Nokia announces 5 new handsets at MWC 2018 #Nokiamobile #MWC18

There was no shortage of handsets announced today at MWC 18 but for those who where expecting more such as many leaks suggested like the Nokia 8 pro and Nokia 10 will feel left out and perhaps will learn a lesson today,dont believe everything you read. Moving on though we did get 5 new handsets including a revived Nokia 8110 which looks really cool.

There is phones for evey pocket now from Nokia and HMD Global and a really strong partnership with Google and all devices from the Nokia 3 up will get Android ONE. Also there was talk about their partnership with ZEISS optics which is now on several devices and they also promised to improve their technology even more only 7 months after teaming back up with Nokia..

First up is the 8810 with 4G –  €79 ships in May.

This device will start shipping in May at an average cost of 79 euros and I really like this one,dubbed the banana phone from its days of old it will come packed with features and include a WiFi hotspot Google Maps and Assistant and of course all your social media apps,the device comes in two colours Black and Yellow..

Outside

  • Polycarbonate shell

  • 2 MP camera with LED flash

  • 2.4” curved display

 Inside

  • Smart Feature OS powered by KaiOS

  • Qualcomm® 205 mobile platform (MSM8905)

  • 512 MB RAM

  • 4 GB storage

  • FULL SPECS HERE 

The Nokia 1 – with xpress on covers launches in April retail price 85 dollars in key markets.

Nokia 1 comes with Android 8.1 Oreo (Go edition), optimized so you can use apps faster, without annoying lags. Plus, the pre-loaded apps are designed to use less storage space and data, so you’ll be able to do more and fit more photos and apps on your phone.

  • Inherently colored two-tone polycarbonate shell

  • 5 MP rear camera with LED flash

  • 2 MP front camera

  • 4.5” FWVGA IPS display

  • Secure and up-to-date Android 8.1 Oreo (Go edition)

  • MT6737M Quad Core 1.1GHz

  • 1 GB LPDDR3 RAM

  • 8 GB eMMC, microSD up to 128 GB

  • FULL SPECS HERE

The NOKIA 6 2018 – ZIESS OPTICS, Bothie,wireless charging and face unlock and launches April 2018 for estimated €279

The new Nokia 6 comes fully equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 processor and 4 GB of RAM. This means you’ll spend less time waiting for your apps to load and more time enjoying them with your friends.

Outside

  • Series 6000 aluminum unibody

  • 16 MP PDAF rear camera with ZEISS optics

  • 8 MP front camera

  • 5.5” IPS full-HD display with Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3

  • Inside

    • Secure and up-to-date Android Oreo with regular updates

    • Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 630 mobile platform

    • High-fidelity spatial audio recording

    • 3 GB of fast, LPDDR 4 RAM

    • Plenty of space with 32 GB mass storage¹ and MicroSD card slot² (support up to 128 GB)

    • FULL SPECS HERE 

 

 The Nokia 7 plus. – Launches in April for €399..ZEISS OPTICS 12 AND 13 MP. 6 Layers of ceraminc feel paint and anodized twice.

Machined from a solid block of 6000 series aluminium, Nokia 7 plus is a phone that can take what life throws at you and look good while doing it. Its subtle curves and ceramic-feel coating bring the best of both worlds: a great grip and a clean look.

Outside

  • Series 6000 aluminum unibody

  • 12MP wide-angle ZEISS camera, 13MP telephoto ZEISS camera

  • 16 MP front camera with ZEISS optics

  • 6″ 18:9 IPS LCD full HD+ display with Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3

Inside

  • Secure and up-to-date Android Oreo

  • Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 660 mobile platform

  • Nokia spatial audio recording

  • 4 GB of fast, LPDDR 4 RAM

  • 64 GB mass storage and MicroSD card slot (support up to 256 GB)

  • FULL SPECS HERE 

The Nokia 8 Sirocco, Price  €749 Comes with 6GB RAM 128GB Nokia Spatial Audio 5.5 INCH screen,snapdragon 835 processor and pro camera mode.

