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.

Konftel Gets Personal With New Video Kit. #Konftel #KonftelCam10

Conferencing and collaboration specialist Konftel has developed a combined personal video and audio solution for wherever people are working. The Konftel Personal Video Kit creates conferencing convenience – and is ideally suited to today’s growing hybrid working trends, spanning both the home and traditional office.

The complete conferencing package consists of the new Konftel Cam10 webcam and popular Konftel Ego speakerphone – delivering business class performance with high levels of usability as part of a compact and portable overall design. 

“The Konftel Personal Video Kit is specifically designed for desktop users who demand professional quality conferences anywhere,” says UK Sales Director, Jeff May. “High quality video matched by crystal clear audio.”

Users can take advantage of an enhanced visual and audio experience, with a 90 degree viewing angle, full HD video output and acclaimed OmniSound audio performance. 

“With USB plug and play, this portable kit is the perfect home and traditional office companion,” May adds. “The Konftel Cam10 is ideal for users with single or multiple external displays. Placed in an optimal position on top of the main screen, it promotes a natural lifelike viewing experience.”

UK Sales Director, Jeff May.

In addition the Konftel Cam10 features innovative noise reduction technology, low light capabilities, swift autofocus and a 4x digital zoom for great flexibility. 

The Konftel Ego is a Red Dot design award winner and despite its compact size, it delivers exceptional sound – together with a smart and clear LCD display. The Konftel Ego is a good alternative to a headset; more comfortable for longer calls with the capability of room filling music too.

“Designed for today’s hybrid working trends – where more and more business critical meetings take place online – this professional USB web camera and speakerphone combine advanced technologies with big performance. The Konftel Personal Video Kit is ideally suited for more flexible ways of working. It’s personal, productive and performance-driven,” May explained.

Whatever the preferred app or cloud service, the Konftel Personal Video kit fits all collaboration needs. Users just connect the USB cables to their laptop or PC and they’re good to go – with optional Bluetooth for audio too. A simple desktop app enables zoom, customization of image and camera features.

The Personal Video Kit is part of Konftel’s recently renewed Climate Neutral certification – where all greenhouse gas emissions are offset – so people can conference ‘with a clear climate conscience’.  The Konftel Personal Video Kit has a list price of £209.

Tech Review – Oppo Find X3 Neo. #OppoFindX3Series

The smartphone market is saturated to say the least but there is much to consider here when it comes to buying a smartphone these days and people are now more tech savvy too and will not be fooled by great marketing and tend to look at real life usage reviews of smartphones over clever advertising and Oppo is one brand that can deliver with both after using some of their smartphones over the last year and these devices offer good value for money even at the lower end and mid tier section.

Testament to that is now how Oppo is placed in the market being 4th in the world as a smartphone vendor and this is something to write home about considering the market out there today and their phones do stand out and grab your attention even to walk by a shop or see it on a display in the shop window and they coalesce well. From their design and looks they do move away from the current trend of gigantic camera humps with more slender looking ones and not in your face I find them much more elegant looking devices and in comparison to some recently launched devices the humps on the rear have become too much and in your face making a statement Oppo does this more elegant and can still make a statement.

I have gone through pretty much all the features in the first look experience below so you can have a look here and see what you can expect  when you hand over your money for this phone and yes for those who want to know how good the camera is it is excellent and there is more samples further down here to look at.

 

On the looks department the phone looks really nice and in fact it is one of those devices you would rather carry with no case on board due to its sleek finish and soft corners, the design of this device is simple great but I think the more expensive option the pro version might just beat it.

The display is one to behold though with a 6.55-inch FHD+ (1440 x 1080 resolution) AMOLED making content rich on a bigger canvas with really great speakers too that are loud, in fact I have had people tell me to turn them down in some cases even showing them the content on the device, like for me it is if i have a great display why not enhance that with the sound and that you can do here with this device capping out at 1100 nits with two refresh rates on offer being 90Hz refresh rate and a 120Hz touch sampling rate..

