a winner and photos are great with the right conditions and no over saturated or grainy images. I think the 7 plus was perhaps better overall but this comes in cheaper than last years but lets see how it gets on after a longer period of use and lets hope that we have not a repeat situation like the Nokia 7 plus we had last year and seems to be an issue. Also I have noticed issues with bluetooth connectivity with my car that is keeps disconnecting and having to pair it back up and the same on some headphones or earphones.The support forum lacks help which i have tried to address and is something that needs to change and for me it is a gripe I personally have that needs to change compared to the former NSD forum. There’s a certain level of ignorance which needs addressing when it comes to support and more and I’m not the only one to point this out.
Would I recommend this phone?? Yes if you are on a budget this is an easy recommendation for the price and what you get for your hard earned cash you get value for money. With the likes of Xiaomi around and other players in the market there is marginally better but the issue at hand for them is availability in stores here and support and you are left to do your business online and returns are a problem and time consuming. The 7.1 is priced well against its competition here in Ireland giving you a well built phone and specs though.
The 7.1 is now widely available in Ireland but your best deal is through your operator starting at €269, Argos at €229 sim free and most likely that price will drop soon enough with more new handsets coming at MWC 2019.
The HyperX Pulsefire Core delivers the essentials for gamers looking for a solid, comfortable, wired RGB gaming mouse. The Pixart 3327 optical sensor gives players precise, smooth tracking with no hardware acceleration, and has native DPI settings of up to 6200 DPI. The Pulsefire Core mouse has textured side grips for a comfortable, non-slip grip and its symmetrical shape is suitable for both palm and claw grips. Customise lighting, DPI settings and macros for 7 programmable buttons with HyperX NGenuity software and set your mouse up just the way you want it. The large skates on Pulsefire Core help deliver accurate aiming by giving you a smooth, controlled glide as you move the mouse around your mat.
Features
Pixart 3327 optical sensor with native DPI of up to 6,200
Comfortable symmetric design
Seven programmable buttons
Easy customisation with HyperX NGenuity software
Large mouse skates for smooth, controlled gliding
Specifications
Mouse
Ergonomics: Symmetrical
Sensor: Pixart PAW3327
Resolution: Up to 6,200 DPI
DPI presets: 800 / 1600 / 2400 / 3200 DPI
Speed: 220 IPS
Acceleration: 30G
Buttons: 7
Left/right buttons durability: 20 million clicks
Backlight: RGB (16,777,216 colours)
Light effects: 1 lighting zone and 4 brightness levels1
On-board memory: 1 profile
Connection type: USB 2.0
Polling rate: 1000Hz
USB data format: 16 bits/axis
Cable type: Braided
Weight (without cable): 87g
Weight (with cable): 123g
Dimensions
Length: 119.30mm
Height : 41.30mm
Width: 63.90mm
Cable length: 1.8m
Key Features
Pixart 3327 optical sensor
The solid Pixart 3327 sensor provides precise tracking without hardware acceleration and supports native DPI settings of up to 6200.
Seven programmable buttons Pulsefire Core features seven programmable buttons with switches that provide crisp tactile feedback and are rated for 20 million clicks.
Easy customisation with HyperX NGenuity software
Create macros, customise RGB lighting and DPI and save it to the Pulsefire onboard memory
Customisable RGB lighting
Add a personalised touch of RGB style to your setup.
Overall view
The HyperX Pulsefire Core RGB Gaming Mouse is a precise smooth moving and comfortable mouse. This mouse is a fast mouse with allot of advanced features. This can be used in an office as the lights are not that distracting with the option of selected any colour using the software. The 7 controllable buttons is ideal for any type of gamer and even better for streamers and professional gamers as the mouse does have a bit of flash to catch their audiences eye as they play and stream. The 2 year warranty and the technical support is also a plus. This mouse would be better for higher up gamers as it is still a bit pricey for a mouse at €49.99.
The keyboard is crafted with a durable, reinforced plastic frame; the Alloy Core RGB was constructed for stability and reliability for gamers who want a keyboard that will last and not move in the process of gaming. The soft-touch keys have a tactile feel, yet keys are tuned to be quiet. The keyboard is spill resistant, tested to withstand 120ml of liquid, so beverage accidents while gaming are not a worry to gamers and gaming anymore.
Featuring HyperX’s signature radiant light bar and smooth, dynamic RGB lighting effects, the HyperX Alloy Core RGB is ideal for gamers looking to enhance their keyboard’s style and performance. The keyboard has six different lighting effects and three brightness levels. This allows a high attention viewing with a keyboard that can balance both brilliance and budget.
Negatives
Must download software before able to work on pc/Laptop
If typing normal E.g. (Word or excel) the lights on can be very distracting if the flashing element is on.
Not suitable for an office as the lights would distract other workers and possibly the worker himself/herself.
Not suitable for people with dyslexia/learning difficulties as 3 out of the 6 functions have red in them, this makes it difficult for people with the disability to read and see.
Not wireless.
Positives
Smooth and reliable keyboard
Very cool and flashy
Very easy to use once the software is installed
Very good for gaming purposes with an easy layout which can be edited.
Locking the keyboard without having to lock your whole system.
Very resistant to wear and tear as the keyboard letters and numbers are lights so it is more difficult for them to rub off like standard keyboards would.
Spill resistant which is a big thing among games both pro and armature
2 year warranty
Overall view
This keyboard is comfortable to use on the wrist and smooth to type on. The keyboard is sturdy and will not move when typing or gaming due to weight and grip. This would not break easily with the reinforced plastic as some gamers have a high tempo use. The HyperX Alloy Core RGB keyboard is visually appealing and eye catching which is great for gamers who like to stream online and show off their devices and Pcs and how good they look. The one button press to change the colours makes the keyboard versatile in its use allowing an easy visual variety. The keyboard would be perfect for a new pro gamer who does not want to break the bank. The braided cable looks and felt strong while catching viewers’ attention. The five zones colours would suit many gamers with a PC, the spill proof is a bonus ensuring long lasting gaming from a solid multimedia keyboard.
