Month: August 2024

Revolut announces secondary share sale to provide employee liquidity

Revolut, the global financial technology company with over 45 million customers worldwide, has signed agreements with a group of leading technology investors to provide liquidity to employees through a secondary share sale at a $45 billion valuation. 

This secondary share sale allows current employees to capitalise on their contribution to Revolut’s growth, while attracting a diverse mix of both new and existing investors. The round was led by Coatue, D1 Capital Partners, and existing investor Tiger Global. 

This valuation reflects the strong financial performance recorded by the company in recent quarters as well as the progress made in executing its strategic objectives. In 2023, Revolut reported revenues of $2.2 billion (a year on year increase of 95%) and a record profit before tax of $545 million. The company has continued its impressive trajectory in the first half of  2024, recording an annual increase in revenue of above 80% as well as improved profitability. Revolut is now the fastest growing finance app in 19 markets, and is on track to surpass 50 million customers by the end of 2024. 

This latest development builds on the momentum Revolut has gained throughout the year. The company secured a banking licence in Mexico, followed by the granting of its UK banking licence (Authorisation with Restrictions) in July, an important step in the company’s continued expansion both in the UK and globally. Additionally, Revolut announced the launch of several new products including the RevPoints Loyalty Programme, eSIMs, and the Revolut X crypto exchange. 

Nik Storonsky, CEO of Revolut, commented: “We’re delighted to provide the opportunity to our employees to realise the benefits of the company’s collective success. It’s their hard work, innovation, and dedication that has driven us to become the most valuable private technology company in Europe. We’re also excited to partner with several new investors who share our vision as we continue our journey to redefine the banking landscape as we’ve known it.” 

“We have a high level of conviction in Revolut’s mission to democratize access to financial services globally,” shared Philippe Laffont, Founder and Portfolio Manager, Coatue. “Revolut’s proven ability to scale across dozens of markets is a testament to the team’s commitment to product velocity, financial inclusion, and financial innovation. Under Nik and 

his team’s leadership, Revolut has navigated the complexities of the financial services landscape to deliver an impressive product suite that meets the needs of its rapidly growing customer base. We look forward to supporting Revolut as it continues to help transform the global banking industry.” 

Morgan Stanley served as sole placement agent on the transaction. 

Tech Review – Skullcandy SLYR Pro Wireless Headphones

The Skullcandy SLYR Pro Wireless headphones are their latest headphones for avid gamers who want that bit more than just a plug and play option as these come with extras and an app to give you a more immersive feel to you gaming.

What is an additional benefit here these are cross platform headphones unlike others out there who tend to limit their use case you have choice and not only that can be used as a standard pair of headphones although limited to the controls as they are a gaming headset but the music sounds good and after all it is Skullcandy we are talking about here.

These are comfortable and light and can be worn for long periods of time as gamers tend to do long sessions now myself and my nephew both tested these out for several hours and they are ideal for heavy gamers which I am not nut do some gaming on the weekends when I have time..

You can connect with the USB provided or Bluetooth device dependent and you can use your mobile phone just in case you are wondering, there is simple controls on the headphones on the Left side giving you a volume wheel and power button and sidetone control you also have your I/Os and a mute switch which works by tapping the cup.

The app offers a suite of features enhancing the audio experience with Game/Chat mix Mic Gain Voice prompts and Sidetone you also get an equaliser which is pretty cool and enhanced sound perception you will need to take a hearing test with beeps which is common on Skullcandy products so you need to do this to get the best results.

These can be also used for listening to music too which gives the a kind of hybrid option and you can toggle the EQs to get the best results so overall a decent pair of gaming and music headphones for anyone who likes both that delivers on the audio aspect quite well.

