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.

Toshiba wins Red Dot Award for the Portégé Z20t and Chromebook 2 by @jimboireland #Toshiba #Portégé #RedDot

Great news for Toshiba today, – Dublin, Ireland, 15th April 2015 – Toshiba Europe GmbH today announces it has been awarded a Red Dot Award 2015 for product design for both its Chromebook 2 and Portégé Z20t at the international design competition.

 

With 4,928 innovative entries from 1,994 participants across 56 countries, the Red Dot Award 2015 ‘Product Design’ category is not only the largest and most recognised product competition in the world, but also the most international. The accolade of receiving the ‘Red Dot’ is a globally recognised mark of design excellence – with winners being selected by a judging panel that comprises outstanding designers, respected design professors and specialist journalists from 25 different countries.

Portege_Z20t-B_14_with_logo

 

Toshiba Portégé Z20t

The Portégé Z20t combines powerful performance with Intel® Core™ M processors and tablet flexibility in one. Aimed predominantly at business professionals, the fully detachable 31.75 cm (12.5”) device with Full HD display is designed to help users create or consume content with ease. Whether it’s being used for giving presentations via the reversible dock, taking notes in meetings, or for completing day-to-day tasks, users can benefit from high performance and a long lasting battery life of up to 17[1] hours that supports productivity at all times. With a premium design that’s thin and lightweight, carrying the Portégé Z20t around is easy too. And, with integrated Trusted Platform Module (TPM), the data stored locally will stay safe – leaving users to focus on getting their work done.

 

 

Toshiba’s Chromebook 2

Toshiba’s Chromebook 2 enables users to fully immerse themselves in entertainment – whether watching the latest movies with the superior clarity of the optional bright Full HD IPS or listening to the great sound of stereo speakers tuned by Skullcandy® to bring out the best in their music. Business professionals, on the other hand, can power through spreadsheets with ease on the 33.8 cm (13.3″) optimised screen space, and travel light thanks to the device’s weight of just 1.35 kg. With a long battery life and host of familiar applications, users can be more productive – wherever they study, work or play.

Source JR

Is Nokia coming back to the smartphone game ? Maybe/Maybe not by @jimboireland #Nokia

Ok so an email from Nokia press arrived this morning with them discussing Alcatel Lucent,there is many rumours floating around and in this game there will continue to do so i think many people want to see Nokia standing firm once again in the handset business,also of late is speculation of the rumored sale of HERE maps so put 2 & 2 together here and sparks begin to fly.After the success of the N1 tablet which is hard to get these days its a sign,a good sign and one which its safe to say Nokia fans will want to see their NOKIA LOGO back on top of a handset,not a cheap handset from MS but a decent one from god knows who at this point.We all know this cant happen for some time but there is nothing wrong with planning ahead,the day cant come sooner for the majority..but is it for a return to the handset market? For now that’s a no. Down the road who knows.
Updated. Nokia have now purchased Alcatel-Lucent, read more HERE

 

 

 

 

Statement regarding Nokia/Alcatel-Lucent media speculation

In relation to recent media speculation Nokia and Alcatel-Lucent confirm that they are in advanced discussions with respect to a potential full combination, which would take the form of a public exchange offer by Nokia for Alcatel-Lucent. There can be no certainty at this stage that these discussions will result in any agreement or transaction.

A further announcement will be made when appropriate.

So what do you think ?

One Plus One gets Cyanogen OS 12. #OnePlus #CyanogenOS12 by @jimboireland

The wait is over,especially One Plus owners Cyanogen OS 12 is now available for One Plus fans before anyone.  Also announced was a new email client which is native powered by  Boxer.

The material design language implemented for Lollipop now makes its way across our Cyanogen operating system. Taking on the material design elements of visual, motion and interaction design, Cyanogen OS has never looked better.

Our latest ‘L’ release gives you extra theming features, down to the granular ability to theme individual apps using the new feature called App Themer. You also have more choice in themes – both free and now paid themes. We’ve now made it even easier for you to turn your operating system into your own personal canvas.

We’re also excited to debut the new Cyanogen email, powered by Boxer. The premium version of Boxer comes free to all Cyanogen OS users. This new email experience provides sweet benefits that were previously missing from the built-in mail app. Enjoy Exchange support, multiple account integration, and canned responses for quick replies. Boxer has added great customization bells and whistles – select a different LED color for email notifications, and choose what happens when you swipe left or right on a message. We think you’ll enjoy the level of customization and choice you have with the new Cyanogen email.

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The AppKettle – A Smart Kettle with vision. #Tech #Kickstarter #KitchenTech by @jimboireland

Ok so tech is becoming part of our lives more especially at home and not to long ago we seen something similar to today’s topic which is the humble kettle,its now got smart and it makes us that bit more lazy but we love it.last year we featured the iKettle,this time round its the AppKettle.

