HMD Global, The home of Nokia phones raises $230 million investment from strategic partners

HMD Global, the home of Nokia phones, today announces it has successfully closed 230 million USD in the first closing of its current funding round from some of its top global strategic partners. Interesting times and does this mean new leadership is in the midst?

As well as establishing itself as a leading feature phone manufacturer by value, HMD Global has been successful in clearly differentiating its Android™ smartphone offering. Nokia smartphones come with premium Nordic design that is inspired by the company’s European heritage, superior product quality, premium ZEISS imaging experience, and market-leading reliability, as well as security features including a three-year monthly security update promise and two-year Android software upgrade commitment with the Android One promise. As the only key European smartphone player, HMD Global is increasingly popular with both enterprises and consumers who are looking for a pure, secure, and up-to-date smartphone experience.

The investment will further fuel HMD Global’s strategic vision in four key areas. Firstly, it will accelerate the company’s mission to make 5G smartphones accessible to consumers across the world, with an emphasis on strong partnerships with US carriers. Secondly, HMD Global will further transition to digital-first offerings as part of a new post-COVID reality. It will also expand its presence in key growth markets, including the recently introduced operations in Brazil, as well as Africa and India.

Finally, the investment will help the business strengthen its leading position beyond just hardware and into a holistic mobile service provider. This year alone, HMD Global launched its international data roaming service, HMD Connect, enhanced its mobile cybersecurity capabilities with the acquisition of assets of Valona Labs, and built dedicated resources on software, security and services with a new research and development Centre of Excellence in Tampere, Finland.

Jean-Francois Baril, Executive Chairman and Co-Founder, HMD Global, says: “Our unique business model, based on asset-light global deployment and strong partnerships with the best in the industry, is entering a new level of maturity with the valued support of some of the most influential market-makers in mobile devices. I am extremely proud of our significant achievements to date and also thrilled about the immense opportunity before us to accelerate our journey towards excellence.”  

Florian Seiche, Chief Executive Officer, HMD Global, says: “Since the very beginning, HMD Global has worked to build strong bonds with our strategic partners. This additional investment further validates our long-term business strategy and is evidence of our collective mission to make modern mobile technology accessible to everyone. Security, reliability and dependability are the cornerstones of our offering, and we will ensure we are using these funds to deliver the best experiences people have come to expect from a Nokia phone. As the only major European smartphone manufacturer, we remain true to our Finnish roots and the hallmarks that our customers trust Nokia phones to be synonymous with. With the support of our heavyweight partners, I am truly excited for the next chapter of Nokia phones.” 

Since the company began its operations in 2016, HMD Global is now active in 91 markets across eight regions and 250,000 retail outlets and has sold over 240 million phones to date.

Electric Cars: The Lifeline of the Auto Industry. #EVs #Motoring #IDTechEx

In the past two decades, the car market has declined twice: first due to the 2008 economic crisis, and then due to falling sales in China. Most recently, the lockdowns implemented to combat the coronavirus pandemic, causing auto-production plants to close globally and a loss of consumer spending will lead to an unprecedented 23% decline in 2020 (IDTechEx prediction).

In the following decade (2030 – 2040), things will not improve: the global car market will be blindsided by the rise of autonomous vehicles, which greatly reduces the need for private car ownership. Within this scenario, it is electric cars which will remain a beacon of growth, satisfying both the governmental drive to clean air in cities whilst also working more readily with autonomous vehicle technology.

 

Source: IDTechEx with historic data from industry associations. For more information, please see the IDTechEx report, “Advanced Electric Cars 2020-2040”.

In their simplest form, an electric car consists of an energy storage device powering one electric traction motor, which spins wheels via a transmission. First invented in the 19th century, electric cars ultimately lost the battle to the internal combustion engine, unable to compete with the energy density of gasoline. Over one hundred years later, the Li-ion battery is enabling their meteoric rise as a solution for reducing local emissions and green-house gases.

Once derided as toys, today electric cars with barely 15 years of development offer cutting-edge automotive technology and performance, from sub 2.5 second 0 – 60 mph acceleration, to autonomous driving functionality and solar bodywork. Battery-electric vehicles (BEV) are the endgame: zero emissions at point of use and the focus of automotive start-ups (and China). On the other hand, Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) provide a short/mid-term solution, soothing initial fears of range anxiety.

