Category: Tech News

Explore the Flora and Fauna of your county with Google Lens. #GoogleLens #Ireland

After months of the same old walks and being confined to 5km of our homes, it’s time to get out and explore further afield. Now that spring has well and truly sprung and the days are getting longer you can make your daily walk more exciting and rediscover nature in a new way with Google Lens.

Ireland is home to tens of thousands of different species including 400 species of birds, more than 4,000 plant species and 12,000 varieties of insects! With the help of Google Lens and the camera on your phone you can identify every new plant, insect or bird you come across as you explore your county. If you have not used Google Lens yet you should try it, it is pretty handy and works really well.

Spot a beautiful flower while you are out and about? Now you can become the ultimate flower expert by using Google Lens to identify what’s growing in the wild. Why not add a little fun to your walk by challenging yourself to identify as many different species of flowers as you can and once done, move onto plants and insects. You can also ask Google Assistant for handy facts as you go along.

 

  1. On your phone, open the Google app and in the search bar, tap Google Lens

  2. Point your camera at the flower to identify the plant

  3. Swipe up to learn about the discovery

 

You can also use the folder of stock images to create your own eye spy checklist, or if feeling creative make your own.

 

You can use Google Lens from:

  • Google Photos

  • Google Assistant on most Android phones

  • The Google app on Android phones, and Apple phones

Your Jabra Elite 85t now come with Alexa in a new software update. #JabraLite85t #Alexa

Jabra has released a new software update to Elite 85t, available in the Jabra Sound+ app, to enable Alexa as a Voice Assistant at the tap of a button. This means now you have an extra voice assistant which is excellent news for users of this great set of earbuds.

Alexa Built-in

With this update, users will now be able to choose Alexa as their preferred Voice Assistant on both Android and iOS by following these steps in the Sound+

If the Alexa app is not yet downloaded, users will be directed to download it from their app store. Once the app is available, users will be directed through the needed steps to set-up Alexa on their phone. Once Alexa has been chosen as preferred Voice Assistant, users will be able to enjoy more Voice Assistant experiences just by double tapping on their right earbud. This means users have access to Alexa features such as:

  • Setting up routines (e.g. Alexa, good morning – plays music, turns on the lights)
  • Getting directions and weather notifications
  • Controlling Spotify
  • Calling contacts from your phonebook

Anker Launches Smart AI-Enabled Webcam and Portable Noise-Isolating Conference Speaker. #AnkerWork #Home #Office #WFH

Anker Innovations, a global leader in mobile charging and consumer electronics, today announces two products under the AnkerWork product line, including the PowerConf C300, Smart AI-enabled HD webcam and the PowerConf S500 Portable Conference Speaker.

“For many, working from home has been a dream come true, but it also brings its own unique challenges; distracting pets, family, poor lighting, as well as power and cable management issues, to name a few,” said Steven Yang, Founder and CEO of Anker Innovations. “AnkerWork products have been designed to help address many of these issues, while providing solutions that are portable and can be easily used in the home, the office and on the road.”

PowerConf C300 Smart HD Webcam

The PowerConf C300 is AnkerWork’s first 1080p, Full HD webcam with a built-in AI chipset, that provides a high-quality image with accurate colour reproduction and unparalleled low-light performance. With three field-of-view choices; 78-degrees for close-ups, 90-degrees for a mid-view or 115-degrees for the widest field of view, users can customise the experience that meets their needs – whether showing something on a whiteboard or keeping pets and family out of frame.

 

The C300’s A.I. also offers smart framing that helps keep an individual or group members cantered on screen – though it will only reframe a subject’s deliberate movements, so they can take a sip of water off camera, without shifting focus. Dual stereo microphones also ensure great sounding audio.

PowerConf S500 Portable Conference Speaker

The PowerConf S500 builds on the success of the original PowerConf products, adding four upgraded microphones featuring Anker’s new proprietary VoiceRadar™ technology. VoiceRadar uses beamforming and enhanced Digital Signal Processors (DSPs) to pick up the voice of the person speaking while ignoring surrounding noises to ensure a great sounding experience for all parties.

The S500 can be used with the AnkerWork app (on Android and iOS) which lets users choose one of three pickup patterns for different use case scenarios. These include traditional conference room environments with multiple people, a single person presenting to others as well as using the S500 as a microphone for live streaming.

