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.

Discover gardens to visit throughout Ireland with a new app. #Apps #Gardens #Ireland #TGI

If like me and you travel quite alot in Ireland this app is for you and especially for those whom like to visit gardens around the country and there is lots to see so all you will need is a bit of forward planning some maps and of course this all new app.

Christine says.. Planning weekends away took hours, no garden groups existed in my hometown. Joining facebook groups helped~new gardens were discovered but I would come home from a trip and then learn there was one 20minutes away from where I had been! …..I would have to take a note and plan for again. My poor Chauffeur (Hubby) was happy to take me , I just had to have all the routes sorted.

About the app..

Total Gardens Ireland is an easy to use interactive map with details of hundreds of gardens in Ireland, including public gardens and private gardens. You can find gardens nearby, view details and telephone the garden in advance to ensure availability and other details. Many gardens have user reviews so you can see what other users’ experiences have been before you head off. Once you select a garden you can then use your favourite navigation app to help get you there. After your visit, you can add your own review of the garden to help other users.

Christine is also a brother of Ally who also has a great app in store called MotorHome Parking Ireland which is a popular app and has been popular here on site you can check that app out right HERE

On the app you will have Public Gardens – Private Gardens – By appointment and Open Days and Groups only and simple tapping the ellipsis on the right and the lists will then open and are easy to navigate the app also has layered maps embedded which is excellent. As is there is some 250 gardens listed now with links and description of each

TGI is free until next year and is coming soon on iOS and you can download the app below today.

Jabra leads the way in true wireless with Elite franchise expansion #Jabra #IFA18 #IFA2018

Jabra is setting the standard in true wireless earbuds, with five new variants of its award-winning true wireless earbuds, the Elite 65t and Elite Active 65t. These include an exclusive Amazon Edition of the Elite Active 65t, and cool new colours of both theElite 65t and Elite Active 65t.

Jabra will be launching the Amazon Edition of the popular Elite Active 65t. The Copper Black edition is exclusive to Amazon and allows users to bring the in-home Alexa experience outside with one-touch access to Amazon Digital Music, Audible and Prime Video.

IFA also sees Jabra adding four exciting new colours to its world-class Elite family of products; the Elite 65t in a luxurious Gold Beige and a stylish Copper Black, and the Elite Active 65t in a fiery Copper Red and a cool Titanium Black (previously only available in the US), offering an unrivalled line-up of additional options to users.

The Jabra Elite Active 65t is a set of third-generation true wireless earbuds, aimed at those who want the best voice control and listening experience. Currently, the Jabra products ranks third in market share for true wireless earbuds in the US and in Europe.

Research shows that 61 percent of consumers are interested in using their voice to control their smartphones. With Alexa, customers can effortlessly play music, hear the news, check the weather, control smart home devices, and more.

Earphones that seamlessly integrate into any lifestyle are key for an optimal user experience. The Elite Active 65t earbuds are engineered to ensure a stable wireless connection and best call and voice experience while using the earbuds in a sports or training setting.

 

The Copper Black Jabra Elite Active 65t is exclusive to Amazon through amazon.com and comes with a three-month subscription to Amazon Music Unlimited. Combined with the Jabra Sound + companion app, users will not only be able to play their favorite music but they can equalise the sound to their preferences as well.

“We’re excited to work with Jabra to provide customers with another natural, convenient way to take Alexa on-the-go,” said Pete Thompson, Vice President of the Alexa Voice Service. “With Alexa built-in, customers can stream media, manage their calendars, access tens of thousands of skills and enjoy one-touch access to services like Audible and Amazon Music.”

Calum MacDougall, SVP at Jabra states: “Jabra recognises that voice control is a key driver for the future of wireless communication. Amazon Alexa is getting smarter every day and we strongly believe that Voice is the user interface of the future. It is with earbuds like the Jabra Elite Active 65t that consumers will be able to experience an enhanced, Alexa-on-the-go experience.” 

Key features of the Jabra Elite Active 65t, Amazon Edition:

  • Bring the Alexa experience wherever you go. Integrated one-touch access to Amazon Music, Audible and Prime Video – just ask Alexa
  • 3 months of Amazon Music Unlimited. Personalise sound with Jabra’s customisable equaliser in the Sound+ app
  • Power your performance. Up to 5 hours battery, 15 hours with charging case
  • A fit that’s snug and secure. Secure-fitting design for enhanced in-ear stability
  • Built for active lifestyles. IP56-rated with 2-year warranty against sweat and dust
  • Proven connectivity. True wireless stability to reduce calling and music dropouts
  • Optimise workouts. Track performance with an integrated motion sensor

Find out more about the new Jabra Elite family at www.jabra.co.uk/elite  The Jabra Elite Active 65t Amazon Edition will be available October 1st via Amazon at a MSRP of £169.99

 

Vivosmart 4 from Garmin – A sleek activity tracker with Pulse Ox and energy monitoring #Garmin #Fitness

Today, Garmin has announced the Vivosmart 4, a slim, smart activity tracker that introduces a wrist-based pulse ox sensor. This allows customers to gauge their blood oxygen saturation levels at night to better understand their sleep quality. The vívosmart 4 also introduces a Body BatteryTM energy monitor that estimates the body’s energy reserves, letting users know the optimal time for activity and rest.

