Category: Tech News

The Virgin Media Red Friday Sale runs from 10th November to 1st December

It’s time to turn Black Friday on its head and turn it RED with the sale you’ve been searching for. As part of the Virgin Media Red Friday promotion, there will be amazing offers and free gifts across TV and Broadband bundles & Virgin Mobile.

Starting this Thursday, November 10th until December 1st, new customers signing up to a new 12-month TV and broadband bundle for just €59 a month* will bag themselves a free 40” Smart TV worth €349.

With this bundle, you’ll get ultrafast 500Mb broadband and TV 360, our fastest ever TV experience.

Virgin Mobile is also going on offer for anyone joining with the unbelievable Unlimited Mobile for just €10 a month for 12 months and just €25 a month thereafter now available meaning everyone can enjoy this incredible Virgin Mobile deal.

That’s not all, Virgin Media are also running an online exclusive broadband offer allowing new customers to bag a real bargain. You can get superfast 500Mb broadband with 99.9% reliability for just €45 a month for 12 months.

Orla Kelly, Propositions Marketing Manager, Virgin Media said: “It’s that time of year again and we’re turning Black Friday red to offer customers some truly fantastic deals. New customers signing up to our Big Bundle TV and broadband Red Friday offer, which is just €59 a month for 12 months, can pick up a fantastic 40” Smart TV absolutely free!

We’re also bringing back one of our most popular Virgin Mobile offers ever where you can get Unlimited Mobile for just €10 for 12 months and, with 99.7% coverage across Ireland, there’s never been a better time to pick up a great deal.”

With our Red Friday deals starting early this year, Virgin Media customers can also get a head-start on their Christmas Shopping with great gifts and still enjoy fantastic value.”

To find out more about Virgin Media and Virgin Mobile’s free gifts and great offers go to www.virginmedia.ie

ZHIYUN SMOOTH 5S – the perfect smartphone gimbal for a one-man film crew

ZHIYUN, the world’s leading gimbal brand for filmmakers with cameras and smartphones, today launched the SMOOTH 5S, its new, 3 axis professional smartphone gimbal; providing content creators everything they need to realise their creative filmmaking ideas in one portable package.

The SMOOTH 5S is the latest addition to ZHIYUN’s iconic SMOOTH range. As well as offering several upgraded features that make it more powerful and compatible with larger smartphones and superior image stabilisation, it features a new, powerful built-in fill light in addition to the two modular magnetic lights. This, together with features like its wider shooting angle and intuitive control panel provide an integrated and convenient filmmaking experience for everyone.

Xin Wang, Product Manager, ZHIYUN, said: “our creative tools enable content creators to realise their filmmaking goals and allow them to explore the furthest limits of their creativity. With its innovative features and its second fill light, the SMOOTH 5S elevates your smartphone into the perfect one-man day to night filmmaking tool. It’s perfect for content creators or anyone wishing to express themselves creatively.”

Illuminate any scene

The light offers a 5,000k colour temperature, a 90+ CRI and 2W rated power in the stabiliser’s tilt arm. The new fill light is in addition to its 300-lumen lights and both illumination sources enable 360° allround lighting up to 15 square metres and allows for play with shadows, contrast and brightness of any scene.

Unbreakable stabilisation

The SMOOTH 5S offers superior anti-shake footage which preserves the original definition quality  of the shoot. The magnetic steel motors with upgraded algorithms firmly power up larger sized mobile phones; while the wider phone clamp supports external lens options.

Breadth of vision and full control

The position of the SMOOTH 5S’s rear motors and professional cut out design, facilitate wider vision capture, extreme-angle shooting – thus putting more creative options at a filmmaker’s fingertips. Filmmakers have full control thanks to ZHIYUN’s iconic intuitive control panel and wheel allowing easy adjustment of gimbal parameters. Visible shooting modes combine with a round-cap joystick to get to you shot-ready with effortless one-handed operation.

Up to 25 hours of uninterrupted shooting

Getting the SMOOTH 5S up to 100% power only takes 2 hours via PD fast charging, giving content creators a maximum of 25 hour of non stop shooting.

