The S-Charge – A must-have battery case for the popular Nintendo Switch. #Nintendo #Gaming

The S-Charge has been devised based on user feedback, allowing them to never worry about losing charge and maintain the optimum gaming experience for up to 12 hours.Perfect as a last-minute stocking filler or the latest addition to any avid gamer’s arsenal

The ultimate accessory for non-stop gaming fun on the Nintendo Switch has arrived – S-Charge. Incorporating a high capacity battery, improved kickstand and two game card slots, the S-Charge is an extension to your existing device that easily clasps around it.

The creators of the S-Charge, InDemand Design, launched the product on crowdfunding platform, Indiegogo, achieving its fundraising goal in 48 hours of going live. The campaign was supported by over 4,000 backers making it the best-selling crowdfunded Nintendo Switch accessory. With more than 5,000 units sold across 60 countries, the S-Charge has gone from strength to strength with the aim of being a must-have for all gamers.

Aiming to limit the number of accessories when on the move, the S-Charge is portable, slim-line and lightweight and can not only charge the Nintendo but also other devices. The 10,000mAh battery offers up to 12 hours of additional power which means that users can stay entertained when travelling, commuting or having a long gaming session at home – even when playing the most power hungry games. Here is how the Switch performs when playing the most popular games:

  • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild: 10 hours 40mins
  • Mario Kart 8: 10 hours 45 mins
  • Mario Odessey: 10 hours 55mins
  • Diablo: 11 hours 20mins
  • Splatoon 2: 10 hours 15mins
  • Fortnite: 10 hours 35 mins

The S-Charge also has an improved kickstand which offers greater stability and can be used in multiple angles to change the way you play. As the charging port has been moved to the right-hand side of the case, the S-Charge is one of the only ways to charge while playing in table top mode.

No need for extra carrying cases, the S-Charge not only protects the Nintendo Switch™ but also has slots for 2 extra game cards to bring along with you on the go. The S-Charge has been built to combat the problems of overheating and potential warping of the device. A bundle version is available with two free screen protectors and a hardshell carry case at an RRP of £64.99 from Amazon, John Lewis and Currys.

Sign PDF and Use AI with the New Able2Extract Professional 14. #PDF #AI #Digital

Some time ago, we showed you how to convert PDF to Word using Able2Extract Professional 12, a PDF solution renowned for its conversion capabilities. And now, the latest iteration of the software, Able2Extract Professional 14, is out. It brings novel and compelling features such as PDF signatures and PDF to Excel conversion templates that utilize Artificial Intelligence.   

Let’s take a closer look and inspect what these new implementations bring to the table.

Electronic and Digital Signatures

To start off, Able2Extract Professional can now sign PDF files with electronic and digital signatures.

An electronic signature is basically an image that you insert into a page. You can add it to a PDF by typing it in, drawing it or by inserting a signature image.

Adding an electronic signature using Able2Extract Professional 14 can be done in a couple of clicks. First, you need to open the signatures panel located just below the annotations. Then click on the Choose signature option. There you can apply existing signatures, if any, or create new ones using the appropriate options. Finally, click on the Sign button and insert your signature to the PDF page.

Digital or cryptographic signatures, unlike electronic ones, leave a digital footprint. Essentially, these signatures are coded, and they carry information about the signer that can be inspected by the viewer of the signed PDF document.

For instance, if you receive a PDF contract that was signed with a valid digital signature, you can verify the authenticity of the signature and detect if any changes were made to the document after it was signed.

To add a digital signature with Able2Extract Professional 14, you have to check the Digitally Sign the Document option in the Signature window and specify the digital certificate. From there, click on the Sign button and insert the signature to PDF.

AI-powered PDF to Excel Conversion

As we already explained in our previous article, Able2Extract Professional is the go-to tool for PDF to Excel conversion because it enables users to customize the conversion output to their specific needs.

Now, with the newly added Smart and Master conversion templates it got even better. The latest version is equipped with a Machine Learning engine that can significantly speed up individual and batch PDF to Excel conversion.

These functionalities can prove to be very useful if you work with a lot of PDF documents that don’t have consistent table data. For instance, two monthly reports can have tables with the same structures, but the tables might not be of the same size or even on the same page.

