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.

Tech Review – Creative STAGE V2 soundbar and subwoofer. #Tech #STAGEV2

Many of you over the Xmas would have got a new TV for your sitting room or perhaps bedroom but one this consistent with TV speakers is they are generally underwhelming when it comes to delivering sound and with smart TVs selling like hotcakes you will pick them up for a good price which is grand but notice the offers on soundbars in the TV section in any store? Yes the stores also know this too and its an option for you to decide on yourself..

So here is the thing.. Remember 3D tv? Yes it failed and one thing that is consistent is the sound coming from your TV unless you spend thousands on and already 8K TVs are being touted which there is no need for now and simply out of most peoples price bracket now especially in the state the country is in now with the pandemic. So just buy your 4K smart TV which can be picked up for around 600 euro or less depending on screen size. Buy if you are clever you could get a great TV and sound system for under a grand easily and still enjoy a cinematic experince and the creative STAGE V2 is one way to do it which also comes with a subwoofer and I will tell you this it changes how you watch films and listen to music.

This works with everything, Gaming consoles, TV, Phone and Projectors which I primarily use at home because massive screen estate and portability. I always say to people go the optical route with any product as it works better and less hassle and that is how I have set mine up, I have tried several soundbars in the past but none came with a subwoofer which makes all the difference, your couch will vibrate yet alone the floor and this system just does it all, the sound is great, there is some power from the system and volume loud but not as loud as I would like it but that is just me and the same with headphones but yes my neighbours could here it next door so for the average joe it will be more than sufficient.

The build quality is also great and it blends in well with my surroundings and does not look out of place, I have two other speakers already connected to my TV too so I may pair them up with this system for an even more immersive setup but would rather have the same brand as a complete set up, for now these replace the current set up I had and I am really impressed overall with the quality and versatility this system gives, we go through the product below in the video review showing you how it works, different connection options and what you can connect to it which will enhance your experience overall than the usual flat experience you tend to get. Here is a sample I posted on Instagram that I could not include on YOU TUBE..

Overall it is a one stop shop here to have this in your home, you can connect anything to it, it enhances your experience no matter what you connect and it is a well built product that looks well, the price is even better at €109 at the time of posting this review..

BUY HERE 

Tech Review – Epson WF-110W mobile printer. #Epson #Printing #Tech

Printers come in all shapes and sizes the price of course applies but there is various options available for the consumer to buy and especially businesses. For the office printer some can be huge and cumbersome and I have always found them too big and feel they could be made smaller. I have seen many printers the public would not be use to seeing such as our government’s printer that still has not printed a page and cost the taxpayer a colossal amount of money and printers to create maps and plans and so on and the need for those is different however I still find office printers and home printers on the large side but it is what it is I guess.

Mobile printers have been around some years, I remember signing documents printed off one years ago for life insurance and it was a strange looking device and awkward to say the least to set up never mind print a page but things have changed over the years with technology advancing and we now see more mobile printers in use today than ever before and some look the part and do the job whilst some look awful.

The Epson WF-110W mobile printer is a new option and advanced compared to others I have seen and does the job and more and is ideal for conducting business on the go, sales reps, insurance you name it now all sport mobile printers as they call to your home at late hours to get the paperwork signed rather than email it, this is portable, not cumbersome and easy enough to carry in your bag whilst you are on the go, of course you do need to carry paper but that can be left in the car and only a few sheets are required in most cases for printing in someone’s home or office on the road. this comes with WI-FI cloud services and more and has a small screen where you set up to your needs.

I had this set up in 5 minutes which was good and there is little tech know how required here if you just want to print paper or files off or files from your phone or Google cloud services it is simple and the quality is quite good too especially for documents but not so much on images this maybe due to the ink levels I had left on my review unit but overall they are good and that is what matters when your spending such money on a device. Personally I have no printer in the office and must invest in one, I have had printers in the past and they have been just too big and in the way where as this one will sit neatly in any home setting and furthermore you dont need to touch it once set up to get documents or files printed, it works well with the cloud service and general use and an ideal piece of kit to have at your disposal.