Content that wows

The ZY Cami APP offers multiple template, filters, music, transitions, and stickers, including:

  • Multiple quick-switch shooting modes including PF, L, F, POV

  • Zoom and focus switch support as well as focal length adjustment via the control wheel – enabling entry level to film professional dolly zoom effect.

  • SMART FOLLOW – secures the spotlight for your subject. Remotely control the camera via gestures.

  • MagicClone Pano, Slow Motion, Timelapse features.

ZHIYUN’s StaCam professional app, dedicated to video filming has a simple yet multifunctional interface and handy operation. The app will brighten up your daily vlogs and can also make your videos more cinematic.

The SMOOTH 5S has dimensions of 311 x168 x 52mmand weighs 660g.

Pricing and availability

ZHIYUN SMOOTH 5S is available for the price of £299 from the ZHIYUN or Amazon store.

USD 169, Euros 189, GBP 169
For the SMOOTH 5S combo, pricing is:
USD 219, Euros 239, GBP 219
The SMOOTH5S combo includes:
Tripod (M2)
Fill Light
Fill Light Filter
Wrist Strap (Q2)
Protective Bag
Membership Card
USB Type-C Charging Cable

Portugal’s Lazer Telecom partners with NoFrixion for Next Generation Payments

Lazer Telecom, one of Portugal’s fastest-growing Internet Service Providers, today announced a partnership with NoFrixion to roll out digital payments. The partnership will ensure that Lazer Telecom’s customers have more choice and better payment options, while providing real time information on payments status to the Lazer Telecom accounts team.

Based in the Algarve, Lazer Telecom’s ultra-fast fibre broadband services ensure high availability and mission critical internet access, powering homes and businesses.  NoFrixion ensures that Lazer Telecom’s customers will enjoy the same lightning fast service without the invoicing and billing friction.

The partnership with NoFrixion will provide convenient, fast and simple payments methods for customers of Lazer Telecom, cutting out manual processing and enabling real time financial information.

There has been enormous innovation at the consumer end of payments in recent years but almost none in business payments. Now NoFrixion is delivering efficiencies and savings to Lazer Telecom and core to the service is NoFrixion’s MoneyMoov API, which bridges legacy and digital infrastructure while simplifying payments automation, making the use of internet banking redundant.

Des Wynne, CEO of Lazer Telecom said: “Real time payments are vital to modern business, and our partnership with NoFrixion is part of our relentless commitment to our customers, to provide them with the fastest speeds and best service available. This new initiative underlines this commitment and cements our position as one of the fastest and most reliable broadband providers in Portugal, and the undisputed customer service champion.”

“Redefining the possibilities of payments and banking, our MoneyMoov API is fast becoming the industry standard for directly integrating traditional banking and payments services with modern business applications,” said Feargal Brady, CEO, NoFrixion. “It enables automated reconciliation, collection and settlement of funds in real time using a single API.”

“We have absolute confidence that Lazer Telecom’s upgrade to NoFrixion’s digital payments platform will accelerate the company’s growth plans, freeing it from the tyranny of manual processing,” he said.

Established in 2021, NoFrixion is a fast-growing digital payments provider headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, which specialises in Banking as a Service solutions for business across the EU and UK. It’s award winning MoneyMoov API is powering a whole new generation of businesses to grow beyond the limitations of legacy banking and payments systems.

Pioneer DJ launches the FLX4

Pioneer DJ, a world-class manufacturer of DJ equipment, announces the release of the DDJ-FLX4 – a 2-channel DJ controller packed with brand-new features allowing for easy track mixing and applying pro-sounding effects. This easy-to-use DJ controller features a simple, user-friendly design whilst offering a professional feel, which can be used with multiple DJ applications. It’s the perfect piece of kit for beginners wanting to learn how to DJ.

