Tag: #app

Sony launches the Apple TV App on select smart TVs. #Sony #AppleTv #Tech

Sony Europe today announced that customers can now access the Apple TV app on select Sony smart TVs to enjoy Apple TV+, Apple TV channels, new and popular movies, and personalised and curated recommendations. The Apple TV app will begin rolling out today in Europe on Sony’s XH90 series via a software update.

The Apple TV app brings together all the ways to watch shows and movies in one place. The app features Apple TV+, Apple’s new video subscription service offering original shows, movies and documentaries from the world’s most creative storytellers, including ‘The Morning Show,’ ‘See,’ ‘Defending Jacob,’ ‘Ted Lasso,’ ‘Greyhound,’ ‘The Banker,’ ‘Boys State’ and ‘Beastie Boys Story.’ Also on the Apple TV app, customers can subscribe to Apple TV channels and watch ad-free and on demand, directly on the Apple TV app. Through Family Sharing, up to six family members can share subscriptions to Apple TV channels using their personal Apple ID and password.

Sony’s smart TVs provide users with easy access to a range of content and services. With Sony’s best-in-class family of X1 processors, TRILUMINO Display and immersive sound features, customers can experience content just as the creator intended with the Apple TV app. Sony’s smart TV users can browse the Apple TV app to buy or rent more than 100,000 movies and TV shows, including titles available in 4K HDR and with Dolby Atmos, as well as enjoy personalised and curated recommendations and access their library of movie and TV show purchases from Apple. Select Sony TVs also support AirPlay 2 and HomeKit. With AirPlay 2, customers can effortlessly play videos and other content from their iPhone, iPad or Mac directly to their smart TV. HomeKit allows customers to easily and securely control Sony’s smart TVs using the Home app or by asking Siri on their Apple devices.

Customers can subscribe to Apple TV+ on the Apple TV app on Sony’s smart TVs, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod touch, Mac and other platforms, including at tv.apple.com, for €4.99/£4.99 per month. For a limited time, customers who purchase a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod touch or Mac can enjoy one year of Apple TV+ for free.

The Apple TV app will launch on Sony’s select 2018 TV models and most 2019 and 2020 models by the end of the year.

To learn more, please visit https://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/televisions/xh90-series.

The Derry Group launches new employee engagement and communications app @_ThriveApp

The Derry Group, a one stop shop for the distribution, storage and order picking of chilled and frozen products has today announced the launch of its new employee engagement app, Thrive.App.

Their flagship company Derry Refrigerated Transport is a leading service provider for chilled and frozen distribution throughout Ireland, the UK and Europe. Derry Refrigerated Transport is the first haulage company in Ireland to sign up to the newest self-service, rapid deployment Thrive.App which brings together the key features needed for businesses to power up their internal communications for their frontline teams.

With hundreds of employees working across multiple locations in Ireland, communication, organisational engagement and information sharing is essential for the growing business.

In order to meet the additional challenges presented by the current global pandemic and the fact that the company works out of various locations throughout the country The Derry Group recognises the need to look at new ways in which all employees can more effectively communicate and share information with each other.

Commenting on the deployment of the new Thrive.App, Patrick Derry, Managing Director, said,

“We have worked hard to build and transform our business to what it is today, and our employees are key to our success. It is important to us that we give them everything they need to carry out their roles successfully as well as feeling supported and recognised for what they do. With the Thrive.App our employees can now easily access the information they need to support them in their role, they see important updates as they occur, and they know what is happening across all areas of the business.

The launch of Thrive.App will bring everyone closer together, which is particularly important during the current challenges of Covid19 and the fact that we have teams in various parts of the country.

The Thrive team have provided the best support and guidance in helping us to launch the employee app and we are confident they will continue to support us to make it a success across our organisation.”

James Scott, CEO, Co-Founder of Thrive, adds; “We are delighted to help and welcome The Derry Group as a new client and look forward to working together to ensure their employee communications and engagement app is a success and loved by their teams within the Group structure whether based in Armagh, Dublin or Cork. 