You can input 5-10 samples of the relevant table structures you need and train a Smart template to locate and extract relevant data from PDF tables no matter where the table sits in the document.

The same training process applies to Master (Batch conversion) templates, as well. You can create specific document categories and corresponding conversion templates and let Able2Extract Professional do the rest. It will identify each PDF file in the queue and automatically apply the matching conversion template.

To sum it up, with these new functionalities, Able2Extract Professional 14 looks like a worthy successor to the previous version. If you want to try out the new features, you can download a trial version and test it out for 7 days.

Irish VR Team Launch Titanic Experience for PlayStation. #VR #Playstation #RMSTitanic

Irish virtual/ augmented reality (VR/AR) software firm, Immersive VR Education’s (IVRE), virtual reality Titanic experience has launched on Sony’s PlayStation. Titanic VR puts players aboard the doomed vessel the night it hit an iceberg and sank in April 1912. The Titanic experience is already available on PC, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Windows Mixed Reality.

 All aboard the RMS Titanic…

The project began its life through a Kickstarter campaign in early 2017, which raised over €57,000, with the intention of bringing the game to market on PCs and PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. Its first phase test reviews in 2017 consolidated the company’s steadfast belief in the project’s direction, and its release to market now, after an exhaustive 2-year process, is a source of great pride for the entire team.  

 Speaking of the game’s release, David Whelan, CEO of VR Education Holdings PLC, commented:

 “Titanic VR is a factually animated VR experience that tells the tragic story of the sinking of RMS Titanic as witnessed by survivors. As well as creating a realistic VR experience that tells the story of the tragedy in a compelling way, the game will also serve as a valuable resource for discovering more about the stricken ship, through a realistic exploration experience, using detailed maps and 3D models of the historic wreck site. We have used motion capture, face-scanning technology and professional voice actors to immerse users in the story and to enable them to relate to the people involved. In developing this, we wanted to create an accurate portrayal of events, so it is not only educational, but also emotional and very engaging.”

 

 

The game shares two different types of educational VR experience that bring history to life.

  • Six hours of educational gameplay, where players are tasked with navigating the wreck using their submersible and ROV.  It features eight dive missions and seven lab missions.
  • The second element is a fully immersive, historically accurate, animated experience which tells the story of the evacuation to lifeboats, based on the eye witness testimonies of survivors as the tragedy unfolded in 1912. 

 

Players can:

  • Recover various artefacts and items from the seabed and complete missions based on their recovery.
  • Choose to undertake the missions or to simply explore, admire and learn about the sheer majesty and scale of the doomed vessel.
  • Check out all hidden passageways and areas inside the wreck.
  • Navigate around and inside the wreck using their submersible and ROV, completing missions such as rescuing a lost ROV, creating a photo mosaic, placing research equipment, and working with a world-famous Director.
  • Clean and preserve recovered artefacts, upgrade the ROV, and learn all there is to know about this awe-inspiring wreck.

 

IVRE has been praised for the game’s intricate and authentic build and design process. Some highlights from the project include:

  • It is the largest animated virtual cast of characters ever based on real people inside a single VR experience.
  • It took more than 8,800 working hours to create.
  • The sinking animation is based on first-hand eye witness testimony.
  • See more http://www.vreducationholdings.com/

Apple AirPlay 2 Arrives December 11, 2018, to Bluesound. #Apple #Airplay2 #Bluesound

Bluesound, a leading developer and manufacturer of wireless multi-room music systems, today announced that all Generation 2i streaming music players will receive a much-anticipated software update that will enable Apple AirPlay 2, allowing users to stream audio from their iPhone, iPad or Mac computer to Bluesound.

On December 11th, all Bluesound customers will be prompted to update their players to the latest version of BluOS, Bluesound’s award-winning, proprietary hi-res multiroom platform. For customers with Bluesound’s newest Generation 2i players, the software update will enable AirPlay 2. Gen 2i users can then stream music services, podcasts, audiobooks, movies, games, YouTube audio, TV sound and stored music from their iPhone, iPad, or Mac computer to any Bluesound Gen 2i player on the same WiFi network. The integration also gives Apple Music listeners the ability to control playback on their Bluesound Gen 2i using Siri voice control.