Additionally, two units can be paired together for larger conference rooms and upgraded 10 watts of power offers great sound for conference calls or for listening to music.

 Availability and Pricing:

The PowerConf C300 is available today through Amazon, Anker.com, and select retailers for $129.99 in the US; €129.99 in Germany, and £119.00 in the UK.

The PowerConf S500’s pricing and availability will be announced at a later date. Additional products under the AnkerWork brand will be announced in the coming weeks.

Anker PowerCore Magnetic 5K Wireless powerbank now available on Amazon UK

Anker has just dropped its latest accessory on Amazon UK which is another alternative to charge your device and MagSafe compatible, this comes packed with features and of course is affordable. Features include..

  • Magnetically attach the PowerCore to the back of your phone
  • Made for the iPhone 12 series
  • Charges through compatible magnetic cases
  • MultiProtect safety system includes temperature control and foreign object detection
  • USB C charging and recharging
  • Charge other devices with USB-C input and output
  • Available on Amazon from today, 12th April 2021
  • £39.99

 

BUY HERE

Reasons to Convert Videos into Mp3

In today’s tech-driven world, it seems like there are endless options for everything. Photos can come in countless different file formats, same with documents, videos, music, and both hard and software programs. Sometimes we fall into the habit of assuming that whatever format we got a file in is the format it has to stay in. This isn’t the case. There are free online tools that can help you alter up the format of a file to better suit your storage space and what you need the file for. Today we’ll look at just one of these conversions—switching video files into mp3 files—and some of the reasons you might want to do it.

What Is The Difference Between Video Files And MP3 Files?

The video comes in a variety of file types including, Mp4, MOV, or WEBM. These files contain synchronized video and audio. Mp3 files, in contrast, contain only audio, no visual component at all. Because of this, mp3 files take up far less space on storage devices like our phones, cloud storage services, or hard drives. As well, some devices only store and play mp3 files.

The internet is full of videos that we might like to listen to on our commute while working out or cleaning the house—music with music videos, podcasts with video components, interviews, motivational speeches, just to name a few. Converting a video file into an MP3 allows you to listen to the audio without having the video element taking up unnecessary space on your device or distracting you while your eyes need to be elsewhere.

How Do You Convert Them?

Converting files has become effortless thanks to the internet. Online websites will do the conversion for you in minutes. All you have to provide is the URL to the video you’d like to have in audio format.

Specific Song Recordings

Those of us who love music can sometimes end up in a rabbit hole of watching pared-down performances, live recordings, or special channel recordings like Watch Listen Tell, which invites artists to perform acoustic versions of their songs in unusual public locations (creating some fascinating songs). In many instances, these unique performances were not recorded and released on music apps or platforms, meaning the only place we can find the song is in one specific video. For those of us who would love to extract songs from performances like this, a tool that handles YT to Mp3 conversions is the perfect solution. This means any strange video of an obscure musician can be saved and listened to even if you’re away from a screen.

Gather Sound Effects

Those who enjoy making videos are always looking for new sound effects. Same with those who like pranking people. Maybe you simply want the most unique ringtone possible. Whatever the reason you’re in need of sound effects, you can extract whatever sounds they can find in video format (like exotic birds, race cars, foreign cities, etc.) and apply them to whichever video projects or funny moments they want. 

 

Gather Audio And Quotes

Similarly, you might want to collect classic movie lines, political quotes, meme-worthy interview lines, or any other tidbits of audio for serious or comical videos. If that’s something that appeals to you, you’re going to want to extract the audio portion of the video file so that you can include it with your own visuals or the project you’re working on.

Save Space

We don’t know about you, but at least one person in our friend group on any given day has a phone that’s too full. As mentioned above, mp3 files take up less space which means you can fit more songs or photos, or videos on your devices if you get rid of unnecessary videos. You’d be surprised how much space will be taken up if you download a few videos onto your phone or computer or external storage device. Video files can get pretty big.

Continue Listening Without Internet Connection

There are some fantastic interviews, speeches, and podcast episodes to be found on YouTube and other video platforms. This being said, sometimes the best things are a few hours long, and we’d like to continue listening to them while we’re away from the internet (or just trying to save data because our phone plan is a joke). Converting an online video into an audio file can allow you to take the file away from internet access and listen whenever and wherever you want.

The above situations are just a few of the instances where you might want to convert a video file into an audio file. Once you start converting files occasionally, you’ll find a whole bunch of other reasons to save up interesting or entertaining audio files.

