Leading real hands on tech review site in Ireland with technology, business news and more. Jim O Brien Tech.
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.
With the current situation around the world keeping things clean is imperative for everyone and that means everything to be on the safe side and this also includes your tech and one thing for sure your phone is not the cleanest item in your possession along with other tech like earbuds and so on this new gadget though can help you out with more than just your tech and basically anything that will fit into the compartment size on offer.
For this test I did order some agar plates but they arrived twice with no agar inside just to show how dirty things are you might not expect to be but the product is on the market so can be sure it is safe and does the job, I have several products in with AV to review and it is a growing trend especially with the current environment it is easy to see why, this device also charges mobile phones or anything with USB and you can also wireless charge on top which is excellent and a handy piece of tech to have at your disposal, this will also clean keys and much more but you are limited to the capacity of the unit itself but you can get a fair but into it like slim true wireless earbuds ( another product we have in with a UV charging case) ,sunglasses keys and so on so the res tis up to you.
You have two stages of cleaning here which is a rapid clean or intense clean and there is an indicator light up top to show you which mode you are in you easily switch modes by pressing the button up on top and just leave it sit there and do its job.
Specifications
UV-C light sterilisation (245nm&185mn) eliminates up to 99.99% of common surface bacteria
Offers two sterilisation modes: 3-minute rapid clean to eliminate up to 99.9% of common surface bacteria or 10-minute intensive sterilisation
An automatic safety features switches off UV light when opened
Fast and secure Qi wireless charging (5W, 7,5W, Max 10W)
Includes 1xUSB-C port for charging the UV sanitiser from mains power and 1xUSB-A to port charge additional devices
QDOS UV Sanitiser is available now from QDOS for £59.99.
QDOS sent us this to review with no compensation or copy approval and is seeing this review the same time as you, check out the video below for a in depth look.
Flow sensors can be purchased at any reputable distributor, such as RS Components and are used for:
oil and gas
solvents and chemicals
drugs
industrial coolants
steam
Which type of flow sensor is right for my business?
Water flow sensor
As the water passes through the sensor, the turbine is rotated sending a signal to the wire coil attached. The speed of the water passing through alters the speed the paddle or turbine is turned, providing a measurement of water flow.
Magnetic-Inductive Volumetric Flow Meters
As conductive liquid flows through the magnetic field, a voltage signal is created, with the signal increasing with the speed of the flow.
Thermal Mass Flow Sensor
Capillary Thermal Mass flow meter
Gas diverted through a narrow tube is measured via signals between two PRTD coils attached to the tube. The difference in the signals travelling either with or against the current is directly proportional to the flow, providing a measurement of the mass of the gas flow.
Immersible Thermal Mas flow meter.
A temperature sensor which measures the internal gas temperature and a velocity sensor are inserted through the piping into the flow with a constant differential maintained between each. The heat from the velocity sensor transfers to the gas molecules as they pass. The electrical wattage that is required to reheat the sensor is proportional to the mass flow rate providing an accurate measurement of total gas mass flow rate.
Transit Time flow measurement
A transducer emits an ultrasonic beam into the passing fluid which is reflected off present solid particles or air bubbles to the receiving transducer. The frequency that the reflected beam is received measures the flow, as the frequency shift is linearly proportional to the flow rate.
To measure flow that does not have bubbles or solid particles, the two transducers are placed on each side of the pipe diagonally opposite. The speed of the beam return changes according to whether the stream is going with or against the flow. If the flow has stopped, the beam will travel at the same speed in both directions.
Vortext shedding flow sensor.
A blocking body inside the pipe causes vortices to form which then create zones of low and high pressure known as the Karmen Vortex Street. A mechanical sensor detects changes in the pressure of the liquid measuring the flow by counting the vortices as they pass. The difference between the vortices corresponds with a defined measurement of the fluid.
Choosing your flow sensor
Ask your supplier about the most efficient type of flow sensor that will suit the velocity, viscosity, conductivity and purity of your liquid or gas flow. Higher quality flow sensors provide reliable data which will ensure that any issues with the liquid flow are immediately detected and preventative maintenance applied. Discuss your needs with an expert to get the most accurate and efficient use out of your flow sensors.