The brand new IDTechEx report, “Advanced Electric Cars 2020-2040”, provides a long-term outlook for the car market and enabling technologies in the wake of COVID-19. The key sections are summarized.

Forecasts and COVID-19 Impact

In the report, IDTechEx provide long-term forecasts to 2040 for electric passenger cars by region (China, US, UK, France, Germany, Norway, Netherlands, Denmark, RoW) and by powertrain (battery-electric, plug-in hybrid, fuel-cell). Forecasts are presented in number of vehicles, battery demand (GWh) and market size ($ billion), with historic data back to 2015.

All forecasts are adjusted to reflect the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic: amid economic uncertainty and unemployment, the auto industry has been one of the hardest hit as car purchases, typically the second largest consumer purchase (the first is a house), are now more difficult to justify ­for millions of consumers worldwide.

Li-ion Batteries

The IDTechEx report identifies and explains trends in Li-ion batteries for electric cars. For example, nickel content is increasing while cobalt content is decreasing: why is this important for automakers and the overall sustainability of the industry? It also provides historic market data on the Li-ion technology mix based on our database of electric cars in top auto markets: China has phased-out LFP from over half its car market to less than 2% today; why will Tesla contradict this and adopt LFP for Model 3 sales in China?

Electric Traction Motors

All electric motors have the same purpose of converting electrical energy to mechanical energy, but there are many types of motors that derive their names from their construction, principles of operation, or even from the control technique employed on them. The IDTechEx report explores why automakers are converging on permanent magnet motors, multiple motors, provide a benchmarking analysis of the different motor types, and finally, an outlook for how IDTechEx expects the motor market to evolve over the next ten years.

Autonomous Vehicle Technology

IDTechEx predicts that the rise of autonomous vehicles will have a profound impact on the global car market as it enables mobility-as-a-service to become cheaper than private-car ownership. The report shows forecasts of autonomous passenger car miles, revealing how this will lead to a fundamental peak-car scenario. IDTechEx appraises the key underlying technologies such as LiDAR and camera-based systems: is the camera-only approach a high-risk gamble or a winning strategy that will be copied?

For more information on this report, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/Cars or for the full portfolio of Electric Vehicles research available from IDTechEx please visit www.IDTechEx.com/Research/EV.

How To Find Anyone Online Not Knowing Their Name..

Trying to find somebody online can be a hassle if you don’t know their full name. Perhaps you only have a first name or last name to go by, a photograph, or contact details like an email address or telephone number. It may seem surprising, but nowadays, we can find anything we want from the comfort of our own homes, from assignment help online for all sorts of information about anyone we want. Either way, searching through thousands of Google search results for one person when you’re not even sure if you’ve got their name right can be a pain. Thankfully, there are several options out there that you can use to find out more about a person if you have part of their name or don’t even know their name at all.

Some of these can include using a free reverse phone number lookup or a third-party app. Let’s dive right in!

Try Nuwber:

Nuwber is an online people search service that allows you to find out more about a person using just their telephone number. If you have somebody’s telephone number but don’t know their name, all you need to do is search for it on the site and it will bring up the details associated with the owner of that particular number. This can be very handy if somebody keeps calling you and you don’t know who they are, or if you suspect that your spouse is talking to somebody behind your back but only have a phone number to go by. You can also use services like Information.com to find other details if required.

Social Media:

Social media can be easier to use if you have somebody’s full name, but there are ways to find someone without knowing all their details. For example, if you have somebody’s email address or telephone number and it is associated with their social media profile, you can type it into the search bar on Facebook or Twitter and it will bring the profile up, and you’ve found who you are looking for. Another option, although a little more tedious, is looking through the friend lists of people who you know are mutual friends with the person you are looking for to try and find them. 

LinkedIn:

If you know where somebody works but don’t know their full name, LinkedIn might be able to help. Simply search for their employer and if they have a LinkedIn profile and have stated that they work there, you may be able to connect to their profile through their employers’ profile. 

