Category: Tech News

Virgin Media commits to eliminating black spots around your home with the launch of their Wi-Fi Guarantee service

Virgin Media has today launched their new Wi-Fi Guarantee service which ensures a seamless connection in every room around your home, including areas which were previously Wi-Fi blackspots. The Wi-Fi Guarantee promises minimum speeds of 30Mb in every room, for working, gaming, and for show-streaming power, right where you want it.

Using Virgin Media’s next level Wi-Fi mesh technology, the Smart Wi-Fi Pods connect with the cloud to understand how each household uses Wi-Fi. This allows for constant adapting to create the best conditions for the network.

The Smart Wi-Fi Pods work together with the Virgin Media Hub to create a Wi-Fi bubble that covers your entire home, eliminating blackspots in the process. The two also work together to automatically change settings to manage interference ensuring the connection is fast, and reliable.

Orla Kelly, Proposition and CVP Manager from Virgin Media said: “Fast and reliable broadband is a priority for our customers and Virgin Media. Our Wi-Fi Guarantee is just another demonstration of our dedication and commitment to that.

“Blackspots, in those hard-to-reach places, like a new home office in the attic, are a real source of frustration for many households, but Virgin Media is committed to eliminating them and thanks to our Smart Wi-Fi Pods, we can make working, gaming, or simply browsing seamless.

“No more running cables across the landing or sitting on the stairs to get a signal for your Zoom call, Virgin Media’s Wi-Fi Guarantee gets Wi-Fi everywhere in your house, so you don’t have to!”

The Wi-Fi Guarantee includes a Smart Wi-Fi Pod, plus up to 2 additional pods and a technician visit if needed, to ensure customer get a minimum speed of 30Mb in every room for an additional €5 a month. If black spots persist, Virgin Media guarantees €50 credit.

The Official Paper Plane World Championship is Ready for Takeoff

The world’s largest paper plane championship returns to Ireland. In Red Bull Paper Wings, across three categories, participants must retreat to simplicity without fuel, machines or engines and design a paper plane from a sheet of A4 paper and, dependent on the category, make it fly as far, long, or as artistically as possible, visit RedBullPaperWings.com to learn more and sign up.

Ireland will host three Qualiflyers and a National Final where the Distance and Airtime categories will be judged in person. Participants can alternatively submit an online entry in the Aerobatics category via TikTok. The national winner from each category (including Aerobatics) will be invited to compete at the Red Bull Paper Wings Final in the iconic Hangar-7 in Salzburg, Austria where the 2022 World Champions will be crowned.

Applications are now open with entries accepted across the following three categories;

  • Distance: Simple, whoever throws their paper plane the furthest, wins. At the last World Final in 2019, the USA’s Jake Hardy topped the field with 56.61m.
  • Airtime: Pilots must fold their planes for just the right aerodynamics to achieve the longest flight time. In 2019, Australia’s Cameron Clark snatched victory with 13.33 seconds!
  • Aerobatics: This category is all about sensational aerobatic tricks – in the 2019 finale, Ukraine’s Kateryna Ahafonova scored the only perfect 10 with her creative paper plane performance. Pilots don’t need to show up at a Qualiflyer, instead, they can get creative with their paper planes at home and share their mastery on TikTok using the hashtags #RedBullPaperWings #Ireland and tag @RedBull when submitting their entries. The pilot with the most votes from a national judging panel – which considers the criteria of social engagement, flight performance and creativity of the performance and video – will make it to the World Final.

Applications for Qualiflyer events close 30 minutes before each event start-time, with online Aerobatics applications closing on 22nd April. Qualiflyers will be hosted at the following dates and locations;

  • March 15th: TUD Grangegorman, East Quad (12:30pm – 2:30pm)
  • March 16th: DCU, The Venue, U Building (12:30pm – 2:30pm)
  • March 23rd: IT Carlow, Sports Hall, Barrow Centre (12:30pm – 2:30pm)

How The Video Production Industry Is Leveraging Cloud Computing

The video production industry is leveraging cloud computing to increase its product value, decrease costs, and maintain streamlined operations. Using cloud-based services can help businesses in the visual effects (VFX) sector reduce time delays in rendering processes, which allows companies to deliver high-quality videos faster than ever before. Here is how it does that.

