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.

Audioscenic Kicks Off 2023 With Series a Round Investment and Industry Recognition at CES

Audioscenic, developers of innovative 3D audio beamforming technology, has completed its Series A investment round led by Foresight Ventures and including Hostplus, IP Group, and FWT. The announcement, on the back of the launch of the first consumer product featuring the brand’s technology at CES, the Razer Leviathan V2 Pro soundbar, signals a promising year ahead for the company as it continues to explore consumer applications for its forward-thinking approach to spatial audio. 

 

Left, David Monteith. Right, Marcos Simon

 

“We would like to welcome our new investors to Audioscenic and would also like to say a huge thank you to our existing investors for their past and continued support,” said Audioscenic’s CEO David Monteith. “The completion of our A round positions us perfectly to drive the adoption of Audioscenic’s technology into multiple markets in parallel. The value of the company has already grown by more than ten times since it started operations in 2019, and we are very excited to be in a position to share the implications of this technology with the world in the form of accessible, consumer-focused products that will redefine how we experience spatial audio.”

“The team at Audioscenic has made tremendous progress in the last twelve months, culminating in the successful launch of the Razer product at CES 2023,” said Managing Director of Foresight Ventures Richard Lewis. “We are delighted to support Audioscenic in the current Series A round and we look forward to working with David and the team in the coming years.”

The Razer Leviathan V2 Pro is the first product on the market to implement Audioscenic’s unique 3D audio beamforming technology and captured 12 ‘Best of CES’ awards from publications such as The Verge, Engadget, TechRadar, and PC Gamer among others. The soundbar is but the first in a series of planned implementations of the technology that will add a new dimension of audio experience, to otherwise commonly available audio sources, including laptops and car audio systems. 

“Previous attempts to bring spatial audio to everyday consumers have often come with a high price tag and large amounts of supporting equipment that aren’t practical,” said Dr Marcos Simon, Audioscenic’s CTO and Co-Founder. “Our 3D audio beamforming technology can be implemented in form factors that are familiar to consumers – soundbars, laptops, built-in speakers, etc – while still giving an elevated level of experience that was not previously achievable. The Razer Leviathan V2 Pro is a crucial first step for Audioscenic, and we’re eager to take more of them in the coming years as we explore different product applications for our technology.”

For more information about Audioscenic, please click here. 

Tech Review – ZHIYUN FIVERAY F100 stick light

Last year you might remember the FR100C from Zhiyun which is a really cool light to have at your disposal and you can check out the review of that here, this time around we have their new FIVERAY F100 stick light which is similar but has more on offer this time around when it comes to features and so on and comes in a really cool travel case too so for those who need portability you have got it and not only that you keep the device protected and out of harms way.

ZHIYUN’s FIVERAY F100 is the second professional lighting stick in its FIVERAY product range, bringing power, portability and accurate colour rendition in one versatile tool. Weighing just 950g, F100 is designed for one-handed control and comfort, offering a pro lighting solution without the need for complicated set-up or setting adjustment. The lighting tool reaches 20,708 lux at its 100W maximum power. Embedded with 5 times more LED chips, F100 gives you ultra-bright output compared to similar-sized lights. F100 offers six creative lighting effects that help build up the atmosphere easily when inspiration strikes.

The unit is a solid well built product and has barn doors this time around and an additional filter and cap to add to the mix and the brand is all about professional tech here for filming and vlogging etc and they have all the tools required for such people and from testing these products ourselves we can easily recommend them for your needs and the lates tkit is no different,perhaps a bit of an overkill for my set-up but it does enhance the game and gives me the opportunity to do better things and the same applies to others doing similar.

Again it is a simple product to use with no app and a simple control wheel to change the lighting experience which offers a wide range of colours and tones to work with making it the right tool for the job in any situation. There is also an app coming soon for this which will make it even more interesting, check out the video below for a full walkthrough of all the features and what to expect.