The DDJ-FLX4 is an affordable unit that inherits key traits from the professional layout of the DDJ-400 – a standard for entry-level controllers – but its user-friendly design makes learning to DJ easier. There’s a choice of DJ software to mix music with, including free use of Performance mode in rekordbox for Mac/Windows. And when the major update to rekordbox for iOS/Android comes out in early 2023, you’ll be able to use the DDJ-FLX4 with your iPhone, Android smartphone, iPad, or Android tablet. Serato DJ Lite is also free to use with the controller, and you can upgrade to Serato DJ Pro if you buy a license or take out a subscription. All these software options enable you to play music files stored on your device, as well as tracks from TIDAL, Beatport Streaming, Beatsource Streaming, and SoundCloud Go+ (paid subscriptions may be required).

You’ll find it easy to start DJing when you get your hands on the DDJ-FLX4, even if you’re a complete beginner. The design is clean and user-friendly so you can find your way around the controls easily, and you’ll find plenty of tutorials in rekordbox to guide you through the basics. This controller will have any hobbyist or music lover feeling like a superstar DJ in no time and is the perfect way to kickstart a journey into DJing.

The controller also includes 2 brand-new Smart Mixing features to help you get into the groove of mixing music right away. Switch on Smart Fader and you can effortlessly transition between 2 tracks by simply moving the crossfader or channel faders, even if you want to go from one musical genre to another – which is usually a difficult skill to master. Simply moving the fader makes the BPM, volume, bass volume, and other aspects of the music automatically adjust to create a smooth transition and you don’t even need to have the sync function turned on. And you can spice up your favourite tracks with Smart CFX, which applies complicated combinations of effects to the music with the turn of a single knob. All this will come in handy for laying on some epic tunes.

When you’re ready to share your performances with friends and followers, the DDJ-FLX4 is the perfect piece of kit. Its USB audio output of the sound from the microphone means you don’t need external equipment such as a mixer or soundcard to add your voice to your mix. Instead, the sound from the microphone is output from the controller along with the music, so you can easily share your set via a stream from a single computer.

The DDJ-FLX4 is now available to buy for £279. Perfect for beginners and hobbyists, this DJ controller will have anyone DJing and mixing like a pro. You can also use the controller with the free Serato DJ Lite software, or there’s the option to buy a license or take out a subscription for Serato DJ Pro – which can be downloaded here. To use the DDJ-FLX4 with rekordbox for free, simply click here to install the PC/Mac version of the software. For more information, go to pioneerdj.com.

Twelve South introduces the 2nd Generation HoverBar Duo

Twelve South, a leading designer of Apple accessories, today introduces the 2nd Generation HoverBar Duo, an adjustable iPad stand that frees a user’s hands so they can do more and create more. Height adjustable with the ability to hold an iPad in infinite positions and angles, the 2nd Gen HoverBar Duo comes with a weighted desktop base as well as an adjustable shelf clamp to suit every iPad setup. Easy to use, it has a QuickSwitch Tab so users can go from the desktop base to shelf clamp in a matter of seconds. The 2nd Gen HoverBar Duo is available now in matte black or matte white for £79.99 from Apple and Amazon.co.uk.

The 2nd Gen HoverBar Duo is a useful stand that’s ideal for both personal and business use. Lifting the iPad camera up to eye level, users can have more natural conversations, showing their best side, whether they’re on a video call with work colleagues or facetiming family and friends. The included iPad clip rotates 360-degrees enabling users to set their iPad or iPhone horizontally or vertically to ensure it captures their best possible angle.

 

Perfect for use at a desk, in the kitchen or workshop, the 2nd Gen HoverBar Duo is incredibly versatile. Creatives can make use of its flexible arm stand to securely hold an iPad low to the desk, enabling them to capture hands drawing or crafting. Musicians could set the stand on a table for a virtual guitar lesson or on the floor to record the latest TikTok dance moves. It could even be clamped on a workbench to make ‘how to’ videos or positioned under a cabinet, allowing users to follow recipes while cooking rather than propping their iPad up against the olive oil. Portable, sturdy and stable, there are a long list of clever ways to use the 2nd Gen HoverBar Duo.

 

The sleek 2nd Gen HoverBar Duo puts an iPad into a comfortable viewing position, ideal for those who want to watch the latest Netflix series in bed or while waiting for dinner to cook. The adjustability of the stand also means that users could position their iPad right next to their iMac, external monitor or MacBook to serve as a second, or even third display. Even better, add a wireless keyboard and mouse to create a super comfortable mini desktop setup.

