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.

Technology is key to educational inclusion and employability for those with disabilities. #RehabGroup #EPALE #Léargas

Anyone living with a disability who can and wants to work must be empowered to do so, and technology may be the solution. That was the message at this year’s Education and Technology Conference hosted by the Léargas-run EPALE Ireland programme and the Rehab Group at Tangent, Trinity’s Idea Workspace, earlier this week (16.10.19).

Managed in Ireland by Léargas, the national agency for Erasmus+ in adult, school and vocational education, EPALE (the Electronic Platform for Adult Learning in Europe) seeks to connect those working and volunteering in adult education across Europe. By working in partnership with the Rehab Group, a charity that champions the value of inclusion for people with disabilities, EPALE hope to put educational technology into the hands of both educators and students.

Discussing the importance of sharing learning and best practice in educational technology, Laura Austen-Gray, EPALE Ireland Coordinator at Léargas said “On the EPALE website we explore ways to make education more inclusive. Educational technology enables us to include new groups in education and in deeper ways. Therefore, we are delighted to work with Rehab Group on this conference, to bring new ideas about harnessing technology to educators”. 

Reflecting on how technology could impact on learners Mo Flynn, CEO of the Rehab Group, told the event of a National Learning Network student, a woman with mobility and verbal challenges who can independently control her environment using Tobii Eye Gaze, eye-tracking software which enables her to operate a computer using only eye movements.

Flynn said: “For National Learning Network students with disabilities, technology offers an opportunity for them to be active participants in their classrooms and online-based learning activities and to make meaningful progress on their educational journeys. Attitudes now need to spread more readily from education into employment, the next frontier of change, but education is shoring up its transformation.

Technologies in education, when used appropriately, are tools that can promote inclusivity, collaboration and enable all of our student body to reach their educational potential, whilst having fun in the process. We at Rehab Group are exploring these technologies and believe innovation is a key strand of day-to-day work.”

Conference delegates attended workshops on Educational Technologies in the Classroom, Eportfolios in Education and heard from Stephen Howell, Academic Evangelist and Accessibility Lead at Microsoft Ireland, on how accessibility can be improved using Microsoft Translator, a software which instantly turns speech into text, an invaluable resource which enables deaf or hearing impaired learners to follow a lesson via subtitles.

Other speakers at the event included Minister Finian McGrath, Minister for Disabilities; Dr Mark Glynn, Head of the Teaching Enhancement Unit at DCU; and Roisin Doherty, Director of Active Inclusion at SOLAS.

For more information about Léargas and EPALE visit https://www.leargas.ie/programmes/epale/ and for more on Rehab Group visit http://www.rehab.ie.

Review and comparison – The Edifier TWS1 VS TWS5 True Wireless earbuds #Edifier #TrueWireless #Tech

I have been testing the Edifier TWS1 and TWS5 over the last while and have also compared them. My result is based on my own ears and subjective if you will as everyone’s ears are different but from testing countless true wireless now I have a decent opinion to offer on such products which is fair and balanced and overall both these round up well for the price you pay for true wireless earbuds and these are my first two pairs to test from Edifier..

What are the key differences?

1. Chipset

The main chipset of TWS5 is QCC3026, which is sort of better than QCC3020 of TWS1. QCC3026 is the representative model of Qualcomm’s QCC series chips. QCC3026 adopts WLCSP packing which is smaller and highly integrated, which is helpful for the design as well as the implementation of the sound cavity and antenna system, as 3026 is even more difficult to produce.

2. Diaphragm(Sound)

TWS5 adopts wool felt diaphragm, and therefore the sound quality is closer to the balance of the low/middle/high frequency and performs more outstanding in audio resolution and dynamic, compared with TWS1.

3. Antenna

TWS5 adopts LDS radium antenna, which guarantees the RF signal.

4. Charging Solution

The playback time is basically the same but the three touch-pin charging solution of TWS5 (TWS1 only has two pins) ensures better battery management of the charging box. 

5. Size, Weight and Design

The size of TWS5 is larger than TWS1, and it is about 57.2g versus 41.1g of TWS1. This matters according to different user’s preference. Some may prefer smaller ones while others focus on material texture. TWS5 uses metal spray paint to enhance the texture of charging box, the indicator on it also looks better.

Things to note here is there in no USB-C and no app and the latter is something I think Edifier need to start looking at, not taking back their quality sound or products an app can give the user more control over sound and with Edifier offering quality sound in general this can only be a win for both the consumer and the company, USB-C is not a huge gripe with me but again a trend thats changing but these are older products so no huge deal to be honest right now Edifier can only excel from here on in.

