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.
There is many variants alike on the market to be fair and we have tried several of them and there is also many other simple solutions we have covered in the past to make the most out of your mobile phone without having to pick it up but this also gives you solace when you pick it up too giving you extra grip and security but there is a difference here with this product and it is the quality, like I said there is others out there many plastic and they dont last and break within weeks but this one is going nowhere and it is great for keeping the hands away from your phone and it also has a magnet on the rear too which will work with other co existing magnetic mounts you might have or products at home that allow them to work.
Like I said I have tried many similar solutions in the past but this one stands out from the rest, It is great for media consumption in portrait or landscape mode which also does not require you to remove your device , you can place this on a the outside of your case or if you are the one to go naked you can secure it on the back of your phone you can select angles within the limits and the rubber stopper secures it in place on a flat surface, If like me you have magnets around the home this will also work for example in the kitchen, bedroom or bathroom and again my vehicles it simply sticks and the magnet is one of the more powerful ones I have tried in the past so overall it is a great cheap product and a handy phone accessory to have.
The only possible caveat here is if your phone has wireless charging it might get in the way depending on the set up which is no huge deal.. It would make a nice little stocking filler this Christmas. Check out the video below for more..
Inner City Helping Homeless, the non-profit registered charity supporting Ireland’s homeless, is today launching its first ever virtual Santabox Appeal. It is hoped that through this new online platform, the charity can recoup some of the €200,000 worth of fundraising it has already missed out on this year due to the pandemic, and also help ensure essential gifts are delivered to those who need them most this Christmas.
Normally one of the biggest donation-drives for the charity annually, this year’s Santabox Appeal was expected to only take in around 10% of normal donation levels due to current level five restrictions and social distancing requirements. However, Inner City Helping Homeless (ICHH) has partnered with Expleo, the technology partner for innovative companies, to develop a new digital platform to enable donors to buy a virtual Santabox that will be packed and presented to those in need by a team of socially-distanced elves.
These Santaboxes are filled with essentials such as clothes, toys and toiletries along with a Christmas gift voucher. The contents of the Santaboxes will be tailored specially to the recipient based on gender and age.
The latest Department of Housing homeless figures released in October found that there were 8,656 homeless people in Ireland, made up of 6,073 adults and 2,583 children who are currently living in emergency accommodation.
Brian McLoughlin, Head of Communications and Fundraising at Inner City Helping Homeless said: “We are delighted to launch our Virtual Santabox Appeal with our corporate charity partners Expleo. By bringing our appeal online it will allow people to continue to support our annual appeal from the safety of their own homes.
“The major reduction in footfall nationwide due to COVID-19 restrictions means the difficulties confronting the homeless have become more pronounced. We hope the public will get behind the online appeal which will enable us to provide Santa Boxes to families and individuals in emergency accommodation, on the streets, families in Direct Provision centres as well as those living alone.
“This has been a tough year for everyone; and we endeavour to put a smile on as many faces as possible this Christmas.”
Santa (David Nugent) with Phil Codd, Managing Director, Expleo Ireland and Brian McLoughlin, Head of Communication and Fundraising, Inner City Helping Homeless
Phil Codd, Managing Director of Expleo Ireland said: “We’re delighted to support such a worthy cause by digitally transforming the Santabox fundraising appeal and ensuring Inner City Helping Homeless can carry out their amazing work again this Christmas.
“Through our ‘Rebooting Ireland’ initiative, which was launched earlier this year to help companies to innovate and digitise to continue in business throughout COVID-19, we designed an online platform for ICHH that provides donors with ability to choose who will receive their Santabox, and offers an opportunity to send a personalised Christmas message to the recipient.
“When we first met with ICHH they were concerned that some people may end up going without a Christmas gift this year. We hope that our new platform will help them exceed all previous records for Santaboxes collected and, crucially, provide vital support to those who need it most at this time of year. ”
Donors can pay between €15 and €35 to purchase individual Christmas gifts. More details here.
JOBY, the smartphone accessory brand-of-choice for content creators everywhere, has announced their latest campaign – “What is a JOBY”. Designed to invite Generation Z and aspiring content creators to unleash their creativity whilst having fun, “What is a JOBY” wants to inspire a generation to produce meaningful, authentic content.
