Ireland: The No.1 Spot For IT Goals & Success!

Ireland’s tech sector has a lot to look forward to! Yes, sure, we can look upon the accelerated rate of technology due to the global situation that took hold in early 2020, but that would be to overlook an already very advanced tech sector. As it stands, Ireland is the number two global leader when it comes to exporting computer and IT services. Ireland is ideally suited to serve the world’s IT and PC needs in large part due to a skilled workforce, an appealing corporate tax structure, and a very welcoming economy.  These enticing attributes have made the big players sit up and pay attention, so much so that eight of the top ten major international IT companies have set up shop in Ireland. Ireland’s IT sector reads like the who’s of technology. There’s Apple, Microsoft, IBM, HP and Intel. These hard hitters have been joined by more recent and worthy additions such as Twitter, eBay, PayPal, Amazon,  LinkedIn, Facebook and Google. If this list of IT powerhouses doesn’t cement Ireland’s status as a global leader in IT, AI and all-round technology, then what does?

Ireland: beyond expectations

Ireland isn’t just the European centre of high-brow technological IT sectors, it’s also one of the big data players for Adobe, MSN, Google, Microsoft and IBM. And if anyone knows anything about big data, is that it’s not just a driving force for third party interests, but it’s become instrumental in the  way that businesses conduct their marketing procedures these days. The extent of Ireland’s IT sector is extensive to say the least, to the point that it’s attracting gaming companies to Ireland and resulting in companies forming part of the FTSE 100 and tech investors who see Ireland’s global fin financial capacity. Prominent players include the likes of Jolt, Riot Games, Zynga, PopCap, DemonWare, Havok, Big Fish and everyone’s favourite – EA Games.   And that’s the thing; Ireland’s ability to host the quintessential players in the IT sector doesn’t just place it ahead of the curb, it also makes it an appealing s and any one with good, proper and decent IT-related aspirations. After all, the only way that the economy can grow is by way of new and dynamic ideas that are sure to take off. Luckily Ireland has established itself as a breeding ground for tech ideas – some might even call it an incubating chamber for technology or a tech foetus as it seems to birth and keep on giving. Feeding into the need for multinationals and start-ups alike to make Ireland their home is the fact that the Irish workforce is formidable to say the least. The big cheese players have settled here because they recognise true talent when they see it and this entails a level of high education, which in turn leads to a very functional workforce,  which ultimately lends itself to the that good old Irish ‘can do’ spirit. 

Ireland packs a punch!

The amazing thing about Ireland is its multidimensional appeal –  most summed up by youthful (at the time) Irish captains of industry who elected to rather stay in the homeland and build their companies at home despite the economic and intellectually appealing factors of the locals. Many  successful tech people have made it clear that Ireland is the way forward, going on to espouse the benefits of start-ups – made clear by those like Nikki Lannen, CEO of mobile gaming company Warducks, who took full advantage of the initial era of social gaming, characterised by Facebook, Angry Birds and notable others in the digital stream of success and unlikelihood.

Speechly interprets real-time audio conversations in Gaelic for Jabra users #Gaelic #Speechly #Jabra

Speechly, the innovative interpretation technology that allows direct conversation between speakers of multiple different languages, has added nine new languages to its service, including Gaelic. Jabra today confirms that Evolve2 series and BlueParrott C300-XT headsets have been certified for use with the Speechly app and support one-to-one conversations in 35 languages. Speechly, which was created by FITTS, uses artificial intelligence (AI) to translate spoken and written word.

In addition to launching Gaelic, Speechly has added eight new languages including Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Greek, Hungarian, Romanian, Slovak and Slovenian. With the rollout of these languages, Speechly technology can now be applied in even more scenarios where instant, high-quality and accurate interpretation is crucial. Speechly is designed to help organisations cut interpretation fees and simplify the translation process to improve communication.

Private and Public Sector organisations frequently encounter communication problems that reduce their ability to provide services effectively. Speechly technology supports a wide variety of uses from police, inter-governmental negotiations, paramedics, and disaster response, to business meetings, journalism, academic research and much more, by facilitating natural and seamless conversations in the speaker’s native language.

Speechly works exclusively with compatible Jabra professional headsets and speakerphones for conversations between two individuals. Jabra’s Evolve2 Series professional headsets offer outstanding call quality and wireless audio, enhancing productivity wherever you are. All Speechly conversations can be recorded, and a transcription of the conversation is also provided.

