Month: August 2022

Irish Tech Firm Xtremepush Wins ‘Online Initiative of The Year’ for “Outstanding progress in the fight against phishing” At Europe FinTech Awards 2022

Irish tech firm Xtremepush has won Online Initiative of the Year at the Europe FinTech Awards, 2022, for the work they did with one of Ireland’s biggest financial institutions to reduce online fraud.

CELEBRATING EUROPE’S FINEST FINTECHS

Irish tech firm Xt

remepush has won Online Initiative of the Year at the Europe FinTech Awards, 2022, for the work they did with one of Ireland’s biggest financial institutions to reduce online fraud.

The Europe FinTech Awards 2022 in association with ID-Pal is the benchmark by which financial services modernisation and technological progress in the world’s premier financial services centres are judged by an independent panel of experts.

“Outstanding progress in the fight against phishing”

The independent panel of judges voted Xtremepush “The winner of Online Initiative of the Year because they presented an excellent solution to a very real problem, utilising its technology to achieve a significant reduction in fraudulent activity. This initiative also demonstrates the solution’s ability to scale up in the future. Outstanding progress in the fight against phishing.”

Commenting on the award CTO Dr Kevin Collins said “We are delighted with this significant win. Phishing scams and identity fraud increased by 184% in 2021, costing the Irish economy €1 billion every year, so our objective was to quickly put in place a failsafe that would make it significantly harder for fraudsters to gain access to customer bank accounts. Based on research, €8,000 is defrauded for every 1,000 people in Ireland. Our innovation led directly to a circa 50% reduction in phishing attempts as part of a wider strategy to reduce fraud.”

He added “Our innovation allowed the bank to provide customers with a secure notification and reliable verification alerting solution that didn’t require adding any complexity or multi-stage processes to their banking experience. The result is a robust level of protection from fraud and cyber-criminals.”

Working with the financial institution, Xtremepush developed a revised verification process to reinforce the existing anti-fraud measures. The company developed and deployed a solution within six weeks to significantly reduce fraudulent activity.

Dr Kevin Collins added “We needed to utilise the existing technology and deliver an effective response to the issue of fraud that wouldn’t significantly impact the user experience for the bank’s 2 million customers.”

The solution allowed the bank’s customers to confirm the validity of device registration and add new account payees by leveraging a multi-channel communication strategy. This allowed the customer to either confirm or reject the request and alert the bank to take steps to re-secure their account if this was required.

Xtremepush faced several challenges: the solution needed to work the first time, said Collins. “Because we were taking direct action against fraudsters and cyber-criminals, a miscalculation on our part would have allowed them to find a way around the solution”

Secondly, the company needed to work fast: comments Xtremepush CEO Tommy Kearns “We were approached by our client at the end of 2021 with an urgent request to help combat fraud. We needed to respond quickly and decisively with a solution that could be rolled out with minimal disruption alongside other anti-fraud measures the bank was deploying.” He added, “we had to work within the existing infrastructure and compliance requirements of our client to avoid any disruption to banking services via the mobile app and to ensure we were fully compliant with guidelines and regulations. And of course, any solution we proposed had to operate within established security standards of the bank as well as GDPR and other data protection legislation.”

Xtremepush goes global

Xtremepush will more than double its workforce here in support of the global roll-out of its award-winning enterprise customer intelligence platform and recently announced it has created fifty new roles this year, with plans to add another 120 in the next three years, and a new purpose-built Dublin HQ in Clarendon Street, Dublin 2.

“We are already becoming a global category leader, working with leading enterprise clients from offices in Ireland, the United Kingdom, North America and Eastern Europe. Our new Dublin flagship headquarters, in this prime location, is a marker of further growth acceleration” said CEO Tommy Kearns.

Reflecting this push into the US market, the company has recently invested in a new office in downtown Manhattan in New York to meet that ambition and support the firm’s accelerated growth in North America, where they recently won Marketing & Services Provider of the Year at the SBC North America 2022 Awards.

