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.

Microsoft announce the Comfort Headset. by @jimobireland #Accessories #Microsoft

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.

  • Specifications

    • Audio
      • Frequency response: 20 – 20 000 Hz
      • Speaker impedance: 32 ohm
      • Audio features: Stereo
    • Connectivity
      • AV connectors: 3.5 mm stereo headset connector
    • Usage
      • Earpiece type: Semi canal
      • Operating temperature: -5 – +40 C
    • User Interface
      • Operating keys: Answer/end key
    • Dimensions
      • Weight: 12 g
      • Cable length: 120 cm
    • Environmental features
      • 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..

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Ryanair said to trial Wi-Fi and inflight entertainment this year. by @jimboireland #Ryanair #WiFi

Ryanair ,the no frills airline is said to bring passengers some inflight entertainment and Wifi this year by way of trials,since other airlines are already offering these services this does look bad on the company regardless especially in todays world when the technology is available and i’m sure with a fleet as huge as Mr O Learys this could be made affordable at best,we have seen some airlines charge people silly money for using Wi-Fi on board their planes but now in a tech driven world this could easily become a sustainable extra for passengers..

 

Since a pledge last year by Chief Executive Michael O’Leary to stop “unnecessarily pissing people off”, Ryanair has slashed penalty charges, overhauled its web site, tripled its marketing budget and launched business class fares.

While Ryanair has long been synonymous with levying extra charges for services offered free on more established airlines, it says it may offer both of the new services for free, Chief Technology Officer John Hurley told journalists on Tuesday.

Improvements to its much maligned customer service has helped the airline boost ticket fares and increase passenger numbers by 10 percent this year and sent its share price to an all-time high last week.

Ryanair, which made a failed attempt to rent out inflight entertainment devices a decade ago, will try again with a system that streams films and television shows to customers smartphones and laptops on flights to holiday destinations this summer.

The service, launched by several U.S. airlines recently, may be offered free of charge, subsidized by advertisements for companies operating in the destination city, Hurley said.

Wifi will likely be trialed later this year on routes frequented by business travelers, a key focus for the airline which launched a flexible business ticket last year.

Pricing has not yet been decided, but light use for emails may be free, while heavier usage would be more expensive, he said. The service is unlikely to be offered on all planes.

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Vertu announce the alligator range,will start at only 9K. by @jimboireland #Vertu #Alligator

Vertu is well known for its expensive phones and expensive they are indeed,all commanding big money so you will need deep pockets,let that be no mistake here.The last phone which was Vertu for Bentley only cost €12,500 but with this new range they begin at €8,900 and the top spec now cost €15,000 which is to be honest madness,but bespoke or custom phones like this are common these days either be it from the manufacturer themselves of companies offering to encrust your phone in diamonds of your choice….Vertu devices run on Android too so this makes it that bit easier a sell in my opinion..

First up is the Diamonds Black Alligator. Price €8,900 

  • 33 Black & 22 White Diamonds (0.16 cts)
  • Polished Stainless Steel V Pillow
  • Polished Titanium Black PVD Upper Back Plate
  • Black Alligator Leather

 

The Aster Diamonds Black Alligator sparkles with 33 Black Diamonds and 22 White Diamonds, artfully set with a jeweller’s skill into beautifully polished Stainless Steel; with a polished grade-five Titanium black PVD upper back plate. This Vertu has been wrapped in carefully selected alligator leather, crafted by a specialist European tannery, to ensure an elegant look. Making a glamorous statement wherever you go, Aster Diamonds Black Alligator is a beguiling expression of your individuality.

