Tag: #CONNECTED

Skullcandy Introduces Push 540 Open

Skullcandy, the original lifestyle audio brand, has introduced the Push 540 Open, a new open-ear true wireless earbud designed for people who want to stay connected to their surroundings while listening to music, podcasts or calls. 

Designed for active lifestyles and everyday use, Push 540 Open combines a secure over-ear hook fit with an optional detachable magnetic neckband for added stability when on the move. Whether commuting, working, or training, the design ensures the earbuds stay comfortably in place. 

With up to 42 hours of total battery life, including 10 hours in the earbuds and an additional 32 hours in the charging case, Push 540 Open is built to last throughout the day. Rapid Charge support means a quick 10-minute charge delivers up to two hours of playback, helping users stay powered through busy schedules. 

The earbuds also feature IP44 sweat, dust and water resistance, making them suitable for workouts and outdoor use. Compatibility with the Skullcandy app allows users to customise EQ settings, button functions and audio preferences. 

BUY Push 540 Open – £79.99 

See our Skullcandy reviews

NIRA Dynamics secures continued partnership with Trafikverket for high-frequency road monitoring

NIRA Dynamics has announced that their Road Health solution will continue to be a key part of Trafikverket’s Connected Road Surface Monitoring, extending our successful collaboration in high-frequency asset management across Sweden’s road network.

After several years of evaluation, Trafikverket has awarded NIRA Dynamics a full continuation of services, recognizing our best-in-class capabilities, recognizing our best-in-class capabilities for detection of pavement damage such as potholes, winter damages due to freeze-thaw and frost damages.

This extension solidifies our role as the prime partner in modernizing Sweden’s road monitoring for both summer and winter conditions.

“We are thrilled to continue to work with Trafikverket in their mission to enhance road maintenance through high-frequency data collection. This partnership has already delivered significant improvements, and we look forward to driving even greater efficiency in road management,” says Johan Petersson, Product Manager at NIRA Dynamics.

Advancing road maintenance with connected vehicle data NIRA Dynamics’ Road Health utilizes real-time data from connected vehicles to provide unparalleled insights into road conditions. By capturing and analyzing data at high frequency, we enable road authorities to: Detect sudden road damages before they escalate into costly repairs.

Identify winter-related wear and freeze-thaw damage that impact road construction longevity.

Optimize maintenance planning with data-driven decision-making. Prevent major structural damage to the road and reduce the need for extensive resurfacing.
“The project has been a very instructive innovation journey for all parties. One of the success factors in the project was the way to prevent the gap between the development phase and the deployment phase, the “valley of death”, namely including development, evaluation and implementation in the same innovation procurement.

Beside a reliable technical solution, this approach requires suppliers with skills for cooperation, responsiveness and flexibility to adapt their solutions to the needs of the stakeholders” says Hawzheen Karim, Coproject Manager and innovation leader at InfraSweden.

New capabilities for the next phase
As part of this continuation, lane marking detection is now being introduced. This nationwide scanning feature will initially serve as a cost-effective screening tool, helping Trafikverket keep track of road markings and improve asset management.

A solution for road authorities worldwide
While this project focuses on Sweden, the benefits of high-frequency road monitoring extend far beyond national borders. NIRA Dynamics works with road authorities globally to transform road maintenance through smart, scalable, and efficient solutions.

More on the project: https://infrasweden.nu/uppkopplade-fordon-ska-hjalpa-till-att-forbattra-vagunderhallet/

Nordic data companies unveil a new integrated data set combining AI road weather forecasts and with real-time connected car data

Vaisala Xweather and NIRA Dynamics are first to release an integrated data set which connects road weather forecasts and computer vision observations with real-time connected car data, setting a new standard for data-driven road safety and maintenance.

The integration draws on NIRA Dynamics’ expansive data from billions of data points gathered from connected vehicles, paired with Vaisala Xweather’s advanced AI and ML-based road weather forecasting models, which achieve accuracy levels 50% higher than those of publicly available forecasts.

The future of driving is going to be heavily dependent on more accurate and real-time road weather and road condition data as the availability of autonomous and assisted driving features are highly influenced by the driving conditions. Currently, as seen on many Electric Vehicles (EV), the assisted driving functionalities are disconnected to secure driver safety based on crude weather and road condition estimations, such as temperature drop to under 4 degrees Celsius or change in tire rolling resistance.

Real-time data from connected vehicles on tire grip, road friction, surface quality, and weather conditions combined with leading industry-specific weather forecasts, the aggregated data set has multiple use cases already today. This offers significant practical uses today, including reducing accident likelihood by expanding the availability of autonomous and assisted driving features in adverse road and weather conditions, assessing road quality with computer vision to optimize maintenance efforts, and reducing resource usage – such as minimizing winter road salt application. The benefits extend to all road users, from improved safety and reduced environmental impact to cost savings for road authorities and municipalities.