Oppo Find X3 Neo
Oppo Find X3 Neo

You can customise this device to your liking with many features on offer here giving you more control over your device unlike my iPhone 12 which is being heading toward my storage box more and more of late and along with ColorOS 11 which keeps improving over time you will be pleased at what can be done here especially the cool lighting effects on the sides of the device for notifications, this is similar to that on the TCL 10 pro which is really nice and should be on all phones. The home screen is also another area with an always on display that can highlight your needs too and the options to customise and control how this works it cuts down alot if you have a busy phone like I would. Themes and wallpaers too are nice, the animations on offer for fingerprint and charging and not forgetting again the edge lighting.

Multitasking on this phone for me has been one of the best so far this year, again I am considered a poweruser and a phone that can multitask fast is what I need and this is simply great, from the moment i pick it up the speed of the bio metrics have the device ready to go before I get ready to make some moves and get work done quickly and promptly with no interruption or lag anywhere and for me this makes it great for a workload on mobile.

The Camera department here is good overall with many options to play with, it does not have the microscopic lens which I will try out on the pro and looks really cool the macro does a good job, again a more elegant hump on the rear with Quad rear cameras with a 50-megapixel, f/1.8 aperture, optical image stabilisation (OIS) 2x optical zoom: 13MP, f/2.4 Wide-angle: 16MP, f/2.2 Macro: 2MP32MP front-facing selfie camera and Video: 4K up to 60fps which is really impressive stuff for those who are into vlogs etc. Check the samples below for more and decide for yourself. I am not a photography specialist never claimed to be one but for me it delivers.

 

The Find X3 Neo also features 65W SuperVOOC 2.0 – one of the fastest charging technologies commercially available on the market. This means it can charge up to 100% in as little as 35 minutes. This is game changing for those with battery anxiety or those who forgot to charge their device overnight and you can simply pop it on charge whilst you get ready for work and so on.  One annoying thing for me though is there is NO wireless charging but with the above you can forgive it I am one of those who has adopted wireless charging with wireless charging docks around the house and at this price you would expect this included but hey its fine look at the speed you can charge your device up to 100% at.

Can I recommend this phone ? Well certainly yes I can it might be a hard sell though depending what you want in a phone but with the overall package here and how it is executed I would lean more so to this phone than other offerings particularity ones available outside Ireland that some folk sing and dance about but lets see what happens those when you run into problems and getting those addressed.

6 Handy Ways You Can Use To Create An Ideal Office Working Environment

There are many handy ways you can use to create an ideal office working environment. In this article, we’ve covered six of the best ways to make this happen. From getting the basics down like proper lighting and the right office temperature to more interesting ways such as installing a food station and even maybe a game room. Here are these handy ways described in detail and why it’s important to consider them for your ideal office working environment.

1. Natural Lighting

While there are many handy ways you can use to create an ideal office working environment, let’s discuss how much lighting your office space has. More often than not business buildings are made to have as much natural lighting as possible. This has been shown to boost productivity, motivation and to make employees feel more at home. If your office working environment lacks natural lighting an easy way to improve this is to invest in better electric lighting. The office space mustn’t be too dark nor too bright, as this can make employees sleepy or even cause discomfort, respectively. 

2. Go an Extra Mile

Most office working environments have space partitions. The main focus of these installations is to make employees cozier, focused and to give them at least some personal space. However, space partitions can have more properties than you’d imagine. Some space partition manufacturers have gone as far as creating ones with acoustic absorption properties. This translates to having your employees less distracted during working periods and giving them even more comfort. In addition to this, these space partitions can be a great way to install some colour and design into your office working environment too, since they come in many different styles.

3. Proper Air Conditioning

Another important thing to consider when it comes down to improving your office working environment is to adjust the temperature accordingly. This is especially important if you live in an area where it tends to get either very hot or very cold. Many administrations suggest that the ideal temperature is in the range of 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit and any other temperature outside this range can cause discomfort which is the last thing you want. Employee discomfort can seriously impede their focus, and the work will be done much slower. To make your employees more comfortable, consider hiring an AC company.

