Winter is coming. Or rather, Winter Offers are coming as SMARTY Mobile today announces they are adding two new offers to their existing 125GB for £12 seasonal deal. Save on stress over the festive period and beyond, with 180GB for £15 and 15GB for £7.
Everyone knows that January is definitely the longest month of the year, with most people having to stretch December’s pay from the 23rd December through to the end of January. Tight doesn’t even come close, when you add the temptations of the sales season and the burdens and time spent out and about during the festive period. SMARTY Mobile can help customers through this ‘stressmas’ season, by saving on their phone plan and that’s one less thing to worry about. And as the Winter Offers plans are available to purchase until mid-February, customers can navigate the New Year blues, saving rather than scrimping this January. Forget New Year New Me, try New Year New SIM.
SMARTY Mobile’s Winter Offers:
180GB for £15: That’s all the Christmas films you could ever want ready to stream on your train ride home
15GB for £7: Get started on your Spotify Wrapped for 2024 by streaming your favourite artists with this cost-effective offer
125GB for £12: All the data you need to find the best bargains in sale season.
With SMARTY, customers can switch, pause or cancel at any time so they can ramp up or downgrade their data whenever they need to. And as Which? Recommended Provider of the Year for the third year running, the low-cost SIM-only mobile network offers the best value, all year round with no price rises, no contract and all on the flexibility of 1-month plans.
All SMARTY plans come with EU Roaming included up to 12GB – perfect for anyone after some winter sun or preparing to hit the slopes. On top of this, you get 5G as standard, and unlimited calls and texts.
SMARTY Mobile’s Winter Offers launched in December and are available for a limited time only. For more information and to sign up to SMARTY mobile, visit www.smarty.co.uk
Final’s previous ANC headphone release was the UX3000, which gained multiple awards and global recognition for its minimal design and impressive audio quality. Now with the UX2000, Final has harnessed its award-winning expertise and applied this to its new ANC wireless headphones for under £100.
The UX2000 is more than just a new addition to the UX series; it represents Final’s commitment to combining state-of-the-art technology with unparalleled audio performance. Whether for gaming, music, or calls, the UX2000 is engineered to deliver an unmatched auditory experience, setting new standards in the wireless headphone market.
Available in Cream or Black, the Final UX2000 will be available to buy on the 8th December for £99/$119/€109 from Amazon and selected retailers worldwide.
All new design and set of features
The Final UX2000 inherits the legacy of the UX3000 while introducing its own unique design and features. Developed for everyday use, the UX2000 is lightweight and robust with a premium matte finish that is resistant to fingerprints and smudges for a clean and professional look. The advanced hybrid noise cancelling technology removes a significant amount of background and ambient noise for an immersive and distraction free listening experience.
Designed for all-day comfort and usability, the UX2000 has a multi-fit housing structure with multiple points of adjustment for getting that perfect fit. The soft earpads and headband padding provide support that reduces fatigue and with up to 45 hours of audio playback, users can be confident in experiencing a full day of constant use in comfort. Additionally, Final has included an ENC Mic system that eliminates ambient noise, ensuring clear voice communication during calls and gaming sessions.
Newly developed low-latency mode for gamers
New for the UX2000 is its low-latency gaming mode, making it an ideal companion for gamers who demand synchronized, high-quality audio. Developed by Final, this mode also benefits users while watching movies, music videos or their favourite online content – perfectly syncing lip movements with voice and action scenes with its sound effects for highly engaging viewing.
Key Features
Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation: Equipped with a sophisticated system that effectively cancels external noises for a serene listening experience.
Gaming Mode with Low-Latency: Specially designed for gamers, providing synchronized audio with on-screen action for an immersive gaming experience.
Up to 45 Hours of music Playback: Offers substantial playback time, ideal for long commutes, work sessions, or gaming marathons.
Multi-Fit Housing Structure: Adjustable in multiple directions for a perfect fit, ensuring comfort even during extended use.
Fingerprint-Proof Matte Finish: The body of the device features a matte finish, making it resistant to fingerprints and oil, and ensuring that it doesn’t easily show dirt.
Foldable Design for Compact Storage: The headphones can be folded into a compact form making them convenient to carry.
Specifications
Colour: Cream/Black
Communication Format: Bluetooth 5.3
Frequency Response: 20 Hz – 20 kHz
Codecs Supported: SBC, AAC
Profiles Supported: HFP, A2DP, AVRCP
Continuous Music Playback: ANC ON:45 hours. ANC OFF:60 hours
With the release of the ZE8000 flagship true wireless earphones earlier this year, Final developed an earphone like no other. Its unique design, immersive soundstage and clear focus on sound quality offered a new true wireless experience.
