UAG – Samsung Galaxy S5 case review from @MobileIrelandie #UAG #Review

Mobile Ireland is Ireland’s premium smartphone and tablet accessory supplier. Their products look to provide you with high quality gadgets that allow you to get more out of your technology and they have kindly sent us the UAG case for the Samsung Galaxy S5 to check out and share our thoughts.

 
Mobile Ireland wants to be at the forefront of where technology and the outdoors meet. Get more benefit and power from your smartphone or tablet. We have you covered whether you are hiking Ireland, travelling abroad on a holiday or are looking to add an accessory to your collection.
Here is what we think of the UAG case for the Samsung Galaxy S5 
Presentation
Most people have a thing for presentation no matter what the product is and personally for me it is not vital but it helps,as it stands case can come in a nice box or perhaps just thrown into a cheap plastic bag with a sticker on it,this is not the case here as its presented in a decent box with plenty of information about the product..

What is inside the box..

Not much and what would you expect,we get the case,A screen protector and and some instructions on how to fit the screen protector would need steady hands and the case simply clips on to your device in a matter of seconds so overall its a simple process to get your device protected with the contents..

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What is it like on the device.

Does not add much bulk to be fair and feels good in hand and the design is quite nice too,we shall go around the case now and see how it fairs out in access to ports and how well your device will be protected..

On the top we are covered,with the screen protector that comes with it its a good addition to have rather than seeking one in a separate purchase,its a mixed bag these days as to how your case arrives and what else you get with it,some offer a stylus,cloth,screen protector or all in.There is a nice lip going around the top so the screen is below surface and device can be placed flat on table without fear of getting scratched,the rear of the case have several raised rubberised notches protecting its own if you will and colour dependent this might be ideal for you,there is nicely designed corners to giving extra protection for drops and typically its a corner that hits the ground first so you are covered here.

The left and right side are similar in design and looks but keeping those areas protected to the max with all keys covered with good travel on the keys themselves,there was no sign of loosing functionality and the keys worked fine,on some case that are similar you would often find them stiff,this was not a problem here and there is raised ridges both sides to give grip and extra support..

Ports and connectivity points are well covered with obstruction or nagging with cables being inserted or removed,this is important some cases can leave users with little space to move and some dislike that experience,there is no flaps on this case again this is a matter of preference,for me I like this as fumbling with flaps is annoying yet it gives more protection but then again with constant moving these flaps would tend to eventually fall off,there was no interference at all with headphones and Micro USB cable and the infra red beam also left unaffected,nor did I experience any loss of sound or clarity with mic holes etc..

Although the case has a small lip its does not get in the way of the home button and sensors on top of the front facing side of the devices and the screen protector does meet up with case so all in all the front is covered,you might have a tempered glass protector on device already but this again has no effect with the case aligning itself on the device.

Overall these UAG cases are good and have a good feel to them and very robust and look well to boot,for the money these are worth it,some people prefer gel cases or cases in this form again that’s a matter of ones preference,personally I like the gel case but would have no issue using one of these either as they do not bulk out your device like some cases can,so I would recommend one of these anytime to anyone..

Check out the UAG case over at Mobile Ireland  right here and check out the full range of goodies they have to offer,thanks again to John for getting in touch and sending us out this case to check out and share our thoughts.
Stay tuned for a chance to win a new case for your iPhone 6 on Monday thanks to Mobile Ireland.

 

Facebook improves mobile look with new features. #Facebook #SocialMedia #Gif

Facebook just like Twitter are always looking to improve things and with Twitter thinking of removing the 140 character limit Facebook announce new features today for mobile..

With the new update you can make your profile picture a GIF and set temporary images that will change over a period of time which is quite nice. You can simply now add short looping videos that will show up on visiting someone’s Facebook page..

 

Facebook say on their blog

Today we’re starting to test the next step in an obvious evolution of profiles: profile videos. Soon, you’ll be able to film a short, looping video clip that will play for anyone who visits your profile. Profile videos will let show a part of yourself you couldn’t before, and add a new dimension to your profile.

We’re not ignoring profile pictures either; we’ve also built some new features that will help you better let your personality shine through your profile picture. As part of that effort, we’ve started to roll out the ability to set a temporary version of your profile picture that reverts back to your previous profile picture at a specified time.

