Category: Tech News

All You Need To About Kodi Media Player by @bradhaddin81 #Kodi #VPN

Kodi, the open source media player that’s taking the world by storm. It’s been only 3 years since Kodi upped its game but its popularity seems to be multiplying on a day-to-day basis. If you’re new to the glittering world of Kodi and want to know more about what makes this media player a cut above the rest then this is the post you wouldn’t want to miss for the world.

What Is Kodi?

Kodi is one of the most famous and open source media center offering a rich collection of repositories and third party add-ons for livestreaming sports events, movies, TV shows and more.

Due to the popularity, there are people who tend to stream copyrighted content on Kodi device. But XBMC Foundation, the owner of Kodi project, doesn’t encourage people to indulge in violation of copyright laws.

 

 

Why Is Kodi So Popular?

Kodi is a popular media center, because it’s free and open source software, available for online streaming lovers. With its popularity increasing with each passing day, the number of Kodi users is also showing a tremendous increase. With easy-to-use repositories and one-click add-on installation process, Kodi is having a bright future ahead.  

 

 

 

What Is Kodi Compatibility With?

When it comes to compatibility, Kodi is super compatible with all the major platforms and smart devices. Yes, it works fittingly well with any device or platform you intend to use, including Windows, Linux, Mac, iOS, Android, Amazon FireTV, Raspberry Pi, We Tek Play, Chromebox, CompuLab Utilite, Intel NUC, ODROID, Razor Forge TV etc. Kodi’s flexibility and compatibility makes it a popular choice for all and sundry. That’s an incredible range of devices for Kodi!  

 

 

What’s The Legality Status Of Kodi Today?

Using Kodi is not illegal at all. There are many third party add-ons available for Kodi users, which are deemed illegal in relation to the violation of international copyright law. Most of the users tend to use these add-ons to stream their favorite programs on Kodi.

XBMC Foundation – the organization behind Kodi – does not support any illegal streaming service and has advised the Kodi users not to indulge in any copyright violations.   

 

 

EPL And Court Order Step In The Ring

A recent court order that allows EPL to track illegal streaming of soccer matches on Kodi boxes has triggered a furore amongst the Kodi lovers. This is first such instance of court order issued for preventing illegal streaming of EPL matches on Kodi / IPTV Boxes.

 

 

According to BBC News, “For the first time this will enable the Premier League to disrupt and prevent the illegal streaming of our matches via IPTV, so-called Kodi, boxes,” said a representative of EPL body.

Up till now there is no major impact of court order. Only a few of individual illegal streaming videos of EPL have been targeted and taken down. The spokesman wants a swift action against illegal streams in a “precise manner.” Let’s see what happens. We can only wait and watch.  

 

Are People Stuck? Or Is There A Workaround?

Kodi enjoys a remarkable position in the international market. Many people will still want to use the open source software and livestream their favorite programs any way. Despite the legal hurdles, the number of Kodi users has seen a tremendous increase. And that’s the real testimony to Kodi’s popularity.

 

 

If you are one of the Kodi geeks who want to live stream programs right from their homes, it’s better to use a fast, reliable and affordable Kodi VPN, as a perfect solution. It will provide you with ultimate buffer-free streaming experience without any hiccups like never before.  

 

About Brad Haddin…

Brad Haddin is an avid tech blogger who loves to research and write about the various technological trends and innovations. I am a regular contributor on other sites also and have had my work published over places like Creately, YFS Magazine, Geek Time and Grand Apps.

Brad has been working in the IT industry for the past 7 years. Currently works for a US-based Online Security Firm, and blogs in his spare time.