Our goal is to help organisations in shifting their communications from traditional methods such as printed newsletters, notice boards and team briefings to instant, modern apps and we have loved helping The Derry Group do this. We look forward to seeing the direct positive impact the app will have on their employee communications and engagement.”

Expleo announces its role in testing COVID-19 contact tracing app. #Expleo #Covid19ireland

Expleo, the technology partner for innovative companies, today announces details of its role in the development and launch of the HSE’s COVID-19 contact tracing app. Through quality assurance and software testing, the company was responsible for ensuring that the app was user-friendly, fast and reliable, which involved testing it to be able to handle one million downloads in an hour.

The app, which at the time of issue has been downloaded more than one million times, and we take a look at here was developed by the HSE and Department of Health, with input from An Garda Síochána, Science Foundation Ireland and private partners from Ireland’s technology sector. It notifies users if they have been in close contact with someone with COVID-19, defining a close contact as someone who was within two metres of a confirmed case for 15 minutes or more. To find out more about the COVID Tracker app, or to download it, visit www.covidtracker.ie.

Expleo’s test team started work on the project on 17th March 2020 and since that date, carried out approximately 3,400 individual software tests before the app’s launch. The work totalled 4,727 man hours – the equivalent of almost 591 working days. A total of 26 Expleo employees were involved in the project, while a core team of 10 led and oversaw testing.

To ensure that a user’s surroundings, or large crowds, did not negatively impact the performance of the app – and to ensure the safety of the testers – testing was carried out in multiple simulated environments with multiple devices. Testing was later carried out on public transport to ensure that users only received notifications when appropriate.

Phil Codd, Managing Director, Expleo Ireland

Additional testing included:

  • Performance testing – Expleo’s quality assurance and quality engineering teams carried out load testing on the app to ensure that large volumes of people could download it at the same time without causing it to crash.
  • Exposure Notification Distance Testing – As devices have varying Bluetooth strengths, Expleo tested varying attenuation values that manage Bluetooth strength to maximise compliance with requirements.
  • Graphical user interface (GUI) testing – Expleo tested the look and feel of the app, ensuring user-friendly navigation; the correct and reliable function of all buttons; and that all content and text matched requirements.
  • Database Validation – Testers ensured that users’ anonymised data, gathered from downloads and registrations, was populated in the database without interfering with the anonymised data of other users.

Fran Thompson, CIO, HSE, said: “The COVID Tracker app is an essential addition to the HSE’s existing contact tracing work. For it to be effective, it needed to be easy to download and use, with highly responsive software that can cope with a very large user base. We chose Expleo due to their extensive experience in software testing and quality assurance. Their knowledge and commitment was invaluable in ensuring that the contact tracing app met all of the stringent targets and requirements we had set.”

 

Phil Codd, Managing Director for Ireland, Expleo, said: “The COVID-19 pandemic has had – and continues to have – a devastating impact on people and communities across Ireland. We therefore felt honoured that in recognition of our experience and expertise, we were invited by the HSE to join the fight against COVID-19 by carrying out software testing on one of the world’s first contact tracing apps.

 

“Our team went through a rigorous, lengthy process to ensure that the app is fast, reliable and easy to use. We are delighted to see such high volumes of people downloading it and hope that this will continue so that we can all work together to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection for everyone.”

MyCHI App for Staff – How Children’s Health Ireland are Supporting Staff through Coronavirus #CHI #Thrive

Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) is responsible for the delivery of acute paediatric services for children, provided in the three Dublin children’s hospital locations at Crumlin, Temple Street and Tallaght and a paediatric outpatient and urgent care centre based on the campus at Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown.

With over 4,000 people working in CHI across five locations, most are not desk-based; communication and sharing information has therefore been a challenge. The development of the new organisation, bringing three hospitals together into one on 1 January 2019 and the opening of CHI at Connolly in July 2019 also increased the need to communicate better and to engage teams through these organisational and cultural changes.