Garmin’s most fashionable activity wristband tracker to date, the ultra-slim vívosmart 4 blends smarts with style, and is available in multiple colors with metal trim accents in silver, gold and rose gold. The vívosmart 4 is safe for the pool and shower and boasts up to 7 days of battery life between charges.

The innovative Body Battery energy monitoring feature lets users see their body’s energy levels at any given moment, which can help with scheduling workouts, rest times and sleep. Using a combination of data gathered from stress, heart rate variability (HRV), sleep and activity, a higher Body Battery indicates the time is optimal to be active whereas a lower number suggests rest is in order. Body Battery assists users in making sense of patterns, demonstrating how behaviors and activities of the past few days influence how one feels at a given moment.

The vívosmart 4 comes fully-loaded with a newly redesigned Elevate wrist-based heart rate sensor, new abnormal heart rate alerts, VO2 max, and activities for walks, runs, strength training, pool swims, yoga and more. The vívosmart 4 includes all-day stress tracking and a new relax reminder feature that suggests users take a moment to do a breathing routine when it detects elevated stress levels. It’s easy to stay connected with the ability to check the weather, control music, receive smart notifications with vibration alerts, “find your phone,” access social media notifications, and even reply to texts with preset messages (Android only).

 

The redesigned Garmin Connect makes it easier than ever to beat yesterday with colorful activity cards that give users an at-a-glance to the most important stats. Simply scroll down to compare today’s totals to past results or tap in for more detailed information. Activities and other stats captured by the device are presented in vivid detail with data customized and filtered so that the user is only seeing what is most relevant to his or her goals. Users can connect with friends and family to motivate one another, join challenges, engage in friendly competitions and score colorful new Garmin Connect badges when goals are crushed.

The vívosmart 4 has a suggested retail price of €139.99 and comes in several stylish color and bezel/buckle options including: berry with rose gold bezel, powder grey with silver bezel, azure blue with silver bezel, and black with slate bezel.

Infographic: Gaming and Sports App Development Services. #Gaming #Sports #iOS #Android #Devs

Creating gaming and games applications has never been simple errand for designers. Be that as it may, with help of some propelled advances, it has turned out to be very basic and adaptable. There are various advancements that are utilized for various sort of gaming and sports app development. Some prominent application advancement administrations are portrayed here keeping in mind the end goal to begin gaming application improvement.

Helpful assets to make cross-stage gaming and games application –

  • Unity Mobile is a prevalent diversion motor. It bolsters Android and iOS with high involvement in application improvement.
  • Corona SDK is likewise a mainstream application advancement stage accompanies every single required instrument and administrations to make a cross-stage gaming application.
  • Unreal Development Kit is driving with Unity. It is open source and used to make gaming application for all stages.

Essentially, creating diversions isn’t a simple thing; one must be extremely imaginative, inventive and master to make a decent application. In any case, the good thing is that the arrival of venture can be gigantic if the creation is something astonishing and one of a kind. This is the reason; it is constantly great to procure the best diversion application engineer.

 

Review – Urbanista Tokyo true wireless earphones. #Urbanista #Earphones #Wireless

I have been using Urbanista products some time now and one thing I can safely say is they are solid products and last. The new Urbanista Tokyo are no different either and if good sound is what you are after in this type or earphone these have it.

First up if you missed it check the unboxing below.

Setting up these guys is simple enough if you are use to this format as they can be individually used or used both together which is the ideal set up especially for music and you tube for example, During the process though on set-up there is a dull robotic woman telling you if they are on/off, connected /disconnected although I could forgive it as most others sound identical and she sounds unique here with these and the fact its there is a good thing and missing on many other brands.

Build quality is great and they are solid  I have dropped mine a few times and on some occasions one might fall out and remain unmarked. On using these outdoors quite often the charge case that comes with it is great,its small neat and will fit in any pocket and give you extra juice on your commute to work or a trip to the gym for example. This case gives you three additional full charges which is plenty for anyone. The housing is quite solid with rubber and plastic and feel solid as I mentioned and seem to fine given the drops they had to date.

