This is a really nice deal and would actually make an ideal Christmas gift, The Withings Activite Steel is now going for just €99.95 with a free strap and free shipping to boot. These currently go for around €150 with none of the extras so it is something to consider plus the bonus free strap..
These are not smartwatches as such but activity trackers and they do look really nice too,there is a good selection of colours to pick from too. To get the deal you will need to enter the code HELLOSTEEL
This is a first for me..However I am familiar with such. An e-reader!! Never had interest in them due to having alternative options available on my phones/tablets in-house here so this is new territory for me and we have this interesting device to check out for a few weeks and its called the Kobo Aura One.. We will unbox it and check it out first and drop some images and leave you with some specs to chew on and in the interim if you have any questions do not hesitate to ask….
Features:
Waterproof from the inside out with HZO Protection™ IPX8 – up to 60 mins in 2 metres of water
Screen:
7.8” HD Carta E Ink touchscreen, 1872 x 1404 resolution 300 dpi
Weight:
230 g
Size:
195.1 x 138.5 x 6.9 mm
Storage:
8 GB on-board memory, holds up to 6,000 eBooks
Front-light:
ComfortLight PRO – Reduces blue-light exposure and protects your eyes for the best nighttime reading experience.
Customizability:
TypeGenius: 11 different fonts and over 50 font styles
Exclusive font weight and sharpness settings
Thats a wrap on this for now while we spend some time with it and you can ask any questions below or on social and you can check out the KOBO AURA ONE right here for more in the meantime.
Check out our new FACEBOOK PAGE for tech news and prizes.
During an event yesterday, Microsoft unveiled their two new offerings in the computer department.
Aiming not only to consumers that need portability but also the ones that need a powerhouse at home, we now see the company focusing once again in hardware…Well except mobile phones anyway..
Surface Book I7
There’s no big news on the portable side as what we have is a revindication of what I should have been the first offering.
The Surface Book is a great device, but for the more demanding professionals is was aimed, Not having the greatest battery life and some compatibility issues was a let down. But those flaws were attacked and now we have a new offer with the latest I7 processor (hence the name).
Also, they improved the graphics performance and increased the battery by 30%, everything else remains the same as previous models.
They even made a video just to say that, take a look:
The new model will be available starting in November and will start at $2,399 with pre-orders already open.
Surface Studio
This was the main attraction during the event, dubbed as “Surface Studio” this All-in-one PC is aimed to professional photographers, designers as well as Illustrators.
With a huge 28″ LCD PixelSense Display and a resolution of 4,500 x 3,000 (3:2 aspect), the Studio is Microsoft take on Apple’s iMac series.
Only one big difference though, the panel is completely tactile, which offer a whole new world of possibilities.
The spec sheet is quite impressive:
Display
Screen: 28″ PixelSense Display
Resolution: 4500 x 3000 (192 DPI)
Color settings: Adobe sRGB, DCI-P3 and Vivid Color Profiles, Individually color calibrated
Touch: 10-point multi-touch
Aspect Ratio: 3:2
Surface Pen
Zero Gravity Hinge
Wi-Fi: 802.11ac Wi-Fi wireless networking, IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n compatible
Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology
Xbox Wireless built-in3
Dimensions and weight
Display: 25.09 x 17.27 x 0.44 in (637.35 x 438.90 x 11.4 mm)
Base: 9.84 x 8.66 x 1.26 in (250.00 x 220.00 x 32.20 mm)
Weight: 21.07 lbs max (9.56 kg)
Connections and expansions
4 USB 3.0
Full-size SD card reader (SDXC compatible)
Mini Displayport
3.5mm headset jack
Compatible with Surface Dial onscreen interaction1
Cameras
Windows Hello2 face sign-in camera 5.0MP front-facing camera with 1080p HD video
Audio
Dual microphones
Stereo 2.1 speakers with Dolby Audio Premium
3.5mm headset jack
Buttons and keyboard
Physical buttons: Volume and power
Surface Pen
Surface Keyboard
Surface Mouse
In the box
Surface Studio
Surface Pen
Surface Keyboard
Surface Mouse
Power cord with grip-release cable
The Surface Studio will be available in December with some pre-orders being available for the holiday season, the next batch will have to wait till next year.
