Today, digital health experts, Kokoon Technology, announces the US launch of its Kokoon Relax headphone. Kokoon combine bio-metric data and AI to deliver personalised audio to aid and protect sleep and relaxation. Following the fulfilment of 23,000 pre-orders, the headphones are now available at selected retailers and from Kokoon.ioand Amazon.com for $349.00. Developed with staff at Europe’s largest sleep laboratory, the headphones combine bio-sensing with adaptive audio within an ergonomic noise cancelling headphone to provide personalised, bespoke assistance to help people switch off and relax.
‘Always-on’ technology is driving chronic problems with sleep. Now classified as “a public health epidemic” by CDC*, according to NHS Choices 1 in 3 people in the UK are affected by insomnia with 50% of us in a recent survey by Mintel reporting struggles with sleep. Each of us will, at some point in our lives, experience struggles with sleep, be it that long uncomfortable flight or struggling to switch off after a busy or stressful day.
Kokoon was founded with the mission to become the non-pharmaceutical, digital ‘go to’ for helping people relax and sleep easier. Kokoon’s founder Tim Antos struggled with insomnia himself. After attending many sessions at a sleep clinic he wanted a more convenient, cheaper way of getting access to the insights and techniques he was introduced to. “I wanted to make all this knowledge, all these great tools I learnt in the sleep clinic more accessible to the everyday consumer to use on their own terms”.
The Kokoon app features techniques, tracks and concepts developed with sleep professionals to optimise the chances of falling asleep. Many of these techniques feature in a form of talking therapy known as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or CBT. CBT is an evidence-based therapy generally regarded as the gold standard treatment for insomnia with a proven success rate.
Kokoon uses these techniques to help users by delivering a customised content experience developed for the individual using the sensor data gathered from their body and environment. For example, as a wearer falls asleep in a headphone, audio changes in response, fading out the content and introducing white noise to mask out disturbances. The system also tracks what’s working for a user then personalising content for greater effect.
Kokoon’s first product, the Relax Headphone, features world first innovations in sensing and comfort. The Flexmould™ Comfort patented design helps Kokoon headphones mould to the shape of the users head to be comfortable wherever they are worn and thanks to the high quality natural fibre fabric, air flows easily through the ear cups to keep the wearers cool and comfortable. The ear cushions can also be detached and washed to be kept fresh and clean. Kokoon’s Sleepguard technology quietens as the wearer falls asleep whilst the EEG sensors measure the wearer’s brainwaves, motion, heart rate and environment tracking to learn what is helping them rest and relax.
Also useable as regular Bluetooth 4.0 headphones, the Kokoon Relax features premium acoustics from a 40mm electro dynamic driver and active noise cancelling making them ideal for listening to music or watching movies whilst travelling or simply relaxing. At just 350g/12.03oz they make the perfect travel companion with folding earcups and an included carry case.
The Kokoon Relax headphone is now shipping internationally from Kokoon.io for $349.00. It can also be purchased from Amazon.com and selected retailers.
Mobile industry veteran Chris Millington has been appointed to launch the emporia Telecom brand in the UK and Ireland in early 2020. The UK and Ireland add to emporia’s current market presence in 30 countries, with the brand having grown across Europe since initially offering fixed-line devices in 1991, and mobile devices from 2003.
emporia, a multi-national private company based in Austria, exists to offer customers user-friendly products. Its portfolio features a range of telecommunication devices specially designed and adapted for the changing lives of the 60+ demographic.
Eveline Pupeter, CEO of the emporia Telecom group, said: “Our company vision is to provide simplicity in telephony for everyone, and we are confident that our range of user-friendly devices has strong appeal for the senior market in the UK and Ireland. There are currently 8.6 million senior citizens in the UK alone today who still don’t own a smartphone; yet there is an ever-increasing number of day-to-day activities that can only be performed with one. It is our mission to guide older people into the digital future.”
Pupeter added: “We have appointed Chris to lead our entry into the UK market where we see a great opportunity to build market share in the provision of telecom products for seniors. The UK senior category has had very little investment in recent years so we have a great opportunity to become the leading brand. Chris has a wealth of success in telecoms solutions for the senior demographic. Chris and his team have the passion and drive needed to succeed.”
Millington, who will have the title of Managing Director for emporia UK and Ireland, said: “Working with a strong brand with a long heritage in both fixed-line and mobile devices gives us the firepower to get up and running, build our profile, and start to gain market share from day one. We are investing significantly in the brand launch and further details will be made available in the New Year.”
