Over the last 30 years, HardSoft has had the privilege of working in partnership with educators to understand how the latest technology we lease helps teachers unlock the full potential of their students. We’re excited at HardSoft to introduce the new Apple iPad, ready to lease, packed with powerful apps and a brand-new curriculum to help teachers ensure each child has an array of magical, technology-led and interactive learning experiences.

This FAQ-style blog answers some of the inevitable questions that will come with the recent iPad release and iOS 11 updates regarding changes to Apple apps. read more

Join HardSoft’s Exclusive ‘Creative Club’

For just £6 per week plus VAT, our members can have access to a pool of kit for short-term hire. That’s the kit you need when you need it for short-term projects. Nothing extra to pay. The kit in the pool will have a daily points value and you receive 350 points annually to use to hire the extra kit you need when you want it. All delivered and collected. It’s short-term computer hire that’s cheap and flexible.

Choose what you need from our Creative Club list

HardSoft’s new Creative Club is an exclusive group for our customers. If you’ve ever worked on a project and wished you had an extra MacBook Pro for a week or created a film and thought how much easier it would have been if you could have hired a 4K Camera and iMac Pro to make editing faster. Or even an iPad Pro just for a weekend to showcase at an exhibition. Maybe you need a Virtual Reality PC with an Oculus Rift headset then the Creative Club is perfect for you! read more

You have a shiny new computer (or computers) and they look fantastic and have made your life far simpler, but what if they get damaged or stolen? Would you be covered? And could you continue operating with no smartphone, laptop, or tablet? With your customers expecting a service from you that is fast and efficient, even a few days of downtime can cause you huge problems. Plus the costs of replacing your belongings can quickly mount up. Insurance is one of those things that always seems such a waste of money but is so important and a real must when you’re talking about expensive tech equipment. read more

Over the last 18 months, many major computer manufacturers  such as Lenovo, HP and Fujitsu have started offering subscription services for new computers and technology but what exactly is in it for you, and what is this terminology they use all about?  It’s something we’ve been talking about for a long time and is very much part of the HardSoft ethos and way of offering a subscription model for deployment and use of PC and Macs.

Here we explain these terms and acronyms which you may come across: read more

4K resolution has finally taken the world by storm. 75% of all TV’s sold in the USA commercially in 2017 were 4K capable and it’s estimated that in 2018 it will be close to 100%. So why did it take over a decade for 4K resolution to become popular? And is the next step in resolution updates, 8K, resigned to the same delayed fate?

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 was the first feature-length film to be shot entirely in 8k with RED cameras.

What is 4K/8K Resolution?

4K resolution means that there are, roughly, 4000 pixels forming the horizontal axis of your display, to put that into perspective FullHD (1080p), the hot resolution during the console wars of 2007, only has 1080 horizontal pixels. There are several resolution ratios which claim to be 4K but they are all tied to that definition, the most popular, UHD or Ultra-High Definition has 3840 for example. They are all still considered ‘4K’ but perhaps resolutions like DCI 4096 × 2160, could be considered ‘truer’ than some of its counterparts. read more

Voice technology is everywhere! Pretty soon it will be an unavoidable phenomenon, not just an app you never use.

Voice technology is continuing to change the way we communicate in all aspects of our everyday lives.

And, in recent years, an increasing number of high profile brands, including Microsoft and Apple, have recognised the many benefits that come hand in hand with voice technology. In fact, more people than ever before are embracing voice assistant devices at home and at work, increasing the worldwide demand for technology that can recognise human speech.

Firstly, what is voice technology?

From the Apple HomePod and Google Home through to the Amazon Echo, brands have been quick to respond to consumer demand for voice assistants, which have been designed to integrate seamlessly into our everyday lives, ultimately changing consumer behaviour. read more

Here to Save the Day

Our technical support team are like Marvel’s Avengers. They’re a super-skilled, highly trained, slightly geeky and dysfunctional group of tech superheroes, who we call on whenever our customers are in trouble and need a helping hand. But don’t worry, they all wear their pants on the inside!

When you lease your Mac or PC from HardSoft with a HardSoft Flexi-Lease, you also get the benefit of three years warranty and support from our technical support team. The tech team are available for visits to help you with installation, training and support whenever you need help. We pride ourselves on our technical team’s knowledge and ability to fight most challenges like a superhero. They are able to do this because we make sure that they have the latest, and most up to date, training. This helps them to overcome the issues that they encounter quickly and effectively for our customers. read more

As Easy as Change, Continue, or Cancel.

We’re often asked about the flexibility of leasing in Ireland, and potential customers are often under the impression that leasing is inflexible and they will be tied into long contracts whilst their equipment becomes obsolete and old. We always tell them that leasing IT equipment is as simple as getting your mobile phone contract, they work in just the same way.

Here at HardSoft, we are the pioneers of the ‘Flexi-Lease’, so the clue is in the name. This scheme for businesses is simple and incredibly flexible, we call it Change, Continue, Cancel. All of our customers are offered guaranteed ownership of their equipment at the end of their lease term for just €1, but they can also choose to continue with a new lease once they reach the halfway point of their lease, upgrading their equipment at the same time, allowing them to have the latest and most up to date kit. read more

As Easy as Change, Continue, or Cancel.

We’re often asked about the flexibility of leasing, and potential customers are often under the impression that leasing is inflexible and they will be tied into long contracts whilst their equipment becomes obsolete and old. We always tell them that leasing IT equipment is as simple as getting your mobile phone contract, they work in just the same way.

Here at HardSoft, we are the pioneers of the ‘Flexi-Lease’, so the clue is in the name. This scheme for businesses is simple and incredibly flexible, we call it Change, Continue, Cancel. All of our customers are offered guaranteed ownership of their equipment at the end of their lease term for just £1, but they can also choose to continue with a new lease once they reach the halfway point of their lease, upgrading their equipment at the same time, allowing them to have the latest and most up to date kit. read more

What is Factoring?

Have you ever been thrilled to land a contract or project with a really big household name company, only to panic when you find out their payment terms are usually 90 days? So, you do the work for them, send in your invoice and then have to wait… and wait… and wait… to be paid. All whilst you’re still having to pay your bills and mortgage, and put food on the table! Well, that’s where invoice factoring comes in. You sell on your invoice to another company, who then pay you – depending on their terms – and wait for the client to pay them, meaning your precious cash flow is intact and you can continue working without gaining any grey hairs from the stress of waiting. Sound good? Well, we can now help you with this. read more