August introduces wireless multiroom audio to its range with the WS350 2.2 stereo speaker.

August International, a UK based consumer electronics company with a vision to inspire smart innovation, today announced the launch of the WS350 wireless multiroom 2.2 stereo speaker, designed for consumers looking for a stylish and affordable solution to playing music throughout their home. 

Dual 15W drivers combined with a fashionable wooden design, means the WS350 looks and sounds incredible, whether in the living room, kitchen or bedroom. Working in conjunction with the August ‘ALink’ app, the WS350 can be connected to a home wireless network, allowing for a multiroom setup with other compatible devices. Users can easily pre-set favourite radio stations or playlists via the app, as well as connect to different music streaming services, all of which can then be accessed at the click of a button.

Stylish and versatile with a quality timeless wood finish, the WS350 is perfect for any room, big or small. A powerful 30W speaker delivers clear and precise audio, providing crisp trebles, rich mids and a deep bass. The WS350 offers users multiple ways to connect and listen to their favourite tunes wherever they are. WiFi provides the ultimate listening experience by enabling a multiroom setup, allowing up to four WS series speakers (either the WS150, WS300 or Venus WiFi speaker) to be connected and controlled on one network.

The entire house can be filled with music or different songs can be played in each room, users can even take tunes out into the garden with them due to an extended signal range. For use on the go or where WiFi isn’t available, there is the option to connect smartphones and tablets via Bluetooth or the 3.5mm input. An ultra-long-life battery means the WS350 can play music for up to 15 hours wire-free on a single charge.

The August ‘ALink’ app enables users to control the WS350 and play music from iTunes or streaming services such as Spotify or Napster. When more than one speaker is connected, it allows users to select which music service is played on each individual speaker, tailoring the ambience throughout the house. The EQ levels can be adjusted to suit any style or situation and additionally, favourite radio stations or playlists can also be pre-set through the app. The WS350 can also be controlled via a panel on the top of the unit. It features three pre-set buttons as well as previous, play/pause and next buttons with the previous and next buttons also acting as volume controls when held down. Users can also switch between WiFi and Bluetooth with the M (Mode) button.

The August WS350 RRPs at £149.95 and more information can be found on https://www.augustint.com/en/productmsg-304-337.html. As part of August’s Black Friday deals, the WS350 will be available for £79.95 from https://idaffodil.co.uk/consumer-electronic-deals-offers/blackfriday.html

Reviewed – The August Bluetooth Hat

Reviewed – The August Smart Health Wristband

Reviewed – The August Bluetooth LED desklamp.

 

Brainwavz introduces its balanced armature 3D printed Koel earphones. #earphones #3D

Global audio specialist Brainwavz, established in 2008 with a focus on offering high quality products at a competitive price, today announces the availability of its Koel balanced armature earphones.

The Koel hope to continue where the other recent Brainwavz earphones left off with the B200 receiving 5 star reviews and the B400 being awarded the best in ear earphone at the coveted Trusted Reviews awards 2018. The Koel earphones are available from www.brainwavzaudio.com for £53.20/€60.39/$69.50.

The balanced armature in-ear-monitors (IEM’s) play host to one of the finest earphone drivers around. They are tuned to produce a balanced and accurate sound signature, with little to no colouring, presenting a truly genuine audio experience and a great introduction to the world of refined audio.

The Koel are a lightweight and ergonomic, created to sit comfortably in the ear for true fit-and-forget experience. The unique shells have been designed and printed in-house using state-of-the-art 3D resin printers, enabling a shape not possible by normal manufacturing methods whilst the rest of the Koel has been assembled using components from USA and Europe.

The Koel earphones are accompanied by one detachable MMCX 3.5mm cable, 6 sets of silicone ear tips, and one set of Comply™ T-100 memory foam tips to ensure a perfect fit. A stylish carrying case is also included to protect the earphones.

Brainwavz continues to add to its following of loyal fans with its reputation for affordable audio products of great quality, value for money and superb after sales service including a 24 month warranty. Brainwavz’s unique approach to manufacturing ensures they are always in control and quick to develop and bring products to market.

SPECIFICATIONS:

  • Drivers : Single Balanced Armature
  • Rated Impedance : 30Ω
  • Frequency Range : 16 Hz ~ 22 kHz
  • Sensitivity : 105 dB at 1 mW
  • Cable : Detachable
  • Cable Connector : MMCX
  • Plug : 3.5 mm, Gold plated

 

INCLUDED ACCESSORIES:

  • Earphone Hard case
  • 6x Sets of Silicone Ear Tips (S M L)
  • Set of Comply™ Foam Tips T-100
  • 1x MMCX 3.5mm Cable (Detachable)
  • Shirt Clip
  • Velcro Cable Tie
  • Instruction Manual
  • Warranty Card (24 month warranty)

The Brainwavz 3D printed balanced armature Koel earphones are available for £53.20/€60.39/$69.50 here

New GPS tracking system allows companies to manage assets in a smarter and more efficient way. #GPS #FleetManagement

Verizon Connect is expanding its fleet management system REVEAL with a solution that enables businesses in Ireland to manage assets in addition to their fleet of vehicles.

With the launch of the new GPS tracking system for assets, companies can gain insight into the location and performance of valuable assets such as cranes, trailers and excavators. As a result, they will be able to deploy their assets optimally, plan maintenance more efficiently and help reduce the risk of theft and other types of unauthorised usage.

Derek Bryan, EMEA Vice President, Verizon Connect: “At Verizon Connect, we are committed to ensuring that businesses in Ireland have the tools to harness the power of data from every company asset. Many companies in Ireland already rely on our solution to help them manage their vehicles and employees but being able to track other valuable equipment and assets will further help them drive efficiencies, lower operational costs and improve their planning.”

Insight in location, usage and productivity assets

Similar to REVEAL’s system for vehicles, the new asset tracking system offers the ability to access data in both near real time and historically to understand where equipment is and where it has been. It is also possible to see if machinery is running and how often it is used. This gives users and managers insights into equipment utilization and determining which assets should be moved elsewhere within the organisation or perhaps cycled out of use.

Asset maintenance and control

REVEAL’s asset tracking solution also offers users a variety of options to help minimise theft risk and other unauthorised usage. For example, it is possible to set up alerts that send managers a warning when equipment is turned on or moved outside of working hours – or when machinery is moved outside of its designated location.

Tractor cultivating field at spring

 

To help companies plan the maintenance of their assets more efficiently and maximise uptime, REVEAL’s asset tracking solution also enables companies to record when trailers and other equipment are due for maintenance. For each asset, the system keeps a log and alerts can be configured based on planned maintenance or predetermined options, including engine hours.

For more information on the REVEAL fleet management solution visit https://www.verizonconnect.com/ie/solutions/gps-asset-tracking/

Irish Virtual Reality Company Scoops Prestigious Television Accolade. #VR #VirtualReality

A VR experience film created by Immersive VR Education, an Irish virtual/augmented reality software outfit, run by Sandra & David Whelan, has won the award for the best Interactive experience at the Royal Television Society (RTS) Northern Ireland Programme Awards 2018, which took place on Thursday night at the MAC (Metropolitan Arts Centre) in Belfast.

The wife-husband team attended the ceremony, along with colleagues from the BBC team, and were presented with the award at a star-studded bash – beating stiff competition from 360 Productions, who were the other finalists shortlisted in the category.

The RTS Programme Awards span all the genres of television programming, recognising exceptional actors, presenters, writers and production teams as well as the programmes themselves. The RTS Awards seek to recognise programmes which have made a material and positive contribution to their genre.

 L to R: Bronagh Waugh, Actress; Warren Bell, BBC Rewind; David Whelan, Immersive VR Education; Jeremy Biggerstaff from Flint Studios . Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye.

 

A Winning Creation: “1943: Berlin Blitz”

In February of this year, the Waterford-based company won a commission from the BBC Northern Ireland’s ‘Rewind’ archive innovation team, in conjunction with the BBC’s central VR Hub, to work on the creation.

“1943: Berlin Blitz” puts viewers in the shoes of BBC war correspondent Wynford Vaughan-Thomas, and allows them to retrace his journey on a genuine bombing raid to Berlin at the height of the Second World War. The creation takes the viewer into the belly of a Lancaster bomber high over Berlin, with anti-aircraft shells bursting all around, while Wynford’s dramatic commentary vividly captures both the danger and the excitement of the bombing raid.

Speaking of the win David Whelan, CEO & Co-founder of Immersive VR Education,

“Winning this award has taken us to another level in terms of what our company has achieved to date. Looking out from the stage last night at some of the biggest names in the TV and broadcasting industry was surreal, and to know that we were up there because of something we developed from scratch was tremendously gratifying and, in all honesty, quite emotional”.

David spoke of the work undertaken by the Immersive VR Team to bring the Berlin Blitz experience to life,

“From inception to creation the project took 6 of the company’s 34-person team 4 months in total to build!

The beginning project has been hugely exciting for us & working with the BBC VR Hub was a fantastic experience. Initiatives like this really allow us to move forward on the primary goal of the company, which is to bring immersive VR technology to distance learning and to transform how people all over the world learn and experience events both past and present”.

Sandra Whelan, COO & Co-founder of Immersive VR Education, described the process,

“To create the experience, the team gathered hundreds of photographs of Lancaster bombers and all of the original mission data in order to recreate the historic event. We pretty much recreated the mission with everything being historically accurate, right down to the smouldering Berlin landscape below.”

Immersive VR Education used BBC Archive footage of the original radio broadcast of Wynford Vaughan-Thomas’ report that went out over the airwaves on 4 September 1943, just a few hours after the Lancaster Bomber plane landed back at RAF Langar in Nottinghamshire.

The Lancaster was the most successful heavy bomber employed by the RAF in World War Two and, along with the Spitfire, became something of a British icon in the wake of the war. More than 7,000 of the planes were built, flying upwards of 150,000 sorties.

Motif’s professional photographers share their top tips on how to take the perfect Christmas picture

Soon, families across the country will be grabbing their cameras to take the Christmas family photo that will be sent to families and friends, but you don’t need to be a professional photographer, or have the best camera money can buy to create the perfect professional Christmas card photo.

The professional photographers at Motif, which has just launched in Ireland, are here to give you some tips for creating the picture perfect Christmas card. The team at Motif has over a decade of experience of printing photos into amazing books and gifts:

Here’s the top tips on setting up the perfect photo from the experts at Motif:

Clothing: ‘Think about what your family should wear in the Christmas photo and try to have a single theme reflected the photo. But don’t go overboard and have everyone wear the same thing.’

Varying heights: ‘Try to keep everyone – including babies and pets – at the same height. Holding up a puppy close to your face will look cute and also stop your favourite pooch from running away!’

Lighting: ‘Make sure the light is in front of you. If the light is behind you, it creates unnecessary shadows – this is Christmas not Halloween.’

Props and decorations: ‘Remember that your beautiful Christmas tree and decorations are only props, and the true stars of the photo are your family members. Don’t fight with the decorations…’

Outdoor photos: ‘If you’re thinking about taking a photo outside, timing is key. With the days getting shorter, there are less opportunities to find great lighting. Later mornings and early afternoons are ideal, and don’t be afraid to take photos on a cloudy day.’

Poses: ‘Avoid false smiles, a photo can really capture the spirit of Christmas. Singing songs or telling jokes are great ways to loosen everyone up and get them feeling festive.’

Focus: ‘Everyone should have one point of focus, whether that be the Christmas tree, the camera, or the delicious meal that you’re about to sit down to. This ensures that anyone looking at the photo will be able to share the same sentiment as you and your family.’

For more information, please visit motifphotos.com.

First look – The Jabra Elite Active 65t in Copper Red. #JabraElite65t #Tech #Jabra

I have been waiting on these since their announcement and today the finally arrived. The All new Jabra Elite Active 65t in the beautiful Copper RED.. I have been using the Elite 65t from Jabra and the Wireless earbuds and they never disappoint and I expect the same from this pair but the colour is what I love most and they stand out and moves away from the industry standard colours we tend to see. We will today have a quick look and unboxing and if you have any questions feel free to ask.

 

The Jabra Elite Active 65t in a fiery red, copper tone that’s sure to turn heads. The Elite Active 65t is the perfect gift for active lifestyles. The secure fitting earbuds promise a snug fit and a dependable in-ear stability, so you’ll never have to compromise on your active lifestyle while enjoying quality music and call experience.

With a 2-year warranty against sweat and dust, the Jabra Elite Active 65t provides up to 5 hours of battery life from a single charge, and up to 15 hours in total with the pocket-friendly charging case, taking you from start to finish as you go through your day.

See Jabra for more Info

Amazon

Google starts to roll out Night Sight. Tips and tricks inside. #Google #NightSight #Pixel3XL

Google is now rolling out is much-anticipated Night Sight feature for its Pixel phones, a ground-breaking AI-driven feature announced first at the Made By Google event on October 9th.

Night Sight allows regulars users to capture vibrant and detailed low-light photos without a flash or tripod, or without any specialist knowledge – just switch on the feature, point, and shoot.

The Pixel phones have been available in Ireland via Vodafone and the Google Store since November 1st, with prices ranging from €899 (64GB) and €959 (128GB) for the Pixel 3, and €999 (64 GB) and €1099 (128GB) for the Pixel 3 XL.

The blog post outlining in more detail the exciting new Night Sight feature, which can also be read online.

OUR GOOGLE PIXLEl 3XL REVIEW 

NEED A CASE FOR YOUR PIXEL 3XL CHECK OUR REVIEWS TO DATE

Night Sight adapts to you and the environment so you can capture the moment effortlessly. Here are some additional tips to get the most out of your phone’s camera in low light:

  • If you’re taking a photo of someone, ask them to hold still for a few seconds before and after you press the shutter button.
  • Hold the phone steady. If you can, try propping it against a stable surface.
  • Make sure the camera lens is clean. It can accumulate oil from fingerprints, creating blurry and soft photos.
  • Try tapping on or around your subject to help your camera focus when taking photos in very dark conditions.
  • Avoid pointing your camera at bright light sources, which may cause unwanted reflections in your photo.
  • Cameras don’t work in complete darkness, so you’ll still need some light to capture a photo.

Review – The Alcatel 1. For your first android it does the job. #Acatel #Alcatel1

The box came in a conforming box with the specifications clearly label on the side on the box. The 5-inch display with 480 x 960 pixels and an 18:9 aspect ratio. The first touch felt thicker with sharper corners than experienced in many recent phones. The back felt plastic but comfortable to hold in one hand, the visual display not as good as seen on other phones. The phone is available in Black, Gold, Blue.

 Dimensions:

  • Dimensions 5.42 x 2.59 x 0.39 inches (137.6 x 65.7 x 9.8 mm)
  • Weight 4.73 oz (134 g) the average is 5.8 oz (167 g)

 Key Features:

  • 5-inch 960 x 480 LCD
  • MediaTek MT6739 CPU
  • 1GB RAM
  • 8GB storage + microSD

·         5MP rear camera                                                                                            

  • 2000mAh batt

Warranty

  • Alcatel offers a 24-month handset warranty and six months battery warranty.

 Setup:

The phone came as a standard Android setup. The power on, booth up took longer than expected as compared to other more expensive models.  The typical options Synchronising contacts in multiple accounts was on the phone. The initial setup resulted in 2 / 3 crashes resulting in the phone required to be powered down and on again.

Camera:

The camera menu is distracting and vague on the phone, the 5MP rear camera was blurry and unclear, the picture quality was poor when compared to many new phones. The phone image via the camera seemed blurry, spinning the phone around the room resulted in a blurry image on the screen.

 Radio:

The phone came with an inbuilt FM radio and RDS (2) functionality, the phone can be used as a traditional radio with the option to store 6 favourites channels or with visual information related to the radio program displayed.  The Alcatel 1 comes with  Headphones 3.5mm connector which is a declining trend on many new phones. (Earphones supplied) The Headphones Jack and radio are positive on this phone.

 

 Conclusion:

This phone is a budget phone that makes and receives calls but not a phone to watch extended video content or play 3D games. The 2000mAh battery life reduced considerably when trying to play games. YouTube video playing resulted in the phone crashing on occasions.  The Smartphone is powered by a quad-core MediaTek MT6739 processor,1.28GHz quad-core aided by 1 GB of RAM, the processor and RAM is of low spec ensuring multitasking is not practical on this phone. The booth up took longer than expected, waiting around until the android phone set up.  The 480 x 960 pixels display is nothing exciting, but the touch screen scroll felt meagre when sliding between screens.

The phone crashed on occasions which may be down to the negligible 1GB of RAM as compared to other phones. The Alcatel 1 is a budget phone that has the main features of an Android phone, scientific calculator, currency check, unit conversion etc but lacks a punch. The phone has good support centre on the phone app, FAQ, contact us, feedback, e-warranty, hardware diagnostic, device info etc

The Alcatel 1 would not be a phone for demanding teens due to the requirement of a good high-end camera, this may be a phone for an older generation that requires to make and receive calls without the need for a good camera. However for a first phone perhaps for the younger teens it would suffice.

BUY ON https://www.eir.ie/store/mobile/phones/prepay/alcatel-1/

Dell EMC and GirlCrew host third SupperClub to mark Dublin Start-up Week #StartUpWeek #DellEMC

The third Dell EMC Supper Club, in partnership with GirlCrew has been announced to take place on Wednesday 21st November to mark Dublin Start-Up Week 2018. The Dell EMC SupperClub is an initiative to support female entrepreneurs as they work to grow their businesses and their networks.

The Supper Club meets regularly, bringing female entrepreneurs at similar stages on their start-up journey together around a table to exchange advice and to share ideas and strategies for success.

Dell EMC has a strong track record of supporting budding female entrepreneurs. The company runs the Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network (DWEN), an annual gathering of female entrepreneurs established to address some of the challenges faced by women when starting and growing their business. In the most recent summit in Toronto, DWEN brought together female leaders from across the globe to connect with networks, sources of capital, knowledge and technology.

Building on that success, a special DWEN Women Funding Women event will be held in Dublin in early February to create new links between female entrepreneurs and potential investors who can fuel their scale-up success.

Commenting on the series, Aisling Keegan, Vice-President and Commercial General Manager, Dell EMC Ireland said: “Dell EMC is delighted to announce the third in our SupperClub series that look to nurture today’s start-up female entrepreneurs to become tomorrow’s scale-up success stories. We have consistently received feedback from women entrepreneurs from around Ireland highlighting the value of fostering a network and facilitating the exchange of ideas with other female entrepreneurs as invaluable in helping them to grow their businesses.

“At each SupperClub, we bring twenty female entrepreneurs together around a table to share their experiences and successes over dinner. It’s an exciting and intimate series for us to be involved in, where our team members from Dell EMC have the opportunity to share advice on how to build for growth and scale from day one, how to navigate international markets, embrace digital transformation and access finance. I’m really looking forward to the upcoming one marking Dublin Start-Up Week, it’s set to be a great night.”

Pamela Newenham, Co-Founder, GirlCrew said: “We’re excited to be working with Dell EMC on this series which has proved to be really successful since it started. GirlCrew is a platform for women to make friends and these SupperClubs perfectly complement what we do. We love how relaxed the atmosphere is, yet our attendees get so much out of the night while really enjoying themselves. I have no doubt the 21st November will be another great night as we have some great speakers lined up!” 

Speakers at the third Dell EMC Supper Club on Wednesday, 21st November include Sophie Feruch, Co-Founder of AnyGym and Nuala Murphy, CEO of Moment Health. They will be interviewed on the evening by Ci Moulton from GirlCrew.

Entrepreneurs looking to take part will receive more information through the Dell EMC social channels as well as through GirlCrew. To find out more log onto www.girlcrew.com.