The brief at emporia UK and Ireland is to establish itself as a trusted supplier of products that are exclusively focused on the ageing population. Partners will include specialists that focus on hearing, sight and dexterity, alongside key national retail and network relationships.
Having reviewed the current distribution market in the UK, Chris has chosen Eurostar Global Electronics Ltd as the launch partner and UK distributor with its dedication to flexible and professional distribution services.
Steve Hankey, Head of Commercial and Vendor Management, said: “We will be working hard with Chris and his team to ensure we provide wholesale customers and retail consumers with the seamless purchasing experience that they would expect from a brand as internationally strong as emporia. We are delighted to have been chosen as their launch partner for their entry to the UK market.”
Peter Carnall, Managing Director of Eurostar Global Electronics, added: “By 2050, the Office for National Statistics estimates that there will be nearly double the number of people aged 60 and over (2.1 billion people) which will represent 21.3% of the global population. Our ageing population is therefore clearly a growing market, where seniors are often left isolated and overwhelmed by technology. As an established entity throughout Europe, emporia has a set of hardware and software products that make it a market leader in its field. It delivers pragmatic solutions and allows seniors access to technology in a way that works for them. Eurostar Global is looking forward to being part of the solution – bringing emporia products to the UK consumers – and we are delighted to have partnered with Chris and his experienced team.”
Prior to the launch, Millington is currently laying the groundwork for a sales and distribution network in the UK and Ireland and assembling an account handling and marketing team, with a headquarters operation in Watford.
Handset and devices that will be available to UK and Ireland customers will be announced soon.
As 2019 winds down, predictions abound on the technology advancements and innovations expected in the year ahead. However, there are several anticipated advancements, including 5G wearables, quantum computing, and self-driving trucks, that will NOT happen in the first year of the new decade, states global tech market advisory firm, ABI Research.
In its new whitepaper, 54 Technology Trends to Watch in 2020, ABI Research’s analysts have identified 35 trends that will shape the technology market and 19 others that, although attracting huge amounts of speculation and commentary, look less likely to move the needle over the next twelve month. “After a tumultuous 2019 that was beset by many challenges, both integral to technology markets and derived from global market dynamics, 2020 looks set to be equally challenging,” says Stuart Carlaw, Chief Research Officer at ABI Research. “Knowing what won’t happen in technology in the next year is important for end users, implementors, and vendors to properly place their investments or focus their strategies.”
What won’t happen in 2020?
5G Wearables: “While smartphones will dominate the 5G market in 2020, 5G wearables won’t arrive in 2020, or anytime soon,” says Stephanie Tomsett, 5G Devices, Smartphones & Wearables analyst at ABI Research. “To bring 5G to wearables, specific 5G chipsets will need to be designed and components will need to be reconfigured to fit in the small form factor. That won’t begin to happen until 2024, at the earliest.”
Quantum Computing:“Despite claims from Google in achieving quantum supremacy, the tech industry is still far away from the democratization of quantum computing technology,” says Lian Jye Su, AI & Machine Learning Principal Analyst at ABI Research. “Quantum computing is definitely not even remotely close to the large-scale commercial deployment stage.”
Self-Driving Trucks: “Despite numerous headlines declaring the arrival of driverless, self-driving, or robot vehicles, very little, if any, driver-free commercial usage is underway beyond closed-course operations in the United States,” says Susan Beardslee, Freight Transportation & Logistics Principal Analyst at ABI Research.
A Consolidated IoT Platform Market: “For many years, there have been predictions that the IoT platform supplier market will begin to consolidate, and it just won’t happen,” says Dan Shey, Vice President of Enabling Platforms at ABI Research. “The simple reason is that there are more than 100 companies that offer device-to-cloud IoT platform services and for every one that is acquired, there are always new ones that come to market.”
Edge Will Not Overtake Cloud:“The accelerated growth of the edge technology and intelligent device paradigm created one of the largest industry misconceptions: edge technology will cannibalize cloud technology,” says Kateryna Dubrova, M2M, IoT & IoE Analyst at ABI Research. “In fact, in the future, we will see a rapid development of edge-cloud-fog continuum, where technology will complement each other, rather than cross-cannibalize.”
8K TVs: “Announcements of 8K Television (TV) sets by major vendors earlier in 2019 attracted much attention and raised many of questions within the industry,” says Khin Sandi Lynn, Video & Cloud Services Analyst at ABI Research. “The fact is, 8K content is not available and the price of 8K TV sets are exorbitant. The transition from high definition (HD) to 4K will continue in 2020 with very limited 8K shipments – less than 1 million worldwide.”