1. It ensures scalability

In the visual effects industry, there is a need for high-performance computing to process complex tasks. In order to render a 3D animation sequence in high-quality video footage, VFX experts use complex mathematical calculations that require large amounts of time and processing power. Cloud computing provides scalable resources that can be used as needed. For instance, cloud environments can automatically scale up when cloud workflow is taxing the available computational resources. If there is an increase in the demand for rendering services, servers can be added to handle the increased workloads. This results in lower costs and faster rendering times because there are no wasted resources during the entire course of the production cycle—which is usually over several months. 

2. It earns greater revenue

Cloud computing can also help companies in the visual effects industry increase their product value. With cloud-based solutions, businesses are able to create higher production quality by using increased compute resources that can be provided at a lower cost through the adoption of economies of scale. This way, businesses are able to spend less on expensive hardware and software licenses while saving time by being able to deliver videos faster. Instead of buying costly servers for local storage or licensing high-end software, video production houses now have access to virtual machine instances which offer processing power as needed.

When you call this commercial video production company, you can easily enhance your business offerings and take on more complex projects without significantly increasing costs.

3. It ensures effective management 

With cloud computing, companies in the visual effects sector also have better control over their infrastructures with tools that allow businesses to automate processes. Automated storage allocation, for instance, allows companies to manage their storage space more efficiently by having the ability to scale up or down the utilization of servers depending on the current workload demands. This way, cloud computing can help companies in visual effects save time and money during production cycles because they are able to focus on what is most important—creating top-quality videos. It also gives video production houses the freedom to focus on creating content without worrying about infrastructure management.

4. It has more personalized services and advertising 

The video production industry is also leveraging the use of cloud-based services to help marketers connect with their audiences by offering more personalized services. Cloud computing offers an unlimited capacity for data storage, making it easier for companies to create visual experiences that are customized according to audience preferences or specifications. Video production houses can now offer video content specifically tailored towards a target market without having to spend much on creating extensive data sets. Advertisers can now easily combine various types of media—including text, voice, graphics, and moving images in order to deliver attention-grabbing messages across multiple platforms. 

5. It has seamless geo-redundancy 

With cloud computing, companies in the video production sector can also ensure that their data is safe and secure because of geo-redundancy. This means businesses can easily manage data redundancy by adding more servers in different geographical regions to handle increased workloads during peak periods without having to worry about downtime or latency issues. Instead of investing in extensive hardware and software, companies in visual effects now have lower costs and greater bandwidth with the adoption of cloud computing solutions. Cloud computing also frees up time for business owners because they do not need to spend much on hardware and software licenses when they use the services provided by public cloud providers.

6. Easier managing nPVR and VOD services 

Companies in the video production industry are also able to leverage cloud computing to launch and manage interactive television (IPTV) or personal video recorder (PVR) services. Video production houses can use public cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform to host personalized applications that enable users to view their favorite channels and videos on any device, anytime and anywhere. This is made possible through digital rights management technologies that allow content owners or producers to limit access depending on location, so they can meet local programming requirements.  Cloud computing has also become the preferred choice of many companies in the visual effects sector because it offers greater reliability, which helps them to create high-definition videos without worrying about infrastructure downtime or bandwidth issues.

 

So, with the increasing use of video and visual effects in business and education, cloud computing has become a great way for these companies to create top-quality content without worrying about high costs. This also helps with the management of large amounts of data or storage, as it allows businesses to scale up or down as needed. If your business is looking at how they can use cloud computing, consider partnering with a trusted cloud services provider. Good luck!

Datapac’s managed IT solution helps Special Olympics Ireland to go the distance

Datapac, Ireland’s leading technology solutions and services provider, today announces that it has implemented a fully managed ICT solution and security upgrades for Special Olympic Ireland (SOI). This represents an evolution of the long term-relationship between SOI and Datapac who, since 2006, has provided managed print services to Special Olympics Ireland, as well as a host of additional volunteering services including personnel, logistics and warehousing facilities.

SOI identified the need for a fully outsourced and integrated managed ICT solution to enable ongoing benefits for almost 8,000 athletes in 293 clubs nationwide. Datapac was successfully awarded the contract through a competitive tender process. Key integration of Datapac’s service management team and SOI stakeholders ensured a seamless onboarding process for staff transitioning to the new system.

The managed services solution designed by Datapac has been implemented across SOI’s five locations, with a dedicated IT helpdesk solution available to the head office in Blanchardstown, Dublin, and bases in Cork, Sligo, Belfast and Abbottstown, Dublin.

