The good old-fashioned two-way radio, or walkie-talkie has been around for decades, in fact over a century. As early as 1907 two-way telegraphy traffic across the Atlantic Ocean was commercially available. With the advent of World War 1 (1914-18) military application of two-way communication saw rapid advancements.

Fast-forward one hundred years and push-to-talk (PTT) technology has evolved by taking two-way radio technology and marrying it to the internet.

WHAT IS PUSH TO TALK?

Push to Talk (PTT) is a method of voice communication that allows you to simply press a button for instant and secure talk.

PTT works on many types of devices, dedicated PTT devices, smartphones and even computers.

Like walkie-talkie, you can talk to many devices at once, or privately one-to-one.

THE BENEFITS

Cool Stuf has partnered with Tycon Technology Ltd to supply cutting-edge PTT and Two-Ray radio technology for unparalleled nation-wide coverage over Digicel’s mobile network.

We now offer intuitive and easy to use systems, built for business, leveraging the internet, cellular data, and wi-fi networks to transmit voice over the internet.

It is not just the instant talk capability of two-way but also live GPS personnel tracking, vehicle tracking and emergency SOS alert notifications ensuring best-possible workforce collaboration, safety, security and dispatch management.

There are also added benefits: PTT technology is proven to be more cost-effective, the devices more robust and yet light- weight compared to traditional walkie-talkies, and with clearer communication.

In summary PTT is a smart solution for a variety of industries, sectors and applications – security, manufacturing, construction, transportation, mining, law enforcement, and emergency services.

Prices for the Inrico brand hand-held devices start from K590.

Cool Stuf is committed to keeping things cool in more ways than one.

Now that Covid-19 is a fact of life, and will be with us for some time to come, we are connecting PNG with some pretty cool technology to prevent the spread of the virus.

Cool Stuf has partnered with HIKvision, a global security and surveillance solution provider, to provide Temperature-screening Thermographic Cameras and solutions in the PNG market. These cameras add value to the preventive measures at airport and other transport terminals, mine sites, schools, shopping centres and hospitals.

The Temperature Screening Thermographic Cameras can sense IR radiations (8-14μm) and produce thermal images. The thermal camera converts IR radiations into gray value, and establishes the accurate corresponding relation between gray value and temperature through the temperature measurement algorithm model.

HIKvision Temperature Screening Thermographic Cameras are designed for the detection of elevated skin temperatures so as to achieve rapid preliminary screening in public areas. Actual core body temperatures can then be further confirmed using clinical measurement devices.

It takes only one second for the thermal camera to detect the temperature of each individual person. Thus, the system is not intrusive and there is no congestion of people when passing through the site where temperatures need to be checked.

With advanced detectors and algorithms, HIKvision’s Temperature Screening Thermographic Cameras are designed to detect elevated skin-surface temperatures, and can thus be used for rapid and preliminary temperature screening in office buildings, factories, stations, airports and other public places, with accuracy up to ±0.3°C.

The capability is amazing:

·        one second to detect skin-surface temperature of a person

·        multi-person detection simultaneously

·        non-contact measurement to avoid physical contact

·        immediately alarming to notify operators

·        AI detection to reduce false alarms from other heat sources

HIKvision’s temperature-screening thermographic cameras are designed for the detection of skin-surface temperatures so as to achieve rapid preliminary screening in public areas.

Actual core body temperatures should be further confirmed using clinical measurement devices. Under any circumstances, it is highly recommended to use HIKvision’s thermographic cameras in accordance with local laws and regulations.

Cost implications

HIKvision is cutting-edge technology designed for situations that require specific and tailored solutions. The cost of a typical set-up is upwards of K35,000 which includes the camera, peripherals and desktop monitor. Our team can assess your requirements and provide best solution advice.

HIKvision recently featured on 9 Network News in Australia.

To see the report please follow this link.

https://www.9news.com.au/national/coronavirus-australia-thermal-imaging-cameras-to-become-widespread-covid19/49121463-eb4a-419c-9718-315621cc2488

Cool Stuf has introduced a new award-winning USB drive and external drive, developed in the United States with a level of security used by global organisations such as NASA, Boeing, Google, Microsoft and various US Government departmental organisations.

Needless to say these devices will protect sensitive government, board and company information from falling into the wrong hands and/or being leaked to opposition or media sources.

Remember the Wikileaks scandals of ten years ago? This is how and why these devices were developed.

Likewise we have all lost, or had stolen a USB or external drive loaded with stacks of personal and confidential information. Can you afford to share it with crooks?

Securedata is your safeguard and your lifeline to protecting your sensitive data.