The SBC Awards recognize the achievements of operators, affiliates and suppliers from all the major disciplines including payments, marketing, platform providers and data. The 2022 SBC Awards North America also celebrate the companies surviving and thriving 2022 through these unprecedented times.

About Xtremepush

Founded in 2014 in Ranelagh in Dublin, by CEO Tommy Kearns and Dr Kevin Collins, its Chief Technical Officer, Xtremepush has been placed in the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Awards for three consecutive years.

Xtremepush works with a global portfolio of clients across several key verticals including banking & financial services, eCommerce, sports betting & gaming, travel & transport and publishing & media. The company owns its technology, end-to-end, supporting a single customer view, with ‘one platform’ serving all marketing needs.

Deep data & real time capabilities make Xtremepush a go-to multichannel marketing hub for enterprise brands. It enables businesses to acquire new customers and communicate with existing customers through automated, real-time and personalised messaging.

Clients include leading Irish financial institutions, McDonald’s, INM Plc, RTÉ, Dublin Airport Authority (DAA), Big Bus Tours, Wowcher, LiveScore, Oddschecker, Paddy Power Betfair and more. Xtremepush is an employer in Ireland, the UK, the US, Ukraine, Lithuania, Turkey, Poland, the Czech Republic and Romania.

Rethink Ireland award €530,000 to 28 Social Enterprises across the country

Rethink Ireland has announced the 8 Awardees of its Social Enterprise Development Fund and 20 Awardees of its Social Enterprise Start-Up Fund at a lunch event at Airfield Estate, Dublin. These Funds aim to support and develop social enterprises across Ireland who work primarily to improve the lives of people and communities.

The Social Enterprise Development Fund (2018 – 2023) is a €4.4 million Fund created by Rethink Ireland in partnership with Local Authorities Ireland and funded by IPB Insurance and the Department of Rural and Community Development through the Dormant Accounts Fund that aims to discover and enhance social enterprises that are already creating a social and economic impact on their communities.

To date the Social Enterprise Development Fund has helped over 500 people gain employment through 112 social enterprises and has mobilised over 16,507 volunteers.

The Social Enterprise Start-Up Fund, now in its second year, is an €800,000 Fund developed by Rethink Ireland in partnership with the Department of Rural and Community Development via the Dormant Accounts Fund. The Fund aims to support social enterprises at the startup and early stage of existence, with organisations from 10 counties throughout Ireland recognised as Awardees.

 Awardees include:

  • An Mheitheal Rothar: An Mheithal Rothar focuses on providing bicycles to those who do not have access to cycling, particularly those who are unable to participate in the Bike to Work program, while also creating an impact on the areas of employment and sustainability. Their one-of-a-kind approach combines recycling and waste reduction with delivering affordable bikes, as well as personalised information sharing and problem solutions for each user.
  • Carrickmacross Toy Library: Carrickmacross Toy Library tackles the problem of toy waste by offering a toy lending service to their local area, and offering an affordable and sustainable service to families.
  • Common Ground: Common Ground Community-Led Housing has been working in response to the housing crisis in Ireland since 2018. The project offers a win-win solution for State bodies, households and the wider community for developing a new housing sector for our country. Their replicable and internationally proven model makes housing more attainable, community-focused and sustainable, for the benefit of everyone. They offer a viable proposal for a pilot scheme in North County Wicklow which aims to be the first of its kind in Ireland and to offer a template for other groups around the country to help achieve a similar goal.

Richard Gavin, Assistant Principal at Department of Rural and Community Development stated: “Recipients of this funding and support are playing a key role in developing communities nationwide and I want to extend my congratulations to all Awardees. With their commitment and dedicated work, these enterprises are making a true social and economic impact on their local communities, while also tackling key social issues that we face today. They are inspirations for the next generation of social enterprises and we look forward to continuing to support them as they progress and develop further.”

CEO of Rethink Ireland, Deirdre Mortell commented on the Awardee announcement stating: “This year Rethink Ireland published our 6 Year Impact Report, detailing the level of progress that has been made towards developing a more sustainable and fairer Ireland by supporting social enterprises.  I’m delighted to announce that Rethink Ireland is awarding additional support and funding to 28 social enterprises who are on their journey to creating a lasting positive impact on communities across the country.