Google What You Do Know:

If you have a lot of information on somebody but simply don’t have their name, you might be able to use the information that you already have in order to find them with a Google search. Put everything that you know about them, such as part of their name, their hometown, employer, associates’ names into Google and see what comes up. Don’t hesitate to include details that seem insignificant at first sight. Does the person like birdwatching? Or maybe they are a keen gambler and a known frequenter of Solitaire Golden Prairies and similar platforms? Chances are, if they have a combination of these things listed on a social media profile, it may well come up as a result and you will be able to find who you are looking for

 

Try Known Usernames:

Remember that people don’t tend to be very creative when it comes to thinking up usernames, and chances are that if they have one username for Twitter, their Instagram is probably going to be the same or very similar. If you have access to somebody’s social profile or email address but don’t know their name, try searching for that same username, or a username similar to their email address on other social networks to see if you can find any more profiles associated with them. 

Review – The Jam Athlete TWS earbuds. #JamAudio #TWS #Tech

If you are on the lookout for some new True Wireless and are on a budget these are something to check out and do a great job at the price they come in at and are ideal for fitness folk, One thing that is a staple for fitness gurus is having true wireless that will not budge and these certainly do not move after my testing.

When it comes to sound they do a decent job too and have all the controls at your fingertips with a clicky button rather than one you tap which works best for me but a touch sensitive area is no different either for me. The design and fit is spot on and there is a selection of tips to get that right fit that will give you some isolation. The sound is good overall and well balanced not the best in the world but for the price you pay here you really cant complain,they sound good overall on calls and using the likes of netflix and you tube with no lag latency noticed.  Battery life is also decent here too and you get around 6 hours of use in total but overall 30 with the case on the go which is pretty good. See the first look of the EXEC and ATHLETE 

Jam Audio sent us this to review there was no compensation and have had no influence or copy approval.

 

PRODUCT FEATURES

  • 6+ hours of playtime, 30+ hours total with charging case
  • IPX5 sweat resistant and all-weather ready
  • Over-ear hook design for ultra-secure, comfortable fit
  • USB-C charging
  • Three size ear tips (S, M, L)
  • Bluetooth® 5.0
  • SKU: HX-EP525
  • RRP £49.99

BUY HERE 

Review – The Jam Audio EXEC True Wireless earbuds. #JamAudio #TWS #Tech

The Jam Audio Exec are an affordable pair of TWS earbuds with the common stem on board which suits some people, Some folk dislike the stem approach but I do not really mind once they sound good,the stems are getting shorter having said that since the inception of the overpriced airpods and there is real value to be had these days buying true wireless and these are pair that fit right in.

These come in a circular puc style case which is nice and it can open either side by the swivel lid on top,these are a touch based approach too which is an issue for some as they prefer a button just like the ATHLETE but they are easy to adopt to and you will be able to execute your controls in no time.

We go through all the motions in the video review below, you get decent battery life in these too over the ATHLETE version which is ideal for commuters and so on and of course you get more juice from the case provided which fits in any pocket. Sound is good in general as a whole and pretty much the same as the ATHLETE version with a nice bass tone and decent highs,lows and mids for the price they come in at, if it is your first pair of TWS you will not be disappointed with no lag latency noticed during my testing either.

PRODUCT FEATURES

  • 8+ hours of playtime, 32+ hours total with charging case
  • Dual microphones for background noise reduction and call clarity
  • IPX4 rating for sweat-proof and weather-resistant design
  • Intelligent tap touch controls
  • Micro USB charging
  • Three size ear tips (S, M, L)
  • Bluetooth® 5.0
  • SKU: HX-EP625
  • RRP £69.99

Jam Audio sent us this to review there was no compensation and have had no influence or copy approval.

BUY 

Sony announces WH-1000XM4 industry-leading wireless noise cancelling headphones #Sony #1000XM4

Sony today announced the WH-1000XM4, the 4th generation over-ear wireless noise cancelling headphones in Sony’s award-winning 1000X family. The latest headphones offer all the much-loved technology from the hugely popular WH-1000XM3, with additional intelligent features that allow you to personalise and control your music, improve noise cancellation and adjust ambient sound automatically based on your preferences for a superior sound experience.

