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.
You can even upload a selfie from your phone and send a personalised message…
Ordering flowers can be a tad cumbersome for folk yet alone finding the time to do it, Walking into a store and finding that bunch of flowers is something I would have no interest in personally but looking online would suit me better, There is however a new app that prepares your perfect bundle once you open the app.. Its called bloomtown and its now on Android and iOS… The service has now launched in selected areas in Dublin so this will be quite handy for those whom have no time or patience nor have a clue about flowers in general, Yeah that would be me…
With the Bloomtown app sending flowers is easy like Sunday morning. Personalise your own message card with a selfie or a picture from your camera roll. Re-order flowers with just a few taps. You can also set alerts for special occasions.
Description
Sending and receiving flowers should be a joy, right? So why are floristry websites often so blah to use? Created in 2016, we are a budding new company on a mission to revolutionise the way you send flowers. We’ve worked with the very best floral designers to create a carefully curated flower menu of chic elegance. It’s small but perfectly formed so you can find the ideal bouquet in seconds. There’s no nonsense, no naff teddy bears and delivery is included in the price, so there are no nasty surprises. In fact, the only surprises you’ll get with Bloomtown are nice ones.
Now you have no excuse lads and lassies download below on Android and iOS…
THINKWARE’s CEO, Heung Bok Lee, announces today that global dash cam brand “THINKWARE DASH CAM” has received the “2017 Innovation Award” in the car audio/video category for the “DASH CAM 5800 Air”, from the world-renowned Consumer Electronics Show (CES). This has been the second consecutive year that THINKWARE has received the prestigious CES innovation award; reserved for only the best products in each category.
The THINKWARE DASH CAM F800 Air is the first model to feature a design compatible with IOT (Internet of things) technology for the realisation of a completely ‘Connected Car.’ The F800 Air model’s IOT connection gives drivers complete peace of mind with the ‘Emergency Alert’ feature. It sends location and status information via text message to your pre-selected emergency contacts when the system detects a crash, rollover or the SOS button is activated. It also has the ‘Parking Incident Notifications’ function, which, in real time, sends alerts if your vehicle is hit while parked, even subtle impacts such as door dings or a door closing. Furthermore, with THINKWARE’s patented LBS (Location Base Service) technology, all drivers will soon benefit from ‘Geo Fencing’, an alert system which informs you if your vehicle enters or leaves a designated area along with the ‘Driving Report Service’ a feature that analyses driving patterns of its drivers to support safe driving.
In addition to the innovative technologies, the aesthetics of the F800 Air has been designed with an attractive and modern look with a slim frame design, aluminum materials for the round camera module, and an overall ‘U’ shaped body that integrates the entire design.
The F800 Air’s breakthrough innovations and bold designs certainly helped it achieve the CES 2017 innovation award. The dash cam is currently in its final stage of development and is scheduled for a global launch next year.
THINKWARE stated, “With the innovative “connected car” technologies, the dash cam will take on an important role in providing both driver convenience and safety and the continued evolution of the capabilities of the dash cam seem boundless with IOT.”
This year will be THINKWARE’s 6th consecutive presence at CES 2017, reinforcing their global position as the world’s top dash cam company in global sales and market influence. Last September, THINKWARE established their Chinese branch along with a ‘premium offline store’ in the city of Simchun to expand their B2B market in China. Also, in Singapore, THINKWARE has been offered sales partnership programmes at Toyota dealerships and at branches of car accessory brand, Autobac. Additionally, with the success of their partnership with BEST BUY distribution channels in the United States, THINKWARE plans to continue their sales expansion into Europe, South America, and other Asian countries and is expecting to more than double 2016 sales figures.
The CES 2017 Innovation award is awarded for outstanding design and technology through evaluation by the CEA (Consumer Electronics Association) and IDSA at CES (Consumer Electronics Show), one of the world’s top 3 recognized technology exhibitions.
