To celebrate the most anticipated summer in years, Vodafone Ireland is offering €100 off a range of fantastic 5G-enabled handsets, including the Samsung Galaxy A22 5G and Oppo A54 5G, for new customers when they switch to Vodafone Pay As You Go from 1st June to 18th July 2022.
With handsets starting from as low as €69.99, customers can feel the connection this summer and capture great moments, from holiday adventures to the exciting return of music festivals, with a 5G plan that keeps up with them. Available for just €30 per month, new customers can switch to Vodafone’s Unlimited 5G Pay As You Go plan which includes unlimited 5G data, calls and texts.
Included in the promotion are a wide range of handsets offering excellent value such as the Samsung Galaxy A22 5G (was €199.99, now €99.99), Oppo A54 5G (was €229.99, now €129.99), TCL 20R 5G (was €169.99, now €69.99) and Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G (was €199.99, now €99.99).
All handsets are 5G-enabled, meaning greater speeds while customers are on the go, greater network capacity to stay connected while in a crowd, be it at a concert, match or busy area and faster streaming so you never need to miss a second of your favourite TV show or have a video call to a friend lag.
To find out more on these exclusive offers, visit www.vodafone.ie.
Need to enhance your audio game for home use or gaming this little gadget could the item you take a look at, this simple plug and play solution that is cost effective and does not require any additional tools or the need to take tools to your home pc or laptop and start taking it apart, with a simple clean design and well laid out it makes it accessible too and keeps things simple. Check out the video below for more.
The Digitallife U2AUDIO7-1 USB Sound Card/Audio Adapter offers a high quality solution for upgrading desktop or laptop sound. Providing a robust USB audio experience, the USB sound card connects to a host computer through a single USB 2.0 connection, to deliver impressive external audio capability that can instantly be swapped between systems, without having to open the computer case for installation.
Supporting analog and digital audio for 2.1 to 7.1 channel audio applications, the external USB sound card provides a cost-saving upgrade from built-in/on-board sound that turns desktop/laptop sound into a home theatre ready audio solution.
The external USB sound card features easy-to-use volume control and two external microphone inputs – a convenient solution for any audio application requiring high quality sound with multi-input capability with support for 44.1 KHz and 48 KHz sampling rates for analog playback and recording or 48 KHz for SPDIF. A more than suitable solution for home theatre, gaming or multi-media presentations, the External USB Sound Card is easy to install with plug and play support in Windows 10 and Windows 8 Operating Systems.
Features
■ Full 7.1 audio outputs via 3.5mm mini-jacks
■ Optical S/PDIF input (pass through) and outaput
■ Dual microphone input
■ Built-in volume control buttons
■ Full-duplex recording and playback
■ Supports 44.1 & 48 KHz sampling rates for analog playback and recording or 48 KHz for SPDIF
■ High Speed USB 2.0 compliant host interface, with transfer rates up to 480 Mbps
Datapac, Ireland’s leading technology solutions and services provider, today announces that it has delivered a complete digital transformation solution to Sheil Kinnear, one of the longest-established accountancy practices in the country.
Founded in 1893, Sheil Kinnear provides accountancy and auditing services to companies of all sizes around the country from its head office in Drinagh, Wexford, and locations in Enniscorthy and Arklow.
Following Sheil Kinnear’s recent merger with a second accountancy practice, Datapac was awarded the contract to digitally transform the business by integrating both IT systems and securely migrating all company devices, software packages and data to a cloud platform.
The solution supports effective remote and hybrid working and has improved collaboration for Sheil Kinnear’s 30 employees. In turn, the upgraded system enables Sheil Kinnear to better serve its customers with improved workflows. The solution is flexible and will scale to meet the company’s needs as it continues to grow.
All employee desktops now run in the cloud using Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop, and are securely accessed through thin clients. These small and portable cloud-based devices offer the same Windows desktop experience and can run from anywhere, enabling secure access to data, even on client site. This digital transformation of Sheil Kinnear’s business has resulted in significant cost savings for the company as the need for hardware upgrades and maintenance has been reduced.
Datapac also refreshed Sheil Kinnear’s security posture with cloud-based and on-premise firewalls, and has secured company data with cloud-based backups to prevent information loss and ensure business continuity for the company. The Datapac solution also backs up data on Microsoft Office 365 including Mail, Teams, and Sharepoint.