With the ZE8000 MK2, Final has made significant improvements for an all-new user experience. Including new ‘Shield Fin’ eartips for improved comfort and increased passive sound isolation, enhanced signal-to-noise ratio for greater detail retrieval and improved ‘8K Sound’, the ability to deactivate ANC and other noise control settings, and a maximum volume increase of 5dB.
In the ZE8000 MK2, Final has further developed the technology and software capabilities with their new flagship and it will be available to buy from the 8th December for £289/$399.99/€329.99 from Amazon and selected retailers worldwide.
Immersed like never before
Development of the ZE8000 MK2 has enabled the evolution of Final’s ‘8K Sound’ feature. Improving the signal-to-noise ratio through hardware and software interventions provides a clearer perception of ‘8K Sound’, extracting more detail and musical nuance from recordings.
“As a concise and concrete example to convey this evolution, we consider the ZE8000 MK2 as earphones that immerse you in the orchestra.” – Final.
The ZE8000 MK2 hardware and software improvements have provided fertile ground for a more efficient integration of ‘8K Sound’, ensuring a more faithful reproduction of recorded instruments and their unique timbre. This ability to faithfully and vividly reproduce the balance of recorded instruments extends to all music genres, elevating the listening experience by significantly increasing the amount of information in the sound.
Compared to the initial model, the ZE8000 MK2 achieves a 32% improvement in sound isolation with ANC active. This is achieved by a combination of internal structure enhancements, newly designed ‘Shield Fin’ earpieces, and a refinement of the algorithm for active noise cancellation.
Utilising an FIR filter for frequency and time domain corrections, combined with a unique integration of multiple digital signal processing techniques enables the achievement of high-definition and distortion-free ‘8K Sound’ In the ZE8000 MK2. Compared to the initial model, the digital signal processing has been refined, allowing for a clearer perception of ‘8K Sound’ even in finer details.
Improved comfort and fit = improved sound quality
With the ZE8000 MK2, Final has included newly designed ‘shield fin’ eartips. These tips come in a wide range of sizes and offer an increase in passive isolation as well as a more comfortable and secure fit. This increase in isolation benefits the sound quality due to a reduction in ambient noise and improved seal provided by the ‘shield fin’ technology and silicone material used.
The eartips come in five different sizes (SS/S/M/L/LL) to ensure the optimal fit and comfortable listen for all ear shapes and sizes.
New features and updated ‘Final Connect’ app
After listening to feedback from the first release, Final has included the ability to deactivate ANC and all other noise control settings. This provides users with an unfiltered experience of the Final ZE8000 MK2 and ‘8K Sound’
The maximum volume has also been improved upon with a 5dB increase, as well as an overall redesign of Final’s ‘Volume Step Optimization’ feature within the ‘Final Connect’ app for finer volume adjustments.
Users can check the individual volume levels of their ZE8000 MK2 via the ‘Final Connect’ app as well as a number of other features and settings for an improved experience:
· Switch between the 4 modes of noise cancellation/ambient sound intake.
· Easily adjust sound quality like a professional engineer with the “Pro Equalizer” settings.
· Fine-tune volume adjustments to your optimal level with the “Volume Step Optimization” settings.
· Switch between voice guidance languages (Japanese/English).
· Toggle to “8K SOUND+ Mode.”
· Switch to touch operation disabled mode.
· Configure/switch Multi-Point settings.
The ZE8000 MK2 supports Qualcomm’s latest audio platform, Snapdragon Sound™. With aptX Adaptive (24bit/96kHz), users can enjoy high-resolution audio with high quality and low latency.
By strategically placing two high-performance microphones at a distance, the ZE8000 MK2 enables beamforming towards the mouth. This feature ensures clear voice transmission, eliminating ambient noise even during outdoor calls.
IT.ie, the Irish-owned IT services company, today reveals the “12 Scams of Christmas”, outlining the digital ruses consumers are most likely to fall for this festive season.
As consumers prepare for the festive season, it can be an opportunity for cybercriminals to take advantage of increased online activity to gain access to sensitive data. Last year, An Garda Síochána issued a warning to consumers, stating that online fraud was on the rise at Christmas time.
