Tech Review – Chipolo CARD Spot wallet finder

The Chipolo CARD looks like a typical credit card, albeit slightly thicker with the Chipolo logo printed on the black ish card.  This model supplied is for iPhone & iPad. The card is designed in the event your e.g., wallet is lost, the card can be requested via the app to ring or use crowd surfing to find the unit.

Features:

  •     This is slim with a size of SIZE: 85,1 mm (3,35 inch) x 53,6 mm (2,11 inch)
  •     THICKNESS: 2,4 mm (0,09 inch)
  •     WATER RESISTANT: Splash proof (IPX5 standard)
  •     BATTERY LIFE: Up to 2 years, Renew & Recycle program available*
  •     COMPATIBILITY:

Pairing requires iPhone or iPad. This is not for Android devices but do check out their range 

To use the Apple, Find My app on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac to locate Chipolo CARD Spot, the latest version of iOS, iPadOS or macOS is recommended.

  • Register your Chipolo CARD Spot after adding it to the Find My app and you’ll get an email reminder with a 50% discount code for a new CARD Spot in 2 years. Send your used CARD Spot back to us for recycling free of charge.

Setup:

The setup is extremely simple in downloading the Find my app, then following instructions adding the Chipolo ONE Spot or CARD Spot to the Apple Find My app

Open the Find My app on your supported iPhone or iPad.

  •   Choose the ‘Items’ tab’.
  •   Tap on the + icon. 
  •   Tap on ‘Add Other Item’.
  •   The Find My app will now start searching for nearby compatible devices. Once the app sees your Chipolo ONE Spot or CARD Spot, tap on ‘Connect’. 
  •   After connecting the Chipolo ONE Spot or CARD Spot with your Apple device, you can choose a name and set an emoji for it.
  •   Set a recognizable name and emoji and tap on ‘Continue’.
  •   Find I will ask for confirmation to add the Chipolo ONE Spot or CARD Spot with your Apple ID. Tap on ‘Continue’ to confirm.
  •   On the final overview screen, simply tap ‘Finish’, and you’re all set! The Chipolo ONE Spot or CARD Spot has now been successfully added to your Apple ID.

This is one of the easiest setups done in the past and worked seamlessly.

Overall:

The Chipolo CARD Spot is easy to set up, and works as required when the card is misplaced with a Ring option to find the card locally, alternative if leaving the house this can be set to “Be Alerted” which warns should you leave without the card in your possession, in the event the card is lost the card can be tracked to where the card was seen last,  Crowd surfing can also be used to find the card. A slight niggle on the product on the “BATTERY LIFE: Up to 2 years, Renew & Recycle program available” is positive but I would prefer the option to change the battery locally rather than like changing a watch battery.

In the event, your wallet or property is lost this may be the best purchase of the year, well worth the extra insurance of having a tracker.

Buy

Video review

ASUS Announces Upcoming Zenfone 9 Launch Event

Asus has announced the upcoming virtual launch event that will reveal the latest Zenfone 9 smartphone, an ultra-compact phone with big possibilities and big performance. The event will introduce performance improvements in both hardware and software, along with exclusive new features and never-before-seen accessories. The online-only event will take place on July 28, 2022 at 15:00 (CEST).

The fully immersive event will showcase the many improvements featured in Zenfone 9, including camera modules, processor and graphics performance, display speed, battery life, user interface and more. Zenfone 9 will feature the latest flagship Snapdragon® 8+ Gen1 Mobile Platform processor from Qualcomm®, giving it previously unimagined capabilities with up to a 3.2 GHz CPU clock speed. Zenfone 9 has also been completely redesigned, making it the most modern-looking Zenfone ever.

As part of the show, ASUS will showcase novel UI improvements and tunings, which will allow Zenfone 9 users to enjoy the intuitiveness and flexibility of a one-handed smartphone experience. Other new software improvements, combined with an extensive range of optional accessories, help users capture memories anytime, anywhere. Working in concert with the incredible performance improvements of Zenfone 9, this new UI is the perfect way to capture life, with just one hand.