“Social enterprises are part of the social fabric  of our communities as they play a key role in developing solutions to the biggest challenges we face on a daily basis. From a toy library that offers rental toys to families to reduce waste, to a therapeutic adventure group focused on tackling youth mental health difficulties, or a heart-warming community centre that is integrating and including immigrants and refugees into Irish society through support and learning opportunities, social enterprises show a deep level of care for everyone in a community across Ireland. We are so thankful to our supporting partners and are delighted to have the opportunity to support these wonderful organisations.”

IPB Insurance Chief Executive Michael Garvey said: “Working alongside our local authority Members, our collaboration with Rethink Ireland and the Department has proven hugely successful in attracting and supporting social enterprises that are making a real difference in addressing social needs in their communities. The social enterprise sector in Ireland is going from strength to strength and is playing an increasing role in strengthening the sustainability and resilience of communities across the country. It is important that social enterprises continue to be nurtured by recognising the importance of the sector and providing assistance through financial and business supports.”

Michael Nicholson, Deputy Chief Executive of Local Authority Wicklow County Council said: ‘We would like to extend our congratulations to each Awardee on their success in receiving a Social Enterprise Fund Award from Rethink Ireland. Coming out of an extremely challenging period for Irish society, we’re delighted with this good news story for Wicklow. Social enterprises have an important role to play in guiding Ireland to become a more inclusive and equal society. Organisations like Common Ground and Rise at the Cove are leading the charge by not only creating jobs but working towards bringing about positive social change.“

For more information on each Awardee please visit https://rethinkireland.ie/our-funds/social-enterprise/

Social Enterprise Development Fund

The Social Enterprise Development Fund is a €4.4 million Fund being delivered from 2018 – 2023 and has been developed by Rethink Ireland in partnership with IPB Insurance and the Department of Rural and Community Development via the Dormant Accounts Fund. The Fund aims to find and support social enterprises that add to the social and economic fabric of their community by way of social impact. Since the Fund began in 2018, it has supported social enterprises in each county of Ireland and has helped to enable 500 people to access employment and to mobilise 16,507 volunteers.

Awardees are:

Name County
Common Knowledge Clare
Together Razem Centre Cork
No Barriers Foundation Donegal
Books at One Dublin
KASI Kerry
Way 2 Work Dublin
An Mheitheal Rothar Galway
Generation: You Employed Meath

Social Enterprise Start up Fund

The Social Enterprise Start-up Fund is an €800,000 Fund to be delivered over two years: 2021 – 2022 and has been created by Rethink Ireland in partnership with the Department of Rural and Community Development via the Dormant Accounts Fund. The Fund seeks to support social enterprises at the startup / early stage of their life cycle and will support them to embed strong business principles and, in turn, deliver social impact, create jobs and inspire emerging, next generation Irish social enterprises.

Awardees are:

Name County
Clare Community Energy Agency Clare
KindFolk Cork
Saoirse Ethnic Hands on Deck Cork
The Dialogue Code Cork
Trauma Responsive Education Cork
Pocket Forests Dublin
Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality Dublin
The Bike Hub Dublin
The Good Summit Dublin
The Sustainable Life School Dublin
Community Retrofits Ireland Galway
New Wave Wild Project Kerry
Gorm Media Limerick
Health Hub Limerick
Carrickmacross Toy Library Monaghan
Open Food Network Monaghan
Cycle Up Roscommon
Common Ground Community-Led Housing Wicklow
Rise at the Cove Wicklow

An Average of $189K Was Lost Daily to Crypto Scams and Hacks Since the Beginning of the Year

The crypto scam epidemic has worsened recently, costing investors billions of dollars. According to a BanklessTimes.com analysis, as of August  2022, crypto scams had lost roughly $42B. That translates into a daily loss of an average of $189K a day.