Check the video below for more In short the TWS1 take the win from me by that is from my testing and my ears so some might not agree but in the long run for the price BOTH come in at you cant go wrong for your money in comparison to whats out there price much higher, I have been asked to compare both and these are my genuine thoughts and before testing I expected the TWS5 to win but the sound on the TWS1 was deeper louder and had good directional audio for me with a nice touch of bass..

BUY TWS1     BUY TWS5 

 

 

First look and unboxing. The TWS i500 True wireless earbuds with wireless charging. #TrueWireless

A new pair of true wireless earbuds have dropped in for review and this one of the well known TWS range that is on offer as there is plenty, Recently we reviewed a single TWS earbuds which came from an Amazon seller and it was utter trash right from the get go but I have some more hope with this pair off the bat but time will tell as we check them out in the coming weeks as we have many to get through and more on the way but stay tuned.

For now though these cost around 50 euros which is not bad compared to some I have seen on sale here in Ireland at 40 lids a pop which is simply not worth the price these offer wireless charging and it works out of the box which is a good start it has to be said and they are a little smaller than the average Airpod type if you will given they look quite alot like them, People are now even buying FAKE airpods that have no internals but those individuals are just sad. On an initial first quick test I am happy to say these are not like the other TWS branded earbuds I have seen and tried out and have a good sound.

Any questions in the interim hit us up in the usual spots and we will gladly answer.

▶ The Power of 15-hour Battery Life

i500 delivers a 4-hour of listening time-all on one charge. And they’re made to keep up with you, thanks to a charging case that holds multiple charges for more than 15 hours of listening time. Need a quick charge? Just put AirPods back in the case for 45 minutes to get up to 4 hours of listening time and 2 hours of talk time.

▶ In-Ear Optical Sensors

i500 TWS Headphones have similar features with the original one such as Optical Sensors, they sense when they’re in your ears and pause when you take them out.

▶ Wireless Charging Case

i500 comes with a Wireless Charging Case, which is used for both charging and storage purposes so it won’t get lost. The Charging Case is about the size of a container of dental floss, so it’s easily pocketable. A Lightning port at the bottom lets the i500 and the case be charged with the Lightning cables you already have on hand, and the Wireless Charging Case lets you charge with a Qi wireless charger.

BUY

Almost one-quarter of Irish adults stream esports – Pure Telecom survey. #Streaming #Gaming #esports

Pure Telecom, Ireland’s high-speed broadband and telecoms provider, has found that almost one-quarter (22%) of Irish adults watch or participate in esports, a form of competitive video gaming. The online research was carried out by Censuswide, on behalf of Pure Telecom, with 1,000 adults surveyed across Ireland.

As competitive leagues and tournaments for games such as League of Legends and Fortnite grow in popularity worldwide, Pure Telecom found the counties where esports are most popular. At 33% of the county’s adult population, Laois residents are the biggest streamers of esports in the country, followed by Dublin (29%) and Limerick (27%). Men are more likely to follow esports than women, with 34% streaming esports weekly compared to only 16% of women.

The survey also looked into the wider growth of online gaming in Ireland. More than one-third (36%) of Irish adults say they play video games that rely on internet connectivity. When it comes to time spent playing video games online, the average gamer spends six hours per week playing online, rising to 10 hours for Gen Z gamers (aged 16 – 22).

Pure Telecom’s research found that the majority of gamers use two or more devices for gaming and watching esports, with multi-device streaming demanding significant bandwidth. Fast upload and download speeds, as well as large amounts of data, are all required for online gaming, and 46% of online gamers indicated they would – or already do – pay more for their internet service to enable more effective online gaming.

Paul Connell, CEO, Pure Telecom

 

Commenting on the findings, Paul Connell, CEO, Pure Telecom, said: “The esports community is huge in Ireland and the survey has helped to show the extent of this. The results also show the growing popularity of online gaming and esports amongst younger generations, pointing to this becoming one of the leading forms of entertainment in the near-future.

“Clearly the growth of competitive esports is a significant contributor to the demand for high speed broadband. We know that people who have faster broadband enjoy a significant advantage over those with slow speeds, especially in the highly popular first person shooter genre. We were really interested to see that almost half of Irish gamers are prepared to pay more for a better internet service to enable them to enjoy a better gaming experience. At Pure Telecom, we strive to provide every one of our customers with the best possible broadband connection available in their location.”

tech21 announce a range of cases for the Google Pixel 4 and 4XL #Pixel4 #Pixel4XL #tech21

Following the Google Pixel 4 and 4XL launch, tech21 have announced its latest Google Pixel portfolio, launching three new cases and its self-healing screen protector. Tech 21 have been a feature here some years and we look forward to showing you what is on offer soon for the all new Google Pixel 4 so stay tuned for reviews soon.