Volvo Cars engineers call it “the ultimate driving simulator”, but it is not just an excuse for them to indulge their inner basement gamer. Instead, the Swedish company’s ground-breaking mixed-reality simulator is used to make new strides in safety and autonomous driving technology.
A setup with a moving driving seat, a steering wheel with haptic feedback and a crystal-clear virtual reality headset would make any serious gamer jealous, but Volvo Cars’ simulator takes this concept to the next level, making it hard to tell reality from simulation. Which is exactly the point.
Using cutting-edge technology from the leading real-time 3D development platform Unity and Finnish virtual and mixed reality experts Varjo, the simulator involves driving a real car on real roads. It combines life-like, high definition 3D graphics, an augmented reality headset, and a full-body Teslasuit that provides haptic feedback from a virtual world, while also monitoring bodily reactions.
This combination of software and hardware allows Volvo Cars engineers to endlessly simulate traffic scenarios on a real test track road while using a real car, all in total safety. Engineers can gain important insights on the interaction between people and the car for development of new safety, driver assistance and autonomous driving features.
Testers can be exposed to imagined active safety and driver assistance features, upcoming autonomous drive user interfaces, future car models and many other scenarios. It can be used on real test track roads or in the test lab, and every scenario is fully customizable. The possibilities are literally endless.
Volvo Cars “ultimate simulator” was demonstrated yesterday in an event live-streamed from Volvo’s Open Innovation Arena and hosted by a team of its innovation experts. You can watch the event on demand HERE.
Last year, together with Varjo, Volvo Cars became the first car maker to make it possible to drive a real car while wearing a mixed reality headset. Now that collaboration has been expanded to include Unity and full-body haptic suit maker Teslasuit.
According to Casper Wickman, senior leader of User Experience at Volvo’s Open Innovation Arena and one of the hosts of the livestream, this enables Volvo Cars to study authentic human reactions in a safe environment and at a fraction of the cost of a real test.
“Working together with great companies like Varjo, Unity and Teslasuit has allowed us to test so many scenarios that look and feel totally real, without having to physically build anything,” says Casper Wickman. “It lets us test drive actual cars in through traffic scenarios that look and feel real, but can be adjusted at the touch of a button.”
When developing safety systems for cars, like collision-avoiding technologies, testing is crucial. But testing these systems in reality can be dangerous, time-consuming and expensive. Virtual and mixed reality simulations, however, allow for perfectly safe testing in authentic environments, without having to build any physical prototypes or set up complex scenarios.
“By using this cutting-edge technology, we are exploring and leading the development for creating safe cars in the future. It’s great to play a part in that,” said Casper Wickman.
Watch the full livestream recording here and download the summary video of the event here.
Colder weather is on its way, so now is a good time to consider investing in a portable heater, that is motion activated, to help warm up those cooler spots in your home.
The MeacoHeat Motion Heater is the perfect product to keep your home warm and cosy throughout any cold spell. Where traditional heating systems use thermostats to maintain a room’s temperature regardless of how frequently the room is used, the MeacoHeat Motion Heater can be used much more economically. It can be used as a standalone unit for spaces that may be less-frequently used, but still require heating. A motion detection sensor means the unit will only be activated once a person walks into the room. When they leave the room, the heater will switch off, allowing the user to save money on heating bills and helping the environment. MeacoHeat Motion Heaters use safe PTC ceramic technology to offer fast start-up time. A thermal cut out and tilt safety switch ensure that, if they are accidentally knocked over, they switch off.
A fan option means they can be used all year, adding warmth in the summer months on a chill day, but becoming a fan to cool a room in hotter weather. The smaller model, 1.8kW has two outputs levels to save energy, a 1-7 hour off timer and a fan only mode for summer use. The larger 2.0Kw adds oscillation to the specification to distribute the heat evenly through a 70° arc. A three-level thermostat replaces the off timer to provide another level of control.
There are two models, available in either red, black or white and with their small and stylish design, they are sure to look great in any room in a house. MeacoHeat Motion Heaters are the perfect solution for filling in with some extra heat when needed.