BlueParrott C300-XT headsets are engineered to make hands-free communication easy and reliable; ideal for frontline workers and first responders. A Microsoft Teams Walkie Talkie feature enables workers to use their smartphone or tablet as a walkie-talkie for group conversations, keeping distributed teams connected. The BlueParrott C300-XT comes with access to the Walkie Talkie feature already programmed into the headset’s BlueParrott Button™, offering clear and instant Push-to-Talk collaboration with colleagues. In addition, the headsets deliver 80 per cent noise cancellation*, enabling users to communicate clearly, even in demanding work environments.

James Haworth, Managing Director at FITTS, says, “When speaking to our partners and customers in Ireland, we recognised the huge demand for accurate and reliable Gaelic translation. Organisations in Ireland no longer have to forego translation into Gaelic or spend enormous sums of money on interpreters to resolve issues. We’re thrilled to continue our partnership with Jabra, and with the addition of these nine new languages, to continue to break down the language barrier for organisations in Ireland and around the world.”

John Nesbitt, Territory Director, Ireland at Jabra, said: “The availability of Speechly technology in Gaelic marks an important milestone, allowing users to speak in their native language and to receive real-time interpretation through the Speechly app. Jabra’s collaboration with Speechly offers world-class audio quality and a new level of integration with Jabra’s headsets. Users in Ireland can now enjoy seamless communication, helping organisations to improve collaboration and work more efficiently than ever before.”

Speechly can translate between the following 35 languages: Arabic, Bulgaria, Cantonese (Traditional), Catalan, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hindi, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, and Turkish.

To learn more, visit https://www.speechly.app/

Bank of Ireland sms scam. Here is what to look for. #scams #phishing

It would be fair to say pretty much everyone has a pain in their backside with the scams that are going around now and there is plenty of them and it was only a matter of time before I got one of the latest banking scams and that landed this morning. Having a quick look into it there is several versions of the sms scam which comes up as BOI SUPPORT as the send which will be on top of your screen, if I get an sms from BOI it comes up as BOI and you should be aware of the identifier up on the top of your device and remove old messages if you have any as they can and do come up in the same thread and you might not stop and think about it, this happened me last year so it is something to take down and note.

Above is a sample of what I got and what you can expect to see land on your device so beware and delete and do not click on any links but for those that do (i do to check these things out). Anyway this is what to watch out for and just delete these from your device straight away.,. Check out more – bank of ireland security zone

Singapore Cybersecurity Firm Launches World’s First AI-Embedded Solid-State Drive #AI #Tech

SINGAPORE cybersecurity firm Flexxon has launched the world’s first solid-state drive (SSD) embedded with artificial intelligence (AI) data security. 

As the “last line of defence” to protect data at the hardware level, the SSD is able to guard against both remote and physical attacks, boasting a range of features including temperature sensors to detect unusual movements that occur.

In the event of such an incursion, the device – also known as X-PHY – will alert the user via email and lock itself to prevent any physical tampering. Users may then unlock the device via a dynamic authentication process. For clients with high security needs, such as the military, data may be automatically wiped should the device fall into the wrong hands.

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister-in-charge of Singapore’s Smart Nation Initiative Vivian Balakrishnan said that the innovation was a “breakthrough” and a significant step in increasing security and safety for end users, having put AI into the firmware layer of an SSD.

Congratulating Flexxon on its new product, Dr Balakrishnan – who was the guest-of-honour at the launch – also called on similar companies to include research institutes, universities and the private sector to enhance local research and development efforts in AI.

“In Singapore, we want to become more than just smart consumers or buyers of applications and hardware. We want to become a nation of innovators, makers and creators,” he said.

The product, currently in trials with government agencies, medical and industrial clients, has not been made available to the public. Flexxon said it plans to cater to businesses by September this year and hopes to raise enough funds to produce the device for the mass consumer market by early 2022.

Said Camellia Chan, founder and chief executive officer of Flexxon: “With innovations like the X-PHY, we will be better equipped to leverage on the benefits of technology while safeguarding ourselves against rising cyber threats.”

Airgo Smart Fan – The Summer Home and Office must have. #GeoSmartPro #Tech #Home #Office

Over the past month UK and Ireland has had to adapt to a completely new way of life and for many, this has meant moving their workplace out of offices and into the home.

Many of us have been transforming lounge areas, spare rooms, kitchens and conservatories into an office. However, one problem can be as the temperature increases it can be hard to keep cool whilst working without the luxury of air conditioning.

