App Attack and Tech news

App Attack:

A new app for iPhone paints a pretty picture of Dublin life. The Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) has released an app guide for shows and events at Ireland’s leading modern art venue. The app includes interactive maps for IMMA venues.

Surf’s up on two new apps for Windows Marketplace. MAGIC SEAWEED is a surfer’s paradise, with information and surf forecasts on over 2,500 beaches around the world. Info includes swell height, wind strength, and live reports. RUN THE MAP is for people who prefer to stretch their limbs on solid ground. The app records and analyses your route – whether running, walking, cycling or hiking – and provides real time information on distance, speed and altitude.

Alternatively, carry on camping with a new mobile app from the Irish Caravan & Camping Council (ICC). CAMPING IRELAND, for Android and iPhone, features Fáilte Ireland registered campsites – information on camping equipment and Motorhome sales and hire agents. For more information, check out campingireland.ie

Tech News:

Shedding light on the smartphone scene
Nokia has released its latest Lumia smartphone. The Lumia 520 joins Lumia 920 and 820 on the Windows 8 hall of fame. You certainly wouldn’t miss this on a shelf: it comes in five colours including red, black, and mustard yellow. The device – free with billpay and a reasonable €129.99 on Pre Pay – has a four-inch touchscreen. There are unique features, including HERE Maps, HERE City Lens, and free turn by turn navigation on HERE Drive. Melt your eardrums on Nokia Music, which streams customised radio channels for free. For €3.99-a-month, upgrade to Nokia Music+, which incorporates personal radio features.

Sweet harmony
One size fits all. That’s the idea behind Logitech’s universal remote controls. Between them, Logitech Harmony Ultimate and Logitech Harmony Smart Control work with over 225,000 home-entertainment devices and 5,000 brands. Ultimate has a 2.4-inch colour touch-screen that lets you control TV, music and movies... even room lighting. Other functions include vibration feedback and tilt sensors. Smart Control, in liaison with Harmony Smartphone App, turns your iOS or Android phone into a universal remote. Users can control up to eight devices from anywhere in the house using your phone. A life of laziness beckons!

Raise your glasses
A select few have had access to Google’s sci-fi spectacles, so stats on the device are now in. The eyewear can be adjusted to suit face size. Heralding the end of privacy or decorum, there’s a 5-megapixel camera, capable of recording HD video at 720p, to capture your every interaction. While the 4-eyed device does not have built-in cellular abilities, it interacts with smartphones over Bluetooth and comes with Wi-Fi. The device is fuelled on 16GB of Flash, with 12GB of memory, and an expected full day of battery life.