When you pair these up there is a light on either side which can be distracting for some in dark lit rooms for example, One example as such i would use them in bed watching You Tube or listening to music and they flash all the time but its not much of a concern depending on who is with you or where you use them but you will notice this.

Charge time is around one hour and battery life seem consistent with the manufacturers claims and it is advisable to keep the charging case with you on long commutes. Given I am still not sold on in-ears like this I am now beginning to like them more and these are VERY comfortable and you have the extra buds inside to get that perfect fit. I did find a bit bulky and top heavy and they fell out a few times but that’s to be said for others I have tried bar the top heavy feel to them.

One area where they lack though is with multifunction.. You cant skip tracks which is slightly annoying but can be forgiven with the price and overall quality of the earphone but everything else works fine and with ease and they are really simple to use. They did disconnect with my phone a few times but I would blame my phone more so here which was the Nokia 7 plus which has an issue this department.

Phone calls and music are crisp and clear on this headset and as mentioned to music shines through pretty good here which I was surprised with and left me impressed enough to recommend a purchase here with ease. Depending on your equalizer settings you might want to adjust them to get your preferred sound and when tuned up right you will not be disappointed with sound quality here at all, Having tried the usual genres,highs,lows and mids they performed well and left me happy overall with the product.

FEATURES
  • Bluetooth: 4.2
  • Speaker size: φ4mm
  • Sensitivity: 42±2dB
  • Impedance: 16Ω±15%
  • Frequency range: 20Hz-20kHz +1/-3dB
  • Hands-free with microphone
  • Stand-by time: 100h
  • Play time: 3h
  • Charging: Micro USB, about 1h charging time
  • Compatible with Android, iOS and Windows
  • Weight: 4,6 g (one earpiece)
  • Weight including case: 28,5 g
  • Package size: 10x17x4cm
  • Charging case size 69x30x29,5mm

BUY HERE

 

 

Infographic – Best Educational Apps for Students. #tech #apps #students #education

With schools and colleges opening up back soon this will be a handy one to check out and having apps at hand are great benefit for anyone. James logan who is managing director at Go4prep writes about Business, Education & Social Marketing and has sent us this useful infographic. Check it out.

 

First look and unboxing – BenQ Screenbar e-Reading LED Task Tech Lamp. #tech #BenQ

The BenQ Screenbar e-Reading LED Task Tech Lamp  is specially designed for monitor users, featuring its lighting in a computer environment. This space-saving device, a small tubular lamp mounted above your monitor, is not only about functionality but also about style. The design avoids creating any screen glare shinning directly into your eyes, making it particularly beneficial to people whose jobs require to sit and stare at computer all day in a rather poorly illuminated environment. Out of the box it looks really well and is a solid looking product with easy to use functions. 

Check out the unboxing below and if you have any questions do as always ask below or on our social media accounts.

BenQ Screenbar Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIhEd2GD-Eg

Buy on Amazon : https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0785D93KD

Brainwavz introduces its Zeta IEM in-ear earphones with detailed bass and vocals #earphones

Global audio specialist Brainwavz, established in 2008 with a focus on offering high quality products at competitive pricing, today announces the availability of its ZETA IEM In-Ear Earphones. The ZETA in-ear earphones are the latest in the Brainwavz range of over 25 earphones and headphones and represent exceptional value at just £15.69/$20 from www.brainwavzaudio.com.

Users can experience amazing wide range sound with these Brainwavz ZETA in-ear monitors. The dynamic drivers deliver a deep thumping yet smooth detailed bass with crisp, realistic, high fidelity vocals to make music sound like you are sitting alongside your favourite musician.

Designed for everyday use, whether at work, exercising or relaxing at home, the ZETA in-ear earphones are very lightweight and come with a choice of 3 sizes of ear tips (S,M,L) to give a perfect sound quality and a custom fit for comfortable all-day wear. The tips are made from 100% premium quality silicon so are long lasting, safe and incredibly comfortable. Bonus extras are also included, such as a Velcro tie to keep cords neat and a shirt clip whilst walking, running, or involved in other strenuous activity.

Add to that, the upgraded copper cable and gold-plated plug to give better connectivity and sound reproduction, the Brainwavz ZETA ear phones truly strive to deliver the best possible user experience.

The ZETA earphones have numerous advanced features to give users all the functionality they could wish for. Complete with in-line remote control and microphone, ZETA is perfect for voice calls and media control on phones or other mobile devices.