The flexible and scalable service provided by Datapac helps to facilitate SOI events around the country such as sporting fixtures and charitable functions. Access to Datapac’s customer support centre through a variety of convenient media allows SOI staff to receive the ongoing support that they need, including access to a 24-hour support service.

Datapac provides a complete and proactive approach to managed security, underpinned by industry leading Sophos™ firewalls, cutting-edge HPE Aruba secure wireless technology, and a range of managed services including vulnerability testing of devices across the organisation. This ultimately protects and provides peace of mind to all who engage with SOI, including almost 8,000 athletes in 293 clubs across the country.

This solution is helping SOI to securely roll out services such as virtual training courses and online ‘Together at Home’ video sessions as part of its Young Athlete Programme, which is a play and sports activity programme for children aged four to 12 years with an intellectual disability.

The advanced managed solution supports in excess of 200 devices, enabling employees to safely work from home. Provision of advanced communications technology in the form of the Microsoft Office 365 suite and remote working hardware ensures that the great work done by SOI never skips a beat, no matter where their staff are located. Datapac’s proactive monitoring of the organisation’s IT infrastructure allows swift responses to potential issues or threats, ensuring minimal staff downtime and business disruption. Regular Disaster Recovery (DR) tests are carried out, which play a vital role in providing business continuity. The fully managed IT support helpdesk, with dedicated phoneline, ensures that a team of experienced engineers are always on hand to assist with day-to-day IT queries, further enhancing the employee experience while working remotely.

The Special Olympics World Winter Games will be held in Kazan, Russia in January 2023, while German capital Berlin will host the next Special Olympics World Games in 2023.

Matt English, CEO, Special Olympics Ireland: “Datapac’s proactive approach to our technology needs provides peace of mind to Special Olympics Ireland, benefitting not only our employees, but all those who interact with the organisation. Problems are often resolved before we are aware there was an issue to begin with.

“It was hugely important to us that the service had a human touch, and the reassurance of knowing there is an expert available 24/7 to assist with any IT challenge is invaluable as our needs evolve and change depending on whether it’s a Games year, or whether other events are taking place.

“Datapac’s solution is far-reaching and facilitates the organisation’s endeavours far beyond our expectations, underpinning everything from events to online resources, which are increasingly important in today’s climate.”

Christine Fortune, Sales Manager ICT Services and Solutions, Datapac: “Special Olympics Ireland is an incredible organisation that provides such a vital service for people throughout Ireland. By outsourcing IT management to Datapac, it frees up their teams to carry out even more vital services. We designed and delivered a tailored helpdesk and security solution across SOI’s five bases, which in turn, has helped the organisation to enhance its service delivery and support secure home working for employees.

“We will conduct strategic reviews of the IT environment, in consultation with Special Olympics Ireland, to ensure the solution is continuing to underscore organisational success. Our proactivity provides confidence to them in the increasingly challenging IT and security landscape.

“Datapac has a long history of supporting Special Olympics Ireland beyond professional services and we’re happy to offer our facilities, volunteers and become involved in any way we can. We were delighted to be chosen to work with Special Olympics Ireland on this project and continue to build on our valued relationship.”

Dell Technologies makes ‘Digital Futures in Healthcare’ programme available on-demand

Dell Technologies today announced that it is making its pioneering ‘Digital Futures in Healthcare’ educational programme available on demand due to the significant demand amongst those working within the healthcare sector.

The programme which provides healthcare professionals in Ireland with the tools and knowledge to apply new technologies within healthcare settings has been rolled out in partnership with the Health Service Executive (HSE).

Since its launch in September of last year, the online course has provided 1,400 healthcare workers and leaders with the opportunity to develop much sought-after skills to accelerate the digital transformation of Ireland’s healthcare system.

Due to the significant demand for the programme, everyone involved in providing healthcare services in Ireland will have the ability to upskill and play an active role in transforming the way healthcare services are designed, developed and delivered into the future. To register for the on-demand content, visit: https://dell.to/3pNLugL.

This comes as the Government this week unveiled its new National Digital Strategy, entitled ‘The Digital Ireland Framework’, which sets target in the provision of digital public services. The strategy includes the phased deployment of electronic health record systems, telemedicine, remote care monitoring solutions and the greater use of ePharmacy and ePrescribing.