Operating system
Android™ 4.4 (KitKat)
Hardware characteristics
  • Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 801 2.3GHz Quad-core processor
  • 4.7” 1080p, brilliant, high contrast display at 473dpi, protected by sapphire crystal
  • 13 MP main camera with autofocus and twin LED flash
  • 2.1MP Skype™ compliant front camera
  • 64GB of internal memory
  • Stereo High-fidelity 11mm x 15mm loudspeakers with Dolby® Digital Plus surround sound decoding support
  • A-GPS + Compass
  • Gyro and accelerometer for orientation and game play
  • Qi Compatible Wireless Charging

Battery¹
  • Built-in rechargeable 2275mAh Li-ion battery
  • Talk time: Up to 15 hrs 30 mins (WCDMA)
  • Stand-by: Up to 380 hrs

Connectivity

  • Quadband GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
  • WCDMA Bands I, II, IV, V, VIII
  • DC-HSPA+ Release 8, Cat24, 42Mb/s Downlink, Cat6 5.76Mb/s Uplink
  • LTE Bands² 1-5,7,8,17,20 & 25
  • LTE FDD² Cat4,150Mb/s Downlink, 50Mb/s Uplink
  • Dual-band WLAN 802.11 a,b,g,n,ac incl. WAPI for PRC
  • MicroAB USB system connector with USB On-The-Go support
  • 3.5mm audio socket
  • Bluetooth® v4.0 + LE
  • CSR aptX® high quality encoded audio support
  • NFC including support for embedded and SIM based secure elements
  • WiFi hotspot (tethering & portable hotspot)

¹Some features are location, network and/or service dependent

²RoW (Rest of the World) software build only

Second up is the Diamonds Red Alligator  Price €8,900 

  • 55 White Diamonds (0.15 cts)
  • Polished Stainless Steel V Pillow
  • Polished Upper Back Plate
  • Red Alligator Leather

 

The Aster Diamonds Red Alligator dazzles with 55 gorgeous White Diamonds, set with a jeweller’s precision into beautifully polished Stainless Steel pillow; with a polished grade-five Titanium upper back plate. This Vertu has been wrapped in carefully selected alligator leather, crafted by a specialist European tannery, to achieve a truly striking appearance. Creating an unmistakable impression in every setting, Aster Diamonds Red Alligator is an enticing statement of your uniqueness.
As we use only the finest natural materials, each Vertu is individual, so may differ slightly to what you see here.

Operating system
Android™ 4.4 (KitKat)
Hardware characteristics
  • Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 801 2.3GHz Quad-core processor
  • 4.7” 1080p, brilliant, high contrast display at 473dpi, protected by sapphire crystal
  • 13 MP main camera with autofocus and twin LED flash
  • 2.1MP Skype™ compliant front camera
  • 64GB of internal memory
  • Stereo High-fidelity 11mm x 15mm loudspeakers with Dolby® Digital Plus surround sound decoding support
  • A-GPS + Compass
  • Gyro and accelerometer for orientation and game play
  • Qi Compatible Wireless Charging

Battery¹
  • Built-in rechargeable 2275mAh Li-ion battery
  • Talk time: Up to 15 hrs 30 mins (WCDMA)
  • Stand-by: Up to 380 hrs

Connectivity

  • Quadband GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
  • WCDMA Bands I, II, IV, V, VIII
  • DC-HSPA+ Release 8, Cat24, 42Mb/s Downlink, Cat6 5.76Mb/s Uplink
  • LTE Bands² 1-5,7,8,17,20 & 25
  • LTE FDD² Cat4,150Mb/s Downlink, 50Mb/s Uplink
  • Dual-band WLAN 802.11 a,b,g,n,ac incl. WAPI for PRC
  • MicroAB USB system connector with USB On-The-Go support
  • 3.5mm audio socket
  • Bluetooth® v4.0 + LE
  • CSR aptX® high quality encoded audio support
  • NFC including support for embedded and SIM based secure elements
  • WiFi hotspot (tethering & portable hotspot)

¹Some features are location, network and/or service dependent

²RoW (Rest of the World) software build only

 

Finally The Pure Jet Alligator Diamonds. Price  €15,900 

  • 124 Brilliant White Diamonds Set In A White Gold Pillow Trim
  • Stereo Sound Bar With White Gold Detail
  • Brushed and Polished Black PVD Titanium
  • Jet Alligator Skin
  • Jet Ceramic Pillow

The Signature Touch Pure Jet Alligator Diamonds dazzles with almost half a carat of brilliant white diamonds, set into an eye-catching white gold pillow trim. With a brushed and polished black Grade-5 PVD titanium back plate and sides it also features a white gold microphone port. This striking edition is finished in alligator skin crafted by specialist French and Italian tanneries, for a supple feel and stunning appearance. As we use only the finest natural materials, each Vertu is individual, so may differ slightly to what you see here.