 

Superior silence, superior sound

Whether you’re flying long haul or relaxing in a café, the WH-1000XM4 headphones deliver Sony’s best ever noise cancelling performance, reducing high and mid frequency sounds. With two microphones on each earcup, being used for noise cancelling, our Dual Noise Sensor technology captures ambient noise and passes the data to the trusted HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1. Then a new BLUETOOTH® Audio SoC (System on Chip) senses and adjusts to music and noise at over 700 times per second. Using a new algorithm, the HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1 applies noise cancelling processing in real time. This allows the user to focus more on the music they love and blur out the chaos of the outside world.

Using Edge-AI, DSEE Extreme more accurately rebuilds audio lost during digital compression for a full fidelity experience. Edge-AI analyses music in real time and recognises instruments, music genres and individual elements of each song to restore the high range sounds lost in compression for a richer, more complete listening experience. To build this AI system, Sony has worked with Sony Music Studios Tokyo to gather data on music to garner true insight into how specific music signals are composed.

360 Reality Audio, a new immersive audio experience, can be enjoyed on the WH-1000XM4 headphones when combined with an Android™ smartphone/iPhone that has a participating streaming services app installed.  The 360 Reality Audio listening experience immerses you in the music as if you are right in front of your favourite artist. Listeners can enjoy a custom immersive musical field that is perfectly optimized for each individual user when using the WH-1000XM4 headphones and the “Sony | Headphones Connect” app.

 

Smarter listening experience like no other

Adaptive Sound Control on the WH-1000XM4 is a smart function that senses where you are and what you’re doing then adjusts ambient sound settings for the ideal listening experience. Over time, Adaptive Sound Control learns to recognise locations that you frequently visit such as your workplace, gym or favourite café, and tailors sound to suit the situation. So, if you’re travelling you can lose yourself in your journey with no background noise to interrupt your favourite tracks. Or if you’re walking you can be aware of everything around you while still enjoying your music. You can set up your frequently visited locations and your preferred settings via the “Sony | Headphones Connect App” and ambient sound settings will automatically update as you move between different environments.

Everyday convenience

New to the WH-1000XM4 is ‘Speak-to-Chat’, an innovative feature that lets you have short conversations without taking your headphones off, making ordering a coffee whilst listening to music even easier. Just simply say something and the headphones will recognise your voice, automatically stop your music and let in ambient sound so you can conduct a conversion without removing your headphones. The music automatically starts playing again 30 seconds after you’ve last spoken. ‘Quick Attention’ mode is available on the WH-1000XM4 so if you want to listen to an announcement or say something briefly, you simply place your right hand over the earcup to decrease the volume instantly and let ambient sound in.

The WH-1000XM4 now comes with wearing detection. The headphones detect whether they are being worn and adapts playback accordingly to help save battery power. Using the headphone’s proximity sensor and two acceleration sensors, the headphones automatically stop the music when you remove them and resumes playing when you put them on again, providing an effortless listening experience.

The WH-1000XM4 features new Precise Voice Pickup technology. This controls five of the microphones in the headphones optimally and performs advanced audio signal processing to pick up voices clearly and precisely for hands-free calls and Speak-to-Chat.

Pursuit of ultimate design

WH-1000XM4 blends sophisticated styling with an exceptional comfort and light-weight design, you’ll barely notice you’re wearing them. Designed for those who travel frequently, the super-soft, pressure relieving earpads evenly distribute pressure and increase ear/pad contact for a stable fit.

For total convenience, the WH-1000XM4 can be paired with two BLUETOOTH® devices at the same time[6]. When a call comes in, your headphones know which device is ringing and connect to the right one automatically. You’ll also be able to quickly and smoothly switch your headphones to either of the two devices at a single tap.

The WH-1000XM4 are NFC and BLUETOOTH® enabled and have a battery life of up to 30 hours and quick charging function giving you up to 5 hours of wireless playback from 10 minutes of charging.

The WH-1000XM4 also supports Google’s helpful new Fast Pair feature that lets you easily locate where you left your headphones by ringing them.

The latest model includes the same touch panel controls as its predecessor and are optimised for Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa so you can manage your day by asking your favourite voice assistant.

 The industry-leading Noise Cancelling wireless headphones WH-1000XM4 will be priced at approximately £350 / €389 Ireland and available later this summer in black and silver.