The price tag of the base model will be $2,999.00 going all the way up to $4,199.00 for the high-end model.
Capable of Pen input as you’d expect from a Surface product, that’s not the only trick under the sleeve.
Pair with the “Zero Gravity Hinge” that allows it to go from monitor to drawing desk, the addition we are really impressed is the Surface Dial.
As You can see from the video above, the Dial is not just an extra tool to have around, Its what will complement the experience when your primary work is on the designing or editing process.
With haptic feedback to let you know you’re changing option without seeing using the radial input, add free location on the screen and you ready to work whenever you want.
As extra, the little gadget with not only be compatible with the new Studio Pc, but also with the Surface Book and the Surface Pro 4.
The can get a standalone Dial once available for $99 with just one color option (looks fine to me), but if you pre-order the Surface Studio before next month you’ll one for free.
But tell us, Do you think Microsoft is offering a solid option against the iMac or the MacBook that are currently on the market? Will be good enough to compete with today’s announcements from Apple?
Let us know in the comment section or join the conversation on Twitter
If you have missed it the Xperia Ear is a new earbud if you will that was recently launched and its now up for pre-order and due to dispatch sometime in November.. Take note though this is not a PAIR of earbuds but just ONE which is set to rival the likes of the Apples air-pods or the Jabra Sports Elite both of which come in pairs.. Xperia Ear which is a personal assistant you can send and receive messages, check your schedule, search, navigate, and more. All without picking up your phone which is handy to say the least.
However the price might not favour some coming in at €199 but if you are a Sony fan you can claw back €50 if you intend to purchase a new smartphone.. The offer ends on November 13th so if it is something you had in mind and want a new phone later on head over and check out the offer HERE
Black Duck, a global leader in automated solutions for securing and managing open source software, today announced the formation of its Belfast-based Open Source Security Research Group during an event at Invest Northern Ireland’s headquarters in Belfast.
Black Duck worked closely with Invest NI on the initiative, and Black Duck said it expects to add almost 60 jobs in Northern Ireland over the next four years.
COSRI is based at Black Duck’s Massachusetts headquarters. The Northern Ireland group will play a major role in COSRI’s research work by analyzing open source security issues and attack patterns, and by providing customers with actionable information on vulnerabilities, corrective actions to reduce risk and strategies for effective, secure use of open source.
Black Duck CEO Lou Shipley attended the event and said “Since creating COSRI earlier this year, we have been increasing our strategic investments in open source security research and innovation worldwide. Northern Ireland has the depth of security research talent to meet many of our needs in the near term and in the future.
“Invest NI very quickly proved to us that Northern Ireland had both the high-quality tech professionals to meet our open source security research needs and an impressive array of cybersecurity-focused businesses that will continue to attract more attractive candidates to the region. Invest NI’s guidance and support played a vital role in making this engagement happen. They will be a key strategic ally as we scale our research activities, grow our business and support Black Duck customers in the UK and Europe,” said Shipley.
Simon Hamilton, Northern Ireland’s Minister for the Economy, praised Black Duck’s investment and said “Our local software industry is fueled by a pool of high-quality software engineers working in a range of leading technology disciplines. In recent years Northern Ireland has made significant investments in cybersecurity research and in growing computer science student numbers at both Queen’s and Ulster universities. We also have a growing cluster of world-class companies involved in cybersecurity, making Northern Ireland a very attractive location for projects of this type.”
Use of open source software is ubiquitous worldwide and it is an essential component in application development today, often comprising 50 percent of the code in an application. The rapid growth in open source usage has created significant security and management challenges.