Gaston Luga backpacks with fashion and function. Get your 15% discount now. #Fashion #Travel #anywherewithGL

The Gaston Luga brand takes its inspiration from a French traveller who had customized his backpack to combine functionality with a stylish exterior. In the same way, our brand aims to design backpacks that bridge the gap between fashion and function. To do this, they focus on sleek designs that fit perfectly into an adventurous lifestyle.
They have included unique details like a concealed passport pocket, address tags, subtle colors, metallic hardware, and metallic feet and combined them with elements of Scandinavian minimalism like smart storage and the use of long-lasting materials. In this way, they have created a collection of backpacks that are perfect for any occasion.
Gaston Luga backpacks are unique as they feature highly structured internal divisions and a clean, streamlined shape – typical Scandi design. They are also assembled from strong, resistant fabrics such as cotton canvas and metal buckles. In addition, their backpacks are made from vegan leather that maintain a high quality feel.
At techbuzzireland we like to check out all kinds of bags that can carry technology and dont just look boring we also like to take a look at bags for the fashion conscious and that have style and these bags are just that, Stay tuned for a review soon and we also have a special discount code for our readers so pass it on to your family and friends.
The code is TECHBUZZ15 which you use at the checkout for a 15% discount. So head over now to https://gastonluga.com/gb/ and check out the fantastic range available,also to note,Right now they will gift a free Ärlig travel bag with every backpack purchase and they a new range called the Biten

First look and unboxing. The IMOU BULLET home security camera. #Security #Tech #IMOU

Another day and another security camera and we are not done yet in this department, With the dark evenings and mornings coming in this is the time to start thinking security and we have the latest in from IMOU which has a catalogue of security cameras on offer which you can check out here.

This outdoor camera offers the usual apsects of a home security camera and more and we will be testing this out in the coming weeks so if you have any questions do feel free to ask ask always and we will gladly answer.

Check out the features on offer below they are not short and there is plenty to take in for the cost of this camera.

  • ACTIVE DETERRENCE: Keep threats away from what you care about. Thanks to the built-in motion activated spotlight & 110dB security siren, you can scare unwelcome guests away – before they enter your home. Built-in speaker & mic allows for interaction
  • INSTANT ALERTS: The Bullet Pro is like having your own personal guard. Alarm notifications are sent to your smartphone whenever it detects motion, helping you keep aware of what’s going on from anywhere. PIR detection also reduces any false alerts
  • STRONGER CONNECTION: Dual antennas & 2×2 MIMO technology help resist interference, even at long ranges. You can also opt for a wired connection, thanks to the built-in Ethernet Port. The IP67 rating means its fully weatherproof for outdoor conditions
  • CAPTURE EVERY DETAIL: With the 1080P Full HD sensor & cutting edge H.265 compression, you can enjoy crystal clear video without having to worry about storage space & network bandwidth. High-quality sensor & IR lights also ensure clear images at night
  • FLEXIBLE STORAGE: Images & videos can be stored locally on a Micro SD card (up to 128GB), a network video recorder (NVR) for larger storage requirements, or to the secure IMOU Cloud (new users can activate a free 7-day history – one month trial)

BUY 

Review – The Baseus UFO wireless charger. Slim,neat and cheap. #Baseus #WirelessCharger #Tech

Wireless charging is slowly getting big but with many phones coming without it is annoying, In fact so annoying it has stopped me buying some. True Wireless earbuds also now have wireless charging on deck and this is something to take not with products now on the market that caters for three products at one but we all dont have such products so this is a cheap alternative if you fancy picking one up.

Given it is at the lower end 5W scale it is a good start even to see how convenient it is to have one and just drop your device down without the need to plug in a cable this will also give your port a longer life too as they tend to wear down and stop working.

Input: 5V 1A/9V 1.67A
Output: 5V 1A/9V 1.1 A

BUY

https://www.baseus-cn.com/product/baseus-ufo-wireless-charger-for-iphone-x-8-samsung-note8-s9-s8/

Review – The Groov-e Apollo lamp with Bluetooth speaker and Wireless Charging. #Tech #Lamps

Fancy a new gift idea or just something to treat yourself with? Well this might just be one option which is really cool and not an expensive buy either and you should check it out. This is really simple and easy to use with no fuss on the connection side and you just lay your smartphone down on the plate at the base of the lamp and away you go for charging. Not only that you get a bluetooth speaker built in to play some tunes whilst your phone is on charge which is great, Solid build to ensures longevity of the product with a small lamp with 3 modes to suit the mood you cant go wrong for around 30 quid. See the video below for the Apollo lamp in action.

BUY  –  https://www.groov-e.co.uk/power/apollo