“While there are many legitimate players in the cryptocurrency space, there are also many scammers looking to take advantage of unsuspecting victims,” says BanklesTimes CEO Jonathan Merry. He adds, “These incidences will continue growing as the crypto asset market becomes increasingly popular. This alarming trend results from scammers taking advantage of unwitting investors looking to make a quick buck or oblivious to the threats lurking in the space.”

Leading Forms of Crypto Scams

Crypto scams come in all shapes and sizes, but the most common ones in 2022 are exit scams and exploits. Exit scams are when a company suddenly disappears with its investors’ money, while exploits are when hackers take advantage of security vulnerabilities to steal people’s cryptocurrency.

This year’s largest heist was the Terra Classic Bank Run, which netted scammers $40B. The Ronin and Wormhole exploits are the other significant crypto scams that have happened this year. Scammers made away with crypto worth $625K and $326K from the projects.

Other common crypto scams include phishing attacks, Ponzi schemes, and fake crypto exchanges. Phishing attacks are where scammers try to steal people’s passwords and personal information by sending them fake emails or texts.

Protecting Yourself From Crypto Scams and Hacks

These scams have one thing in common: They’re designed to exploit people’s trust and greed. So if you’re considering investing in crypto, be sure to do your research first and always be aware of the risks involved.

Additionally, be vigilant when checking emails and texts. Make sure that the senders are who they say they are. Don’t click on any links or attachments unless you’re sure they’re safe.

Also, use strong passwords and two-factor authentication whenever possible. Moreover, Be careful if someone is trying to sell you a “hot” coin or investment opportunity. Finally, be careful when trading on crypto exchanges – only use trusted exchanges with good reviews online. Full story and statistics can be found here: An Average of $189K Was Lost Daily to Crypto Scams and Hacks Since the Beginning of the Year

 

Guidelines For The Perfect eCommerce Hero Image

If you visit a new website today, chances are that among the many metrics that you might use to judge it, visual appeal is one of them. It will not even take you more than 0.05 seconds before you have formed an opinion.

This means that as a website owner or even a web developer, you need to ensure that the hero image of your website – this is the first image people see when they visit your website – is perfectly designed to avoid losing website visitors.

The perfect eCommerce hero image plays a crucial role in creating a good impression on your customers. You should use this image to show your brand identity, the theme of your business, and what your business deals with.

But how do you create the perfect eCommerce hero image? What are some important tips for you to follow?

Be Effective With Image Color

As an eCommerce business, you have selected a color or a number of them in the process of building a brand for your business. This is the color that your eCommerce website visitors will use when judging your brand.

This means that when creating a hero image for the eCommerce site, you need to make sure that the image reflects the colors of your brand. For instance, if your brand color is blue, you do not need to have yellow hero images. You can, however, mix the colors.

However, you can also use color to create an emotional appeal or create a certain character using your hero image. When doing that, consider mixing colors with your brand color. For example, you can use red to create passionate emotions.

Clarity is Very Important

One of the main reasons for including a hero image on your eCommerce website is to ensure that your site visitors will immediately understand what the image stands for. It is also supposed to let them (the site visitors) understand what you do.

This brings us to clarity. You need to ensure that your hero image is clear and easy to understand. A site visitor should not start reading other things to find out more about your site because of a poor hero image.

In addition, if you have more than one image, it is recommended to stick to a single idea for every image. For instance, if your hero image shows one of your products, then the focus should be on that particular image.

Consistency is Key

Imagine visiting an eCommerce website that deals with football merchandise to buy a jersey from your favorite club. However, the first image you see shows a person playing basketball. Chances are that you will think that you are on the wrong site and look for another one.

This means that it is important for you as an eCommerce site owner to ensure that your hero image is related to what your business deals with. It should relate to the site content and the product images on your site.

In addition, ensure that there is consistency between the hero image and the other images on the site. If you deal with football merchandise, then ensure that by looking at the hero image, a site visitor will see that you deal with football merchandise.

Collages Make Great Hero Images

Did you know that you can use image collages as your hero image on your eCommerce website? Well, most eCommerce websites deal with multiple products. For instance, taking the example of football merchandise above, you might be dealing with jerseys, socks, shoes, and balls, among others.