By integrating NIRA Dynamics’ connected vehicle data into Vaisala Xweather’s platform, this partnership creates opportunities for future advancements in road safety and autonomous driving. The combined data opens doors to further applications such as EV range optimization, traffic management, insurance risk assessments, and reducing accident rates.

“At NIRA Dynamics, our mission is to deliver data-driven solutions for safer, more efficient journeys,” says Lisa Åbom, CEO of NIRA Dynamics. “With Vaisala Xweather, we’re able to offer access to road weather data which helps road maintenance professionals, automotive manufacturers, and navigation providers become future proof. We all understand the impact of weather on road safety, and with Vaisala Xweather, we are pushing the industry forward.”

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Connected health: Online consultations would make half of adults more likely to take concerns to GP

Pure Telecom, Ireland’s high-speed broadband and telecoms provider, today announces the latest results from its inaugural Connected Lives survey, which show a strong appetite among Ireland’s adult population for more accessible online healthcare. The research found that nearly half (49%) of the population said they would be more likely to bring a health concern to their GP if they offered online consultations, yet just 29% said that this is a service their GP currently offers.

The nationally representative survey of 1,004 adults in Ireland was conducted by Censuswide on behalf of Pure Telecom. It explored public sentiments about connected healthcare, which is expected to become an integral part of healthcare systems around the world in the coming years.

Pure Telecom’s research shows that 64% of adults would be willing to have online consultations with all types of healthcare providers, where appropriate, if it meant they could help to reduce waiting times. Recent research from McKinsey shows that online consultations reduce hospital wait times by unlocking bed capacity. Moreover, the Government highlights in its 2023 Waiting List Action Plan that virtual patient engagement can be an effective tool in helping to reduce waiting times.

Showing the potential benefits of connected healthcare, more than half of adults believe that it could improve the accessibility (57%) and quality (55%) of healthcare available to them. People living in Louth were the most likely to say that connected healthcare would improve the accessibility of healthcare to them (73%), followed by those in Carlow (71%) and Kilkenny and Kerry (65%).

Not everyone is convinced by the benefits of connected healthcare, however, with almost a third (32%) saying they do not have faith that telemedicine and online consultations enable accurate diagnoses.

Often, early detection can be a deciding factor in the outcome of health issues. Pure Telecom’s research found that 58% of adults would be willing to have their health tracking device’s data monitored and shared to catch potential health issues. Over half of the population (52%) used a mobile app to manage their health symptoms or appointments in the last 12 months.

Paul Connell, CEO, Pure Telecom, said: “Often, it is important that we see a healthcare professional in-person to receive the appropriate care or treatment. There are other times when healthcare visits feel like they could have been more time-efficient – both for the patient and health professional – by being done online.

“Our research shows that there is an appetite among adults in Ireland for our healthcare providers to embrace connected medicine where it is appropriate. We found that a significant proportion of the adult population – 63% – have had an online consultation with a healthcare professional in the last 12 months, rising to 71% for those aged 34 and under, and falling to 53% for those aged 35 and over. On average, 36% of adults have had online consultations with a GP. Interestingly, however, only 29% of respondents reported that their own GP offers online consultations. This suggests that people may be actively searching for GPs, other than their own, who will give them online appointments as an alternative to going in-person.

“Judging from the proportion of people who are managing aspects of their health using mobile apps, and those who are willing to have their health tracking device’s data shared with their healthcare provider, we can also see that Irish adults are taking charge of their healthcare and putting more faith in technology.

“Whether it’s via an app or an online consultation, connectivity is everything when it comes to remote healthcare. Patients and medical professionals need to be able to connect as seamlessly as possible and Pure Telecom is playing a role in facilitating this through reliable, high-speed broadband. We are committed to ensuring that as connected healthcare grows, our customers can access the services they need at all times.”

Following Success of the Care Line, eir Launches Age Friendly Care Services in All Irish Stores

eir, Ireland’s largest telecommunications provider, is extending its Age Friendly Care service to all its stores across Ireland, providing dedicated customer care and technical support service to senior customers, aged 65 and over.

Co-designed in partnership with Age Friendly Ireland and Age Action, the Age Friendly Care initiative is designed based on a bespoke care programme that takes the complexity out of the services and helps build relationships with customers by making everything simple – from bills to mobile data, broadband or landline queries.