Introducing SecureData SecureDrive

The SecureData SecureDrive KP (key pad) is a hardware-encrypted portable external drive designed for professionals and consumers who need that extra mile to protect their data. Losing a portable drive can be disastrous if security measures weren’t taken, which often is the case. The KP, however, has you covered. It has been built from the ground up with security as its primary goal so users can have a peace of mind their sensitive or classified data is safe.

Highlighted by its Military-Grade 256-Bit Hardware Encryption (which encrypts data in real time) user authentication is done via an on-board key pad, with brute force anti-hacking self-destruction. The latter comes in very handy if you want to be absolutely sure your data won’t fall in the wrong hands. Enter an incorrect password ten consecutive times and the brute force hacking detection will be activated – crypto-erasing all passwords, user data and drive formatting.

The SecureDrive KP is about the same size as all other external drives, measuring just 3″x5″x0.5″. There is no external power supply requirement, it simply operates off of the USB cable power.

One of the key ways the SecureDrive keeps your data safe is that there is absolutely no communication between the host Operating System (Windows, Linux, MacOS or similar) and the drive until the User enters the correct PIN via the onboard keypad. This is what prevents computer/software brute force attacks and/or hacking of the system.

Once the correct pin is entered the drive’s USB controller is unlocked to initiate communication between the drive and host OS. This also prevents any malicious firmware modifications/updates that might be intended to breach the security of the drive.

The SecureDrive is certified FIPS level 3 (U.S. government computer security standard) and every vital piece of electronics is covered with a tough epoxy coating cementing the critical components in an indistinguishable solid capsule. There are no externally visible means to open the drive enclosure.

SecureDrive has 1TB capacity and retails through Cool Stuf at K1190 with a special introductory offer of two for the price of one.

Introducing SecureData SecureUSB

The SecureUSB is also a keypad locked device featuring similar cutting-edge security capabilities as the SecureDrive with obviously less capacity, given it is a USB flash drive.

SecureUSB comes as an 8GB device at K330 and once again Cool Stuf is offering a special introductory offer of two for the price of one.

Like a Pro – S1 Pro

Earlier this year Vivo launched a new phone in its style-centric S series, called the S1 Pro. This model is a follow-up to the Vivo S1  which launched last year. Just like its sibling, the focus for the S1 Pro is on design, in particular the new minimalistic, diamond-shaped camera module on the rear. Also, unlike the Vivo S1, the S1 Pro gets a modern USB Type-C port.

The Vivo S1 is a good-looking phone, and the S1 Pro follows that tradition. The diamond pattern on the back has gone and in its place, we have a ‘Mystic Black’ trim. The S1 Pro is solid at 8.68mm thick. The rounded edges and tapering back make it easy to hold, even with the glossy finish.

In the front, we have a 6.38-inch Super AMOLED display with a full-HD+ resolution. There’s an in-display fingerprint sensor too. Vivo has also thrown in some nice unlock animations to choose from. Face unlock is also available on the phone. The display has a screen protector pre-applied.

The button placement on the Vivo S1 Pro is good. On the left, there’s a tray for either two Nano-SIMs or a single Nano-SIM and a microSD card.

At the bottom, we have a USB Type-C port and speaker, and there’s a headphone jack on the top.

The back of the phone is where the S1 Pro stands out in terms of design.Apart from the jazzy colour, the slim profile of the camera module is impressive as it barely protrudes at all. Just check out the 48MP quad camera set up!

The LED flash is placed outside the camera module. Below that, we have Vivo’s logo and tagline.

The S1 Pro main camera delivers 48MP super clarity, while a further three cameras cover wide-angle, macro and bokeh needs for almost every scene.

A super large 128GB of memory lets you store more of your favourite apps, videos and photos. The device is powered by a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 at its heart making the experience powerful and smooth.

S1 Pro houses a 4500mAh battery that lets you use it for much longer. When it’s time to recharge, Vivo’s exclusive 18W Dual-Engine Fast-Charging technology re-juices at breakneck speeds.

The Vivo S1 Pro is packed with a heap of the latest mobile phone/camera technology at K1490.

V19 – the Vivo flagship has finally arrived!

Touted as another stellar device in its popular V-series, Vivo intended to originally launch the V19 in March but with CV19 playing world-wide havoc, the launch was delayed until just recently.

Like previous ‘V’ series devices, V19 focuses on presenting a premium design language and outstanding cameras to the mid-price segment of the market.

Available at Cool Stuf in Piano Black, the smartphone comes in 8GB RAM and 128GB of internal storage.