Operating system
Android™ 4.4 (KitKat)
Hardware characteristics
  • Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 801 2.3GHz Quad-core processor
  • 4.7” 1080p, brilliant, high contrast display at 473dpi, protected by sapphire crystal
  • 13 MP main camera with autofocus and twin LED flash
  • 2.1MP Skype™ compliant front camera
  • 64GB of internal memory
  • Stereo High-fidelity 11mm x 15mm loudspeakers with Dolby® Digital Plus surround sound decoding support
  • A-GPS + Compass
  • Gyro and accelerometer for orientation and game play
  • Qi Compatible Wireless Charging

 

For people that are not aware with Vertu you get a whole lot more when you buy a device from them which is quite amazing but then again for the price of the devices its at least something your hard earned money to begin with,You get Concierge offers 24-hour worldwide assistance, recommendations and priority bookings.You also get a selection of accessories too which again are quite costly..

Would you buy one of these if you had the money ? For me i can’t say to be fair ,these are mostly devices for the rich and famous or for those who just like to splash the cash and have it as a fashion or status statement..

Source

Shout off below what you think…

 

The alarm that won’t shut up till you smile. #Rise&Shine #Apps #iOS by @jimboireland

Alarms are important in most peoples life and we all hate them,we often hit snooze and keep hitting it im a great offender of this and i hate alarms and here is a new alarm that might make you hate alarms even more,or maybe not..

This alarms works by simply not turning itself off until you smile,not the face people will want to see first thing in the morning but with this app you can also share your lovely morning self to all.Lets be honest most of are not morning people,myself included..

 

What rise and shine can do….
• Setup multiple weekly repeating alarms
• Beautiful dynamic interface adjusts to the current time of day where ever you are.
• Bedhead! Rise & Shine can snap morning photos of your bed head to laugh at later. (Can be disabled, only stored locally)
• Full Photo Editor for your bed head photos. (Brought to you by Aviary)
• Use built in alarm library or your own iTunes Music
• Add Vibrate or Strobe to your alarm if you need more push to wake up. (Only active while Rise & Shine is open)
• Dark Room mode intuitively adjusts to any light to recognize your smile (Can also toggle manually)
• Suggests optimal sleep times when setting an alarm to wake up most rested.

 

DOWNLOAD

Samsung announces the A7 and its got metal on it. #Samsung #A7 by jimboireland

Samsung have been know now for a long time to sport plastic bodies which has over time became increasingly boring and fans also got bored and fed up with this,recently they have tried to change this with devices such as the Galaxy Alpha which is now been shelved and the Galaxy Note 4 which is a powerhouse,sadly the Note Edge did not live up to the Note 4 being housed in plastic which of course probably kept its high price down but still its a powerhouse and looks great and i’ve enjoyed it the last while along with the Note 4 but the Edge wins my vote.

 

The Galaxy A7 is equipped with a multicore processor combining two separate quad core processors, enabling users to quickly and easily perform data intensive tasks. The Galaxy A7 has 16GB of memory and 2GB of RAM to power all of a user’s favorite apps and media, and is supported by a long-lasting 2,600mAh battery.7

The Galaxy A7 also supports the intuitive features and services offered by the Galaxy A5 and A3, with an advanced 5 Megapixel front-facing camera and advanced selfie features including ‘Ultra Wide Shot’ and ‘Auto Selfie’ modes, which make it possible to take a photograph using only a voice command or even a simple wave of the hand. The device also features ‘Always Clear Voice Auto Control’ to reduce noise from the surrounding environment, as well as LTE Category 4 support for quick and easy photo and video uploads on any social network. In addition to these features, the Galaxy A7 offers a Private Mode, which adds an extra layer of security for important files and documents. The A7 also has Multi Screen app function capability.

 

 

 

Prices have not been announced nor a release date so this will be another key feature here,the Alpha was highly priced here and has not sold too well as people opted for the S5 instead,will you get one??