Available online and on Amazon, the AirGo smart fan, the first of its kind, is packed full of features designed to help users cope with hot conditions.

Before the working day begins, users can set the fan to a schedule to cool the room beforehand. It can also be controlled from the free GeoSmartPro app so users can create automations based on the temperature or simply change speeds at the touch of a button – even midway through a conference call.

Features include:

App Automation –allows users to automate the fan’s actions and triggers according to their preferences. For example, if the area you are in gets too hot the fan will automatically kick in as the temperature raises above your preferred set limit. The fan uses WiFi to source and follow temperatures.

Schedule – allows users to set the fan to turn on and off at set times. So, if you want your room cool before you start work you can set the fan to come on an hour or so before you get to your desk.

 Timer – users can set it for up to eight hours, ideal for hotter nights

 Mode – users can choose between 3 modes, one of which mimics nature’s air flow to ensure a controlled and calming breeze, giving you a feeling of sitting outdoors.

Speed –the fan can be set to low, medium or high fan speed depending on your preferences.

Noise reduction technology – AirGo smart fan is one of the quietest fans on the market and has been awarded with the Quiet Mark, meaning no more disturbed nights through fan sounds.

GeoSmartPro’s AirGo Smart Fan is also compatible with voice assistants Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.

The AirGo Smart Fan is available for £109.99 from Amazon.co.uk and https://www.geosmartpro.com/airgo.

See our review HERE

Review – The cordless MeacoFan 260c Air Circulator. It is cool. #Meaco #Fans

I have always had a fan of some sorts be it in the bedroom,office or sitting room and recently reviewed a smartfan here which has been valuable to me in during the hot weather and this fan fits into the mix quite well too given it is not smart, Yes you have to use a physical button but so what, It solves many problems in one swoop and simple to use..

This has no retail box as it is a review sample but lets check it out. First up it is portable it is light well made and robust and has one switch to control the lot now it does not get much easier than that compared to some fans I have had in the past with buttons all over the place and looking more like a 1980s retro keyboard.

This also comes with a light on the base which circles the whole base and acts as a nice warm reading light which will not disturb anyone in the same room or blind you if working on your laptop at home or if it is beside you on your bedside locker it is ideal.The one button you have does the rest for speed settings and the ring has a light which changes on the speed status which you will see in the video below.

This is portable and cordless and can charge with micro USB and plugged into a mains or even your PC /Laptop and you will get around 10- 14 hours on one charge depending the speed you have it on so for hot nights it will last throughout so it is ideal for those muggy nights. Again this is something that is so portable it can be put anywhere in the home or office and it is quite, One thing people complain about is the noise this is quite enough and will not disturb you..

This has 4 speed settings which is great too and here there is something for all and the cool air flow from it is excellent too it works really we,someone like me would have it on full blast to get the maximum effect but it is powerfull enough to use on half power, I have been using this all over the house and found it very usefull and a must have, There is one caveat even if it is one for those who like and use fans, whilst we do have the option to move the head angle vertically you cant adjust horizontally but hey it is that small and light you just have to turn it on its base as is and same job done. I would like to see one in Black too as white tends to go off colour over time but again this depends on how you treat like any other white products.

Features

  • Small, lightweight cordless fan
  • Quiet and energy-efficient
  • Four fan speeds
  • Runs for 14 hours on a single full charge
  • USB charging allows you to plug into laptop, wall socket or any charging point
  • Simple controls on fan base
  • Cools in temperatures up to 40°C
  • 1.2m USB cable included

Available from Meaco web site MeacoFan 260c Air Circulator

Available from Amazon; https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08B9GKH8R?ref=myi_title_dp

Face Off Against Death’s Army in the Thrilling New Horror FPS KINGDOM of the DEAD. #Gaming

Indie developer DIRIGO Games is thrilled to announce KINGDOM of the DEAD, an action packed new horror themed First Person Shooter coming to PC via Steam in early 2022.

KINGDOM of the DEAD blends old school FPS action with unique black and white pen and ink style visuals to create a terrifying gameplay world where players wage war in a deadly battle against Death’s ever growing army.

 

East Coast America, 19th Century. 

Agent Chamberlain, a professor turned Army General, now works for a secret government program known as GATEKEEPER. Their primary purpose is to defeat the newly empowered Death and his ever-growing army of the dead.