Smart Solutions That Will Help Your Business To Become More Organized and Efficient

Running a business is not easy at all, and with so many aspects to supervise, things can become hectic quickly. The task can get quite overwhelming especially if your business is doing well. The more your company grows, the more tasks you will have to handle. Here are some ways to help you keep your business organized and more efficient.

 

  1.Have An Organized Environment 

Your environment is an important factor in impacting how you feel and in the outcome you give to the business. If your desk and office space are messy, you will not be mentally organized which will result in having no motivation to do any work. If your and your employee’s desks need to be cleaned and tidied up, make sure it is done accordingly. A clean and tidy desk will make a difference in your productivity results. Also, make sure that the place is decorated to give motivational vibes to the workers and help raise their productivity. If the place is looking more distressing, it will create opposite results like draining the employee’s mental health and stress them.

   2. Automate Your Business

Automating your business is a must these days. An automated business will help in increasing the efficiency of your business, as it will improve your customer services, allow you to have better access to all the information you need, reduce the total costs of your operations and it will surely result in happier and more satisfied employees. The automated system you will have will do all the boring work for you, leaving the complicated tasks to your employees. This will save their time and energy, resulting in higher productivity and much better outcomes.

  3. Use A Task Management Software 

Task management systems can make a huge difference when it comes to running your operations smoothly. You can reach out to a website that offers this software to organize your teamwork and help them finish all the tasks efficiently without missing any deadlines. Task management software will make task prioritization easier. If you arrange and classify your tasks, it will enable you to get them all done without wasting time. Generally, many people get stuck at the low priority task while starting their work, which leaves them with no time for more important tasks. This is poor management of tasks which will lead to lowering your business’s efficiency.

 

 4. Communication Between The Employees

Communication is the key to a successful business or any type of teamwork. Encourage your employees to openly communicate, give feedback and talk about their concerns. This allows them to stay in contact to improve their results. Also, this will enable them to share their ideas to reach the most beneficial idea for the sake of your business. Make sure to provide short daily meetings at an appropriate time for all the team members so that everyone communicates with one another.

 5. Assign The Tasks To The Right People

It is important to have the right team by your side to depend on them and trust them with your business. Having the right team will also lessen the pressure on you as it is incorrect to have all the responsibilities fall on you. Make sure to allocate tasks and give out roles to every employee with specified responsibilities but ensure that the task is given to the appropriate person that can accomplish it. Doing this will organize your company more.

 6. Know your limit 

The importance of knowing when to stop and not be greedy the minute you find your business doing well is an important attitude every business person should have. It is important to aim for efficiency but never let that block out other goals that you want to accomplish. Getting feedback, learning from your mistakes, and listening to your team and their opinions- all of this will enable you to understand and learn what is working and what is not with your business. Understanding and learning what is working for your business will improve its efficiency while continuing to grow your business.

 7. Plan ahead 

There is nothing better than planning every step to have an overview of what needs to be done. Surely, not everything will go as planned and sometimes emergencies occur causing you to change all the plans that are done already. This will save you much time and will organize every task making you feel more at ease.

Whether you own a small business or a big company, these points will come in handy to improve your work and organization. It is important to search and look all the time for more ways to help grow your business so make sure to do your research even if you have been in the industry for a long time since more efficient ways appear as time passes.

 

Cable vs DSL Modem: Which One Is Better?

The use of the internet has now become more widespread than ever. People worldwide are now on the internet doing various things, including learning, buying and selling, and having fun. If trying to find an internet connection for your home or office, you will face two internet options – the cable and the DSL modem connection. While both of them are widely used, it’s crucial knowing their differences and which one is better for your needs. Both will offer you faster internet signals, faster speeds, and reliability. It is crucial to read this article to the end to understand their differences. Let’s jump right in. 

 

Differences between the DSL modem and Cable Internet 

Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) internet uses your local telephone line (the insulated copper wires) to connect your office or home with the internet. It’s the same wires that transfer data to and from your location. There are two types of DSL connections which include symmetric and asymmetric connections. Symmetric connections will offer you equal upload and download transfer speeds, with the asymmetric connection offering higher download speeds than the upload speeds.  

Unlike cable, DSL provides you with an uninterrupted, dedicated connection to your premises which can’t get shared with anyone else. Furthermore, the DSL internet connection is always on. You can be on the phone and browsing the internet without interrupting any of the two services.  