 

Artificial Intelligence to Have Dramatic Impact on Business by 2020. #AI #TCS

Artificial Intelligence to Have Dramatic Impact on Business by 2020, According to Tata Consultancy Services Global Trend Study

  • Majority of Companies see AI as Essential to Competitiveness, Consider it Transformative and View the Technology as Important or Highly Important to Remaining Competitive in 2020
  • 68% of Companies use AI for IT Functions, but 70% Believe AI’s Greatest Impact by 2020 Will be in Functions Outside of IT such as Marketing, Customer Service, Finance, and HR
  • Companies with the Greatest Financial Improvements from AI Investments Expect Three Times as Many New AI-Related Roles by 2020 as Compared to Companies With Smallest Improvements

 

Tata Consultancy Services a leading global IT services, consulting and business solutions organization, today unveiled its Global Trend Study titled, “Getting Smarter by the Day: How AI is Elevating the Performance of Global Companies.” Focused on the current and future impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the study polled 835 executives across 13 global industry sectors in four regions of the world, finding that 84% of companies see the use of AI as “essential” to competitiveness, with a further 50% seeing the technology as “transformative.”

 

Widespread AI adoption expected across job functions

Exploring the views and actions of decision makers from global companies with average revenues of $20 billion, the study revealed AI is spreading across almost all areas of a company. The biggest adopters of AI today are, not surprisingly, IT departments, with two-thirds (67%) of survey respondents using AI to detect security intrusions, user issues and deliver automation. However, by 2020, almost a third (32%) of companies believe AI’s greatest impact will be in sales, marketing or customer service, while one in five (20%) see AI’s impact being largest in non-customer facing corporate functions, including finance, strategic planning, corporate development, and HR.

 

Companies participated from a range of industries, including automotive, banking and financial services, energy, healthcare, life sciences, industrial manufacturing, and retail. This cross-sector level of insight highlighted AI’s workplace impact as an important supplemental force for the next few years. Examples include guiding customer service representatives to more quickly resolve customer problems and anticipate future purchases, quickly and securely reconciling mass overnight transactions for financial institutions, or giving time back to HR professionals by managing the time consuming on-boarding processes for new hires.

 

 

As for the ongoing debate regarding AI’s impact on jobs, business executives in the study estimated net reductions in each function by 2020 of between 4% and 7%. However, companies with the biggest revenue and cost improvements from AI see the need for at least three times as many new jobs in each function by 2020 because of AI, as compared to companies with the smallest AI-related revenue and cost improvements. AI is already being used to automate certain processes and drive efficiencies, help employees be more productive and devote more time to more strategic business needs, and create new work and services that were not possible in the past.

 

“As companies begin to gain a better understanding of AI’s application for business, they will realize the significant impact of this transformative force. This is reflected in our Global Trend Study, which shows that forward-thinking companies are beginning to make major AI investments,” said K Ananth Krishnan, Chief Technology Officer of TCS. “Given the increasing digital disruption across every industry and the public sector, AI should become a key and integrated component of an organization’s strategy.”

 

AI investments and returns rising; North America and Europe lead the charge

As AI becomes a mainstream technology, financial investments in AI are set to rise, as 7% of companies each earmarked at least $250 million toward AI in 2016 and 2% already plan to invest more than $1 billion by 2020 – likely looking to gain a competitive advantage as early adopters.

 

The Global Trend Study revealed a clear correlation between investments in AI and business impact. The companies that realized the greatest AI-related revenue improvements and cost reductions spent five times more on the technology than the companies with the lowest AI-related revenue and cost improvements. In turn, leaders generated average revenue increases of 16% from AI initiatives in 2015 versus 2014, whereas laggards saw a modest 5% revenue growth. At a regional level, North American companies were the leading investors in AI in 2015, with an average per-company spend of $80 million, followed by Europe with $73 million, Asia-Pacific with $55 million and Latin America with $51 million.

 

Cyber security top of mind when adopting AI

Executives participating in the Global Trend Study across all regions and sectors rated the top four factors as most important to AI gaining widespread acceptance and driving business benefits. Almost seven out of 10 (68%) companies currently use AI to detect and prevent potential hacks and security threats to their systems. And moving forward, the other key factors include developing cognitive systems that continually learn, have the ability to make reliable and safe decisions based on masses of data, and gain the confidence of managers to trust what AI is advising them to do.

