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.
This is the first of three cases from poetic cases for the google pixel smartphone..
We will be now reviewing cases on our youtube channel where we can explain things a bit more,Also we will have image galleries too for you to check out and we will leave a case description below and purchase link if any of the cases take your interest..
The case is transparent so for those whom like too see their device will like this particular case. Protection all round is no issue with corners toughened with raised bumpers and all other aspects of the case giving protection where required around the camera and fingerprint sensor. The keys work perfectly fine and all ports fully accessible with ease..There is a lip around the front of the case which will enable users to lay the device face down the device can be placed back down too with no issues to worry about. The case is a bit of a fingerprint magnet and scrathes will show due to the colour but better your case marked rather than the device itself. See video for more.
Made of Clear Polycarbonate molded with Soft Shock proof TPU. Modern styling with the protective X-FORM Poetic Design DNA.
Full clarity to showcase the best that your device has to offer. Drop protection with engineered corner design part of the X-Form architecture.
Side grip pattern to prevent your device sliding out of your grip. Raised TPU back material to prevent scratching while maintaining full clarity of your device.
Inner ridged TPU surface to enable effective shock dissipation while keeping a thin form factor.
Raised bezel for front face protection. Extremely thin with the maximum protection in its class.
The Karbon shield rugged cases is our second case for the google pixel from poetic cases. This case is a bit more on the plain side but more flexible and with a good texture all round the case with a karbon effect on the back which looks well. All keys and ports are easily accessible and the keys offer good tactility. Overall this case is probably my pick of the three but check the image gallery and video below and see what you think…
Features.
Made of High grade TPU. Sophisticated styling with Carbon fiber texture in the Poetic X-form DNA
Revolutionary tactile corner impact protection that makes sure that the corner of the device doesn’t come in contact with the ground when dropped.
Rear pattern provides a grip area to handle the device.
Front bezel to prevent the device from coming in contact with any surface.
Trendy and classy Carbon fiber texture on the back to protect against bumps and scratches.
This is a first for me and wont be the last but just how do you review a bulb? Well its no ordinary bulb to begin with its kinda smart but not that smart which means there is no connectivity with anything else such as an app like other bulbs from the company have to offer which we will speak about another day and they are interesting..
This bulb is basically a back up should you happen to experience a power outage which thankfully are not common these days but they do catch you by surprise and then you are left to search for candles buried in presses all over the house,thankfully our smartphones today sport a torch and can assist you in this endeavour but this is one way of draining your smartphones battery life.
The bulb however is rather on the large side in comparison to those incandescent ones we typically are use to seeing..This bulb comes with a twist in fitting otherwise known as the E27 base but you can also obtain the converter to make it work on the B22 base so we had both options to try out and all worked perfectly fine…
This bulb is bright lets make no mistake here its got a brightness of 300 lumen which is similar to a 40 watt bulb. Sengled state that you should expect around 25,000 hours of light from this model and it just uses 9 watts of energy which seems good considered how bright it actually is.
Check out the video below and see sengled.comfor their range of products this particular model will cost you around £18 which is not bad.. Any questions fire away you know where to find us.
Another day and a new case has arrived for our Google Pixel and there is more to come so stay tuned to the best mobile phone case coverage in Ireland in the coming days and you can also see our past reviews to date..
This case is simplistic yet effective, Soft sides and tough back which should be plenty to save your expensive Google Pixel from harm. Also included is screen protector which is a nice addition to the package.. This case isof course reinforced and as mentioned has a TPU frame making it flexible yet tough, the corners also sport a raised bevel which stops the rear of the device getting scratched on a flat surface but this will not hold out too long overall on the inner side due to being plastic and in our review unit scratch lines will happen eventually and will appear due to the colour which is transparent and over time this may get discolouration depending on usage and the person like any other case with the same build..
The case itself does not add any noticeable bulk and it should last you some months but this can vary, It is very robust at the back and you can notice its thickness being clear,Having said that you can see a good gap between the case and the all important camera and flash areas on the back of the device and keep in mind the top half of the phone is glass. This should be ample enough adding in the raised corners on each side of the case. The buttons all worked fine and have been tactile and access to all ports too and not to mention the speaker which is not obscured in any way…
Google Pixel Case Punkcase® LUCID 2.0 Black Series for Google Pixel Slim | Slick Frame Lifetime Warranty Exchange
Made with a Slim Crystal Clear Full TPU Body & Reinforced Frame
Ultimate Protection with Precision Cut Outs for Easy Access to All Ports & Jacks but Without the Bulkiness
Features a Punkcase® SHIELD Tempered Glass Screen Protector, Unattached, Virtually Indestructible
Maintains the Aesthetics of Your Phone While Keeping It Protected
Shock Absorbing Method: Upon Impact with the Frame, the Impact Resonance Travels Along the Bumper & Is Absorbed Through the TPU
We have two pairs on new headphones from the great guys over at Jabra. Myself will be reviewing the Pulse and our new blogger Brendan has shared his review on the Sports Pulse.Both packages are really well presented and look really well and we look forward to testing these out in the coming days,Stay tuned for our thoughts..