To meet the challenges, Trevor Murphy, Director of Human Resources started to look at ways in which staff and management in individual hospitals and the change programme could more effectively communicate and share information with each other.

The need for effective communication and information sharing reached a critical point with the spread of COVID-19 bringing new challenges to CHI to communicate in a timely and pervasive means with their staff. Trevor evaluated several options before deciding to proceed with Thrive. Within three weeks, CHI were up and running, using Thrive’s communication platform and app, which has be branded ‘MyCHI’, with ongoing assistance from the Thrive team.

Commenting on the new app for staff MyCHI, Trevor Murphy, Director of Human Resources said; “A massive and sincere thanks to all the Thrive team for ‘the can do’ attitude in assisting us in launching our employee app MyCHI. It is hugely welcomed by all as a great support for communicating key and important updates, information and supports for our staff at this very difficult time.

The initial feedback from staff has been overwhelmingly positive and we are excited to roll it out to our staff across all our sites, in particularly those who are working remotely due to the current guidelines on physical and social distancing

With our programme for change in preparation for our move to the new children’s hospital and the current health crisis we are facing, there has never been a more important time for us to ensure our colleagues are connected, sharing and receiving important information and feel fully supported and recognised.

Team Thrive are delighted to help and welcome CHI as a new client and we look forward to working with their team to ensure their employee communications app is engaging and reaching all team members in these challenging times.”

James Scott CEO, Co-Founder of Thrive said; “During this time of uncertainty, effective communication is vital. We are so happy that the Thrive platform and app are genuinely helping people and organisations during this challenging time. We have made adjustments to our contracts and pricing in order to be as flexible as possible to help as many organisations as we can and are delighted to have CHI join our client base.”

Irish Tech Company First to Market with Social Distancing and COVID-Compliance App for Hospitality Sector #Ordee

A tech duo from Waterford have launched a GPS-based app that will allow pubs, restaurants, gyms and other social and recreational outlets to open and do business in the new COVID-era.

The innovative technology, which is the first of its kind in the Irish marketplace, allows business owners to easily document and broadcast their venues’ compliance standards and the availability of space on their premises, to their customer base. This in turn equips patrons with the knowledge they need to make informed, real-time decisions around where they can go to socialise safely.

In its first week, 200 businesses signed up to arrange a demo of the software, and it is expected that take up of Ordee is likely to soar in the coming months, as Ireland gears up for a phased reopening.

Speaking of the new product, Ordee Co-founder Anthony Cronin,

“Publicans, restaurateurs and so many other business owners throughout the country are chomping at the bit to get back to work, but they are struggling to see how they can maintain compliance standards and still operate their business, while keeping costs down. With Ordee we have basically taken these key obstacles that businesses are facing, developed solutions to address them, and centralised the solutions in one easy to use app. It’s critical that venues can re-engage with their customer base – and Ordee will allow them to do this efficiently, cost effectively and safely”.

 

Mr. Cronin went on to outline how the app also addresses concerns from a consumer perspective,

“When the time comes, people will be itching to get out and socialise again – but there is a consistent air of concern amongst the public as to how they can do this safely. People are cognisant of the fact that they don’t want their behaviour, or the behaviour of others, to put themselves or others in jeopardy. The Ordee app is designed to go some way to alleviating these concerns”.

“Ordee” allows publicans, restauranteurs and other service providers and retailers to put their energy into their core business, while ensuring that their venue is compliant with “Return to Work Safely Guidelines”.

So How Does Ordee Work?

  • The business signs up to the program and is then listed as a venue on the app and shown on the live map to users. Businesses can segregate online bookings for space and for walk-ins
  • The user downloads the app and can check a list of venues in real time to see which venues currently have available space. They can book based on availability and join a queue
  • Once the user chooses a venue and arrives at the location, they receive a notification to confirm they are there and how many people are in their party, in which case the app will update the venue’s status accordingly. If the patron him/herself does not have the app on their person, then the venue itself can “clock a person/ persons in” manually through the admin section of the programme
  • The user can also use the app to order and pay for drinks, food etc.