 

About The 2016 Global Trends Study

The seventh annual Global Trends Study from TCS surveyed 835 leading executives from companies in four global regions, with an individual mean annual turnover of $20bn. The four regions surveyed were North America (including Canada), Europe (UK, Germany, France, Denmark and Switzerland), Asia-Pacific (India, China, Australia, and Japan) and Latin America (Brazil and Mexico). The study was concluded in June 2016. For more information, or to download the study, go to http://sites.tcs.com/artificial-intelligence/

Award winning #iBeani holds your #tablet,book or e-reader so you don’t have to!

Fashionable, UK manufactured bean bag will hold iPads, tablets and e-readers at the perfect angle on any surface

 

With more and more of us, both young and old, now regularly working on, playing on, surfing on and socialising on our iPads or tablets, it is more important than ever, that we can do so in comfort. Awarded ‘Highly Commended’ in the 2016 Gift of the Year Awards, iBeani is a stylish bean bag, specifically designed to hold tablets, books or e-readers on any surface at the perfect angle avoiding joint and muscular pain associated with RSI type injuries.

 

 

Whilst other tablet stands will only work on flat surfaces, the iBeani is able to shift its shape to support and keep your device in the position you want, wherever you are. The iBeani is not just restricted to tablets either, it holds books, can be used as a travel pillow and can even act as a steady camera mount.  On the train, plane on the sofa or bed or on a kitchen worktop, the iBeani works everywhere!

 

 

The iBeani is manufactured entirely in the UK from carefully selected quality fabrics to ensure customers get the highest quality and durable product possible. There are 42 different variations of the iBeani with different materials and designs such as Harris Tweed tartan, Herringbone Grey, colourful Spring designs such as Floral Plum and Van Gogh Sunflowers and even some for all animal lovers out there including Bees, Paw Prints, Cool Cats and Hound Dogs. More designs are coming soon to appeal to men, women and children of all ages.

For just £24.99 from www.ibeani.co.uk the iBeani is a great household accessory or gift.

 

 

How does the iBeani differ from other iPad and Tablet Stands?

  • Handmade in the UK: Unlike most competitors, ALL iBeani products are manufactured in the UK. Meaning they support local companies and suppliers, and everyone involved is paid at least UK minimum wage. Each bean bag is lovingly made by hand.
  • You can use the iBeani bean bag anywhere: On a desk, on your lap, in bed, on the sofa, in the car or on a plane! Unlike other stands, which require hard level surfaces, the iBeani can be used wherever you need to us your tablet.
  • You can change the angle: Depending on where or how you are sat (or slumped!), you may need your tablet to be angled differently. With the iBeani you can easily change the angle to whatever you need.
  • Fits any device: The iBeani bean-bag will fit any tablet device of any size, and any way round.
  • Comfy: Whether resting on your lap or at a desk, the iBeani is adaptable to ensure you have a comfortable experience, with as little strain as possible, avoiding the risks of iPad RSI & iPad Shoulder.
  • Social: The iBeani allows you to get the perfect angle to prop-up your tablet so you can share photos, videos, music or anything with friends and family. It’s also perfect for using with Skype or other video chat services too. Simply put your tablet on the iBeani, get the best angle for your camera and then chat away – gesticulating with both hands as much as you want!
  • Multi-use: The iBeani has many additional uses! Use it as a book stand for the kitchen or office, a steady camera stand when videoing or using long-exposures, or even use it as a handy travel pillow!

 

Viber copies snapchat with “Secret Chat” feature. #Viber #Messaging

Be it Instagram or Facebook they are all copying Snapchat.

Viber is a hugely popular messaging app with some 800 million users now and I do use it from time to time myself but still opt to use Whats App but some just wont move and I find Viber a bit heavy.That being said its a good app overall and its now brought a familiar feature we have seen before which allows you to chat in secret,Sure with end to end encryption you would think you already are chatting privately.

 

With Secret Chats, you can set a self-destruct timer for every message in the conversation. Messages in a secret chat can’t be forwarded and screenshots are either totally unavailable or alerted to you by an instant notification in the chat screen. As always, your communications will continue to be protected by Viber’s end-to-end encryption.

