Search here...
Subscribe
Home Blog Page 106

Tronsmart: Affordable Wireless Earbuds, Headphones and Speakers

Marty
-
0
Tronsmart: Affordable Wireless Earbuds, Headphones and Speakers

A while back two lads got in touch with me about a new website they were launching to support their phone and gadget shops. Without knowing too much about them, but gut said to go along for the ride. Today, they launch their new look brand and a new website to match and it’s called Wireless. They guys have sent over some of the stuff they’ll be stocking for me to check out and I’ve got to say, it’s been eye-opening.

Who Are Wireless?

A little part of me is waiting for the day where Goosed.ie starts getting comments like “why is everything you write about Dublin-centric” or something similar. We’ve avoided this so far, likely down to me being from Kilkenny and having a large part of the team based in Limerick too. In all honesty, this is why I love the idea behind Wireless. Run by two Tullamore-born twins and starting out as Fix My I – a repair shop in an industrial estate – the shop is now a hub for the latest tech gadgets. The lads have focused on their stores in Westmeath and Offaly which for me is crucial. Ireland needs tech stores to challenge norms and stock the harder to get phones, while remaining willing to bring in high quality and affordable gadgets for everyone to try out.

Today, they launch their new website, stocking the latest phones and accessories on the market. They’ve sent me some of the latest audio accessories from Tronsmart to test out, a new brand the lads introduced me to.

Who Are Tronsmart?

There’s a fair chance you haven’t heard of Tronsmart but just to give you an idea of their stature; their brand ambassador is Luis Suarez. Tronsmart is a South Korean company who killed it back in 2013 when they launched their T1000 Miracast device. This lets you mirror your phone on the TV way before Chromecast even existed. If you’ve been following Goosed.ie for a while, you’ll know I’m a firm believer than Asian smartphone manufacturers like Huawei and Xiaomi is great news for shoppers. Well, Tronsmart looks to be doing the same for accessories. Here’s what I’ve been testing out.

Tronsmart Encore Spunky Buds

Oh stop laughing at the fact they have “spunky” in their name. Wireless audio is something I’m currently developing a mild obsession for. I’ve been testing out the Sony 1000XM2, had a quick look at the 1000XM3 at IFA in Berlin. I’ve also been testing out the Sony WF-1000X, a truly wireless pair of earbuds which deliver incredible quality, but have some annoying features too – like substantial lag when watching videos.

This is why I was both apprehensive and intrigued to test out the Tronsmart Encore Spunky wireless earbuds. These were also completely wireless but cost a fraction of the Sony earbuds. According to Pricespy, you could pick up a pair of Sony WF-1000X earbuds for around €150 yet the Tronsmart earbuds cost just €55 from the Wireless guys. So how do they measure up?

Tronsmart Encore Spunky Buds Review

When it comes to earbuds, these are the crucial things I look out for. I’m going to be pretty hard on the Tronsmart buds too because I’m comparing them to the Sony buds which cost €100 more.

Sound Quality

The Sony WF-1000X combine great noise cancelling with incredible audio quality and frankly, considering the price difference, I hate little faith that the Tronsmarts could keep up. While the Encore Spunky Buds don’t have noise cancelling, the sound quality is great. I can’t say they’re on par with the Sonys but they are within reach of them and considering the price difference, that’s nothing short of incredible.

Personally, I can’t get my head around the fact that my Sony earbuds experience massive lag when watching video, the Tronsmarts are perfect. Again, given the price difference, this left me wondering how Sony ever let their earbuds get to market when Tronsmart nailed this for a fraction of the cost.

Battery Life

Not fantastic for either Sony or Tronsmart here. Both sets of earbuds give you three hours of playback. Now, the nature of wireless earbuds means you probably won’t be leaving them in much longer than three hours although considering I have a seven-hour flight to New York on the horizon I might change my tune on that one.

Both companies also sell their earbuds with a companion charge case. This means when you pop your earbuds into their case, they’re charging. The Sony case gives you an extra two charges, meaning a total of nine hours on the go usage. The Tronsmart earbuds give about 3.5 hours and again can be charged on the go, meaning you get over ten hours on the go.

Comfort

This is why battery life doesn’t matter too much. Totally wireless earbuds can wear on your ears. I’ve found that around the two-hour mark for both brands I needed to take a break. This was a tie in terms of comfort, however, the Tronsmarts were a little more comfortable to run with.

Waterproofing

The Sony WF-1000X are not waterproof, so you’re taking your life into your own hands if you even get sweat near them after a gym run. That said, I’ve used them in the gym and they’ve lived to tell the tale. The Encore Spunky Buds are IPX5 rated, so while they’re far from suitable for the pool, sweat won’t leave these banjaxed.

The Verdict

I’m no audiophile, but I can’t stand poor sound quality. I didn’t feel it was totally fair to put the Tronsmarts up against the Sonys, but they really stood up to them. If I’m being hypercritical, the Sonys look a little tidier and they do have superior sound quality and noise cancelling, but that’s just not the point. The point here is that for substantially less money, you can get a pair of Tronsmart Encore Spunky earbuds which will be more than enough for anyone who isn’t a total audiophile.

Tronsmart Encore Hydra Earphones Review

Coming in at just €34.99, the Encore Hydra earphones are certainly the right price. These are designed for exercise with an IPX7 water resistance rating meaning they’re capable of dealing with sweat and rain. Their wrap-around design means they’re perfect for running and other exercises where you’ll be moving plenty. Considering they have a twelve-hour playback battery too, these might just find their way into my bag for that trip to New York.

The one place these do fall down is sound quality. Now, don’t get me wrong, they’re fine but if you’re in a gym like mine where the techno music pumps loud, you’ll be straining to hear what you’re trying to listen to on your phone. These things come into their own when you run outside. Whether or not it’s by design, I’m not sure, but the audio profile of these earphones means you can enjoy your music while also being aware of your surroundings. It might be poor design or it might be a safety feature, but either way, for €34.99, there’s a place in the world for earphones like the Encore Hydras.

Tronsmart T6 Speaker

In a world of smart speakers is there still space for the humble bluetooth speaker? Well, the day this landed with me I needed it. I was streaming a match on SkyGo from my Mac to the TV and typically audio wasn’t working. I fired up the T6 speaker and was blown away by the sound – almost literally. Considering I have a Google Home which costs substantially more than this primarily because of the speaker quality, the T6 really stands up on its own two feet.

Using what Tronsmart call 360-sound, you can pop this in the middle of a can-drinking-circle and everyone will enjoy the same audio quality. I also can’t look beyond how much the T6 reminds me of a can itself, but don’t worry the features go beyond that.

The T6 has a massive bass output on the bottom, is water resistant and packs an impressive fifteen-hour battery. It can connect to other devices using an AUX cable or Bluetooth and you can even take calls on the speaker too. As much as I like it, I think Chris from the Wireless team does a great job explaining what life with the T6 is like. Take it away Chris:

On the one hand, I’m a little surprised just how impressed I am with Tronsmart but at the same time why am I? I’ve seen Asian manufacturers increase their quality by an incredible amount in recent years and Tronsmart is no different. My personal favourite from the lot here is the Spunky earbuds. Really, I should be kicking myself considering I paid so much for the Sony earbuds but in truth, I’m delighted to see tech progress this quickly.

Best of luck to the Wireless teams in Westmeath and Offaly. If you’re in the area, call in and see what gadgets they’ve got on offer for you. Naturally, if you’re not in the area, you can check out their shiny new site too.

The e-Nable Program – Using Technology to “give a helping hand”

Jon
-
0
The e-Nable Program – Using Technology to “give a helping hand”

Over the last couple of months we have seen the technology industry as a whole take a giant ass pounding. Companies like Facebook and Google have been taking the brunt of abuse due to a range of controversies all stemming from the Cambridge Analytica scandal. While pulling up companies who misbehave is something that we all have to do, it is important to remember that technology by it’s very nature has been created to aid and improve our lives. So much so that we probably don’t even realise it anymore.

That’s fine but remember this, technology is so much more than data mining and shady political bs and while shows like Black Mirror are great for making us think they don’t exactly show the true reasoning behind technological innovation. With this in mind we recently stumbled across a Limerick based open source volunteer group who aim to put the feel good factor back into tech. Using 3D printing the Open Creators Limerick group with the help of E-Nable  have been printing prosthetic hands for children in need. Ya that’s right there are a bunch of Irish folk giving up their free time to use technology to improve kids lives and as ever the Irish media is too busy showing the bad rather than focusing on the good. That changes now.

So what is 3D Printing

Ok, so bare with me on this one but do you know when you are icing a cake?

You put the icing all melted and sticky into the bag, then you squirt it out and make your design. Basically that’s 3D printing in a nutshell but the icing is melted plastic, the bag is the printer and the cake is the thing you are trying to print. Simple.

Instead of traditional printing where ink meets paper on a flat surface, a 3D printer moves in an upward motion creating layer upon layer until the pre-set design is printed. Check out the video here to see for yourself.

The e-Nable Program

Image result for e-nableThe e-NABLE Community is an amazing group of individuals from all over the world who are using their 3D printers to create free 3D printed hands and arms for those in need.

They are people who have put aside their political, religious, cultural and personal differences – to come together and collaborate on ways to help improve the open source 3D printable designs for hands and arms for those who were born missing fingers or who have lost them due to war, disease or natural disaster.

The e-NABLE Community is made up of  teachers, students, engineers, scientists, medical professionals, tinkerers, designers, parents, children, scout troops, artists, philanthropists, dreamers, coders, makers and every day people who just want to make a difference and help to “Give The World A Helping Hand.”

How did it happen?

Way back in 2011 Ivan Owen created this mad looking metal hand for a cosplay outfit and when he got back from the convention he posted a short clip to YouTube. This short and simple clip made it’s way to a chap called Richard in South Africa who had lost some fingers in a carpentry accident. Using Skype, email and all that fun stuff the to began to collaborate to create something to help Richard and then they went one further and created a special assisted device for a young local boy who was born with no fingers on one hand. This began a ripple effect which would eventually stretch around the world

After creating the first prototype, Ivan realized that he would quickly outgrow the hand and started researching the use of 3D printing to create the next version. He taught himself how to use 3D printer design software and a well known 3D printer company, Maker Bot actually donated 2 machines to help get E-Nable of the ground.

Now here’s where it gets interesting. Instead of patenting the design for this new hand and making a profit, Ivan decided to publish the design files as open-source  so that people could download and print these devices for anyone that needed one too – anywhere in the world. This is how the E-Nable community started.

Around 100 people got on board, offering their printers and skills to help develop the program. In that first year the group had reached over 3,000 volunteers with over 750 hands created worldwide.

Now thanks to these people, their generosity and their ability to use technology for good, people can have hope. This program is the one place in the world where people with missing fingers, hands or arms can get help from people who are using 3D printed devices that can help them with daily tasks that are easier to perform with 2 fully functional hands. Oh and guess where their Irish operation is based?

The Fab Lab and the Irish connection

Image result for fab lab limerick

The Irish division of the E-Nable Community comes in the form of the Open Creators of good ole Limerick City! Working out of the amazing communal maker space the Fab Lab in town these bunch of lecturers, students, engineers and everything else in between can come together to create.

We actually caught up with Ruth and Jack who sat down and gave us the low down in our most recent episode of the Tech Yurt podcast which you can listen to here:

https://www.acast.com/techyurt/giving-a-helping-hand-through-3d-printing-e-nable-

While it’s still early days in Ireland and this group haven’t got the ability to manufacture at the same volume as other countries. That’s why they have put their noggins together to become one of the leading R&D areas of the group where they have solved issues like – Best materials for gripping on the fingertips and improving material choices, styles are placement of strapping for a better quality and more comfortable fit. These slight innovations are then shared to over 12,000 people in the E-Nable Community to help improve their designs. While this may seem trivial to you or me it is this attention and focus to create the best product for the kids that have led to Limerick’s high standing in the community. We are sure having met them and knowing the ability of the team, these guys could end up changing how prosthetic s are made forever.

What can we do to help

Well if you’re one of the few with a 3D printer and you would like to lend a hand (pun not intended I promise) then you can hit up the Limerick based division on their Facebook account and start putting your modelling skills to good use. If you haven’t got skills that you think will help remember this, each hand costs about €30 each so if you want to reach into your pocket and buy them extra material it will be going to a good cause.

Alternatively we also have our own Patreon account open these days. 70% of every donation we get will be pumped back into tech for good causes and the rest will help us grow. https://www.patreon.com/goosed

Remember even in the midst of all the bad press technology has gotten over the last number of weeks  and months it is important to remember all the good that can be done. It’s like anything else really arseholes will always find a way of exploiting a system for their own personal gains but when you have good people with the right intentions, technology can literally be a tool to change the world for the better. We just have to decide which person we want to be.

Robots of the Future: They’re Here, We Just Don’t Recognise Them

Marty
-
0
Robots of the Future: They’re Here, We Just Don’t Recognise Them

That movie, Bicentennial Man with Robin Williams kind of set the bar for robotic home assistants. For years, I’ve seen the tech world keep up with Hollywood. I’m sitting in an airport writing this after going through a body scanner, just like the one in Airplane II: The Sequel. Closer to home, Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey predicted iPad like tablets and smart assistants, though to be fair, I haven’t heard of Alexa straight up trying to murder anyone yet. But with Bicentennial Man, Hollywood threw an uncharacteristic ‘wobbly’ and got it wrong. Yes, the average home of the not-too-distant future and even present will have house robots. But they’ll look absolutely nothing like Robin Williams.

The Robot Housekeepers

You’ll see straight away that I’m using plural and that’s very deliberate. No one helper robot will be taking over all your housework any time soon. Instead, there are a plethora of ‘designed to function’ robots which can take on a range of your day-to-day house tasks.

iRobot: Roomba

Vacuuming is horrible. Personally, I would like to nab myself a rechargeable Dyson handheld but even then, the novelty will wear off and I’ll hate that too. The real solution is a robot and this isn’t a pipe dream, it’s very much the present. iRobot has been developing vacuum bots for six years! Their best-known robot is the Roomba which comes to life when you’re out and about, vacuuming around the house before parking back up in it’s dock to charge for it’s next cleaning mission.

iRobot: Braava

Being honest, the Roomba was no surprise to me; I had heard of it. Actually, many people have since a Roomba didn’t spot a dog poop on the floor and drove over it back in 2012. The result, well I’m sure you can imagine, but still, here you go:

However, the Braava is news to me. This is a cute little robot designed to take on the mopping after your Roomba has don’t all the vacuuming. I can’t ever over how amazing the thought of two robots tag teaming my dusty apartment is and again, this is now a reality. The Braava sprays water ahead of itself and then shimmys along, scrubbing stains as it goes.

Because of the limited water tank on-board, the Braava doesn’t have the self-parking charge station. The good news is, iRobot don’t expect you to buy a heap of these. Instead, the idea is that you let your Braava loose in one room, top him up with some more water and then let him off in the next room.

WindowMate

All going well, there’s barely a house job in the world that robots won’t be taking over. That includes cleaning windows. WindowMate has created a window cleaning robot, but they weren’t alone at IFA this year with several companies entering this space. There are obviously some usability issues around moving the robot from window to window, but check out the latest Goosed Ganders video below to see how easily the WindowMate clears permanent marker from a window:

Somnox: The Sleep Robot

If challenging what pops into your mind when you hear robot is your game, then look no further than the Somnox. This soft and cuddly robot is shaped like a kidney bean, but it’s been proven to help people suffering from insomnia get a better night’s sleep. These will start shipping in October and further challenge the thought of what defines robots of our future.

Smart Assistants

The usual rigmarole of new smart assistants was also on show in force at IFA. Google’s massive external stage let gave people the chance to win Google Homes from a giant bubble gum machine while Amazon delivered a keynote on how voice search is changing the world. I chatted with Huawei and Anker who are harnessing the power of Alexa in their own smart speakers, while Google Assistants, actual people, stood around the exhibition beside devices the digital Google Assistant also powered. I should add, there were hundreds, if not thousands of these Google Assistant people, signifying an insane number of devices which now offer voice control from either Amazon or Google.

These are additional robots in our home which automate as much as you’re willing to set up. Right now I have a Google Home and Amazon Echo Dot in my sitting room. Google can turn on and off the TV or let me stream Netflix effortlessly to Chromecast. While the Google Home can also control my smart lights, I let Alexa look after that. The too also remind me about various things, let me call other people I know with similar devices and help me set timers when I’m cooking, to name but a few of the features they have.

These are the simplest and most accessible robots of the lot and many have already invited these into our homes. Talk about the future being here!

The Human and Robot Relationship

And this brings me to my main point; what kind of relationship will we have with robots. I was chatting with Christiana Ball from iRobot, creators of the Roomba, who told me a story which really demonstrates what our relationship with robots will look like.

A customer had bought a Roomba but something went wrong and so they contacted customer support stating “my Rosie has stopped working”. Yup, they named their vacuum Rosie, much like we affectionately name our cars. Anyway, Customer care said they would replace the vacuum, but the customer became quite upset before asking for Rosie to be fixed instead of replaced. The customer had developed a bond with this machine that took over a menial task, a bond which seems similar to that of one built with a pet.

The customer had developed a bond with this machine

The Somnox sleeping robot is designed in such a way that affection is actually given to the user, by a robot. Personally, when I speak with either Alexa or Google Assistant I’ll say please and thanks, even though the AI doesn’t need or enjoy this and I’ve heard of many other people doing the same.

The future will have more advanced robots, but right now, you can have any number of robots in your home. You can also expect your family to build relationships with these robots so just be prepared for tears when your vacuum has to go away to the vacuum farm, far out of town.

The Somnox Pillow: A Cuddly Robot You Take to Bed

Marty
-
0
The Somnox Pillow: A Cuddly Robot You Take to Bed

A Dutch startup has created the world’s first sleeping robot. While this might sounds all fun and fluffy, literally and figuratively, the Somnox Pillow is actually solving a very real problem. I caught up with the team at IFA in Berlin recently to learn a little bit more about the Somnox pillow.

What is the Somnox Pillow?

The Somnox Pillow is the world’s first sleeping robot and the project has already raised over €200,000 on Kickstarter to come into fruition.

somnox sleeping robot

In simple terms, this is a pillow that breathes and can also play soothing music or sounds such as white noise. The science behind the Somnox Pillow largely rests on breathing patterns and the fact poor breathing patterns can sleep to poor sleep and even insomnia. Research has shown that one in three likely suffers from some sort of insomnia. Insomnia can lead to medication and possibly over-medication; a scenario everyone would rather avoid.

The Somnox Pillow is out to help with this issue, with the company’s missions stating they want to help 100,000 people achieve a good night’s rest by 2025.

Tech for Sleep: How Does the Somnox Pillow Work?

This is possibly the most cuddly robot you’ve ever seen and I can indeed confirm it’s just as cuddly as it looks. The designers teamed up with Auping to make this a super cosy device to make it almost irresistible to bring into your bed.

This cuddly robot simulates a relaxed breathing pattern and when you snuggle up to it, you subconsciously and naturally sync your own breathing to the slowed patterns of the Somnox Pillow. Combined with the comforting design of the robotic pillow and the soothing sounds it emits and the Somnox Pillow is a recipe for a good night’s sleep.

If you still have your doubts, you can read all the science behind how the Somnox Pillow delivers a good night’s sleep.

Somnox Pillow Price

Can you really put a price on a good night’s sleep? Well, actually yes you can. The Somnox Pillow will set you back a little under €565 including shipping to Ireland. Right now, this cuddly robot is available to pre-order with deliveries expected to land in October.

Somnox Pillow Review

I’m hoping to do a more in-depth review of the Somnox Pillow in the next few months, so drop your email below to make sure you don’t miss it.

In the meantime, let me leave you with a thought. One thing I’m certainly taking away from IFA 2018 is that we need to rethink what we believe robots look like. Sure, there were some classic humanoid-ish looking robots, but the most useful of the lot were either Roomba vacuums, window-washing boxes or this kidney bean shaped pillow by Somnox. Robots are coming, but you might not even recognise them.

Huawei at IFA 2018: AI Cube, Locator and Mate 20 Lite

Marty
-
0
Huawei at IFA 2018: AI Cube, Locator and Mate 20 Lite

Huawei is relishing their spot in the tech world right now. They’ve ousted Apple as the second biggest smartphone manufacturer in terms of shipments but are showing no signs of slowing down. At their IFA 2018 keynote presentation, Richard Yu announced a plethora of new additions to the Huawei family.

Huawei AI Cube

There are two ways to enter the smart speaker market. The first way is to develop your own smart assistant then develop your own hardware, before marrying these together to create something very special. Google and Amazon have already achieved this through their respective Home and Echo devices. This is not an easy route to take and even Apple and Samsung have learned that having either inferior hardware or software can be a recipe for disaster with Apple’s Homepod being rather disappointing because of Siri and no one caring less what Samsung do because we all know it’ll just be another Bixby powered piece of…

Anyway.

The second way to enter the market is to leverage one half of the formula that’s already been extremely successful and then add your own flair to the situation. This is what Huawei is going for with their AI Cube.

Huawei AI Cube: Features

The Huawei AI Cube is designed to tackle a few modern home problems. The first is entertainment.

Audio

The AI Cube can produce great audio, perfect for your living room and will be able to flex muscles to scare both Amazon Echo and Google Home devices for space on your shelf. Huawei’s own audio software, Histen, also features in the speaker to provide additional sound settings and quality controls.

Amazon Alexa

With the P20 Pro came Huawei and Amazon’s first public display of affection. Using screen gestures, you can quickly search for products that you see on the screen, but only through Amazon. Now, with the AI Cube, Huawei is providing a new smart speaker for Alexa to live within.

It’s a bold but understandable move from Huawei given the global smart speaker base is set to swell to 225 million units in the next two years. Given lack of love Siri gets and the outright hatred Bixby gets, Huawei has done the smart thing and focused on the hardware. Speaking of which…

Connectivity

The AI Cube also doubles as a router. Pop a 4G sim card into the speaker and you’ll enjoy download speeds up to 300 Mbps. Now, I know most people will never use it, but wouldn’t it be lovely to bring something like that on holidays with you and pop a sim card into it? WiFi, sounds and a smart assistant all bundled into one.

While all of this is extremely exciting, Huawei wasn’t done yet.

Huawei Locator

I lose shit. I lose shit, a lot. This is why I have a Tile on my keyring. Even when things are lost now, they’re not really lost – they’re misplaced. Huawei feels my pain and also announced their Locator at IFA 2018.

It’s very simple. You attach the Huawei Locator to something you don’t want to lose and it’ll track it around the world. The Locator uses four different major global navigation systems including the well-known GPS system along with nano SIM and eSIM technology. Combined with global roaming and near-real-time location reporting, it’s unlikely you’ll ever lose anything connected to the Huawei Locator.

The examples given at IFA included attaching the Locator to your dog or suitcase, but I remember a friend of mine having a much more convoluted setup for a device which was attached to his motorbike following the theft of his previous bike.

The Locator will notify users when it more than 10 meters away from a paired smartphone or when it leaves a geofenced area. It’s IP68 too so don’t worry if your dog is a bit mad.

Huawei Mate 20 Lite and Mate 20 Series

I wanted to see a handset launch and while I had my fingers crossed for the Mate 20, I wasn’t left to disappointed. All in the same Berlin keynote, Huawei announced the Mate 20 Lite. The spec to price on this thing is insane. Going on sale in October for €429 sim free, the Mate 20 Lite has ridiculous front-facing dual cameras with 24MP and 2MP lenses capable of delivering the elusive front facing bokeh effect. That’s where you’re nice and crisp but the background is blurry.

The front-facing cameras are actually slightly more powerful than the read facing 20MP and 2MP lenses. Huawei really is bonkers when it comes to camera layouts, but after seeing how well their mad ideas worked for the P20 Pro, I say keep ‘em coming.

The Mate 20 Lite will pack a 3750 mAh battery and all of this will be housed behind a 6.3-inch screen.

I’ll reserve further opinions on this until I get a full hands-on look at it, but early suggestions are this slightly high to mid-range phone is going to be an absolute beast.

It’s funny. I’ve been writing about tech now for a few years and I can only assume that how I feel about Huawei is something like what a football manager feels when he brings a youth player through from the development squads. Huawei has gone from the entry level underdog to an absolute world beater. Samsung and Apple have had it pretty easy for a long time, but it looks like those days are well and truly finished.

I’m still waiting on confirmation for Irish pricing and launch dates for both the AI Cube and Locator but will update this article when I get them.

KBC Launches New Banking App: Features and Benefits

Marty
-
0
KBC Launches New Banking App: Features and Benefits

KBC has just launched a brand new banking app and man, are they leaving the Irish competition in their wake.

Features of the New KBC Banking App

Right, well first off – it looks lovely and modern. This might seem like a fairly simple achievement, but customers of Bank of Ireland will tell you how frustrating a bank’s lack of digital ambition can be.

Beyond the looks, some killer new features peep out and as cool as they are, they are also suggesting a very interesting future lies ahead for KBC Customers

Card Details in App

I’ve found myself in this situation more than you might think. I need my card details but not my card. You know, you’re shopping online or trying to pay a bill over the phone or something and all you need is your card number and your CCV number. Maybe my wallets at home because I couldn’t find it and went to work with just Google Pay to keep me going (this happened twice last month). Now, you can still make online payments without reaching for your card.

This is great if you’ve forgotten your wallet (like me) or you’re too lazy to get up and grab your card from the kitchen table (also like me).

Instant Credit Cards

Another cool feature of the new KBC app is instant access to a credit card once you’ve been approved. I love the idea of this because I’ve been in that situation where you realise your wages just ain’t going to stretch. I think most people in Ireland are open to using more banking products like credit cards, but just don’t want to go through bank application processes. KBC has clearly spotted this and instant credit cards is the solution.

Once approved, your card appears in your app along with your number and CCV. You can then apply this to Google Pay or Apple Pay and away you go. This really is amazing stuff for the Irish banking market. Fingers crossed this works better than their onboarding did when I tried it out, but considering this is for existing customers, I can’t imagine there being too many complications.

Lost Cards

There’s an added benefit to this instant card functionality. If you lose your debit card, KBC can cancel that card, issue you a new one and have it appear in your KBC app. Again, you’ll have all the details you need to make online purchases but also be able to add your card to Google Pay and Apple Pay. Don’t forget, you can use these digital payment options up to your daily limit, not the €30 limit that your card has. You just might need to be stubborn with the people in the shop – trust me, I’ve lived it. One woman grabbed the card machine and refused to let me tap my phone for a €60 purchase.

The Future of Banking

The reason I think these improvements are exciting is because it’s paving the way for some really great innovation. Sure, these features are cool, but imagine being able to create a virtual card just for online shopping. No longer will you have to worry when a company loses all your data. Simply cancel that card and away you go.

Sure enough, Revolut is probably one of the few banks that can say they are ahead of KBC, but Revolut is failing the crucial litmus test – I wouldn’t put my wages into that account.

KBC is, once again, leaving the Irish banks in their wake. They’ve got a bit to go in order to catch up with Revolut, but at the same time, they are miles ahead in terms of trust. If you are looking for a new primary bank in Ireland and don’t want to go the whole hog with Revolut, KBC really has just reaffirmed its position as the best digital bank in Ireland.

 

IFA 2018: What to Expect from Europe’s Biggest Consumer Tech Show

Marty
-
0
IFA 2018: What to Expect from Europe’s Biggest Consumer Tech Show

Strangely enough, I was out of the country for all of the Pope’s recent visit to Ireland. Before you ask, it wasn’t in part a protest to match my attempts to leave the church through GDPR. No, I was simply on holidays and happened to be flying out moments before he hit the tarmac in Dublin. It was interesting to see people from around the world make the trip to see Il Papa and got me thinking about making a pilgrimage myself. So I’m going to tech paradise and spending a few days in Berlin at IFA 2018. Here’s what you need to know about IFA 2018.

What Does IFA Stand For?

Well, first of all – mega bonus points if you already knew the answer to this one because I think it would even baffle native German speakers which I absolutely am not despite my years of learning. IFA stands for Internationale Funkausstellung which translates to International Radio Exhibition but is also commonly referred to as the Berlin Radio Show. Today, IFA houses the latest from all lines of technology and hosts over a quarter of a million visitors. Not bragging, but my pilgrimage will be bigger than Il Papa’s too.

What to Expect from IFA 2018

Don’t let the radio bit fool you but also don’t dismiss it. There are some radios on show along with the latest in audio, both personal and home. However, on top of that, you also have every other kind of tech imaginable from televisions to drones. Because I’ll actually be trying to work out where everything is, I’ve made a kind of IFA 2018 plan. Here’s what I’m most looking forward to.

Huawei

I’m not quite so sure if Huawei will have a handset launch at IFA but we’re ever so close to the launch of the Mate 20; their answer to Samsung’s Note series. Whatever Huawei has to release to the world, I’ll be front and centre waiting to hear about it on Friday at their scheduled press conference. Given the Chinese manufacturer has just been crowned the second biggest smartphone company in the world, ahead of Apple, I’m really excited to see what they have up their sleeve. Huawei has been mega aggressive in recent months with the P20 Pro arguably being the best smartphone to hit the market in years.

Watch. This. Space.

Sony

You can expect Sony to launch the XZ3 and XZ3 Compact at their 30 August press conference at IFA. The XZ2 was a fairly impressive smartphone even if Sony did sidestep some of the highlights from their range to date – yes I’m still going on about the fingerprint sensor placement.

The XZ3 will physically look just like the XZ2, keeping with Sony’s six-month launch tradition, but the software is still anyone’s guess.

Sony also loves a nice big telly launch so I’ll be checking out what they have to offer in that space too. You can also expect some neat audio launches from them too and I’ll be reviewing some of their existing audio offerings very soon. Lots of Google Assistant activated stuff in there too.

Google

Mach Mal, Google.

There’s a massive sign outside Messe Berlin with the words “Mach Mal, Google”. There’s a hugh bubblegum game machine where people can win Google Home devices. And around every corner of IFA 2018 is a Google Assistant-powered device. Seriously, they are putting it into everything!

Considering at this event I’ll likely be seeing the Siri-powered Apple Home and plenty of Amazon Alexa-powered speakers, including the latest range from Bose, few smart assistants are capturing the imagination quite like Google. Then again, smart assistants do still have this feeling that they’ll just never be completely mainstream but I’m rooting for the underdog here. I hope the hardware can help people see the future is voice controlled.

LG

Alas, one of those brands you’ll probably not see on our shores for another few years. LG tends to rock IFA every year and this year should be no different. Chances are we’ll see two new smartphones launching at the Berlin event along with at least one new Wear OS wearable. Just a shame that anything I see in Germany will unlikely see Ireland for a long time.

Samsung

Samsung doesn’t have anything else left to launch this year after the Note 9 launch last month. Samsung is, instead, going to be all about the TVs. I won’t lie, TVs aren’t really my bag. They’re grand like, but at the same time, they’re all a bit normal, right? Well, Samsung will be blowing that idea out of the water when they launch an 8K monster in Berlin.

Now, the funny thing about getting excited for an 8K TV is that the vast majority of homes have yet to adopt 4K TVs. I won’t be getting to excited about the TV side of IFA if I’m being totally honest, unless I see something really special for the everyday consumer.

Samsung may provide some more insight into the most underwhelming smart assistant of them all; Bixby. I recently gave up my beloved Note8 for the Huawei P20 Pro and I’ll admit that was tough. I love the Note8 and it’s now the second best phone I’ve ever owned or, in fact, used. However, it had Bixby, quite simply the worst smart assistant on the market. Yes, worse than Cortana. Samsung is bringing out a smart home speaker which will rival the Google Homepod for “most unpopular” status.

Everything Else

There’s going to be plenty more to enjoy at IFA 2018. I’m looking forward to some of the more edge-case tech manufacturers and what they have to offer. With Asian brands like Huawei growing in Ireland and Xiaomi finally popping their head in the door too, I’m interested to see what ZTE has to offer.

Audio is something I’ve spent a lot of time studying recently and I’m going to be writing up some earphone, headphone and wireless bud reviews in the coming weeks. Natrually, I’ll be keeping an eye out for the very latest audio experiences at IFA too, but I’ve got to be humble for a moment.

It’s my first year at IFA Berlin and as such, I don’t really know what to expect. I’ve been forewarned of bread maker black holes and to wear comfy shoes, but beyond that I’ve no idea what to expect. There’ll be a rake of tech on show, likely more than I can take in in a few short days. But I’ve been to big conferences and trade shows in the past so I also know that whatever about predicting what’s going to be on show, it’s all about letting the event show me the future.

Come Monday, I hope to be much wiser about the world of smartphones, TVs, drones, smart assistants and, unfortunately, bread makers. Be sure to follow Goosed.ie and myself on Twitter for the latest craic.

Speaking Puppy: Snapchat Filters For Your Dog

Marty
-
0
Speaking Puppy: Snapchat Filters For Your Dog

One of my favourite tech things has to be augmented reality. My reason for loving augmented reality is simple; a lot of people are using it every day and have no idea. How is that? AR is the technology behind Snapchat filters and so is the reason you can morph your head into a puppy. As is often the case, tech has now come full circle as thanks to the Speaking Puppy app, you can now use Snapchat-like filters with your dog.

Speaking Puppy: The Animal Filter App

Speaking Puppy is the latest app from 2020CV, a company that makes some insane ideas possible. In the past, they’ve helped people turn rolls of paper into AR lightsabers so it’s pretty clear why they caught my attention. Tech and lightsabers, in the one place. Brilliant. Now they’ve only gone and added puppies into the mix.

Speaking Puppy lets you apply a Snapchat-like filter to your pupper. Going a step further, the app also animates your dog’s mouth so you can make it look like they are saying stuff.

Yup, this is the latest tech that I felt you needed to know about and I have no regrets about that at all.

Will we get a similar app to make Snapchat-like filters that work on birds? Can you look forward to a world where face-swapping with a cat is the highlight of your day? Look forward to the future people.

Download Speaking Puppy for iPhone now.

Eir’s Data Breach Explained and What You Need to Do to Protect Yourself

Neal
-
0
Eir’s Data Breach Explained and What You Need to Do to Protect Yourself

Eir announced yesterday, 21st Aug that it had suffered a serious data breach when one of it Laptops was stolen outside the company office on the 12th August. Eir reported the breach to the Data Protection Commissioner and the Gardai. Eir say that there is no evidence at this time that the data concerned has been used by a third party. By the way for what it’s worth you can find out if any of your data has been leaked by any company with this handy tool.

