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.
Well its been how many months now since twitter last seen an update on Windows Phone yes it was way back then when Android and iOS reaped updates quite regular especially Twitter for Android.
Todays news will be welcome for many users of the app but i fear third party apps have took over the official with apps like Tweetium and Twabbit for example,Windows Phone users have given up along time ago on the official app so can it claw back any of its old friends,well lets see what is new..
Much awaited was to add photos via DM and to have the ability to upload more than one photo at a time and this is now possible which will help current users of the app.We also have people hub integration also you can now ask Cortana (where available) to send tweet when in the app..You can now also share websites from IE to the app from your device,Apart from that there is no cosmetic changes either so it still looks a bit on the outdated side there and notifications are still an issue and sharing is also missing although you can via IE.
Lets face it things are getting smaller and of course things are also getting bigger it depends on the technology,example been phones are now phablets they have reached already sizes we once never thought,ever since the first Galaxy Note was launched we all snubbed it and laughed but look at how that has changed in the last two years alone..
Our PC or Laptop is also another example of how things have become smaller,thinner or lighter and in some cases larger,change is of course good but everyone cant be pleased.Mouse-Box might have the answer for some with their new invention which is not on sale yet nor seeking crowdfunding as yet,but they have crammed a PC into a Mouse..
Mouse-Box has crammed quite alot into what looks like our standard mouse which we are all so familiar with.
It has a Micro HDMI port,2 UBS 3.0 ports,Wi-Fi,1.4GHz Quad-core ARM Cortex CPU, 128GB of flash storage and also cloud storage plus an accelerometer and gyroscope..So all you need after that is a screen and a keyboard and away you go,this seems like a pretty cool idea but can it take off ?
There is many news apps out there today on any platform and plenty of new aggregators examples on Windows Phone would be Magnify and Flipboard which are kind of similar but nice apps all the same and new apps are always welcome on Windows Phone
This is a new app made by Václav Dajbych who sent it in for us to test out and it seems nice and i like the layout too,you can select from already loaded news sources and then you can add more yourself using the add sources option.
The app is quite new so i found one bug initially on testing it out such as not been able to add some RSS feeds giving an error but other than that its quite a nice app and looks well,you can also view the content off line once read,the app initially shows you the main story and some text then you can view the entire article with one tap then you can mark the article as read when finished,to move from one article to another you simply swipe to the left.
1 / 11
As you can see its mostly BBC thats pre-installed on the app but you can add more sources if required,you can pick from News,Sports,Tech,Business etc and you will have an option with your active feeds which of course can be removed if you wish,there is also a nice live tile too for your homescreen.
What do you think ? Sound off below in the comments..
There is plenty of photo games and apps now available for our devices today which include many ways of having fun with them by editing or so on today we have came across a new app which was made in Ireland by Damien Kierans and Gerald Gallagher the app is called Picguesso
We took some time out to talk to Damien today to talk about himself and the app and what’s ahead..
I am a designer engineer and I thought of the idea roughly a year ago and started jotting down some designs. When I was happy with the designs I had drafted and the functionality of the app I approached a colleague of mine who has experience with programming and together we started building Picguesso. We were working on the development of Picguesso in our spare time but due to our busy work schedule we decided to get some extra help on the back end of the app to try and get Picguesso launched sooner rather than later. We’re currently drafting up idea’s for a single player offline version called iguesso which is synced to your Picguesso accounted enabling players to climb the leaderboard. We are hoping to have iguesso ready in the coming months
What is Picguesso
Picguesso is a social gaming app that allows users to send and receive blurred images along with a hint and answer. The answer and image is revealed when the image is guessed correctly all while trying to beat the clock and your friend’s top score.
You will first need to sign in after its downloaded,at present the app is available free on Android and iOS we will put links at end of post.
Once logged in you can either pick from the gallery of images already preloaded,take a photo or choose from your gallery.
Once you have chosen the image you wish to share you can then pick from your friends list or you can opt to use your Facebook followers you can also pick a random player or challenge selected players,You can also give hints too.then the game begins from there..
When the game begins you will have an image similar to this on the phones screen..
Not only can you play this game in Ireland you can play this game basically anywhere in the world with already people using it in the USA, Canada, SE Asia, Australia and the U.K. Also Damien has told us that they hope to look at a Windows Phone version later in the year which is promising especially for Windows Phone users.
DOWNLOAD
We would like to thank Damien for talking to us today and filling us in on this exciting new app which i can see doing well and we wish the team at Picguesso all the best of luck with their future prospects which looks exciting and stay tuned for more updates later on…
Ok so we are all pretty use to seeing plenty of Android tablets on the market and to be honest most of them if not all that fall under the €109 mark are piles of trash,the specs look good and that is as far as it goes,i have tried many budget tablets running one or another kind of version of Android but below that price is only going to be a headache.