On profile controls they are now making life a bit easier to change things and showcase your profile they are now adding a space up top which you can curate yourself and you can add up to 5 featured images too so this is a nice touch and you also have control of who sees what..Our Facebook page will be launching soon so stay tuned for that….

Source

 

 

Psyself Radio – Electronic Dance Music Player on Android and iOS. #Apps

Electronic Dance music player is an app that simply collects music from different online media services (SoundCloud, Mixcloud and others) and tries to play music that the listener would supposedly like.You can select specific sub genres of electronic music (trance, house, dubstep,hardcore and others), and also listen to popular internet radio stations (DI.FM, SomaFM). The app was created by Maxim Novikov and has been around a while but just got a big update..

Maxim tells us…

I have always been a huge fan of music (electronic music, guitar music, jazz, and lots of other stuff) and even composed it myself before. But I always thought that the existing music industry is totally broken. Listeners can basically just stick to what commercial brands like Universal or Sony Music give them. And I wanna change this.
So, I started working on a mobile app to basically connect all the musicians to their target audience. I collect music from many different sources (like SoundClound, Bandcamp, Mixcloud, YouTube, …, and also online radio stations) and play it through the app as a personalized “radio stream” for a listener. And I am trying to contact to independent artists as well to get approval to play their music (for free) in the app.
There is a lot of great music not exposed through commercial channels like TV or radio these days, and with the current technology breakthrough (the internet, music software, etc.) it is getting available online to anyone, but it’s still very difficult to discover. Big music services like Spotify, Pandora, Apple Music are all affiliated with large record companies utilizing the old dinosaur-era model, so you can’t find new good stuff there. Other music services like SoundCloud or Bandcamp are basically huge directories where musicians can upload their songs, but it doesn’t really change anything for the listener, they still can only find something there if they know about a particular artist or track. I want to provide similar services like big online media systems give to the end consumer, but using all the music from all over the world, so the musicians would get better exposure and the listeners could find any music they enjoy without any effort.

Pick from many Electronic music genres (trance (goa trance, psychedelic and progressive), chillout (downtempo, psybient, psychill, ambient), dubstep, drum and bass, hardstyle, hardcore (happy hardcore and gabba), rave, eurodance, lounge (deep house, nu jazz), electro house and electro swing) and enjoy the best electronic music songs both from popular artists and independent and undiscovered yet music bands.

* No registration required
* No user agreement terms to accept
* No integration with social networks

{ Download on Android }   { Download on iOS }  { Web }

 

 

We’re finalists. Blog Awards Ireland. Best digital and tech. #bloggies2015

TechBuzzIreland has made it to the finals in the Blog Awards Ireland 2015 in the best digital and tech category and for only over one year going we are delighted and the team at techbuzz want to thank everyone who voted for us over the past few months and we could not have got this far without you.

We want to also thank the Blog Awards Ireland judges and team who have been put through their paces and have done an excellent job this year..and we look forward to meeting everyone on the night..

 

 

 

No Windows Phone app for AIB or Bank of Ireland anytime soon.#Apps #Banks

Ulster Bank out of the blue launched a windows phone app which is of course welcome news for Windows Phone users,the few that are left that is here in Ireland that is.So we decided to continue on once more with the long battle having asked them both many times before and the news is not any better now than it was back then so there is no good news to be blunt…

AIB have replied with the following.

Unfortunately, we have no updates regarding the Mobile Banking App becoming available to Windows phones.
However, you can still access internet banking through your phone’s web browser as it has been optimised for use on mobile devices and is very quick and easy to use.We do appreciate your feedback and will pass this on to our Development Team

Sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused.

Thanks for getting in touch – Clare..

Same thing said back in 2013

Bank of Ireland tell us

We do not have any update on a Windows Phone app. We will forward your feedback here to our Development team and will of course let our customers know here and on our usual channels if we receive an update on this.Please let us know if we can help with any other query. Thanks,Sarah.

So there you have it in a nutshell folks..

 

New iPhone breaks records and goes on sale in Ireland October 9th #Apple

Apple have said that the new iPhone models have sold 13 million units in its opening weekend which breaks the last releases record which was 10 million units and Apple have a habit of beating its own records,Also its now confirmed we have a date for the Irish release which we where not quite sure of until today,on their website it states it will go on sale October 9th ,pricing will be of course expensive.. See Apple.ie for more info,the 16GB 6 S will start at €759 and heads north to €979 and the 6 Splus €869 to €1089..