BUY HERE 

Tech Review – Edifier TWS1 PRO #Edifier #Tech TWS1PRO

Back in 2019 we checked out the TWS1 and now Edifier has the new TWS1PRO for us to check out and they are indeed an improvement however Edifier have been constant with their audio signature and their products are solid and the TWS NB remain my favourite to date but they have more to come and we cant wait to try them out in the coming weeks.

The TWS1 PRO may look the same but have improved with sound and hopefully like the TWS1 they come in a new range of colours too later on which are super affordable. Check out the GREEN model here.

So how do these sound and feel? Great fit given a little on the large side some might say but on par with many others on the market they are packing a good punch sound great and they fit well overall. Controls are simple to use here again with the large touch area on the housing with the Edifier logo prominent. We go through the controls in the video review below which as mentioned simple to use, there is however some features missing but its the sound signature that wins, highs lows and mids are fine direction and clarity is great too ,same for calls also these can be used individually which is important and the volume is decently loud too so I cant complain for the price here.

The previous TWS1 receives a full ‘core’ upgrade in the new TWS1 Pro earbuds. Now featuring Qualcomm TrueWireless Mirroring technology, bud-to-bud role-swapping is supported and is even more seamless than before. Both earbuds use this technology to connect to your mobile phone, providing a more stable, wireless signal transmission which makes it easier to switch between single ear and binaural uses.

The TWS1 Pro also feature the latest Bluetooth v5.2, using the newly upgraded Qualcomm QCC3040 chipset, which provides a faster transmission, lower power consumption and a more stable link. The second generation of Qualcomm aptX Adaptive Technology ensures the lossless and low-latency transmission of audio. These two technologies work in harmony to create an immersive, reliable listening experience with minimal interruptions. The high-quality PU and titanium diaphragms in each earbud provide crystal clear sound with punchy bass and rich details, producing a true representation of your chosen audio.

Features

  • Qualcomm TrueWireless Mirroring technology to support dynamic and seamless bud-to-bud role-swapping.
  • Bluetooth v5.2 and Qualcomm aptX Adaptive provides stable and secure, low-latency transmission.
  • cVc8.0 Noise Cancellation Technology ensuring clear phone calls.
  • Up to 12 hours playback, an additional 40 hours using the charging case and supports fast charging in 40 minutes.
  • Stylish Ivory and Dark Grey colours.

BUY HERE 

Tech Review – The Eachine E520s 720p drone. Great for starting off with. #Drones #Tech

I am no drone expert so lets get that out of the way nor claim to be one however I am seeing many people in the tech world touring €400 is what you call an affordable drone which is utter bullshit. OK the brand in question is DJI that make good drones dont get me wrong but the constant push at €400 and affordable is BS and should be ignored unless you are using in a professional capacity and have being flying drones before and have had the practice of their basic functions before you go and shed out big money on the more expensive ones.

Drones come in all shapes and sizes and of course price point and can be picked up cheap as the one in this review for example. If you are new to drones start out on the smaller cheap scale to get the skills to understand how they work rather than shell out and lose your affordable €400 drone and be pissed off for a long time over it, At least loosing a cheap drone is not a big deal and a fraction of the price.

This drone comes in several variants and all cheap but can go up much higher and here is where to start. I have lost a drone and I know many other who have only my first drone loss was non expensive and I got over it however I know some folk who have lost expensive ones going in with the expert approach and never flew a drone before and I just laugh.

This drone has all the features of more expensive drones bar the camera quality and it is sufficient to have fun and learn the basics before you move up to more expensive gear, As with many drones battery life is the problem but you can purchase separate batteries to have longer sessions and fun and get shots you could never do otherwise and drones are a new approach to getting things done in more ways than one. You can configure your package here with this drone with battery quantity,camera quality and more which I think is great.

It is simple to setup use and learn the basics with easy to use controls on the joypad or use the on screen controls from your smartphone with basis toggles again on both to capture images,record videos and do basic commands controlling it. This is a first of several drones I will be checking out and this time around I had brutal weather and it was windy which made it hard to get good stabilised footage but I went out to see what it was capable of doing in such conditions and the results are good given the poor camera on this but the day footage is good enough and a great way to get started before you get the skills and knowledge built up and shed out truck loads of money for the likes of DJI and so on.

