Leading real hands on tech review site in Ireland with technology, business news and more. Jim O Brien Tech.
Author: Jim O Brien/CEO
CEO and expert in transport and Mobile tech. A fan 20 years, mobile consultant, Nokia Mobile expert, Former Nokia/Microsoft VIP,Multiple forum tech supporter with worldwide top ranking,Working in the background on mobile technology, Weekly radio show, Featured on the RTE consumer show, Cavan TV and on TRT WORLD. Award winning Technology reviewer and blogger. Security and logisitcs Professional.
Designed for iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, also fits 7 and 7 Plus,The neutral tones of the full-grain Champagne leather perfectly pair with the Gold and Rose iPhone finishes..
The simple, gracefully curved silhouette is dressed in striking full-grain leather. The neutral tones of the Champagne leather perfectly pair with the iPhone 8 (and Plus) in Gold finishes, and is all the more striking when it contrasts with a Space Gray finish. The leather will mellow with use, and acquire a rich patina over time as it becomes part of your daily life.
Suede-lined interior
Our cases are lined with a rich, velvety suede. The smooth, satin-like surface ensures your iPhone will be safe from scratches within the case.
Leather Wallet Cases for iPhone 8 and 8 Plus
The champagne-colored leather wallet case that will make your iPhone bloom and keep your essential cards conveniently organized in a slim design. Designed with fuss-free travel in mind, the leather wallet case for iPhone 8 (and Plus) features a leather pocket – marked with a curved line and stitched to the back – providing an opening sized to fit two to three bank, ID or commuter cards conveniently in one sleek package.
For iPhone 8 Plus (and 7 Plus), the leather pocket is placed at an angle, a curved line marks the card pocket; your cards fit here tilted upwards, which keeps them tightly secure and in place.
Leather Cases for iPhone 8 and 8 Plus
Protect your iPhone in a sleek silhouette, which – like our wallet cases – is dressed in a striking champagne-colored full-grain leather that will make your iPhone bloom.
Compatible with iPhone 8, 8 Plus as well as iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, the cases start at US$39, ranging up to US$49. Now available for purchase and immediate dispatch on mujjo.com (ships worldwide).
Garmin International Inc. has announced the vívofit 4, a daily activity tracker with an incredible 1+ year battery life – no charging necessary – and a sunlight-readable, always-on colour display. Designed for 24/7 wearability, the vívofit 4 is swim- and shower-safe and features a sleek, comfortable band. The vívofit 4 is ready to go right out of the box, and can be paired with a smartphone for additional features. Easy to set up and simple to operate, all that’s left is to put it on and go.
“An activity tracker is only as effective as how often you wear it, and this is where the vívofit 4 really shines – you can set it and forget it,” said Andrew Silver, EMEA Product Manager, Fitness. “It’s the ideal device for customers who want something reliable that they don’t need to hassle with or take off to recharge.”
Right out of the box, the vívofit 4 starts tracking steps and encourages users to stay active with a coloured move bar that fills up when a user has been stationary for too long. It also assigns daily step goals based on current activity levels, which automatically adjust to the user, gradually nudging them toward a healthier, more active lifestyle.
For those customers looking for more than just basic activity tracking, the vívofit 4 can be paired with a smartphone, adding even more functionality and options, such as tracking sleep, intensity minutes and more. Forget to start or stop a timed activity? Thanks to Move IQ, the vívofit 4 is able to detect changes in a user’s movement and automatically capture and classify activities such as walking, running, biking, swimming and using an elliptical.
Users can use the vívofit 4 as their everyday watch, complete with a countdown timer, stopwatch and multiple alarms. A weather widget gives a quick, illustrated look at the day’s weather. The vívofit 4 even includes Find My Phone for those who need a little extra help keeping track of their smartphone.
Through the Garmin Connect app, users can customize the vívofit 4 with various watch faces, colour themes and personalized text, such as an emergency contact or motivational phrase. Interchangeable accessory bands (sold separately) make it easy to switch up colours and styles to match any mood or outfit.
