Tag: #dublin

Official Launch of Dublin Discovery Trails AR App Developed by Peel X

Members of the Peel X team were delighted to attend the official launch of Doors into Docklands recently, part of the Dublin Discovery Trails series of mobile app based immersive discovery trails, using innovative Augmented Reality (AR), designed, developed and delivered by Peel X.

Doors into Docklands was co-funded by Dublin City Council and Fáilte Ireland’s Destination Town Investment Scheme and Peel X was brought on board, to help unlock the tourism potential of the Docklands by bringing the area to life using its augmented reality and immersive, digital storytelling.

Jess Wright, Managing Director of Peel X, said: “The team brought together the full range of Peel’s app development services to this project, augmented reality, 3D modelling, animation, historical research, script and copy writing, green screen filming, audio and soundscape development, all interwoven to create stunning digital storytelling of the Dublin Docklands”.

“Merging the old and the new, combining history and technology, visitors are transported back in time. Users can see Guinness barges sailing down the River Liffey, a Crimean Banquet held in the Custom House Quarter (CHQ) and the story of the famine statues. History comes to life along the trail with a 360-degree view of the Custom House fires blazing in 1921, and animated Port workers in the Diving Bell at the bottom of the sea.”

Delighted with the successful launch of Doors into the Docklands, Barry Rogers, Head of Dublin City Council Tourism Unit, said: “As part of the delivery of our Smart Tourism programme we have become very familiar with the market of service providers in the area of digital tours, immersive heritage trails and museum based digital tours and digital visitor experiences in Ireland, the UK and Europe.

“We have consulted the market on these services twice and have developed the best practice guide Toolkit in this area. Having worked with Jessica and her team over the past twelve months, I can say that Peel X is the best supplier of this kind of service that is currently in the market today that I have encountered.”

The App is a first-of-its-kind development for Dublin City Council and further promotes the capital’s position as a leading ‘Smart City’. The app is aimed at locals and visitors who want to know more about the city and experience the history of the Docklands from a new and unique perspective. It’s already creating a stir on the international stage too as Dublin City’s Smart Tourism Programme took the Best Digital & Innovation Award at the Global Tourism Innovation Awards 2022, held in Seville last year.

Walking tour guide, Donal Fallon, whose Three Castle’s Burning podcast grew an army of fans during the pandemic, was invited to road-test the app, he said: “The app lets you see familiar places in new and exciting ways. There are so many different stories in the app, using augmented reality, taking something digital and putting it into the real environment, that’s a brilliant way of seeing things differently. There’s great humour and where there’s a there’s a heaviness to the history, that’s acknowledged too.

“I hope people have many happy wanderings around this part of the Dublin from the Diving Bell to the Custom House, using the app. Well done to everyone involved in making the app, it’s really special. From locals to visitors, I’m sure there’ll be many happy hours on Doors into the Docklands.”

Dublin Discovery Trails is a new first of its kind Augmented Reality app shows Dublin as you’ve never seen it before!

Dublin City Council (DCC) today launched Dublin Discovery Trails – ‘Doors into Docklands’, the first in a series of mobile application (app) based immersive discovery trails with innovative Augmented Reality (AR).  The App, which has been co funded by Dublin City Council and Fáilte Ireland through its Destination Town Investment Scheme, will help to further unlock the tourism potential of the Docklands by bringing the area and its story to life for visitors in a new and immersive way.

This App is an innovative way to see the history of the Docklands come to life through Augmented Reality which combines the real-world history with smart technology. This app merges the old and the new, combining history and technology, and will guide the user in their own time on a journey of discovery to some of the Docklands most loved sites and attractions, enabling them to uncover compelling stories of Dublin’s culture, heritage and history via Augmented Reality (AR) technology.

You can experience the Guinness barges sailing down the River Liffey, to the Crimean Banquet held in the CHQ and the story of the famine statues.  Along the trail you can see the ‘history come to life’ with a 360-degree view of the Custom House fires blazing in 1921, the Scherzer Bridges in 2d animation and Port workers in the Diving Bell toiling at the bottom of the sea. You will also meet many Augmented Reality characters telling their stories from Captain Bligh who surveyed Dublin Bay in the 1800’s to Maggie Doyle telling her tale as a Docker’s daughter.

Caroline Conroy, Lord Mayor of Dublin, launching this exciting new app, said: “This is amazing technology, bringing a part of Dublin alive that most of us have never seen! It’s really exciting innovation and as Lord Mayor, I’m proud to see Dublin at the forefront of smart tourism technology joining the past and the future together. I’d like to take the opportunity to encourage visitors and Dubliners alike to download the app and try out this immersive new experience.”