Now we are beginning to see some new Windows tablets coming onto the market and thankfully they are not running on RT which is kind of annoying and basically has no real place in the market now.
So lets look at the outside then we will check out what’s inside and how it performs.
Build quality is quite good its solid and does not feel cheap even though its completely housed in a plastic it has some kind of premium feel to it so we are happy there with this.
The top of the device is i must say somewhat pleasing to look at all the action seems to be in one place so its no fumbling around looking for buttons etc.
On the top we have our camera,home key,headphone socket,USB port,SD card slot and HDMI and down to the right we have our power on/off key and volume toggles.I like how all is place together and it does not look cluttered either.
Specifications.
Windows 8.1 OS,1GB RAM,7 INCH IPS TFT LCD DISPLAY,2 MP FRONT CAMERA,2MP REAR CAMERA,HDMI OUTPUT,43 GB INTERNAL STORAGE,MICRO SD SUPPORT,3,500 MAH BATTERY,BLUETOOTH,WIFI.
Ok lets begin with the camera its a 2MP camera and to be honest its poor,it will not be taking any wonderful photos at all,i am by no means any camera expert but the sample below was the best i could get and trying different exposure settings but then again a tablet is not for taking photos and when i see people in the public doing so i can only just laugh but hey people do it but with this tablet no,do not attempt it.
There is no point at all in going into video,i did not bother to be honest with the results from trying to use the camera,another downfall is that you can’t share images once captured which is probably just as well in this case.however the camera is there should you perhaps come across something urgent and do not have a phone at hand.
MUSIC
For music we use Mix Radio,its not pre installed but you can get it in the app store and it works a treat,no lag,no problems at all we have to say,the speaker is the problem though,placed at the bottom it does from time to time sound a bit tinny,the tablet could of had one on top too to be honest but again its a budget tablet so dont expect top end performance,also you can add your own speaker to it too via the headphone socket to enhance the sound,Mix Radio is free to download from the store and unlocking the features is £4.99 per month,preloading Mix Radio on every Windows Tablet sub 9 inch would be a fantastic idea in my opinion as its a superb service to have..
2 / 7
Gaming
Well i was impressed with how it handled games,i am not a huge gamer no more but from time to time i like to check out what’s out there and see how they run same as i do with my Lumia devices,the tablet did not let down here which was good to see.For example we tried FIFA 15 and it worked a treat it did not lag at any stage..
Apps
Having such good performance with gaming we expected no issues with apps,this was true all our apps worked fine from social media,Netflix,Office and One Note for example,Browsing the web was also fine using IE,All the preinstalled apps worked like clockwork plus what we have downloaded app wise to our personal taste i was happy with this overall..
Maps.
We are a fan of HERE maps which is also not preinstalled on the device HERE maps is also free to use and download and the benefit of HERE maps is you can use them offline which is a great bonus and proves and much better overall than Google Maps.HERE worked flawlessly we are delighted to say..
Under the hood.
Intel Atom QUAD CORE, Processor Speed IS 1.83 ghz
Windows 8.1 OS.
16/GB 32GB storage we used the 32GB version in our review this is expandable via SD to 64GB
1GB RAM ,this is not so great but it performed well to be fair with what we threw at it.
Front and rear camera is just 2MP which was its biggest letdown for me..Video res 720p @ 30FPS.
Video files supported H.264, WMV, MP4, AVI, ASF , and Audio files AAC, WMA, MP3, PCM, M4A, WAV, ASF.
Display – Was quite fine to be fair and sporting IPS (1280 X 800) TFT LCD it does the job.
Battery – 3,500 mAh it will see you a good 3 to 4HRS use if you are heavy on it.
Good points to keep in mind.
HDMI output,this is not something you see on most tablets today even on Android.
One Year of Microsoft Office 365 FREE this is quite handy to have…
Overall my opinion is this is a great tablet for the price which is around €99 you can’t really go wrong,the only big issue with it is its camera and video capabilities ,having said that you don’t buy tablets to take photos but some do,IF you are one of these people stay away from it apart from that it excels many Android tablets in the same price bracket in many ways,again an issue would be apps especially local apps this is another area to consider should you be requiring apps but for the majority the apps are there be it third party or not..Its also a fingerprint magnet too.
Any questions on the Linx 7 Feel free to ask below or we can also assist on Twitter @jimboireland.