To celebrate its 25th anniversary, the Nik Collection, the famous photo plugin suite for Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom Classic, and DxO PhotoLab and the winner of the 2020-2021 EISA Award for Best Photo-Editing Software, released its latest 3.3 version. This version includes a pack of 25 brand-new Presets for Color Efex Pro and Silver Efex Pro. These twenty-five exclusive Presets are divided into five series, each with five Presets: “Classic Portrait Color,” “Classic Portrait Black & White,” “Light & Bright,” “Wildlife,” and “Street”. This update is also compatible with macOS Big Sur and the 2021 versions of Adobe’s host applications.
Designed for Multiple Genres and Today’s Photography
The new Presets included in the Nik Collection 3 by DxO showcase five photography genres, specifically colour portraiture, black-and-white portraits, landscape photography, wildlife photography, and street photography. These are the five most popular genres among expert and amateur photographers alike. Color Efex Pro, which already includes a number of creative colour Presets and recipes, and Silver Efex Pro, which continues to set the standard for black-and-white conversion, are the two Nik Collection plugins photographers turn to the most.
With its ten “Classic Portrait Color” Presets for Color Efex Pro and “Classic Portrait Black & White” Presets for Silver Efex Pro, the Nik Collection 3 by DxO offers users a modern and holistic approach to the genre. “High Key Bright” brings out the whites and brightness in colour portraits, giving images a joyful and optimistic ambiance. With its lower exposure levels, “Hint of Color” creates a more dramatic look that nonetheless remains soft through the addition of a colour tint.
With respect to black-and-white photography, “Hollywood Glamour” produces images with high contrast yet controls the darker tones in the image to conceal any flaws. For those nostalgic for the analogue film era, “Rugged” offers a perfectly balanced, fine-grain look.
When it comes to landscape photography, the “Light & Bright” series designed for Color Efex Pro opts for a colourful take on the genre through a selection of monochromatic or chromatic-dominant Presets. “Cafe Mocha” adds a dark beige tint, while “Pink Lemonade” uses a pink tint. With their green and blue tones, “Fade Away” and “Heavenly Blue” give landscapes a timeless look. “Sunshine Morning” creates softer and more balanced tints.
The “Wildlife” series for Color Efex Pro includes Presets that showcase a variety of lighting effects and highlight detail. With its blue tint and slight blur, “Cool Evening” simulates a semi-nocturnal ambiance. “Sunny Day” mimics the effect of a bright, noon-day sun without flattening the image. Wish your photo was a bit sharper? “Fur Details” increases micro-contrast and enhances textures, resulting in an incredibly realistic effect.
Finally, the “Street” series for Silver Efex Pro opts for an approach poised between classicism and modernism by playing up contrasts, grain, and tints simultaneously. “High Contrast” recreates that classic street photography look by producing dense blacks and stark whites. “Street Gritty” adds a slight grain over the top, which is reminiscent of Leica. With “Street Dramatic”, the background of the photo is darkened, and the depth of field is shortened.
Twenty-five Years Dedicated to Innovation and Photography
Since Nils Kokemohr founded the company in 1995, Nik Multimedia, which later became Nik Software in 2006, has sought to develop photo-editing software that helps photographers who use Adobe Photoshop realise their vision through the use of simple tools based on exclusive algorithms and designed to improve their workflow. The software developer created Color Efex Pro to improve colour conversion, Sharpener Pro to boost sharpness, Dfine to reduce noise, Viveza to apply local colour adjustments, HDR Efex Pro to edit HDR images, Silver Efex Pro for white-and-black conversions, and Analog Efex to recreate the look of silver halide film. It also released a number of innovations, including the famous local adjustment technology U POINT™.
After Google purchased it in 2012, the Nik Collection was gradually side-lined. When DxO bought it in 2017, the suite was re-released, much to the delight of its extensive community of users. Its latest version, released in June 2020, added a number of new features, including the Selective Tool, which was redesigned to work with Adobe Photoshop, a non-destructive workflow for Adobe Lightroom users, and an eighth plugin, Perspective Efex.