After the war, Death’s army swelled with new recruits from both sides. His newfound power allowed him to begin an offensive against a weakened overworld. Even now, he stages a covert invasion as he masses his monsters in the shadows of the city. As they prepare to rise up from hell and break through from the deepest wells, pits and crypts, only you, Agent Chamberlain, can find their exits and stop the spawn from entering your world.

Features of KINGDOM of the DEAD:

  • Unique black & white, hand drawn visuals.
  • Classic FPS gameplay with different objectives at each difficulty level.
  • Hunt the undead hordes across remote locations along the US East Coast.
  • Equip 8 weapons and go toe to toe with over 22 undead enemies and face old school bosses.
  • Switch up your gameplay experience with a customizable colour palette and cheat code access.
  • Test your mettle and face off against a never-ending onslaught in the endless gameplay mode.

KINGDOM of the DEAD will be released for PC in early 2022 and fans can wishlist the game now on the official Steam page. For more information join the conversation on social media on Twitter and Reddit.

What’s Behind the Surge in Digital Payment Options?

Any successful business will tell you that the customer is king, which means that if you want your business to do well you really need to listen to what they’re telling you. If you look carefully enough, there is a tonne of data to be had from any customer interaction with your company – what products did they buy, which pages on your website did they visit, what led them to your website in the first place? This data helps your company perfect the customer shopping experience, which is essential if you want to have a happy customer base which is most definitely something that you should be striving for. 

The Online Shopping Experience

Customers have a lot of expectations from their online shopping experience and in many cases, much more than if they were visiting a physical store. This is because most people recognise that with a store you’re not able to control all eventualities – maybe there will be a queue for the tills or maybe another customer will ruin their day. However, online is seen as something completely different and as a result, customers expect so much more.

When you’re considering the experience your online customer has, looking at their journey on your website and with your brand is essential. Not only will you want a sales funnel that helps you follow the journey of any potential sales leads, but you should look at the bigger picture. It isn’t just retail stores that should look at the customer journey – online casinos, filing streaming websites and even social media platforms should look at what their customers need and what they can do to cater to as many customers as possible. 

The idea behind a smooth customer experience is to encourage your new (or returning) customer to buy from you. When you get them to this stage, you really want to make this as easy and hassle-free as possible. They’ve already got as far as wanting to purchase from you and as such, if you put them off at this stage you’ve wasted the whole customer journey. Your pay page should be easy to read, effective and of course, reliable. This is why so many digital service providers have opted to offer as many different payment options as possible – to ensure customer demand is met as often as possible. 

Why Are There So Many Options?

As a business, imagine you get your customer through every step of your website – they’ve found you, they like what they see, they’ve chosen products, selected a shipping method, agreed to pay the total shown and then they can’t pay in the way they want. Not only are they going to be really frustrated, the chances are they’ll simply close the page and go somewhere else for their products. To lose the sale at this late stage is extremely frustrating and something that no business really wants to go through. Rather than risk this happening lots of businesses have invested in being able to offer a variety of digital payments to their customers. This helps to ensure that even if the customer’s preferred choice isn’t available, there is likely to be a backup choice that they’re happy with; and therefore they complete the transaction.

The gambling industry, in general, has been particularly forward-thinking when it comes to payment options, with many of them even stepping up their game and working with Cryptocurrency. They understand the instant nature of casino transactions and that their users want their payment to be able to go through immediately and with as little hassle as possible.

What Are Customers Looking For From Digital Payment Options?

Different customers will be looking for different things from companies and their payment options. Mostly they are looking for the same as the rest of their experience with the company – for it to be smooth, effective and hassle-free. A big part of this comes from the customer being able to pay in the currency they want using the method that they want. The internet has opened up internationally shopping massively but customers don’t want to be confused by exchange rates or unsure whether what they’re spending is a good deal. As such, offering payments in a range of currencies is really important. This helps to make the payment process as simple as possible and that is the best way to help encourage them to complete their payment transaction.

Then, depending on the online service they’re using, what they’re looking for may vary. For example, if someone is using an online casino then they’ll be looking for payment processes that allow for a superfast process when it comes to withdrawing funds. Over recent years Processing speeds for withdrawing funds are seemingly getting faster and faster, and customers no longer expect to wait 3 to 5 business days for their money and instead want their winnings immediately. 

What Are Companies Looking For From Digital Payment Options?