Additionally, employee onboarding and training has been made simpler with all information available from a single cloud source.
David O’Connor, Director, Sheil Kinnear:“As a customer of Datapac for over 30 years, we knew we could trust them to deliver on this new and exciting chapter at Sheil Kinnear. All of the development and background work was done off-site without interruption to our day-to-day business. The project was ongoing throughout an extremely busy time in our office and there was no disruption of service, with backup of data from our servers to the cloud carried out at evenings and weekends.
“The system ensures we have access to the most up-to-date servers running in the cloud and capacity will automatically expand to meet our needs. We have full, secure access to company information in the cloud, with the added confidence that all data is fully backed up. Most importantly, the Datapac solution has helped us to ride out the unprecedented disruption to business imposed by various Covid lockdowns. Datapac streamlined our infrastructure to maximise performance and scalability into the future, while enabling us to digitally transform our business.”
Kevin Hall, Senior Systems Engineer, Datapac:“It’s fantastic to see a company with such a rich business heritage like Sheil Kinnear truly embrace modern ways of working and move to an entirely cloud-based system. They needed a complete overhaul of their IT infrastructure, and as the company’s trusted technology partner, Datapac delivered a scalable solution which will future proof their systems for their evolving requirements.
“Sheil Kinnear’s decision to migrate to the cloud has enabled secure remote and hybrid working for staff and accelerated the transition of its workplace to a cloud-based, paperless environment.”
Konftel’s flagship video conferencing cameras and audio devices have been fully tested to work with the wireless collaboration and content sharing innovation from ScreenBeam.
Solutions include the Konftel Cam50 and Cam20 conference cameras along with the Konftel 800, Konftel 70, Konftel Ego and Konftel 300Wx speakerphones.
ScreenBeam Conference allows meeting room participants to wirelessly connect to the display, room camera, microphone and speaker for flexible presentations, on any meeting app of their choice.
Complete confidence
Konftel Product Manager, Torbjörn Karlsson, says compatibility testing further enhances the appeal of many of Konftel’s most popular conferencing products.
“We welcome the announcement of our testing success which means users can take advantage of ScreenBeam technology with complete confidence and enjoy a seamless collaboration and content sharing experience.
“Sharing information is a key component of any successful meeting and ScreenBeam Conference offers quick and easy wireless set-up. It creates effective hubs for collaboration between in room and remote meeting participants by being flexible enough to use in any space and simple enough to be used by any employee or guest.”
ScreenBeam Senior Director of Alliances, Jay Taylor, outlined: “We are delighted to partner with Konftel and extend our reach and compatibility with Konftel products. Konftel is a major industry player and together our products make a compelling combination for even more engaging online meetings.
“Enabling the hybrid workforce to be successful requires technology that is flexible and simple enough for any employee to use. As we look to the future we see offices as places for collaboration with many different types of spaces. Konftel’s solutions empower that future with products that meet the needs of those varied spaces.”
Google Street view turns 15 and like me I use it quite often and you may have also noticed some nice Jaguar cars going around with a contraption on top, well that is Google if you did not know.. So where is the most visited places of interest on Google Street view.. Let’s have a look then read on some more about Google Street view
Most visited Places of Interest on Street View in Ireland
1. Dublin Castle
2. Billy Byrne 1798 Monument
3. Dublin Airport
4. Phoenix Park
5. The Temple Bar Pub
6. Guinness Storehouse
7. Aviva Stadium
8. Trinity College Dublin
9. Molly Malone Statue
10. Dog’s Bay
Most visited Museums on Street View in Ireland
1.Kilmainham Gaol
2. Titanic Experience Cobh
3. Dublinia
4.Muckross House
5. EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum
6. Drombeg Stone Circle
7. The National Wax Museum Plus
8. Irish Museum of Modern Art
9. MoLI – Museum of Literature Ireland
10. Bunmahon Geological Park
Fifteen years ago, Street View began as a far-fetched idea from Google co-founder Larry Page to build a 360-degree map of the entire world. Fast forward to today: There are now over 220 billion Street View images from over 100 countries and territories — a new milestone — allowing people to fully experience what it’s like to be in these places right from their phone or computer. And Street View doesn’t just help you virtually explore, it’s also critical to our mapping efforts — letting you see the most up-to-date information about the world, while laying the foundation for a more immersive, intuitive map.