Improving on the original HoverBar Duo, the 2nd Gen combines everything users loved about the flexible stand with the new QuickSwitch Tab that enables users to switch between the desktop base and adjustable shelf clamp in seconds. Moving an iPad and the stand’s flexible arm from the home office to the kitchen has never been easier. Available in black or white, the HoverBar Duo 2nd Gen will suit any desk or home décor. 

 The 2nd Gen HoverBar Duo is available now for £79.99 from Amazon and Apple. 

Creative Launches Its Newest Earbuds – Sensemore Air

Creative Technology today launched Creative Sensemore Air, its latest high-performance true wireless earbuds which allow users to hear more of their surroundings than ever before, without compromising on audio quality.

The new Sensemore technology helps to address the oft-annoying inconvenience associated with earbuds – because they are in-ear and block out much of the aural environment, users tend to remove their earbuds in various everyday situations, for example when starting a conversation. This changes with the Creative Sensemore Air, as users are given full control on the level of environmental sounds they want to hear. With Sensemore Mode, which is 5 times more sensitive than Ambient Mode, users can hear much more of speech, and other environmental elements, which are amplified with higher clarity. As a bonus, when set to a higher intensity, it could even benefit folks with mild hearing deficiencies.

The Ambient Mode can be used when users would like to hear their music well while still being aware of the environment, for example while jogging along a busy street. Conversely, to shut the world out so as to fully immerse in the music, users can rely on the Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) Mode. The intensity of all 3 modes is fully adjustable through the handy Creative app.

Featuring a pocket-friendly charging case which is much smaller than the rest of Creative’s true wireless lineup, Creative Sensemore Air is easily the most portable model. Despite the smaller size, it retains the strong battery life that has become the series hallmark – up to 10 hours on a single charge, and 35 hours in total with the charging case. Upping the convenience factor, users get up to 2 hours of battery life with just 10 minutes of charging, and the charging case can be juiced back up with Qi-compatible wireless charging pads.

Creative Sensemore Air packs in these great features which make it comparable with high-end models several times its price:

  • Powered by high-performance 6 mm bio-cellulose drivers and expertly tuned for aural pleasure of clean highs, well-balanced mids and immersive bass. Equalizer tuning and preset profiles are conveniently available via the Creative app

  • Being IPX5 certified, it is sweatproof and suited for various workouts, both indoors and outdoors

  • Equipped with 4 microphones in total; 2 for background noise filtering in ANC mode; 2 for effective voice pick-up during calls

  • Fitted with touch control buttons, which can be customized for various functions via the Creative app

  • Bluetooth 5.2 wireless connectivity

  • Certified as a SXFI READY* headphone so that users get to preview Super X-Fi Spatial Holography, which recreates the soundstage of a premium multi-speaker system, on local content and on new devices that are SXFI READY

Mr Sim Wong Hoo, CEO of Creative Technology, said,” The Sensemore Air is targeted at the mass market for all users who enjoy the convenience of great, portable audio with long play time; it is priced aggressively to suit this market segment. For users considering wearables in the hearing-aid market; while Sensemore Air may not be suitable for all of them, I believe it could benefit the majority of those with early-stage hearing deficiency. It would easily save them thousands of dollars, not to mention the hundreds of dollars needed for audiologist consultations. The US$80 Sensemore Air is a no-brainer choice.”

Pricing and Availability

Creative Sensemore Air is priced at US$79.99, EU€ 79.99, UK£ 64.99

 and is available at Creative.com.

For more information, visit www.creative.com/SensemoreAir.

62% of consumers still choosing to use repeat passwords despite surge in cybersecurity breaches and education, LastPass research reveals

LastPass has released findings from its fifth annual Psychology of Password findings, which revealed even with cybersecurity education on the rise, password hygiene has not improved. Regardless of generational differences across Boomers, Millennials and Gen Z, the research shows a false sense of password security given current behaviours across the board. In addition, LastPass found that while 65% of all respondents have some form of cybersecurity education – through school, work, social media, books or courses – the reality is that 62% almost always or mostly use the same or variation of a password.