Overall these have been quite good,for me they look well a work well and coming in a superbly presented package it ads to it. If you have not noticed Jabra and complyfoam have collaborated and these buds come with both packages and we tested these out some time ago and for those who dislike buds due to them constantly falling out will complyfoam tips will soon fix that but as a whole Jabra have fixed this issue too and with the bundled wing tips you cant go wrong and over the last year I have grown to like in-ears but over ears are still my preferred choice but outdoors I use the range of Jabra that I have… See what we think of the complyfoam tips here
Jameson is pleased to share its first NFC enabled bottle in Ireland – by tapping the crest on the limited edition design label with an NFC enabled Android device, users will be led to exclusive content and competitions.
To date I find NFC technology underused and for the length of time its been actually here we are a bit behind like cast your mind back to 2014 when the Nokia Lumia 730 came out,this has NFC and it kicked off really from there but even before this in 2006 we had an NFC capable device called the Nokia 6131, This technology can make life simple and in recent times with the introduction of Android Pay we now see it in some banks but not all and hopefully in the coming year this will grow across the board with the banks and we will see more ideas come to life taking advantage of this technology..
Every year Jameson celebrates St. Patrick’s Day by commissioning an artist to create a piece of original art for its Limited Edition Bottle, and this year Jameson has taken this creativity a step forward by introducing the brand’s first ‘connected’ bottle. When the Jameson family crest on Steve McCarthy’s limited edition label is tapped with an NFC-enabled Android device, the user will get access to exclusive competitions and content.
Jameson is leading the way in the Irish market by incorporating this playful technology which, until now, many consumers would only be familiar with as a payment method built in to phones. By bringing this technology out of hiding and capitalising on the development of the Internet of Things, Jameson is engaging with customers in a new way, reflecting a customer-led desire for experiences from brands and products. The campaign has been developed with an ongoing partnership between Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard and SharpEnd – the UK’s first Internet of Things agency – and follows research done at the Absolut Company’s innovation lab in Stockholm. The Limited Edition Bottle is Jameson’s first NFC enabled product in Ireland. There is an ease of use with NFC technology when compared to other methods of product interaction such as QR codes; there are no scanning apps to download and launch to gain access to the content.
This should serve to increase completions of the user journey which will allow consumers to receive valuable content from the interaction, for example, the opportunity to win instant prizes. Engaging with the NFC enabled bottle will allow users to enter competitions and win prizes in two ways:
Instant Win – Complete the simple user journey for the chance to instantly win a pair tickets for a tour of the soon to be reopened Jameson Distillery Bow St.
Ultimate Jameson Experience – Complete the simple user journey to be in with the chance to win the Ultimate Jameson Experience in Dublin for St Patrick’s Day. The prize includes tickets to Bow St Sessions on March 16th as well as overnight accommodation and transfers.
The Limited Edition Bottle 2017 will be available worldwide, but the NFC technology will only be enabled for Irish users. With this local targeting, Jameson can connect with its customers in a meaningful way by tapping in to consumer behavior and trends and work towards the goal of celebrating St Patrick’s Day – the Jameson way.
Catherine Casserly, Jameson Marketing Director for Ireland, comments:
“We are thrilled as a brand to be leading the way in using NFC enabled products as a marketing tool in Ireland. Jameson continues to grow all over the world and we are always looking for new ways to engage consumers in a meaningful way. This Limited Edition Bottle is the first Jameson ‘connected’ bottle and we are delighted to be able to debut this innovative technology in our home market.”
Cameron Worth, founder of SharpEnd comments:
“Bottles are now able to drive localised content, providing an entirely new way to communicate with consumers and bringing the brand directly in front of their target audience, presenting the opportunity to drive brand loyalty through service delivery. The Jameson connected bottle is another step in the right direction for the Pernod Ricar
The Jameson Limited Edition Bottle is available now at €29.99 RRP.
Meteor Mobile have extended their “More than you can eat data ” offer on their 4G Simplicity plans..This is excellent news if you are a heavy user of the likes of YouTube, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp & Viber messaging.. OH and PokemonGo…….
This is now how we use our phones mostly for social and messenger apps,Also we are now using our mobile phones to browse the web and most likely shopping online as e commerce continues to grow year on year.. This effectively gives you more time to browse without worrying about your data being consumed on social…
To check out how you can get this deal if you are not already in head over to meteor.ie and check out which plan suits you best..
At first glance people thought this was in fact the Amazon echo but no its the Lava Brightsounds 2 bluetooth speaker…
I must have around 20 Bluetooth speakers reviewed now and every time they get better with new ideas,looks and features to boot. This particular model comes packed with plenty of features including a dimmable ambient LED lantern.
Bigger than the normal portable ones I have checked out this offer more to the party especially if you are a camper or someone who perhaps likes to sit in the garden in the evening or again if you are the indoor type this also provides a nice setting on your bedside locker too offering a nice light for reading without blinding everyone else in the room..