Skullcandy PLYR street fighter edition review 

 

The App 

Features

  • Rapid Charge: 10 min = 4 hrs
  • Platform Compatibility: PlayStation or XBOX, PC, Nintendo Switch
  • Connection Type: 2.4ghz, Bluetooth®, USB-A, 3.5mm Aux
  • 50mm Drivers
  • Bi-Directional Removable Boom Mic
  • LED Mic Mute Indicator
  • ChatMix & Sidetone Adjustment
  • EQ Modes
  • Call & Media Controls

BUY 

Video Review

First Look – Ellie Baby Plus, Baby Monitor Pro with Non-WiFi 5″ LCD Screen

The Ellie Baby Plus, Baby Monitor Pro is an all-in-one advanced AI monitor for babies, well since we have none we will have to use our dog/or me for samples and how it will work it basically does the same thing and is ideal for anyone with a new baby in the home.

These products can be also useful for the elderly in our family and act as a security camera too which is quite handy when you think of it but the sole purpose is to mind your new baby.

Sporting an app to this looks interesting and we look forward to testing the app out and the camera in action too so if you have any questions in the meantime feel free to ask and another thing to note there is an SD card in the box and no monthly subscriptions..

Any questions in the meantime feel free to ask and stay tuned for more and check out some other reviews

 

Key Features

  • The most complete AI features: Includes covered face & rollover detection, breathing detection, sleep quality reports, danger zone detection, cry detection, auto-soothing, person tracking, and auto photo capture.
  • 24-Hour Playback with AI Notification Check: Review video footage and AI notifications from the past 24 hours, ensuring not miss any important events.
  • Dual Control & 2.5K HD Camera: Connect to the split screen without Wi-Fi, or via Wi-Fi to the mobile app for remote monitoring. Features a 2.5K HD camera and 5″ HD LCD screen for clear day/night viewing.
  • Breathing Detection & Sleep Analytics: Provides sleep tracking and real-time breathing display. Generates 7-day sleep analysis reports.
  • 360° PTZ Rotation & Motion Detection: Offers zoom, large angle rotation, 360° room view, and automatic movement tracking. Features 2.5K QHD night vision and Pan-Tilt rotation.
  • Two-Way Communication: Talk to your babies through the split screen and app when you are not near them.
  • SD Card Local Storage: Ensures secure storage without cloud dependency and keep your privacy.
  • App with No Monthly Fees: Free app with up to 5 sub-accounts, includes features like sleep report generation and photo/video storage. Administrator can manage permissions.

BUY

Unboxing Video

First Look – EasySMX M15 Android and iPhone Game controller

EasySMX M15 is designed for Android and iPhone 15 and up series mobile gamers. Building on feedback from the previous models- the M05 and M10, the grip design has been upgraded to be more ergonomic, so even mobile gamers can enjoy a gaming console-level experience. With upgraded the buttons to fully mechanical tactile buttons and integrated dual Hall effect joysticks and triggers. Additionally enhanced the vibration with a high-speed micro-motor and added two back buttons. The button response, vibration intensity, and grip comfort have all been significantly improved to deliver a superior gaming experience.

Main Features:

Full-mechanical tactile buttons:

The M15 features fully mechanical tactile buttons, with a lifespan of up to 5 million clicks. With faster response times and a more comfortable tactile feel, the M15 provides an unparalleled level of consistency and enhances the gaming experience.

More Precision But No Drift

Equipped with a Quadruple Hall Effect Sensor System (Dual Joysticks & Dual Triggers), the M15 boasts superior durability.Not just featuring Hall triggers, the M15 also comes with a rapid trigger function that reduces the cooldown time of game operations, making your gaming experience smoother.

Universal Connectivity & Compatibility

M15 is compatible with Android and iPhone 15 and up series under direct USB-C connection and wired Bluetooth . The M15 features a flexible plug design, allowing the plug angle to be adjusted, which helps protect your phone. Compatible with the latest iOS and Android games to games on different cloud gaming platforms (Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation Remote, GeForce NOW and more)

2 Back Paddles and Higher Vibration

The back paddles can be remapped or programmed, allowing gamers to perform additional actions. Upgraded with a high-speed micro vibration motor, the M15 delivers stronger and more refined vibrations. It offers six adjustable levels.( available on streaming games)

Stay tuned for a full hands on review soon here on techbuzzireland and YouTube

BUY

Unboxing

Galway County Council digitally maps the heritage of over 25,000 memorials

Esri Ireland, the market leader in geographic information systems (GIS), today announces that Galway County Council has digitally mapped over 25,000 memorials, monuments, and gravestones using Esri’s ArcGIS system. As part of a community-focused project across the county of Galway, Esri’s technology is being used to create a fully digitised process for capturing information about graveyard memorials and making it publicly accessible online.