When considering what payment options to offer their customers, companies will want to ensure that the ones they offer cater well to their customer’s needs. On top of that, they’ll want to consider transaction fees – after all, if you’re a retailer that is selling thousands of products a day even a small transaction fee can add up.  As such, it will be important for a company to know that not only are their transactions going to be smooth and quick but that it will come at a price that is affordable. They’ll also want to be able to offer their customers a secure payment service, so a company that supports this and allows a company to provide this is essential. 

Realistically the surge in digital payment options come down to both customer demand and the fact that there are now so many options available. Advances in technology means that there are more digital payment options than ever, so it makes sense that e-commerce websites take advantage of as many of these as possible, to help ensure that customers are kept happy. 

 

Salons ‘Strike’ while the flat iron is hot with cashless tipping technology #Strikepay #salons #Fintech

Strikepay, the Irish FinTech company with a revolutionary cashless tipping and payment solution, today reported a 79% increase in the average value of tips paid to hairdressers, barbers, beauticians and nail technicians using Strikepay over the past six weeks.

Announcing its latest partnership with hair and beauty group, Sugar Culture, Strikepay is now live in all Brown Sugar, Sugar Daddy and Sugar-Coated stores in Ireland, with the popular salon chain just one of the many groups within the industry enabling the roll-out of this revolutionary cashless gratuity solution.

Designed to solve the issue of tips and payments in an increasingly cashless society, Strikepay has been supporting the service industry since its re-opening, enabling customers to thank their service professionals directly by simply tapping the Strikepay tag worn by the individual or scanning their QR code using just their phone.

Service professionals from the award-winning Dylan Bradshaw studio, Cut & Sew group, Sam’s Barbers Waxperts and Nails Inc., are amongst those benefiting from this contactless tipping technology, with over 1,000 service professionals joining Strikepay across Ireland over the last six weeks.

With no app or in-store payment terminal required, the tip is instantly sent through Apple Pay, Google Pay or any saved card.

Commenting on the increase in tip values in the Irish hair and beauty industry, Strikepay co-founder Oli Cavanagh said: “We are having a meaningful impact on the service industry and salon service professionals in Ireland with our data showing a positive increase in the value of tips over the last six weeks. This is significant to people in the industry.

 

“Charles Dowd and I created this technology in response to an every-day need we were experiencing ourselves. We couldn’t tip people anymore, yet we wanted to. Now that we’ve fixed the problem, we’re also getting a lot of thanks from customers who were equally embarrassed that they had no cash to tip anymore. Everyone is a winner.

 

“For businesses, cash management is a real pain, especially when handling tips but Strikepay takes that pain away while empowering employees and increasing their income and job satisfaction – boosting morale.”

 

Mark O’Keefe, owner of Sugar Culture Salon Group and a member of the Irish Hairdresser Federation went on to say: “Our industry was decimated by the pandemic, but our focus now is on recovery and the welfare of our team who have spent an extended period of time out of work. We have a wonderfully loyal and generous clientele across the business, and some of the best artists in the industry on the floor delivering 5-star service to their clients day in day out, so we’re delighted to support those using Strikepay as it allows them to instantly accept cashless contact-free tips from their clients directly.”

Co-founded in 2020 by Irish FinTech entrepreneurs Oli Cavanagh and Charles Dowd in response to the cash free culture accelerated by the pandemic, Strikepay has previously teamed up with popular restaurant chains Camile Thai, Base Pizza, Eddie Rockets and Europe’s largest taxi-hailing company Bolt to enable contactless tipping. Service professionals working across several sectors, including transportation, hospitality, retail, and non-profit have also been trialling the technology over the past six months, with the average value of tips increasing as a result of the patent-pending cashless tipping and payment solution from Strikepay.

Commenting on the potential impact the service would have on the people working in the hair and beauty industry in Ireland, Margaret O’Rourke Doherty, CEO of the Hair and Beauty Industry Confederation said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has seen a rapid transition from cash to card as the go to payment method for customers. The embracing of this new technology, alongside other technology, will now allow salons to cater to these changing trends and provide a better service to our customers. The new technology with Strikepay will further facilitate contactless payments for salons, with the added option for customer tips. While we would like to stress that there is no obligation for customers to leave a tip, tipping culture has been a longstanding feature in the industry in acknowledgement of the standard of work carried out by hair and beauty professionals’’.

Headquartered in Dublin, Strikepay has revolutionised the way we tip, pay and donate to those who serve us, meet us, greet us, carry us, sing for us, bring for us, prepare, repair, and care for us. This innovative Irish owned digital payment platform is also providing services to professionals in Europe, the UK and USA with further information available at www.Strikepay.co.