From day one JOBY has believed in creation as an act of creativity. Each product is designed to be functional yet playful, and easy to use with the aim of enhancing people’s lives. JOBY supports content creators that want to set free their creativity, put passion into their content, show boldness – all whilst having fun doing it. The world belongs to this type of creativity and together it can be made a better place one story, one post or one vlog at a time.
Following on from the hugely successful #TheSongOfUs campaign which saw JOBY receiving more than 90 million views on its social media channels and 8,000 video submissions thanks to the partnership with singer, songwriter actress and model Justine Skye, the new campaign will see JOBY join forces with Gen Z to define what content creation is. #TheSongOfUs not only gave content creators an exclusive song and created a new viral challenge, it also impacted on the whole customer journey and resulted in making JOBY the second tripod brand in the US market after Manfrotto.
Generation Z are doers, thinkers and creators. The world is at their fingertips. JOBY will challenge creators across Europe to define exactly what JOBY is using their creativity and intuition. Products will be shipped without any instruction to a selected number of European ambassadors, with the task to show the world how JOBY helps them to create using their originality. Content creation is what each individual makes it, and the campaign will inspire creators to give a creative spin to the products in their own style.
What is a JOBY will focus on four main countries – France, UK, Germany and Italy and will help JOBY drive the digital expansion in the EU market. With an expectation of 53 million views on social media, amplification from influencer outreach and a target of 380K clicks more traffic to eCommerce, the campaign will run from October to December.
Selected European ambassadors have already started to release their content for this new campaign. From the UK singing duo and identical twins Max&Harvey, Jack Massey Welsh from JacksEpicYouTubeChannelFullOfFunTimesandFunHiRickX and Alex Brooks from MarzBarVlogs have partnered with JOBY to create exciting videos for this campaign.
Described by Simon Cowell as ‘the next Ant and Dec’, singing duo Max&Harvey created their What is a JOBY challenge using some of their own props – check out what they got up to over on their channel.
JacksEpicYouTubeChannelFullOfFunTimesandHiRickX is the first channel with a 50-character long username to reach 100,000 subscribers. Created by Jack Massey Welsh (also of JackSucksAtLife), part of his What is a JOBY challenge included costumes for both of Jack’s dogs – see the end result in his final video!
Among the others, JOBY has also partnered also with BonnyTrash from Germany and Brunograffer from France to create their twist on the What is a JOBY campaign.
To see the exciting videos coming out in the next few weeks from all the European creators make sure to follow the JOBY official pages.
Products for Content Creators:
Designed with content creation in mind, the recently released GorillaPod Mobile Vlogging Kit is aimed at those who want an all-in-one solution to creativity. Put together for today’s influencer, aspiring influencer or mobile content creator, the GorillaPod Mobile Vlogging Kit provides everyone with the ability to create flawless videos with high quality sound.
Good audio is essential for videos or the latest social media trend and if we are being honest, our smartphone microphones just don’t cut it for the latest video or social media trend. That is where the JOBY Wavo Mobile microphone comes in. Super light, super simple and superior sound quality; it will make your video stand out from the rest. Want to stand out a bit further and add a bit more fun to your videos when filming?
The “What is a JOBY” campaign will also give a sneak peek in to the latest addition for the Wavo Mobile. Used first by the influencers in this campaign, the soon to be released special versions of the Wavo Windjammer will bring some colour to your kit. From November, the Windjammer will be available in Polar or Savage. Providing excellent wind protection when creating content like outdoor vlogging, live streaming or TikToking, the new Polar or Savage Windjammers mean you can show your personality behind the scenes.
Also included in the kit is the JOBY Beamo Mini LED light for giving your flawless skin, and the GorillaPod Mobile Rig for those times when you just need to be fully in front of the camera. With the JOBY GorillaPod Mobile Rig the only thing you need to add is your phone and imagination.
JOBY products including the GorillaPod Mobile Vlogging Kit are available from:
Edifier® International, prominent designer and award-winning manufacturer of consumer audio electronics for both the lifestyle and multimedia markets announces it’s new powered subwoofer, the T5.