The ExoLens Case for the iPhone 7 will be on display at the 2017 International Consumer Electronics Show, 5th – 8th January 2017 in Las Vegas. This is following the recent launch of the ExoLens PRO Wide-Angle, Macro-Zoom and Telephoto lenses with upgraded bracket for iPhone 7 which you can see HERE ExoLens has collaborated with ZEISS to create a range of lenses, to bring the same aspherical lens technology, previously reserved for high-end DSLR cameras to your iPhone as a compact accessory lens.
ExoLens, the accessory brand dedicated to elevating the mobile photography category, announces the launch of the ExoLens Case. This ultra-durable, dual layer case allows photographers and cinematographers to use the ExoLens PRO with Optics by ZEISS mobile photography lenses they love, while protecting their devices from drops and scratches while they shoot. Designed with high-end aesthetics and impact-resistant materials, the ExoLens Case serves as a low profile, highly protective solution even without the lenses.
“After launching our line of ZEISS ExoLens mobile photography solutions earlier this year, consumers told us that they loved the mobile photography lenses, but also expressed a desire for a solution that protected their iPhone, while still providing the lens attachment capability,” says John Fellowes, Chief Executive Officer of Fellowes Brands. “The new ExoLens Case will provide the ability for users to seamlessly utilize our visually enhancing lenses, but the case will also shield the individuals iPhone from everyday drops and scratches at the same time.”
The ExoLens® Case will be available for purchase Q1 2017 and is making its debut at CES 2017 at the ZEISS booth located at Las Vegas Convention Center: Central Hall – Room C204. The ExoLens Case will allow users to easily switch between ExoLens® PRO with Optics by ZEISS lenses, which are designed for professional photographers and journalists, as well as the upcoming Exolens® PRIME lenses, which are intended for the photographer looking to create unique, artistic and candid snapshots, satisfying mobile photographers of all levels.
The app Includes six decades of highlights from more than 40 landmark BBC programmes, including Planet Earth, Blue Planet, The Life of Mammals, Africa and others…
Recently Attenborough’s Story of Life app hit the app stores and I seemed to have missed its launch. I have been busy working on several things and a new site refresh is on the way. This app though is how an app should be its pure gold just like the recently aired planet earth tv show which is now available to purchase on Blu-Ray an so on…
As a nature fan all my life I tend to watch certain programmes an ignore the rest, For example Discovery Channel would be one and anything David Attenborough purely because of his record in bringing top class coverage over the years he is probably the best in the business…
The new app follows suit here with how its presented throughout too and I recall seeing on Twitter people would gladly pay their licence fees if the likes of this series was a yearly episode rather than the long waits between series, This I agree on too. The app content is fantastic and complements the planet earth series,its laid out well and the UI is also great. Its a must for those interested…
App features
Explore the most comprehensive collection of Sir David’s work ever released online.
• Includes six decades of highlights from more than 40 landmark BBC programmes, including Planet Earth, Blue Planet, The Life of Mammals, Africa and others.
• Watch unique collections of films curated by Sir David and others.
• Create and save your own collections and share them with friends and family.
• Hunt for hidden films featuring Sir David, recorded exclusively for the app.
• Explore extraordinary sequences of animals and plants, from iconic large species to rarely seen enigmatic creatures. See them hunt, mate, eat, travel and communicate in their natural habitats; ranging from the high mountains to the deepest oceans, across deserts, forests and the polar ice caps.
• Watch lions, polar bears, whales, sharks, eagles and giant lizards and many more.
• Use wi-fi for the optimum experience.
Pop up stores have been a thing for a long time and every festive season and perhaps throughout the year we see them crop up in shopping centres around the country which is fine and they create jobs and people spend. But what happens should something arise after you purchase an item from such a store with nothing on display whatsoever only one notice hidden behind the till…
We found such a pop up at my local retail park selling Virtual Reality Headsets. Marked at €89 which is complete bull.. This headset in particular should cost you no more than €20 Then they tell you they are throwing in a free bluetooth controller worth €25 again daylight robbery..
So what they are saying in effect you are getting the headset and controller for €39 which leaves the consumer fleeced no matter what way you look at it I have tried and tested some 20-30 headsets and do have enough to knowledge to call it a complete rip-off..
Having watched people buy them no one asked a thing about it just picked it up and left so for them I have no pity.
First off the Bluetooth controller on Amazon costs 6.99
Secondly the headset itself can be found again on Amazon for around €10-€25 there is plenty of them as its a generic headset,there is several of these types about which we will be discussing at a later date.
FREE GAMES/APPS/MOVIES yeah they are all free from their respective Android and iOS stores none are theirs nor do they own any of them.. They have no app to accompany their headsets like some manufacturers do..
Who owns them..
There is no actual company name anywhere to be seen actually all you see is whats above in the photo. All we see is VRFBOX..
Having spoken to the staff at the kiosk they tell me that Creative Retail Solutions run the show yet on the receipt which is as vague as you can get says GADGET BOX. Also on the receipt you have just purchased a GADGET. Time and date and rather useless information in general which leaves me asking more questions, What happens if something goes wrong,which in my case the headset broke just inserting my phone..To be fair this could happen to anyone, Regardless the viewing quality was quite poor…
The staff told me that they are here until the 31.12.16 first of all so then I asked about their returns policy which is more hidden than on display. They are now reduced to 20 euro I must note before I go on.. The staff told me I could go to reception and ask for Creative Retail Solutions and they will sort it out.. This is simply not good enough in my book because say something goes wrong and these have packed their bags and you have a receipt thats worth jack shit in your hand. Again asking about refunds or exchanges well the same scripted response, its the policy. These are on sale in Mahon Point in Cork, Whitewater in Newbridge and Liffey Valley Lucan. So beware… Perhaps a bit late this time around but for future pop ups take stock in the future and not just tech either. Also keep in mind this company has been in trouble before for similar..
Regarding the unit I got from them they did agree to refund after a slight guff…
Stealth VR have made a few headsets and this new one is an affordable HMD for the masses. The best model though is the VR 200 which we have tried and tested and is also available at Smyths Toys and is getting good feedback via questions in here to us..
The VR50 is available in a selection of colours too which would suit those with a colour preference and it is also good to see they are not sticking to the traditional Black and White options we tend to see but on a whole many are taking the same route offering more colour choice. This design to is a more generic design and we have seen similar before but we will find out soon as we have several headsets on the way.
The VR50 is the perfect way to introduce yourself to Mobile VR. A removable tray holds your phone in place while 35mm lenses allow you to immerse fully in your chosen virtual experience. A sliding front makes the VR50 AR compatible by providing access to your phone’s camera.
VR & AR Compatible
Independent Focal and Pupil Distance adjustment
STEALTH VR customers get exclusive access to their online community hub and support network. Visit http://www.stealthvr.net to check it out!
Hook it,Loop it, Set it or Stick it.. Yes this new gadget that arrived is for the outdoor fans and more with all the functionality it offers The Polk Boom Swimmer Duo is what we are checking out today.. Traditionally we are all custom to perhaps the speaker we just turn on and connect to out devices and jut leave them sat wherever they maybe but this speaker offers much more and it becomes part of your routine because it offers more than one way to use it..
I have a countless amount of Bluetooth speakers here and to be honest they are all lacking something… Portability ??? NO.. They in fact are portable but limitations soon crop up due to them mostly being free standing ones and have to be left in a particular environment or position. This speaker has a hook and a suction cup which allows you to place it in an array of places and it will be safe..
Packaging
The package to start with is pretty cool,not your typical box type but a bottled product which is a nice touch and complements the package as a whole and meaning outdoors but you are not limited to outdoor use.In fact there is no limitations at home..
In the package we get some instructions,cable and the speaker itself with two attachments that simple twist on/off. One is a suction cup and another is a hook type that is bendy and twisty which can move in any direction to latch onto something you might like to place it..
Build Quality
It is tough with a rubber housing all round.. This is built to last its solid its shockproof,its waterproof its dust proof and has an IPX 7 rating which means its good for 3 ft of water for 30 mins or thereabouts. There is two attachments which still remain sealed which you will further on below. While testing I did drop it twice purposely to see if it would remain intact and it did, the drops where from head height and arms length just to be sure. Its solid…
Functionality
By no means this is a speaker thats restricted as to where it can be placed. Even in the house…This will stick to surfaces with no problem and with the hook thats on a separate attachment it can be place just about anywhere which is very useful,You could attach it to your jacket or bag or even your bike, canoe or boat, there is no limits as to where it can be placed which I like very much, I even tried this at home in my house just to be sure that the suction works, Now keep in mind this is not light for something to remain to a wall and then add vibration on top of that.. This sticks and stays put…
Features.
Its got what we should expect to find in such a product yet offers more as a whole. We of course have Bluetooth connectivity, Volume controls and a Pairing button and a small LED status light. You can actually link these together if you had another one,something which we have seen in several speakers before but its nice if you happen to own more than one and get real stereo sound and separation. On the bulk end of the speaker there is a USB port and an inline socket which means you can attach an 3.5 mm audio cable..
Connectivity
You can take calls on this which is handy and calls are clear, Connecting is seamless and no loss of connection was seen during testing for around a week,the sound is excellent and it does get amplified for example when on glass or a wooden table and it gets better in these instances.
Overall this is a great little speaker and does what it says on the tin giving you no limits to where it can be placed, Its a clever idea and for such a small speaker the sound is quite good,better than I had anticipated to be honest and when amplied on wood or a window it sounds better,The buttons are tactile its easy to set up and jut works great even phone calls are good form the few I took when testing it out.. I can really fault it… Thats saying something.. Finally there is several colours to pipck from if you did not like our sample you can buy it in Sport Blue,Black Orange or Green see the link below.
We have been testing these cans out a good few days now and one thing that stands out here is how comfortable they are.Having tested out many cans over the year and still some here in testing at first i did not like the look of them but that changed after hours of use and I grew to like them…
One thing for me with headphones that is a must is comfort because I tend to wear them quite alot and these surpassed my expectations. Also with ANC built in they really stepped up my initial thoughts as this feature is quite good and as mentioned the comfort on offer here, your ears are completely covered though this may vary per person and the soft leather padding just makes it a snug fit and not clamped onto your ears like the case can be for some headphones..
The Packaging and Presentation
GOOD… You get a touch exterior box with plenty of information on board then you are presented with the package with its own case to house them when not in use. Also inside here we find some extra goodies was welcome packed nicely away in a separate pouch that can be moved anywhere within the case and sticks via Velcro.
Build Quality
At first I thought they looked cheap,especially around the Volume and ANC area. They are solid though with lots of nice movement on board.They however are made mostly from plastic which is not really an issue for me but they are comfortable no matter what..The headband is on the thin side but padded nicely on both sides with leather which made them nice to wear for long periods of time the band itself seems flexible enough too which is important.There is few joints visible throughout though which is fine and the only metal parts per-say is where the arms extend each side but again feels solid and one thing to note there is no visible wires like you often find on such cans..
The Cups can are held separate via an arm each side which allows a 180 degree swivel and this also is how they are stored by twisting them so they remain flat in the package which is quite nice and again the cups have an inward movement which ensures they nestle just nicely on your ears.The cups themselves again are housed in plastic but have a rubberised texture and dont seem to be a fingerprint magnet either and then that soft leather padding on the cups is just about right,They are really comfortable and really light..
Functionality
The cups clearly marked L and R have functioning keys which are easy to navigate once you get use to wearing them,The left side will sport a 3.5mm socket for a wired connection which is good should you run out of juice, There is an indicator light which shows when you are connected to a device and then all our usual controls to skip/pause and play tracks and integrated mic etc which we would expect to find on wireless headphones today. The control buttons are on the small side but tactile though you will need to get used to where they are due to them being almost flush with the housing..Finally there is a port for Micro USB charging…
The right side hosts some features too.. I do like a balance on my headphones and not everything cramped to one side. On this side we have a Volume control which was oddly a dial rather than a physical key but I was ok with this and it was a bit nostalgic if you will, Also we the ANC function which is very very good and works brilliantly and there is an indicator light here too to let you know if its on or off but you will know the difference when wearing them,Trust me…
Sound Quality
Sound quality was rather good all round.. They for me where not the loudest cans I have used or own today but the balance all round seems just about right even for the real thoroughbred audiophile which is something I dont claim to be but owning around 20 sets of headphones alone now I can safely say the sound quality is great, Even when using at full volume there was not much distortion at all but this is down to how loud they can go from my point of view but regardless the sound was good with highs,lows and mids all round and enjoyable and the ANC function is excellent.. There is a lot a thought put into these and its really quite hard to believe how light and comfortable they are to wear and if you are the type to wear such cans for long periods of time these are something to check out ,At no stage did my ears sweat nor did they get annoying,in fact after a few minutes you would forget they are actually there. The only minor gripe I would have is the amount of joints and how long they will last but this would be down to the individual and how rough they are or if you where to swipe them off in a hurry but then again they are not the type that are clamped onto your head and I would expect they can take quite a few knocks too and should serve you a long time..
We are big fans of Jabra here and today we will be reviewing the Jabra ROX Wireless Bluetooth headset. We have had many products from Jabra over the last two years so you can check them all out by searching Jabra..This particular headset has been out since 2014 but we where not around then and they kindly sent them over for us to check out until our requested products arrive. The ROX Wireless are ideal for the sports enthusiast and very robust, They actually are made with KEVLAR too which off the bat gives them a solid statement with build quality to say the least.. lets see how they are overall though..
The Package
The package comes well presented with a magnetised closure which seems to be the norm these days and it does look and feel well and not a lousy effort when it comes to packaging the product, One thing for those that know me is I detest cheap packaging.. Jabra dont let me down in this department. We get the ROX Wireless Headset – Carry Pouch – A selection of eargels – Stability Earwings – Cable and some instructions.
The Build Quality
Made with KEVLAR. Enough said… They are solid, The buds are on the large side an perhaps a little to large for me, They do sit in my ears but they tend not to stay in so long,However this has not been an issue with later Jabra earbuds. They also seem on the heavy side, they are big as you can see in the images. The buds themselves are made with metal and solid and the cable is quite tough and would not get tangled, it did not for me during a few days testing. These remember are life proof,Dust and Water resistant and they look and feel “PREMIUM”. These also have magnets which I think make them that bit heavier than what I am used to but I like this idea and it keeps them safe when not in use and nicely stowed together.. This also acts as an on/off feature and saves power..
Functions
On opening the package first thing I notice was the little multi-function button which has a Volume Up/Down button, the centre button brings Play-Pause, Track Forward, Call Answer End control.These are small however but tactile enough and you can navigate blindly easily enough once you get the feel for it. How do you charge these?? This was something that had me lost for a moment because there is no visible port to charge but on the earbud the cap comes off which when you think of it is clever, Also there is an LED on the same side to give you visual indicators being the usual Blue,Red and Green not only that you do have voice notification as per norm with Jabra products.
Sound and battery life.
Jabra say you will get around 5-6 hours of usage and you will need a 2.5 hr charge time which is not bad,This can be charged via your PC or typical wall charger but if you are the type to be at your PC/Laptop all day this would do when you are not using them to keep them topped up. Sound was surprisingly good even at the louder end with little or no distortion and the bass is good and dont forget Jabra has their own “Jabra Sound App” which effectively gives you DOLBY sound which is rather good and the app is free… Pairing these was also an effortless task as with any other Jabra product I own and again there is audible notifications which helps..
Overall for me personally they worked fine, However they are a bit on the big side, Aside that with all the earwings and gels they did not fully suit my ears but when resting at home they worked a treat but not something for training with, With magnetised buds and the optimum construction in these they will take a few knocks and would last a long time with your average user..