Features:

– With foldable arm, small size, easy to carry.
– GPS positioning mode provides a more accurate flight.
– With 5G / 2.4G wifi function can be connected APP, APK system to take pictures/video, real-time transmission through the phone camera image
– 5G wifi fpv distance up to 250m.
– Optional 720P / 2.4G WiFi 1080P / 5G WiFi 1080P / 2.4G WiFi 4K HD / 5G WiFi 4K HD camera give wide range high denfinition pictures and video.
– Follow me: the aircraft will fix the controlling cellphone and follow the operator whichever direction he moves.
– With altitude hold mode function provides stable flight.
– Surround action will enable the aircraft flying in a circle, providing cooler shooting perspective.
– Waypoint flight mode, just draw a route on the screen, the copter as the give path.
– With 7.4V 1200mAh battery, the fly time up to 16 mins.
– With Headless Mode,no need to adjust the position of aircraft before flying .
– With One key to return function makes it easily to find the way home.
– One Key Takeoff /Landing. One press automatically taking off or landing, the drone will take off or go back to the position where it took off.
– With low power protection overcurrent protection.
– 2.4GHz Technology Adopted for Anti-Interference.
– 4 Channel which can do ascend, descend, forward, backward, left sideward fly, right sideward fly.
– 6-axis g-yro which can have more stable flying and be easy to control.
– It have 3-level flight speed to switch that can make more fun with the flying.
– The quadcopter fuselage is made of high strength and resistant engineering plastics,lightweight and durable resistance.

Function: Up/down, Forward/backward, Turn left/right, Sideward flight, 3-level flight speed, LED Light, GPS Positioning, Follow Me, Surrounding Flight, Waypoint Flight, Altitude Hold Mode, Headless Mode, One Key Return, One Key Takeoff /Landing, WiFi FPV, Camera/Video

Check out this link for extra discounts

BUY HERE

Techfest 2021 launches, with first speakers announced. #TechFest2021

it@cork has today officially launched TechFest 2021, which will take place virtually from 25th to 27th May. The three-day technology festival will include speakers from around the globe, interactive panel discussions, technical workshops and one-to-one networking opportunities. Marcus Weldon, former President of Bell Labs and former Corporate Chief Technology Officer of Nokia; and Caroline Dowling, Non-Executive Director at UNICEF Ireland and former Business Group President at Flex will deliver keynote addresses.

Other speakers confirmed include Cathal Wilson, COO of Nexalus; Steve Fleming, CEO of Voxxify; and Dr. Fiona Edwards Murphy, cofounder of ApisProtect, with more to be revealed over the coming weeks. it@cork will be closing the open call for speakers shortly as slots are filling up fast. Visit www.itcork.ie for more information.

Speaking on the launch of TechFest 2021, Gillian Bergin, it@cork Chairperson and Senior Consultant with DELL Technologies said: “The way we work and live has been transformed over the last year. The pandemic has forced us to rethink ourselves and our businesses. Business models have been reinvented and multi-year workforce transformation programmes have happened in days and months. When we exit this pandemic, that evolution will not stop. There is a new normal now. We need to always think about what’s next and how can we stay relevant?


TechFest Committee Chair-William Dalton, Trendmicro, Keynote Speaker Caroline Dowling, Director UNICEF and Chairperson of IT@Cork Gillian Bergin, Dell,
Pic Darragh Kane

“At it@cork, we are excited to bring back TechFest as a three-day conference this year, to help answer some of those questions and give access to some of the brightest minds in the tech sector. Attendees will hear from speakers that have transformed and adapted to succeed, as the world around them has changed.”

Tickets for TechFest 2021, priced at €20 for it@cork members, €30 for non-members and free for students, are on sale now at bit.ly/TechFest21. Broadcaster Jonathan McCrea will MC the event.

Ms Bergin added: “Over the three days, we have selected themes, topics and speakers that will inform, challenge and energise attendees. Our Innovate track on Day 1 will showcase the disruptive technologies that impact us all and feature those who are innovating for people prosperity and planet. With the theme Transform, Day 2 will explore how current and future transformative technologies will impact the nature of work, from immersive technologies and mixed reality to artificial intelligence and future networking.