While that’s all worth celebrating, we aren’t stopping there. Today, we’re unveiling Street View’s newest camera, giving you more ways to explore historical imagery, and taking a closer look at how Street View is powering the future of Google Maps.
Bringing Street View to more places with our newest camera
From the back of a camel in the Arabian desert to a snowmobile zipping through the Arctic, we’ve gotten creative with the ways we’ve used Street View cameras to capture imagery. And if there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that our world changes at lightning speed. Our hardware is one way we’re able to keep up with the pace.
In addition to our Street View car and trekker, we’re piloting a new camera that will fully roll out next year to help us collect high-quality images in more places. This new camera takes all the power, resolution and processing capabilities that we’ve built into an entire Street View car, and shrinks it down into an ultra-transportable camera system that’s roughly the size of a house cat. But unlike house cats, it’s ready to be taken to remote islands, up to the tops of mountains or on a stroll through your local town square.
Here’s a quick look at the new camera system:
It weighs less than 15 pounds. This means it can be shipped anywhere. This is especially handy when we work with partners around the world to capture imagery of traditionally under-mapped areas — like the Amazon jungle.
It’s extremely customizable. Previously, we needed to create an entirely new camera system whenever we wanted to collect different types of imagery. But now, we can add on to this modular camera with components like lidar — laser scanners — to collect imagery with even more helpful details, like lane markings or potholes. We can add these features when we need them, and remove them when we don’t.
It can fit on any car. Our new camera can be attached to any vehicle with a roof rack and operated right from a mobile device — no need for a specialized car or complex processing equipment. This flexibility will make collections easier for partners all over the world, and allow us to explore more sustainable solutions for our current fleet of cars — like plug-in hybrids or fully electric vehicles. You’ll start seeing our new camera in fun Google colors alongside our iconic Street View cars and trekkers next year.
Traveling back in time with Street View
Street View is all about capturing the world as it changes, and it’s also a powerful way to reminisce about the past. Starting today on Android and iOS globally, it’s now easier than ever to travel back in time right from your phone. Here’s how it works:
When you’re viewing Street View imagery of a place, tap anywhere on the photo to see information about the location. Then tap “See more dates” to see the historical imagery we’ve published of that place, dating back to when Street View launched in 2007. Browse each of the images to see a digital time capsule that shows how a place has changed — like how the Vessel in New York City’s Hudson Yards grew from the ground up.
Building a more helpful, immersive map
Street View is also an essential part of how we map the world. Here’s a look at how imagery helps us do that:
Updates to business information that reflect your changing world. We use Street View imagery coupled with AI to make helpful updates to Google Maps — such as adding newly opened businesses, surfacing new hours at your favorite restaurants and updating speed limit information. In fact, over the last three years, AI has helped us make over 25 billion updates to Maps so you can be confident that the information you’re seeing is as fresh and up-to-date as possible.
Easier than ever navigation, indoors and out. Street View imagery powers popular features like Live View, which allows you to use your phone’s camera to overlay navigation instructions on top of the real world so you can walk to your destination in a snap.
Immersive view helps you know before you go. Thanks to advances in computer vision and AI over the last several years, we’re able to fuse together billions of Street View and aerial images to create a rich, digital model of places around the world. With our new immersive view launching later this year, you can easily glide down to street level on Maps and even check out the inside of a business as if you were walking around.
In celebration of Street View’s birthday, you’ll have the opportunity to make your navigation icon a celebratory Street View car – just tap the chevron when you’re in driving navigation. And on desktop, our beloved Pegman – who you can pick up and drop anywhere in Maps to see Street View – will be dressed up in a birthday hat and balloons for the celebration.
To keep the celebration going, check out our newest collections of places like The Pyramids of Meroë in Sudan and Les Invalides in France, popular spots to explore with Street View and some of our all-time favorite Street View images to date. Oh the places you’ll go!
Soundpeats is a familiar brand around the world and with our readers and we have been testing their earbuds some time now and this time we have the latest product they have to offer which is a super affordable pair of earbuds named the Free2 Classic. Once again the company have delivered a great product at a super affordable price and again shows the cost to performance ratio has come down significantly on earbuds which I have said numerous times here.