So, what do you do when you want to create a single hero image that shows more than one image of the products that you deal with? One of the best ways is to use a free collage maker to create collages for your product images.

When doing that, it is important to observe all the other tips discussed in this article. For instance, ensure that the image colors reflect the same colors of your brand. In addition, they should be clear and easy on the eyes of your site visitors.

Add Text to Hero Images

If you follow all the tips discussed in this article, you might not need to add text to your hero images. This is because the perfect eCommerce hero image is enough to persuade your site visitors to do business with you.

That notwithstanding, adding text to hero images can also be used to highlight your brand and its message. However, you need to be careful when using text on hero images to ensure that the text serves the purpose it is supposed to serve.

If you follow these tips, you will create a great eCommerce hero image that converts and persuades site visitors to engage with you.

Laying the Foundations for a Cyber Resilient Future – Jason Ward, Vice President and Managing Director, Dell Technologies Ireland

With citizens, governments, and businesses more dependent than ever on digital connectivity, one of the most pressing sectoral issues for this decade is cybersecurity.

While this issue has been in the public consciousness for some time now, there is still a wide perception gap in Ireland between business leaders who consider cyber security a priority, and the lack of implementation of security strategies within their own organisations[1].

The reality is that cybercrime is showing no signs of slowing down, posing risks across all aspects of society. In 2021, ransomware attacks were up 150% and more than 80% of experts say this growth is now threatening public safety[2]. Here in Ireland, the Garda National Cybercrime Bureau has seen a significant increase in the number of ransomware attacks in 2021[3]. These statistics demonstrate the gravity and prevalence of cybercrime today. The question is, as we focus on global recovery, and a new era of economic growth, how do we protect against cyber threats?

In order to deliver on globally ambitious designs of digital inclusion, sustainability, improved health outcomes, defence, and much more for the economies of tomorrow; cyber resiliency is a key building block and enabler.

The adverse financial impacts involved with cybercrime are seismic, and unsustainable for economies to absorb long-term. It’s no secret that advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML) and IoT are the key building blocks for future progress, but perhaps ironically, it’s these same technologies that can present new opportunities for cyber criminals.

The ultimate challenge will be securing such technologies and enabling more resilient, long-term solutions to the threats posed by cyber criminals. To make this vision a reality, the need for collaboration and support between the public and private sectors has never been more vital.

SME Cyber support vital for wider economy

Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of local economies. Yet they increasingly find themselves the target of cyberattacks. Almost one in three small and medium firms in Ireland say they have experienced some form of cybercrime in the past year, according to an EU survey. Irish SMEs recorded above-average levels of incidents with ransomware compared to other EU countries[4].

It is essential that we work to support and protect such businesses, particularly as we look to build more resilient, balanced societies. SMEs, unlike other businesses, often require and are entitled to greater government support and nurture. Governments that recognise SMEs as integral to a truly flourishing society will empower and deliver the most economic progress. Helping these smaller organisations protect themselves against the ever-growing cybersecurity threat must be a priority for public sector recovery strategists, in the months and years ahead.

The convergence of proactive and reactive digital resilience strategy is now imperative across organisations, businesses, and industries – cybersecurity defences alone are no longer enough. Organisations need to integrate resilience into all areas of their businesses’ digital transformation planning and operations[5]. This will be a key focus of the Dell Technologies Forum, which we will be hosting at the Convention Centre on September 27th.

Public to Private Sector Empowerment

It is now more important than ever that public sector infrastructure empowers business resilience to help identify, protect, detect, respond, and recover from a cyberattack and enable a rapid return to fully functioning operations. Even with strong cyber defences in place, it’s impossible for companies to avoid all cyber disasters and their resultant, adverse impacts on data, privacy, and trust. Therefore, the key objective should be developing a cyber resilience strategy that can anticipate and quickly recover from significant disruption.

One essential component of such resilience is to create and implement thorough cybersecurity training exercises amongst workforces. This not only prepares employees to identify security risks and lures, but also heightens awareness and reinforces the need for teamwork, skills, and collaboration across the whole organisation.