ZETA also supports a TRRS connector and is compatible with both Apple and Android devices including iPods, iPhones, iPads, MP3 players and essentially any other device with a 3.5mm earphone socket. The ZETA earphones offer easy plug-in-play operation straight from the box so great sound can be enjoyed from the off.

Brainwavz’s confidence in the build quality and performance of the ZETA ear phones is clearly shown as it will also be covered in a new premium warranty.  Should the ZETA stop working for any reason (other than damages caused by a user) within the first 12 months after it was purchased, it will be replaced for a new unit.

Brainwavz continues to add to its following of loyal fans with its reputation for affordable audio products of great quality, value for money and superb after sales service. The ZETA IEM in-ear earphones hope to increase this fan base further in the UK.

The Brainwavz ZETA earphones are available for £15.69/$20 from Brainwavz.com

Blueface Secures Global Technology Deal with HGC #Tech #Blueface #HGC

HGC Global Communications Limited (HGC), a fully-fledged fixed-line operator and ICT service provider commanding extensive local and international network coverage and infrastructure, today announced a strategic collaboration with Blue Face Limited (Blueface), a leading Unified Communications-as-a-Service Provider to launch HGC UC Anywhere Service. The result will be the delivery of an integrated, feature-rich and dynamic cloud-based unified communications (UC) solution to suit corporations of all sizes.

 

One-stop UC solution enables corporations to communicate efficiently while extending their business reach

Corporations are opting for digital transformation to make their business processes more efficient to support their growth. A cost-effective, efficient communication and collaboration tool connecting internal and external parties has therefore become essential to day-to-day operations to meet the future trends of digitisation and interconnection.

Group shot of Blueface and HGC

HGC’s advanced local network and extensive international infrastructure will be integrated with state-of-the-art Blueface technology to deliver a superior global UC solution. This is a cloud-based application that integrates various means of communication such as web portals, desk phones and mobile apps. As a result businesses can be reached regardless of their location via a designated office number through any means of communication.

UC Anywhere comprises a full suite of easy-to-use, portable and comprehensive service features including simultaneous ring (SIM-ring), which enables an office phone, mobile and desk phone to ring simultaneously. Other features are voicemail-to-email, document sharing, video conferencing and multi-party audio conferencing – all to help businesses stay connected on a single platform.

 

This hassle-free UC solution from HGC is also able to accommodate a corporation’s future expansion, thanks to abundant scalability and flexibility. Another major benefit is that this leading-edge UC capability is available without the need to make any hefty CAPEX investment. All these plus-points compare most favourably with the limited functionality of a traditional voice arrangement and private branch exchange (PBX) system.

Diverse features enable businesses to reach the next level of communication

  • Choose the way you want to communicate – HGC UC Anywhere delivers communications in multiple forms to suit a customer’s diverse and changing needs.
  • Local access, global reach – HGC UC Anywhere is carried by a global UC network ring running on highly-secure and reliable networks. Businesses can enjoy a smooth delivery of uninterrupted voice and video transmission on an international scale, with exceptional service quality anytime, anywhere.
  • Multi-country Phone Numbers in ONE Device – HGC UC Anywhere consolidates a variety of overseas numbers – subscribed to by customers – in one mobile app. As a result, businesses can be reached via numbers in different countries wherever they are. In addition, business counterparts calling from overseas no longer need to pay IDD charges.
  • Call management at your fingertips – HGC has taken a traditionally-complicated IVRS call-flow design to a refreshing new level of simplicity. Our Advanced Call Flow (ACF) Management Module is a sophisticated yet easy-to-use built-in call-flow management facility that enables customers to build and customise their own IVR system call-flow capability in simple drag-and-drop steps. 

HGC CEO Andrew Kwok said: “The collaboration with Blueface enriches our business portfolio and proposition locally and internationally and enables us to deliver advanced market-driven solutions to meet the needs of all organisations, whether small, medium or large. Riding on our international backbone infrastructure, strong presence throughout markets in Asia and extensive global footprint, as well as our reliable hosting and comprehensive voice services, Blueface can now extend coverage from Europe and the US to Asia without having to go through a complicated service-provisioning process. We can also customise solutions to make them compatible with a variety of applications. Our customer-centric approach will enable customer organisations to improve their business operations by harnessing the power of digitisation. ”

Alan Foy

 

Alan Foy, Group CEO of Blueface and Star2Star, said: “The collaboration means HGC’s corporate customers can now enjoy a best-in-class unified communications experience in Hong Kong and globally, as well as genuine localisation throughout international markets. This will be achieved via our global UC cloud sites, multilingual self-service web portal and localisation of all communication elements. With HGC’s extensive connectivity, it also facilitates Blueface’s business deployment and expansion in Asia. ”