“Sales for iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus have been phenomenal, blowing past any previous first weekend sales results in Apple’s history,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “Customers’ feedback is incredible and they are loving 3D Touch and Live Photos, and we can’t wait to bring iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus to customers in even more countries on October 9.”

Source

Go-Pro announces HERO+ with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth #GoPro

Go-Pro have announced a cheap alternative to its current range making the unit more affordable for those who wish to venture into film making on the go.The new unit sports Bluetooth and Wi-Fi and is also waterproof.It also weighs just 4.3 ounces which is very light and its also sporting an 8MP camera.It will be available from October 4th at selected retailers costing just $199.

The HERO+ is waterproof and mountable as well as compatible with GoPro’s vast array of mounts and accessories.  It captures stunning 1080p60 and 720p60 video and 8MP single, Time Lapse and Burst photos with the same impressive image quality that GoPro has become famous for.  HERO+ most notably features Wi-Fi which allows it to connect with GoPro’s mobile app and benefit from convenient tools such as a Trim & Share feature that allows the user to quickly create and share short video clips across leading social media channels.

Features 

  • Stunning and immersive 1080p60 and 720p60 video
  • 8MP photos with Single, Time Lapse and 5 Photos-per-Second Burst modes
  • Built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth® connect to GoPro App and Smart Remote
  • Rugged, durable and waterproof to 131’ (40m)
  • Integrated camera + housing design
  • QuikCapture enables power-up and recording start with the press of a single button
  • HiLight Tag lets you mark key moments while recording
  • SuperViewcaptures the world’s most immersive wide-angle field of view
  • Auto Low Light mode intelligently adjusts frame rates for optimal low-light performance
  • Built-in microphone
  • Wearable and Mountable, Compatible with GoPro’s vast array of mounts and accessories

 

Source

Currys and PC World sells Apple Watch. #AppleWatch

Currys and PC World are now offering the Apple Watch online for Apple Watch fans,though there is no click and collect service from them which is a let-down.Harvey Norman offer a click and collect service so this saves you waiting a few days which would apply to purchasing from the Apple store too..

 

Prices are the same as you would pay in the Apple store which is good to see and free delivery is also included too..

See Currys and PC World for more details on model info and availability

Can we forget about a Ryanair Windows Phone app ? #Ryanair #Windows

Yesterday we where the first to bring you the good news of the new Windows Phone app for Ulster Bank which was something that had been asked for,for over two years and the same can be said for other banks here in Ireland along with other big companies who have just ignored Windows Phone for the last few years,we have been use to the robotic scripted responses over and over again,and the nudge to use the mobile site (which they all do say) and it looks like the end of the road for Ryanair and Windows Phone users.

Over the last few weeks I decided to reignite the flame with Ryanair and ask them again about the app,this however took two weeks to get a final answer today which was short and blunt as you can see below..’The company also did state once before they where working on an App but was over a year ago and now seems fruitless.

This story goes back a long way like the Ulster Bank app and others,take Bank Of Ireland for instance.. who are said to be working on an app for Windows Phone users .But this goes back further than that 

Ryanair did bring a boarding pass app to its customers and again it was for just Android and iOS users,given that this time was when Windows Phone was starting to see some movement it obviously did not cut it cost wise due to the market share,Today market share has dropped from its peek estimated 12/14% and there is no sign of it improving just yet anyway.Ryanair again said the following back then and the full article on that is HERE the poll back then spoke volumes.

 

 

With the recent Ulster Bank app one has to wonder is there some hope down the road for the banking sector to get their eyes open to Windows Phone users as there is plenty here to warrant an app for its users and the same applies to our Airlines too which are shy in this department and it does not just apply to us Irish,Most Windows Phone users though have moved on to another OS due to the shortage of apps,local apps in particular and unless that changes the uptake of Windows Phone will remain poor and fall,there is much more main stream apps though that before be it from the companies themselves or third party devs who do a good job to fill the void,even at that we run into stumbling blocks snapchat being one of them who go out of their way to ensure it cant be published..

Have your say and tell us what you think..