To help them to keep their personal information safe, IT.ie is encouraging consumers to “channel their inner Scrooge” by fiercely protecting their data and hard-earned money from criminals. This year, the message is clear: be a Scrooge with your private and financial data – or it might become a gift for criminals.
The 12 Scams of Christmas that consumers need to look out for are:
Sophisticated phishing emails
These emails are crafted with advanced techniques such as artificial intelligence, making them look almost identical to those from reputable brands. They often lure victims with fake alerts or offers, leading to sites that steal personal information. IT.ie advises everyone to verify the email’s authenticity and avoid clicking on links or attachments from unknown sources. If in doubt, don’t click.
Social media ad scams
Scammers use social media platforms to post ads for exclusive or hard-to-find items at very low prices. These ads often lead to fake websites where your payment information can be stolen. Always research the seller and look for reviews on independent platforms before making a purchase.
Bogus websites and URL spoofing
Cybercriminals create fake websites that mimic legitimate online retailers, often using URLs that contain subtle misspellings or alterations that can easily go unnoticed. These websites can lure unsuspecting victims by offering high-demand goods at unbelievably low prices. Shoppers should always double check the URL for the correct spelling of the website’s domain name and ensure that it starts with “HTTPS”. A lock symbol should be visible before the URL.
Untraceable payment methods
Scammers prefer payment methods that are difficult to trace and offer no fraud protection, such as cryptocurrencies, wire transfers, or gift cards. These methods make it almost impossible to recover lost funds. IT.ie recommends to always use secure and traceable payment methods such as credit and debit cards, or reputable money transfer services.
Mobile app frauds
Fraudulent mobile apps, often disguised as legitimate shopping apps, can steal personal information or infect your device with malware. These apps might appear in official app stores but often have few downloads and negative reviews. Always verify the app’s legitimacy and read reviews before downloading.
Delivery notification scams
These scams involve sending fake delivery notifications via email or text, which link to phishing websites designed to steal personal information. They often imply a sense of urgency, claiming a package is waiting. These scams are particularly successful at this time of year when people are expecting multiple deliveries. IT.ie recommends that shoppers always use the official tracking tools provided by the retailer and never click on links in unrelated email or text notifications.
Charity donation frauds
Scammers set up fake charities, particularly during the holiday season when people are more likely to make donations. They often solicit donations through persuasive emails or social media campaigns. Always research the charity using official charity regulator websites before donating.
Gift card grifts
Gift card scams involve selling discounted gift cards that are either fake or have been previously used. These offers are often found on unofficial websites or through social media ads. Always purchase gift cards directly from official retailers or authorised sellers.
Travel scams
With holiday travel in high demand, scammers can offer unrealistically cheap travel deals through fake websites or phishing emails. These scams may involve fake airline tickets, hotel bookings, or holiday packages. Holiday-goers should always book travel through reputable agents or directly with airlines and hotels.
Fake product reviews
Scammers will often post positive product reviews on substandard or non-existent products. These reviews create a false sense of trust and quality, making shoppers think that the product is legitimate. Shoppers should use well-known review platforms and be sceptical of overly-positive reviews for unknown brands or products.
E-card scams
E-card scams involve sending electronic greeting cards that contain malware or links to phishing sites. These e-cards may appear to be from known contacts, but are instead from scammers. Open e-cards only if you are expecting them and you can verify the sender’s identity.
Job offer scams
During the holiday season, fake job offers for seasonal positions are common. These scams often ask for personal information upfront or require payment for training or background checks. Legitimate employers will never ask for payment as part of the hiring process.
Eamon Gallagher, founder and MD, IT.ie, said: “This Christmas, we are telling everyone to emulate Scrooge’s cautious nature by guarding their personal and financial data against online fraud.
It is essential to approach holiday shopping and online interactions with a heightened sense of awareness. Take a moment to assess the legitimacy of an offer, whether it’s an amazing deal on a gift, a charity appeal, or a sudden job opportunity.
“Scammers prey on the urgency and emotion of the season, often creating scenarios that require immediate action or payment. It is important that everyone educates themselves and their loved ones about these scams as a crucial step in safeguarding their personal and financial information. Sharing this knowledge with friends and family, especially those who may be more vulnerable, can help to ensure scammers don’t get any early Christmas presents this year. Shop safe, shop secure and shop smart this Christmas!”