Within the newly redesigned Garmin Connect, a free online community, it is easier than ever to get an at-a-glance look at important stats like steps and sleep. Users can filter and customize their data so that they are only seeing what is most relevant. Users can connect with friends and family to motivate one another, join challenges, engage in friendly competitions and more. And speaking of competitions, vívofit 4 users with children who own vívofit jr. 2 devices can compete against one another using the Toe-to-Toe timed step competition feature to determine who is clearing the table that night. The vívofit 4 will periodically sync with Garmin Connect throughout the day.
The vívofit 4 is available in White (S/M), Black Speckled (S/M) and Black (S/M and L) for a suggested retail price of £69.99/ €79.99. Interchangeable accessory bands are available in a Speckled Merlot and Speckled Navy combo pack (S/M) for £27.99/ €30.99. Accessory bands in Speckled Black (S/M), White (S/M) and Black (S/M and L) are available for individual purchase for a suggested retail price of £17.99/ €19.99.
The Dashcam… Have you got one yet?? GET ONE.. One day it will help you and you will be glad of the purchase you have made which will turn out to be an investment. Check out the range of dashcams we have done so far HERE there is plenty to pick from..
First of all check out the unboxing of the ADR620 its a nice piece of kit.
This is a simple dashcam to set up and use which is important for some I think there is some out there that require a certain level of tech know how but this is simple and straight forward and almost ready to go out of the box,if you are not that fussy you can just power it up and insert your sd card ( not provided ) and away you go… They should provide a micro SD card I will just get that bit out of the way now… Most do but lots dont.. Listen up folks,not a big expense and a treat to the consumer too makes an easier sale in my book..
Anyway moving on,this is a nice compact unit and its very easy to use, With an micro SD slot and power key to right and the other has the USB port and reset button and finally on the front there is Three keys to navigate the menu structure which again is simple to set up… And one emergency recording key or lock key. This, ensures the data is not overridden,when you see the dashcam connected to your PC you will see the two files available should anyhting be protected.
The screen is on the small side but visible and clear and you have the choice to leave this on for a period of time or leave it on full time, Full time is the option I prefer just to keep an eye on it and ensure all is well,if you decide to set a time frame it will go blank and you might perhaps feel its gone off completetly but its not the case,a touch on the power key will show you all is still running in the background.
Videos are timestamped ,you need to set the time up for this as its a default time on start up which we actually used to show the footage just to make you aware it will not find the time itself even if connected to a pc. On the bottom left there is a small number which highlights how many files are stored on the card.
From time to time you will get alerts,these are fatigue alerts which is a great idea and will keep the driver in check which these days is important.
You have a 120 degree field of view through this which is aplenty some think this is sufficeint compared to 140 degree options due to the fishbowl effect they can often give but you will be perfectly fine here and the quality is good enough even in the darkness although oncoming lights or really bright lightninh may look fuzzy as you will see in some of the footage or even check this clip HERE for one example,excuse the french..
On launching this model here and the 820 model Richard Armstrong, Philips Business Development Manager Automotive – UK & Eire commented: “We all hope our journeys are safe and incident free. But in the case of an accident, gathering accurate evidence is vital. For many, the post-accident experience is one of the most stressful elements of car ownership and it benefits everyone to make it as simple, stress free and to limit unnecessary claims disputes.
Correct in his assesment but to add to the flair this ADR620 is one of the easiest out of the box experiences I have tried to date which is important for newcomers to the dashcam world, I say that because there is so many people out there with NO dashcam or could not be bothered to get one due to the lack of tech kno how,this is not the case with this and I will add if you do get one feel free to ask us for assistance as we always give it and like to help…
USER INTERFACE AND SETTINGS GALLERY
1 / 14
Features overview..
– High quality camera for capturing details on the road
– Automatically captures collisions and stores footage for later
– User-friendly design so you can set up and go
High quality camera
The Full HD Philips GoSure ADR620 Dash Cam captures your journeys in detail, so you get clear evidence of other road users’ actions. Even at night, the camera is able to retain high quality video.