Eir have begun sending letters to all customers affected by the data breach today. Why it took 10 days to inform customers is surprising.

Image result for eir building

How did it happen?

The Laptop was unencrypted and contained files of a PID nature (Personable Identifiable Data) i.e. customer names, email addresses and Eir customer numbers of 37,000 customers. The Laptop is still password protected to gain access, but this is not a difficult step to overcome for an even inexperienced cyber criminal.

Crucially no financial data was contained on the laptop. Eir say company policy is that all Laptops should be encrypted and password protected. However in this case the Laptop in question was at the time un-encrypted due a faulty security update the previous day de-encrypting the Laptop. Questions should be asked to the level of testing that was performed on the security updates prior to being rolled out.

Additionally, it should be asked why the files were stored on the Laptop itself and not left on a secure company network folder. Most companies have a policy stating that files containing sensitive data should not be downloaded and stored onto local drives.

What do I need to do to protect myself?

Even though no financial information was present on the stolen Laptop, criminals can still use the data to build up a full profile of you, filling gaps from other data breaches or sources.

So Firstly, you should change your online Eir account password. If the old password was used for other websites and apps, change those also. Good practise is to have different passwords for all your web sites and apps where you have registered. Remembering them all is practically impossible of course, so use a good password manager tool to store all your passwords e.g. 1Password.

Secondly, read closely the communication sent to you by EIR and act on its recommendations.

Thirdly, keep a close eye on your bank accounts for any suspicious activity over the coming weeks and months. Anything unusual inform your bank and Eir.

We will be keeping an eye on the story as it develops so watch this space.

Netflix Ads Might Become a Reality: Here’s How to Stop Them

Dean
-
0
Netflix Ads Might Become a Reality: Here’s How to Stop Them

There has been uproar online over the past few days after Netflix ads started appearing for viewers as the streaming giant confirmed they’re testing a new feature on their platform. They will now start integrating ads between episodes of some series such as Rick and Marty and Bob’s Burgers for other shows on Netflix such as Better Call Saul. Now I don’t know about you but ads on Netflix just seems kind of wrong; isn’t this why we’re all chord-cutting in the first place?

Does This Mean My Netflix Binge Will Be Interrupted by Ads?

Related image

The short answer here is yes. This new feature has caused uproar because the main reason people love Netflix is the wide variety of content, full seasons becoming available at once, and, of course, no ads! See that’s important to us and Netflix just aren’t getting that now. Consumers pay a monthly subscription for these services and even at that some shows don’t even have full seasons uploaded at once anymore, such as the new season of Better Call Saul, Power or the short docuseries like Explained. Even their new BuzzFeed series, Follow This, will be released in three bursts.

In the near future we will be expected to watch ads during the loading period between episodes but like YouTube we should be able to skip them after a couple of seconds.

Is It a Recommendation or an Ad?

Image result for netflix recommendations

Netflix describes the ads as “recommendations” and explained that they were to help viewers choose what else to watch.

“We are testing whether surfacing recommendations between episodes helps members discover stories they will enjoy faster”.

As a result of this ‘helpful’ new feature, a lot of users are now threatening to unsubscribe from Netflix. We are a big fan of the if it ain’t broke don’t fix it method. However, Netflix has already stated they are not going to listen to feedback from their customers and will go by data collected from interactions with the feature. A user on Reddit even reported that when they rang Netflix customer care and questioned them about it, Netflix reportedly hung up on both occasions, so it seems they are point blank refusing to discuss this new feature with users.

How to Stop Netflix Ads Appearing

  1. Go to your account settings
  2. Select ‘Test participation’
  3. Toggle this option off

Luckily there is a way to block this feature if you are one of the select few that have been assigned to the testing pool. If you hit the drop-down menu and go to ‘Account’ there should be an option that says ‘Test Participation’. Simply go into this and toggle it off and you’re done. It’s possible if you are on the Netflix app it will bring you to Netflix in the internet browser, however, once it’s done, you shouldn’t be concerned about those pesky ads popping up anymore.

Unless this feature is fully rolled out then you will have no choice but to put up with these potentially annoying ads for your next Netflix recommendations. Personally, I’m not a fan. Netflix works because it allows us the freedom to watch what a full series like Afflicted in a single sitting the way we want when we want without being bothered by ads or breaks like standard TV. Sure, now it’s only Netflix recommendations but what’s next? Toothpaste ads while I’m 6 hours into a Netflix and food binge? Say it ain’t so!

1...105106107...181Page 106 of 181

About Goosed

Welcome to Goosed.ie! We test the latest consumer electronics and tech from around the world to help you find gadgets that make your life just a little bit easier.

Must Read

Ireland’s Learning Wallet Could Be the Game-Changer Senior Cycle Needs

Tech News 0
It’s not every day you see real innovation in...

Boards.ie Launches Paid Membership to Save Itself

News 0
Boards.ie is one of Ireland's longest standing online landmarks....

Irish Company Coroflo Wins Red Dot Innovation Award

News 0
A couple of years ago, we introduced you Coroflo,...

Subscribe

© 2024 Goosed. All Rights Reserved.