Throughout Galway, there are 235 council-owned graveyards with ancient monuments and gravestones that provide invaluable insight into family ancestry and social history. Previously, community groups in Galway have endeavoured to capture this culturally significant information, using pen and paper to manually note memorial inscriptions.

Galway County Council’s interactive map, accessed through the Graveyard Memorial Search App, enables volunteers and heritage professionals to view and capture data and images in real-time on their mobile devices. It provides aerial photography of each graveyard, allowing users to zoom into pictorial maps of graveyards on their devices, and accurately identify each gravestone and record data pertaining to it. It also allows citizens to search for burial records and ancestors’ graves, and many graveyards can be explored in 3D, giving people an immersive, realistic experience of visiting family memorials.

The online map provides a streamlined, cloud-based process for collecting, validating, managing and sharing memorial data. It has made the process ten times faster and delivers more accurate and consistent data, which will help to preserve Galway’s graveyard heritage for future generations.

This is leading to increased community engagement, and more than 50 local groups are now using the solution. It is also being used by historians, archaeologists, genealogists and health researchers, as well as schools.

Already, data on over 35 graveyards is available via the app, providing citizens with easy, online access to ancestry information. With over 30 further graveyard surveys planned or in progress, Galway County Council, with support from the Heritage Council, is rapidly expanding the amount of information available via the app. The technology can also be replicated by other county councils and used by all kinds of community groups going forward.

Barry Doyle, GIS Manager, Galway County Council, said: “Simplicity is key to all of this. Everything is done in one efficient, seamless process where the data is stored and accessed centrally in the cloud. With this ArcGIS process we are enabling community groups to achieve their heritage objectives.”

Marie Mannion, Heritage Officer, Galway County Council, said: “Digitising Galway’s graveyard heritage has been a powerful way to enable people to learn about the local and national heritage that can be found in graveyards. People can now search for and find photographs of their family’s memorials online and form a stronger connection with their past. It’s an incredible resource for everyone.”

Jack Ffrench, Account Manager, Esri Ireland, said: “Being able to access local heritage, digitally, for Galway citizens has been a really important project to work on and exemplifies the true power of GIS technology. It is rewarding for us to be able to work with local communities, and bringing this important history to life will ensure that Galway’s past can become part of its present. We are looking forward to continuing to work with Galway County Council and seeing how this use case could be repeated within other councils, as well as a wide variety of community groups, in the future.”

Unlimited 7 Aqua – Bosch’s first 2 in 1 cordless vacuum and mop

Designed to save time and effort by doing two jobs at once, the Unlimited 7 Aqua is all you need for multiple surfaces in just one box. Combining a powerful vacuum to lift away dust and dirt, the Power Spinning Pads then remove even the most stubborn stains for flawless floors every time. The 2in1 Dynamic Aqua Mop vacuums and mops smooth surfaces and can even handle dry dirt and hair, while the AllFloor Dynamic Power Brush is perfect for powerful carpet vacuuming, meaning it can handle every type of surface.

Its special features include Automatic Water Supply for the perfect level of moisture each time, making it a breeze to clean dried-on stains like orange juice and ketchup, even on delicate floors. There’s no need to wring out, like with a traditional mop, and the floor dries in next to no time as the spinning cleaning pads only use the exact amount of water needed.

Being part of the Unlimited 7 range from Bosch, the Aqua has all the great features of an Unlimited 7 vacuum as well. Light and manoeuvrable with a 180-degree hinge and bendable “Flex Tube” and “Long Flexible Crevice Nozzle”, the combination vacuum & mop reaches tricky and awkward places, like corners and under sofas, with ease. The AllFloor Dynamic Power Brush with LED lights also makes for spotless cleaning results.