For more information:

https://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/headband-headphones/wh-1000xm4

https://www.sony.ie/electronics/headband-headphones/wh-1000xm4

 

 

Review – KW Mobile fabric case for the Google Pixel 4a #KWMobile #Pixel4a #Tech

Whilst we are waiting on the original cases to drop by and other third party case this one from KW Mobile might fit the bill if you cant wait,quite similar to the original case coming in at around 10 euro including shipping it is not a bad buy and looks well and comes in multiple colours too,access to all ports and buttons are there with a lip on the front of the device and the camera hump and fingerprint sensor is also protected on the rear,also it gives you additional grip,check out the video review below for more.

  • COMPATIBILITY: Made to fit Google Pixel 4a
  • CANVAS: Smartphone case is made of durable and resistant fabric for a classic and lightweight, slim look
  • PROTECTION: Case covers all four corners of phone to protect it from shocks, falls, drops, bumps and scratches
  • ANTI SLIP: Textured canvas material provides ultimate non-slip grip and stability when handling your phone
  • PERSONAL TOUCH: Personalize and protect your phone with a stylish cover in green

We purchased this product and KW Mobile have not seen this review before you.

BUY 

 

Review – Nowlight, A green answer to instant power and light. #Nowlight #Tech #SolarPower

Typically Techbuzz review technology products that involve a download of an app, connected via a USB connection with the potential of security, audio, video.  This product has none of the above but the successful crowdfunding and from the support of Comic Relief has resulted in a product which efficiently harnessing human effort or uses solar power to turn on lights or charge devices through its USB ports. 

 

The nowlight kit includes:

  •         1 x NowLight
  •         1 x SatLight (SL03)
  •         1 x 3W Solar Panel
  •         1 x DC charging cable
  •         1 x Setup instructions

 

Tech specs

Warranty:

This product which promotes green, working for the good of the community has their brief as Their goal was to create a sustainable alternative to dangerous, polluting and expensive kerosene lamps, has a disappointing 1-year warranty. My belief if they wish to create “create a sustainable” they should start with a minimum of a 3-year warranty rather than the disposal society encouraged by the 1-year warranty.

 

Setup: & connections

The setup is easy without the need for any technical expertise, while there may be safety concerns if using a ladder to install the solar light, the hanging cable would be required to be kept out of reach of young children to prevent been pulled down on them.

 

 

 

Affordable and renewable charging

The Kit comes with a 3W solar panel placed outdoors in direct sunlight can fully charge the nowlight in around 5 hours,  The Kit if placed inside a window will not have sufficient light to correctly charge the kit, Manual charging can take less than 30 minutes while recommended to manually charge in blocks of a few minutes rather then constantly pulling the cable. Alternatively, if expecting to use on e.g. a camping trip the unit can be charged using a standard USB charger to the mains.  (Any typical smartphone charger word work)

  •         The nowlight has Up to 50 hours of light with •     Up to 160 lumens
  •         The nowlight has 6 independent brightness settings: 5 – 10 – 20 – 40 – 80 – 160 lumens
  •         1-second manual charging = up to 2 minutes of light
  •         1-minute manual charging   = 15 Minutes of talk time on your mobile

 

Niggles:

This kit has numerous advantages from a technical perspective environment and humanity side but has a few niggles. The 1-year warranty for a product which is classed as affordable and renewable is let down by a paltry 1-year warranty which may be a continuous source of supply (albeit or 1 year as the warranty does not go further)  The IP rating for the 3-watt solar panel is IP33,  which is ok for outdoor in mild showers but not suitable for long terms in the rain/submersible, In the UK & Ireland a fine day is a where the sun casts sharp shadows and it doesn’t rain, but typically Ireland gets on average about 151  wet days per year, this solar panel should be 100% waterproof for our climate ensuring fit for purpose.

Conclusion,

In the world today 1 in 7 don’t have access to Electricity, the developer of the product have been able to develop a product renewable energy solution to provide light anywhere, anytime. This is not aimed at your commercial organisation rather getting assistance from Red Cross and Comic Relief to achieve humanitarian organisations equipment in terms of light. On practical terms, the unit works well with an abundance of light when required with the options of using solar, manual or traditional mains charging.  A few slight niggles but the principle for renewable light with the options to charge a phone when stuck is impressive. This is ideal for areas where electricity can be haphazard, or on camping trips or as a backup alternative. This is a great product using technology with humanitarian gains also.