  • Primary cameras 12 MP Wide (2L7, 1.4um, 2PD, f/1.7, FOV 78.2″) + 13 MP Tele (3M3, 1.0um, f/2.6, FOV47.3″), dual-tone flash

  • Front-facing camera 5 MP, S.LSI 4E8, 1.4um, display flash

Audio

  • Microphones 3 x AOP

  • Speaker Single speaker with Smart Amp

Display

  • Size and type 5.5″ QHD pOLED

  • Material Corning® Gorilla® Glass 5, 3D Glass

  • Operating system Android Oreo

  • RAM 6 GB LPPDDR 4X

  • CPU Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 835 mobile platform, Octa core (4 x 2.36 GHz Kryo + 4 x 1.9 GHz Kryo)

  • FULL SPECS HERE 

First look and unboxing, The TP link WiFi AC 1750 extender . #wifi #tech #tplink

In general my WiFi is brutal at home most of the time which is another discussion for another day. We have checked out multiple devices that give you better range in your home but today we check out the TP link AC 1750. A quick unboxing today and look at the product and in the interim ask any questions you may have during the review period either ask below or on social media..

Features include

 

  • Expand Wi-Fi Network for Ultimate Performance
  • Expanded 450Mbps on 2.4GHz + 1300Mbps on 5GHz totals 1750Mbps Wi-Fi speeds
  • Three adjustable external antennas provide optimal Wi-Fi coverage and reliable connections
  • Gigabit Ethernet port acts as a wireless adapter to connect a wired device to your network at gigabit speed
  • Intelligent signal light helps to find the best location for optimal Wi-Fi coverage by showing the signal strength
  • Works with any Wi-Fi router or wireless access point
  • SEE MORE AT TPLINK  

UNBOXING

 

Review – The Roth Sub Zero III TV soundbar. #tech #audio #roth

I have a good main TV in the house and having said that the sound at times is not the best depending on what you are viewing and what you have connected to your TV, Soundbars are getting popular and having tested this one out I can see why and to begin with it has some bass, so bass fans will love it.

The build quality to begin with is excellent given its white it’s not for grubby hands though but it can be easily cleaned with a damp cloth, Ours almost blended in with the wall and mantlepiece which is where I placed it right under my TV which could replace a sub-woofer easily which I have a system already in place with one included but it will not fill the entire room with sound which was my only fault I could have with it as it is not overly loud with a 30 MAX setting, It could have been louder but overall the sound is excellent.The best mode of the limited choice is Music Mode but if using your phone as a source you can change the sound experience.

The SubZero III can be either placed under your tv depending on your set up or wall mounted so you are not stuck for choice and nobody is saying stick it under your TV because you can also use it to play music from your phone Via Bluetooth if you like or whatever is on your TV or what you might be streaming via your laptop.. There is a 90 degree HDMI adapter which is hand for tight spaces or set up restrictions.

IT ALSO COMES IN BLACK

There is 4 pods underneath so you can place it on the floor or cabinet this will vary per ones set-up at home and which room they might put it into,smaller rooms would reap the benefits more so than a large room but you will be still impressed with its punch for the price you pay.

Main Features / Specification:

    • Design:
    • 4x 2.75-inch 4 Ohm Ferrite Drivers
    • 2x Passive Radiator Bass Drivers
    • Thick Wall 3.6L Reinforced Polymer Case
    • Cloth Grill
    • Wall Mount Capable
    • LED Display with Auto Dimming
    • Performance:
    • Wide Frequency Response 40-20,000Hz
    • High Power Class D Amplifiers
    • 90 Watts Peak Output Power
    • Inputs:
    • HDMI x2, plus 1x HDMI output (ARC)
    • 3.5mm Analogue Stereo Connection
    • Optical SPDIF Format (Toslink compatible) – Stereo
    • Bluetooth aptX A2DP Audio
    • Power Input: AC 230-240V, 50 Hz
  • Dimensions:
  • 85cm X 8cm (D) X 8.8cm (H)

Whats on the soundbar

1 / 10

Overall this speaker looks great and does a good job however it will not blow the ears off you considered its size but as a companion piece for your TV it has better output and plays all music and more extremely well,also for set up it could not be easier either with a simple I/O layout on the rear tucked away nicely in a grooved out space,though depending on your setup at home you may need that 90 degree adaptor which is quite handy.

BUY HERE

Xtorm announce USB-C Hubs, perfect for any situation. #Xtorm #USB

Xtorm is launching a new line of products, specifically designed to make optimal use of your USB-C laptop. The ‘Connect Series’ consists of five USB-C hubs, each with a unique combination of connections. Whatever the situation, there’s a hub for you!

Designed to connect
A USB-C hub from the ‘Connect Series’ provides the perfect solution to expand your laptop
with, for example, HDMI, Ethernet, USB 3.0, USB-C or a (micro) SD card reader. The unique
design also ensures that you can still charge your laptop through USB-C while using the Hub.

Elegant and compact
The compact design, combined with the use of aluminium, ensures that the Hub is easily
portable and that it goes perfectly with the elegant look of your MacBook. An indispensable
accessory for your laptop!

Price and availability
The prices of the five Hubs in the ‘Connect Series’ vary from €35 to €75. For more
information on each of the hubs, you can visit our website. The USB-C Hubs are available
from several (online) stores and at xtorm.eu.

Microsoft’s new €134m campus, One Microsoft Place,opens in Dublin #Microsoft #Dublin

An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar T.D., was today joined by Peggy Johnson, Executive Vice President, Microsoft Corporation; Cathriona Hallahan, MD, Microsoft Ireland and Martin Shanahan, CEO, IDA Ireland at the official opening of the company’s new 34,000sqm campus, One Microsoft Place, in Leopardstown, Co. Dublin. The opening of the building marks an important milestone in the company’s ongoing cultural transformation.  This new work space facilitates team members from different parts of the business, with a diverse range of skill sets and roles, to come together as ‘One Microsoft’ to work together on behalf of local and global customers.

Commenting at the launch event the Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar TD said: “The opening of this campus is a landmark day for Microsoft, which first came to Ireland 33 years ago, and a testament to the calibre of our tech talent who have contributed so positively to Microsoft’s global growth. As a flagship multinational investor, Microsoft has strongly endorsed Ireland as an investment location for the world’s top tech firms. The Government is determined to ensure that Ireland continues to harness emerging technologies for social and economic benefit.  We are aiming to be a European leader in STEM education by 2026 and our enterprise policy is based around supporting research and innovation.  Ireland is now ranked 10th globally for the overall quality of its scientific research, an increase of 26 places in 13 years. With this focused and ambitious approach, I believe we can make Dublin the tech capital of Europe.”

 

The design and layout of the building has been based around the theme of mountains and lakes – at the centre of the atrium space is a wood carved mountain and a digital lake with an LED waterfall flowing into it. Microsoft employees are already making use of the different rooms, open spaces and relaxation areas to work together formally and informally to solve and anticipate customer challenges. People can choose to meet at the bleacher seating, can have quiet time in one of the many phone booths, or can have lunch at the beach cafe or Italian pizzeria before picking up a loaf of Microsoft bread baked daily by the in-house baker.

 

As part of today’s celebration, Cathriona Hallahan, MD, Microsoft Ireland, detailed the local ambition that the Irish team has set itself: “As a team, we have the opportunity – and the responsibility – to educate and inform people and organisations about the greater impact they can have if they embrace digital transformation. Importantly, we have a responsibility to equip young people in Ireland with the skills and ambition they need to imagine, create and navigate their own future.

“As part of the development of the new campus, we invested over €5m in the creation of a dedicated innovation and education hub, DreamSpace, with a supporting digital skills programme. We plan to bring 100,000 young people and their teachers to our campus over the next four years to give them an understanding of the transformational nature of technology, equip them with the digital skills they need to engage fully with technology and encourage them to use their imagination to create their own future.  Working with young people, the building’s legacy will be about cementing Ireland’s position as a global digital leader, while continuing to support our customers today and tomorrow.”  

Lead designers for the building were RKD Architects and Gensler. Mace and CBRE provided project management services with BAM as the lead contractor working with its key MEP partner, Jones Engineering.

Fun Building Facts

  • 34,000sqm campus (4 floors), One Microsoft Place, in Leopardstown, Co. Dublin
  • 2,000 employees with 71 nationalities
  • Height of the building atrium is equivalent to 5 Dublin Buses sitting on top of each other
  • The new campus has the floor space of four football pitches
  • Over 125,000 LED lights have been used to create the Digital Lake
  • All desk power leaders laid out back-to-back would wrap around St Stephen’s Green 5 times.
  • Total IT cabling used in the building would stretch from Dublin to Dingle (350km)
  • Combined height of all desks in the building is twice as high as Ireland’s tallest mountain (Carrauntoohil)
  • 25,000 individual pieces of furniture have been collected from all four corners of the world for use in the building
  • 265 trees planted
  • 5 restaurants – Chefs table, Italian Quarter, Street Kitchen, Forage and Gather and Pulse salad bar
  • Microsoft bread maker on site
  • Microsoft Barista on site with two barista bars located around the building

Review – Netgear Nighthawk S8000 Gaming & Streaming Switch #tech #gaming

There are obvious similarities to a military plane using stealth technology design with the Nighthawk s8000, which looks great and is solid. This has zinc-alloy housing for durability with a soft-touch no-slip base and the switch looks in place in a home / bedroom as compared to many industrial looking units.

Box Contains:

  • 1 x Nighthawk S8000 Gaming and Streaming 8 Port Advanced Gigabit Ethernet Switch (GS808E)
  • AC power adapter (localised to country of sale)
  • Quick Installation guide

Note: The unit does not come with any network cables.

Features:

  • Cool-touch premium zinc-alloy housing for durability and looks and has a soft-touch no-slip base
  • Ideal for multi-user online/VR gaming and 4K HD video/media streaming
  • Low latency for utmost gaming experience
  • Three levels of network traffic prioritisation and QoS management for ultra-high performance
  • IGMP snooping support for multicast operation

Note: Most residential router supplied by your ISP will have 4 port switches while the Nighthawk s8000 is listed an 8-port switch, but you can only have 7 additional ports and one is connected to your router.

Warranty: 3-year warranty

Basic Setup:

The Netgear – Nighthawk s8000 can be plugged into your router and used to connect to your smart TV / PC etc. with no setup required. This would work the same as a dump / unmanaged switch albeit more expensive than the norm. The basic advantage of the Nighthawk S8000 would be to reduce the router load in analysing and forwarding data packets between computer networks therefore increasing the speed.

Advanced Setup:

Once you are logged into the Nighthawk S8000 Managed switch, you have the option to set priority of the ports e.g. port 3 media servers to a high priority with others to a low priority. This may be important if the unit is connected in the home / small office with a business PC / application required priority as the data will be sent first from high priority port, with the others on a lower priority. This is different to your normal unmanaged dumb switch as compared to this managed switch. The setup to achieve this higher priority is easy from the Netgear menu.

There is also an option to rate limit each port, to control how fast they are and how much allowed. You can have higher bandwidth to your preference choice / applications port / PC. If you have fibre broadband of 100Mbs, some ports could be reduced to 8Mbs especially if juniors are in the house. The port can transmit up to 1000 Mbs (giga bit connection) while the general top speeds available for residential customer is 360 Mb for the UK & Ireland.

To access the switch from a computer and discover the IP address of the switch:

The manual is short and while not complicated, getting to the IP Address could confuse some if unfamiliar with internal IP address, or range of IP addresses. It is advised to open Windows Explorer and follow a few steps or Safari browser for a Mac.

Windows Set up

Default Password – Password

Menu

Menu – Prioritisation

Menu – to test cable

Menu -Pre-sets

Terminology here may be confusing to a non-gamer, reference on Link Aggregation

Gaming:

There is an obvious advantage for gamers as connecting your PC via Wi-Fi will result in a higher latency and can cause delays in a game where speed is paramount. Priority can be set to assist for specific ports as required.

LED Lights:

The switch at the rear turns off the blinking LED. These can also be turned off via the network. Unfortunately, the front blue lights which look good in the beginning can be annoying if used in a bedroom and cannot be turned off. If these could be turned off there would be no way to know if the system was operational or not.

Is it worth it compared to a “dumb/ unmanaged” switch?

The difference between a budget switch and the Netgear – Nighthawk s8000 other than the brand and build quality would be the features to control the ports priority & speed.

Often the managed switches are used by large professionally for managed networks for advanced management features and/or reliability. You can link aggregation, 4 times faster, e.g. you can link ports 1 to 4 together to connect to work in parallel, the connecting product must have the same switches to match the ports for increased bandwidth. You can control, the prioritization of the ports. Some expensive router can do this prioritization, generally the main routers as supplied by your ISP would not have the technology. The Nighthawk s8000 managed switch is designed for gaming & streaming, reducing the workload of your router given faster response times. The Nighthawk S8000 brings low latency, traffic and port prioritisation, and Quality of Service (QoS) management in high-demanding online/VR gaming and media streaming. If speed is your thing, gaming or ease of use, then it’s worth it.

