Category: Tech News

Taxback scam still doing the rounds,Be careful. #Tax #Scam

Recently there was a scam via SMS or email going around telling people that they are entitled to some kind of tax rebate, this though was not true and Revenue have also been proactive about the matter unlike others when these scams come to light..

Revenue have commented about this on their site saying……

This week the Revenue Commissioners have become aware of fraudulent emails and SMS (text messages) purporting to come from Revenue seeking personal information from taxpayers in connection with a tax refund or seeking credit/debit card details.

These emails and text messages did not issue from Revenue.

Recently I spoke to Joe Duffy on #liveline about the latest scam about Super Valu and its vital that people read up and become a bit more savvy about these because there is vulnerable people out there still…

 

Source – Via Twitter..

 

From: Irish Tax&Customs <info@moosetoys.com>

Subject: [News] We may need some information in order to process your claim.

We have successfully recalculate your fiscal activity
Our team will be reviewing your application after your sign-up.
Please be advised the evaluation process may take some time.
We have sent you a document , please read and fallow the steps.
Best regards,
Irish Customs % Tax Team

 

 

A second example of this email is as follows below..However the image attached in this mail is identical as seen before.

From: Irish Tax-Customs <test@idrottensspel.se>
Date: 28 January 2017 at 23:10:00 GMT
To: ”
Subject: Refund on pending , account sign-up process needed.
Your temporary sign-up link is in your notification.

It will remain valid for 1 week.
To use and benefit just open your pdf notification
and navigate to the page on the Revenue website.
Select ‘Sign-up’
Enter and confirm your details.
You will then be asked to set a new password.
You are now signed in and ready to use and recive your pending claim.
Important
Your password allows access to your records, so be very careful with it.

Yours faithfully,
The Revenue & Tax-Customs

 

 

 

 

End of mobile roaming charges in 2017, Its been a long process. #roaming #charges #EU

This has been a long long tiresome battle and will eventually see out those nasty charges we face but this have been a major revenue generator for telecos for years so what will replace this huge loss? Yet to see how we will fair out here here is what has been outlined given wholesale caps have been agreed.. As is we have seen free calls and so on within the EU region also we have seen data ad ons being introduced some time ago which allowed data to be used but this has been mostly capped and little on offer too.. Data hungry customers often come home to bill shock after a trip and the main usage now on mobile is in fact data and our traditional SMS is dying year on year thanks to messaging apps and the likes of Facebook messenger..

 

Wholesale price caps define how much telecoms operators can charge each other for using their networks to carry cross-border “roaming” calls.

Miapetra Kumpula-Natri (S&D, FI), who is steering the legislation through Parliament, said:

“People all over the EU have waited for us to drop roaming charges in June 2017. Now all the negotiations are ready and we can deliver what was promised. Like consumer organizations all over Europe, we, too, see this as a great victory for the European consumers.”

“The agreed caps ensure cost coverage for efficient operators throughout Europe but are low enough to sustain competition on the European telecom markets”, she added.

“Consumers will continue to benefit from competition and will be able to use more data when roaming than with the original proposal from the Commission. I’d like to thank political groups and the member states for constructive co-operation and flexibility”, she concluded.

 

Parliament and council have agreed on the following caps outlined below…

 

  • €0.03 for voice call, instead of the proposed €0.04,
  • a gradually decreasing cap, from €7.7 (15/06/2017) to €6 (01/01/2018),  €4.5 (01/01/2019), €3.5 (01/01/2020), €3 (01/01/2021), €2.5 (01/01/2022) per gigabyte instead of €0.0085 per megabyte (or €8.5 per gigabyte), and
  • €0.01 for text messages….
  • Read more at the source link below..

Source 

Nexbit to become part of Razer after acquisition to focus on new opportunities #Razer #Nexbit

Earlier this week we learned about the purchase of Nexbit, the company behind Robin, the cloud phone by the well known gaming related company Razor.

 

Unfortunately, no more details on what to expect so far (so, hold on your horses if you want a new gaming smartphone for the summer), but we know the company will continue working as an independent department inside Razer.

“In order to reach a wider audience and continue our mission, we decided to join with a larger brand,” –Tom Moss, Nextbit Systems Inc. Co-founder and CEO

That’s what the company is aiming for after the deal was closed earlier this month.

And even when phones nor accessories are no longer being sold on the official channels, Nesbit promised to fulfilled warranties for 6 more months, and software updates and security patches until February 2018.

There’s a lot to expect from this deal, but What are your thoughts? What would you like to see on the next Nexbit smartphone?

Sound off below or join us over Twitter, stay tuned for more info and what to expect for the rest of the year.

Source

Super Valu SMS scam to watch out for. #Scam #SMS @SuperValuIRL

Only a few weeks into the new year and a new scam. Well perhaps not new nonetheless you need to watch out for it. In typical form the SMS will be sent to your device and telling you that you have won a nice €750 voucher. Its simply no true and nothing to do with Super Valu. We just got this text a few moments ago.. The SMS will have MW Media 2405 and claim to be smart shopping dot com  and then telling you that you have received a photo message. See the image below and watch out for this and DO NOT attempt to open the SMS no matter how tempting. These ultimately rope you into either a subscription service or just steal credit from you. 

We have spoke to Super Valu about this and they will also alert people about this scam..