Join the launch event online to see Zenfone 9 unveiled at https://asus.click/Zenfone9_edmpr

Tech Review – FiiTii HiFiPods from MIFO

Recently here we tested out the mifo MIFO active S earbuds which are one of my favourite earbuds to date this year, well these boys are from the same company and are aimed at a different user and the company does this well with how they sound and look, however one might look at how a product is targeted this does not mean you don’t want or need them but it is how things work today and with these earbuds they are almost twice the size of the MIFO ones and a different design too which is cool by the way and overall a bigger profile and this allows for some more inside.

Th HiFiPods offer up to 70 hours battery life which is fantastic considering some headphones cant reach that even today and with their presentation too they are new brand to watch out for in my opinion. Just look at the case, it is again another cool unseen design with metal and not plastic it is just cool.

The profile is bigger as mentioned however they have a unique design and finish that stands out in the crowd which for me is a good thing, they might be too big for some and that is a standard thing these days with design elements, once fitted with the correct tips though there is great passive noise isolation straight away as there is again no app here which is fine.

These are easy to control too, the same as the previous pair we tested and of course we go through this in the video review below and overall they are quite good and consistent given their size.

The sound though is what you want to know about and these sounded brighter than the MIFO, with no app there is no option to change the sound or features however they sound good, the ANC is decent but not the best in the world and you cant access your voice assistant but I can live with this and I am sure many others can. Highs can be hard to pick out lows and mids are fine and there is some bass however not strong so overall a quite middle tone experience or bright, for videos and gaming you have latency options but there was some lag playing games from time to time but this is minute and hardly noticeable to the untrained ear and lets not forget the aptX support.

Calls are find you have a mild noise cancelling’/ ANC off setting and the ANC on and Transparency mode it still does pick up a bit of wind but the quality is fine here.

Battery life is excellent lets not mess around here it will however depend on the settings used  but for the most it is hitting the near 70 hour claim they make..

Overall they are good but the price might be a but hefty for some given they look great and come with a super cool case there is room for those to rightly claim the price is too much and missing an app but that is the earbud market today and design of features might suit some over others but the choice is yours at the end of the day.

BUY

Jabra Amazon Prime Day Deals

Amazon Prime Day has arrived and here are the latest deals on Jabra’s true wireless earbuds range! If you need some new earbuds Jabra is one of the best places to start and do check out all our reviews too. 

Enjoy tuning into your favourite podcast, workout soundtrack or dial into work calls with ease with Jabra’s Elite range of earbuds, equipped with ANC. 

 

Jabra Elite 4 Active: Was £119.99 now £79.99

 

Blacknavymint – the latest in Jabra’s Elite Active range, sure to stay put during your next gym session. 

Full review 

 

Jabra Elite 3: Was £79.99 now £49.99

 

Greynavylilacbeige – the newest all-round earbud just got even more affordable

Full review

Jabra Elite 7 Pro: Was £199.99 now 139.99

 

Blacktitanium blackgold beige – professional audio for taking calls on the go

 

Full review 

 

Jabra Elite 85t: Was £229.99 now £129.99

 

Blackcopper blackgrey – for superb sound quality with ANC

 

 

Full review 

Petoi unleashes 20% off Bittle robot dog for Amazon Prime Day

To celebrate Amazon Prime Day (12th & 13th July 2022), Petoi, the maker of futuristic robotic pets, is offering 20% off its palm-sized, bionic robot dog – Bittle. Available from Amazon UK here, Bittle will be reduced from £299.99 to £239.99, a saving of £60. Petoi will also be offering 20% off Bittle accessories including the Additional Battery Pack (was £39.99, now £31.99) and the Intelligent Camera Module (was £59.99, now £47.99).

Small but agile, Bittle is a powerful robot that can be programmed to walk, do tricks and roll around just like a real dog. Bittle operates on OpenCat, an open-source quadrupled robot platform that offers endless programming and customisation possibilities. It is an ideal tool for teaching, researching and learning about STEM and robotics.

Users bring Bittle to life by assembling its puzzle-like frame which is made up of 3D interlocking components, eliminating the need for screws. The bionic construction of legs rather than wheels means that Bittle is able to move more freely over unstructured terrain. With a simple and beautiful design, Bittle can be configured and controlled using Petoi’s official mobile app.

Evolving with an open-source gene, Bittle is built on Petoi’s OpenCat open-source platform which was first launched in 2018 by Petoi’s founder Dr. Rongzhong Li specifically for quadrupled robots. Bittle’s dynamic maneuverability and behaviours are features typically seen on luxury robots but Petoi’s technology is now making it accessible to more consumers.