 

Features

  • 【Classic & Portable 】Weighted only 950g/2.1lb, the upgraded stick light packed with excellent features fits perfectly in your hand, offering lighting solutions without complicated settings and setups.
  • 【100W High Power & Innovative Cooling System】Embedded with 5 times more LED chips, F100 gives you ultra-bright output compared to the same-sized lights. Adopts inventive DynaVort Cooling System based on fluid dynamics and the dynamic algorithm.
  • 【CCT Mode and HSI Mode for Pro RGB】Offers precise adjustment of color temperature in CCT Mode via the intuitive dial. CCT Range: 2700K-6200K. Increased to 148 RGB chips and help improves the lighting effect two times brighter than the predecessor.
  • 【Inspiration Glows Non-Stop】6 built-in 2600mAh batteries ensure 1 hour 4 mins runtime at 50W working power. Supports Types-C charging. The adaptive charging technology satisfies PD power adapters of different power for both high power for both high power and long runtime scenarios.
  • 【Get Intuitive And Precise Control】Nail every shoot in various scenarios such as live streaming, interviewing,TVC, vlogging, and close-up portraits.

BUY HERE

Video Review

Revolut research finds that parents with children are thought to be most impacted by inflation

New research by Revolut, the global financial super app with more than 2 million customers in Ireland, has delved into the impacts of inflation. The majority of people in Ireland think prices will continue to go up this year, with parents with children being most impacted compared to other household types.

Revolut recently reported that the average consumer in Ireland is spending 17.8% more, year on year. However, the survey of 1,000 people in Ireland found that 56% of people think prices will go up even more this year. In contrast, 15% think prices will go down in 2023, with 18-24 year olds being the most optimistic with 31% thinking prices will go down. 45-54 year olds are the most pessimistic as 63% think prices will increase further this year.

When asked which types of households those polled think are most impacted by inflation and high prices, 69% of people said parents with children. Despite some expenses such as children’s clothing only increasing by 5.8% year on year, the number of customers paying for child care services has gone up 185%, year on year, likely due to the relaxation of covid restrictions.

Other answers of which households are most affected by inflation include retired people (36%), students living with roommates (30%), and singles (24%). As supermarket spending has increased 14.3%, price rises are impacting all walks of life.

Furthermore, salaries haven’t kept up with inflation according to the research, as only 10% said they had a pay rise last year to match inflation. Overall, 37% of people said their salary didn’t increase last year. 21% said their salary wasn’t increased and don’t think it will rise this year either. Only 5% of people said that although their salary didn’t increase last year, they will negotiate it this year, and 7% think their salary will increase this year. However, 3% said their salary decreased last year.

24% of those surveyed said their salary had increased, but below the rate of inflation. 10% said their salary was raised last year above the inflation rate. But, the data also shows women have been at a disadvantage as 16% of men said their salary was raised above the rate of inflation, but only 5% of women said this was also the case for them too.

The research, carried out by Dynata in January, found that Dublin led the way with salary increases, where 12.8% said their salary was increased above the inflation rate in the last year. However, 28.7% of people in Connaught said their salary was not increased, and don’t think it will be in 2023.

The survey revealed that if those polled were given an extra 10,000 EUR, 15% would spend it on essentials before prices go up further. 15% would save it, 13% would put it aside in a current account they have easy access to, and 11% would spend it on experiences such as travelling.

The average person in Ireland is spending 20.7% more on travel overall, year on year. In January, spending on hotels (35.8%) and airlines (55.5%) increased, year on year. Spending on cruises increased by 144.5% and saw a 39.9% increase in the number of customers making bookings.

The rise of inflation has meant that 38% of people in Ireland are looking to save more money for a rainy day. 36% feel the rise of inflation has taught them how to consume less overall, 13% are looking to focus their money on experiences rather than material goods.

Despite the rise in the cost of living, Revolut recently reported that consumers in Ireland have boosted their generosity. Donations to charity increased by 14.6%, and 8.9% more people gave to charity in January 2023, compared to January the previous year. The survey suggests these figures could grow further, as 18% of people plan to donate more this year than in previous years.

A Revolut spokesperson said: “Our research gives insights into how the rise in cost of living is affecting the priorities of consumers. People in Ireland are ensuring that essentials and saving take precedence. However, travel and experiences continue to be sought after by consumers, as people look to visit new destinations after a turbulent couple of years for the travel industry. It’s also positive to see that as inflation rises, the generosity of people increases as many look to donate more to charities this year to help those less fortunate.”

HP Engineers Extreme Performance with Z By HP

HP Inc. announced its new Z by HP high-performance workstation desktop lineup, engineered to change what is possible within complex, data rich workflows. HP is advancing hybrid workforce management with the HP Anyware Remote System Controller, a device that gives IT departments the management capabilities to support high performance devices from anywhere.

The complex workflows in industries spanning media and entertainment, data science, and engineering mean increased time pressure and the need for more compute power to deliver faster results. They also highlight a need to iterate with remote teams and push creative boundaries to deliver more accurate results. The new Z by HP Z4, Z6, Z8, and Z8 Fury desktops, powered by Intel®, deliver the scalable balance of CPU and GPU compute needed to fuel new levels of speed, accuracy, and creativity.

“Z by HP is dedicated to delivering the best possible computing experience to fuel new levels of speed, accuracy, and creativity,” said Jim Nottingham, Vice President and General Manager, Z by HP. “HP’s design engineering, together with the power of Intel and NVIDIA, provide the performance, scalability, and security our customers require to meet their evolving needs.”

“Intel® and Z by HP represent the future of high-performance workstation computing,” said Roger Chandler, Vice President and General Manager, Intel. “With Intel® Xeon® W, users can expect breakthrough performance, advanced security features, and the scalability they need to tackle the most demanding workloads.”

Extreme Workstation Performance

Z by HP innovations start with the customer to deliver the performance benefits needed whether it’s importing and working with large models and assemblies, running complex simulations, or training complex deep learning and machine learning models faster. The latest Z workstation desktops include up to 56 CPU cores and four high-end GPUs in the Z8 Fury G5. The Z4, Z6, Z8, and our all-new Z8 Fury, provide a variety of configurations to meet every workflow challenge for each of these segments. From our best-selling workhorse, the Z4, to the extreme performance of the Z8 Fury, Z by HP has the right workstation for every workflow.

The Z8 Fury G5 delivers powerful performance while staying cool and quiet under high-performance workflows with up to 56 cores in a single CPU[ii] and unleashing the power of four high-end double-wide GPUs with 2TB of DDR5 memory due to transformative single socket technology. Now you can breeze through even the most complex deep learning, virtual production, and VFX.

The HP Z4 G5 tackles advanced workflows from machine learning to advanced video editing with an evolutionary advancement of up to a 24-core CPU, two high-end GPUs, up to 512GB of RAM. The Z4 G5 accelerates a wide range of professional apps to advance intensive workflows and provides plenty of room to expand as workflows evolves.

The HP Z6 G5 accelerates graphics-intensive workflows with multiple GPUs based on the increased PCIe expandability of the latest Intel® Xeon® W-3400 processor architecture. With up to 36 processing cores, three high-end graphics cards, and 1TB of DDR5 memory, the Z6 G5 delivers significant performance for users demanding a machine that scales with their increased model and dataset complexity.

The HP Z8 G5 is designed for users who demand the most processing compute for CPU-intensive workflows to accelerate rendering with real-time ray tracing, data visualization, and model training while also providing plenty of room to expand as demands change. With a dual-socket workstation, designed to utilize 4th Gen Intel Xeon, it delivers up to 64 system cores in addition to supporting 2x high-end graphics cards with 1TB of DDR5 memory.

The Z8 Fury is designed for power users to experience a new echelon in high-performance. Based on the transformative single socket technology, the Z8 Fury G5 delivers extreme performance with up to 56 cores in a single CPU, while unleashing the power of 4 high-end GPUs

Consolidate Workstation Fleet Management

The HP Anyware Remote System Controller provides IT administrators a single dashboard with the ability to launch a kernel-based virtual machine (KVM) session and perform out-out-of-band management tasks such as pre-boot access, BIOS updates and re-imaging from anywhere.[iii] Through a single interface, IT administrators can now manage a fleet of devices, access secure system information like model numbers and BIOS versions, receive reports, and develop insights, to optimize their infrastructure to resolve issues before they affect users. [iv] HP is designing this hardware and software based on strong security industry standards, completing extensive testing, third-party reviews, and certifications to ensure maximum security.

Pricing and Availability

Product Ireland General Availability Month Starting Price
Z8 Fury G5 From 17 April From 2,800 Euro
Z8 From 20 March From 2,250 Euro
Z4 From 6 March From 1,500 Euro
Z6 From 17 April From 1,900 Euro

Virgin Media launches brand new marketing campaign ‘It’s Playtime

Virgin Media has today launched a brand-new integrated marketing campaign, ‘It’s Playtime’. The new campaign celebrates all the things that Virgin Media customers can do with the power of their services, connecting to the things they love to do and unleashing their play.

Following extensive customer research, the insight was uncovered that often the serious side of life can get in the way of enjoying life’s experiences.

The new campaign features toys in a box that, quite literally, have forgotten how to play. But these aren’t your typical type of action figure toys. These toys represent all of us who’ve become trapped in the everyday grind. With the power of Virgin Media however, they can break free from boredom and get back to what they love – everything from scrolling through social media to bungee jumping.

The campaign was created by Publicis Dublin, directed by Chris Balmond and produced by Antidote Films. With the media strategy by OMD, the campaign is live across AV, OOH, radio, digital and social from today.

 

Commenting on the launch, Paul Higgins, Vice President of Commercial, Virgin Media said: “We’re launching our playtime platform at an exciting time for the business as we expand our footprint of services nationwide. The campaign is a culmination of over 12 months of research, development and ideation with the Publicis team and we’re delighted to launch it in an integrated through the line campaign.”

Sinead Dennis, Business Director, Publicis, “We worked collaboratively with the Virgin Media team over the past 12 months to understand and unlock what play really means to our customers and, importantly, what role the brand can play in helping to facilitate that.”

Ger Roe, Board Creative Director, Publicis, says, “We know that being connected 24/7 can sometimes be more of a hindrance than a release so we wanted to turn our phones and TVs back from tools into toys. Playtime looks different for everyone and with this campaign we had a lot of fun showing the benefit of being a Virgin Media customer and what that means for the little and big things in your life.”

To find what Virgin Media services are in your area, visit virginmedia.ie

Over a quarter of organisations in Ireland to be carbon neutral by 2030

Sidero, Ireland’s software, cloud and digital transformation specialist, today announces the results of a new survey which found that over a quarter of organisations in Ireland (27%) have set targets to become carbon neutral by 2030.

The survey of 111 IT decision-makers* across the island of Ireland revealed that environmental considerations play a significant role in business decisions for 44% of respondents, while a third said the same about purchasing decisions. Some 35% of those surveyed have made changes to their supply chain to become a more sustainable organisation.

However, the research found that a significant proportion (19%) of tech leaders do not view sustainability as a priority right now, with 14% saying the road to sustainability is too costly. And, while sustainability is playing an increasing role in business decisions, a significant 42% of those surveyed admitted that they are yet to measure their business’s carbon emissions. An additional 10% have measured their business’s environmental footprint, but haven’t acted on it.

The survey also provided insights into how technology is being viewed as an enabler of more sustainable business practices. Almost a third (31%) of those surveyed will begin, or increase, their usage of sustainable technologies in the next 12 months. These include technologies that are more energy efficient, reduce harmful emissions, or streamline business processes to decrease their strain on resources.

The findings are part of Sidero’s new report Head above the Clouds. Increasingly, organisations are using the cloud as a means to reduce the carbon footprint of their IT strategy. Sidero’s research found that, in the next 12 months, Irish enterprises intend to invest an average of €883,000 in cloud and digital technologies and the majority (80%) expect their business to move more applications or workloads to the cloud. Organisations also plan to begin or increase their usage of digital transformation (67%), automation (47%), cloud native applications (46%), AI (31%), and machine learning (26%).

Despite the mass movement towards the cloud, almost a fifth (19%) of organisations say their cloud strategy is outdated or limiting their business. Nearly half (48%) of IT leaders believe their digital transformation strategy is just adequate or a work in progress, while only 18% feel their organisation’s strategy is enabling business success.

Carmel Owens, CEO, Sidero: “Sustainability is a business imperative. Organisations are facing increasing calls to examine their environmental impact; not only from government and other industry stakeholders, but from their own customers and employees. It’s encouraging to see that a growing number of businesses in Ireland are taking this call seriously by setting carbon neutrality goals and leading by example. However, with a significant one-in-five IT leaders saying sustainability is not a priority for them right now, businesses must work to ensure they have buy-in (and budgets) across the board to ensure success.

“The necessity to become more sustainable comes at a time when businesses are pushing to become increasingly digitalised. These goals do not need to be mutually exclusive and our research shows that technology can support sustainability targets. Cloud, in particular, is now being used by organisations to reduce their emissions as it provides them with greater efficiency than alternative on-site solutions. In addition, it is enabling businesses to quickly scale up and down their operations, expand virtually into new markets and innovate at speed. Given these benefits, there is no doubt that the future of work is in the cloud, and the businesses embracing this will be the ones to succeed in the digital and hybrid workplace.”

Digital pharmaceuticals: The benefits and the risks

We spend our lives online. From our day job, where we spend time answering emails and doing research, to our social lives, where we send messages to friends and scroll through Instagram. We’re always connected. 

In fact, in the UK they have spent around four hours per day on our smartphones in 2021. This reflects just how often we look at our apps. These stats are just for our phones. They don’t look at other ways we access the internet. 

With this digital revolution being such a big part of our lives, it makes sense for the health sector to also capitalise on our connectivity. As such, we’re seeing more and more digital pharmacies. But what do these online chemists offer? And what do we need to consider?  

The impact of digital pharmacies

There are plenty of positives to come out of the move towards digital pharmacies. Advancements in tech have made processes smoother.

For instance, digitised health records make it easier to match the patient to the medication they need. Robotic and barcode drug dispensing make getting treatment to people easier. It’s now possible to have video consultations, which saves patients from having to visit their nearest chemist. 

Additionally, it’s possible for patients to manage their repeat prescriptions. Thanks to services like click and collect, they can order what their doctor prescribed for them online and pick it up when it’s ready. This does away with standing in a busy chemist waiting to see if medication is ready for collection.

Patients frequently look for a certified pharmacy in Canada that operates online to ensure they receive genuine medications conveniently and securely. This allows them to streamline the prescription process while maintaining trust in the quality of their treatments.

The use of big data

As well as helping patients, the use of big data to build digital pharmacies is helping to make improvements across the field. For instance, data can be collected and forecast which medication will be needed. This tech also lets pharmacists know when supplies are running out. 

The risks

With new tech comes risks. As with anything that uses data, there’s a risk of information being hacked by cybercriminals, so protective measures are needed to secure patient information. Here, it’s imperative that authentication and other safety measures are in place to protect data and keep in line with GDPR rules.  

Also, without human judgment in place, automated systems can make mistakes, meaning patients might not receive the right medication or their order may be missed.

For pharmacists moving into digital services, it might be worth investigating the details of their pharmacy insurance policy to see what remains relevant.  

Big changes

While there are risks to consider, we must accept the changes that are taking place. Everything is digital and there are plenty of pros to taking up digitised pharmaceutical care.

Have you moved your pharmacy operations online, or do you use digital chemists? Share your experiences in the comments section!

Creative Outlier Free Champions Aural Freedom with Bone Conduction Technology

Creative Technology today launched Creative Outlier Free, its latest wireless headphones which integrate bone conduction technology with the characteristics of the well-loved Outlier series, such as long battery life, water resistance and lightweight comfort.

The use of bone conduction technology revolves around transducers on the headphones, which, through vibrations on the user’s cheekbones, transmit sound waves into the inner ears. With their ears freed up from in-ear or over-ear headphones, users feel safer through heightened environmental awareness while enjoying high-quality acoustics – this is especially useful for joggers or cyclists on busy streets, or gym enthusiasts who like to chat with their workout buddies.

Thanks to this benefit of open-ear listening, the Outlier Free is also ideal for leisure activities such as singing on mobile karaoke apps, where users would enjoy being able to hear their own voices, just as they would in a natural environment.

The Outlier Free is equipped with a slew of handy features for wireless headphones – up to 10 hours of battery life per charge (10 minutes of quick-charging provides 2 hours of playtime), IPX5 water resistance, Bluetooth 5.3 with multipoint connectivity (up to 2 Bluetooth devices at a time), low-latency mode to minimize audio-visual lag, built-in microphone and Siri / Google Assistant support. It is constructed using lightweight silicone and titanium memory alloy for optimal comfort and fit.

Considering these features against its irresistible price of UK£79.99, the Outlier Free is quite simply a steal.

For more information, visit creative.com/OutlierFree.

Creative Outlier Free Pro: This One’s for the Pros

Creative Technology today launched Creative Outlier Free Pro, its latest wireless bone conduction headphones equipped with all the features desired by pro-level sporting enthusiasts who love a soundtrack. Built to be tough yet comfortable in fit, unstoppable in the heaviest of rains and even underwater, indefatigable battery life and without the need for a device to play music, the Outlier Free Pro is simply at the top of its game.

Thanks to bone conduction technology, where sound waves are transmitted into the inner ears through vibrations from transducers on the user’s cheekbones, the benefits of open-ear listening are realized. With a much-heightened level of environmental awareness, users can enjoy a safer listening experience as compared to in-ear or over-ear headphones – joggers and cyclists can make their way down busy streets with ease; gym buddies can chat effortlessly during workouts. Additionally, for leisure activities such as the use of mobile karaoke apps, users can enjoy the better experience of singing while hearing themselves naturally.

The Outlier Free Pro stands out even more with its 8GB (stores 2,000 MP3 songs) built-in music player (also compatible with FLAC, WAV and APE file formats); it enables users to enjoy their favorite tunes without the need to carry their mobile phones. Thanks to its IPX8 rating (the highest waterproof rating for water immersion), swimmers can even swim underwater in the pool.

Trail runners and hikers who love to go the distance would always have their soundtrack on, as the Outlier Free Pro offers up to 10 hours of battery life per charge (10 minutes of quick-charging provides 2 hours of playtime).

The Outlier Free Pro is also an excellent all-rounder as a daily go-to headphone, offering multipoint connectivity with Bluetooth 5.3, delivering robust connections for up to 2 Bluetooth devices at a time. There is also a low-latency mode to minimize audio-visual lag for movie-watching; users have the added convenience with a built-in microphone for calls, and Siri / Google Assistant support. Lightweight silicone and titanium memory alloy are used to construct the Outlier Free Pro, translating to all-day comfort and fit.

With the price of UK£99.99, the Outlier Free Pro presents great value which is hard to beat for its comprehensive features set.

For more information, visit creative.com/OutlierFreePro.