 

 

 

The Rise of SVOD, Is Online TV Killing Traditional TV? #TV #Online #Streaming

Drew Burstein is the owner and director of a company called Frame Your TV. He regularly writes about interesting topics in relation to television and has created this infographic on ‘The Rise of SVOD (Subscription Video On Demand) , Is Online TV Killing Traditional TV?’
Online TV and video services are forecast to generate $42 billion / £30 billion in global revenues by 2020.
Over 50% of consumers state that they watch streamed on-demand video content at least once a day, up from 30% in 2010.
While traditional TV still remains strong, it is linked to age and one in four consumers completely cut or pared back their traditional TV services in 2015.

 

How much bandwidth does your office need? #bandwidth #internet #office @IrishTelecom

The provision of high-speed Internet is a must for any business, but that does not automatically mean it should pay big bucks for the highest bandwidth packages on the market when more conservative packages would suffice. To determine how much bandwidth a business should be paying for, it needs to conduct a full investigation into its Internet usage, including the browsing activity of users on the company’s network and the flow of that activity. It’s also important to account for the number of users on the network and the maximum downtime that the business could afford without productivity and profitability being affected.

 

 

This infographic that Irish Telecom (http://www.irishtelecom.com/managed-network.php)  have sent us over covers the most important aspects that a business needs to consider when determining its bandwidth requirements. Some companies would make do with lightweight packages if all they need is to be able to surf the Internet and operate an email account. Others would need high-bandwidth packages if their routine online activity includes a high level of web-based application usage and caters for 20 or more users, many of whom will connect multiple devices to the network.
The first step to reducing bandwidth usage is to crack down on non-business use. Most of us have probably been guilty of frittering away office hours on social media in the hope that we won’t get caught, but even if your boss doesn’t spot it, the evidence will be there in the bandwidth consumption figures. As for streaming websites such as Netflix? Of course it shouldn’t be used during working hours, but there’s definitely some who try to get away with it, and in the process feast on their employers’ bandwidth usage. The best thing the employer can do is to block it outright and conserve bandwidth for more economical functions which are actually relevant to company activity.
Take a look at the infographic below for a guide on finding the ideal office bandwidth balance.

 

 

4G+ Now rolling out on Meteor Mobile. #data #mobile #4G #LTE

Over the weekend I noticed a little change to the indicator on the top of some of my phones. Some time ago I was on the 3 network and its when I seen it last. I have since moved to Meteor Mobile, The 4G+ was showing on my devices which was a new one on me… Good to see nonetheless.. So i went on a little ramble around to see how consistent it was and it seemed pretty consistent around the greater Dublin area…

 

 

Not letting my curiosity getting the better of me I did ask the folks in Meteor about this and here is what they told me…. They also confirmed on Twitter this morning…

 

Thanks for getting in touch. 4G plus is a new feature which is currently being rolled out on the network, Currently it can only be availed of in certain areas but we are constantly working to improve the network.

Thanks for your feedback.

Have you noticed it yet, As mentioned about its just rolling out tell us if you have it and how you find it in your area.

 

 

THINKWARE has been awarded #CES2017 innovation award for its new F800 Air Connected #DashCam #IoT

THINKWARE’s CEO, Heung Bok Lee, announces today that global dash cam brand “THINKWARE DASH CAM” has received the “2017 Innovation Award” in the car audio/video category for the “DASH CAM 5800 Air”, from the world-renowned Consumer Electronics Show (CES). This has been the second consecutive year that THINKWARE has received the prestigious CES innovation award; reserved for only the best products in each category.

 

 

The THINKWARE DASH CAM F800 Air is the first model to feature a design compatible with IOT (Internet of things) technology for the realisation of a completely ‘Connected Car.’ The F800 Air model’s IOT connection gives drivers complete peace of mind with the ‘Emergency Alert’ feature. It sends location and status information via text message to your pre-selected emergency contacts when the system detects a crash, rollover or the SOS button is activated. It also has the ‘Parking Incident Notifications’ function, which, in real time, sends alerts if your vehicle is hit while parked, even subtle impacts such as door dings or a door closing. Furthermore, with THINKWARE’s patented LBS (Location Base Service) technology, all drivers will soon benefit from ‘Geo Fencing’, an alert system which informs you if your vehicle enters or leaves a designated area along with the ‘Driving Report Service’ a feature that analyses driving patterns of its drivers to support safe driving.

 

 

In addition to the innovative technologies, the aesthetics of the F800 Air has been designed with an attractive and modern look with a slim frame design, aluminum materials for the round camera module, and an overall ‘U’ shaped body that integrates the entire design.

The F800 Air’s breakthrough innovations and bold designs certainly helped it achieve the CES 2017 innovation award.  The dash cam is currently in its final stage of development and is scheduled for a global launch next year.

 

THINKWARE stated, “With the innovative “connected car” technologies, the dash cam will take on an important role in providing both driver convenience and safety and the continued evolution of the capabilities of the dash cam seem boundless with IOT.” 

 

 

This year will be THINKWARE’s 6th consecutive presence at CES 2017, reinforcing their global position as the world’s top dash cam company in global sales and market influence.  Last September, THINKWARE established their Chinese branch along with a ‘premium offline store’ in the city of Simchun to expand their B2B market in China.  Also, in Singapore, THINKWARE has been offered sales partnership programmes at Toyota dealerships and at branches of car accessory brand, Autobac. Additionally, with the success of their partnership with BEST BUY distribution channels in the United States, THINKWARE plans to continue their sales expansion into Europe, South America, and other Asian countries and is expecting to more than double 2016 sales figures.

The CES 2017 Innovation award is awarded for outstanding design and technology through evaluation by the CEA (Consumer Electronics Association) and IDSA at CES (Consumer Electronics Show), one of the world’s top 3 recognized technology exhibitions.