The goal of the LastPass Psychology of Passwords research is to showcase how password management education and use can secure users’ online lives, transforming unpredictable behaviour into real and secure password competence. The survey, which explored the password security behaviours of 3,750 professionals across seven countries, asked about respondents’ mindset and behaviours surrounding their online security. The findings highlighted a clear disconnect between high confidence when it comes to their password management and their unsafe actions. While the majority of professionals surveyed claimed to be confident in their current password management, this doesn’t translate to safer online behaviour and can create a detrimental false sense of safety.

Key findings from the research include:

  • Gen Z is confident when it comes to their password management, while also being the biggest offenders of poor password hygiene. As the generation who has lived most of their lives online, Gen Z (1997 – 2012) believes their password methods to be “very safe”. They are the most likely to create stronger passwords for social media and entertainment accounts, compared to other generations.

However, Gen Z is also more likely to recognise that using the same or similar password for multiple logins is a risk, but they use a variation of a single password 69% of the time, alongside Millennials (1981 –1996) who do this 66% of the time. On the other hand, Gen Z is the generation most likely to use memorisation to keep track of their passwords ( 51%), with Boomers (1946 – 1964) the least likely to memorise their passwords at 38%.

  • Cybersecurity education doesn’t necessarily translate to action. With 65% of those surveyed claiming to have some type of cybersecurity education, the majority (79%) found their education to be effective, whether formal or informal. But of those who received cybersecurity education, only 31% stopped reusing passwords. And only 25% started using a password manager.
  • Confidence creates a false sense of password security. While 89% of respondents acknowledged that using the same password or variation is a risk, only 12% use different passwords for different accounts, and 62% always or mostly use the same password or a variation. To add to that, compared to last year, people are now increasingly using variations of the same password, with 41% in 2022 vs. 36% in 2021.

“Our latest research showcases that even in the face of a pandemic, where we spent more time online amid rising cyberattacks, there continues to be a disconnect for people when it comes to protecting their digital lives,” said Christofer Hoff, Chief Secure Technology Officer for LastPass. “The reality is that even though nearly two-thirds of respondents have some form of cybersecurity education, it is not being put into practice for varying reasons. For both consumers and businesses, a password manager is a simple step to keep your accounts safe and secure.”

For more information and to download the full Psychology of Passwords research findings, please click here.

FREE NOW Europe is the is the first private mobility platform to integrate public transport tickets into its app

FREE NOW, Europe’s  Mobility Super App, announces at the Web Summit 2022 a major milestone: users can now book public transport services through its app as well as taxis, private cars, eScooters, eBikes, eMopeds, and carsharing. As a result, FREE NOW offers all modes of transport from a single source, strengthening its position as Europe’s leading mobility platform with the largest amount of travel options in one app.

The first cooperation enabling access to public transport via the FREE NOW app was signed with Rheinbahn in Germany. FREE NOW users will be able to book tickets for buses, trams, and underground trains directly in the FREE NOW app for all tariff zones of the Rhine-Ruhr Public Transport Association (VRR). The integration completes FREE NOW’s offering of on-demand mobility in one of Germany’s most important metropolitan regions. In fact, with almost 1,100 lines, around 7.8 million inhabitants, and an area of around 7,300 square kilometers, the cooperation with FREE NOW provides access to Europe’s biggest transport network and the largest urban transport area. That includes major German cities like Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Essen, Bochum, Wuppertal, and Duisburg.

To begin with, users will be able to buy single tickets, day passes, and 48-hour passes. The technical integration has already begun. The ticket sales are possible thanks to a partnership with the Dutch aggregator Tranzer.

Further partnerships with other transport companies in Germany and across Europe are planned for 2023.

FREE NOW: Having expanded since 2020, this public transport integration completes urban mobility offering

FREE NOW has continuously expanded its own mobility offering for its users since 2020, in partnership with leading mobility players in Germany and Europe. Through this, the FREE NOW app brings together more than 400,000 vehicles in Europe. This consists of  ride-hailing services like taxis and private cars, as well as carsharing, eScooters, eMopeds, and eBikes.