Alternatively, there is an option to donate a nowlight for €52 via the Deciwatt partnership with humanitarian organisations to provide nowlights to households who have been displaced by natural disasters or conflict. This would provide a family with a nowlight, a SatLight and a Solar Panel for a reliable source of lighting and power for mobile devices.

 

 

https://deciwatt.global/shop   €115

 

 

Granite Digital acquisition of Connector to generate €1 million new revenue over next 12 months. #GraniteDigital #Connector

Granite Digital, Ireland’s leading full-service digital transformation agency, today announces that it has acquired Dublin-based digital and creative marketing agency, Connector. Granite Digital is forecasting additional revenues of €1 million over the next 12 months following the acquisition.

 

Connector is a multi-award winning creative agency which has developed innovative digital campaigns for leading Irish and multinational brands, such as Volkswagen, Dr. Oetker, Huawei, FreeNow, RTÉ, KBC Bank and Littlewoods Ireland. The agency offers digital strategy, content creation and influencer marketing services.

 

The acquisition of Connector opens a global market opportunity for Granite Digital, contributing to its increased forecasted revenues. Connector is already involved in the development of several projects with multinational clients in global markets, creating the opportunity for Granite Digital to offer these clients a range of additional digital services both in Ireland and overseas.

 

Granite Digital will retain the Connector brand and all of its existing employees, making it the largest independent digital agency in Ireland. The Granite Digital senior management team saw the opportunity to greatly enhance its creative offering and can now provide clients with a full suite of digital marketing services, as well as web and application development and design from the one entity.

 

Connector will continue to provide innovative campaigns and projects to its existing clients, now with additional digital and development services available, Conor Lynch, founder and former CEO exits the business to launch his new venture SelfMakers.com, a platform offering personalised career plans to enable employees, entrepreneurs, freelancers and others to achieve self-made success.

Announcing the axquisition of Connector by Granite Digital are (L-R) Ivan Adriel, CEO, Connector, and Seamus White, co-founder and Partner Granite Digital

 

Granite Digital, which has offices in Dublin, Cork and Galway, remains on track to achieve its €10 million annual revenue target by 2023. In combination with strong organic growth, Connector is the latest company to be acquired as part of Granite Digital’s wider acquisition strategy to ensure it achieves its growth targets. The company also recently acquired application developer, Apps Made Easy, and is open to further opportunities. 

 

Ivan Adriel, is Connector’s current CEO. He will assume a wider role as Granite’s Creative Strategy Director. He commented: “Both during and following restrictions imposed by COVID-19, it is more important than ever for businesses to leverage creative and digital opportunities to remain competitive in a changing world. For example, with less people on the high street, we are helping brands to divert out of home advertising spending into innovative areas, such as our influencer platform, to ensure that brands and their campaigns can still reach their target audience no matter where they are located.

 

“The coming together of Connector and Granite Digital means clients can get the best of creativity and the best of digital in a one-stop shop. With us, companies can now enjoy a seamless integration of all digital and creative channels, activities and strategies – ensuring brand consistency and significant cost savings.”

 

Seamus White, Co-Founder and Partner, Granite Digital, said: “This acquisition is fantastic news for everyone within Granite Digital and Connector and especially our existing and prospective clients. With our combined skills and knowledge, we can now truly provide companies both in Ireland and overseas with market-leading digital and creative services. Connector’s involvement on global projects with huge blue-chip organisations is opening entirely new doors for us, enabling Granite to offer a full suite of digital services to some of the world’s most recognised brands.

 

“It was evident from the outset that this partnership was the perfect fit not only from a business perspective, but also culturally. We share the same vision of enabling brands to thrive through rich engagement, excellent user-experience and highly-coordinated messaging, with the Connector team bringing real creative flair to this ambition. We are excited to bring our combined skills and knowledge to bear to provide brands with the creative edge needed to stand out from the pack and succeed today”.