Dublin City Council directed the implementation of this exciting first trail on Dublin Discovery Trails App, ‘Doors into Docklands’ developed by Peel X . The development of the Docklands AR trail was in collaboration with representatives from Fáilte Ireland, Dublin Port Company, OPW, EPIC, Smart Dublin and Dublin City Council Culture Company.

The Dublin Discovery Trails app is a platform on which multiple Dublin tourism agencies and local authorities can develop new and exciting immersive experiences. The underlying tender framework facilitated by DCC has structured Dublin Discovery Trails as a centralised App to provide immersive experience development across Dublin. Members of this tender framework include Fáilte Ireland, Dublin Port Company, Waterways Ireland and the four Dublin Local Authorities.

The App is a first-of-its-kind development for Dublin City Council and further promotes the capital’s position as a leading ‘Smart City’. The app is aimed at locals and visitors to the City who want to know more about and experience the history of the Docklands from a new and unique perspective. It will transport the user back in time using 3D graphics, animations, and storytelling immersing them in historical scenes and shocking events from the Docklands’ past.

Karl Mitchell, Director of Service Area Management in Dublin City Council, said: “The App was jointly funded by Dublin City Council and Fáilte Ireland and the innovative technology that was developed offers a new way for visitors and locals to experience the capital city like never before. This App through its immersive AR technology allows users to explore the City’s Docklands in an engaging and exciting way. You can find out more about Dublin’s maritime history, visit famous landmarks and heritage sites, uncover hidden wonders, and experience history and culture in a new fun way.”

Speaking at the launch, Paul Keeley, Director of Regional Development at Fáilte Ireland said: “Today’s tourists are looking for more unique and compelling ways to immerse themselves in the local culture, heritage and history of a destination, Fáilte Ireland was pleased to the support the development of the innovative Doors into Docklands heritage trail through our Destination Town Investment Scheme. Building on the work being done to date as part of the Docklands Destination Experience Development Plan, this interactive AR heritage trail will also help improve visitor flow to the area and will encourage visitors to stay longer both during the day and into the evening, further spreading the economic benefits of tourism to the local businesses.”

The App uses a Wi-Fi or data connection to download the initial content including the geo-enabled landmarks and map. These landmarks will be a prompt for visitors to point their phones where the images and videos will then appear. There is no need for a live data connection while using the app, as everything is stored on your phone after the initial content download, so users won’t be charged for expensive data roaming during their experience.

The digital trails app is part of a larger Smart Tourism strategy to invest in digital to transform Dublin’s tourism experience for how we tell the story and history of the city. This flagship project will help further position Dublin as a world class tourism destination with this new unforgettable digital experience and create the building blocks to deliver many more unique and tailored experiences.

For more information on ‘Doors into Docklands’ and to download the app visit https://doorsintodocklands.com/

Dublin City and Virgin Media To Field Trial a WiFi4EU-Compliant Network Utilizing Telecom Infra Project OpenWiFi Solution

Telecom Infra Project (TIP) OpenWiFi is ideal for publicly sponsored urban Wi-Fi deployments. It allows the selection of the most appropriate solution based on use case rather than a single vendor’s products, facilitates the independent replacement and upgrading of components, and is compatible with municipalities’ procurement needs for vendor diversity and state-of-the-art technologies.

Dublin City Council, Ireland, supported by Virgin Media Business, the city’s internet service provider, is installing Wi-Fi 6 Access Points that are compliant with TIP OpenWiFi as a trial of open, disaggregated solutions for potential use in the city’s public Wi-Fi network. TIP OpenWiFi is compliant with the technical requirements of the European Commission’s WiFi4EU initiative, the benchmark for public Wi-Fi deployments in Europe.

WiFi4EU is a ground-breaking initiative that promotes free access to Wi-Fi connectivity for citizens in public spaces including parks, squares, public buildings, libraries, health centers and museums in municipalities throughout Europe. Municipalities receive a voucher that pays for the network  including maintenance of the equipment to offer free and high-quality Wi-Fi connectivity for at least three years. Dublin City’s WiFi4EU Wi-Fi network will be a free Wi-Fi network and available throughout  its historic city center.

“A smart city is built around collaboration and openness. We are delighted to be trialing Wi-Fi options that are built with an open source architecture that enables multi-vendor interoperability,” said Jamie Cudden. Smart City Program Manager, Dublin City Council.

Dublin City Council’s public Wi-Fi  trials are using TIP OpenWiFi-compliant products and software including a cloud-based controller from NetExperience and access points from Edgecore and HFCL.