Thomas Zimmermann, CEO at FREE NOW, comments on the new partnership: “We’re pleased that we’re now the first private mobility platform to be able to offer our users public transport tickets in the biggest population and the largest urban transport area in Europe. This is an important next stage for us and, for the first time, we’re enabling end-to-end ticketing for different modes of transport in our app. Linking different mobility offers is crucial to succeed in transforming transportation in Europe. FREE NOW actively supports this as a partner of public transport. Our goal is to make urban mobility in Europe more sustainable, intelligent, and interconnected.”

Commenting on the announcement Niall Carson, General Manager for FREE NOW Ireland said, “The integration of public transport into the FREE NOW app in Germany is a key milestone for the business, and reflective of our ambitions to make multi-modal approaches to transport more accessible across the markets in which we operate. Our goal in Ireland is to mirror the multi-modal progress of our European counterparts like Germany moving forward – building on our first integration of micro-mobility in the Irish market this year with our TIER eBike partnership in Dublin. We intend to continue expanding our offering and transport solutions with eScooters on the horizon along with other mobility options, helping to support a shift in our national approach to daily transport – from car-centric to multi-modal, flexible and sustainable.”

The new travel option is primarily aimed at remote workers who only travel to their place of work occasionally, as well as business travellers or tourists. For example, almost 30% of all FREE NOW passengers use the app in cities they travel to occasionally. As a platform that’s active across Europe, the company can  contribute to strengthening both public transport and the environmental alliance in the long term.

FREE NOW users do not need to create a new account to book and pay for public transport. They can simply use their existing customer account.

Sennheiser MOMENTUM True Wireless 3 firmware update

The acclaimed Sennheiser MOMENTUM True Wireless 3 gets even better with just a tap. The new firmware update, available via the Smart Control App (iOS, Android) enables multipoint device connectivity and a high-resolution sound mode for convenience and quality.
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​“Our latest update reflects the dynamic ways people want to use MOMENTUM True Wireless 3, including our most requested feature – multipoint. For example, one can switch from their favorite music streaming app to join an incoming conference call from their laptop – and back again – without having to reconnect manually,” says Frank Foppe, Sennheiser True Wireless Product Manager. “And our new high-resolution sound mode enhances the listening experience even further, letting customers enjoy wireless audio that rivals the rich and lively detail found in a wired connection.” 

The power of connection

​Now, the premium MOMENTUM True Wireless 3 sound experience is available on multiple devices with a simple tap. The latest update allows users to instantly switch between two paired devices for dynamic management of active connections. Examples include streaming a podcast on a smartphone before switching over to an incoming video call, shifting from a television series on your tablet to a mobile voice call, and balancing voice calls between work and personal phones. Multipoint also switches back to the original audio source device if a call is answered mid-stream, and otherwise allows for effortless switching between two Bluetooth audio devices. Lastly, the multipoint update allows for seamless switching through all mutually supported codecs, such as aptX Adaptive, and SBC – even across mobile operating system platforms from various manufacturers.
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​Next level performance
​Bringing listeners even closer to the details in their music, the MOMENTUM True Wireless 3 update also introduces a high-resolution sound mode featuring 24-bit depth and 96 kHz sample rate capability, unlocking sound quality comparable to a wired headphone. By connecting MOMENTUM True Wireless 3 to an audio source also using the aptX Adaptive codec, this mode increases the Bluetooth bitrate up to 420 kilobits per second for optimum sound. In RF-challenged environments such as bustling public transportation, the MOMENTUM True Wireless 3 may utilise the codec’s data scaling capabilities to seamlessly adapt the connection integrity at any given moment. Users can enable the high-resolution sound mode via Sennheiser’s Smart Control App, making MOMENTUM True Wireless 3 the ideal companion for all popular music streaming services and their highest quality subscription tiers.
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​Availability
​Multipoint and high-resolution mode are available after updating the MOMENTUM True Wireless 3 to the latest firmware (Release 2.10.19 or higher) and updating the Smart Control App (App Store, Google Play; release 4.1.5 or higher).  The release also contains numerous optimisations and enhancements for Bluetooth and touch control features.