Participants of the ‘Digital Futures in Healthcare’ programme to date have gained unique insights into the importance of cyber security, data analytics, next-generation remote imaging, diagnostics and machine learnings as well as the organisational change required to adopt technology in healthcare. These insights will help healthcare workers at all levels to support the roll-out of emerging technologies, connected health, and personalised health solutions which will help to improve patient outcomes.

Speaking about the course, Jason Ward, Vice President and Managing Director of Dell Technologies Ireland, said: “The past two years has demonstrated the benefits of embracing technology to empower our frontline workers while meeting the needs of patients. We now have an opportunity to accelerate the pace of digital transformation to meet the goals of Sláintecare.

 “That’s why we’re delighted to see so many people from across the healthcare system take part in our ‘Digital Futures in Healthcare’ programme in the past five months and gain the skills to help Ireland become a European digital leader. By gaining the skills to apply digital tools withing GP surgeries, hospital settings and many more, our healthcare workers can become digital change makers. 

 “To ensure that every person in the healthcare sector has an opportunity to take part in the ‘Digital Futures in Healthcare’ programme, we are making the course available on-demand for free. I would encourage anyone interested to register and help unleash a new era of healthcare transformation in Ireland.” 

Included among the subject experts delivering the programme include Ryan Heynes, Healthcare leader for Dell Technologies Ireland; Paul Reid, CEO of the HSE; and Neil O’Hare, CIO and Professor of Health Informatics at Children’s Health Ireland. The final two sessions of the programme focused on ‘Emerging Technologies in Healthcare’ and ‘Connected Healthcare’ will go live on February 16th and March 24th respectively.

Esri Ireland creates digital map as rugby kicks off this weekend

With the rugby kicking off this weekend and Ireland playing its first match against Wales on Saturday, digital mapping specialist Esri Ireland has mapped the upcoming fixtures for each of the competing countries. Whether tackling a trip overseas or staying on home soil, fans can use the interactive map to find out who is playing who (and when).

See HERE for more

 

57% of people in Ireland struggle to tell difference between real news and fake news

57% of people in Ireland struggle to tell the difference between real news and fake news, according to Deloitte Ireland’s latest Digital Consumer Trends report on digital usage and entertainment. 85% feel that fake news is a major problem today, with 74% relying on multiple sources for news and information.

The report also found that 42% of people in Ireland stopped using at least one social media platform, either permanently or temporarily, in the last year, with 21% doing so because it didn’t make them feel good about themselves and 5% doing so because they were being harassed or bullied.

The 2021 Deloitte Digital Consumer Trends report – formerly known as the Global Mobile Consumer Survey – is an annual survey of 1,000 consumers in Ireland, aged between 18 and 75, which explores their digital usage and attitudes towards technology.

Speaking about the report, John Kehoe, Audit Partner at Deloitte Ireland said: “The phone remains our preferred device for checking bank balances and online searches and it is very close to being the preferred device for online shopping. The pandemic has led to changes in what we do on our phones, with respondents increasingly using their phones to shop, bank and attend medical appointments.

“In last year’s survey, the phone was the most popular device for gaming; however, in the current year, the games console has overtaken the phone across most age groups, which may be impacted by significant console releases in late 2020. When it comes to living room entertainment, the TV reigns supreme across all age groups for watching TV and films. So, while smartphone penetration has grown, the increased amount of time spent at home over the last two years would appear to have boosted the popularity of more traditional devices for these activities.”

Access to connected devices

87% of respondents to the survey in Ireland have access to at least one connected device, with access to connected devices increasing across the board: 94% have access to a smartphone in 2021 (up from 90% in 2020); 61% have access to a smart TV (up from 58%); 38% have access to a games console (up from 34%); 28% have access to voice-assisted speakers (up from 22%); and 24% have access to a smart watch (up from 16%).

Smartphones are the most-used device on a daily basis, with 94% of respondents using them daily, followed by smart TVs (79%); smart watches (69%); laptops (65% – down from 76% in 2020); desktop computers (60%); voice-assisted speakers (56%); tablets (53%); wireless headphones / earphones (50%); eReaders (32%); and games consoles (31%). 47% use standard mobile phones (non-smartphones) on a daily basis.

Three-quarters (74%) of respondents have access to subscription-based video-on-demand (VOD) services, an increase of 11% year-on-year. Access has increased significantly in the over-65s age group, up from 43% in 2020 to 57% in 2021. Netflix is the overwhelming leader in streaming services, with 65% of all respondents having access to it (up from 56% in 2020), followed by Amazon Prime Video (26% – up from 18%), Disney+ (24% – up from 19%), NOW TV (10% – up from 8%) and YouTube Premium (7% – up from 6%).