Featuring an 8-inch-long stroke speaker driver with DSP technology, the T5 ensures powerful distortion-free bass. The driver delivers 70w RMS of strong sound, safeguarding against warped and overblown deep lows. The Low Pass Filter produces a frequency response of 38Hz, meaning the T5 will only play sounds too low for your speaker set up to properly output without distortion.
A smart compact design, the T5 has been manufactured using the highest quality, medium density fibreboard materials. The 21mm MDF wooden casing offers reduced cabinet resonance for better audio quality. The unit also features a bass volume knob and a frequency range knob at the back of the panel, which allows you to raise or lower the frequency.
The T5 also has a handy auto standby feature designed to keep unnecessary power usage to a minimum, meaning the unit can be left plugged in when not being used. The unit is connected via an RCA line in/line out connection.
Developed to deliver a clean listening experience for everyone, the T5 is a brilliant addition to a home sound system set up.
Main Features:
8” speaker driver for distortion-free bass
Low pass filter with 38Hz frequency response
21mm MDF casing and auto standby mode
Adjustable bass and frequency bandwidth
Specifications:
Driver unit
8-inch bass
Power output
RMS 70W
Signal to noise ratio
≥85dB (A)
Frequency response
38Hz~200Hz
Noise level
≤25dB (A)
Input sensitivity
50±20mV
Price & Availability:
The T5 is currently available for £129.99 from Amazon
Edifier® International, prominent designer and award-winning manufacturer of consumer audio electronics for both the lifestyle and multimedia markets announces its latest offering to the gaming headset world – the G2 II headphones.
Featuring virtual 7.1 surround sound, the G2 II headset offers full 360° surround sound effects for a totally immersive gaming experience. With accurate sound positioning, Fortnite, Call of Duty and Destiny 2 – to name a few – all come alive, pinpointing exactly where the sound is coming from. This sound placement ensures you have the advantage in complex gaming situations thus enhancing your play.
The next generation 50mm composite diaphragm unit produces clear sound and powerful low-frequency sound performance. This driver, combined with the professional e-sports team tuning, optimises gaming styles.
The high-performance, noise cancelling microphone features a detachable 6mm, electret condenser microphone with omnidirectional reception, vital for making sure your teammates can always hear you despite your surroundings.
The vibrant RGB lights use backlight technology to pulse when the headset is in use to enhance your gaming set up and create a dynamic atmosphere.
Ergonomic and lightweight, the headband reduces pressure on your head to make certain a comfortable fit. Utilising soft leatherette to encase soft earmuffs, the design also ensures elongated wear. The G2 II is equipped with a USB connector for easy plug and play with PCs and laptops.
Slip the G2 II headphones on and submerge yourself in your gaming world.
Main Features:
7.1 surround sound offering 360° sound positioning, accelerating your advantage.
50mm driver unit produces clear sound and excellent low-frequency performance.
Noise-cancelling detachable microphone for uninterrupted game play.
Ok so phone cases come in all kinds of packaging and that is grand and dandy but Tech 21 sent us probably the best phone case launch pack I have seen and it is cool, Inside is some documentation, USB key and a whopper bar of Dairy Milk ( How did they know it was one of my favourites) anyway it was gorgeous. Also inside was the Evo Clear case for the iPhone 12, thought / felt like there would have been more cases but overall it is a well presented package and I like it.
The Evo Clear case is offering the usual aspects tech 21 offer with their cases and this one being clear allows you to see your devices natural colour, it is also scratch resistant and works with wireless charging. See the video below for more. See their full range as there is some really nice options available
Recently on tech buzz we checked out the Otterbox Symmetry case for the Google Pixel 5 and it is serving me well and protecting my device, One of my other devices in house now is the iPhone 12 and Otterbox has kindly sent us a selection of cases for it and an 18 charger something that Apple forgot to put in the box.
POP SOCKETS have been a popular gadget for some time now and Otterbox has included three colours here alongside their symmetry cases so there is something for everyone here with a really nice selection to choose from, Also now has new packaging a red heart on the front. This is our giving back program, any customer who purchases an Otterbox case that comes in that packaging can now go onto our website (website is included in the packaging) and choose a prevetted charity that Otterbox will donate €1 to on their behalf. Their new products (Including pixel 5 as seen above) now come in new white and black packaging, this packaging is recyclable and can be disposed of in a green bin. It’s not 100% plastic free as there are plastics in the adhesive and the ink I think but a nice sustainability change.