The new Free2 classic have a familiar design but this time even more expensive looking with the silver trimmings and vent on the side they are on average for a pair of buds but might be slightly too big for some, those with small ears, once fitted they give a great seal with the right tips and passive noise isolation is decent. There is no ANC or App here which might concern some however I feel if you just need a pair of earbuds and not even delved into the world of Apps or ANC you will be fine, in fact in comparison to others out there at this price you will feel like you are getting a bargain even though you are already.
Sound
Ok the important part for most as usual.. As mentioned the correct tips go along way to help you get the best audio experience and that goes for any earbuds at any price but when it comes to the audio experience even low end earbuds can sound decent but you can tell the difference between a pair you pick up at a garage or euro store which seem to be a plenty now and they are utter rubbish.
These are not bass driven earbuds to get that bit out of the way, I found them on the bright side and some volume levels I noted there was some tinniness however this depends on the source and what you are listening to, for me I use the same test loop all the time and overall they did good when it came to volume, highs lows and mids and where more centered than frontal. Voice was one thing that was crystal clear here too and sounded like the person is beside you more than being in another room you could say and this might be something that people want for example those listening to audio books and so on, for movies and gaming they did well again though no real bass here which is what I like but that is just my personal opinion. Calls are also fine and with no issues there and sounded decent both ends and you could hear clearly and not muffled.
Controls
Again these are touch based controls and worked quite well during my test run the controls offer all that is required including access to voice assistants and more, We go through all this in the video review below anyway and you can see for yourself how to operate the earbuds. But here is the operation guide below.
Power On: To automatically power on, open the lid of the charging case and take out both earbuds.
To manually power them on, press and hold either side for 1.5 seconds.
Power Off: Simply place the buds back into the charging case when done (and close the lid). To manually turn them off, press and hold either side for 10 seconds.
Play/Pause: Double tap either earbud.
Volume Up: Single-tap the left earbud.
Volume Down: Single tap the right earbud.
Previous Track: Press and hold the left earbud for 1.5 seconds.
Next Track: Press and hold the right earbud for 1.5 seconds.
Answer/Hang Up Phone Call: Double tap either earbud.
Reject Phone Call: Press and hold either earbud for 1.5 seconds when a call is incoming.
Switch Between Two Calls: Press and hold either earbud for 2 seconds.
Manually Enter Pairing Mode: Press and hold either earbud for 6 seconds.
Activate Voice Assist: Triple tap the right earbud.
Battery Life
Most manufacturers overstate their battery life but in this case they are true to form only one thing is if you use them full volume it will impede on your total battery life and with no ANC present it only helps them last longer and you can expect to get the claimed 8 hours, for me it was around 7 hours which is not bad for this price point it has to be said.
Overall you cant really complain here with the performance for the price you are getting better than other out there at this price and even if you want just to have a spare pair or gift them to someone you will be happy enough with the end result for what you pay which is not a lot.
Features
【Innovative Design & Comfortable Fit】 Laser-engraved leather texture combined with metal elements achieves a balance between exquisite and comfort. The ergonomic design with each earbud weighing only 0.14oz provides a perfect wearing experience with all-day comfort.
【Long Battery Life & USB-C Charge】 8 hours playtime per charge and another 2.8 recharges by the charging case. The Free2 classic wireless earbuds extend your enjoyment to 30 hours in total. It only takes 1-2 hours to charge the earbuds and the charging case by the convenient USB-C charge.
【IPX5 Waterproof & Various Applications】 Certificated with IPX5 waterproof, SoundPEATS Free2 classic Bluetooth earbuds are resistant to water splash, sweat, and raindrops. You can enjoy the exercise time without worrying about being interrupted by moisture.
【Superior Sound & Reliable Transmission】 6mm dynamic driver presents strong bass, mellow mids, and clear vocals to let you enjoy the immersive beating notes. The Bluetooth 5.1 ensures a stable connection and helps enhance the sound to be more pleasant for your weekly workout and leisure time.