Its certainly a world of apps these days and its ever so becoming more true that there is an app for just about anything,some may be a cause for concern and some not and this app has certainly turned heads so far and what its intention is to have one lend their vision as an act of kindness and people are signing up for it too..
Be My Eyes makes life easier for the blind, by connecting them with sighted helpers through a smartphone app. This allows the blind to handle big and small tasks, while sighted get the joy of helping someone else in a easy and informal way.
It only takes a minute to choose the right tin can from the shelf, look at the expiration date on the milk or find the right thing to eat in the fridge – if you have full vision that is. For visual impaired individuals smaller tasks in their home can often become bigger challenges. Be My Eyes hopes to change that!
Through a direct video call the app gives blind people the opportunity to ask a sighted volunteer for help, for tasks that requires normal vision. The blind person “lends” the helper’s eyes all through his or her smartphone. The sighted helper is able to see and describe what the blind person is showing the sighted helper by filming with the video camera in the smartphone. That way, by working together they are able to solve the problem that the blind person is facing.
The team behind Be My Eyes
Be the eyes for a blind person in need of help remotely through a live video connection if you are sighted or be assisted by the network of sighted users if you are blind.
Be My Eyes is all about contributing to and benefiting from small acts of kindness, so hop on board and get involved!
Blind users can request help from a sighted person and the sighted users will then be called for help. As soon as the first sighted user accepts the request for help a live audio-video connection will be set up between the two and the sighted user can tell the blind person what she sees when the blind user points his phone at something using the rear-facing camera.
As a sighted user you don’t need to worry about missing a call and ‘leave a blind person hanging’ – you are a part of the bigger Be My Eyes helper-network and we will find the next available sighted person in the network. The challenges that the blind person needs help with can be anything from knowing the expiry date on the milk to navigating new surroundings.
Note: We encourage blind users to be patient when requesting help because we rely on real people to help you.
– Live audio-video connection between blind and sighted users
– Add the languages you know under settings
– An easy way you can make a difference for blind people
So what do you think of this app and will you help out the blind ? Its a great idea… The app is only on iOS at the moment..
The Nexus 6 is soon to be made available in Ireland via Google play but you can also ship it in from Amazon UK or elsewhere,those who now have the burly Nexus 6 may or may not have cases for it yet but here is our first case review from the manufacturer Spigen,this is the first of a few cases we have on the way for the device to give you some idea of what is available and what we think is best to keep your device in good shape.
6 / 10
You can check out Spigen who are based in the USA but ship via Amazon UK etc,the case in the review cost €18 plus shipping which is not bad and quite a decent price..
Google classroom launched 6 months ago and now today it has launched a mobile app for Android and iOS,To access them though you will need to have a classroom account and it looks pretty neat.The idea is to save paper,time and be organised and to have the ability to access files..You can also share from other apps inside Google classroom.
With the mobile app, students and teachers can:
Snap a photo: Right from the assignment page in the mobile app, students can snap a photo and attach it to their assignment — whether it’s the experiment they just did for a science class, or a drawing they made of their family tree. And if they’ve forgotten their homework, they can ask someone at home to snap a photo, text it and then turn it in with the app. Of course, if the dog has actually eaten it, Classroom can’t help you.
Share from other apps: Students can also easily attach images, PDFs and web pages from other apps to their assignments. For example, when you’re in a drawing app, you can create a graphic for an assignment. When you click “share” in that app, Classroom will come up as an option, and you can attach the graphic to an assignment.
Offline caching: Even when Internet access isn’t available, students and teachers can get information about their assignments in the Classroom mobile app. Class streams and assignment information are automatically cached every time you open the app with an Internet connection, so that you can see them when you don’t have a connection.
After todays announcement of the two new low end devices the 435 and the 532 a quiet announcement so to speak was learned,it was the introduction of a new headset called the Comfort Headset,Currently there is no price available on this headset but will be available to buy..
Unlike many other headsets, the earpieces match the shape of the human ear. They are designed to sit securely in the ear while maintaining maximum comfort – it’s a great fit for most people’s ears.
The earpieces direct sound deeper in the ear for minimum sound loss. Ergonomic design and a perfectly placed earpiece speaker create a super-comfortable, high-quality listening experience.
Pick the one that matches your personality. Add a bit of fun with bright orange, keep it neutral with white, or stay classy with black. Get outstanding sound quality and a color that looks great.
Materials: Free of PVC, Free of BFR, rFR as in NSL
Packaging: Packaging is 100 % recyclable
Product recycling: 100% recoverable as materials and energy
Its been a long long time since i used in-ears as im loving my overheads so it will be interesting to see how things have changed in this form factor..