Available via http://www.netgear.com/landings/s8000/

The Nokia 5 drops price to €129.99 with eir online. #Nokia #Nokia5 #eir

If you are looking for a good mobile phone at a bargain price eir are now selling the Nokia 5 for just €129.99 online. eir currently sell the Nokia 3 for €99 and the average price for the Nokia 5 is around 150 -160 euro and more sim free pushing it to aroundt the €200 mark, eir have knocked off €40 of their retail price which is a good steal considering the Nokia 3 price, Argos sell the Nokia 3 for €119 sim free in one colour only.

Inside

  • Clean and clutter-free Android Nougat with regular updates
  • Latest generation Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 430 processor designed for excellent battery life and improved graphics
  • NFC for easy sharing of your content
  • A MicroSD card slot with support up to 128 GB
  • 16 GB storage for all your stuff
Outside
  • Seamless metal body that fits perfectly in your hand
  • Convenient fingerprint sensor
  • Bright fully-laminated and polarized 5.2” HD display with sculpted Corning® Gorilla® Glass
  • 13 MP autofocus camera on the back, 8 MP camera on the front
  • Available as both single SIM and dual SIM variants

See the details HERE 

 

Sony – 3D Creator Update: Direct to Facebook sharing now possible. #Mobile #Sony #Facebook

Starting today you will be able to upload your 3D scans directly to your Facebook timeline from 3D Creator and be the first of your friends to have a 3D picture on social media.

This new update means 3D Creator users can share their 3D scans directly to their Facebook friends using Facebook’s interactive 3D post format, so anyone who sees the post will be able to rotate, spin, pinch and zoom in directly from the Facebook News Feed, opening up a whole new world of possibilities for 3D sharing.

Sample video –

Not used 3D Creator yet? With the exclusive Xperia app, you can capture your world in 3D straight from your smartphone, and turn people and objects into high-resolution 3D avatars.

3D creation is no longer just for professionals – 3D Creator by Sony has made it accessible to everyone and enabled 3D scanning in a matter of seconds and sharing in an instant. For existing XZ1, XZ1 Compact and XZ Premium users who have 3D Creator, the application will be updated through Google Play.

Read more about Facebook’s newest updates to 3D posts, here.

@AOC_Gaming to Show Off New AGON Curved Monitor at IEM Katowice 2018 #gaming

At this year’s Intel Extreme Masters in Katowice, display specialist AOC will show off the most competitive gaming display lineup to ever attend an esports event. With over 100,000 event attendees to be expected, AOC engages with gamers and showcases their all-black, special edition curved AG352UCG6 model before Europe’s most passionate esports audience.

With season 11 underway, Katowice will once again host esports fans on February 24–25 for the IEM Expo as well as between March 2–6 for the Intel Extreme Masters tournament and its list of prestigious participants: none other than the world’s 16 best pro CS:GO teams will vie for the lion’s share of a massive 500,000 USD prize pool. Amongst them are AOC-sponsored international superteam G2 Esports, who will go into the tournament well prepared after intense weeks spent bootcamping with the lightning-fast AOC AG251FZ, boasting 240 Hertz and a 1 ms response time.

 

The AOC AG352UCG6 Black Edition offers 3440 x 1440 pixels resolution, 120Hz and G-Sync support

Experience excellence in gaming
Throughout the two weekends filled with esports, visitors will have the exclusive opportunity to witness the public debut of the new curved AG3562UCG6 Black Edition and its impressive 35” panel, in action at the Alsen booth (B2). This all-black special edition comes with a 120 Hz refresh rate and UWQHD (3440×1440 pixels) resolution, enabling only the most immersive game experience. Thanks to integrated G-Sync support, the AG3562UCG6 Black Edition delivers visuals in perfect harmony with NVIDIA GPUs, guaranteed to eliminate input lag and display stuttering. Useful extras such as AOC Flicker-free technology, the retractable headphone holder and AOC Shadow Control solution round out the AG352UCG6’s esports-focused and functionality-driven feature set, making AOC’s most recent addition to their AGON line one of the most appealing as well.

The planned availability date is May 2018.

Further Information: http://eu.aoc.com/en/gaming