Financial Support

Developers at Ordee say that because the app is deemed an ecommerce solution, businesses that want to sign up might be able to avail of the LEO Trading Online Voucher to do so – provided they meet the criteria.

Mr. Cronin commented,

“Cashflow is tight, to say the least, for most businesses at the moment and compliance with COVID-protocols is going to incur additional costs. To offset these, the Government have put in place supports – one of which is the Local Enterprise Trading Online grant and businesses can use it to sign up for Ordee.  If your application is accepted, LEO will fund 90% of the cost of the Platform for your business. There are a few T&C’s but the process is very simple and effective”.

Since launching last week, there have been almost 200 businesses nationwide that have requested demonstrations.

Mr. Cronin concluded,

“Interest has been huge. Even more than we envisaged. Our team are working round the clock to ensure that we get to everyone who has requested a demo as quickly as possible”.

The WOLF app brings real-life virtual festivals to smart devices. #WOLF #Festivals #Apps

Today WOLF – The World’s Online Festival – launches in the UK. The free app is a platform for creativity, having fun and connecting with people from across the globe.

WOLF provides social freedom to people, in a virtual world; particularly relevant now at a time when we don’t have that luxury in our day-to-day lives.

As the world navigates a challenging time, technology such as this, plays an important role.

Unlike other entertainment apps, WOLF focuses on audio; rather than being locked into a stream, users can use the virtual stage for singing, comedy, listening to performers or simply catching up.

WOLF alleviates the confinement of self-isolation and lets users experience live entertainment, in an online world. Users can interact with shows by engaging with hosts and performers, in real time.

In the absence of key events such as Glastonbury and Coachella, WOLF empowers people to create an authentic festival experience where you can stumble across new performers and discuss them with friends.

Users aren’t just spectators on WOLF, they are part of the action; encouraged to explore their own talents. Hosting live performances, engaging with other people using the app, making live podcasts and radio-style shows are all part of the experience. WOLF performers come from all over the entertainment world, many with niche talents, which they are encouraged to showcase.

WOLF was developed from its predecessor, Palringo, the first chat app to launch on the Apple App Store.

Gary Knight, WOLF CEO says: “The reality of life right now is that it will necessitate a significant medium-term change of lifestyles, all around the world. As it becomes increasingly apparent that everyone will have to rethink how they experience social situations, WOLF offers a second world where people can hang out. The entertainment brings people in, they then stay to chat and connect.

“We wanted to create a virtual world that replicated the joys that we all get from discovery. WOLF keeps people together, particularly at a time when many feel socially isolated. It’s friendship, exploration, fun and the entertainment of a real-world festival, in your pocket.” 

WOLF is a free app available to download on Apple and Google Play app stores.

Meet Uptime, watching YouTube videos will never be the same. #YouTube #iOS #App

In the world we live in, YouTube is one of the big Media elements in our lives, but the “Social” factor, even though is supposed to be part of the name sometimes is not actually true.

Whether is in your phone, laptop or tablet, sharing a video you found with your friends is never an “easy” task.

And there is where Uptime shines

 

 

Usually part of what makes it hard, is that they need to be next to you in order for you to show them.

But there’s no need of that any more (at least partially) thanks to the guys at Area 120, a Google project that invites its own employees to develop new ideas through startups.

The premise is simple , yet really useful. You simply need to sign in with your Google account and using a Snapchat look-a-like interface, you can watch a video and you’ll find a bubble image with your friends face (they need to have the app too) around the edges so you can connect with them and start interacting with them.

Lets hear from the creators..

https://twitter.com/uptimeApp/status/841733138338349056

There’s one down side at this moment, the app is only available on iOS which is really weird if you think that is a Google app.

Although it should be ready to hit the Android ecosystem soon.

You can get the app over the ITunes Store HERE

 What do you think about it? Will you give it a try?

Let us know your experience and share videos with us over twitter with the invite code.