The Unlimited 7 Aqua picks up 99.9% of dust and allergens which are removed by HEPA Filtration System filters. With a motor with up to 66,000 rpm, 20% more energy due to a more powerful 3aH battery compared to a 2,5aH battery and a runtime of 40 minutes, it makes keeping floors clean effortless. Maeve McCarey, Head of Marketing for Bosch Home Ireland said: “We know there’s more to life than cleaning – that’s why we develop innovations like these to make getting chores done a doddle, so people can get back to the things they really want to be doing. Cleaning in two steps – vacuuming and then mopping – is time-consuming; our new Unlimited 7 Aqua helps get the job done faster and with less effort.”

The Unlimited 7 Aqua is available for is available for purchase at all good electrical retailers

75% of adults deem minute-long voice notes the max

Pure Telecom, Ireland’s high-speed broadband and telecoms provider, today announces the results of its annual Connected Lives survey, which has found that three-quarters (75%) of the population think that sending voice notes exceeding a minute’s duration is unacceptable. The research found that adults in Ireland are prolific users of voice notes, with 54% saying they send them at least once a week and a chatty 23% send them at least once a day.

The nationally representative survey of 1,006 adults in Ireland was conducted by Censuswide on behalf of Pure Telecom and examined the growing trend of voice notes as a means of communication. The research found that in total, 77% of adults have recorded and sent a voice note in the last 12 months. In fact, voice notes are so popular, that one-third of the population report that they are the primary way in which they communicate with their friends.

While voice notes have exploded in popularity, there is a limit to recipients’ patience with them – but women have a lot more time for them than men do. The research found that just 11% of men will tolerate a voice note that goes beyond one minute in length, compared to 21% of women. Almost all adults (94%) consider voice notes of longer than three minutes unacceptable.

The research found that the public is divided in their overall opinion of the voice notes, with less than half (45%) saying they actually like receiving them. Going even further than this, nearly a quarter (23%) admit to being irritated when they see that they have received a voice note. This could explain why a similar proportion (22%) say they have been reprimanded by a recipient for sending one.

The survey also revealed that not everyone gives voice notes the attention and commitment they require, with 40% finding it difficult to take the time to listen to voice notes in their entirety. This may explain why 34% of adults admit that they don’t always listen to the full message and more than one in 10 people (14%) don’t listen to them at all. More than half (51%) confessed that they often forget what was said in a lengthy recording, while 46% said that they often forget what they, themselves, have said in their voice notes.

Paul Connell, CEO, Pure Telecom, said: “While convenient when on-the-go or when we have our hands full, the Irish public has spoken – and they are saying to get to the point! We might be renowned as a nation of storytellers, but rambling is out, as our research shows.

“The way in which we communicate and connect with each other is always changing and evolving and it is clear that voice notes are a growing, if divisive, medium. By providing our nationwide customers with the best quality broadband available in their location, Pure Telecom’s network is here to help people to connect and stay in touch with each other. However, while our network won’t be the cause of cutting a rambling voice note short, we can’t always say the same for the recipients!”