“Virgin Media is recognized for providing ‘clever tech’ with ultrafast speeds and ultra-reliability. We’re industry leaders offering our customers the latest technology and it just made sense to trial Dublin City Council’s Wi-Fi network using TIP OpenWiFi standards as part of our innovation partnership with the council ,” said Noel O Reilly, Business Products and Solutions Manager, Virgin Media Business.

TIP OpenWiFi is an open source-based Wi-Fi architecture that enables multi-vendor, interoperable Wi-Fi networks. The TIP OpenWiFi-based solution enables the Dublin City Council and Virgin Media to seamlessly mix and match additional access points and controllers from any TIP OpenWiFi compliant manufacturer, enabling it to easily expand the city center network.

A TIP OpenWiFi network can also support OpenRoaming, with no change in hardware or software. This demonstrates the innovation and maturity of TIP OpenWiFi.

OpenRoaming, based on Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Passpoint and the Wireless Broadband Alliance’s Wireless Roaming Intermediary eXchange (WRIX) standards, allows users to automatically connect to Wi-Fi networks without logging in. It also offloads mobile connectivity and enables wireless convergence.

Municipalities can learn more about TIP OpenWiFi and get involved in this initiative here.

 

Auctioneera signs-up with NoFrixion to ensure low-cost and seamless payments

Auctioneera, Ireland’s largest and fastest growing fixed fee estate agency today announced it has initiated an agreement with NoFrixion for the provision of digital payments infrastructure for real time payments reconciliation and accounting updates, while enabling instant payments and settlement to and from customers. As the result of its partnership with NoFrixion, Auctioneera is cutting its payments processing charges by 87%, while also considerably reducing its manual processing needs.

There has been enormous innovation at the consumer end of payments in recent years but almost none in business payments. Now NoFrixion is delivering efficiencies and savings to Auctioneera and core to the service is NoFrixion’s MoneyMoov API, which bridges legacy and digital infrastructure while simplifying payments automation, making the use of internet banking redundant.

Eddie O’Driscoll, Director, Auctioneera, said: “We have taken the plunge and have migrated our company’s payment processing to NoFrixion, and we could not be happier with how it has gone. While the payment processing fee savings got our attention, NoFrixion’s technology has proven to be the main advantage. It is integrated with our accounting system, saving us substantial hours every month of labour-intensive data entry work. Partnering with an innovative payment partner at rates substantially less than our previous service-provider has expanded our margins and has helped us to streamline our operations to a level not previously possible. It is of huge benefit to us.”

Feargal Brady, co-founder and CEO of NoFrixion, said: “Auctioneera is a perfect NoFrixion customer, in that it is a disruptive high growth business, enabled by internet technologies that did not exist ten years ago. Both the business and its customers rely on instant, low-cost payments, with immediate notification and settlement which traditional banking services don’t provide. We are delighted to align with Auctioneera and look forward to playing a role in its future success.”

With Covid now in the rear-view mirror, Auctioneera is actively recruiting estate agents in Dublin and Cork to add to its existing team to fuel expansion as the market normalises after the pandemic shock. The company believes that its low fixed fee model is the future of estate agency. It will ultimately see property sellers start to realise that they can sell their property for the best possible price while paying a low fixed fee. As vendors become aware of this alternative, they are eschewing the notion of paying several thousand Euro to sell a property.

NoFrixion is currently adding five to ten customers each month and has seen keen interest from e-commerce and SaaS businesses looking to cut payments processing fees and automate reconciliation. The Auctioneera model is a good example of the potential for both cost-savings and automation.

To date, Auctioneera which was established in 2018 has sold almost €350 million worth of property saving its vendors an estimated €4.4 million in fees compared to traditional estate agencies rates, where circa 1.5% of the value of the property is charged to customers. Its average client saves over €4000 in estate agent fees.

Established in 2021, NoFrixion is a fast-growing digital payments provider headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, which specialises in Banking as a Service solutions for business. It currently employs seventeen people at its headquarters in Dublin and expects to grow its headcount to thirty people by next year. NoFrixion’s current customer base spans Ireland, the UK, Belgium and Portugal. It recently announced a €3.6M funding round led by Delta Partners and Middlegame Ventures and joined by Furthr VC.

Amazon processing centre officially opens in Dublin

The Amazon fulfilment centre in Dublin received a visit today from Leo Varadkar TD, Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, for a behind-the-scenes tour of the new facility.

The Tánaiste also unveiled a plaque to mark the opening of the new 630,000 square foot fulfilment centre.

During his visit, the Tánaiste who was accompanied by Emer Higgins TD, toured the fulfilment centre in Baldonnell Business Park, met with some of the team working at the site and followed the journey of a parcel to see first-hand what happens when a customer clicks ‘buy’ on the Amazon website.