Dell Technologies has today unveiled its top five technology predictions for 2020 with the company forecasting how developments in AI, 5G, Multicloud technology and sustainable innovation will reshape Ireland’s economy and society in the next twelve months and to pave the way to the next data decade.
Unveiling the predictions today, Mark Hopkins, General Manager, Dell Technologies Ireland, said: “2020 will be a milestone year in technology. The explosion in the growth of data and increasing computer power will result in emerging technologies becoming ever more evident in our everyday lives – from how we work and play, to how we do business in Ireland.
“To help organisations to prepare for the change that lies ahead, we’ve identified the technology breakthroughs that will come to the fore. From AI and Machine Learning turning our PCs into even smarter companions, next-generation infrastructure supporting the delivery of 5G, and sustainable innovation taking centre stage, 2020 is set to be the opening of the next data decade.
“I’m very excited about what the future holds and how the Dell Technologies’ teams in Limerick, Cork and Dublin can help businesses to transform. Our Innovation Lab in Limerick provides a critical AI and Internet of Things test-bed for businesses whilst our teams in Cork are at the global forefront of using 5G technology and Edge Computing to create next-generation services that can help to save lives.”
Top 5 Predictions:
The top technology predictions from Dell Technologies include:
Prediction 1: Intelligent devices will change the way we work
Over the next year, AI and machine learning will turn our PCs into even smarter companions. They’ll have the ability to optimise power and battery life for our most productive moments. These devices will become increasingly self-sufficient with the ability to automatically repair, without needing to inform the owner. Biometrics will also become widespread in PC ranges. With this innovation, PCs know it’s you from the moment you gaze at the screen.
Prediction 2: 5G promises to completely change the data game
5G promises to completely change the data game – bringing transmissions speeds up to 20 times faster than current 4G platforms. The near-instantaneous transfer of data and information will speed up the delivery of autonomous vehicle and smart cities. In 2020, focus will turn to the delivery of the hardware and infrastructure needed to support the delivery of 5G and the massive amounts of data that will move at speed.
Prediction 3: Public and private clouds to co-exist
The idea that public and private clouds can and will co-exist becomes a clear reality in 2020. Multi-cloud IT strategies supported by hybrid cloud architectures will play a key role in ensuing organizations have better data management and visibility, while also ensuring that their data remains accessible and secure. In fact, IDC predicts that by 2021, 9 in 10 businesses worldwide will rely on a mix of private and public clouds together with legacy platforms to meet their infrastructure needs.
Prediction 4: Flexible consumption and as-a-service adoption will accelerate rapidly
One of the biggest hurdles for IT decision makers driving transformation is resources. In 2020, flexible consumption and as-a-service options will accelerate rapidly as organisations seize the opportunity to transform into software-defined and cloud-enabled IT. As a result – they’ll be able to choose the right economic model for their business to take advantage of end-to-end IT solutions that enable data mobility and visibility, and crunch even the most intensive AI and Machine Learning workloads when needed.
Prediction 5: Sustainable innovation to take centre stage
Sustainable technology will also take centre stage, with organisations increasing looking to protect the plant. 2020 will see greater investments in reuse and recycling for closed-loop innovation. Hardware will become smaller and more efficient and built with recycled and reclaimed goods.
For more information on Dell Technologies 2020 Predictions, see here.
Dublin’s Mont Hotel are giving lucky punters the opportunity to claim a total of 48 great prizes on the 12 days leading up to Christmas!
The Mont Hotel, part of the O’Callaghan Collection, across from Merrion Square in Dublin ~City Centre, reopened in August this year after a full refurbishment and rebrand from the Mont Clare Hotel.
To celebrate the end of the first year being open, The Mont has launched a digital advent calendar called ‘All I Mont for Christmas’ to give people the chance to win prizes.
Running every day until the 16th of December, there are many prizes to be won that are redeemable in The Mont, from the top prize of overnight stays to meals in Speranza to drinks in The Sin Bin.
Magik Book, the Portugal-based startup behind the catalogue that integrates with iPad, has launched the In-Store Smart Catalogue solution, a storytelling tool for brands’ physical spaces which combines a paper book with digital media on a TV screen.
The In-Store Smart Catalogue is designed for brands to inform and entertain their customers in the shop or showroom. Operated simply by turning the pages, Magik Book is built to be approachable, accessible, and impactful.
With the technology, the tech startup wants to improve customer interactions, using a physical book as the interface to digital content. The result is a hands-on, user-friendly alternative to the touch-screen digital signage commonly found, but often under-used, in retail settings.
The book format is well suited to brand storytelling and offers a straightforward, entertaining user experience that will attract and appeal to diverse customers in-store.