Source 

Facebook introduces Amber Alerts. #Facebook #AmberAlerts #Safety by @jimboireland

Facebook have today said they will now send out Amber Alerts,these have been become a bit more common now especially here in Ireland when a notification goes out to all forms of media and can be pushed to your device,you would also see them on Motorway signs too.

The new initiative will deliver AMBER Alerts to people’s News Feeds in targeted search areas after a child has been abducted and the National Center has issued an alert.

These alerts, which include photographs and other details about the missing child, are shown on mobile and desktop. People can share the alert with friends and link directly to the National Center’s missing child poster, which always has the most up-to-date information about the case.

For years, people have used Facebook to post news articles about missing children and AMBER Alerts. In several cases, someone saw a post or photo in their News Feed, took action, and a child was safely returned.

Law enforcement determines the range of the target area for each alert. The number of alerts people will see depends on how many alerts are issued in their area — some people may see a few each year and many people will likely get no alerts at all. The alerts will appear in News Feed, but will not trigger any notifications to a person’s phone.

Full story over on Facebook NewsRoom

Wireless charging at Mc Donalds in the UK .#WirelessCharging #McDonalds by @jimboireland

Wireless charging is still in its infancy along with NFC i think here in Ireland even though some manufacturers like Nokia and Microsoft have opted to give free wireless charging units with their phones of late,another thing is availability here in Ireland is rather poor and most often again they have to be imported.Not only that other manufacturers that did give chargers away have never been stocked here in retail, Also buying these chargers separately can be expensive which can be off-putting but we are seeing more cheaper ones come on stream.

Aircharge announced an expanded partnership with McDonald’s UK to add 600 wireless charging hotspots at more than 50 McDonald’s restaurants in London and elsewhere.

The expanded rollout comes after a successful initial market test between Aircharge and McDonald’s UK aimed at delivering additional value to customers, while also benefitting the McDonald’s operation.

According to a report from one McDonald’s location, customers were clamoring to access the Qi wireless charging service, prompting many to wait up to 30 minutes so they could.

The Aircharge charging spots were specially designed to be water resistant and easy to wipe clean – perfect for a public environment like a restaurant. And because they’re using Qi, many consumers already have devices that are ready to charge. There are already more than 70 Qi-enable smartphones on the market. During the rollout, Aircharge worked with Desireitnow for data layer support.

Even customers who don’t have a Qi-enabled smartphone can use the provided Aircharge wireless charging receiver. So next time you’re in the UK, make sure you get a wireless charge to go with your chips!

For more information, visit www.air-charge.com

So could this prove usefull here in Ireland,maybe,maybe not but its an interesting move alongside Mc Donalds already offering free Wi-Fi in stores they are helping you stay connected..

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Combine fun selfie videos and quotes with #Dubsmash by @jimboireland #Andriod #iOS #Apps

Dubsmash is a new app thats gained much attention of late and its easy to see why,i have had a few clips sent to me from friends but never looked into it that much partly to been too busy but i have had the chance now to have a good look at the app and the feedback its been getting and in short is that everyone loves it.

How it works..

Well its simple ,you download the app to your compatible device and its simple to proceed from there.There is a huge array of preloaded scenarios for you to pick from such as Animals,Comedy,Horror,Cartoon,Swag,Business,Sci-Fi,Love,Food,Musicals,Parody,Action Heros,Video Games,Politicians,Sports,Names,Tv Shows.

On opening the app you can create a Dub,see your dubs,send feedback,pick a language,In Settings you can decide if you want push notifications on a daily or weekly basis or no notifications,im sure that option will never be used,you do not use an app like this not knowing what others are doing with the app.

Above is a portion of the list as mentioned earlier which is pretty impressive there is no shortage of items to pic from at all ,once in this list there is a drop down menu then hosting more to pick from so you will not fall short on being creative or funny or whatever your mood maybe there is plenty here to pick from and you will also have fun looking at what is there too..

Overall im impressed with this app and its a great idea, the fact you can share the recording to WhatsApp or facebook messenger direct from the app itself, you can also save it to your gallery and share further afield,all my samples came through Viber so we can say it works a treat..Dubstep is free to download too..

Download below.