The Electric Kettle is quite simply the world’s most versatile beverage maker used by millions of people, every day. We use it to make our favourite hot drinks and share moments with our loved one’s, friends and colleagues, essentially the Kettle has the power to connect us.

“We are extremely passionate about technology, hot drinks, sharing and connecting moments together and that is why we created Appkettle to be:

Convenient, Timesaving, Useful, Beautiful and Simple for Everyone.”

Appkettle is the world’s first kettle with volume and temperature linked to your app in real-time. This allows you to interact, see and control Appkettle’s temperature, volume, timings and energy usage.

 

Who is the App Kettle for ?

  • Standard Home Platform – Appkettle works through WiFi and will be developed onto the Apple HomeKit platform and Android. This solution is efficient, safe and secure for enabling communication between multiple smart home products and the user.
  • Real-time User Interface – All users can see kettle usage, schedule and make selections through the appkettle app.
  • Cloud Based Architecture – It is our intention, on achieving the required stretch goal to integrate Appkettle’s functionality into a cloud system. This would support remote connection outside of WiFi connectivitiy and allow control through 3G/4G, dynamic multi-user and preference control, external connectivity, distance-time relationships and more..
  • You Save Time – According to Which? approximate statistics, Brits boil 1,378 times a year with the average kettle taking one minute and 27 seconds to boil (2 cups). Appkettle will help reduce 33 hours of waiting to near zero. More time for you to enjoy and with perfect tasting beverages.

Parents with kids

 

  • Set Feed Time – Pick any time, any day.
  • Scheduled Cool Down – Appkettle boils and cools for time selected.
  • Prepare Baby Bottle – On arrival make up a baby bottle
  • Finish – Quickly cool bottle under tap, check temp on wrist and feed

3 years in the Making.

Drink Timing and Control 

Appkettle’s smart scheduling enables you to set beverage types for any time in the day or night. It uses temperature and volume information to heat and allow for cooling as necessary to suit your drink requirements. The App then notifies you, keeps it warm or you can simply arrive at the kettle for the time selected.

 

For more head over HERE, Pretty neat idea i reckon.

 

TechBuzzIreland is heading to Malta for the IFA Global Press Conference. by @jimboireland #IFA15GPC #Tech

We are delighted to announced we will be heading to Malta come the end of March to visit IFA 2015 and of course we will keep you up to date with the latest announcements live as it happens.

IFA organizers gfu and Messe Berlin are happy to invite you to attend the
IFA 2015 Global Press Conference in
Malta 23-26 April 2015!

 We will be live tweeting from the event itself and gathering as much news as possible for your enjoyment over the 3 Days,stay tuned for the latest news on the dates in question.

We look forward to meeting you there, A full list of who’s attending is available HERE

Power briefing and Panels

 

#WholeWorldBand – the easy way to make and enjoy music & video together #Music #Apps #Video

WholeWorldBand is a new app in which you can make music videos and collaborate with thousands of other musicians and fans – all you need is your iPhone or iPad and off you go,the idea is to enhance collaboration with world known artists and also get yourself noticed,so for new upcoming bands,groups or solo artists this is the app for you..

 

PICK WHAT YOU WANT TO BE
Want to be a singer? A songwriter? Play guitar or bass? You can be in a music video with up to five other people using the WholeWorldBand app – it’s like entering a giant video studio!

Or would you rather be a Video Director? You can create personalised Video Mixes of the songs you like – and when you’ve made something great, SHARE IT!

EASY TO USE
Just one tap on the Home screen allows you to play on music videos with other users from around the world; create your own song Session for other people to play on; make a Video Mix; or just explore and find great songs already on WholeWorldBand.

BE A MUSICIAN
Want to play music with people from all over the planet? Just pick one of the hundreds of recording sessions and press the record button to play or sing along using just your iPad or iPhone. It’s that easy! WholeWorldBand gives you all of the music and video recording, mixing, and sharing functionality you need to become an international recording artist!

BE A VIDEO DIRECTOR
Use your iPhone or iPad to become a music video Director! Just pick a song and you can see all of the individual music and video tracks, ready for you to create a unique new Video Mix. Build an automatic Video Mosaic featuring all the parts you want, or edit the video yourself with our powerful but easy-to-use Cut Mix editor – all you have to do is touch to edit, no complicated functions to learn!

Download from the app store HERE  See more over at wholeworldband.com

Get your Apple Watch first in Ireland with @ParcelMotel. #AppleWatch #ParcelMotel #Ireland #Tech

The Apple watch went up for pre-order on Friday but for us Irish we of course will not be the first to have it like many other tech items that fail to reach irish shores.