Turning the pages of the book prompts a response on-screen.
Each print page of Magik Book is synchronised to digital content. Video, imagery, music, web content, and online stores can all be included, blending online and offline for a “phygital” – the mix of physical and digital – experience.
The catalogues themselves look like regular paper books and communicate with screens via Magik Book’s patented technology.
The solution is aimed at retail brands, shopping centres, and automotive companies as a method of communicating with their audiences and advertising their products in their retail spaces.
Magik Book in the Porsche showroom in Porto, Portugal.
Each In-Store Smart Catalogue setup can work with multiple books, all of which can have a unique digital counterpart, so brands can offer a broad range of content. That also means that Magik Book clients can order new books as they please. The digital side can be refreshed at any time.
Installations can even be scaled up to include elements other than TV screens. Turning a page of Magik Book can be programmed, for example, to trigger an event within the room, such as music playing from speakers or the dimming of lights.
“Magik Book started as a catalogue for iPads. But we saw an opportunity in retail spaces where we believe most digital signage interactions are stagnant and not user-friendly,” said CEO Hugo Ribeiro. “So we developed the Magik Book technology further, scaling it up for our clients’ stores and showrooms. Our goal is always to create the absolute best experiences for brands and their customers”
Data breaches have got themselves a bit of an image problem in recent years. That may seem like a daft thing to say, so let me explain. When we think of the data breaches we have seen from organisations such as Ticketmaster, British Airways, Sky and TalkTalk to name but a few, we think of malicious intent and how the data was sought by outside hackers. Often these are the stories that make the headlines, we like the idea of cloaked assailant, sat in their hoody, hunched over a laptop surrounded by pizza boxes and empty energy drink cans! In more recent years we’ve even started to accept that these ‘individuals’ are now much more organised, professional if you will, working as groups on new malicious code, and perhaps even state-sponsored.
The business leaders of large corporations are widely criticised and held accountable for failing to protect their consumer’s data especially in the light of the vast IT and training budgets that are at their disposal. But the reality of the source of most data breaches puts a different perspective on the situation.
Everything I have said above is true, and does exist in the world of data breaches, but the undeniable truth is that over 90% of data breaches are caused by human error. To put that in perspective new research commissioned by Insurance company Gallagher found that 1.4 million businesses were hit by major attacks last year, costing £8.8bn. The average cost of attacks to the affected business was around £6400, but the impact of an attack could be far more serious than being forced to pay a few thousand pounds in related cost.
Companies invest many tens of thousands in the technology designed to keep their infrastructure from harm, protecting both customers and the business. But all of this can be undone by human error on several levels.
Administrator errors – Cloud based systems such as Office365 don’t have multi-factor authorisation, or web based systems that are not patched result in vulnerabilities that can be exploited. Also, sometimes hardware such as firewalls can be configured incorrectly, or poor security settings on individual devices, can lead to loopholes that can be exploited.
Developer mistakes – Developing software and building websites is a complex business. Poor code, or even worse poor testing can make it easy to leak data, causing accidental data breaches or making it easy for hackers to exploit weaknesses.
Accidental data breaches – Losing data, whether unencrypted on a storage device such as a USB key, or a mislaid/stolen laptop is still a data breach. Equally so, accidentally sending data to the wrong person attached to an email or on a format that would contravene regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation. Such breaches can still cause huge reputational damage and lead to fines of €20m or 4% of a company’s annual turnover.
Ultimately, organisations can have the best security tools in place, but the human element is the last mile and it’s the one that can make or break an organisation’s defences. the greatest security asset, if given the right help through effective security awareness. Whilst companies and cyber criminals often think staff are the weakest link, they are in fact the greatest security asset.
Business leaders need to acknowledge that cyber security is not an IT issue – it is a serious business risk. One approach to mitigate against this is to make the employees the first line of defence – the human firewall. Organisations that have successfully defended against cyber attacks have seen that building a strong cyber security awareness culture is key.
This is where education becomes most important and needs to happen at every level of a business: Employees are one of the biggest cyber security vulnerabilities and considered a “soft target” by criminals, due to their lack of understanding of the risks faced. Instead of using highly technical and time-consuming hacking methods to breach a company’s systems, cyber criminals often prefer to target the employees themselves in order to get access to information and systems.
To combat this, cyber security awareness training is a cost effective and proven way of reinforcing a company’s resilience to cyber attacks. There are many types of training available, but the ideal is to combine engaging and interactive cyber security awareness training content with a software solution that works hand in hand with a company’s IT infrastructure. In essence, a solution that analyses alarm messages from security systems and adapts training simulations based on those alarms – keeping cyber security training inline with the attacks that company experiences. An example would be running simulated phishing attacks to train employees based on how they respond to the simulation..