The wide lens can see three lanes of traffic at once, so no matter what happens, the camera will see it, and auto overwrite function ensures the most recent footage is always available.
Automatically captures collisions
The built-in G sensor automatically secures footage that covers several minutes before and after a collision. That footage is protected from the auto-overwrite, and is stamped with the time and date.
You’ll have all the evidence you need to resolve disputes on the spot thanks to the LCD screen, which will also display the date and time for you if being reviewed later. By automatically storing the footage on a microSD card, insurances claims can be sped up too.
User-friendly
The GoSure keeps things simple. Just four buttons let you control all the functionality, and there’s a driver fatigue warning to remind you to get sufficient rest on long journeys.
Smartphone accessories are not far and few between and there is thousands of options out there but what about a smartphone holder, The same applies here and there is something for everyone no matter the taste or even the fussy type you will find it. Mobile Fun have sent us this to try out and its neat.
This little accessory is cool and non intrusive and can be placed anywhere and not only restricted to your car it can be used in your home which is also good and can come in handy in the places you would least expect it too,Place like your bathroom or kitchen being two which enables you to engage on your device keeping your hands free..
Set up is simple you could not ask for anything easier in fact, be it in your car or home it consists of two pieces being magnetic with sticky backs to stick on the surface you require and you can place the back piece of the magnet inside your phone case once it’s not too thick and your sorted.
Whats more is it’s not going to leave marks behind as you would with other offerings out there but one downside is you only get one shot within the package,some more sticky backed 3M stickers would have been a nice inclusion here but its only a small caveat,these are cheap and you could place them in several places in your home and if you decide to stick it in your car well you will know best where it suits you to have easy access to your mobile phone.
Quick and easy installation
Universal design, compatible with all smartphones
Mount quickly with just one hand
360° rotation creates the perfect viewing angle
Use with or without a case on your smartphone
Move between other magnetic mounts
The good thing with this is too it will hold any phone,we use a Nokia 8 in testing and it held out well and the good thing here is it enables you to rotate your phone 360 degrees which is ideal in the home for media consumption and ideal in your car for maps and so on and again keeping your hands free and not getting fined for holding your device.
Overall its a great little accessory to have at hand and if you are like me more than one would be required to keep my hands free at home in particular and leave the phone on this where everything is a touch away be it in portrait or landscape mode.
SOUL Electronics have a really nice catalogue of earphones and headphones and today we review another pair from the company which are really nice and come well presented like any product so far we have tried out over the last two weeks..
UNBOXING
Presentation once again is nice here and you get some extras to boot included and a nice leather pouch to keep the earphones safe when not in use, this is something getting more common with manufacturers and its good to see. On top of that the build quality is excellent once again.
Build Quality
Again great like our other review pieces we checked out. Metal buds which are solid and lets not forget these are once again magnetised so they can stick together whilst sitting around your neck which keeps them together,the inline control unit is also solid yet housed in plastic with rubber buttons which are nice and clicky so you know you have hit the right key,it might take a few hours to get familiar with the keys blindly. Also the cable is flat which means no tangles this is good and again many manufacturers are following suit here.
Wearability
These perhaps are more ideal for the runner or even one to just sit at home or commute they rest around the neck and you will forget they are there and with the several rubber caps that come inside you will find a size that fits you these sat better on my ears than the previous pair I tried out.
Connectivity
Pairing here is simple yet again took a few seconds but unlike the SOUL XT you can’t select an individual side for preference but again they are not the target here but from having that choice I just thought I would mention it as its useful to have that ability if its something that suits you best. You do get audio signals here again when pairing and turning on and off etc.
Sound Quality
Overall it was a good experience at all volume levels, This time around we also have more control with the inline controls to change volume level unlike the SOUL XT I found these to be louder than the XT and the sound is really crisp and clear they really do pack a punch these for me and when I say loud they are loud unlike others I have tried,they did not disappoint with highs,lows and mids even someone coming from a cheap pair of earphones would see the difference in sound level and quality here.