In setting up the DSL connection, you will require a DSM modem that connects the telephone line to your PC and a router, which transmits data from the DSL modem to your computer. You will also need a line splitter that creates two connections – one for your PC and another for your telephone. The setup mostly depends on your subscription and usage. 

The cable internet doesn’t use telephone lines. It gets transferred through unique lines, the coaxial cables, from the supplier to your home or office. With this internet connection, you will need a cable modem that gets fixed to the coaxial cable. The modem converts the internet signal into data which gets interpreted by your internet devices. You can share cable internet with other family members or neighbours. However, you have to understand its usage limits to avoid lag time and low performance. 

Cable Internet Vs. DSL Modem: Speed, availability, and reliability

 

Cable and DSL internet are both used in businesses in both urban and rural areas. They are provided in the form of subscription packages, where you get supplied depending on the package you choose over a certain period – mostly monthly. 

A DSL modem is a bit faster as compared to cable internet. However, its speed depends on the internet’s availability in your location. With it getting offered on a dedicated phone line, it provides a reliable and high-quality internet performance. Its download speeds can range from 1 to 400 Mbps, while its upload speeds can vary from 384 kbps to the highest, 4 Mbps.

Cable internet is a bit faster and reliable as compared to the DSL modem. However, since it’s a shared internet, its performance can vary depending on the number of users. It tends to get slow during peak hours. The cable download speeds are from 25 Mbps to 1gbps, while its upload speeds can vary from 5 to 50 Mbps. 

Cost variance

There is no massive difference in cost between a DSL modem and a cable internet. The internet providers offer different packages, which you can choose from depending on your internet usage. The higher the usage, the more you will pay and vice versa. Your broadband internet pricing depends on several things. These include your needs, the subscription package, the terms of the agreement, and your location. It tends to cost high when far away from a town center. Some providers also offer different upgrades and add-ons, depending on your preference, which increases the supply price.

DSL Internet and Cable Internet: Which one is right for you? 

The DSL internet best fits individuals who use their internet mostly for streaming services, shopping online, and general browsing. It is best for a household with less than three individuals or devices and will need a capped internet price. 

The cable internet is suitable for heavy internet users who have multiple streaming devices as it is best for those who do gaming and cloud-backups and individuals who won’t mind paying more for their internet. It is a high-performance internet for all types of internet consumers and offers high-speed plans that will fit every individual needs. 

After understanding these differences, it’s time to choose a reliable internet provider for your home or business. It’s crucial to choose a reliable internet provider to avoid connection inconveniences. Whether you choose the DSL or cable internet, the service provider will send their technician to access your premises, do the installation and ensure everything works to perfection.

 

Mictic – Create Music With Your Movement, Wearable device hits Kickstarter. #Mictic #Music #Tech

Mictic is the Swiss-made XR wearable that turns movements into sound. It doesn’t matter if users already have ten Grammys or have never picked up a musical instrument, with Mictic they’ll be expressing themselves the minute they put the wristbands on and connect via Bluetooth. Now Mictic is inviting the Kickstarter community to participate in the launch and become the first to get their hands on the product’s limited edition first run in September at special prices.

Mictic has worked with major label artists and professional dancers in every genre to get here. Centuries of Swiss engineering has inspired us: Our patented technology detects movement with supremely accurate sensors, and translates and transmits the music as sound to your smartphone within milliseconds.

And now we want to see what people will do with it out in the real world, with initial included instrument sounds like electric guitar, drums, cello, and genre-based soundscapes like EDM, Trap  and Hip Hop. Users can even play with our sci-fi, Kung Fu and game experiences. More instruments and sounds will be available for download all the time, including in partnership with major artists. We’re not just another MIDI controller, like some other devices out there, but, yes, Mictic can work with your favorite digital audio workstation such as Ableton, Logic, Pro Tools, Garageband or 100s of other MIDI-compatible apps.

“Whether you perform on a stage, in a studio, or on TikTok, you’ll be able to incorporate Mictic into what you do before anyone else,” said Mictic CEO Mershad Javan. “The artist in you will love experimenting with this new musical tool with literally no rules, no one to tell you what you can’t do.”

Mictic has been featured in Billboard, BBC, Sky News, New Atlas and on Protocol (which called it “The wearable for dropping beats not pounds”). The product will launch worldwide in Q4 at a suggested retail price of $139 a pair.