To help protect bees, increase pollination and support bio-diversity, Servecentric is delighted to participate in Host in Ireland’s “Orchards in the Community” initiative. Servecentric is part of 73 pledging companies that have contributed to the planting of over 3587 mixed fruit orchards across the Island of Ireland. As part of the programme, 222 schools and colleges and 171 community groups from tidy towns, retirement homes, community centres, and local sports facilities have received and planted orchards in their communities.
Orchards provide vital green spaces in our cities and towns and with 33% of our 99 wild bee species at risk of extinction, these orchards provide bees with food as they struggle when emerging from winter.
Servecentric’s support is resulting in the planting of 10 orchards in the grounds of St. Finian’s National School, Clonard, Co. Meath.
“Orchards are a focal point for communities to connect people with nature. Growing orchards in the community helps raise awareness of our connection to our food sources and play an important role in biodiversity and the plight of bees in Ireland,”said Garry Connolly, founder, Host in Ireland.“That spirit of community is alive and well with ‘Orchards in the Community’ as organisations like Servecentric come together with biodiversity groups, schools, colleges, Tidy Towns and others across Ireland to tackle challenges like biodiversity loss to save Ireland’s pollinators.”
“It is important for us to support this creative initiative led by Host In Ireland. We all have a role to play in preserving our falling native Bee, Butterfly and other pollinator populations and we’re delighted to work with local communities in the campaign to reverse this trend.” added Brian Roe, CEO, Servecentric Ltd.
Having disrupted the audio category with the launch of the Dyson Zone™ noise-cancelling headphones in the UK and Ireland in May 2023, Dyson has announced a casting call for aspiring content creators across the UK and Ireland to join its first ever Dyson Field Testers program – a collaborative global community for music and technology fans.
With applications open between 30 November – 31 December 2023, people across Ireland can Apply to become a Dyson Field Tester today to get hands on the high-fidelity headphones and create social content bringing to life their experience.
Successful applicants will form part of an exclusive network of creators across Great Britain and Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and the US, that forms part of Dyson’s new global Instagram channel @dysonwear launching on 30 November 2023. After receiving a pair of Dyson Zone™ noise-cancelling headphones to road test the technology, Dyson Field Testers will curate social content based on a series of themed challenges. The most unique and inspiring social posts will be rewarded with music experiences, subscriptions, sporting tickets, Dyson technologies and more.
Applicants who are selected to become a Dyson Field Tester will form part of an exclusive community and receive:
Seeding pack including Dyson Zone™ noise-cancelling headphones
Fortnightly themed challenges
Rewards for curating unique content.
Updates on upcoming Dyson audio technologies and experiences
The opportunity to be featured on Dyson’s global social media channels.
Apply here before 31 December 2023 to become a Dyson Field Tester .
Ørsted has taken final investment decision (FID) on phase one of Garreenleen Solar Farm, which marks the company’s first solar investment in Ireland.
Located 15km outside of Carlow town, this 81 MW solar development is expected to be operational by 2026 and will bring Ørsted’s operational capacity on the island of Ireland to almost 500MW.
Today’s FID follows the project’s successful win under the Irish Government’s Renewable Electricity Support Scheme 3 (RESS 3) auction in September 2023. RESS 3 was a successful auction for Ørsted, with twoprojects (wind and solar) totalling 124MW clearing. The RESS 3 auction average strike price was EUR100.47 per MWh, which is consistent with similar regimes in other European markets.
Commenting on the investment decision, Kieran White, Senior Vice President of Onshore in Region Europe at Ørsted, said:
“Solar energy is an essential component for enabling the Irish power system to run entirely on green energy, and I’m delighted to confirm that Ørsted now will invest in our first Irish solar farm.“
He continued: “While this will be our first solar project in Ireland, our strong pipeline of other projects, which continue to progress through consenting and grid access, gives us the confidence that more will follow.”
“Garreenleen is an attractive solar project because it has a short grid route to a strong meshed node in the existing national electricity network, in an area of the grid where constraints are forecast to be low. With this investment decision, the project will also install the necessary grid infrastructure to facilitate the connection of a second phase of the project, which we hope to commit to within the next year,” he concluded.
Expleo has announced the successful launch of its first nanosatellite, ENSO, developed in partnership with the Centre Spatial Universitaire de Montpellier (CSUM).
ENSO (Expleo Nanosat for Solar irradiance Observation) successfully launched on 1 December from California aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, mission 425, flight 1, via ISISpace with first signal received shortly after 21:00 UTC. It will now begin its 4 years-long mission to monitor solar activity and its impact on Earth’s atmosphere.
ENSO is an in-house CubeSat project jointly developed by teams from Expleo and CSUM. It measures just 10x10x10cm and weighs just over 1kg– small enough to hold in your hands. It also incorporates a six-metre antenna, which deploys after launch, and a camera system to support secondary data collection missions.
Once ENSO’s antenna is deployed, it will officially begin its primary mission using a high-frequency beacon to support measurement of the ionosphere, a highly active part of Earth’s upper atmosphere used to support radio and satellite communications. Data from ENSO will be sent to SANSA ground stations located in Antarctica, with the data used to improve our understanding of the impact of solar activity on our atmosphere.
ENSO combines Expleo expertise across systems engineering, electronics and software space engineering, quality and assembly, integration and test (AIT), supported by CSUM’s knowledge and experience of nanosatellite launches. ENSO has been tested on the CSUM shaker and thermal vacuum chamber – resources specially adapted for environmental testing of nanosatellites.
Jeff Hoyle, EVP – Global Aero, Space and Defence of Expleo, said:“Nanosatellites are the embodiment of the NewSpace revolution – a cost-effective yet powerful way of putting the power of space exploration and monitoring into the hands of a far wider audience than ever before. Industries as wide-ranging as aerospace, automotive and energy & utilities all stand to benefit from their potential. With the launch of ENSO, we’ve built a team and perfected the skills needed for the successful development, integration and deployment of nanosatellite payloads.”
“This is a huge milestone for us, but we’re already looking forward to building on this success and developing the skills to support nanosatellite launches and NewSpace activities for our partners, through R&D initiatives such as ExpleoLissa, a software-defined nanosatellite capable of in-orbit reconfiguration.”
ENSO’s mission will last up to four years before starting its end-of-life process, expected in 2027.
DAACI launches ‘Natural Series’, a comprehensive product portfolio, that will see the release of plugins, music tools and editing technology released over the next year, kicking off with ‘Natural Edits’, a powerful music editing tool for the global sync market to make any track instantly adaptive.
The Natural Series has evolved from DAACI’s development of patented AI and musician-led core technologies. Each element will satisfy the needs of different audiences and use cases, from creators who want to enhance their process, to Music Rights Holders looking for solutions that satisfy the rapidly growing demand for creating personalised music experiences.
The first element in the Natural Series is Natural Edits, now available to Rights Holders within the global sync market. Future elements of the series will include Natural Sync which will enable any type of user, with any ability to create new track edits against films, to supercharge the creative process. DAACI is also beta testing their first plugin for producers and composers.
DAACI’s CEO Rachel Lyske comments: “From the beginning of our journey, we have been on a mission, working on our core technology, the brain of DAACI, to build a solid, ambitious ecosystem. Our ethical, artist-led approach has been welcomed by our partners and the music industry and we’ve been eagerly asked when there will be products to test, ‘buttons to press’. Now we have them. The time is right to put these tools into the hands of users and introduce people to ‘the DAACI way’, and we can’t wait to hear what people will create with them.”
About Natural Edits
Natural Edits brings powerful, patented music editing technology to Rights Holders and their Licensees within the global sync market. By embedding Natural Edits into their entire catalogues within their existing web-based platforms, Rights Holders can enable internal and external users to engage with a track at a level of detail and control as never before. Natural Edits can also be added to web-based platforms incrementally with functionality initially added to a small number of test tracks, then smoothly scaled up. To support this, DAACI will provide a fast, simple API that Music Rights Holders’ web-based platforms can use to dynamically query which tracks are supported and place an ‘Edit’ button on them.
From the moment they begin considering a track, users will be exposed to the track’s latent potential to fit countless contexts from looping beds for background music, to topped-and-tailed snippets for adverts, extended pieces for arbitrary length videos, and precise edits matching specific narratives and music briefs.
Natural Edits enables any user of any skill level to create and deliver a personalised edit of any track in a few simple clicks, driving discoverability and, just as importantly, licence potential of a track.
Natural Edits has already been adopted by music platforms including Pure Sync. Julian Goodkind, CEO of Pure Sync says: “Pure Sync are delighted to be incorporating Natural Edits. We see this as a pivotal moment in our adoption and utilisation of Ethical AI tools. This elevates and amplifies our creative capabilities as Music Supervisors within the Sync world, to deliver more creatively, efficiently and cost effectively.”
DAACI invites Music Rights Holders to enquire about Natural Edits integration at hello@daaci.com.
To find out more, or to sign up for future beta testing visit: daaci.com