Battery Life
Battery life again good here with around 5/5.5 hours per charge which is the average these days and ample enough for mo, you most people especially those on a daily commute but I would still recommend charging each night if you are those users just to be safe and again it depends on what your personal usage is here.
Overal these are quite good for the money and the build quality here is another key point,the magnetised buds is also good to ensure you do not lose them,you cant go wrong for the price really and for one not to favour in-ears in general I liked them asa whole and especially the punch they pack at max volume,thought that’s a preference I am known for I do not suggest you have at max because everyone’s noise tolerance is different and I just like loud.
Yesterday the December update hit the Nokia 3 and just now the Nokia 5 and 8 has recieved the monthly update so check your device now. The update is 87.6 MB so be sure to connect to your Wi-Fi Also we have just got the go ahead on Android Oreo beta for the Nokia 5 which we mentioned yesterday so updates galore from HMD Global. Keep up the good work.
The Oreo Update is pretty substantial and weighs in at 1697.0 MB, This will take time and just sit back and let the update download. New features to the Oreo Update are Picture-In-Picture, Notification dots, December Update included, Google Play protect security plans, Autofill Passwords and a faster boot up time also not this update is only availble via Wi-Fi.
VR has took a bit of a nosedive this year but some good things have happened but the focus is mostly AR or Augmented Reality. If like me you like your VR coming from Samsung Devices and their standalone headsets which are excellent I have not delved much into the VR scene this year as much as I would liken to.. because im using the Nokia 3,5,6 and 8 so I was hoping something like this would happen sooner rather than later but this is not specifically for Nokia devices but its a step closer and being made by ZIESS it has to be pretty decent considering how good ZEISS are in general,we all know good how their smarthpone cameras are.
However now if you buy a Nokia 8 you can claim a VR headset which is made by ZEISS which costs £49.99 you buy from nokia mobile store you can get your free headset,the device as it stands sim free is €499 which is a really good price for the specs you get in a mobile phone today. If you already own a Nokia 8 and now feel a bit burned like what Samsung do from time to time offering free VR headsets you can buy the headset on its own right HERE
This is my first pair of earphones of this kind without the wires and come tucked in its own little charging box which is pretty cool too and it also keeps them save and sound and also charged which is great for those on the go, Given you have a small box so to speak to carry its small and compact so its not a bulky object to be stowing in your pocket its pretty neat and to add to the flavour it magentised inside so your little earbuds wont be knocking around inside it either ..
Unboxing showcase of the XT -XS RUN FREE PRO HD and Prime Wireless
Build Quality
Excellent all round including its charge case, They have a generic design of your typical in-ear experience and constructed mostly of plastic but they do sport an IPX4 rating which is basically sweatproof and seeing they are so light they would withstand plenty of drops,they are housed in plastic but have a rubber type touch coating which does give some addtional grip, On both earbuds there is visible connectors which do the obvious so it would be advisable to try keep dirt away from the contacts also note they are magnetised so they can stick to each other too so you wont loose them.
Wearability
Having used these for a while I did find they did fall out the odd time perhaps not the right size for me even with the included extra sized buts included in the package but I typically suffer from random drop-outs on similar buds but mostly on excessive workouts or running. The only fear I would have here is that if one fell out in an awkward place like a shore for example its gone whereas a wired offering similar to the Prime for example would be a safer bet if dropped on not loosing one of the earbuds.
Connectivity
A slightly different setup to most as you can pair separately ie one side or another or both,this is a handy option meaning you can just use one at a time for your car or office for example or you can sport both this will depend on the individual and their specific needs,for me having the choice was a better option meaning I could chose which side I want when I want or just use both depending on what I am doing. There is of course voice enabled notifications called out to you on pairing etc which helps being so small.
Sound Quality
They sound pretty good considered the price they come at compared to other packages on offer knocking out all mids,highs and lows pefectly fine I am no expert in Audio but for the general user whom is not seeking the ultimate definition of sound will enjoy them and I have tested more than enough earphones and headphones to tell you when something is basically brutal when it comes to dishing out sounds,these are not brutal.