16% of respondents cancelled a paid subscription to a video streaming service in the last 12 months. Of those who cancelled, the most commonly cited reason is a lack of use (29%), followed by a lack of suitable content (21%). 16% cited spending too much money on all of their subscriptions, while 15% cancelled because the free trial or discount period had ended. 20% cancelled their subscription within one day of deciding to do so, while 21% did so within a week.

40% of respondents would be happy to watch advertisements ranging from 5 to 10 minutes per hour if they were offered a reduced or no subscription fee on a video-on-demand streaming service, while 24% would prefer to pay the full subscription fee to avoid watching ads, a decrease of 9% from 2020.

Device usage

29% of all respondents look at their phone more than 50 times a day, down from 33% in 2020. This increases to 37% in the 18-24 age group. 12% of all respondents check their phone more than 100 times a day, with this increasing to 21% among 18-24s. Men check their phones on average 49 times per day, while women do so on average 58 times per day, both decreasing year-on-year. 37% of all respondents check their phone within the first five minutes of waking up – increasing to 51% among 18-24-year-olds – while 74% of all respondents do so within the first 30 minutes of waking up.

On a daily basis, using instant messaging apps (61%) and social networks (58%) are the most popular activities across all connected devices, followed by reading the news (53%); watching short videos, live posts or stories (40%); streaming or playing music (33%); watching live TV (32%); streaming films or TV series (30%); playing games (30%); and watching live streams (26%).

Mobile phones are the preferred device for checking bank balances and making online searches. Overall, laptops are the preferred device for browsing shopping websites and making online purchases, though mobile phones are preferred by the 25-34 and 35-44 age groups for these activities. TVs are the preferred device across all age groups for watching content live or via streaming or catch-up services. Games consoles are now the most popular device for gaming, overtaking mobile phones which were the most popular device for gaming in 2020.

Online shopping (for items other than groceries) has seen the biggest increase in uptake over the last two years, with 33% of all respondents doing more online shopping now than they were before the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. This is followed by streaming films or TV series (29% are doing this more now than they were before the start of the pandemic); online banking (28%); reading the news (27%); watching videos online (26%); communicating with neighbours and their local community via apps (18%); listening to podcasts (18%); online grocery shopping (13%); studying online (11%); and taking online fitness classes (9%).

Respondents are also increasingly having over-the-phone appointments with health practitioners (20% are doing this more now than they were before the start of the pandemic); monitoring their health via devices (13%); and having video appointments with healthcare practitioners (8%).

Social media and fake news

“A huge number of respondents – over two-fifths – stopped using one or more social media platforms, either temporarily or permanently, in the last year. A perception of too much fake news and the content being too negative were among the top reasons given for this. There was also a significant amount who felt that it wasn’t making them feel good about themselves along with a small, but still significant, amount who were experiencing bullying or harassment. With a massive 85% of all respondents believing that fake news is a major problem – and 57% feeling that it is difficult to tell the difference between fake news and real news – the recent announcement that a new Media Commission is to be established and a national Online Safety Commissioner appointed, is very timely,” said Daryl Hanberry, Partner and Head of the Technology, Media and Telecommunications Industry Group at Deloitte.

While 76% of respondents use social media and instant messaging apps on a daily basis across all devices, over two-fifths (42%) of respondents have stopped using at least one social media platform, either temporarily or permanently, over the last year. Of those who did, the most common reason cited for doing so is boredom with content (41%), followed by too much fake news (30%); the content being too negative (30%); spending too much time on the platform (25%); privacy concerns (23%); because it didn’t make them feel good about themselves (21%); and that they were being harassed or bullied on the platform(s) (5%).

85% of all respondents feel that fake news is a major problem today, with 74% relying on multiple sources for news and information, in order to get a full picture. 65% believe that news from traditional news providers is usually trustworthy. 16% believe that news from social media platforms is usually trustworthy; this increases to 28% among 18-24-year-olds. 57% of all respondents feel that it is difficult to tell what is fake news and what is real.

Bristol scientists develop insect-sized flying robots with flapping wings

A new drive system for flapping wing autonomous robots has been developed by a University of Bristol team, using a new method of electromechanical zipping that does away with the need for conventional motors and gears.