 

4. Chairs

A big part of creating an ideal office working environment is making sure that comfort is a priority. More often than not, your employees will spend the majority of time sitting which is why chairs should be the main focus. Make sure the chairs you order for your office space are ergonomic. This translates to being more healthy for the posture and offering ample back support. In addition to this, you may think beyond the chairs and focus on making the whole desk setup ergonomic to ensure maximum comfort and productivity, which will ultimately translate to the quality of the work done.

5. Food Station

If we’re talking about creating an ideal office working environment, food stations fall under the favorite factors. Take an example from Google. They have food at every corner of almost every part of the company, made readily available for employees, so much so, that they’ve noticed these interesting results. If you run a small business, your food station doesn’t have to be anything spectacular, just make sure it’s the food that the majority of people enjoy. If this is still a problem, maybe consider installing a food station for some days of the week, like Taco Tuesday or so.

6. Game Room

The game room, right along the food station is one of the employee favorites. While you may not have an entire room to dedicate to this, you might find at least a few corners in your office working environment to install things like table tennis, table football, maybe even an arcade game. Your employees will enjoy these activities in their work breaks and will make them happier overall. While having games in your office space might suggest less work done, studies have shown that it boosts productivity and even improves the quality of work done, so it’s a worthy recommendation. 

These six ways to make your ideal office working space happen are some of the handiest ways to do so. Make sure you remember all the basics such as the right kind of lighting and temperature. In addition to this, comfort also plays a huge role in making an ideal office space, so be sure to consider all the ergonomic factors too. Lastly, give your employees some extra fun with food stations and game rooms to boost their morale.

6 Benefits Of Having A GPS Tracker In Your Car To Ensure That Your Family Is Safe..

GPS is short for Global Positioning System. It is a tracking system that allows you to be found anywhere in the world. A Global positioning system(GPS) comprises satellites orbiting the Earth and devices on the ground. The network can find out a person or object’s position on Earth with remarkable accuracy.   

Positioning, navigation, and timing are the data the global positioning system tracks. Although it was created for military use, it has recently become widely accessible for public use. Now it can be used by any individual, provided the person has access to the system to track other people, objects, vehicles, cell phones, humans, animals.

A GPS tracking unit or tracker is a device that uses the global positioning system to get the locations of any entity anywhere on Earth. It is usually on a vehicle, pet, person, or asset.

There are several benefits of a GPS tracker, but this article highlights how it benefits you and your family.

1. Safety 

It helps you track your family. Not to keep tabs on or monitor them every time but to track your family members when the need arises. 

You can use the tracker to monitor activity on your vehicle when a friend or family member is using it. With the aid of the GPS, a tracker can give both real-time and historic navigation data on any journey. It could come with features that track speed, bearing, sunrise and sunset time, distance to destination. All of which makes a GPS tracker a must-have for you and your family.

If your family goes on vacation without you, the GPS tracker can help you identify their position quickly. You can see where they’ve been or where they are headed and if you want to join them without them knowing, then Voila! Surprise! 

2. Security

In a world of heightened insecurity, we must make constant efforts to ensure the security of our family. Having a GPS tracker in your vehicle before leaving your home or embarking on journeys will allow you to be proactive with your safety. If you have teenagers as kids, the tracker will help you monitor their movements and driving patterns. It would put your mind at rest on days when your children or spouse come home late. It can give you clues on where your children take your car out to and on any irregular activity that comes up in your family member’s lifestyle. It can also allow law enforcement officials to find you and your family in case of emergencies or accidents. 

3. It Helps You Avoid Unforeseen Events

With a GPS tracker, you can see what lies ahead of you – a roadblock, fallen bridges, accidents, and other stuff that may make up a threat to you on the road. 

An active GPS tracking system is a real-time system because it automatically sends you the information to a tracking portal(like a tracker) in real-time while it happens. There are different trackers with varying functionality. One that comes with sensors like erratic driving, acceleration, maintenance notifications, and hard braking is an obd gps tracker. It shows your current position and the position of what lies ahead. 

In case of a blockade, you can slow down to avoid a collision or take another route. It can also help monitor your vehicle’s fuel consumption, alerting you if you need to stop for gas. 

4. Accuracy and Reliability

The GPS can keep a person’s position anywhere on Earth. There are twenty-four operational satellites (with three extra in case any of the main satellites crash). They move around the Earth every 12 hours and send radio signals from space received by the GPS receiver. It is a reliable system that you can bank on anytime and anywhere. They provide information on every square meter of the Earth with a specified and unique address.

 

5. Recovery

In case of theft, a GPS tracker will help you recover your vehicle. Statistics report that in the United States, hijackers stole 721,885 cars in 2019, which means people lost about $6.4 billion to motor vehicle theft. We have also observed that vehicle thieves have become more sophisticated in their manner of stealing. Vehicle thefts happen every day, but exciting research shows that vehicle thefts often increase on holidays, especially New Year’s Day. Having a GPS tracker ensures easy recovery of your vehicle.

6. Timesaving

It saves time. Have you and your family ever been late to an event? Suddenly everything becomes a rush hour. It seems you can still make it to the event just a few minutes late until you get stuck in traffic. Then you get irresponsibly late to the event. 

The tracker shows maps of where you are and where you are going; it can predict the duration of your journey and show you another route you can take when you can’t use the usual path.

Coca-Cola confirm Dublin as location for new Digital Hub creating 40 jobs #Jobs #cocacola

Coca-Cola confirmed plans today to grow its presence in Ireland through the selection of Dublin as a location for a new Digital Hub in Dublin. This Digital Hub, which will employ 40 technical professionals in the first phase, will be at the centre of helping Coca-Cola to accelerate its digital transformation journey

The Hub is one of 6 worldwide and will comprise a strategic team of people supporting leaders and colleagues across the EMEA region as they seek to use digital insights, business intelligence, analytics and smart digital marketing to help improve the consumer experience while achieving commercial goals and objectives.

The Digital Hub team will span a broad range of roles – from business relationship managers to technical product owners, data engineers and MarTech developers.  The first phase of recruitment locally in Ireland involves the hiring of 40 people with potential for the team to grow further over the next 4-5 years.

 

Recruitment for these roles is underway with Coca-Cola looking for ambitious and talented people to help direction of Coca-Cola’s future through data driven insights.

Confirming the announcement today a Coca-Cola spokesperson said: “Coca-Cola is embarking on an ambitious transformation journey, completely changing the way it operates to support continued growth and innovation. The recent establishment of a global technology organisation is central to this transformation and we hope will power the company globally to step change its capabilities through scaled world-class digital platforms. This new organisation is part of the Coca-Cola family and there will be 6 Hubs spread across the globe, including one in Dublin to support its work with plans to add a further hub before the end of the year.  Dublin was selected as a location for one of these hubs because of its growing international reputation as an innovation city and because of the wealth of technical talent that live in or close to the city.”

 “These Digital Hubs will be have a team of talented technology professionals who will leverage the power of IT to capture quality marketing insights quickly, helping to inform smarter decisions, respond to consumer demands and support commercial goals and objectives by using data and analytic solutions.”

 The company confirmed that they are “actively recruiting 40 technical experts to join the team. These new employees will have the opportunity to help build the Hub from scratch and will be centrally involved in developing the strategy to support the planned transformation of the organization in the Europe, Africa and Eurasia Middle East region.”

 Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said: “This is great news from Coca-Cola. It demonstrates the vibrancy and attractiveness of Dublin as a place to invest. These 40 new jobs are most welcome, I’m sure Coca-Cola will benefit greatly from the highly skilled workforce available in the city.”

 Welcoming the announcement Martin Shanahan, CEO, IDA said: “Coca-Cola has a long history of operating in Ireland and it’s welcome news that the company has made the decision to expand its workforce here and locate one of its new Digital Hubs in Dublin. The technology sector continues to grow in Ireland and is a vibrant part of our economy. It’s a testament to our highly skilled workforce that Ireland continues to attract these types of digital roles and I wish Coca-Cola the best of luck as they establish this new division in the coming months. ”   

 

Details about the roles at Coca-Cola’s new Digital Hub can be found at www.coca-colacompany.com/careers.

Hiring an App Development Company? Here are Some Tips

In this modern-day world, brands and entrepreneurs are taking their marketing operations beyond websites and getting on the App Development train like Big shots brands. Introducing an app to a brand’s public presence is no doubt a game-changer, as it avails users the opportunity to easily access that brand right there on their mobile device.

Irrespective of how amazing building an app is, a lot of brands and companies still get it wrong. And they end up creating apps that they and their clients won’t enjoy using.

For you not to end up like this set of brands and companies, and to ensure that you hire the best app development company that will understand your brand’s goals, here are a few tips for you.

 

Tips for Hiring an App Development Company

1. Operating System

Before you hire an app development company, you must find out the operating system (OS) that their apps work well with. It is not untrue that some apps can only work with iOS, some with Windows OS, and come with Android OS. So, this is why you must inquire what Operating System their apps can work with, as this will help you decide if you can hire them or not.

2. Portfolio

Most of the time, the reason people hire the services of some service companies is as a result of their portfolio – their past jobs, expertise, skills, etc. In the same vein, one of the best ways to hire a good company that develops mobile applications is by checking out their past jobs to have a feel of what they offer and how good their services are.

3. Communication

How often do they communicate with their clients? Do they carry their clients along every step of the way or do their thing without asking for your occasional inputs. Asking these questions will help you rate the communication skills of your prospective app development company. You need an app development company that will update you regularly on each stage of the development.

4. Opt for an all-round company

 

App development entails different segments such as graphics designing, prototyping, content creation, coding, etc. Some app development companies have a team that comprises personnel who do these jobs.

 

On the other hand, some companies focus on coding only and outsource the other segments to other companies. The best app development company should be one that has a team of professionals that do all these things in-house, and not one that outsources to freelancers.

5. Ask for referrals

Referral from friends and family cannot be underestimated. When you want to hire an App Development Company, you should ask for a referral from your friends and family members. This step will help you hire a trusted and verified company.

6. Post-development Services

App development is not a one-time thing. It is a continuous project that would warrant that your app development company checks on the app and upgrades it from time to time. To hire the best App Development Company, you have to ensure that it offers post-development Services.

7. App Security

This is an aspect of App Development that a lot of brands overlook. When building an app, you must build an app that is secured digitally as there are lots of new apps that are replicas of existing ones. To ensure that the template and concept of your app are not duplicated by another company, you need to hire the services of an app development company that follows strict security measures.

8. Testimonial from clients

Another way to ensure that you hire nothing but the best App Development Company is by reading the testimonials of the clients that they have worked with. There is no better way to do that than by reading reviews and feedback shared by other brands and companies that have hired the services of the app development company. Also, if you want to go a step further, you can contact these clients in person to verify what you have read.

9. Cost

Another important tip that you should know is cost. In all that you do, ensure that you look out for an app development company whose quote fits your budget. It is one thing to want to hire an app development company, it is another to find one that will give you the best for a fee that you can afford!!!

Hiring the services of the right app development company is an important factor that you can’t take for granted. Hence, it is essential that you take your time, and apply these above-mentioned tips so you don’t lose your money to substandard companies.

Amazon Introduces Upgraded Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 5. #EchoShow8 #EchoShow5

Amazon has introduced its newest generation of Echo Show devices—the new Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 5. Echo Show is the fastest-growing family of Echo devices, and the new models feature more powerful cameras for better video calling.

“Customers love using Echo Show to stay in touch and in the past year have made nearly three times the number of video calls globally than the year prior,” said Eric Saarnio, Vice President, Amazon Devices EU. “With these new Echo Show devices, we focused on creating experiences that would add even more value to our customers — bringing a powerful camera and digital pan and zoom capabilities to the new Echo Show 8, upgrading the Echo Show 5 camera, and adding the ability to securely access the built-in camera to check in on home when you’re away.”

Echo Show 8—Featuring a 13-megapixel, wide-angle camera that keeps you centred in frame—still just £119.99
The new Echo Show 8 has a vibrant 8-inch HD screen with adaptive colour display; a powerful, 13-megapixel camera with a built-in camera cover; a new octa-core processor; and dual stereo speakers for clear, balanced sound. The upgraded camera automatically pans and zooms while you’re on video calls, so everyone stays centred in the frame. Just ask to make video calls via Alexa or create a group of up to seven family members and simply say, “Alexa, call my Family Group” to join a group call.

With dual stereo speakers and an HD display, Echo Show 8 delivers an immersive entertainment experience. Simply ask to browse TV series or films from streaming services* like Prime Video and Netflix or ask Alexa to play your favourite music from music services* like Amazon Music, Apple Music, or Spotify. You can also follow step-by-step recipe videos with BBC Good Food. Alexa will also now show you music playlists or station recommendations based on the Amazon Music or Spotify song playing, making it easier to discover your next favourite artist or song. 

echo show 8 white
echo show 8 black

Echo Show 8 also helps put your memories on display. You can use Amazon Photos to turn your home screen into a digital frame. Plus, if you’re a Prime member, you have unlimited, full-resolution cloud photo storage with Amazon Photos—and the adaptive colour display on Echo Show 8 makes your photos look great in any light.

You can manage your smart home by controlling compatible devices like lights bulbs, thermostats, and more using the interactive display or your voice. You can also securely access a live feed on Echo Show 8 from your account on the Alexa app or other Echo Show devices to monitor your home anytime— look around and get peace of mind whenever you want.

Echo Show 5—Compact design, improved camera, even more colours—now only £74.99

With its compact, 5.5-inch display, Echo Show 5 fits easily in any room of your house; and with three colours to choose from—Charcoal, Glacier White, and the new Deep Sea Blue—it seamlessly blends into your home décor. You can ease into the day with a customised morning routine that turns compatible lights on and an alarm that plays your favourite song. You can also catch up on the day’s news and sports highlights; set alarms and timers, check your calendar; or stream music or series – all just using your voice.

Echo Show 5 has an upgraded HD camera with double the pixels, making it perfect for a quick video call or to Drop In on the kitchen to see if dinner is ready. You can also securely access the built-in camera on Echo Show through the Alexa app to check in on home if you’re out of town, or just to see if the dog is on the couch.

echo show 5
echo show 5

Built with Privacy in Mind

Echo Show devices are designed with multiple layers of privacy protection, including microphone and camera controls and the ability to view and delete your voice recordings. All new generation devices also come with built-in covers for the camera. To learn more about the features that provide transparency and control over your Alexa experience, visit the Alexa Privacy Hub: http://www.amazon.co.uk/alexaprivacy.

Pricing & Availability

Echo Show 8 (www.amazon.co.uk/echoshow8) is available in Charcoal and Glacier White and Echo Show 5 (www.amazon.co.uk/echoshow5) is available in Charcoal, Glacier White, and Deep Sea Blue. We focused on minimising the impact of our new Echo Show devices on the environment by using 100% post-consumer recycled fabric. All of the devices announced today will receive the Climate Pledge Friendly badge on Amazon.co.uk, as part of a programme that makes it easier for customers to discover and shop for more sustainable products.

Pre-orders start today from Amazon.co.uk. Devices will begin shipping next month and will also be available at Argos, Currys PC World, John Lewis and Very.co.uk.

How To Buy The Ideal Gaming Gear In A Budget: 6 Pieces Of Advice

When it comes to gaming, there are so many different accessories that you can add to your gaming rig to add to your experience. From VR headsets down to the mousepad, there are different things you should consider, as well as prioritise, especially if you are working with a budget. Here are some pieces of advice to help you when buying your gear.

Start With The Basics

Before you even go into the specs of your computer and buy all the gear that you have, one of the most important things you need to consider is the space you have to work with when setting up your gaming hub and station. The first thing that you need to consider is the desk itself. If you already have a desk, that is great, but if you don’t or if you feel that you don’t have a desk large enough, consider your needs. Desks will range from size and shape, from small office and study desks to huge gaming stations that are curved or L-shaped and can house all your peripherals and accessories. Do you want an entire desktop with multiple screens and plenty of storage space, or are you going to be okay with a small desk and a laptop for your gaming needs? These are important questions to ask yourself to save you from having to set up on your dining table.

 

What Types Of Gaming Are You Prioritising?

When you are looking to get different gear, you want to consider what games you are going to be playing. There are different genres of games, from racing and vehicle simulation games to shooters to strategy. All of these games will have different setups when it comes to how you play and prioritise different peripherals. The PC enthusiasts at laptopblogger.com/gaming-laptops-under-1500/ understand the desire to own all the accessories available, but you should consider what it is you need to prioritise for the games you want to play. This is important, especially in competitive settings where you want every edge you can get over your opponent. 

 

Do You Prefer Controllers Or Mouse And Keyboard?

Even if you are not playing in a competitive scene, but you are playing the majority of your games to enjoy the single-player experience, there is other gear you want to consider. Your own preference will play a role in how much you spend on your peripherals, and if you are transitioning to computer gaming from consoles, you might prefer the use of a controller. You have to consider the input, but most computers have the ability to connect a variety of controllers to your liking. A controller could also end up saving you money versus spending on a high-end keyboard and mouse. This all boils down to your taste and preference, and there is no wrong choice in this manner.

 

Invest On A Good Pair Of Headphones

One thing you need to consider when you are gaming is your audio. If you are playing off of a laptop, one of the best investments you can make is on your headphones. The speakers on a laptop won’t usually be a priority, and you will often have to fight against the noise coming from the fans. Do yourself a favor and invest in a good pair of headphones to give you the best auditory experience possible while gaming.

 

 

Stay On Budget

If you only have a certain budget, you don’t have to worry. There are plenty of things that you can do to play all the games you want without breaking the bank. If you have your eye on certain gear, keep it in mind and always be on the lookout for discounts and sales. There are always alternatives to the items you want to buy, whether it is keyboards, mice, or headphones, and plenty of the better options may be cheaper if you are willing to do some research.

 

Comfort

One of the key factors when you are buying gear around your gaming set, is comfort. If you are looking at a gaming chair, for example, you don’t need to go out and buy the most expensive one just because your favorite streamer uses the same chair. There are many options that prioritize your comfort and even your posture. Even some office chairs have been tested and are both comparable or even better than some gaming chairs. Prioritize what is comfortable to you, and this will go a long way to keeping your set for a long gaming session.

 

Every gamer is different, from the games they play to the different play styles of the same game. It is important to consider these variables when setting up your gaming environment and understand that you don’t have to have the exact same gaming setup as everyone else does in order to enjoy your hobby.

Microsoft Celebrates 3 Year Anniversary of DreamSpace with Virtual Event to Mark Girls in ICT Day #ICTDay

Microsoft Ireland today marked the three-year anniversary of its digital learning experience, DreamSpace, by hosting a special Girls in ICT Day virtual event. Over 600 students from 22 girls’ primary schools across the island of Ireland participated in the virtual event, which was hosted in partnership with W5, Belfast’s award-winning science and discovery centre.

Students from 5th and 6th class at St Patricks GNS Ringsend were some of those who tuned in to the virtual session where students had the opportunity to engage in STEM learning activities including designing and testing their own bridges and coding their own Arcade games. These activities, like all DreamSpace experiences, aim to help foster critical thinking, problem-solving and creativity skills. The celebratory DreamSpace event sought to inspire primary school girls about the opportunities unlocked by science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).

Over the past year Microsoft Ireland’s DreamSpace experience has adapted and evolved to meet the needs and requirements of students, teachers and parents as together everyone navigated the uncertainty of remote learning. Microsoft’s DreamSpace Digital Education Programme provided the education sector with a suite of new supports designed to meet all needs. The Virtual DreamSpace experience has continued successfully during the pandemic with the company hosting two schools a day on a guided DreamSpace experience from the safety of their classroom. Microsoft DreamSpace TV was another resource developed and introduced by the Microsoft Ireland education team over the past year and has enabled students, whilst at school or at home, to engage with a STEAM learning journey focused on computational thinking, creativity and problem-solving. And finally, DreamSpace Teacher has provided targeted supports to empower teachers to deliver their own DreamSpace experience in the classroom or by way of independent learning modules for students.

The positive impact of this extended DreamSpace programme has been proven through research undertaken by Maynooth University in partnership with Microsoft. The research looked at teachers and students who had engaged with a DreamSpace experience and found that 90% of teachers believe that DreamSpace has had a positive impact on students and led them to be more positively disposed to pursuing a career in STEM. This same research found that 87% of teachers were more confident in teaching technology in the classroom following the introduction of new materials like DreamSpace TV.

Cathriona Hallahan, Managing Director, Microsoft Ireland, said: “When we opened the doors of DreamSpace three years ago we never could have imagined the impact it would have. Up until last year, hundreds of students would visit our campus in One Microsoft Place to engage with the digital experience and gain an understanding of how technology could shape their future. The demand for school visits was so high that as a company we were always exploring new ways to expand our reach and in 2019 we were delighted to partner with W5 to help bring the DreamSpace experience to students in Northern Ireland. It wasn’t until the pandemic hit and the world responded at speed to the need to embrace technology that we realised we had an opportunity to engage far more students than we could have thought possible.”

 “Over the past year our education team have evolved the DreamSpace experience so every school – irrespective of their location – can take part. We couldn’t think of a more fitting way to celebrate the third anniversary of DreamSpace than with this special virtual event and it was great to see so many schools participating. I’d like to thank everyone who is part of our special DreamSpace family for making it the success that it is today. Every student that has visited or engaged in a session, every teacher who has provided feedback to help us improve the experience further, and all the parents who so enthusiastically engaged with us over the past year. Each year brings something new at DreamSpace and we’re looking forward to another exciting year ahead.”

Anne Smith, Principal at St Patricks GNS Ringsend said: “We were delighted to have the opportunity to join the virtual event with the Microsoft and W5 team. The students all really enjoyed the session and they’re already asking about when we can sign up for another event or visit DreamSpace. It’s great to have events like this available to schools which help us bring technology into the classroom in a fun way for the students.”

Microsoft first opened DreamSpace following a €5m investment at its campus in Leopardstown in 2018. At that time, the company committed to engaging 100,000 primary and Transition Year students and their teachers over four years in the experience helping to shift their perception about the role technology will play in their future. In 2019, Microsoft expanded the reach of DreamSpace to schools in Northern Ireland through a partnership with W5, Belfast’s award-winning science and discovery centre. Since the launch of DreamSpace, over 60,000 students from primary and post-primary schools and over 3,000 teachers have engaged in the STEM experience that is designed to help develop critical, collaborative and problem-solving skills that will help students to participate fully in today’s digital world.

For more information about DreamSpace, log onto www.microsoft.com/dreamspace. For live updates from the Microsoft Education team follow them on Twitter @MS_eduIRL.