Controls
When it comes to volume your out of luck for changing this from the buds themselves your are strictly limited to using your paired device be it a phone or tablet,with no cable and their size you can forgive this caveat so you will need to use your connected device to change the tone and volume its not all that bad and its not much trouble. There is one button on each side and both clicky with feeback so you know you have done a command, you have the usual play,pause,skip track options but you can hang up on calls and connect to Google Assistant if you use it.
Battery Life
Seems to be on par with their claim which is around 2 Hours on one single charge which might put people off but dont forget your charging box provides you with more on the go up to 4 times in fact so that would be plenty for those who may use them on a commute to work for example.
Charging box
It is limited to what it does as to where your charge status is,there is a blue LED that will flash but to let you know they are charging also on the buds they host a light in either Blue or White to let you know their status.
THE SPECS
Overall thoughts
For the money you will be happy and this is the trend now with more manufacturers offering earbuds like this and there is many on offer today but they command a higher price offering similar in specs etc. Not the loudest in the world but not quite either but then again my preference is really loud and always has been but in a quite enviroment you will be happy with what they offer,outdoors you might notice more external noise but everyones ears are different, For the price you get a great prodcut if you want something simple,looks good gives great sound these are for you but for those on an excessive fitness regimes may want to consider the PRIME WIRELESS but having said that its just perhaps my ears that have the problem keeping them in.
The past few years have been transformative for enterprise messaging. Organizations across the world are embracing team communication and collaboration platforms such as Flock and realizing efficiency gains. Flock’s CEO Bhavin Turakhia shares his predictions for the year ahead.
Plus, with distributed teams becoming more common, enterprise messengers have become virtual meeting grounds and office spaces for teams everywhere. And with the launch and availability of APIs for almost every service, it’s become much more easier for enterprises to use and customize messaging apps. Bots have also become a key component of messaging platforms – both for personal use and in the enterprise.
All this however, is just the preamble to the sea of change that is upon us. I see the year ahead bringing in even more changes and improvements to the way we communicate and work together.
New technologies – AI, AR, VR and IoT
New technologies such as artificial intelligence, augmented reality, virtual reality and the internet of things promise to usher in new ways of communication in the workplace. Meetings in a virtual room, AI-enabled data analysis within messaging platforms, bots that do more than send notifications, and IoT-based automatic attendance systems – the potential is unlimited.
Customer-centric development
A side-effect of the Uber-isation of apps and services is that customer retention is more important now than ever. Product development is now shifting towards a customer-led approach, where customer feedback is key to the development of new features. Companies are spending more effort on enabling customer success to retain users. This is a trend that will continue to influence the enterprise messaging space in 2018 and beyond. Put simply, customer-centric enterprise messengers are more likely to succeed.
Third-party integrations
Efficiency is a magic word for any enterprise, and one of the ways enterprise messengers are increasing efficiency is by integrating third-party apps and services within the messaging tool. This saves customers the hassle of switching between multiple apps at work, and gives them time that can be put to better use. For example, one of the most popular apps in Flock is Shared To-Dos, which allows users to create and assign tasks to team members, and track their completion. It’s really a simple idea that reduces the usual runaround between a company’s messaging and task management tools, and gives users time to do more.
Custom integrations for enterprises are going to be bigger and better in 2018, giving users more out-of-the-box functionality in their enterprise messaging tools.
Process and workflow automation
SOPs are the daily drivers of almost every function in a business. Consider the processes we follow for expense reimbursements, or for hiring and induction – there is a certain method to the madness, and these processes often require repetitive human intervention at multiple stages. Process and workflow automation aims to solve the problem of repetitive human effort in such use cases.
Enterprise communication platforms that can integrate with existing HR and Finance systems, and automate some processes will lead to jumps in efficiency and productivity for the entire organization.
The adoption of AI and a host of technologies such as AR, VR and IoT, customer-centric development, better third-party integrations and process/workflow automation are key trends to look out for. I expect them to make a big difference to the evolution of enterprise messaging, leading to better communication and collaboration in the workplace.
Ultimately, the best enterprise messengers will adopt these new technologies, making life simpler for teams working on the next great thing.