With a customised Arduino board coordinating all instinctive and sophisticated movements, users are able to clip various smart sensors onto Bittle or mount a Raspberry Pi or other AI chips through wired/wireless connections to inject perception and artificial intelligence capabilities.

Features include:

  • OpenCat framework
  • Arduino compatible motion controller & wireless connectivity
  • Interlocking plastic frame
  • Shock reduction joints
  • Programmable gaits and behaviours
  • 9 x fast, powerful digital metal servos

For more information, please visit https://www.petoi.com.

Integrity360 targets significant growth with launch of new Managed Digital Risk Protection Service

Integrity360, UK and Ireland’s largest independent cyber security services specialist, today announced that it is targeting significant business growth following the launch of its new managed Digital Risk Protection Service.

Powered by the SearchLight platform from leading threat intelligence provider Digital Shadows, the new and innovative service offers 24/7 monitoring and rapid response for digital risks outside of traditional business environments or infrastructure by proactively scanning for threats on the Open, Deep and Dark web.

The solution can limit the potential damage from data leakage with early detection of credentials or documents in online data stores, paste sites or within criminal fora on the Dark web, and offers online brand protection by alerting if an organisation’s identity is being used or impersonated maliciously. It also reduces the potential attack surface by identifying system vulnerabilities, misconfigurations and weak or expiring certificates within a company’s externally-facing infrastructure.

Furthermore, Integrity360’s Digital Risk Protection Service provides curated and tailored threat intelligence reporting to customers including information on threats relating to their wider industry, similar organisations, targeted against their specific infrastructure, and within their specific geographic region.

The service will reduce the burden on in-house security teams, resulting in increased threat visibility and improved threat prevention, while also delivering significant time and cost savings for businesses. It can act as a standalone offering or can be integrated with Integrity360’s Managed Detection and Response (MDR) service for a holistic 360-degree security threat detection solution.

The cybersecurity services specialist will be targeting customers across multiple sectors and industries with this service – which can be implemented within a day – including finance, insurance, legal, manufacturing, retail, utilities, and professional services. It expects to grow its own cyber threat response team to meet demand as the service scales.

Brian Martin, Head of Product, Strategy and Innovation for Integrity360, said: “Most security services focus on threats to organisations once they are on the doorstep or have already infiltrated the environment. However, there is a world of external digital risks and threats to organisations that can be extremely hard to monitor – and that’s the critical blind spot we aim to address with this service.

 

“The new service provides constant vigilance in external risk visibility, but also reduces the noise from this high level of monitoring, ensuring real risks are dealt with rapidly, efficiently, and effectively. After all, rapid response is the key to reducing the risk of negative security incidents. This is increasingly important with the rising volume and sophistication of cyber threats. This proposition, combining a leading managed service provider with a leading Digital Risk monitoring platform, is quite unique within the Irish and UK markets. We look forward to working closely with our customers on helping them to identify and respond to risks and threats targeting them in the external environment.”

First Look – POCO X4 Pro 5G

Many have been asking us about POCO phones over the last while and we have never had one in and for the money they seem like decent phones for the price so we have asked to try one out and here it is, the POCO X4 Pro 5G which is one of their latest devices now on offer, I would not take too much note about the 5G being honest as the uptake here in Ireland has been very poor and that was thanks to introductory prices and even with them been shelved it still remains the same however many manufacturers now are pushing 5G so going forward they are doing the right thing and plenty of 5G devices on offer today.

Having said that the mid range devices are now seeing plenty of 5G devices now on offer and at launch it was only the high end phones that got the glory which did not pay off to well either and this will eventually trickle down with more availability in entry level phones soon enough.

The POCO X4 5G is an affordable device now available boasting a 109MP camera so how will this compare to others out there and at the price this phone commands, time will tell as we take it for a test run over the next few weeks, with 67W fast charging and a 120HZ amoled panel and a 5000mAh battery just to name a few specs lets see what happens over our test run, and of course any questions drop em below, do check out the video too where we take a deep look inside the features of the phone and see what is on offer, and in our full review we will have image and video samples and more for better context.