From the development of a baseline security standard to be applied by all Government Departments and key agencies through to the creation of a Public Sector IT Security Forum to facilitate information sharing and support the deployment of the baseline security standard, it’s positive to see Government prioritise a top-down and unified approach to cyber security within our public services.

However, given the fast pace of digital transformation and the ever-evolving nature of cyber threats, there is a need to ensure even closer links between Government and industry so that Irish businesses and the public sector remain one step ahead of any cyber threats before they emerge.

As innovation transforms our economy, helping it to meet pressing challenges in areas ranging from education to justice to health, so too should our cyber resilience strategies be evolving to ensure the continuity of these vital services.

By adopting a proactive, collaborative and unified approach to cyber resilience, we can turbocharge our long-term economic prosperity and innovation, creating a more agile and resilient infrastructure that provides the digital defences crucial to modern Ireland’s recovery.

 To register for the Dell Technologies Forum on September 27th at the Convention Centre, visit: https://events.dell.com/event/14f9f60b-bbb9-4e58-bbef-ab6206452026/summary

[1] https://www.delltechnologies.com/asset/en-ie/products/data-protection/briefs-summaries/cyber-resilience-survey-ireland-2022.pdf

[2] https://www.weforum.org/reports/global-cybersecurity-outlook-2022/

[3] https://www.garda.ie/en/crime/cyber-crime/increase-in-the-number-of-ransomware-attacks-in-2021.html

[4] https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2280

[5] https://www.echosec.net/blog/data-breach-detection#:~:text=The%20length%20of%20a%20data,vulnerable%20for%20over%209%20months

H3D & Dynamic Ear Company in ear auto modelling solution

Dynamic Ear Company (DEC) and Hearables3D (H3D) has announced their collaboration for the implementation of DEC acoustic filter and custom ear mould canal design rules into H3D AutoDesign AI for the modelling of custom-fitted hearing protection solutions. The automatic modelling of the mould and canal reduces a lab’s reliance on the availability of highly-trained CAD modelers thereby reducing CAD lead times whilst ensuring the design consistency required for certified hearing protection.

DEC approved custom ear mould canal designs are accessible in H3D’s automated CAD system, AutoDesign. AutoDesign, the first commercially available automated design software for the modelling of custom in ear moulds, is able to model custom hearing protection specifically for DEC acoustic filters.

The collaboration makes it easier than ever for companies entering the hearing protection market to produce optimised custom fit hearing protection for DEC acoustic filters. Simply upload a digitised ear impression to the AutoDesign servers and within 90 seconds receive a 3D print-ready file, ready to use DEC’s range of flat attenuating MEMBRANE filters, impulse filters for shooting and industry and industrial MESH filters.

“Partnering with H3D was a great opportunity for DEC. Implementation of our canal design allows our range of high-performance passive filters in custom moulded hearing protection to be made available anywhere in the world, even where skilled CAD modellers are unavailable.”, said Steve Collicott Business Development Director of DEC. “The process of modelling, ensuring the canal in custom hearing protection is dimensionally correct, with suitable acoustic mass, has been de-skilled. This is the first step in making customised hearing protection available to all.” “We are very excited to partner with DEC”, says Iain Mcleod, CEO of Hearables 3D. “Labs can automatically design custom-fit products with DEC filter technology in our AutoDesign AI system, which has now been approved by the DEC engineering team. As two companies that strongly believe in hearing conservation, we are pleased to automate the CAD process in making custom fitted hearing protection.” .

About Dynamic Ear Company (DEC)

Based in Delft, The Netherlands Dynamic Ear Company (a division of Sonova) develops and manufactures innovative hearing protection and sound management solutions for musicians, industry, military and leisure and almost every application where loud sounds can cause permanent hearing damage.

DEC filters change the industry of modern hearing protection by providing unprecedented ‘flat attenuation’’. This allows users to hear sounds in a natural but still a safe way.

DEC products include flat attenuation filters, industrial filters, ambient filter for hearables; automatic variable mechatronic filters, balanced armature earphones and accessories.

The DEC products are available through our worldwide network of manufacturers of custom hearing protection, private label brands distributors, audiologists, resellers and online market places.

www.dynamic-ear.com

Tech Review – Strauss & Wagner EM8C USB-C earbuds

The Strauss & Wagner EM8C is a Wired earbud with a Type-C connection, a microphone, and a volume remote control for music listening and calls. The earphones are not compatible with apple products The type c connection is unique as a connection to most modern android phones or suitable for connections to a laptop e.g., MS teams calls.

Features:

Type-C plug for use with desktop and mobile devices.

Three-button remote with volume and playback adjustment, as well as a microphone for calls and voice commands. Perfect for switching flawlessly between music listening and phone calls.

The integrated microphone allows for clearer audio quality thanks to a sensitivity of -43 dB.

Comes with silicone ear tips in three different sizes for personalised comfort.

A carrying pouch is also included to keep your earbuds protected. 

One year warranty

 

Frequency Response   20Hz-20kHz

Impedance      32Ω

Sensitivity        108dB

Microphone    -43dB

Driver 9mm

Cable Length  43″

Warranty         1 year

Controls:

 

Overall

The connection via the USB C connection was seamless for an android phone and laptop. The volume with a Sensitivity of 108dB allowed for extremely high pitch audio with limited distortion, this is the cable for the low and higher specification of the responses of 20Hz-20kHz which is in line with higher-end product ranges. The bass is noted as commanding yet on the higher audio levels not distorted as may be expected from smaller earphones. As with all earphones, it is endorsed

sound levels between 60 and 85 decibels to minimise the damage to your ears while on the higher-level power 100 decibels, this should be reduced to 15 mins listening. The microphone on numerous phone calls and MS teams calls has given honest feedback, while does not filter out background noise as done with a more specialised kit, this can be observed when typing on a keyboard the taps can be heard at the other end. The carrying pouch while good to have offers little protection in terms of damages when in a pocket or laptop bag. The remote is effective in its use but takes a bit of practice to become familiar with the accept / reject calls click required.  Overall, an impressive audio experience from Wired earbuds with a Type-C connection without the requirement to pay for a high-end earphone.

 

BUY

Video review 

How to use Filters and Effects on TikTok to add Flair to Your Videos

In 2022, if you don’t find ways to enhance your videos, they probably won’t get watched. That is because everyone on social networks have become professional video editors, thanks to the variety of filters and effects that can be found on these apps. On TikTok, the way to create originally, and be viewed more, is certainly to use them both on your videos. Here is what you need to know, if you wish to add flair to your posts.

As Many Effects and Filters as you can ever desire

The truth is, there are so many effects and filters on TikTok, that it will take you a while to try them all. However, once you do so (or at least tried a few), you should know that there is an important element to keep in mind when using TikTok filters: You want to stick to one or only a few, so that people can recognize your videos easily. Although you may think it is fun to change all the time, it is not the best way to get followers and to keep them viewing your creations, afterwards. Stability is key, and it is true about filters on TikTok, as well.

How to go about adding Filters to Your TikTok Videos

Filters are the first thing you should play around with. You will find them on the top right side of the screen, when you are in a “Create” mode. So, once you have started the app, jump into this mode right away, which you can enter at the bottom of the screen, right in the centre space. Once you have located the filter tab, click on it and a menu will appear, this time at the bottom of your screen. You can now take a look at all the options you have, by swiping. If you are looking for something more precise, in one of the categories, just click on the tab instead of swiping, and you will see the various options, including Portrait and Landscape.

Now that you have found the filter that you want, and you have selected it, you can choose its intensity, by sliding the grader to the left (less intense) or to the right (more intense). Do so until you have found the right one for you, and start recording your video. If you want to close the filter, just click on the “Stop” icon, on the left side.

How to go about adding Effects to Your TikTok Videos

Once TikTok is on, click on the “Record” button, at the bottom. Once that is done, you can now tap on the “Effect” button, also at the bottom of the screen. To choose the effect that you would like to use, first choose the category you want, by swiping left or right. There is more than a dozen, such as green screen, music and animals. Inside them, you will often have up to 50 different elements to choose from. Once you click on one, it can be used automatically, for the most part, while some will require additional inputs on your side.

Tech Review – Xiaomi Smart Band 7

The Xiaomi Smart Band 7 comes with a larger display than its predecessor with a solid robust feel and IP water resistance rating for a wearable brand. The box lists the major features in a variety of languages, suitable throughout the world. The band comes with one strap (Strap buckle: aluminium alloy) that fits all hand sizes and fits left or right hand. The product was sent to us by Hekka and there is a link and discount code below.

 

Contents

  •       Band body ×1
  •       Band strap ×1
  •       Dedicated charging cable ×1
  •       User manual ×1

 

Specifications / Features

Display ——————-1.62″ AMOLED Display

Battery ——————180mAh battery compacity, Up to 14 days (Recharging time ~2 Hours)

Water resistance —— 5ATM water resistance up to 50m

Activity Tracking ——- Count steps, distance, calories burned, Female health monitor, Blood Oxygen

Healthy monitoring —-24/7 Heart rate monitoring

Motion Sensor———————3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis gyroscope

Connective————– Bluetooth 5.2 BLE

System requirement—–Android 6.0, IOS 10 or above

 

Other Features:

1.Stopwatch

2.Alarm clock

3.Timer

4.Find my phone

5.Phone unlock

6.Event reminder

7.Do not disturb mode

8.lock screen

9.music control on band

10.Easily charged with magnetic charging pins

11.Remote control the photo camera

  1. Female health monitor

13.Blood Oxygen

And More

Health options

 

Battery charging

The battery charging typical 14 days but as suggested when major features were turned on and the default light was turned to max time, the usage time was reduced to about 9 days in line with the manufactures data during this review.

The biggest niggle of this tracker is the proprietary magnetic charger. This is required while supplied this unique charger has to be fitted to the tracker to charge. This additional charger in techbuzz view (as with all smartwatches/trackers) should be replaced with a standardised approach of a wireless charger option or UBC C charger cable for android users.

App:  Mi Fitness (Xiaomi Wear)

The setup of the app was easy with a QR code on the tracker allowing for easy finding and downloading. The App has over 10 million downloads with a 3.9-star rating from over 261 thousand reviews.  On the rating, I possible would rate the app a little bit higher, as from the setup to the use, this was fast, fluent in transactions, and worked as required. The developers have their act together with experience gained in the range on their previous products, The only slight niggle on occasions I had to manually sync to the android phone on few occasions when the phone was separated out of Bluetooth range of the phone. This would have auto-sync over time but on occasion when I want instant updates.

The app allows for tracking workouts and monitoring your fitness. Not limited to tracking your progress. Track your walks, runs, and bike rides right from your phone. Check your heart rate, blood oxygen, stress, and energy level.

Overall:

The Tracker is solid, and has over 110+ fitness modes, with a battery life quoted as 14 days which exceeds most other trackers. (Albeit reduced to about 9 days with most of the features enables) The tracker can be used in most water sports which is less than 50 meters (5ATM). The design of the strap allows for the tracker to be used on all hand sizes and

With the option to replace this with a variety of colours e.g., elegant Ivory, lively Orange, tranquil Olive, stretched Blue, sakura Pink or mystery, Black. The Mi Fitness (Xiaomi Wear) App works as expected leisurely, the screen is logical with the options to enable, or disable features.  The key features are visible on the watch or via the app.

The Motion Sensor 3-axis accelerometer, during my comparisons with 2 other well know branded devices provide similar results in terms of step counts.  The 110 fitness modes should suffice for most amateur or semi-pro athletes or just trying to encourage their fitness. There are various reminders to get up and move or set targets for workouts.  This is a solid kit with a great history of making trackers that work well, have numerous features, and won’t break the bank.

Note:

Whether using the most basic tracker or the most expensive, “willpower” is required to achieve results whereas the tracker allows the ability to set goals, monitor these and flag potential health issues in real-time.

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