The Dublin centre, which opened in August, is Amazon’s first fulfilment centre in Ireland. It provides faster delivery for customers across the country, including one-day delivery on hundreds of thousands of items.

The centre has created 500 new jobs across a wide range of roles, including engineers, HR and IT professionals through to health & safety and finance specialists and operations managers as well as employees who perform the crucial role of picking, packing and shipping customer orders.

Amazon Dublin Warehouse Ireland

The fulfilment centre tour, led by General Manager Darragh Kelly, also provided the Tánaiste with an insight into the many career development programmes and opportunities for employees at Amazon, including the Amazon Career Choice programme.

Amazon Career Choice is an innovative programme which pre-pays 95% of tuition for courses in high-demand fields, up to €12,000 over four years, regardless of whether the skills are relevant to a career at Amazon.

 Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said: “The opening of Amazon’s first fulfilment centre in Ireland has created 500 new jobs, and is a really important investment in our country. There are jobs available at all level including many high-skilled jobs in engineering and IT among others. This investment indicates a strong commitment to Ireland by Amazon. It was great to meet the enthusiastic team in person and to see at first-hand how orders are fulfilled for customers across the country.”

 Amazon Dublin fulfilment centre General Manager Darragh Kelly said: “It was great to welcome Tánaiste Leo Varadkar for a tour of our new fulfilment centre in Dublin. It was a pleasure to introduce him to our fantastic team who process orders for customers in Ireland. I hope the Tánaiste enjoyed his visit and I look forward to welcoming him back to our fulfilment centre in the future.”

Amazon also provides opportunities to improve existing skills or learn new ones through internal career progression opportunities such as cross-training, transferring to a different department and promotion into a managerial role.

Amazon provides competitive pay, excellent benefits and a modern, safe and engaging work environment for its employees. Amazon pays all full-time, part-time, temporary, and seasonal employees in Ireland a minimum of €13.50 per hour. Employees are also offered a comprehensive benefits package including private medical insurance, life assurance, income protection and an employee discount as well as a company pension plan.

The team at Amazon’s new Dublin fulfilment centre marked the site’s opening by donating €20,000 to four Irish family support charities.

Donations of €5,000 were made to Cliona’s Foundation, Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation, LauraLynn Children’s Hospice and Barretstown by the charity committee at the new Amazon fulfilment centre as part of the company’s community support programme.

Anyone can find out more about what it’s like to work at an Amazon fulfilment centre by signing up for a tour at amazonfctours.com.

Nokia Mobile Dublin Launch event October 2022

Today Nokia Mobile (HMD Global) had a private launch event in Dublin, Check out the products on show and stay tuned for more soon on here and techbuzzireland.com One message Nokia made clear at this launch is sustainability and being eco friendly as you will see with their new packaging and a clean portfolio of devices you will recognise unlike other that flood the market with multiple devices.

There is a phone for everyone here at all price points and send a message, feature phones is one great place to start for a digital detox yet giving you the basics and my pics is the Nokia 5710 Express Audio which combines two products in one, that being earbuds built into the device itself and the earbuds will work with other products too and not just the phone itself..

Check out a quick video below at what is on offer and stay tuned for more and reviews coming soon. I have been an avid Nokia fan over the years and own a huge collection of devices from yesteryear which I plan to take a look down memory lane soon here and on our YouTube channel.

Video Link 

 

Chris Wylie, Cambridge Analytica whistleblower, to address technology event in Dublin

Dell Technologies has announced that its annual conference – the Dell Technologies Forum – will take place in Dublin on September 27th with a focus on helping businesses enhance their cybersecurity strategies to unlock new possibilities for growth.

The annual conference, which has been held virtually for the past two years, will return to an in-person experience at the Convention Centre in Dublin. By engaging in breakout sessions, interactive experiences and connecting with technologists and industry experts, attendants will gain valuable insights focused on everything from multi-cloud strategy delivered as-a-service, sustainability and hybrid working to modernised and secure technologies and enabling AI decision making at the edge.

Over the course of the event, a series of keynote speakers, including Chris Wylie, Cambridge Analytica whistleblower, Aongus Hegarty, Dell Technologies President of International Markets, Tara Gale, Dell Technologies Client Solutions Country Lead, Alex Rice, Dell Technologies Client Solutions Field Marketing Manager, and Jason Ward, Dell Technologies Vice President and Managing Director, will discuss some of the most exciting trends in the world of technology today.