See more here

Unboxing and walkthrough video

Tech Review – Tronsmart Onyx Pure

The Tronsmart Onyx Pure are the latest earbuds now on offer from the brand that delivers affordable tech and quality audio, the earbuds are a standard look with a clean finish and do a good job in the audio department for the price so lets look some more into the earbuds.

The look and design is a fairly standard affair here clean and simple in a plastic housing and all looks well and the concave area where you will control the earbuds works really well and works each time virtually erasing all kinds of false controls which can often happen with earbuds.

The fit well and are an average sized earbud that will not protrude too much when fitted, tis may again be different per person as all our ears are different, once secured with the right tips you are good to go they are solid and block out external noise quite well too.

The controls as mentioned work well we have these split on both sides as expected from tronsmart but it is a simple affair with three taps being the most which in this case is to change the EQ on the left and activate your voice assistant on the right we go through all this in the video review below so check that out.

When it comes to sound they do a decent job and for the price this is taken into consideration, overall there is nice bass here, this is obtained via the left earbud, there is no app access but the EQ setting makes up for it, from my usual testing the highs lows and mids are fine in all genres and for video music gaming and more they held up well not getting tinny on maxed out volume either and no lag latency.

Calls are also fine on these not the best quality in the world they are clear but again take the price into consideration and the overall package here they do a good job for the money and a bargain for the price.

Features

  • Dynamic Driver + Balanced Armature.
  • 3 EQ Modes.
  • Clear Call.
  • One Key Recovery.
  • Up to 32 Hours of Playtime.
  • IPX5 Water Resistant.

BUY

Video Review

SHURE Has Announced Exceptional Deals For Amazon Prime Day 2022

With Amazon Prime Day right around the corner, Shure is showcasing hot deals on a variety of products. Headphones, microphones, and more are included in the deals, with certain products up to 45% off! Whether you’re looking for an excellent podcasting microphone, professional audio equipment, or superior audio for your home set-up, Shure’s Amazon Prime Day deals of 2022 are here to help.

Check out the deals below.

Shure’s full list of Prime Day deals:

AONIC Earphones
Earphones with exceptional audio for your daily audio requirements.
AONIC 215 UNI Black Sound Isolating Earphones. With 28% discount.
AONIC 215 UNI Blue Sound Isolating Earphones. With 28% discount.
AONIC 215 UNI Clear Sound Isolating Earphones. With 28% discount.
AONIC 215 UNI White Sound Isolating Earphones. With 28% discount.
AONIC 3 UNI Black Sound Isolating Earphones. With 35% discount.
AONIC 3 UNI White Sound Isolating Earphones. With 35% discount.
AONIC 4 UNI Black Sound Isolating Earphones. With 34% discount.
AONIC 4 UNI White Sound Isolating Earphones. With 34% discount.
AONIC 5 UNI Black Sound Isolating Earphones. With 34% discount.
AONIC 5 UNI Clear Sound Isolating Earphones. With 34% discount.
AONIC 5 UNI Red Sound Isolating Earphones. With 34% discount.
AONIC FREE Gray True Wireless Sound Isolation Earphones. With 45% discount.
AONIC FREE Red True Wireless Sound Isolation Earphones. With 45% discount.
AONIC 215 TW2 Blue True Wireless Sounds Isolating Earphones Gen 2. With 13% discount.
AONIC 215 TW2 Black True Wireless Sounds Isolating Earphones Gen 2. With 13% discount.

Microphones:
When you are performing or recording you need professional audio to make sure you’re heard. Shure’s microphones meet all your needs.
MV88/A Digital Stereo Condenser Microphone. With 24% discount.
MV88+ Video Kit, Digital Stereo Condenser Microphone. With 33% discount.
MVL 3.5 MM Lavalier Microphone for Smartphone or Tablet. With 26% discount.
MV88+ Stereo USB Digital Stereo Condenser Microphone. With 30% discount.
VP83 LensHopper Camera-Mount Condenser Microphone. With 39% discount.
VP83F LensHopper Camera-Mount Condenser Microphone with Integrated Flash Recording. With 48% discount.

Accessories:
RMCE-TW2 True Wireless Secure Fit Adaptor Gen 2. With 16% discount.

Video
MV88+ SE215 CL Portable Videography Kit. With 30% discount.