【Smooth Calls & Easy Touch Control】 The mics are equipped with dust-proof metal mesh to reduce wind noises interruption and make the calls clear and smooth. The effortless on-ear touch control allows your access to control volume, switch songs, pause/answer calls, and activate voice assistant.
Creative Technology is lining up the launch of Creative Zen Hybrid, which packs in a slew of features as a choice daily go-to headphone solution for users to stay in the zone while on the go. As a prelude to the launch on 8 June 2022, Creative will be giving away 100 units through an exclusive raffle organised for fans.
Key Features of Creative Zen Hybrid
Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)
With feedforward and feedback microphones on each earcup, the Hybrid ANC technology cancels up to 95% of environmental noise. Vocal clarity is enhanced for calls through an additional noise-cancelling microphone.
Ambient Mode
Users can stay aware of the environment where needed, be it for safety while on busy streets, or for convenience when ordering drinks at a café.
40 mm Neodymium drivers
Expertly tuned by Creative’s in-house engineers for a warm sound signature with accurate bass and crisp, clean highs, the Zen Hybrid is well-balanced to suit a wide variety of genres.
Long battery life, super-quick charging
The Zen Hybrid is a marathon-level headphone, lasting up to 37 hours (with ANC enabled) and up to 27 hours (with ANC disabled). It also provides five hours of playback with just five minutes of charging.
Ideal as a daily carry-on
Sporting a slim profile, the Zen Hybrid is lightweight, foldable with 90° swivel earcups and easily stowed away in a carry pouch.
SXFI READY
The Zen Hybrid is a SXFI READY headphone; users can enjoy a free preview version of the award-winning Super X-Fi technology through the SXFI app, and enjoy holographic audio on local music content inside their phones.
100 units for fans
The Zen Hybrid will be launched at the price of £83.99; Creative is giving away 100 units to its fans, who can also look forward to exclusive discounts. Interested users can sign up here.
PSB Speakers, the loudspeaker company that, more than any other, create the “Canadian Sound”, is celebrating 50 years of delivering high value hi-fi speakers at the intersection of science-based sound reproduction and musical enjoyment. Founded in St Jacob’s, Ontario, in the summer of 1972 by classically-trained violinist and self-taught acoustics designer, Paul Barton, and a couple of his high school friends, PSB Speakers soon became a pioneer in marrying psychoacoustics research with loudspeaker design.
The scientific approach Barton took in designing loudspeakers was rare at the time, and over the course of the late 1970s and early 1980s, he conducted thorough and detailed measurements of loudspeakers at the National Research Council (NRC) in Ottawa, Canada, utilizing its state-of-the-art anechoic chamber and instruments to perfect the sound signature of his products. In spending so much time in and around the laboratories at the NRC, Barton found himself embedded with some of Canada’s leading scientific researchers in the areas of psychoacoustics and acoustic measurement, including becoming a close personal friend to world-renowned Dr Floyd Toole, whom he would collaborate with until Toole’s later move to California. The acoustics research Barton helped to pioneer and commercialize would eventually become common industry practice, and the foundational principles first discovered by this research continue to be the basis of much of speaker design today.
“As a musician and acoustics designer, it has been such an honour to work with some of the top scientific minds in the field over the decades,” says Barton. “In academic research, like what was happening at the NRC, it wasn’t uncommon for research to get published and then just gather dust on a shelf somewhere. But I got the unique opportunity to take that research and turn it into real products that PSB customers could enjoy their favourite music on, and that has been the most satisfying thing for me throughout these 50 years.”
The brand’s anniversary celebrations kick off with a virtual live event on June 1, 2022, at 4:00PM EDT (1:00PM PDT, 9:00PM BST, 10:00PM CEST), and will feature an intimate conversation with Paul Barton moderated by Doug Schneider, Founder of SoundStage!. Event registration opens on May 16, 2022, at psbspeakers.com/50years and attendees will not only have the chance to submit their questions to the PSB team for the live Q&A with Barton, but they will also be the first to watch a documentary of the brand, specially produced for the 50th anniversary, which will be released to the rest of the world 24 hours later on June 2, 2022. Friends of PSB Speakers, including IsoAcoustics and Bluesound, have offered up some exciting door prizes, and there will be a grand prize draw for a pair of PSB Speakers AM 5 Powered Bookshelf Speakers at the end of the event.