Shipley noted that open source use will continue to grow because of its economic, productivity and innovation benefits. “Our intent is to support that growth by helping organizations use more open source more securely.”
From realms all across Skylands, the greatest young warriors, Spyro, Eruptor, Stealth Elf, Jet-Vac and Pop Fizz, are trained at Skylanders Academy to protect the universe from evil-doers. Skylanders Academy, based on the video game franchise from Activision Blizzard available on Netflix from 28 October.
Based on Activision Blizzard’s record-breaking video game franchise, the show follows the heroic adventures of Spyro, Eruptor, Stealth Elf, Jet-Vac and Pop Fizz as they travel the vast Skylands universe, protecting it from evil-doers.
As darkness begins to threaten the balance of peace in the Skylands, Master Eon is forced to assemble a ragtag group of heroes to protect the universe from evil-doers Kaos and the Doom Raiders. Using their unique blend of personalities and elemental-based super powers, Spyro and his fellow Skylanders are called upon to set aside egos as they come together to maintain harmony and balance in the land. Jam-packed with humour, heart and memorable moments, Skylanders Academy promises to keep viewers on the edge of their seats with epic action for kids of all ages.
Led by showrunner Eric Rogers (Dodgeball), the series features the voices of Justin Long (Ask Me Anything) as Spyro; Ashley Tisdale (High School Musical) as Stealth Elf; Jonathan Banks (Breaking Bad) as Eruptor; and Norm MacDonald (Saturday Night Live) as Glumshanks. Additional voice talent includes Susan Sarandon, Daniel Wu, Parker Posey, James Hetfield, Catherine O’Hara, Chris Diamantopoulos, Bobcat Goldthwait, Diamond Minecart and Harland Williams, among others.
Netflix members worldwide will be able to join in the adventure and humour of learning the “Skylander way” starting this Autumn. Season 1 launches exclusively on Netflix October 28, with Season 2 landing in late 2017.
The Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Mr Denis Naughten TD, officially switched on the State’s first Internet of Things (IoT) network in Athlone, Co Westmeath today. The network, which is owned by VT Networks, operates through 2rn’s national broadcast and telecommunications infrastructure, which gives it huge resilience, coverage and robustness. 2rn’s involvement has made the fast rollout of a nationwide IoT network possible.
2rn has struck a partnership with VT Networks, which Minister Naughten signed as part of the official switch on today, Oct. 4. In exchange for shares in VT, 2rn provided expertise and use of its national network of broadcast towers, masts and infrastructure. This allowed VT to bring a SIGFOX network, valued at €10 million, to the entire country in a record-setting five months.
SIGFOX is a French company that provides low-power, wide-area networks (LPWAN) across the globe through partnerships with local operators. This type of connectivity is optimized for sensors and simple devices, such as GPS trackers and security systems, allowing them to send multiple messages with small amounts of information. Since users are only paying for the bandwidth needed for these devices, they can be connected for as little as €1 per year. Low power requirements also mean the battery life of SIGFOX-enabled devices can last up to 300 times longer than those that use other connectivity options, such as traditional cellular networks.
2rn Infrastructure Manager Kevin White, VT COO Will Ferguson, Minister Denis Naughten, 2rn Executive Director Mick Kehoe, VT CEO Mark Bannon and 2rn Commercial Manager John Clarke were on hand for the official switching on of Ireland’s first dedicated Internet of Things network.
Speaking at the switch on at a broadcast tower in Coolderry, Athlone, Minister Naughten said, “Ireland is a centre for innovation and our aim is to stay ahead of the curve. We could immediately see the benefit of having a nationwide network dedicated to IoT devices, covering both urban and rural areas, and hope this will help to cement our place as a country that is leading the way in Internet of Things development. We are delighted to be part of the drive towards innovation in Ireland alongside VT.”
“We could not have hoped for a better partner than 2rn to bring this new technology nationwide,” said VT CEO Mark Bannon. “Our partnership ensures businesses, homes and farms across the country will benefit from IoT.”
Dee Forbes, Director General, RTÉ, said: “I am delighted that 2rn has been able to assist in the deployment of Ireland’s first national IoT network, which will enable the important development and deployment of new products and services across rural and urban Ireland.”
“Our experience and knowledge within the connectivity space convinced us that bridging the gap between the physical and digital worlds would require new forms of technology. We are proud to be partnering with VT Networks, and we share in the vision of helping Ireland become a global hub for IoT development,” said 2rn Managing Director Mick Kehoe.
Who would of thought we would see the One Plus 3 hit a retailer?? Well now it is happening but sadly not for Irish users and probably never will. Given its specs and price point it would surely be a good seller on any network but with how their business model started out with it did not go down to well with potential customer with the invite system which they eventually ditched… To add on top of that its the logistics if you had an issue but this seems to have been all forgiven and it would certainly be welcomed by most to see it in a store rather than online… Could this be the beginning of something new seeing new OEMs landing on our shelves??
The OnePlus 3 will be available on a range of O2 Refresh tariffs, starting at £28 per month, with no upfront costs. Not only that, but the device will be available in O2 retail stores and online from September 29.
One Plus have said…
O2 attracted us for a number of reasons. First of all, they have an unparalleled pedigree when it comes to exclusive launches for the finest handsets and introducing the hottest new tech to their community. The strength of their Refresh initiative, rewarding loyalty by removing high upgrade prices, is a perfect fit for the OnePlus 3. Finally, there’s O2 Priority, delivering exclusive early opportunities to grab tickets for the hottest events and gigs – an initiative that lines up beautifully with our Never Settle mentality.
Would you like to see it here in Ireland with our networks?? Let us know..
Heavey RF Group, a leading Irish-owned provider of advanced technology solutions to the warehouse and logistics sector, has fully completed its contract with United Drug which was worth in the value of €750,000. Heavey RF is delighted to have fully and successfully implemented one of its largest projects to date.
The one-year contract involved the integration and national roll-out of a single, cloud-based solution to replace United Drug’s previous proof of delivery as well as its associated tracking and reporting solutions.
Pictured are Ronan Clinton, Heavey RF with Ian Donaldson from United Drug on the completion of Heavey RF’s contract to deliver a new package tracking and proof of delivery system for the the pharmaceutical wholesaler, a project was worth in the value of €750,000.
United Drug is the largest pharmaceutical wholesaler and pre-wholesaler in Ireland providing a wide range of supply chain services to manufacturers, hospitals and pharmacies.
United Drug distributes 200 million medicines and related products per year providing extensive service to all parts of the island of Ireland.
Heavey RF partnered with ABM Data Systems, a Dublin-based specialist software house with over 20 years’ experience in transport software in its project to deliver a user-friendly, secure package tracking and electronic proof of delivery for United Drug.
Ronan Clinton from Heavey RF said: “United Drug’s requirements was for a scalable and future-proof solution that would seamless integrate with its existing and future infrastructure. It was a complex project in which our core team worked in partnership with United Drug to deliver a solution tailored to its needs. Together we have developed a best in class solution that give our client, who is already an industry leader, an added edge.”
Pictured are Ronan Clinton, Heavey RF with Ian Donaldson from United Drug on the completion of Heavey RF’s contract to deliver a new package tracking and proof of delivery system for the the pharmaceutical wholesaler, a project was worth in the value of €750,000.
The project included a solution integration across over 200 mobile and more than 30 desktops across six national locations.
Ian Donaldson Operations Director from United Drug said:
“United Drug required a leading edge tote tracking and proof of delivery solution across multiple business units and locations whilst aligning the implementation to a Group SAP Program. Heavey RF provided this solution and was a willing and flexible partner who enabled us to achieve our key objectives. The solution is meeting our performance targets and we are confident it will allow us to move forward with enhanced capability in this key operational area.”