On Friday people tried to pre-order the Apple watch with Parcel Motel accounts and Apple declined these orders which was a bit harsh to say the least. Apple responded to people with the following.

Thank you for your recent Apple Store order.

As we no longer ship to freight forwarder addresses in Ireland, we have cancelled your order.

To locate an Apple Authorised Reseller in your area please visithttp://www.apple.com/ie/buy/.

Alternatively, if you wish to place a new order please call an Apple Representative at 1800 92 38 98 or visit http://www.apple.com/ie.

Thank you for choosing Apple.

Apple Store

This certainly angered eager customers waiting to get their hands on the latest gizmo from Apple,but now Apple have agreed to ship the Apple Watch with Parcel Motel to Ireland,so this is great news for everyone.You could of course pick one up of you happened to be in the UK and perhaps wait in lengthy queues or have a friend or relation post one over but you can now do it from the comfort of your home with Parcel Motel.

https://twitter.com/ParcelMotel/status/586970307681878017

If you fancy it you now now pre-order your APPLE WATCH from the UK over HERE

About Parcel Motel

The way we shop is changing fast. More of us are buying online, but delivery difficulties and high postage costs have put many Irish consumers and retailers off. How often have you spotted a bargain online only to find that the savings are wiped out by high delivery costs or the website won’t deliver to the Republic of Ireland? Who will be at home when an order is delivered? How can couriers contact people who live in apartments?

Parcel Motel solves those online shopping obstacles by providing you with a ‘virtual address’ – a way to avail of lower delivery prices – combined with convenient collection and drop-off locations. Parcel Motel is the perfect delivery solution offering you flexibility and value for money.

Not got an account yet ?  Sign up HERE

Olio – Introducing Olio Assist,Your digital guardian.by @jimboireland #Cloud #Olio #Smartwatch

Recently you may remember the announcement of the Olio smartwatch which is rather nice and quite different in many ways to some other alternatives out there.What also comes with the Olio one model is Olio Assist,A butler,a helpful guide and an Guardian..How about that then!

 

Olio Assist is a cloud-based personal assistant focused exclusively on saving you time. Olio Assist combines an understanding of your preferences and current context, and offers helpful suggestions that let you stay focused on what matters most to you.

Your Digital Guardian

Olio Assist keeps an eye on your schedule and incoming notifications and calls, and helps you filter the noise. One of our favorite benefits of OlioAssist is that it can offer to hold your messages when you have a meeting scheduled, allowing you to remain focused on the job at hand. Then, after you’re done, Olio can present a digest of everything you’ve missed so you can quickly get caught up. It’s your very own personal assistant.

Your Helpful Guide

Olio Assist can also help streamline many tasks throughout your day. Using the same understanding of your preferences and context, Olio Assist can do things like give you walking or biking directions without needing to pull out your phone, offer to call an Uber when it’s raining, or alert you of an accident while you’re driving. All of these suggestions by Olio Assist can be acted on with a quick tap from the Model One, glance, and swipe. It’s incredibly easy.

Your Personal Butler

Olio Assist can interact with services and connected devices you already use. By integrating your products with your habits, Olio Assist can streamline your routine by coordinating the things you use every day, all in one place. For example, when you arrive home, Olio can unlock your door, turn up the heat, start playing your evening playlist, and remind you of that call you couldn’t respond to from a friend during your drive home. Just a tap, glance, and swipe away.

Olio Assist is it doesn’t bother you when you’re busy. Olio Assist is always learning and looking for ways to save you time – keeping you connected while allowing you to disconnect. It’s modern technology on your own terms.

Olio Assist comes exclusively on the Olio Model One, and works with Android and iOS phones and tablets. Visit  www.oliodevices.com for more information.. Currently there is a friends and family offer of $250 off all models for a limited time.

Will you be picking one of these up ? This watch has my interest…

Source – Olio.

Bargain – Pick up the Lumia 530 from the Carphone Warehouse for €39.99 by @jimboireland #CPW

If you have not tried Windows Phone yet and want to pick up a cheap handset now is your chance with the carphone warehouse,also this could be a handy spare handset to have or its an ideal gift for €39.99 its a steal and the 530 has much to offer here compared to Android handsets in this price range. The 530 comes with a 4” LCD display,5 MP camera,Fast Quadcore with Windows Phone 8.1 and 4GB storage.

Good value means never compromising. That’s why the Nokia Lumia 530 comes with a quad-core processor, the latest version of Windows Phone, and the best new apps. Whether you’re messaging, socialising or gaming, the Nokia Lumia 530 gives you the power to have fun.

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