And finally the symmetry colours Black, Blue, Grey (Not clear) for iPhone 12/pro/mini/max now come with Anti microbial protection built in, stopping the growth of nasty bugs on your device and helping keeping it safer to use. – it will be written on the packaging for all products it applies to.
The latest gaming consoles the Xbox Series X/S and Playstation 5 are the two hottest gaming machines on offer this year and certainly one that will be on many Christmas lists this year and already the supply chain is seeing difficulty with keeping up to order and will so for the foreseeable future and hopefully will ramp up production in the coming weeks as the demand has been huge due to the long cycle between the generations of the said machines. You might be lucky to get your pre-order and then you may not and from here until Christmas it will be hard to get one, I have both mine secured and we will discuss them at a later date.
However a reader got in touch today who did not want his and got it as a gift went to sell his Playstation 5 on Adverts and the add was taken down and if anyone if familiar with Adverts which is a great site to sell new and used goods you do get the option to re-sell your goods be it new or in a used condition you have to abide by their rules and profiteering is one rule I do know they address, Adverts is now teamed up with Done Deal to sell your item faster at a cost and you so not have to use this option if you wish not too.
Today the reader was selling his Playstation 5 and got this response from the team which is fair and also makes no sense with some of the comment.
Hi, Thank you for your email. We took a decision this week not to allow the new XBox and PS consoles. In the run-up to Christmas and bearing in mind pressure some parents may be feeling in trying to get those, we have decided that it’s best they buy them from original stockists such as Argos, Currys etc etc. If there is anything else we can assist with, please do not hesitate to contact us. Best regards, XXXXX Customer Services Manager
As the email outlines above you are asked to go elsewhere to purchase the goods and the pressure the parents are under, This I can relate to however if the stores above have no stock they can buy one from the either Adverts or Done Deal and the parents that cant say no will just go to the next option like these two sites selling and you could get a slightly better deal by genuine sellers and that have proof of purchase etc.
Ticket touting is one thing and so is profiteering and both sites have addressed this however if people are selling for the retail price I do not see what the problem is here once the ads are vetted with genuine accounts who build up a reputation via the site and can be trusted. Do you think this is the right move? After all they are loosing money too on the potential sales and if all is in order I do not see the problem.
I have been checking both sites today and not long after the ads are been taken down as seen in this link
Shopping safely from the comfort of your own home has now become a reality, augmented reality in fact. EZ Living Furniture is proud to announce the launch of its AR app (Augmented Reality), the first of its kind in Ireland. With the magic of technology, you can now bring sofas, bed frames, wardrobes, lighting and so much more directly and virtually into your own home.
“There’s nothing normal about operating a business in a pandemic therefore instead of finding fault, we decided to find a remedy”, informed EZ Living Furniture’s E-commerce Manager Robert Walsh.
Teaming up with AR specialists Intiaro, EZ Living Furniture developed the first real Irish furniture AR app for the retail sector.
What can you do with the app?
Simply pick an item from our collection available in the app. Once you have found your favourite, point your phone or tablet at a flat surface and watch as the item appears before your eyes. Next, place the item in the room and choose from all available colours and materials.
Using your mobile phone or tablet, bring EZ Living Furniture’s catalogue of virtual furniture into your home with their new augmented reality app.
Unleash the virtual interior designer in you and add multiple pieces of furniture to your scene at once. See how your favourite sofa, table and lamp will look in any room setting and zoom in or walk towards it for a more detailed view. Create virtual walls with the press of a button and hang virtual wall art from them (perfect for new builds).
Your personally designed space can be easily saved and returned to later for further changes. Or if you are happy with your creation, take screenshots and share these with your family and friends.
This is the future of retail and EZ Living are delighted to present this exciting app to you. It’s a more immersive and convenient experience than browsing through countless online websites. The AR app allows you to view life-sized pieces of furniture in your room and all products are available to purchase from their online store. Further information can be found by accessing the link below