 

 

To start a secret chat is simple you will first need to update your app if you have not both on Android and iOS.. You will be given a prompt anyway if you are not updated to the latest version and if you decide to want to chat with someone you can suggest an update which sends that user a message to do so..

1.  Open your Chats screen
2.  Tap the button to compose a new chat
3.  Select the New secret chat button at the top

4.  Add up to 199 contacts to your new secret chat
5.  Tap Done
5.  A new secret chat will open
6.  Tap the timer and set time limit

 

Time limit

Once the time limit you set runs out messages sent in the chat will disappear entirely. This means no trace will be left on your phone or any recipient’s phone.

Source

 

The launch of callbrix.com (@Callbrix) ‘ the entrepreneurs’ call kit’ in Ireland #startup

After some success in the UK, Red Squared Ltd are pleased to announce the launch of www.callbrix.com ‘ the entrepreneurs’ call kit’ in Ireland.

Avant-Garde Technology 

CallBrix is an innovative cloud phone solution for startups or expanding businesses. When selecting business services an entrepreneur has three concerns: Will it be reliable?; How much will it cost?; And, can it easily adapt and scale? Existing phone solutions address the first concern but, in our opinion, fall short with pricing and flexibility.

CallBrix is different, it offers an extensible solution; designed to adapt with your business’ size and/or requirements. Kick-start using CallBrix for free, and only pay as you grow (for the monthly cost of two pints you can equip a small office). Its simple ‘elastic pricing‘ model coupled with a unique ‘snap and build’ web technology makes configuration child’s play. With just a few clicks you can make adjustments to your complete phone infrastructure and budget.

And that’s not all folks…There is no contract period either! Start and stop the service whenever, wherever!. You will not be tied to any broadband/phone provider. This makes it easy to have remote workers, (even in different countries).

You see, this is a solution designed for startups and entrepeneurs from the ground up.

Real-Time Chop n’ Change 

Grow your CallBrix platform in a matter of minutes, like you would a building made out of Lego™ blocks. Needing no special hardware, your call tool kit is in the cloud enabling you to do everything using just a web browser. Simply slide the call capacity bar ‘on the fly’ to increase call volume then ‘drag and drop’ any new features, phone numbers, or extensions onto your workspace and connect together. It really is that easy! To achieve the same configuration results using other systems is costly, confusing and time consuming. The CallBrix method of ‘snap and build’ gives you total control over your call flow design without the need of a middleman to set things up for you. The result is a simple call diagram allowing you to configure only what you require, and even better, to pay only for the capacity you need. … Did we mention it’s super fun too 🙂

Sales Intelligence

DIY marketing campaigns at a fraction of the cost. CallBrix understands the importance of call analytics to optimise your sales process. Counters are in place to automatically collect data for every phone number and additional counters can be included wherever you wish, using our simple ‘snap and build’ technology. The result is beautiful call graphs with powerful, comparative analysis displaying data from anywhere in your calls’ flow.

Beat Brexit Blues

If you are looking to spread Brexit risk by having a presence in other markets, such as France, Germany or US (supporting 50 countries). CallBrix can help you achieve this in two ways. The first, by enabling you to work from anywhere. Employers can pool teleworking talent from abroad with local knowledge and language. And the second, by offering international numbers. Now your customers can call local numbers that will be diverted free of charge to you in whichever country you are in. The state-of-the-art platform allows you a ‘global presence’ with a centralised system that speeds up efficiency and  promotes customer satisfaction.

Find out more @ http://www.callbrix.com.

Some of their happy customers
https://storebox.co.uk
http://www.ugg.com/eu/
http://www.racingpost.com/
https://lovespace.co.uk/
https://www.padlocks.co.uk/
http://myvolts.co.uk/

About callbrix.

Red Squared Ltd is a small Irish company based in Dublin. One of the first companies to bring
VoIP(Voice Over IP) to the Irish market. Since 2005 we have been developing voice applications to help the small and micro business market in the UK and Ireland.