Kickstarter premiums include price reductions on packages of controllers starting at $89 a pair– and the excitement of being the first to get the limited run before anyone else. The VIP package gets the supporter a professional video team flown to them, and a fully produced video using Mictic, along with massive social media support for their creative product. 

See the complete Kickstarter campaign with demo videos and product schematics here:  https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mictic/1035237421?ref=bo6m4d&token=5b5c4227

What You Should Know About SMS Marketing

Marketing with text messages remains popular. It is an excellent way to reach out to new customers for your business. This blog will tell you everything you need to get your company started with SMS marketing.

What Is SMS Marketing?

SMS Marketing (Short Message Service) is a kind of mobile marketing that allows you to send messages to cell phones. It is sending text messages with information such as news, event notification, and service updates to any mobile device instantly.  It functions as a medium for sending out information that could persuade customers into buying a product and/or service.

Which Category of People Use SMS Marketing?

SMS marketing is a great advertising channel to use for driving traffic and leads back to your business. SMS marketing can be used by small businesses or big business brands. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have much capital, just like other digital marketing channels, many businesses have generated high cash flow from SMS text message marketing. It is a very convenient way of reaching your prospects and customers directly.

How Does SMS Marketing Work?

These days, people are more interested in engaging conversations than mundane and predictable automated messages. That is why text messaging marketing has helped businesses establish stronger connections with their customers. 

 

However, many businesses do not know that SMS marketing is neither spam-like nor invasive to their clients. With SMS marketing, engagement can be generated by sending messages globally to your customers, which can lead to continuous patronage and brand loyalty in the long run. As SMS marketers help their clients build customer trust through sending helpful messages, they are allowed to send relevant notifications at certain touchpoints in the customer journey.

What Ways You Can Use SMS Marketing?

Customer Polls

Customer polls are a great idea if you’re trying to gather feedback from your customers. The results you will get from these polls can help you improve your business and also know what kind of offers and promotions to offer the customer. 

For Group Creation

There are different kinds of categories you can use for marketing campaigns. One is a direct group. This is the most common type. It has one or more keywords and specific instructions on what to do with anyone that responds. The other kind of group, an interactive group, is best used for surveys, polls, and other types of interactions that require multiple responses.

Sweepstakes Contests

Signing up is simple, and customers don’t have to drop a lot of information before entering. After all, it’s just a contest text. There’s no ongoing commitment to receive text messages. This is a great way for businesses to engage with their customers and offer them something in exchange for their contact information.

Drip Campaigns

There are many ways that you can use SMS marketing to your advantage. The easiest way is to send coupons or deals to customers. You can target the promotions by location, how much they have spent, and other factors. 

Location-based Marketing

Send different content to people from various areas or locations. Send specific information about the latest offers and news to the customers who are interested in it. This process can also be used with SMS API integration, by getting the location of users based on their devices.

Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) Marketing

MMS differs in that the messages come with images and can hold videos of up to 30 seconds in length. This can be extremely helpful if you’re looking to provide some sort of visual assistance for a complicated task or something to help explain your product or service. 

Benefits of SMS Marketing

  • Improve communication.
  • Fast and Effective.
  • Cost-Effective.
  • Build Loyal Customers.

Before Running an SMS Marketing Campaign, Know These

  • Permission is Required: To send an SMS message, you need permission from the mobile subscriber. Nobody wants to get spammed, or worse, charged for something they don’t want. While it is possible to send a single SMS without having the necessary permissions in place, this could give your marketing campaign a bad reputation before you even get started! 
  • Compliance is Key: This means that you must understand the difference between a consumer’s opt-in and opt-out rights as well as know how you are going to get each customer’s contact information to properly process their opt-in request before they can start receiving your messaging.
  • Timing is Everything: Timing is a huge factor in SMS marketing. It’s the most important part of running an SMS campaign. If you send a text message too early or at the wrong time in a consumer’s day, your campaign could get lost in the shuffle and not deliver results.
  • Consistency is Key: To run a successful SMS marketing campaign, you need to maintain consistency. As long as your customers know exactly what to expect from you, they are more likely to follow through with your request.

Starting a new business, improving your existing one, is not always easy. But sometimes, you need something different. Something that doesn’t cost you a dime (and even pays you with a nice return on investment). And if you want something like that, then look no further than SMS marketing.