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.
Fancy some new true wireless? The recently announced Urbanista London are now available to pre-order and will be shipping in Mid June. The New true wireless offer everything you would expect from Urbanista including looks with several colours and all the features along with ANC.
Urbanista London is packed with style and creativity and our earphones are inspired by the vibrant and busy city. To express your personal style, London is available at launch in Midnight Black (Black), Rose Gold (Pink), White Pearl (White) and Dark Sapphire (Blue) and comes with a sleek and slim colour-matched charging case. London has an IPX4 waterproof rating and is therefore protected from splashing water at any angle.
Designed for Life in Motion
Staying connected is easy with London: the latest in 5.0 Bluetooth connectivity means London is compatible with your iOS, Windows or Android device and allows you to have your voice assistant available at the touch of a button. Whilst on the go, the built-in noise cancelling dual microphone allows you to make or receive stereo phone calls, adjust the volume, play and stop.
London provides a playtime of 5 hours, and with 4 additional full charges from the case, a total playtime of 25 hours. The indicator lights will let you know when you are out of charge and then you can conveniently charge your earphones in under one hour on any Qi-certified pad or via the USB Type-C cable, straight out of the box.
Key Features of Urbanista London
Active noise cancelling (ANC) feature
Built-in ear detection sensors
Ambient Sound Mode
Wireless charging in one hour under any Qi-certified pad
Slim, colour matched charging case carrying 4 full charges
4 indicator lights showing battery capacity
25 hours playtime: each playtime runs up to 5 hours. The pocket-sized charging case is ready for another 4 full charges recharging house
IPX4 protected – protected from splashing water at any angle
Bluetooth 5.0 connection
USB Type-C cable
Silicone earbuds – different sizes available for a more personalised in-ear fit
Four stylish colours: Midnight Black (Black), Rose Gold (Pink), White Pearl (White) and Dark Sapphire (Blue).
Back in March Nokia announced a slew of new phones which are now starting to appear in shops here in Ireland and the revitalised 5310 of yesteryear is now on sale for 39.90 which is a great price for a spare device and another original alongside the 3310 and 8110. The Nokia 5310 2020 edition, ( I still have my own original 5310 and will compare soon)brings with it an MP3 player and FM radio, combined with powerful, dual front-facing speakers letting you carry your favourite tunes with you on the go. The Nokia 5310 remixes classic design with a slick new feel and battery that’s built to last, keeping you connected day after day.
Southern Health & Social Care Trust (SHSCT) is working with Civica, a global leader in software for public services, to provide its employees with the new SHSCT Connect App. The app will play a vital role in keeping the Trust’s employees informed of the latest updates during the COVID-19 pandemic, providing a central hub for information and issuing alerts.
SHSCT provides health and social care services across five council areas in Northern Ireland, and employs more than 13,000 people.
As an established partner Civica has been working with the SHSCT to support delivery of care using its patient administration and document management systems. Following Civica’s collaboration with the Northern Ireland Department of Health to develop the COVID-19 NI mobile app, the Trust commissioned Civica to help build an app to ensure vital information is shared with all its staff, including those with no access to corporate systems such as contract and agency staff. The app is a vital source of information, guidance and engagement for employees during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The app provides the Trust with direct control over all content using a flexible content management system, providing complete autonomy. It was developed in four weeks following a virtual design workshop with Civica, SHSCT and UX design company, Big Motive, as just one innovation within the Civica North Star lab.
This is a first for the Trust and will give all employees access to the content they need on a day-to-day basis, as well as provide a central hub for podcasts and newsletters. Chatbot functionality enables employees to ask questions and get a response at any time of day or night. It then provides a daily breakdown of questions being asked so the Trust’s communications team can refine the content and resources within the app accordingly. In addition, the Trust can send out push notifications for important announcements, such as notifying employees of a new PPE delivery.
Vivienne Toal, Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development at Southern Health & Social Care Trust said: “Together with Civica and Big Motive, we have been working extremely hard over the past month to find a way to ensure all our employees, including those who do not have easy access to a computer, can access information regarding news, benefits and health and wellbeing on a regular basis.
“Engaging with and listening to our staff is fundamental to helping us create a great place to work. One of the key areas we identified for improvement following our 2019 staff survey was communication and engagement, so we are thrilled that this app will enable us to connect and engage with everyone across the organisation quickly and effectively. This roll-out is just the first phase and we are very excited about how the app will develop over time.”