Initially consisting of a dedicated phone line for customers aged 65 and over, with a team of 20 dedicated agents specially trained in technical and soft skills, the service has grown in popularity since its introduction, with over 65,000 calls received to the Age Friendly Care line, with 23,500 calls in 2023 alone. The average time spent on each call is 10.5 minutes, and average answer speed of 1m 10s. The bespoke care approach has proven so successful that eir is now introducing in-person Age Friendly Care to their customers, in stores. The Age Friendly Care team was recognised by industry at the CCMA awards in 2022 taking home the prestigious title of Care Team of the Year.

Commenting on the launch of the in-store Age Friendly Care services, Sinead O’Gorman Managing Director of eir’s Customer Operations said: “At eir, our purpose is to connect for a better Ireland. Our experience during the pandemic made it clear that our customers rely on our stores and in person care for more than shopping: we’re here to provide them with care, answer their questions and help overcome connectivity challenges. Based on the success we’ve had with the initiative for almost two years since launch, we’re delighted to bring our hugely popular Age Friendly Care programme to life in our stores. The team in-store has been specially trained to provide care for older customers every day. If a customer feels they want more time to discuss their problem, dedicated in-store time for Age Friendly Care support has been set aside each Tuesday morning between 10 am and 12 pm.”

Susan Brady Managing Director eir Consumer and Small Business commented: “At eir, we are committed to providing our customers with the best possible in person retail experience. Alongside introducing new in-person services such as Age Friendly Care we’re proud to announce this significant €4 million investment in our retail network and unveil our new look stores, which reflect our commitment to offering the best of modern retailing and in-store experiences. We are progressing the transformation work at pace to ensure minimum disruption for our customers.”

eir’s ‘age friendly’ care line can be reached on 1800 252 252 and will be accessible between the hours of 10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday. If an older person wishes to nominate a friend or family member to manage their account on their behalf, this nominee can work with the age-friendly care team to resolve any issues. Age friendly support is available in all eir’s stores every day, with a dedicated slot from 10am to 12pm on Tuesdays for queries that may take a bit longer.

Review – The Hoover H-Free 800. #Hoover #HFREE800 #Connected #Tech

Doing the hoovering is a chore nobody likes most would admit but with the tech now being used with such products in the home that may fast change, OK it is not a hoover that does the work for you like deebot for example but it makes like easy and kinda fun and if you are on a weight watch plan or counting calories this could be the one to look at even I enjoyed using it over the last few weeks.

This comes packed with accessories and is light and reminds me of a play gun if you will only loaded with more lights and switches and real functionality and for the most part it does a great job and makes life that bit more simple.. I like many have one of the older type hoovers a HETTY which as we know has to be dragged around the place and you are limited by having to plug in to a power socket and keep moving plugs to get jobs done and it is also cumbersome and annoying dragging up and down the stairs,with the H-FREE 800 this all vanishes being wireless and having the ability to carry a bag armed with goods too to get the job done.

 

The H-FREE 800 however is not a hoover you will get the entire house done in one swoop though due to the battery life which is its only caveat from my testing as it does hoover up the dirt rather well and has an easy empty option which would be a bin in any room of the house,the storage container on the hoover is not huge therefor making it an easy disposal option in any room of the house or even the loo…

The portability factor is what will sell this hoover given it might be a bit top heavy for some,along with the app that defines your usage and calorie loss, you can use this indoors or outdoors be it in your car,shed or external office and not have to worry about wires,Using a hoover like this will change your habit of doing the whole house in one go which is not a bad thing either as you can do a percentage of the work then recharge it and go do something while it is charging so it can split up the cleaning process which for me works better.

THE APP

1 / 7

You can reach high presses,sills window frames curtains,down the backs of radiators wardrobes presses and more with all the accessories that come with it including pet hair removal which is a non issue for me but I found that brush is great on the stairs. The main part of the hoover does a really good job on the tough work say on carpets etc and I have noticed less work is required to get the job done lets say over the HETTY you have a turbo button too which does drain your battery quicker and again the average of 35 mins is brought down some more using the turbo constantly but the turbo is turbo and gets the job done.

As a male I do hoover a bit but since this came into the house I have enjoyed doing it and poor HETTY has been left aside and the smiley face ain’t so smiley now to a hoover many people adore but technology is moving on and I keep with the times and using this H-FREE 800 makes life easier and give me stats on the go which is something myself and any others would be interested in, the hoover is not heavy nor is the accessories all piled into the bag and just makes life even easier and even the men will enjoy the ugly task of doing the hoovering. Portability wins here in getting the job done and much more.. The only caveats is the battery having said tha tthat is down to how you hoover your home again its portable and can be brought outside,the continuous switch which you keep hitting accidently and it could be made shorter and that was with myself and others here in the house having the same report.

Hoover sent us this to review and are seeing this the same time as you,no compensation was paid nor did they get a preview.

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