“PSB Speakers, despite all of the outstanding reviews it receives for its products, is in many ways still a hidden gem of a brand,” explains Gordon Simmonds, CEO of Lenbrook International, the parent company of PSB Speakers. “The documentary is our way of reinforcing the brand’s incredible story and scientific contributions to the speaker industry so it can be appreciated not just by those who already follow the brand, but also by new audio consumers that are looking for great value products for their mobile and modern lifestyles.”
Paul Barton with the Stratus Gold, deemed the “10,000 Watt Speaker” by audiophile press
Filmed and produced over a four-month period in and around Toronto, the documentary runs approximately 20 minutes and offers an intimate glimpse into the brand’s founding, its expansion, Barton’s legacy, and the brand’s exciting future. It features interviews with Barton about his childhood influences and personal anecdotes, interspersed with perspectives from inside and outside the company, including from Simmonds, as well as from a former dealer and now Chief Strategy Officer of Lenbrook, John Banks; Canadian business journalist Gordon Brockhouse; Headphone Category Manager, Matt Simmonds; and Schneider, who got to know Barton while at the NRC himself, conducting speaker measurements for his publication’s reviews. Visually, the documentary is peppered with archival photos, videos, and mementos over the decades, deftly weaving in stories about some of the brand’s most iconic and popular products. It is a fitting tribute to a brand that, in the documentary, Schneider calls the “grandfather of the Canadian loudspeaker industry”.
The celebrations continue into the month of June, when PSB Speakers goes back to its roots – the love of live music from Barton’s childhood that inspired him to pursue a career in acoustics. PSB Speakers is committed as a Main Stage sponsor for the 2022 Northern Lights Festival Boréal, a music festival happening in Sudbury, Ontario, that is also celebrating its 50th anniversary. Small town Canada has produced some of the world’s most enduring musical acts and these two Canadian musical legends – PSB Speakers and the Northern Lights Fesitival Boréal – will join forces in a digital campaign in the weeks leading up to the festival to promote the festival’s exciting line-up of Canadian talent.
The anniversary celebrations will culminate in a very special announcement from the brand on July 1st, coinciding with Canada Day.
From the heralded creators of AFK Arena and Rise of Kingdoms: Lost Crusade, Lilith Games announces today the stylish urban mythological RPG Dislyte is now available on iOS and Android devices. A mix of modern and mythos, Dislyte invites players to fight against the forces of evil with a team of five characters known as “Espers,” each of whom has been granted special abilities based on mythological deities from cultures around the world.
Based on Greek, Chinese, Norse, and Egyptian deities, Dislyte’s roster showcases a highly varied array of skills and absolutely fire character designs. Set in 2027, the gritty, futuristic urban environment sets the stage for some truly sick and stylish tune-infused battles. Enhanced by an intense electro-pop soundtrack, recruit a team of five beautifully 3D rendered heroes and clash against the forces of darkness in exciting turn-based RPG battles. Will good triumph over evil, or is the world doomed to plunge into everlasting darkness?
If PVP’s more your style, Dislyte features a mode titled Point War, an arena where players are randomly matched up with other Espers, allowing them to duke it out and level up their skills in the process. Dislyte also includes a gacha aspect; using earned gems, players can try their luck summoning Rare, Epic, or Legendary Espers via the Silver, Gold, or Platinum record players. Keeping to the company’s AFK roots, there is also an option to automate battles, allowing players to minimize the screens and do other things on their mobile devices during combat sequences.
Watch the all-new launch Dislyte launch trailer:
Key Features of Dislyte include:
Battle to the Beat: The combat and various story elements in Dislyte are injected with distinctive pulse-pounding beats across EDM, techno, and pop genres.
Espers Worldwide: Explore and battle it out in an urban playground inspired by cities across the globe via spectacular, vibrant backdrops and scenes.
Fashionable (and Totally Bad*ss) Gods: Dislyte merges deep mythological themes with an engaging storyline where every Esper is dressed to impress with the attitude to match.
Musical Rewards: Uncover new sounds, implement different moods and drop the beat with Dislyte’s music-based “Gacha” gameplay system where you’ll unlock your rewards by “scratching” the turntable like a real DJ.
Dislyte is available now on the App Store and Google Play:
