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.

App Stores in Numbers: A Market Overview [Infographic]. #Apps #Android #iOS

Do you remember the time when there was no such thing as apps then they slowly crept in, Well things have changed quite quickly along with technology and I have said it many times before there is now basically an app for everything, With Android and iOS being at the helm it did not work out well for Windows Phone but it is what it is and there is two dominant players in the market. Most of us would have plenty of apps on our phones today and the average would differ between 10 -20, with me it’s much more because of what I do, but how often do we use or even need them? This infographic below sheds some light on Apps and was sent to us by ERS IT SOLUTIONS

It has now been more than 10 years since the first apps were launched and, in that time, it has grown into an incredibly lucrative industry with an estimated worldwide value of $950 billion.

How you can start filming with a drone professionally for under $500 #drones #filming #tech

Guest Post by Paul Archer. – No matter if you haven’t yet even put your hands onto a drone controller, considering the safety of quadcopter technology these days, you can start faster than ever.

The amazing videos you have seen online with super smooth footage and pro-looking following and orbiting techniques may seem amazing, and probably were hard and expensive to do just a few years ago.

However, since technology evolved at an alarming rate, cheaper drones with more advanced features have appeared out of nowhere. Not long ago you had to spend thousands of dollars on big drone rigs that would carry big cameras that could barely shoot in 1080p. Even in more recent history, the Phantom series, although revolutionary was quite pricey and well over $1000 for a capable 4k drone with not many features to brag about.

Drones have become much more portable

Gone are the days where we were amazed by the fact that a 4k drone could fit in a car trunk. Nowadays I can carry my DJI Mavic Air in my pocket.

And we’re talking about a quadcopter that can record in 4k, with a stabilized 3 axis gimbal and lots of proximity sensors.

The revolution has started with the DJI Mavic Pro. The original foldable drone that sold like crazy and made DJI the giant that it is now.

Still a good drone to this day, it’s an absolutely great buy for people looking to make money with filming services even in 2019.

The big difference was that it came with a foldable design and that meant you could simply fit it in a very small backpack while at the same time have the same footprint when flying, which helped with the wind.

What $500 drones can deliver professional results?

This question would have remained unanswered just 2 or 3 years ago, but right now I could easily make a top 5 with my best drones under $500 and I can confidently say they can be used for shooting high quality grade footage and photos.

Let me quickly overview 2 of them and what they could mean for you, even as a beginner pilot.

Xiaomi Fimi X8

A drone released in 2019, comes with a similar foldable frame to the Mavic series, yet at a much lower price.

What are the main advantages?

The Xiaomi Fimi x8 is one of my favorites because, even if it was more expensive in the past nowadays it only costs under $500 and that’s absolutely amazing for the results you’re being given.

Just check the video down below with how well this drone can actually record footage:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pftkyWYB5xU

If you’re a photographer, the 12mp camera stills that can be shot in DNG RAW format will be more than sufficient for most uses.

DJI Spark

A drone that has been in the marketplace for a while now, it’s more than welcome on our list as a still very relevant and capable quadcopter.

It doesn’t have the foldable format, but instead it’s very small by itself. A less invasive drone, with very smart features and obstacle avoidance embedded in it.

What are the main advantages?

It’s more than a capable drone, it’s very easy to launch from your hand even and thanks to the obstacle avoidance sensors in front, you can take some more risky shots.

Why it’s easier to learn how to fly a done with GPS

More expensive drones are actually more suitable for beginners, as you can simply remove your hands from the joysticks and it will hover in place.This means you can try all the controls one by one without having to constantly adjust for wind direction or simply the drone drifting.

Besides that, there’s also the return to home technology that will return the drone back to you if for example it lost signal or the battery is getting low. I do recommend learning with a small $20 at first just to get the hang of it and carefully checking the instruction manuals, but overall, you can go straight flying with such a drone without much hassle.

Make sure you check flight regulations in your country

Depending on the weight of the drone, most countries have regulations to keep you from doing stupid stuff.It’s pretty obvious you shouldn’t fly near airports and military bases, but with bigger drones you actually might have to register them.Drones like the DJI Spark might be under the weight limit so it could provide an advantage when it comes to this.

As a conclusion, don’t be scared of trying to fly more expensive drones and start a business. You can expand your talent as a videographer and photographer to great heights, literally by simply investing $500 in what is going to be an extremely capable camera drone.

Get a 15% discount off your new pair of @sudiosweden headphones/earphones #sudio #sudiomoments

If you are big Headphones/Earphones and now True Wireless fan like me and you are in the market for something new check out Sudio Sweden who have some really nice products on offer, Sudio Sweden given us a discount offer and we have teamed up with them again and they have kindly given our readers another 15% discount on all purchases all you need to do is enter (techbuzzirelandsudio) at the checkout. Check out their all new Sudio Tolv earbuds which come in Several colours and these look really and come with a stylish charge case which gives you some charge on the go too..

Check out their website HERE and don’t  forget to use the code techbuzzirelandsudio at the checkout. Check out the Sudio Tolv HERE and watch out for our review soon.

Phone Hacking Within Minutes on Public Wi-Fi: Tech Summit Attendees Get a Lesson in Cyber Hacking

Phone Hacking Within Minutes on Public Wi-Fi!

Tech Summit Attendees Get a Lesson in Cyber Hacking and Witness Just How Unsecure Our Personal Data Is

‘Stunning’, ‘Scary’, ‘Sensational’ – these are just some of the words attendees at the sold-out it@Cork Tech Summit used to describe what they witnessed at today’s event. With some standing on their tippy toes, some seated and others crouched around the edges of the room, 400 attendees crammed into the City Hall’s Millennium Hall yesterday to witness Cybercrime experts, from global Cyber Security company Trend Micro, hack into a personal phone and computer using the public Wi-Fi system.

The “live hack” demo gave attendees a taste of the real, pervasive and very threatening world of cybercrime that is growing and developing throughout the world – and brought it home to each and every spectator just how vulnerable they are.

Robert McArdle, Director for Cybercrime Research in Trend Micro’s “Forward Looking Threat” research team & speaker at this year’s event addressed stunned onlookers,

“Data breaches are one of the biggest risks to consumers today – and it is also completely out of their control. While already insidious, data breaches are going to get much worse in the very near future.”


Robert McArdle Director FTR Cybercrime Research Trend Micro, Gillian Bergin Vice Chair it@cork and Anthony O’Callaghan Chairperson it@cork pictured at it@cork Tech Summit 2019, City Hall Cork.
Photography by Gerard McCarthy 

Cybercrime in Numbers

Mr. McArdle gave the audience the lowdown on cybercrime all over the world,

–          1.1 Billion

“The world’s biggest breach to date was the hacking of Aadhar – the Unique Government ID system for India. Last year the government database that holds that information was breached and the records of 1.1 billion people were stolen. This meant that the private details of almost 1/7 of the world’s population were in the hands of attackers. In Western news, breaches such as the Marriott hotels, MyFitnessPal, MyHeritage and Cambridge Analytica got a lot more press – but all those combined don’t even come close to this.”

–          $2.7 billion

“This is the financial number of reported losses to the FBI for Cybercrime in 2018. But the reality is much worse than that – firstly this is only for the US, not the whole world. Secondly – this only accounts for known cases of Cybercrime.”

–          8.4 billion

“This is the number of internet connected devices by the end of 2018. So as of last year, there are more internet connected devices in the world, than there are humans. And this figure is expected to hit 125million by 2020. Everything in our world is getting more connected – and if it is connected, it can be hacked.”

–          90%

“90% of all the data in the world was generated in the last 2 years.  And what is the inbuilt human reaction when bombarded with so much information, uncertainty or threats? Fear. Fear is a major social problem as a response to the security threats and trends on the Internet today, leading to increased anger, hate and suffering among humanity.

The brain has had millions of years to evolve fight of flights response, but only thirty to evolve to the new deluge of information being thrown at it from the internet every day. And this overload is only going to increase.”

 

What Can We Do?

Trend Micro experts say education is key for a few reasons, and cite the city’s courses in Cyber Security and Cloud Computing in CIT and UCC as important assets in this regard.

Mr. McArdle went on,

“Education removes the uncertainty of the tech side of today’s problems – and that in turn leads to reduced fear and more acceptance. There are so many really top quality, free, online courses around today, that there really is no excuse for people to not dive into security in their teens. Even more so than in the past, those interested in careers in security absolutely do not need to wait until college to start. In fact, if they do, they will be about 5 years behind the best of their peers.

I think that 3rd level institutions will need to think about how to re-architect their courses in the near future to cater for the amount of knowledge that students will already be bringing with them into third level programmes.”

 

In summing up his presentation, the Trend Micro security expert outlined that the internet has created whole new classes of threats that have never existing for the majority of human history, and posited that humans will have to group together across a much wider spectrum of diversity in order to figure out how to stop them,

“Cybercrime is not a technology problem – it’s a human one. Cybercrime is simply crime on the internet, and the internet lets us carry it faster and at larger scales than ever before. So remember, you are not defending against computers – you are defending against smart humans. And there is no better way to do that than to embrace differences and assemble an agile team with all sorts of world views, that can handle absolutely anything an attacker can throw at them.

While this includes men, women and people from a diversity of backgrounds, it also means expanding beyond that, and embracing those who are not ‘neuro-typical’, for example the Autistic community, and other more neuro-diverse individuals. I’m generalising, but some of the most innovative people in security I know, have combined a passion for security with an amazingly unique autistic or neuro-diverse brain, to solve problems in a way you will never get from 98% of this room. The internet has created whole new classes of threats that have never existing for the majority of human history, so why should we assume that majority of humans are the ones with the best minds to figure out how to stop them?

Shutterstock Launches Self-Serve API Subscriptions. #Shutterstock #Images

Shutterstock, Inc. a leading global technology company offering high-quality content, tools and services through its creative platform, today announced the launch of its new self-serve API subscription plans. For the first time, developers, startups, and small and mid-sized businesses can build products and features that seamlessly integrate Shutterstock’s image collection and enable in-app image reselling, providing an additional revenue stream for customers when their end-users license and download images.

“With more than 10,000 developers already building applications using Shutterstock’s high-quality content and innovative search technology, there is a clear demand for increased access and support to further serve our growing community of developers, startups and small and mid-sized businesses,” said Alex Reynolds, Shutterstock’s General Manager of Platform Solutions. “The self-serve API subscription plans empower anyone to easily integrate Shutterstock content and tools into their products and applications at any time and from anywhere.”

Self-serve API features include:

The self-serve API is the latest offering in Shutterstock’s ongoing commitment to deliver a global creative platform that empowers customers with compelling content, and innovative tools and services. The existing Shutterstock API powers native integrations with leading companies such as Google, Facebook, IBM, Wix and more.

Learn more about the self-serve API offering here.

The Evolution of Car Infotainment Systems (Infographic) #Motoring #Infotainment

Many modern cars are fitted with state-of-the-art infotainment centres that provide app integration and WiFi connectivity, showing just how far in-car entertainment has come over the decades. From the first manual radios in the 1920s through 8-track players, cassettes and CD players, car infotainment has continued to evolve drastically throughout the decades. Who knows what capabilities the vehicles of the 2020s will have?

Dressekie is the owner of Woodstock Motors, a family-run car repair and car service business based in London and shares this infographic with us.

Concept Cars That Should’ve Made It to Production Modernised. #Motoring #Concepts

There have been many concept cars in automotive history that all car fan can only wish had been made. Concept cars are often among the most important debuts at auto shows because their shape or technology can give the public a glimpse at what a company plans to put on the road in the near future. Unfortunately, the gorgeous concept cars simply fade away, and never make it onto the roads.

These classic concepts have been updated by car care products specialist, Chipex into modern supercars.

1976 Chevrolet Aerovette

We’ll start with the 1977 Chevrolet Aerovette. Built from the mid-engine ‘Vette prototypes of famous Corvette engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov, The Aerovette had the same mid-engine configuration but had a 6.6-L V8 instead of a smaller Wankel rotary engine.

The mid-engined Chevrolet Corvette is big news today, but the idea of putting the powerplant behind the ‘Vette’s driver goes back decades. By the time the Aerovette concept debuted in 1976, multiple experimental vehicles imagined how the layout might look.

The basic shape for the Aerovette arrived in 1973, and this original version packed a four-rotor Wankel rotary engine. The company then reworked the machine for a 6.555-liter (400-cubic-inch) V8 to fit under the rear deck. The General gave it a tour of car shows in 1976, and the automaker even considered using the concept as the basis for the fourth-gen ‘Vette, according to Hemmings.

This modernized take on the look largely retains the Aerovette’s design except for replacing the original popup headlights with fixed LED lamps for illumination.

Unfortunately, the Aerovette came at a time when mid-engine car sales in the US were terrible, while the front-engine Datsun 240Z sports car was selling like hotcakes. Despite initially being approved for production, the Aerovette program was canceled and we never heard from the mid-engine Corvette again. Nope. Never was there ever a mid-engine Corvette.

1967 Lamborghini Marzal

Next we have the 1967 Lamborghini Marzal. Back in the ‘60s, Lamborghini had the odd desire to build more family-friendly vehicles, and the 4-seater Marzal concept was one of them. It came with a 2.0-L 6-cylinder engine that was actually a 4.0-L V12 cut in half. The original Lamborghini Marzal debuted at the 1967 Geneva Motor Show. It featured a body by Bertone, specifically from the pen of famous designer Marcello Gandini. Its weirdest feature was a pair of massive gullwing doors for accessing the front and rear seats. Glass occupied nearly the entire panel, which created an eye-catching appearance in profile.

You can see the updated Marzal has a body style more in common with a Gallardo. It retains the clear glass gullwing doors but adopts modern LED lights and current-style Lamborghini wheels. For this modern effort, the artists use the sleek shape of modern Lambos but adapt the weird doors into the sides. There’s room for four inside.

1970 Mazda RX-500

The 1971 Mazda RX500 initially debuted at the 1970 Tokyo Auto Show and was the company’s effort at imagining a rotary-powered supercar. Its 1.0-liter, two-rotor engine made a claimed 247 horsepower (184 kilowatts). Plastic body panels kept the weight down to around 1,874 pounds (850 kilograms). The 2-door, mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive sports car had an oddly rear-heavy shape but a sleek design that made it look like an estate car turned into an LMP1 racer.

It’s hard to improve upon greatness, so the modernized take looks similar to the original though it comes with a more modern set of wheels and lime green paint and an even more streamlined shape that shares language more with longtail Lamborghini than Mazda.

1969 BMW 2800 Spicup

Finally, we end on a 1969 BMW 2800 Spicup. The name Spicup comes from the concept being intended as a split between a Spider and a Coupe, which mostly meant that the middle section of the roof was sheared off.

Like the Lamborghini Marzal, the 1969 BMW 2800 Spicup has a body from Marcello Gandini’s time at Bertone. The name was a combination of spider and coupe as a nod to the removable roof panel that allowed for the conversion between the hardtop and open-air motoring. The front of the vehicle had very similar styling to what Gandini used on the 1967 concept that became the Alfa Romeo Montreal, but he reworked the shape for BMW by incorporating a shaker hood. At the back, there was an angular trunk behind the rear glass.

The modern take incorporates a nose similar to the i8 and modern LED headlights. The bulge in the hood is a little bigger, too. Otherwise, the design here looks a lot like the original. Modernizing this grand tourer involves the traditional BMW kidney bean grille, larger wheels, a new shaker hood, and LED lighting. But even today, the overall look of the Spicup would probably do well, so the overall shape wasn’t altered all that much.

(Source: Chipex)

Speck Launches 8 New GrabTab Collections. #Speck #GrabTab #Accessories

Speck has today launched 8 brand new GrabTab design collections, giving smartphone users the chance to express their personality through a wide variety of unique prints. GrabTab – which premiered at CES January in 7 different colors – will now be available in over 90 graphic prints, each one as dynamic as the next.

GrabTab is a multi-functional smartphone accessory designed to offer a secure hold on devices of any size without impeding any functions of the phone. In addition to its grip-assist functionality, GrabTab also transforms into a convenient phone stand, allowing users to watch entertainment at ease wherever they are.

Unlike traditional grip-assist products, GrabTab is compatible with wireless charging. It is credit-card sized and only 3-mm thick, which means it does not add excessive bulk to your device. In addition to these features, GrabTab also provides users with a secure holding loop that allows for greater ease when holding your phone for selfies.

CHECK OUT OUR GRABTAB REVIEW

Now, with an assortment of over 90 individual designs to choose from across 8 different collections, GrabTab users will not struggle to find a print that matches their style and aesthetic. The new collections announced were:

 

 

The Animal Kingdom Collection: For those who enjoy to take a walk on the wild side. The Animal Kingdom GrabTab Collection features an adorable selection of animal prints, catering to all types of animal lovers. Doggo Red is perfect for the dog enthusiast – and when one dog isn’t enough, Doggo Teal has two for the price of one! Other animals showcased in this collection include leopards – Spotted Leopard Blue – and even sharks – Shark Dive Black

First impressions of the all new Pixel 3a, Video/Camera/UI #TeamPixel #Pixel3a #Google #io19

We are delighted to be able to bring you a first look at the all new Google Pixel 3a, Today the device goes on sale via the Google store and is an exclusive to Vodafone Ireland. The new Pixel devices weigh in much less than their older brothers the 3 and 3XL but what does it offer in return for the price difference… Speaking of the price the 3a will cost from free on vodafone later this month and will set you back €349.99 on PAYG. The 3 XL however also come from free up to €149.99 on billpay and will cost you €449.99 on PAYG. €399 for the 5.6-inch display and €479 for the 6-inch model on the Google Store (unlocked and SIM-free) There is going to be people complaining here on the price due to the build quality (polycarbonate) here but you are getting the camera experience here however a phone does just not sell by its camera prowess it’s what else it can do.

1 / 9

Today we unbox the Pixel 3a and go through the UI and check out the features on offer, Off the bat you have squeeze to activate your google assistant which is a handy feature to have and is something I find handy, There is 4K recording at 30fps and video stabilisation which is excellent and the big feature of last year “night sight” is also present..

On first picking up the device you will notice how light it is to start with,being made from plastic this is a different build quality than before but the device feels good in the hand and easy for one handed use. The buttons are placed well on the device alongside the fingerprint sensor which is a good start. First thing to notice too is the notch has been ditched with having the biggest notch on a phone last year this will be welcome from most but you do get use to having the notch there over time but I think now we can say goodbye to the notch with how things are now moving forward with the holepunch replacing it.

We are also getting stock Android here for a smooth experience with no bloatware and this is something that should be the norm now to get a clean experience on your devices UI many phones now do come with such but there is alot of catch up to do here in this area be it having a light skin on top on Android 9 most would prefer no skin and a fluid experience.

The camera here is superb yet again with just the one lens on the back and I prefer this over the race to have to most cameras as its getting a bit ridiculous looking now with manufacturers racing to have the most lenses on the back,this also keeps the rear of the device clean however there is a slight hump on the camera but not a huge issue to complain about, You can fix that with a case anyway but we have yet to see one for it.They are going to be available, There will be third party cases for it and we will have some in regardless as we do with all our phones.

So for now what are my first thoughts. You cant review a phone fairly in 2/3 days so from the testing I have thrown at it the last few days I am impressed,much of what we seen in the previous iterations has returned but now the device costs less. The build quality is a concern not just for me but for many others with the plastic housing but it delivers elsewhere. Polycarbonate is tough and most of us sport a case so we are looking at a cost to performance ratio Being a power user I have thrown pretty much everything I could at it as I would do any phone and it has handled with ease but over time we shall see how that changes. You can see for yourself the image and video samples which what most people want these days and I am impressed on this front..

Multitasking is another key feature on a smartphone and this again was done with ease but I have yet to load my full array of apps that I use which is alot because if what I do and because of what I am testing and currently using for review purposes and then we can assess how it holds down long term and the odd game or two will be thrown in but this is not a phone directed at gamers but will most likely hold down high end games well.. And for those who like media with stereo sound… Yes it comes with stereo speakers albeit one of the bottom firing speaker grilles is a dud the sound quality is excellent. The 12MP and 8MP cameras perform well so far given its got a lower chipset than last year the snapdragon 670 it has been good so far.. The 3000Mah battery will take some more testing to get an accurate daily use roundup.But you get 18w fast charging and no wireless charging.

Features

High-end features: camera, Google Assistant, battery life and security

Google Pixel 3a delivers what you’d expect from a premium device. Starting with the award-winning camera, Pixel 3a lets you take stunning photos using Google’s HDR+ technology with features like Portrait Mode, Super Res Zoom, and Night Sight to capture clear shots in low light. Google Photos is built in, so you can save all your high-quality photos and videos with free, unlimited storage. And it comes with an 18-watt charger so you get up to seven hours of battery life on a 15-minute charge and up to 30 hours on a full charge.

Squeeze Pixel 3a for the Google Assistant to send texts, get directions and set reminders—simply using your voice,The Pixel 3a is protected against new threats, by providing three years of security and operating system updates. In a recent industry report, Pixel was rated the highest for built-in security among all smartphones. It also comes with the custom-built Titan M chip to help protect your most sensitive data.

New features at a more accessible price

Pixel makes it easy to use Google apps like YouTube, Google Photos and Gmail. And you’ll get access to new features first. For example Pixel 3a and the entire Pixel portfolio will get a preview of AR in Google Maps—the next time you’re getting around town, you can see walking directions overlaid on the world itself, rather than looking at a blue dot on a map.

This helps you know precisely where you are, and exactly which way to start walking (in areas covered on Street View where there’s a good data connection and good lighting). Similarly, Time Lapse is coming soon to Google Pixel 3a too, so you can capture an entire sunset in just a few seconds of video—great for posting on social media or messaging to your friends. With much more exciting developments in the pipeline, Pixel owners are front of the queue to test out these great new features.

Device Slideshow

Easy Availability & Support

Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL will be available via Vodafone later this month, or directly via the Irish Google Store tonight. If you’re new to Pixel, you can transfer photos, music and media quickly with the included Quick Switch Adapter. If you need a little extra help, 24/7 support from Google is just a tap away in the tips and support link in the settings menu. You can even share your screen for guided assistance.

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