 

 

 

#PokemonGO has one big flaw regarding personal information. #iOS #Android #Security #App

Just in case you live under a rock, Pokémon Go has been the trending topic the last few days, simply because it has surpassed  the consumer base of allegedly “bigger” companies.

And more than that, simply because its Pokémon! Maybe our dear Jim is not a big fan of the series, but I personally was when I was younger.

Been one of the few games that uses Augmented Reality or (AR) to play and that alone is a huge progress. The team behind the GO part of it, is no other than Niantic, the team that brought to us INGRESS.

Thus far everything sound great about the game, but recently, something really disturbing has happened.

When you first open the app, as in every other app out there, you need to log in with credentials. Within the app there’s just two options, or accessing through a Pokémon account (which is impossible  if you don’t have one already) or with Google’s.

When you use the Google account (which is what we all probably do on Android phones) the app generally show a pop up widget after letting you know which features will be accessing. But when you do this on iOS “nothing happens“.

The blogger Adam Reeve, found behavior rather weird and went to his Google page to see what he had given access to. The answer make all his alarms to ring off:

 Pokemon Go has Full Access to your Google account

When you grant “full access” to an app, it can see and modify practically all information on your Google account. For you to have an idea, this is what the Google security page say:

  • Read all your email
  • Send email as you
  • Access all your Google drive documents (including deleting them)
  • Look at your search history and your Maps navigation history
  • Access any private photos you may store in Google Photos

This is something that shouldn’t happen as what an app would need to use in the case you forgot your password or something is, in ay case your name and email address.

Apparently this is not consistent across the APK, as has happened just to some iOS or Android users. But if you want to see if you’re one of them you can do it HERE

Apparently, Niantic has acknowledge the case and made a statement about the incident:

We recently discovered that the Pokémon Go account creation process on iOS erroneously requests full access permission for the user’s Google account. However, Pokémon Go only accesses basic Google profile information (specifically, your user ID and e-mail address) and no other Google account information is or has been accessed or collected. Once we became aware of this error, we began working on a client-side fix to request permission for only basic Google account information, in line with the data we actually access. Google has verified that no other information has been received or accessed by Pokémon Go or Niantic. Google will soon reduce Pokémon Go’s permission to only the basic profile data that Pokémon Go needs, and users do not need to take any actions themselves.

So, although it seems to be nothing to worry about, it would  be better if you keep an eye on your Pokémon Go access ’till everything is settled down.

Also remember that, apart from this issue, there’s a ton of fake apps that carry a malware which would harm your device.

If you don’t live in a country where is fully available at the moment find a secure and known source to get the APK from.

Source, VIA

Be a better driver and get rewarded with #Drivies. (Spain) #Android #iOS #Driving #App

The years on those boring and cumbersome to use GPS systems when driving are more than over now. Each day, more and more of us use our phones as a main tool on this activity.

Well, what would you say if I told you that now you can prove you’re a good driver to your insurance company and besides, get discounts while doing it?

Let me introduce Drivies a new app to help you achieve that goal.

Well! Unfortunately not all of you out there, as right now, the app is mostly focused on Spain, and ruled by deals with Telefonica.

But lets hope this changes soon, as the app is really promising.

First of all, How it works?

All you need to do is use your phone as you’d normally do with any other app, using the GPS and others sensors, the app will tell “everything” about your driving technique, how much time you spend on it and so on.

With a deal made with “Pléyade” an Spanish ensuring company, using the app will help you to get discounts. The better you drive the more you get.

Within the app you’ll find the DrivieCoins which you can exchange for discounts on the ensurance, Taxi bonus or even on GAS comsuption.

And if you’re worried cuase you are not that good while driving, the app will help you to improve and also get some money for it. (sounds good, doesn’t it?)

As you can see, the app is fairly simple but helpful. Available on Android and iOS is also totally free to download.

 

 

So, if you live in Spain and want to try it out:

You can get the Android version HERE and the iOS version HERE

What do you think of these? Would you use it if available on yout region or your insurance company?  Let us know in the comment section down below.