Steve Brain, Executive Director, Health and Care, Civica added: “Technology and software are key enablers to improving communications and driving efficiencies across the NHS. The SHSCT Connect App will allow the Southern Health & Social Care Trust to share focused, easily consumed content with its 13,000 employees, ensuring they are always kept up-to-date. We are delighted to be supporting the Trust with its digital transformation strategy at this crucial time and improving its employees’ engagement and wellbeing at work.”
While COVID-19 drove the creation of the app, it has also been designed as part of the Trust’s wider digital transformation plan and will continue to function as a key HR and Communications platform post-pandemic. The Trust is also looking at using the app to provide online and virtual training as well as clinical guidance for medical workers in the future.
FUZE have announced they are going to be doing a live ‘learn to code’ workshop on Tuesday 2nd June at 2pm. Dave from FUZE will introduce families to simple coding using FUZE4 Nintendo Switch. The workshop will go from the very basic up to beginning to make your own simple Switch game – ideal for families looking for something educational and productive to try.
Tuesday 2nd June – 2:00 pm – 2:45/3:00
FUZE4 Nintendo Switch Live Workshop!
Dave from Fuze will be introducing families to simple coding using FUZE4 Nintendo Switch. Perfectly bridging the gap between block based coding languages such as Scratch and more complex languages likes Python, FUZE4 Nintendo Switch is a text based language that teaches users to code by creating their own games on the Switch. The workshop will go from the very basics up to beginning to make your own simple Switch game. Ideal for families with children stuck at home looking for something educational and productive to do in the afternoon!
Get your coding questions answered live if you need help.
Carlow-based company, Xenon, has announced today that it has secured €1m in funding for their handsfree, infrared temperature testing device – Fever Defence.
The investment was made by New York based venture capitalists Antonio Ruiz-Gimenez and Kerry Propper. Fever Defence is a standalone device that uses a thermal imaging camera and facial detection camera to test people’s temperature, upon entry to a building or site.
The non-contact device measures skin temperature in less than one second, and is accurate up to ±0.3°C. Upon reading the temperature, it then alerts the individual of the result using a red and green light stop-go system and an audible notification if a potential fever temperature is detected.
Commenting on the investment, Paddy Byrne, Managing Director of Xenon Fever Defence, said: “We are delighted to have secured this investment, which will help us to scale our operations across Europe and the United States.
“Employers are moving quickly to put additional safety measures in place to protect their workplaces and their customers against the risk of COVID-19. Our devices have been installed at companies and organisations across a number of different industries – from construction sites and offices to retail and childcare settings in the Irish, European and US markets.
“Fever Defence acts as the first layer of defence for businesses, as they navigate their way through operating during the pandemic. This funding will allow us to expand our reach, and help organisations across the globe in reopening for business as soon and as safely as possible.”
Managing Partner of ATW Partners, Antonio Ruiz-Giménez, said that Fever Defence provides a smart solution for businesses worldwide as they begin to reopen: “The COVID-19 crisis has meant that businesses and organisations have had to reimagine the way they work, and the safety measures they have in place.
“Fever Defence will help create safer environments for people to be in, which is something we fully support. The product has excellent market potential and we are looking forward to working with the team to help them advance and scale in Ireland, Europe, the US and beyond.”
There are hundreds of millions of sites on the internet. Many of them have a beautiful and easy-to-navigate design that their visitors love. But others might not be doing as well.
There is no doubt that you want to create a beautiful website that is loved by visitors and stands out from the others. That is precisely the reason why you need to learn everything there is to know about website personalization.
What is Website Personalization?
Website personalization is an exciting concept that allows the content on a site to be perfectly tailored to each visitor’s individual needs. Websites, usually, have a standard layout that remains the same, no matter who visits. On the other hand, personalization allows you to improve every visitor’s experience that is perfectly suited to what they want and need. That, in turn, can enhance your brand’s image. But, first you’ll need to invest in custom website design and development to build a solid structure that is capable of further personalization
In the real world, you can deal with your customer in the best way by taking a look at them and understanding them. If they are a regular, then you can greet them by their name and engage in a friendlier manner. This would be offline personalization, and you need to take this concept to your website.
Since it’s not a simple thing to do, you need to hire the services of a company that can provide personalized experiences to your visitors.
Why Is Website Personalization Important?