This new advance, published today in the journal Science Robotics, could pave the way for smaller, lighter and more effective micro flying robots for environmental monitoring, search and rescue, and deployment in hazardous environments.

Until now, typical micro flying robots have used motors, gears and other complex transmission systems to achieve the up-and-down motion of the wings. This has added complexity, weight and undesired dynamic effects.

Taking inspiration from bees and other flying insects, researchers from Bristol’s Faculty of Engineering, led by Professor of Robotics Jonathan Rossiter, have successfully demonstrated a direct-drive artificial muscle system, called the Liquid-amplified Zipping Actuator (LAZA), that achieves wing motion using no rotating parts or gears.

The LAZA system greatly simplifies the flapping mechanism, enabling future miniaturization of flapping robots down to the size of insects.

Flying insect sized robot. Credit Dr Tim Helps

In the paper, the team show how a pair of LAZA-powered flapping wings can provide more power compared with insect muscle of the same weight, enough to fly a robot across a room at 18 body lengths per second.

They also demonstrated how the LAZA can deliver consistent flapping over more than one million cycles, important for making flapping robots that can undertake long-haul flights.

The team expect the LAZA to be adopted as a fundamental building block for a range of autonomous insect-like flying robots.

Dr Tim Helps, lead author and developer of the LAZA system said “With the LAZA, we apply electrostatic forces directly on the wing, rather than through a complex, inefficient transmission system. This leads to better performance, simpler design, and will unlock a new class of low-cost, lightweight flapping micro-air vehicles for future applications, like autonomous inspection of off-shore wind turbines.”

Professor Rossiter added: “Making smaller and better performing flapping wing micro robots is a huge challenge. LAZA is an important step toward autonomous flying robots that could be as small as insects and perform environmentally critical tasks such as plant pollination and exciting emerging roles such as finding people in collapsed buildings.”

The Rise of the Digital Nomad and Tools You’ll Need for the Nomadic Lifestyle

There’s little doubting the world of work is changing – and changing rapidly. Where once it was the case employees were required to suffer the humdrum Monday-Friday, 9-5 (including the often-draining daily commute), the considerable advances in connection speeds, technology and devices in recent years have heralded a new age of the remote workforce. 

The move to freelance and gig working had already been growing momentum towards the end of the last decade however, with the emergence of Coronavirus and the resulting lockdown and isolation measures that ensued, employers had little choice but to embrace the concept of a geographically remote workforce. 

Of course, the tech required to let full-time staff work from home is pretty much identical to that needed to allow freelancers to also join the throng, helping increase the trend for so-called digital nomads – employees happily working in a third-party capacity, untethered by the traditional confines of office space and geographical proximity. 

Jobs best suited to the digital nomad model

As the web and technology have come to play an increasingly important role in all aspects of our business and social lives, so the blurring between the real and virtual worlds has continued apace and, these days, it’s almost impossible to think of any aspect of life that isn’t (at least to some degree) mirrored in the digital realm. With so much real-world information now also stored digitally, there is barely a single aspect of commerce that doesn’t now rely on electronic assets. 

While there are certainly some jobs that are particularly suited to nomadic workers (e.g., programming, design, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), online marketing, etc), in truth, the majority of jobs now rely on working with computers and data. Any job that involves the production of information in a digital format could, feasibly, be performed remotely by a nomadic workforce. 

The minimum requirements

Of course, to work online, you’re going to need a reasonably fast connection (the faster the better) and some kind of input device – a laptop is typically the preferred tool of choice. With WiFi now so ubiquitous in most developed nations around the world (not to mention the fact we pretty much all own connected smartphones these days), getting online should not prove a problem. Don’t forget a pair of classic Ray-Ban​, they’ll protect your eyes wherever you go!

Other tools you might want to consider

A laptop and means of connection are prerequisites; however, you could also consider:

Cloud storage – Essential for backing up files

Speakers – Speakers are particularly useful if you’re producing multimedia work but are also great for powering your Spotify work playlist

External hard drive – For when your cloud connection is running slow

A capacious, secure backpack – Required to carry work essentials safely

Travel sleep kit – Handy for when you’re pulling long hours on the road

Universal travel adaptor – An extension lead capable of plugging into any foreign power supply to keep your devices charged and working

All-in-one external power bank – Essential for when you can’t find power but need to get some juice to your gadgets. Choose a model that can power all your kit – from your laptop to mobile phone and speakers.