In terms of design, the phone has a 3.5mm headphone jack on the bottom edge, a USB Type-C port, speaker grille and the primary microphone.

There is a power button and a volume rocker on the right. There is a secondary noise-cancelling microphone up top and the left edge has a SIM tray with two SIMs and a dedicated microSD card slot.

At the back is the quad-camera setup and the Vivo branding in a neat and sexy format.

The rear camera setup packs a 48MP main shooter with f/1.79 aperture, an 8MP wide-angle camera with f/2.2 aperture, and two 2MP cameras with f/2.4 aperture for macro and bokeh functions.

Rear camera features include super-night mode, ultra-stable video, art portrait video, super macro, and bokeh portrait.

The device features a dual punch-hole camera with a 32MP primary selfie shooter assisted by an 8MP ultra-wide angle lens, capturing best shots in any scenario.

The dual camera on the front, the company claims, is the smallest punch-hole in the world right now.

The Super Night Mode in the V19 helps capture neat selfies even in low-light and Vivo makes a big deal about it with its “ignite your night” tagline. Super Night Mode mode packs the unique ‘Multiple-Exposure’ technique, which merges 14 different frames at multiple exposure values reducing the noise of low-light photos.

The smartphone features 6.44-inch LIV Super AMOLED FHD+ display made of the latest E3 OLED and features an aspect ratio of 20:9. It also offers to bring vibrant and authentic colours come to life with its 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut and supports HDR 10 standard.

The V19 screen has a customised sunlight display algorithm which makes the screen clearly visible even in bright sunlight.

The device is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 712 SoC with 8GB RAM with 128GB/256GB of internal storage.

The Vivo V19 comes with a massive 4,500mAh battery with 33W fast charging support. The phone can charge about 50% in half an hour of charging.

Once again this is a lot of technology for those at the mid-range end of the market at K1990.

 

Just arrived at Cool Stuf are three of the latest phones from tech giant Oppo.

To give you an idea of how big Oppo is, it was the top smartphone brand in China in 2019 and was ranked no 5 in market share, worldwide.

OPPO A12e

Announced only last month (April 2020) the Oppo A12e is powered by a Qualcomm SDM450 Snapdragon 450 (14 nm) CPU processor with 64GB 3GB RAM.

The device also has a 6.2-inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen (720 x 1520 pixels, 271 ppi) display. It has a Dual: 13 MP, f/2.2, AF + 2MP rear camera and supports Wifi, GPS, 3G and 4G LTE.

The Oppo A12e packs in a Non-removable Li-Ion 4230 mAh battery at 8.2mm device thickness and weight 168g, running on Android 8.1 (Oreo); ColorOS 5.1. At K690 it is a great phone for people that want an all-round performer at a low price.

OPPO A12

Also launched in April was the Oppo A12. A large 15.79cm screen immerses you in the full glory of your visuals, whether you are binge-watching shows or playing games.

Plus, OPPO A12 will protect your vision for all-day enjoyment by filtering out harmful blue light to prevent eye strain.

Oppo A12 features your choice of a rear fingerprint sensor or A1 face unlocking.

The ergonomic design has smooth curves and allows easy one-handed use.

The Oppo A12 runs on a MediaTek Helio P35 chipset. It’s paired with up to 4GB of RAM, up to 64GB of storage, expandable to 256GB via MicroSD.

At the back sits a dual camera module arranged in a horizontal array on the upper left corner. The cameras consist of a 13MP main accompanied by a 2MP depth lens, along with a 5MP selfie camera.

The slight jump in price from the 12e to K790 is really worth it. The A12 is great value for money.

OPPO A92

The Oppo A92 was only officially released this month in May 2020, so it really is a newcomer.

The smartphone has a big 6.5 inches display with IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen technology that provides 1080 x 2400 pixels resolution and 405 PPI density. The device is packed with 8 GB RAM options with 128 GB internal storage.

The Oppo A92 runs on the Android 10.0 operating system with ColorOS 7.1 user interface. It features a quad-camera that consists of 48 MP (wide) + 8 MP (ultrawide) + 2 MP (macro) + 2 MP B/W and on the front there is 16 MP (wide) for clicking selfies.

The smartphone is powered by Qualcomm SM6125 Snapdragon 665 processor.

A92 operates with a non-removable Li-Po 5000 mAh battery + Fast charging 18W. The device is integrated with sensors such as Fingerprint (side-mounted), accelerometer, proximity, and compass.

These top-shelf features place the A92 up there with the best phones on the market and will be instrumental in Oppo retaining and growing world market share. It is a great phone at great value at K1,690.