First Look – Naruto Shippuden Lexip Madara destruction gaming accessories

The internationally acclaimed anime series, Naruto Shippuden, is regarded as an epic masterpiece, spanning 500 episodes, and telling the story of teenage ninja Naruto Uzemaki and his allies, as he follows his quest to become the greatest ninja in the land.
Bringing key characters of the Naruto Shippuden saga to life in stunning detail, the new Lexip range includes twelve jaw-dropping products grouped into three distinct character ranges from the show: Sasuke, Kakashi and Madara.
We now have the range of gaming accessories in to check out so stay tuned for more over the coming weeks..
Any questions in the meantime feel free to ask below and we will see again soon and check out the unboxing experience below for a closer look.
The Naruto Shippuden Wireless Controller has been expertly crafted, bringing the stunning details of the anime series to life. Key elements of scenes taken directly from the show feature via an ultra-detailed sculpture extending over the entire front of the controller. Featuring a rock solid 2.4GHz wireless connection, the controller includes four programmable buttons, dual vibration feedback and a 600mAh lithium-ion polymer battery. With the prestigious German Design Awards recognising the Wireless Controller ergonomics as the “best in the industry”, the new Lexip x Tsume series is the hardware of choice by the LxP Valiant team, French Valorant™ champions and third in the world in Fortnite™.
Naruto Shippuden Mouse Pad (Sasuke / Kakashi / Madara):
The licensed Naruto Shippuden Mouse Pad features a strikingly broody design paying homage to the show. With unique stylization, detailed artwork, power button and even the colour of its illuminated outline themed to appeal to fans, the Mouse Pad has been designed to stand up to the most rigorous of gaming sessions, thanks to the rigid structure and micro-textured surface, engineered to maximise precision and comfort. Even better when used in combination with the Naruto Shippuden Mouse whose patented ceramic feet have been designed in conjunction with the Mouse Pad surface.
Naruto Shippuden Optical Mouse (Sasuke / Kakashi / Madara):
Engineered for sustained gaming sessions, the Naruto Shippuden Optical Mouse range features beautifully sculptured designs of weapons wielded by each hero used at crucial moments in the show. The Optical Mouse integrates two flagship Lexip technologies: extremely comfortable ceramic feet facilitating fast and precise movement, and a thumb joystick allowing for easy in-game navigation, fully configurable via dedicated free software. With 12 programmable actions and a powerful PAW3327 optical sensor which can be adjusted from 100 to 12,000 DPI, the Optical Mouse has been designed to dominate and is even better when used in combination with the Mouse Pad, as the surface has been designed in conjunction with the Optical Mouse’s ceramic gliding feet.
Naruto Shippuden Wireless Bluetooth Headset (Sasuke / Kakashi / Madara):
The Naruto Shippuden Wireless Bluetooth Headset features intricately detailed artwork, engravings and sculptures taken directly from scenes of the show and features them on the reinforced metal frame, microphone and the interior seams of the headband. Utilizing powerful wireless Bluetooth technology, the headset includes a fully detachable microphone, and its high-quality sound profile is fully configurable via a dedicated equalizer.

Tech Review – ELECROW CrowView Note, Empower Your Devices as Laptops

The ELECROW CrowView Note is a 14-inch monitor with a built-in keyboard, touchpad, speakers, and microphone. Its all-in-one design simplifies setup, making it ideal for Raspberry Pi enthusiasts, office use, studios, and on-the-go.

Our use case is only USB-C and screen mirroring which we feel is best for our region and indeed it does what it says on the tin, I have to note you need a decently branded USC-C cable for this to work as several would not and you know how cables are these days you get what you pay for.

This simple plugs into your smartphone and the option to screen mirror your phone will pop up on screen and away you go, some apps will not work in landscape mode so be sure to check your entire needs first but for the most it works fine but not Instagram on candybar phones.

There is a simple settings page you can adjust to your own needs and then you can just work away as it was a laptop and a cost effective one, in short this brings your device to the bigger canvas making work easy on the go and of course making it easier on the larger screen and the you can do it in reverse if you wish which makes it great for multitasking.

There is a decent picture here too and decent speakers so for media consumption you are good to go with little set up required and at an affordable price.

 

 

CrowView Note

• Lightweight and portable: Maximum thickness of just 0.78”

• Secure mobile office solution: Safeguard your data effortlessly

Mobile Office Challenges

• Editing on small screens is inconvenient and limiting

• Risk of information breaches with external computers

CrowView Note

• Simplified Integration: Integrated input/output for mini PCs, tablet PCs, and SBCs

• Effortless Connectivity: Connect and use multiple devices with ease

Complex Connectivity

• Cumbersome setups: hassles when connecting multiple external devices

• Inefficiency: Potential for operational inefficiencies and setup delays

Kickstarter Page

Unboxing and Look at the CrowView Note