KTI Annual Impact Award finalists include ground-breaking new technologies #KTI2017

Record number of entrants,International judging panel looked at industry engagement and commercialisation of research across 7 categories

 

Knowledge Transfer Ireland (KTI) today announced the shortlist of finalists for the annual KTI Impact Awards, which will be held in the Royal Hospital Kilmainham on Thursday 30th March. The awards recognise and celebrate excellence in knowledge transfer carried out in Irish Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) and publicly funded research organisations across 7 categories.

KTI is the national office that helps business to benefit from access to Irish expertise and technology by making it simple to connect and engage with the research base in Ireland. The KTI Impact Awards recognise excellence in industry engagement and commercialisation of research and they pay tribute to the businesses and research performing organisations involved in knowledge transfer.

 

Entrants included 7 universities, 4 Institutes of Technology and a number of other research performing organisations from around the country. Finalists included a wide variety of projects with economic and societal benefits. For example, Teagasc’s new technology licensed to Ornua will transform cheese-making manufacturing, opening up significant export markets in the Middle East. DCU collaborated with Intel and Croke Park on an Internet of Things “Smart Stadium” initiative which has been expanded to include Microsoft and over 30 SME’s. One of the University of Limerick shortlisted entries, was the license of technology to UK based Crescent Ops Ltd that has led to the development of a new low cost fingernail test for bone fragility which enables the more effective diagnosis of osteoporosis.

 

The judging panel made up of international and Irish experts looked at industry engagement and commercialisation of research across the following categories;

 

Speaking about the shortlist of finalists Director of Knowledge Transfer Ireland Dr Alison Campbell said,

“The Impact Awards are about acknowledging and celebrating Ireland’s knowledge transfer and research commercialisation successes and the people who make them happen – the on-the-ground staff in technology transfer offices and industry liaison offices around the country.  This year we received a record number of entries across seven categories from Universities, Institutes of Technology and similar research organisations.  The judging panel, made up of Irish and international experts in the field, commented on this high standard of submissions.  The calibre of submissions reflects the long term investment to support knowledge transfer and to strengthen the technology transfer profession.  Ireland is now home to the highest number of RTTP (Registered Technology Transfer Professionals) per capita in the world”.

Photo credits MAXWELLPHOTOGRAPHY.IE

 

Pictured at the announcement of the shortlist of finalists for the Knowledge Transfer Impact Awards to be held in the Royal Hospital Kilmainham on Thursday 30th March were (L-R) KTI Director Alison Campbell, Guest speaker and Senior Partner at Katawave Aidan McCullen and Journalist and Broadcaster Richard Curran.  The awards recognise top performance in industry engagement and commercialisation of research and celebrate the achievements of businesses and research performing organisations involved in knowledge transfer across six categories .

iStorage now offers DriveSecurity powered by ESET, Antivirus software #WorldBackUpDay

iStorage Limited, manufacturers of PIN authenticated hardware encrypted portable data storage drives, have added the premium DriveSecurity antivirus software to their range, just in time for World Back Up Day.

DriveSecurity prevents malware from spreading via removable media and is designed to run from your portable drive (e.g. Flash, HDD/SSD, etc.) and does not require any installation on the host computer. It resides on portable drives providing protection on any Windows® or Mac® computers it is connected to and protects users from viruses and other malware that are commonly transmitted by USB drives. Changes to flash drive content are scanned by ESET’s award-winning ESET NOD32® anti-virus engine to detect and eliminate Viruses, Spyware, Trojans, Worms, Rootkits, Adware and other Internet threats before they can be transmitted onto your portable drives.

 

 

Having the DriveSecurity software on your portable secure drive by iStorage provides an additional security layer (antivirus and anti-spyware protection) means that any files placed on your flash drive are malware-free and safe to share with others. It’s easy to use and deploy as there is no need to install anything on a host computer. DriveSecurity brings ESET NOD32 ThreatSense® award-winning security technology, usability and portability together, eliminating all security threats from your portable data storage drive.