All organisations need to elevate the importance of cyber security awareness amongst their employees and arm employees at every level with knowledge, tools and support that help them become the best line of defence for the business. All the cyber security technology in the world, cannot get you around that reality.
Stephen Burke – CEO and Co-Founder Cyber Risk Aware
Stephen founded Cyber Risk Aware in 2016 in Ireland, with support from Enterprise Ireland as it was viewed as a high-potential start up. After a career spanning over 20 years in technology and security specialising as a CISO he found that most if not all security incidents are caused by human error at all levels in an organisation, no matter how good the technical defences were. Therefore, Stephen founded Cyber Risk aware with the mission of making a genuine difference and help companies and users at home from being victims of cybercrime.
Specialities: Security Education and Awareness Programs, Cyber Insurance, Network Security, Data Governance and Security, Malware Investigator and Incident Response, Risk Management, Security Behavior Analytics. Security Architecture, Heuristic Security, Security Audit, Digital Forensics, Penetration Testing, Encryption, Wireless security, Security management, , Database as a Service, Internal Cloud Design, SAN Design, RDBMS Virtualisation and Consolidation, Disaster Recovery
About Cyber Risk Aware
Operating out of London, Dublin, Manchester and Donegal, Cyber Risk Aware is the only company in the world to offer real time cyber security awareness training. Its platform leads the industry helping companies worldwide assess the level of human cyber risk in their business, by running simulated phishing attacks and cyber knowledge assessments to see where the risks lie in their business (user, department, office, country).
Cyber Risk Aware also provides highly engaging and interactive CyberSecurity Awareness Training content and enterprise risk and compliance reporting so companies can demonstrate and meet their legal and regulatory compliance requirements in protecting proprietary and personal data, systems and finances. Cyber Risk Aware is the first company in the world to achieve GCHQ accredited security awareness training by the Chartered Institute of Information Security.
Thousands of companies use Cyber Risk Aware to provide a front line of defence against cyber criminals, significantly reducing the material risk of employee error via phishing, ransomware, CEO Fraud and Malware attacks.
Are you ready to be moved? Get a FREE pair of JBL TUNE 120 truly wireless in-ear headphones, RRP €99, this Red Friday and Cyber Monday with selected smartphones. We have reviewed these recently and they are a great pair of true wireless, see our review HERE
What’s the deal?
If you purchase a Samsung Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+, Note 10, Note 10+ an Apple iPhone Xr, iPhone 8 or a Huawei P30 Pro, you’ll also receive a FREE pair of JBL TUNE 120 truly wireless in-ear headphones, RRP €99.
And….don’t forget that you also get to avail of our Virgin Mobile unlimited plan which is just €5 a month for the first 5 months when bought before midnight on Cyber Monday.
Tappit, the global payment ecosystem for events, sports stadia and venues, has secured three new sporting partnerships across the Middle East, Ireland and New Zealand, confirming its place as a leading cashless payment provider for hospitality and sporting events.
The company has today announced a new partnership with Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, whereby the Circuit will use Tappit’s technology to create and introduce its own event currency, YAS PAY. The new currency will be first used to make the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which runs between 28 November and 1 December, a cashless event.
Fans will use the currency to purchase food and beverages, while Tappit’s technology provides the Circuit with customer insights and data through YAS PAY, that will help it to enhance its fan experience at future sporting events.
Based on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, Yas Marina Circuit is considered one of the most technologically-advanced Formula 1® circuits in the world and a home for motorsports in the Middle East. It encourages the growth of sporting culture in the UAE and prides itself on being the centre for motorsports excellence in the Middle East.
Tappit has also signed a three-year partnership with the Heineken Kinsale Rugby 7s in Ireland to make its events 100 percent cashless across food vendors, bars and merchandise. They will also use Tappit for event ticketing, integrating it with Eventbrite and using Tappit’s technology for ticket scanning at the event itself.
In New Zealand, Tappit has partnered with Village Cashless to provide cashless technology at its events. Village Cashless will first use it at the HSBC New Zealand Sevens on 25 and 26 January 2020 in Hamilton.
Jason Thomas CEO, Tappit said: “These exciting deals prove that there is a huge global appetite for cashless technologies and the business benefits of working with Tappit are felt by both organisers and fans alike. By improving the fan experience through safer, faster transactions and equipping organisers with customer insights and data unavailable through other payment methods, we make it possible for organisers to really understand their audience, improve the experience and make their events even more successful.”