Compatible with macOS Big Sur and the Latest Versions of Adobe software
To ensure the best possible user experience, the Nik Collection 3.3 by DxO was optimised to be fully compatible with macOS Big Sur as well as the latest versions of Adobe Lightroom Classic, Photoshop, and Photoshop Elements.
Users who purchased Nik Collection 3 by DxO after June 2020 may upgrade their software for free. Photographers who already own Nik Collection 2 By DxO or a previous version can upgrade their software by signing into their customer accounts. A fully-functional, one-month trial version of Nik Collection 3.3 By DxO is available on the DxO website: https://nikcollection.dxo.com/download/.
The new GFQ Simulator benefits from the partnerships Cranfield Simulation have established over the years with leading component manufacturers, as a result of the reputation in both the top tier of motorsport and military fast jet simulation markets.
“In order to claim the world’s best simulators we have to work with the best components, our team of dedicated engineers have carefully selected every component with feedback from professional racing and esports drivers.”
With a unique combination of both an aluminum extrusion base and steel tubular frame, the new GFQ Simulator is designed to fit through a standard doorway, yet strong enough to handle the toughest endurance race over and over again, without any flex.
Customers can select the best components to most accurately reflect their real-world racing aspirations; and top it off with personal touches such as exterior paint colours and trim options.
The result is a simulator combining leading sim racing components, built to extraordinarily high aerospace-level standards, yet offering staggering value for money when compared with competitor offerings of a similar specification.
The GFQ Simulator is now available online through a configurator, with a starting price of £9,700. To demonstrate the extent of customisation possibilities, Cranfield Simulation have created example setups to appeal to different users – including Sport, Race and Ultimate.
Driving enthusiasts have the choice of either Heusinkveld or Alkentech pedals, made from CNC precision cut steel or aluminum. Ultra-realistic steering wheels are provided by Precision Sim Engineering, as used by Formula 1 drivers, and attached to a Simucube direct drive wheelbase – as is the case with every simulator to come out of Cranfield’s converted hangar.
A selection of genuine motorsport seats are supplied by Cobra Motorsport, with over 40 year’s experience and a client list including legendary names such as Moss, McQueen and Clark.
Visual options come courtesy of Samsung Electronics, with a choice of ultra-wide curved 49” gaming monitors or link up three 4K UHD displays from their professional QM range.
It wouldn’t be a Cranfield simulator without some movement, D-BOX and Cranfield Simulation have been working together for almost a decade, so there is only one option for a compact haptic system, and the only FIA licensed option available on the market today. D-BOX’s haptic feedback goes beyond crude movement and taps into vibrations and textures such as traction loss and cracks of the racetrack surface.
All of these components come to life thanks to a high-performance, custom-built, “PC Specialist” system, with high-end gaming components including the latest headsets from SteelSeries.
OPPO announced today that the official release of the Full-path Color Management System will premiere as part of its 2021 new flagship smartphones, Find X3 series. OPPO’s Full-path Color Management System is the very first Android color management system to support the full DCI-P3 wide gamut and 10-bit color depth from capture, storage, and display. This delivers an outstanding viewing experience with its authentic and accurate color reproduction.
“Color inspires creativity and affects our perceptions of reality. That’s why we’ve enhanced every aspect of the color management system to add brilliant, high-quality visuals to more aspects of daily life.” said Bai, product manager at OPPO. “Based on the stellar color performance of the Find X2 Pro, the new Full-path Color Management System has been meticulously developed to support for 10bit image capturing and HEIF format. We aim to deliver to our users a seamless and systematic color experience, which unleashes content creators’ desire to explore, capture and express themselves fully.”
DCI-P3, 10-bit HEIF Images Supported from end-to-end — The Full-path Color Management System Expands the Boundary of Visual Representation
Considering the future trends lie in wide color gamut and high color depth, OPPO’s R&D engineering team did a decent job with color reproduction by improving the underlying system and hardware. The system is an end-to-end solution, covering all the steps from image acquisition, to computation, encoding, storage, decoding, and finally display, supporting a HEIF image with 10bit high color depth and the P3 wide color gamut.