From streaming music to a NODE 2i in a hi-fi system to driving the latest Netflix movie soundtrack to a PULSE SOUNDBAR 2i, AirPlay 2 seamlessly integrates the power of iOS devices with the high-fidelity audio performance of Bluesound. Multiple Bluesound Gen 2i players can synchronously play the same stream, or users can opt to push different content to individual players around the home.

The good news continues for Bluesound Gen 2i users with older Bluesound products in their home network. Using the BluOS Controller app, previous generation Bluesound players can be grouped with a new Gen 2i unit, allowing them to play the same AirPlay 2 streamed content.

With AirPlay 2, Bluesound Gen 2i has become the ideal solution for Apple users looking for premium sound quality and seamless multi-room convenience.

See https://www.bluesound.com/

YouTube Rewind: What Was Ireland Watching on YouTube in 2018? #YouTube #Ireland

YouTube today announced YouTube Rewind 2018, the annual list of Ireland’s top trending videos and music videos for the past year, offering an insight into what caught our interest and imaginations these past few months. We also post on you and if you are not following us you can do so HERE where we bring you hands on tech videos every week.

At the top of the list is this year’s ‘person who broke the internet’, 12-year-old Mason Ramsey, who performed an a cappella version of the Hank Williams country and western classic ‘Lovesick Blues’ for customers of the Harrisburg, Illinois branch of Walmart. The video became a viral hit almost overnight, making young Mason an instant celebrity: soon afterwards he appeared on talk shows, met movie stars, signed a record deal with Atlantic Records and released his first single … all within a month of appearing on YouTube.

Three amateur Irish musicians dot the list this year, with 12-year-old Cork busker Allie Sherlock appearing on the immensely popular Ellen show in the US; Westmeath’s Fr. Ray Kelly giving a stirring rendition of REM’s ‘Everybody Hurts’ on Britain’s Got Talent; and a version of Send In the Clowns by 81-year-old Evelyn Williams from Tallaght ensuring there was not a dry eye in the house on Ireland’s Got Talent. Rounding off the list was our first Eurovision finalist for five years, Ryan O’Shaughnessy, and his emotive song ‘Together’.

Both unity and division were also evident in 2018’s list: Kylie Jenner and her boyfriend Travis Scott introduced the world to their daughter Stormi via the moving video ‘To Our Daughter’, while vlogger David Dobrik had somewhat less positive news in ‘We Broke Up’, a video with actress Liza Koshy in which they announce their tearful split to the world.

Finally, 2018’s version of “The Dress” was the “Yanny vs. Laurel” debate, which was solved using science by the AsapSCIENCE YouTube channel (spoiler: it’s laurel); Carpool Karaoke kept its perennial spot in the Top 10 with Ariana Grande’s energetic appearance on the show earlier this year; and before we beat the All Blacks last month, Irish rugby fans couldn’t get enough of Johnny Sexton’s epic last-minute drop-goal to secure the rugby Grand Slam for Ireland.

YouTube was also pleased to announce the Irish launch this year of both YouTube Music, the company’s new streaming music service that allows ad-free and offline access to YouTube’s extensive music catalogue, and YouTube Premium, which gives similarly ad-free and offline access to YouTube’s entire video content, including its exclusive YouTube Originals productions. The services are priced at €9.99 and €11.99 per month respectively – visit YouTube.com for more.

Top 10 YouTube Videos in Ireland 2018 (excluding major label music videos)

  1. Walmart Yodelling Kid
  2. Kylie Jenner: To Our Daughter
  3. 12-Year-Old Irish Busker Brings Her Amazing Talents to Ellen
  4. Britain’s Got Talent 2018 – Ireland’s Father Ray Kelly Sings a Version of REM’s ‘Everybody Hurts’
  5. Do You Hear “Yanny” or “Laurel”? (SOLVED with SCIENCE)
  6. “We Broke Up”
  7. Ariana Grande Carpool Karaoke
  8. Eurovision 2018 – Ireland’s Ryan O’Shaughnessy Sings ‘Together’
  9. Rugby Six Nations 2018 – Sexton kicks incredible 45m drop kick to win the match
  10. Ireland’s Got Talent 2018 – 81-year-old Evelyn stuns the judges