“To Inspire on Day 3, we will be challenging attendees to think big, explore possibilities and push limits, hearing from start-up founders who are changing the world, cybersecurity gurus and communications strategists.”

The conference is supported by partner organisations Trend Micro, Glandore, it@cork skillnet, KPMG, Cork City Council, Berkley Recruitment, Springboard Communications and Dell Technologies. it@cork is one of Ireland’s most established and connected technology clusters representing over 220 companies in the South-West of Ireland. A not-for-profit organisation, it@cork works with academia, private sector and state agencies to promote the region as a technology excellence hub.

Evernote announces Home for iOS and Android. #Evernote

Following the launch of Home for desktop and web earlier in the year,  Evernote, the productivity app that lets users remember everything and accomplish anything, is now rolling out this new feature for iOS and Android (OS 10 and up).

Home is a one-stop dashboard that gives users immediate access to their most recent and relevant information from one convenient location. Important notes, tags and shortcuts are instantly available and neatly organised upon opening the app, making Home the fastest way to get to things that matter.

As well as iOS and Android, Evernote Home is available to Mac, Windows and Evernote Web customers. iPhone and iPad users can get home today by updating their Evernote app from the iOS App Store.  It will be rolling out through the Google Play Store over the next few weeks.

About Home:

Home provides users with more than one way to organise their content, giving them the freedom to shape their Evernote experience and see the information they want, the way they want it. This new feature will enable users to work faster and stay focussed, helping them to keep on top of everything without feeling overwhelmed.

When opening Home, Evernote Basic and Premium users will find three default widgets:

  • Notes: Users can select “Recent” notes to quickly pick up where they left off with any project; or choose “Suggested” notes and let Evernote’s powerful AI surface the content needed
  • Scratch Pad: Users can stay in the zone by jotting down quick notes on Home’s scratch pad. Notes can be left there forever, erased or converted into a note at any time.
  • Recently captured: This widget shows users all the rich content saved recently, taking users straight to their web clips, images, documents, audio and emails.

Evernote Premium and Business subscription users also have access to widgets for Notebooks, Pinned Note, Tags and Shortcuts as well as the ability to customise their home background image to fit their personal style. The combination of these widgets provides a powerful way for Evernote users to see their content and manage it all.

3 Easy Ways To Start Investing In Stocks

Stock markets can be a great way of getting your money to work for you. However, the market is very unpredictable. Getting started can feel intimidating and overwhelming for beginners, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll realize the benefits are worth the headache. 

Here’s how to get started:


1. Determine How Much You Want To Invest

Deciding how much money you have to invest in stocks is one of the most critical decisions every investor must make. Why is that? For starters, the stock markets are very volatile, which means the value of your investment could shrink within days. This could put you in a terrible financial situation if you invested with the wrong money.

Which is the wrong money? You should always invest with money that you won’t be needing for the next five or so years. Stocks are a long-term game, so don’t invest with the tuition that is due in a few months. 

You should also avoid using your emergency fund for investment. 

2. Figure Out A Good Investment Approach

Once you have your investment kit in place, sit down and come up with a great investment strategy. This is where you need to ask yourself critical questions like what stocks to pick. This is not a problem for seasoned investors, but beginners are likely to have a harder time navigating the market. That’s why options like money market funds are ideal for newbies.

In a money market fund, an experienced investor shall pick the stocks for you, so your inexperience with the market won’t matter. Additionally, MMFs allow starting investors to have diversified portfolios without spending too much. 

Another great way of being a passive investor is through Robo Advisors. These are brokerages like titan invest that invest on your behalf. The advisors will carry out the market research for you and develop an effective strategy to build a portfolio that’s in line with your investment goals.

Passively managed funds are without a doubt a great option for beginners with limited knowledge or time to spend learning the stock markets. However, if you can learn the markets and are willing to do the intensive research involved, active investment can give you decent returns quickly.

 

3. Open Your Investment Account And Get Started


You need a brokerage account to trade stocks. Luckily, there are dozens of brokerages on the market, and opening an account usually takes a few clicks. However, finding good brokerages is the most challenging part. 