Packaging..
Presented in a box packed with info we get all the extras we should expect find with such a product, We have our instructions and the usual cables…
To start with first of all this is light and very portable given its kind of on the larger size and topped off with a nice leather strap to boot. This strap is also very secure and I would have no worries about it falling off. The top of the unit comes with simple controls so there is no confusion here and all is kept simple. There is a power key,volume toggles and the lantern switch,there is also a status LED..
The LED lantern works quite well as mentioned it can serve several purposes depending on the mood and person for me its been on my locker and the weather is too wet to test outside but having said that its waterproof (IPX4) The speaker on top has a 360 grille constructed with metal and the lamp itself is a tough plastic.
Underneath the speaker is 4 rubber corners which will keep it in place as at times depending on surface and volume these do tend to move around with vibration, this seemed to stay put at all times when testing..On the back of the speaker there is a 3.5 socket for auxially input or indead headphone if you wish to pop them in there is also a Micro USB port so you can charge your mobile phone and a standard USB port for charging. So you also get a powerbank built into the speaker which is excellent and if you want to take calls on it its also possible so its covered you in all respects..This is also covered with a rubber flap.
Soundwise its perfectly fine,not overly loud though but its loud enough being me I typically like it loud just like listening to music on my headphones but its not advisable. Sounds played well with a nice touch of bass and all volume levels seemed fine even maxed out there was no distortion on anything I fire at it..
This comes in several colours too so you have a choice the colours available are Pink,Mustard,Green,Teal and Blue. For the battery conscious there is a 36HR life stated by the manufacturer which seemed true to me and worked well over the test period..
A new dashcam has arrived to check out,this time around its the Thinkware F50 dashcam. Priced in the budget range of around €80 its got just enough to provide drivers with information should it be required,particularly for accidents and on the move instant recording.
This model is also discreet, its small and has a cylinder shape and can be place anywhere and not be so noticeable like some dashcams can be. Another good feature here is parking surveillance mode and impact detection which triggers the unit to record 20 second clips.
Setting up this kit is simple and thats what we all like,there is no hard-wiring required but its a simple as plug and play however you will have to navigate the wiring in your vehicle yourself which will of course vary per manufacturer if you are trying to hide wire you can of course get it hardwired into your car but this is your own choice.. There is cable clips provided in the package to at least mount the cable in a tidy fashion around the front or whichever route you can take..
It is discreet which is what I like about it you could easily place it on your windscreen (See their tips on placement here) and nobody would notice it in fact if you where clever enough about it. The unit is small and compact its Black and looking face on it can be placed very secretly out of harms way and indeed those folk who do the smash and grab thing which still happens so for a little tip do leave in the vehicle overnight..
Included in the packaging is a micro sd card and converter to your PC/Laptop where you will then upload your files to do whatever it is you need to do you will simple see the location down on the left side of your screen and then select the folders and you can either upload or drag them to the desired location.
You can then access the admin panel which has an array of settings a which you decide best for you too assign and you can also format the card when done should you need space but ensure you move over all the required files first…
If you are tech savvy the set up is fine as is out of the box but you can change some features as listed above we just stuck with the out of the box settings to begin with which are perfectly fine. Once you have all this set up you are good to go. On the unit there is one button which allows you to manually record on the go this is if something should crop up and you have not activated the unit.If you just leave it sat there it will give you continuous audio alerts which annoyed me but my testing ground was the reason. You can buy at an option an external GPS unit if you want some more tech added but for the average user this is not really required ,this give speed camera alerts and speed by way audio again, They could have let you use your mobile phones GPS via Bluetooth imo.. Parking mode and motion detection also requires the additional pack to enable those features so there is quite alot more on offer if you take advantage of the GPS module..
Reviewing the basic package I got there is enough here to make it worth the punt in fairness given the alternatives out there , A fine example is the now growing sight of 20 euro dashcams we see in petrol stations and bargain stores such as Euro 2 and Dealz,they are not worth the money full stop..
One caveat for me but in saying that is not being able to see what your dashcam sees on your side as I am use to trying out those types but the unit is easy to adjust and has a wide angle viewing so you can almost place it where you want it to face just by judgement and even if this does not work out for the best do a quick test run and then adjust accordingly next time round.
The audio is clear and loud which is good as with traffic levels here,noise pollution or dare I say in car noise pollution by means of a loud radio playing you will hear it no problem at all…. Overall I think its a nice little kit and its very discreet which I really like,even asking others here I said check out my new camera and they could not find it immediately and they said “that is very hidden you would not see it there” For me that is welcome news to hear as i mentioned above, the opportunist window smashers… Plus peace of mind should you run into an accident or whatever I would not scream out like I have seen some do ” I HAVE A DASH CAM” Big mistake that ,jut say nothing at all….
You can buy this model rightHERE check it out.. And thanks again to thinkware for letting us check this out. Also available on Amazon and Bestbuy.