SJCAM Gimbal 2 – Capture judder free, smooth videos with the new Gimbal 2 #vlogging #tech #SJCAM

SJCAM, the action camera manufacturer,has announced the new Gimbal 2 is now available worldwide. Perfect for recording action whilst being immersed in it, the Gimbal 2 is compatible with SJCAM models such as the SJ8 Plus, SJ8 Pro, SJ8 Air and other popular action camera brands such as the GoPro Hero, YI Cam and Sony RXO.
The much-improved SJ Gimbal 2 comes with brushless motors and, unlike most gimbals, is able to perform 4 different functions:
:: Basic Follow Mode – this is the default function; a smooth horizontal-only rotation will occur towards the same direction as the Gimbal handle
:: Lock Mode – this keeps the gimbal locked in one particular direction. You can easily change the direction, pan and tilt using the joystick.
:: Free Follow Mode – gimbal will follow according to the direction at which the handle is pointing, including up and down
:: Selfie angle – Pressing the mode button twice switches the camera direction toward the person holding it – excellent for vlogging!
Where traditional servo gimbals are slow to react and can result in jittering in videos due to mechanical limitations, the brushless motors in the SJ Gimbal 2 rotate smoother and react instantly. This means the Gimbal 2 is very responsive, which results in judder-free, stable-looking videos. The 3-axis stabilization gives you more range of motion (320° tilting, 320° rolling and 640° panning) – and the third motor greatly reduces vibrations as it helps to counter any unwanted movements in the yaw axis.


The Gimbal 2 battery will last up to 6 hours on one charge, and the LED lights easily show you how much battery is left at a glance – each of the 4 LEDs accounts for 25% of battery charge. Any action camera mounted on the Gimbal 2 can be charged using the Gimbal’s battery – simply attach the included cable and you can add up to 90 minutes recording time. Finally, SJCAM’s Gimbal 2 can be seamlessly controlled via a Bluetooth-capable smartphone via the SJCAM Zone app.


The Gimbal 2 is now available on discounted sale from Amazon.co.uk at RRP £77.60 or in a bundle with the SJCAM SJ7 Star action camera for RRP £222.59.

SJCAM’s SJ Gimbal 2 is now on a discounted sale when purchased as a bundle. One notable camera that it is currently bundled with is the SJ7 Star, a high-quality camera that shoots 4K videos and takes 16MP pictures. The focus on high quality build and the aluminium body makes the SJ7 Star stronger than other plastic action cameras on the market. Together with the ability to record in 4K, you can shoot videos in full HD 1080p at 120fps and any slow motion shots can also be recorded in full HD. The Star includes a waterproof case inside the box, which means you can take photos and videos up to 30m underwater for those activities that involve swimming. Its built in WiFi means you can immediately share photos and videos. Ideally paired, this bundle of action camera and gimbal costs just RRP £222.59.
For more information please visit www.sjcam.com/product/gimbal2/

Google Launches Santa Tracker. #SantaTracker #Christmas #SantasVillage #Apps

It is that time of year again when we see all things Santa only this time around Google has something up their sleeves called Santa Tracker and lots more.

This is a message from Mrs Claus to children (young and not so young) and families in Ireland reminding them about Google Santa Tracker!

It’s the 15th year of Santa’s Village, an interactive holiday hub where you can play games to learn coding skills, create original artwork, exercise your geographic chops, and more. Here’s what’s new this year:

Entertain yours-elf with a new game🧝

With our Elf Maker, you can customize an elf from head to toe to make sure they’re stylin’ for all of the holiday shindigs happening on the North Pole this year. Choose an outfit, accessories, hairstyle, and even facial hair to add some flair to your little friend.

Giving you a better way to follow Santa

One of the hardest parts about being married to Santa is that he always forgets to let me know where he is. This year, I’ve enlisted our elite team of cartographelves to let everyone know where he is as soon as he takes off from the North Pole. In the days leading up to Christmas, Santa will share his location with you on Google Maps so you can see his travels as he moves across the map. Follow along with him there or on our Santa Tracker dashboard on December 24—so you don’t miss his visit.

Going global for the holiday season

From beaches to blizzards, you can get a better glimpse into how people all over the world are spending the holidays. You’ll see holiday photos from Local Guides and you can test your knowledge of holiday traditions with a festive quiz powered by Google Earth and Street View. Curious about how to say “Season’s Greetings” or “Happy New Year” in other languages? Check out our Translations game to take your snowmenclature to new heights.

These and other educational games, lesson plans, PDFs and instructional videos can be found in Santa’s Village starting today. If you want more holiday fun, make sure to tell the Google Assistant to tell you a holiday story or starting December 23, ask, “Hey Google, where’s Santa?”. And make sure to keep things festive with new Gboard holiday stickers found on iOS and Android, and in the Santa Tracker Android App.

Review – The Sony Xperia XZ3 #Sony #XperiaXZ3 #Tech

The Sony Xperia XZ3 came in a standard box with no case and some accessories, Other manufacturers take note when it comes to dongles! The phone is longer than most phones used but not as wide as many allowing single hand texting. The buttons are located on the right edge allowing again one hand use.  The square edges design and sharp corners as seen on the older XZ1 has gone.. Finally!

The Sony Xperia XZ3 looks more like an S8 in term of feel but longer & wider. Both are unclear which is the top or bottom of the phone without pressing a button.  The Xperia XZ3 is dust-proof and protected from water damage, can be (in theory) full immersed in 1.5 meters for water for up to 30 minutes). IP65/68 water-resistant design & Corning Gorilla Glass 5. The screen is OLED covered in Gorilla Glass 5, with aluminium chassis, the phone came with no propriety pin to access the sim card, instead allowing a thumb or finger, to open the flap located at the bottom left of the phone to reveal the SIM card slot. Jim gives a first impression here in the unboxing below.

Highlight Specification

  • 6.0” HDR OLED display with X-Reality™ for mobile (QHD+)
  • Sony’s Dynamic Vibration System for immersive entertainment
  • 19 MP Motion Eye™ camera with Smart launch
  • Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 845 Mobile Platform
  • IP65/68 water-resistant design4 & Corning® Gorilla® Glass 5

The phone came with great Camera apps, e.g. 3D Creator, the 3D Creator allows high-resolution 3D scanning, creating 3D models of physical objects in a matter of seconds. This is a great feature of this phone which was previously discussed on

https://techbuzzireland.com/2018/06/06/review-sony-xperia-xz2-sony-xperia/

The camera had other impressive features e.g.  Bokeh which allows you focus on an object on the screen and allows you to blur out the backroad images, this was impressive for Instagram photos.  The 19MP Motion Eye camera software developed over years on Sony camera allowed the camera to make decisions on the image and utilise 4K HDR Movie recording or film 960fps Super slow motion in Full HD resolution.

 Applications:

  • 3D Creator
  • Music
  • Album for photo & video
  • Movie Creator
  • AR effect
  • Xperia Lounge

The phone has an abundant of Apps pre-installed on the phone, Sketch – Draw & Paint comes pre-installed on the phone and worked absolutely, touching the screen to draw/quality gave a great quality, lines were clear and easily use.  It’s good to see AVG antivirus pre-installed on the phone, ensuring security is paramount, these apps can be got from the playstore but good to see pre-installed.  The Sony Xperia XZ3 can be used as a Remote  for  the Playstation. The pop out app screen was annoying until you got familiar to the pop-out screen.

SONY IRELAND CHRISTMAS TECH

Display Screen:

  • 6.0”, 18:9 OLED QHD+ (2880 x 1440) HDR display 5
  • TRILUMINOS™ Display for mobile
  • X-Reality™ for mobile
  • Dynamic Contrast Enhancer
  • HDR up-conversion

The screen is OLED which was immense, watching video on YouTube or Netflix shows a remarkable difference as compared to other phones. The colour and details stood out. Sony vast experience in the area showing its high-contrast, colour and detail of High Dynamic Range (HDR) was superior. The definition on the screen can be so good that on some videos its shows the limitation of a poor-quality video, is like have an old camera phone photo displayed on a 46’’TV you can see the limitations, this was notices on older videos. Some videos were compared with an iPhone, Samsung phone and this Sony product. Sony quality was noticeably different on the screen.

 

Audio:

Sound as expected from Sony was excellent with a bonus connector in the box allowing the use of the USB Type-C™ to 3.5mm Audio Jack Adapter. The audio seemed realistic with the use of an internal speaker, the Sound was loud and clear, the specification was of high-end. To top it of the dynamic vibration is an extra treat and this should be a standard.

  • High-Resolution Audio (LPCM, FLAC, ALAC, DSD)
  • DSEE HX™
  • LDAC
  • ClearAudio+
  • Stereo speaker with S-Force Front Surround
  • Stereo Recording
  • Qualcomm® aptX™ HD audio11
  • Automatic Headphone Optimisation
  • Virtual Phones Technology

 Conclusion:

The Sony has all the usual features expected in a high-end Android phone, Fingerprint sensor, great camera, OLED (organic light-emitting diodes) display, excellent sound. The Gorilla Glass 5 and IP65/68 water-resistant ensured the phone can take a knock or two. The battery used Smart Stamina to increase the battery life. The Aluminium frame which looked good had issues due to the slippery nature of the design resulting the phone could fall out of a pocket/hand easily. This however can be addressed with some phone cases which Jim will have covered.

The camera is lower in the back of the phone, which can result in the finger blocking the camera.  Ignoring the niggles of personal choice, this is a Smartphone, looks good, feed good, works great, excellent software, abundance of advance features is a favourite from Sony.

 

https://www.sonymobile.com/ie/products/phones/xperia-xz3/display/   €799

Review – The NUU G2 affordable premium smartphone. Its Solid. #NUU #G2 #mobile #tech

The  €1000 euro plus phone boom is going to be over soon as now we have many new players in the market offering great specs at half the price why would you go out and spend that much?? Ok we can argue this that and the other and I can’t exactly talk myself with my own personal device portfolio but over the last few months I have been testing phones much cheaper and for the average joe soap they are more than adequate and I have enjoyed testing out many of these affordable devices and one company who has recently entered the Irish market is NUU with affordable phones and the most recent device to test was the NUU G2

UNBOXING THE NUU G2 AND UI WALKTHROUGH

The build quality alone on this device is excellent just to begin with a smooth finish and sooth edges it easily passes for a more expensive phone than it is.Then you move around to the back to see the dual camera set-up ,flash and a fingerprint scanner which is the norm today even for flagship devices although some are now racing out to see how many lenses they can put at the rear of the phone which is getting ridiculous, take a look at the Pixel 3XL for example.. ONE LENS..

Also you get a case thrown in for good measure and after that you are good to go. They keys on the device are also tactile and work well given they are on the smaller size and not as raised as some can be,all in all it works well and feels great to hold and use.

The 5.99 inch and 18:9 ratio screen means the G2 is ideal for media consumption on the go or at home and the display is not too dim either and to top it off it has a huge battery at 4000mAh to keep you going for a day easily, I am a power user but needed to top up in the evening but for the average user easily a full day will be seen here.

 The camera is also not shabby. With a dual setup being 20MP and 2MP with flash. Sometimes it was a hit an miss with photos but overall it was a fine experience for those not to worried about the imagery higher end flagships can post out but in some instance this did quite well compared. You can see image and video footage below and some images shot here I done the same with my Pixel 3XL which are on my twitter and insta feeds you will easily spot them. You also need not worry about storage as you get 64GB internal and that can be expanded via micro sd to 128GB.

Consuming media was fine nothing to worry about here, Again this is for the average user who is not a PPI freak and you would find it hard to differ bar a slightly darker screen on some occasions but in general its good for the money. Using headphones the sound was fine again nothing to worry about and the speaker is plenty aloud.

 

For gamers you will be fine on low processing games but the higher end games sometimes dropped frame rates but in general it will run fine but I am not much of a mobile gamer personally and tried a few known heavy processing games but for the average games now used on phones today it zips along.

Call quality was fine too and both ends crisp and clear and to sum things up and keep it simple, If you are on a budget you cant really go wrong here for an overall solid performer and to top it off its a looker too but I would go for the Blue version. Like I have been saying for a while now the cost to performance ratio is coming down and this fits in well here considering whats out there.

See more on the NUU G2