As a management system, the full-path color management system adopted higher specification algorithm and hardware to record color when capturing. OPPO’s R&D engineering promoted algorithms in the areas such as distortion correction, multi-frame noise reduction and perceptual extreme super-resolution. Moreover, OPPO will support image sensors featuring Digital Overlap (DOL) HDR mode. In the DOL-HDR technology, it synthesizes different exposure conditions into an image. Therefore, brilliant colors are captured even when pictures are taken against bright light.
Once we have the right hardware, calibration becomes the next important factor. OPPO’s screen calibration procedure enables a professional, digital film-grade color accuracy at around 0.4 JNCD, thereby delivering a consistently accurate display on the screen. On the other hands, OPPO’s proprietary algorithm guarantee color gamut compatibility by adjusting the DCI-P3 with the D65 white point at the center of the color space.
Compared with the depth of 8-bits, the 10-bit color depth tones down the artificial visual features brought about by gaps in colors. The 10-bit color depth further improves color gradient to enhance the quality of visual content during creation and post-editing. Meanwhile, with a size only around 50% of a JPEG image, the new and powerful HEIF format fully supports a wide variety of multimedia, such as static images, Exif, depth information, and dynamic videos, thus giving users more creative freedom. It is also worth mentioning that the HEIF format can be further developed to ensure compatibility with respect to ultra-high color depth.
Personalized Color Settings on Your Smartphone — Color Correction Solution for the Future of Imaging
At the recent OPPO INNO DAY 2020, OPPO Founder and CEO Tony Chen said that, “we believe in ‘Technology for Mankind, Kindness for the World’. OPPO uses technology to empower people to capture the beauty around them and to unleash their imagination of the future; thereby helping everyone get the best out of life.
This manifests in OPPO’s R&D process in color management. OPPO’s Full-path Color Management System is a fundamental function at the system level, and it is smart too. OPPO first sought to achieve a uniform standard with every screen showing colors in the same way to ensure the accuracy and fidelity; now, we go deeper to seek to meet user needs with customization.
Back to 2018, OPPO’s R&D engineering team became aware of the challenges facing smartphone users with color weakness. Considering about visual health, the team went on to initiate systematic research on color correction to address the needs of a wider user for better visual experience.
Next, OPPO will go one step further by introducing a comprehensive color correction solution. By conducting a large-scale quantitative and qualitative study on those with color weaknesses, we have upgraded the color correction solution to OPPO Color Correction Solution 2.0.
Right now, OPPO is joining forces with Zhejiang University with an aim to find the optimal solution to color correction by sampling potential users with accurate quantification of color vision test. Dr. Luo Ming, Professor of Color and Image Science at the university stated that, “Nowadays, we are considering more about individual difference for human well-being. In this case, the color correction system of the future will be highly user-centric. Users can create their own unique and personalized display by choosing colors from the smartphone’s palette as well as testing and calibrating the system.”
For OPPO, years of innovation have led to new heights of color expression for smartphone displays. The Full-path Color Management System will be first available in OPPO’s 2021 flagship Find X3 series.
Through our authentic, accurate, and individualized color management, OPPO aims to offer users an intuitive way to experience the world and capture life at its most colorful.
Google Maps has analysed data before and during the pandemic to see how people have been getting around, where they are spending their time and what type of food they’re craving. If you have not already known you can now check shops online to see what the flow is like prior leaving your house which is also handy as you will see just below is a live example for my local Dunnes Stores and I use this anytime I need to venture out to get some things done.
Interest in cycling is up
Across the country, people are opting for solo ways to get around safely. Unsurprisingly, driving continues to be the most popular mode of transportation while cycling has emerged as an alternative – interest in cycling has increased 32% percent nationwide and 36% in Dublin compared to pre-pandemic days.
Social distancing in a winter wonderland
Popular times and live busyness information in Google Maps have always been essential festive season tools, helping you avoid unwanted crowds. These tools help you know in advance when places are going to be busy so you can save precious time and also social distance.
So if you find yourself in need of a caffeine fix to tackle your Christmas errands, make sure to avoid coffee shops on Saturday mornings at Midday when coffee shops across Ireland tend to be most packed. And if you’re planning to shop for your Christmas feast, avoid your local supermarket on Saturday afternoons between 1-2 p.m. when you’re likely to encounter long lines.
Chinese is the most searched cuisine in Ireland
With indoor dining shut for many months of the year and indoor dining capacity reduced, search interest in Take-aways has soared throughout the year. As for what people are eating, Chinese is the most-searched for cuisine followed by Indian, Kebabs and Italian.
Time to embrace the outdoors
Across the country, people are using Google Maps to search for parks, waterfalls, beaches and gardens within driving or walking distance. While searches for outdoor locations decreased by 456% in April, when the toughest restrictions were in place May was the most popular month for outdoor searches with an increase of 84% in searches. The Top Outdoor search queries for Dublin are:
Phoenix Park
Marlay Park
Bushy Park
Saint Anne’s Park
Ticknock Forest
The festive season is going to look a little different this year because of COVID-19. Family gatherings may be smaller or take place virtually to make sure everyone stays safe and healthy. Indoor activities could move outdoors. And the holiday abroad might become an Irish road trip to discover some local hidden gems. But even still, people are looking for ways to experience winter and finding new ways to be together.
No matter what plans people have this winter these Google Maps tips will help them to stay informed, stay connected, and save time.
Stay informed even while shopping and travelling
Check out how busy a place is: Popular times and live busyness information can tell you how crowded a place typically is on a given day or time–and even how busy it is right now. This is especially handy during the era of social distancing, Check out busyness on Maps before you head to a restaurant, store, business, or place to avoid holiday crowds and long waits.
(New!) Find the latest information about COVID-19: Are you visiting family in another country? Use the COVID layer on Maps to quickly see how cases are trending in the area. You can also access quick links to authoritative local resources so you know at a glance if there are specific guidelines or restrictions in the area you’re visiting.
Quickly understand safety precautions from a business: If you’re eating out or getting a head start on your Christmas shopping, you can easily learn more about what safety precautions a business is taking. Find out if they’re sanitizing between customers, if there’s safety dividers at checkout and if they require staff to have regular temperature checks.
Connect with family and friends this season
Share your ETA with friends and family: Don’t leave your friends and family wondering where you are! You can let your contacts know when they can expect you with just a few taps.
Meet up with ease with Live View: If you’re meeting up with friends for a socially distant gathering, it can be hard to pinpoint where they are. If your loved one has chosen to share their location with you, you can use augmented reality in Live View to see where and how far away they are–with overlaid arrows and directions that help you know where to go.
Save time so you can spend more time enjoying the festivities
Easily find a local restaurant offering take-away: If you’re taking a low-key approach to festivities this year and opting to order in instead of going out or cooking an elaborate meal, Google Maps can help. When searching on your phone for restaurants nearby, you can easily sort by places that offer takeaway or delivery and place your order directly from Google Maps.
With the dark evenings and mornings now here we all work different shifts and it will most likely be dark for many this time of year however this can be used for anyone be it at home or in the office and it gives you a personal light that will not disturb anyone else so this could be in your home your office or even in your bed and the light shines directly onto your keyboard and does not brighten the surrounding space or the room like some lights can.
This is a simple set up and simple product to use which contains one bracket that can be placed on the top of your laptop or monitor it is not just for one product it can be used on both. You also have a USB to USB-C cable to power it from you chosen device and and extra fitting for thicker built devices so it can work on almost and device with a screen.
Setting up takes literally one minute and you are ready to go. There is 4 touch sensitive circles up top that does all the controls. One for power on/off, brightness, dimming and auto dimming and that is it, the materials used here too are not cheap plastic yet it is aluminium.
According to statistics, office workers spend over 5.7 hours a day staring at screens, and comfortable lighting can relieve the pressure on eyes. Screen Light Bar has an asymmetrical optical design that only illuminates the desk and ensures zero reflective glare off the screen. CRI95+ restore the real colour of the object perfectly. Besides, it has passed IEC62471 Optical radiation safety and IEC62778 Anti-blue light certification, you can rest assured to use.