This is what you need to consider when looking for a brokerage: 

a. Costs And Fees

You must know the exact fees and commission to expect from the brokerage. This is especially important if you have a limited budget and don’t want most of your earnings to disappear in fees.

Some of the common types of fees charged are: 

  • Account opening – It’s a one-off payment, but it’s important to calculate the impact it’ll have on your investment kitty.
  • Minimum deposit – Investment accounts may also have minimum deposit amounts. Money market funds are known for charging high deposits.
  • Account maintenance – A few brokerages charge monthly or annual account maintenance fees. Others will waive the fee under certain conditions, e.g. if you maintain a given balance in your account.
  • Withdrawal fees – These are charged whenever you want to make a withdrawal from your account. Some brokerages may also limit your withdrawal if it drops your account balance below a set minimum.

You should know that commissions can change depending on the securities you are trading. Therefore, consider the different commission rates from the brokers if you are planning to venture into other options besides stocks.

b. Tools And Features

As a beginner, it’s best to work with a brokerage that supports your learning process. This means getting an account with educational resources that can help you understand how to analyze the market and trade the stocks you want. Find a broker with a demo account and practice with dummy funds before getting into live trading.

Intermediate and advanced traders should focus on the analysis tools on the platform. Go through all the tools and determine whether they are what you want before opening your account. 

In addition to the features, check the responsiveness of the platform, ease of navigation, trading hours, etc.

c. Ease Of Transacting

How easy is it to deposit and withdraw funds? Check how you can fund your account and how long it takes for the money to settle. You also inquire about withdrawing procedures and how long it takes for the funds to reflect on your bank account.

d. Customer Service

Customer support is essential regardless of your skill level. As a beginner, make sure you can reach the customer support team with ease in case you are experiencing difficulties finding or using certain features. Advanced investors should be able to get technical assistance as quickly as possible to avoid costly inconveniences.

Learning how to trade stocks is an ongoing process that demands patience, resilience, and continuous practice. It won’t be easy, but you can definitely get good at it with time. Countless investors have done it before, so there’s really no reason why you shouldn’t.

How You Can Use Instagram To Sell Your Products And Promote Your Business

Instagram is one of the social media networks that has billions of users and is, therefore, a good channel to sell your products and promote your business. The more people that a platform has, the more your products are seen and it is a great way to improve the exposure of your brand. A study that was done by Facebook, reported that more than 80% of the people that were interviewed discover new items and services on Instagram and they prefer shopping here than on any other social media network.

 

 

Because today most people search for items online before they shop for them, your business needs to have a social presence like on Instagram. You will meet potential customers here who you can turn into actual buyers of your products. To run a thriving business on Instagram, you can follow the guidelines given below.

How to Sell Your Products on Instagram

The first step in running your products online is having an Instagram account. To create your account, visit instagram.com or download the Instagram app from your play store or AppStore and then click on sign up. Enter your email address and then choose a username and password for your Instagram account. This will create your account but this will not help to promote your business.

 

If you want to sell your products online, switch your account into a business account by clicking on the edit profile, and then you can select “Switch to a Business Account”. The next step is to complete your bio and make it catchy to add its value so that people know what your business is about. Ensure that you also add your business website to your profile. Here are some tips on how you can sell more products on your Instagram;

1. Frequently Post Your Products

 

One of the secrets of selling your products on Instagram is by posting your products regularly on your Instagram feed. It is also advisable to create your own URL for all Instagram posts that link to your listings and products that you are selling. Choose a specific day of the week when you will be posting the products so that your customers can know when to look for them. When posting the items, ensure that you post a variety of them, that is, different colors, sizes, and types of products that your customers can choose from.

 

Use backdrops like white walls when taking photos of your products so that they can stand out. The type of backdrop that you choose depends on the color of your products. It is also important to regularly post products on your Instagram stories and highlight them so that they do not disappear after 24 hours which is the set time for stories to disappear.

2. Create Tutorials

 

Another way to sell your products online is to create videos that teach your customers how to use your products. You can take short clips or long ones on IGTV. You can also create videos showing the process of creating your products and the hard work that you put into the process. Allow your customers to ask questions to promote interaction and feedback about your products.

3. Share Stories that Customers Post about Your Products

 

When customers are impressed with your products, they will post them on their Instagram and they can tag your business. This goes a long way in promoting your business.You can request these customers for permission to share these posts and their feedback on your Instagram page and using an Instagram hashtag generator to find the perfect hashtags is a great way to get attention by your audience.

How to Promote Your Business through Instagram

 

 

There are different ways that you can increase the exposure of your brand on Instagram. They include making use of Instagram influencers and ambassadors who have a huge following and when they post your products or review them, they can influence their followers to buy them. You can also promote your business by doing exclusive giveaways to your followers who are excited by such offers and may purchase more of your products.

Running contests on your Instagram page is another way to create awareness about your brand where you give the winner of the contest gifts from the products that you are selling. You can also promote your business on Instagram by using Instagram Ads that are not too obvious or boring.

In summary, Instagram has billions of users and it is, therefore, a good platform to sell your products online to a large audience. To sell your products on Instagram, you need to create an Instagram business account and complete your bio with a catchy description of your business and even your business website. Posting regularly on your Instagram feed, stories and highlights, creating tutorials about your products, and sharing posts of your customers are some ways to sell on Instagram. You can then promote your business through Instagram Ads, using influencers, give-aways, and running contests among your followers.

Sony launches new limited edition WH-1000XM4 Silent White. #Sony #WH1000XM4

Designed in a new Silent White colour to reflect the concept of silence and serenity of the noise cancelling headphones WH-1000XM4 Silent White includes all the great features of the critically acclaimed WH-1000XM4 Industry leading noise cancelling technology

 With the same award-winning and industry leading noise cancelling technology as the much loved WH-1000XM4, Sony is excited to announce the new limited edition WH-1000XM4 Silent White to coincide elegantly with the 75th anniversary of Sony in May 2021.

The new white colour has been developed to embody the concept of silence and serenity and a limited quantity of the WH-1000XM4 Silent White will be distributed across Europe between May and August 2021.

The WH-1000XM4 Silent White includes a pearlescent finish to the topcoat of the headphones to create a sense of depth and a luxurious touch. With an additional coat of paint than the standard black and silver colours, the WH-1000XM4 Silent White headphones are even more stain-resistant and retain the high-quality white colour.  Plus, all accessories come in the same white colour so your carrying case and cables seamlessly match the serene white of the headphones.

 Only music. Nothing else

The latest design offers all the much-loved technology from the hugely popular WH-1000XM4 in a new stylish white colour, allowing you to further personalise your listening experience.

Like the black and silver WH-1000XM4 that was announced last year, the new WH-1000XM4 Silent White headphones deliver Sony’s best ever noise cancelling performance, reducing high and mid frequency sounds. This is achieved by the HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1 with Dual Noise Sensor Technology which features a new algorithm, plus a new Bluetooth® audio System on Chip that adapts to noise, music and acoustic characteristics in real time. Using Edge-AI, DSEE ExtremeTM more accurately rebuilds audio lost during digital compression for a full fidelity experience by analysing music in real time to create a richer, more complete listening experience.

Seamless, hands-free listening experience

The WH-1000XM4 Silent White also features an array of smart technologies to create a seamless, hands-free listening experience. For example, simply start speaking to automatically pause your music with the ‘Speak-to-Chat’ feature or enjoy adaptive playback thanks to proximity sensor and two acceleration sensors that detect whether your headphones are being worn or not.  Adaptive Sound Control is another smart function that senses where you are and what you’re doing, then adjusts ambient sound settings for the ideal listening experience.

Wear all day in total comfort

Similar to the other WH-1000XM4 colour variants, the new Silent White version blends sophisticated styling with an exceptional comfort and light-weight design. Designed for those who are always on the go, the super-soft, pressure relieving earpads evenly distribute pressure and increase ear/pad contact for a stable fit.

Multipoint Connection is also available on the WH-1000XM4 and allows you to connect your headphones to two Bluetooth® devices at the same time. In addition, the headphones are NFC compatible, offer up to 30 hours battery life[3] and are optimised for Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa[4].

The WH-1000XM4 Silent White limited edition model will be priced at approximately £400 / €459 and available from May 2021 until stock lasts.