Commenting on the launch of Dell Technologies Forum 2022, Jason Ward, Vice-President and Managing Director, Dell Technologies Ireland said: “Over the past two years, we have witnessed first-hand the impact that technology has had in empowering businesses and spurring growth at a level we hadn’t imagined before. But for organisations of any size to succeed into the future, they’ll need to avail of a comprehensive cyber resilience strategy and invest in new and emerging technologies as they grow.

“The Dell Technologies Forum provides the opportunity to discuss how businesses can achieve this while gaining valuable insights into how they can manage and analyse data through our latest case studies and keynote speakers. We will also highlight the investments Dell Technologies is making in different solutions, including multicloud environments and cybersecurity, to help ensure that companies can secure their data while gaining a competitive edge. 

“By accessing the insights and solutions from the team of experts at this year’s Dell Technologies Forum, leaders across Ireland can harness new growth opportunities, unlock the true value of data and accelerate the pace of digital transformation in 2022 and beyond.”

The Dell Technologies Forum is run in partnership with Intel and Microsoft. For more information and to register for this free event, visit: https://events.dell.com/event/14f9f60b-bbb9-4e58-bbef-ab6206452026/summary

LEGO opens its first store in Ireland on Grafton street.

After months of anticipation, the LEGO Group opened the doors to the first ever LEGO Store in Ireland. Located in the heart of Dublin at 41 Grafton Street, the LEGO Store is already delighting fans, both young and old, with an exciting collection of sets and experiences.

LEGO-lovers from far and wide gathered at the opening, excited to see the new features and the uniquely Irish themes displayed throughout the store. Customers were immersed in the LEGO magic with Irish dancers, a LEGO mascot, extravagant displays and branded theatre turning the top of Grafton Street into Ireland’s very own LEGO-land. Sadly I am away on hols at the moment but the first thing I will be doing is taking a visit when I return and perhaps add some more to my car collection.

Visitors to the new store will be treated to the new ‘Retailtainment’ concept which blends physical and digital experiences that allow shoppers to immerse themselves in the famous LEGO brick, as well as create personalised products. This includes:

  • Minifigure Factory: The LEGO Minifigure Factory allows visitors to design and create a unique LEGO Minifigure – the perfect souvenir from your visit or gift for someone else.
  • LEGO Pick a Brick Wall: The Pick a Brick Wall is a great way for fans to select the exact elements that they require for their builds.
  • Store Associates: Whether visitors are picking out a gift, looking for the latest set or bringing your LEGO fan in for a special treat, Brick Specialists can help find a set that’s the perfect fit.
  • Hands-on Play opportunities, including free build challenges and events each month.
  • Build a Minifigure Tower mix and match from a wide selection of bottoms, tops, heads, hair pieces and accessories to customize minifigures.
  • Exclusive LEGO models: Look out for eye-catching 3D LEGO models throughout the store inspired by the city of Dublin and Irish culture

 

Natali Stojovic, Senior Vice President, LEGO Retail, The LEGO Group, said, “We are elated to see so many loyal fans come out for the first ever Irish LEGO Store and are happily opening our doors to give them the full LEGO experience and a weekend they will never forget.

“It’s fantastic to see guests interact with the latest in-store experiences and the new Retailtainment concept. The Dublin store will allow builders of all ages to be inspired by endless play possibilities and for new builders to welcome them into a new exciting journey of discovery into the LEGO universe.”

The brand-new LEGO store is offering the full range of exciting new products only available direct from LEGO stores and shop.lego.com including the likes of LEGO Icons Atari 2600 and LEGO Icons Lion Knights’ Castle.

New Digital Map Showcases Dublin Street Art

Esri Ireland, the market leader in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), has created a new digital map of the growing volume of Dublin street art that is dotted throughout the city and county.

The street art is part of Dublin Canvas, an inclusive public art initiative that adds a flash of colour and creativity to the traffic control boxes that are highly visible at traffic junctions throughout Dublin. Currently, there are over 600 pieces of artwork spread throughout the county, and it is expected that there will be over 750 pieces completed by the end of Autumn this year.

Using Esri’s ArcGIS system, the interactive digital map pinpoints exactly where each box is located and provides an image of each piece. A simple click on the image provides information about the art, along with the background story of the artist.

The art is painted by exceptionally creative and talented amateur and professional artists residing in Dublin. They come from all walks of life and range from students to retirees, barristers to baristas, and engineers to editors.

Be it the artwork of squirrels in Stepaside, beasts in Blackrock or fishermen on Fitzwilliam Street, the map can be used to discover inventive artwork nearby. There’s a varying mix of themes to suit everyone, to brighten up the wait time at a red light or to get inspired on a summer stroll.

To view the map, go to https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/df0f78525b0440aa80bbd9bac7450376