Users can be safe in the knowledge that their data will be protected on an iStorage PIN authenticated hardware encrypted portable storage drive, meaning that if the drive is lost or stolen, there is no need to worry about their private files being shared with unwanted users. With the benefit of DriveSecurity antivirus and anti-spyware software, users are given even more security protection meaning that their files and now Win and MAC computers are protected from malicious virus threats that may be spread via portable data storage devices.

 

 

John Michael, CEO, iStorage Limited Says

“There is great synergy with our iStorage range of drives and ESET’s DriveSecurity antivirus software. iStorage protects customer data with PIN access and data encryption, whilst when in use, DriveSecurity protects the files even on public and shared Win/Macs and stops viruses from spreading.”

 

With World BackUp Day coming up, and to encourage users to protect their data and back up regularly, iStorage is offering a free 30-day trial on all iStorage products requested online. To find out how iStorage can protect your confidential data in preparation for World BackUp Day, please visit www.istorage-uk.com

Fleetmatics Opens Network Operations Centre in Tallaght. #Fleetmatics #Verizon

Milestone takes place during Engineers Week 2017

Fleetmatics Group today marked the official opening of its Network Operations Centre (NOC) in Tallaght, Dublin, a custom-built facility housing the company’s operations and application support engineers.

Fleetmatics, a Verizon company, enables businesses to meet the challenges associated with managing local fleets, and improve the productivity of their mobile workforce, by extracting actionable business intelligence from real-time and historical vehicle and driver data.

The announcement was made as part of Engineers Week 2017, an annual campaign to inspire the next generation of engineers and excite students about the possibilities a career in engineering can offer.

 

 

 

John Molamphy, Vice President of Engineering, Fleetmatics, A Verizon Company said: “Ireland is where the Fleetmatics story began and to this day plays a crucial role in our global business. It is fitting that the official opening of our Network Operations Centre comes during Engineers Week as Dublin is home to our research and development team. The NOC leverages our state of the art monitoring solutions to manage our applications, infrastructure, customer experience and business performance real-time. This allows us to predict and resolve potential issues before they ever materialize, and ensure we deliver great customer service levels.”

Fleetmatics’ workforce in this country are primarily engineers, with talent based here playing a leading role in delivering cutting edge UX, SaaS, Mobile, IoT and data analytics projects.

In the NOC, Fleetmatics monitors billions of system interactions a day, providing valuable insights into customer usage and system performance trends. An Early Warning System monitoring wall, which is fifty feet in length, enables Fleetmatics to identify a potential performance issue early and remedy it, ensuring a seamless customer experience.

To celebrate the official opening of the NOC, a class of students from Cnoc Mhuire Senior School in Tallaght toured the facility and took part in fun Engineers Week activities.

Caroline Spillane, Director General, Engineers Week said: “Engineers Ireland is delighted to join with Fleetmatics in marking this important milestone for the company during Engineers Week. Ireland is known internationally for its engineering talent and it’s great to see Fleetmatics investing in a new Network Operations Centre to ensure that its customers around the world benefit from the innovation that takes place here.”

Photo Credits ,Chris Bellew/Fennell Photography.

 

The Nokia 3,5 and 6 are coming to Ireland. #Nokia #HMDGlobal #Ireland

Since announcement a few weeks ago, the response has been positive.. 

As we all now know Nokia are back in the game and they have brought a few new devices to market and they are set to go on sale in Q2. As of now there is no exact date, Since the launch people have been in touch asking about the new devices and if there was any info at hand due to me being a huge Nokia fan and I have also been asked if I will sport the new devices and of course the answer is YES…

I have reached out to all the networks regarding the matter as many folk on local forums are questioning the availability of the 3 new devices since other countries are now showing details and here is the response I got today from all three networks but stay tuned for updates over the coming weeks..

 

 

If you need anymore on the new NOKIA devices head over HERE…

For NOW – Three have stepped up to the plate and have confirmed that all Three of the new Android devices will be launching on their network but Meteor and Vodafone have no concrete answer just yet…

THREE IRELAND

 

 

 

VODAFONE IRELAND

METEOR MOBILE