Helps You Understand Your Audience Better
Website personalization allows you to efficiently sort your consumers into personalized funnels. You can gain valuable insights into the visitors that can be crucial to help you figure out what industries they visit the most and how they interact with online content. You can then divide your audience into various sections of the website.
This information will help your website target customer according to what they like. Therefore, allowing your team to optimize your website’s performance.
Better Converting Home and Landing Pages
Home and landing pages are two of many areas of your websites that can hugely benefit from personalization.
If you have an e-commerce website, you would want the site to recommend a specific range of products to a pre-teen and a different catalog to an engineer. By having those personalized home and landing pages, you can make sure your website is appropriately optimized to have the most sales.
Your website can take information from the place a particular visitor just came from, and give them a relevant landing page that suits their needs. Making the whole experience seamless and comfortable.
Improves Your Site’s Ranking on Search Engines
Everyone is interested in having the highest website ranking on Google for all of their desired keywords, but it takes plenty of time and a lot of hard work. Fortunately, personalization can bring you one step closer to achieving your target.
Personalize allows your website to further increase relevance to the specific industry, and thereby having a high ranking on a search engine’s results page. The higher your website is ranking on a results page, the more chances of people to visit and take a look. Therefore, boosting your web traffic, brand awareness, and revenue.
Makes Your Call-To-Action Perform Better
A call-to-action is one of the best methods to convince your customers to move further along in their buying process. But a CTAs value is much more than merely initiating a conversion. With the right methods, you can get someone to start a free trial, take a survey, read an article, or do something else.
Regardless of what kind of call-to-action best suits your website, personalizing it will take it to the next level. That is because personalized CTAs have proven to be twice as more effective than their standard counterparts.
Develops Customer Loyalty
Everyone wants to have a fantastic experience with the service. If you can provide it to them, then they will become more loyal to you than other websites. After all, it’s only human nature to keep coming back to the people who treat you the best.
That is why website personalization is becoming a very popular trend. You can boost consumer loyalty by welcoming each individual with the help of personalization. Most of the people on the internet will only go to the brands that care about them, which is also why companies pour a lot of money into providing amazing customer service.
If you also have a loyalty program on your site, then website personalization can do wonders for you.
emporia telecom – which launched a range of mobile phones and landlines in the UK and Ireland markets at the start of the year – has established a growing volume of sales through a number of new retail partnerships as consumers have adapted to the high street lockdown.
After initially developing its own e-commerce site in partnership with Eurostar Global, and starting to develop its presence on Amazon.co.uk, emporia has developed quickly to add new key partnerships to build on its early success.
Scotts & Co, through its brands Scotts of Stow and Expert Verdict, now sells 10 emporia devices through home shopping and online.
Hearing Direct has also launched the full emporia range online and are already busy making sure that its many hearing-impaired customers can access and enjoy the technology.
In addition, key online retailers including MobilePhonesDirect (owned by AO.com) ranges two devices and offer them SIM-free and with great value pay monthly contracts from only £9.50 and laptopsdirect is now selling the vast majority of emporia’s mobile phone devices.
Chris Millington, the UK and Ireland MD of emporia said: “We are really pleased with the progress we have made in the short period of time since our launch, despite the widespread impact and uncertainty caused by Covid-19.
“Our products are particularly well suited to helping older people overcome the feeling of isolation and separation from family and friends by offering easy-to-use communications technology. Working with key partners and retailers that are able to reach this audience has been critical in helping older users stay safe but to keep in regular contact. Our detailed training guides that accompany all smart devices have really provided an incredible tool to help many users to gain confidence and maximize their use through applications like WhatsApp.
“Sales through retail partners is a key part of our growth strategy and is particularly effective in these times. Plus, we are working with outlets who serve the retiree segment particularly well. We look forward to accelerating this positive momentum in the coming weeks and months with further new partnerships to be announced and as the economy starts to regain some normality.”
Alarm clocks come in all shapes and sizes but with tech changing as it is today we should expect some more and here is what we get with the Athena alarm clock from Groov-e. Missing a radio though…. Would have been nice but it is what it is but still it is a really nice piece of kit to have in your bedroom and ideal if you have a phone that has wireless charging built in.
Giving you a retro look to it is a simplistic clock with an alarm too and a dim mode for the clock face itself and the light underneath which is also ideal for some light in your personal space beside your bed on your locker. It is simple to set up with controls on the underside and also a back up battery should you need to move it or a powercut it will revert to the current time and date etc which is hand, I have had some alarm clocks in my day when the power or battery goes you have to set up again but not the case here.
Wireless charging comes in at 5W which is the low end of the scale but will charge your device overnight and no cables needed, Wireless charging has its benefits no matter the speed, it saves your port and cable and in this instance another plug so its a win if you have got on board the wireless charging game, Having said that there is not many phones out there with it and any that is out there is more expensive but there is still enough out there to make use of this timepiece should you wish to look for something new for the bedroom. And for the snooze button fans there is a touch to snooze area on top, Yes I am one of those…
Plantronics, Inc. a global communications company that powers meaningful human connection and collaboration, today unveiled a new series of Poly Room Solutions for Microsoft Teams Rooms – Poly G10-T, G40-T and G80-T. These solutions include audio and video tools that deliver superior meeting experiences for users on Microsoft Teams, and gives IT managers the ability to easily scale for meeting rooms of all sizes.
Teams usage continues to skyrocket with more than 75 million daily active users, further deepening the need for consistent cloud collaboration experiences across devices. With the rapidly changing work environments expanding into the home and across differing room setups, users, IT managers and administrators need flexible, hybrid devices. Poly Room Solution for Teams Rooms provides customisable room tools that enable seamless virtual collaboration experiences with little to no-touch control. They join the previously announced Poly Studio X family that will also offer native Teams video experiences.
“As more and more users recognise the value of video-based collaboration while working from anywhere, they will need to stay connected and productive with tools that integrate easily with cloud collaboration platforms like Teams,” said Tim Root, vice president and general manager, room collaboration, Poly. “Poly Room Solutions for Microsoft Teams Rooms are designed to make meetings feel natural and effortless with the highest quality in audio and video, so all participants feel like a true part of the conversation. Poly partnered with Lenovo’s ThinkSmart team to deliver an enterprise-class compute appliance, built on Intel vPro technology, to provide a secure, reliable platform for our Poly Room Solution for Teams.”
“Lenovo is excited to join forces with Poly to deliver Poly Room Solution for Microsoft Teams, featuring ThinkSmart Edition Tiny,” said Joseph Mingori, general manager, Lenovo Smart Office Business. “This offering allows us to deliver a joint solution designed to meet our shared customers collaboration space needs.”
As many enterprise and SMB customers prepare to deploy their organisation to Teams, Poly Room Solution for Teams Rooms offers the latest tools to deliver best-in-class audio and video experiences from automatic group framing to speaker tracking technologies, turning even passive meetings into powerful communication experiences. Poly Room Solution for Teams Rooms not only delivers the premium Poly audio and video for Teams, but also provides a clutter-free experience from start to finish with simple installation and maintenance in any size room. The lack of messy cords means that not only is it simple to set-up and use but ensures that the focus remains on collaboration and output, not on tangled wires.
“Customers look to Poly and Microsoft to deliver a seamless collaboration experience across collaboration, calling and meetings,” said Ilya Bukshteyn, partner director for Microsoft Teams devices, Microsoft. “Poly brings our joint customers a broad portfolio of devices, all delivering a consistent Microsoft Teams user experience, and enabling those users to collaborate and communicate easily, quickly, and seamlessly wherever they are working.”
In a live roundtable taking place on May 28th at 2pm ET, Tom Puorro, executive vice president, general manager, products and Ilya Bukshteyn, partner director, Microsoft Teams Devices at Microsoft, will discuss the how to embrace the future of cloud collaboration in the enterprise and beyond.
Poly’s Room Solution for Teams Rooms comes in a variety of different configurations and can comfortably equip small to large rooms, depending on individual need:
G10-T, the base kit to get organisations started includes:
Poly GC8 controller
Lenovo ThinkSmart Edition Tiny
VESA/Wall Mount Kit
10m fiber optic USB cable
G40-T, designed for small to medium-sized rooms:
Poly GC8 controller
Lenovo ThinkSmart Edition Tiny
VESA/Wall Mount Kit
10-meter USB-Fiber cable
Poly Studio USB
G80-T, designed for medium to large-sized rooms:
Poly GC8 controller
Lenovo ThinkSmart Edition Tiny
VESA/Wall Mount Kit
10-meter USB-Fiber cable (25-meter, 40-meter, option also available)
